proba float64 0.5 1 | text stringlengths 16 174k |
|---|---|
0.99995 | Please text me about this 2014 Chevrolet Cruze (VIN: 1G1PC5SB4E7105231).
Are you looking for something sporty and economical? Here is a car that can save you a little green at the gas pump, yet it is still fun to drive and it has some nice features like a rear camera and bluetooth connectivity.
Hello, I would like more information about the 2014 Chevrolet Cruze, stock# 105231.
Hello, I would like to see more pictures of the 2014 Chevrolet Cruze, stock# 105231. |
0.909101 | Oes increased disclosure of non-financial measures lead to economic benefit?
The tendency of business corporates to focus their financial reports disclosures on financial performance, and the failure to address other aspects of corporate performance (i.e. non-financial performance disclosures) might be something of a concern to governments and investors. This is because accounting research studies indicate that non-financial information about corporate governance, social and environmental impact,affects management behaviour and investment decisions (for example, see Cohen, Holder-Webb, Nath and Wood, 2012)*. One way of dealing with this concern is through regulating corporate reporting (Bushman and Landsman, 2010)^. Therefore, governments may decide to introduce legislations that will require corporations to provide such information.
(a)Critically discuss the rationale for the government introducing specific disclosure legislations.
(b)Explain who will benefit, in the long run, from the (i) corporate governance, (ii) social and (iii) environmental impact disclosure legislations.
(c)Critically assess the prospects of increased corporate accountability in matters of governance, society and the environment as a result of introducing the disclosure legislations in (b).
In addressing the essay requirements (a), (b) and (c), you are expected to use the three main theories of corporate disclosure regulation, which are public interest theory, private interest theory and capture interest theory. In addition, you are required to support your discussion and arguments, explanation and assessment, with evidence from published research studies.
1)Cohen, J.R., Holder-Webb, L.L., Nath, L. and Wood, D. (2012), a?Corporate reporting of non-financial leading indicators of economic performance and sustainabilitya, Accounting Horizons, Vol. 26 No. 1, pp. 65-90. |
0.994448 | Are you trying to help the environment by using a reusable shopping bag instead of a plastic bag from the store? It's the right thing to do, but I find the store bought reusable bags aren't so great and tend to wear or rip too soon, especially at the bottom where they get poked by boxes and sharp edges. So here is a reusable eco-conscious shopping tote bag you can sew yourself and know that it's going to be long-lasting and hard-wearing. Oh, and it looks really good too. |
0.999963 | This is the Fiat Bravo 2.0 Multijet Dynamic. It’s now the most powerful Fiat Bravo, fitted with Fiat’s new common-rail 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine.
Increasing the capacity of the direct-injection Multijet engine from 1.9 litres to 2.0 litres has boosted power by 15bhp – up to 165bhp – and added a further 40lb ft of torque.
Fiat has also managed to make the new engine more efficient. It emits 10g/km less CO2 (139g/km) than before and, at 53.3mpg, it delivers 2.9mpg more than the 16v 1.9-litre engine on the combined cycle. The Fiat Bravo 2.0 Multijet Dynamic’s diesel particulate filter also helps to extract more pollutants, making this new engine Euro5 compliant.
The Fiat Bravo 2.0 Multijet Dynamic’s new engine provides a strong and steady stream of power. The 266lb ft maximum torque is developed from 1750rpm, and the engine doesn’t noticeably run out of grunt until the top end of the rev range.
The extra 40lb ft makes a noticeable difference, particularly if you’re caught out trying to accelerate in the wrong gear; there’s now always a surge of power on call.
Top-gear cruising is similarly effortless and, despite the known weakness of the bouncy Fiat Bravo ride, it's easy to maintain a steady, quiet and comfortable motorway pace.
The engine doesn’t change any of the existing problems of the Fiat Bravo. Its ride is still too fidgety, its steering is too imprecise and woolly, and you’ll still have to put up with the restricted rear view that hampers reversing and makes the rear seats seem a darker, tighter space than they are in many of the Bravo’s competitors.
But as an engine upgrade, the new common-rail Multijet capably blends petrol-like refinement with gutsy diesel clout that the other engine options in the range don’t deliver.
That's a lot of engine for the money. Very impressive. And it's a lovely looking car. One of my friends(who's not interested in cars at all) recently rented a Bravo while on holiday. He told me that he much preferred it to the Golf he had just bought.
i am always disappointed with the way autocar tests fiat vehicle. Tell me guys, if a newbie who doesnt know about cars reads this article, what impression he would get. I would say it would be negative as the way the whole article is worded. I ve heard people praising Bravo as a complete car as well as appreciating its interiors. If you go by this test, this is just a car with a punchy engine.
I like the Fiat Bravo. All its engines are very good and general quality is not so bad as the article wants to intend... Most of all, the Bravo is a really good looking car and it doesn't make you feel 50yo like people driving Vauxhall, Ford or Renault... This Bravo (or a Nissan Qashqai) is in my top list to change an old Astra SW. But my interest is for the 1.6 multijet, the best engine for a car like this.
Having driven the existing 1.9 diesel version of this car i have to say i liked the engine, interior is ok but doesnt feel like it'll last, ride simply didnt bother me at all it felt firm but in no way uncomfortable or uncomposed.
Infact the only real problem i had with this car was that there is no space to the left of the clutch pedal. It's the little details that count, and unfortunately this is one thing i simply could not live with - and i dont even drive that far every day. I would be constantly banging my leg off the transmission tunnel trying to find somewhere to put my foot.
I can imagine the slight increase in performance would be a great addition, but it's still not the full package.
Having said that, i much prefer my '97 VR6 to the mk5 golf, all these new hatches just feel the same, so you'd be as well to buy one with bang for bucks like the fiat.
I have rented Bravos on many ocassions and like them - the 1.4 litre compressed petrol engine is really super and the car is well finished and good to drive.
However, the Autocar review is tediously predictable: if it is not a Ford its handling and ride is going to get panned. If it is a Ford it will be praised to the heavens. I have never owned a Ford but have had them foisted on me often enough at car rental counters - so I have driven the full range except the "hot" Focuses and Fiestas. I have NEVER encountered the sublime handling and ride that is so often drooled over by Autocar's reviewers.
What I have found was a "lowest common denominator" form of basic motoring. I would much prefer a Bravo, a Megane, a 308 or a Golf. The Bravo and Golf have better engines, the 308 is much more comfortable and smooth. the Megane is delightfully light to negotiate around the city and also has great diesel engines.
Perhaps that is your problem here. You can tell very little of a car's capabilities from renting one.
I am not aware of having any problem here.
I can tell enough to make up my mind not to buy one if it is as medicore and boring as a Ford.
No need to get precious, it was merely an observation. You can tell jack s&*t from renting a car. Of course the difference between you and an Autocar tester is that they do it all the time and know what to look for.
I wonder if you have actually driven a Focus? Some aspects of the interior design/quality are mediocre but the driving experience is not. It's great fun to drive with excellent body control and good if slightly firm ride. It's certainly at least 100% better to drive than a (old shape) Megane. |
0.99802 | Best investment for the same goal.
Affordability: As a small investor, you may find that it is not possible to buy shares of larger corporations. Mutual funds generally buy and sell securities in large volumes which allow investors to benefit from lower trading costs. The smallest investor can get started on mutual funds because of the minimal investment requirements. You can invest with a minimum of Rs.500 in a Systematic Investment Plan on a regular basis.
Tax benefits: Investments held by investors for a period of 12 months or more qualify for capital gains and will be taxed accordingly. These investments also get the benefit of indexation. |
0.999999 | The hike in TDS threshold on interest income will benefit small depositors and non-working spouses, the government has said.
In its last budget before general election due by May, the government has announced a number of tax changes. Other than some income tax rules, including rebate applicable to personal income, the government has also announced changes to the rules on TDS - or tax deducted at source. TDS or tax deducted at source is a direct tax paid to the government under certain conditions. Deduced by the payer, TDS is aimed at collection of tax from the very source of income.
The interim budget for 2019-20 proposes to raise the threshold of TDS applicable to interest income from bank or post office deposits by four times. As per existing rules, TDS is applicable on interest income above Rs. 10,000 from post office/bank deposits. The Finance Bill 2019 proposes to change this threshold to Rs. 40,000. This means that TDS won't be applicable to such interest income up to Rs. 40,000, instead of Rs. 10,000 at present.
The government has also proposed to increase the TDS threshold applicable to payment of rent by one-thirds. This means that payment of rent up to Rs. 2.4 lakh will not attract TDS. As per existing rules, TDS is applicable on payment of rent above Rs. 1.8 lakh. In other words, payment of rent above 1.8 lakh attracts TDS at present. |
0.999999 | What should I do if I experience pain during a class?
If you feel discomfort beyond typical muscle discomfort or fatigue, such as a sudden and sharp or pinching pain, that may indicate a serious injury, or signal that you are headed toward serious injury. Gently and cautiously get out of the pose and tell you teacher immediately.
If you feel shy about calling attention to yourself, raise you hand to get the teachers attention or move into a comfortable resting position and wait till class has ended to talk to the teacher. If non of those options appeal, quietly leave the class and take a moment, a breather to check yourself over.
Often pain in a pose can be alleviated with a simple modification or a supportive prop like a block, or blanket.
If the pain continues or worsens, you may want to consult a medical professional.
Always monitor your body during practice and never ever push yourself past your physical limits, even if you think you can go there, ease back and don't let your ego lead you towards disaster. |
0.999986 | Are you thinking about filing for divorce but are worried about what happens with finances, who gets to stay in the house, or who gets custody of your children while the divorce is pending?
Texas law allows the divorcing parties to ask the court for temporary orders that will generally remain in effect until the divorce is final. Sometimes the parties can agree on the temporary orders or, if necessary, there is a hearing before the judge and the judge decides.
It depends on the facts of each case, but some of the issues that are decided in temporary orders include: who will be able to stay in the house, custody, visitation, and child support arrangements, and whether one party needs to pay spousal support or attorney’s fees of the other party while the case is pending.
Usually, the judge will issue temporary orders to ensure the least disruption for the parties, and especially their children. Often, the children will stay in the house with the parent who is awarded primary custody. The main concerns in temporary orders are the stabilization of the children’s living arrangements, protection of property, and ensuring that both parties have the resources they need to provide for themselves and their children, regardless of who has control of the money. |
0.999965 | This article is about federal gun laws. For state and local gun laws, see Gun laws in the United States by state.
Gun laws in the United States are found in a number of federal statutes. These laws regulate the manufacture, trade, possession, transfer, record keeping, transport, and destruction of firearms, ammunition, and firearms accessories. They are enforced by state agencies and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
In addition to federal gun laws, all state governments some local governments have their own laws that regulate firearms.
The right to keep and bear arms is protected by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution.
National Firearms Act ("NFA") (1934): Taxes the manufacture and transfer of, and mandates the registration of Title II weapons such as machine guns, short-barreled rifles and shotguns, heavy weapons, explosive ordnance, suppressors, and disguised or improvised firearms.
Federal Firearms Act of 1938 ("FFA"): Requires that gun manufacturers, importers, and persons in the business of selling firearms have a Federal Firearms License (FFL). Prohibits the transfer of firearms to certain classes of persons, such as convicted felons.
Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (1968): Prohibited interstate trade in handguns, increased the minimum age to 21 for buying handguns.
Gun Control Act of 1968 ("GCA"): Focuses primarily on regulating interstate commerce in firearms by generally prohibiting interstate firearms transfers except among licensed manufacturers, dealers and importers.
Firearm Owners Protection Act ("FOPA") (1986): Revised and partially repealed the Gun Control Act of 1968. Prohibited the sale to civilians of automatic firearms manufactured after the date of the law's passage. Required ATF approval of transfers of automatic firearms.
Undetectable Firearms Act (1988): Effectively criminalizes, with a few exceptions, the manufacture, importation, sale, shipment, delivery, possession, transfer, or receipt of firearms with less than 3.7 oz of metal content.
Gun-Free School Zones Act (1990): Prohibits unauthorized individuals from knowingly possessing a firearm at a place that the individual knows, or has reasonable cause to believe, is a school zone.
Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (1993): Requires background checks on most firearm purchasers, depending on seller and venue.
Federal Assault Weapons Ban (1994–2004): Banned semiautomatics that looked like assault weapons and large capacity ammunition feeding devices. The law expired in 2004.
Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (2004): Granted law enforcement officers and former law enforcement officers the right to carry a concealed firearm in any jurisdiction in the United States, regardless of state or local laws, with certain exceptions.
Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (2005): Prevents firearms manufacturers and licensed dealers from being held liable for negligence when crimes have been committed with their products.
Fugitives, those convicted of a felony with a sentence exceeding 1 year, past or present, and those who were involuntarily admitted to a mental facility are prohibited from purchasing a firearm; unless rights restored. Forty-four states have a provision in their state constitutions similar to the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, which protects the right to keep and bear arms. The exceptions are California, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, and New York. In New York, however, the statutory civil rights laws contain a provision virtually identical to the Second Amendment. Additionally, the U.S. Supreme Court held in McDonald v. Chicago that the protections of the Second Amendment to keep and bear arms for self-defense in one's home apply against state governments and their political subdivisions.
Important events regarding gun legislation occurred in the following years.
In 1791, the United States Bill of Rights were ratified which included the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution which stated that "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
In 1934, with the abundance of gang related crime, such as the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre, the National Firearms Act ("NFA") was signed into law under President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Administration. The NFA is considered to be the first legislation to enforce gun control in the United States, imposing a $200 tax, equivalent to nearly $4,000 in 2019, on the manufacture and transfer of Title II weapons. It also mandated the registration of machine guns, short-barreled rifles and shotguns, heavy weapons, explosive ordnance, suppressors, and disguised or improvised firearms.
In 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Federal Firearms Act of 1938 ("FFA") into law, requiring that all gun related businesses must have a Federal Firearms License (FFL).
In 1939, through the court case United States v. Miller, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that Congress could regulate interstate selling sawed-off shotguns through the National Firearms Act of 1934, deeming that such a weapon has no reasonable relationship with the efficiency of a well regulated militia.
In 1968, following the spree of political assassinations including: the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, and the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr, President Lyndon B. Johnson, pushed congress for the Gun Control Act of 1968 ("GCA"). It repealed and replaced the FFA, regulated “destructive devices” (such as bombs, mines, grenades, and other explosives), expanded the definition of machine gun, required the serialization of manufactured or imported guns, banned importing military style weapons, and imposed a 21 age minimum on the purchasing of handguns from FFLs. The GCA also prohibited selling of firearms to felons and the mentally ill.
In 1986, contrary to prior gun legislation, the Firearm Owners Protection Act ("FOPA") (1986), passed under the Ronald Reagan administration, enacted protections for gun owners. It prohibited a national registry of dealer records, limited ATF inspections to conduct annual inspections (unless multiple infractions have been observed), allowed licensed dealers to sell firearms at "gun shows" in their state, and loosened regulations on the sale and transfer of ammunition. However the FOPA also prohibited civilian ownership or transfer of machine guns made after May 19, 1986, and redefined "silencer" to include silencer parts.
In 1993, the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, named after a White House press secretary who was disabled during the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan, was signed into law under the presidency of Bill Clinton. This act required that background checks must be conducted on gun purchases and established a criminal background check system maintained by the FBI.
In 1994, the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act was signed into law under the presidency of Bill Clinton, which included the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, effectively banned the manufacturing, selling, and possession of specific military-style assault weapons such as AR-15 style rifles and banned high-capacity ammunition magazines that held over 10 rounds. Banned arms that were previously legally possessed were grandfathered. The ban expired in September 2004.
In 2003, the Tiahrt Amendment proposed by Kansas Representative, Todd Tiahrt, limited the ATF to only release information from its firearms trace database to only law enforcement agencies or a prosecutors in connection with a criminal investigation.
In 2005, The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act was signed into law under the presidency of George W. Bush. This act protected gun manufacturers from being named in federal or state civil suits by those who were victims of crimes involving guns made by that company.
In 2008, the Supreme Court ruled in the case District of Columbia v. Heller that the Second Amendment is an "individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia" and struck down Washington D.C.'s handgun ban. But the Supreme Court also stated "that the right to bear arms is not unlimited and that guns and gun ownership would continue to be regulated."
In 2010, the Supreme Court ruled in the case McDonald v. Chicago that the Second Amendment is incorporated and thus applies against the states.
In 2016, the Supreme Court ruled in the case Caetano v. Massachusetts that "the Second Amendment extends, prima facie, to all instruments that constitute bearable arms, even those that were not in existence at the time of the founding".
The right to keep and bear arms in the United States is protected by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. While there have been contentious debates on the nature of this right, there was a lack of clear federal court rulings defining the right until the two U.S. Supreme Court cases of District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) and McDonald v. City of Chicago (2010).
An individual right to own a gun for personal use was affirmed in the landmark District of Columbia v. Heller decision in 2008, which overturned a handgun ban in the federal District of Columbia. In the Heller decision, the court's majority opinion said that the Second Amendment protects "the right of law-abiding, responsible citizens to use arms in defense of hearth and home."
The four dissenting justices argued that the majority had broken prior precedent on the Second Amendment, and took the position that the amendment refers to an individual right, but in the context of militia service.
In the McDonald v. City of Chicago decision in 2010, the Supreme Court ruled that, because of the incorporation of the Bill of Rights, the guarantee of an individual right to bear arms applies to state and local gun control laws and not just federal laws.
The Supreme Court has not ruled on whether the Second Amendment protects the right to carry guns in public for self-defense. Federal appeals courts have issued conflicting rulings on this point. For example, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled in 2012 that it does, saying, "The Supreme Court has decided that the amendment confers a right to bear arms for self-defense, which is as important outside the home as inside." However, the Tenth Circuit Court ruled in 2013 that it does not, saying, "In light of our nation's extensive practice of restricting citizen's freedom to carry firearms in a concealed manner, we hold that this activity does not fall within the scope of the Second Amendment's protections." More recently, the Ninth Circuit Court ruled in its 2016 decision Peruta v. San Diego County that the Second Amendment does not guarantee the right of gun owners to carry concealed firearms in public.
Each state has its own laws regarding who is allowed to own or possess firearms, and there are various state and federal permitting and background check requirements. Controversy continues over which classes of people, such as convicted felons, people with severe or violent mental illness, and people on the federal no-fly list, should be excluded. Laws in these areas vary considerably, and enforcement is in flux.
any person under indictment for a "crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year"
The above categories are addressed on the ATF Firearms Transaction Record 4473 background check form. According to the US Sentencing Commission, approximately 5,000 to 6,000 people a year are convicted of receiving or possessing a firearm against one of the prohibitions above. In 2017, over 25.2 million actual background checks were performed in total.
Under United States law, any company or gunsmith which in the course of its business manufactures guns or gun parts, or modifies guns for resale, must be licensed as a manufacturer of firearms.
^ "Federal Gun Control Legislation – Timeline". Infoplease.com. Retrieved 2013-11-14.
^ "Crime Control: The Federal Response". Policyalmanac.org. Retrieved 2013-11-14.
^ Volokh, Eugene (2006). "State Constitutional Right to Keep and Bear Arms Provisions". UCLA School of Law. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
^ "New York Civil Rights – Article 2 – § 4 Right to Keep and Bear Arms". Law and Legal Research. March 30, 2010. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
^ Liptak, Adam (June 28, 2010). "Justices Extend Firearm Rights in 5-to-4 Ruling", New York Times. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
^ Gray, Sarah. "Here's a Timeline of the Major Gun Control Laws in America". time.com. Time. Retrieved 2019-04-17.
^ Greenhouse, Linda (June 27, 2008). "Justices Rule for Individual Gun Rights", The New York Times. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
^ Scalia, Antonin (June 26, 2008). "District of Columbia et al. v. Heller, Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, No. 07–290. Argued March 18, 2008" (PDF): 2. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
^ Cooper, Matthew (January 19, 2013). "Why Liberals Should Thank Justice Scalia for Gun Control: His ruling in a key Supreme Court case leans on original intent and will let Obama push his proposals". National Journal. National Journal Group. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
^ Linda Greenhouse (2008-06-27). "Justices Rule for Individual Gun Rights". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
^ See "District of Columbia v. Heller: The Individual Right to Bear Arms" (PDF) (comment), Harvard Law Review, Vol. 122, pp. 141–142 (2008): "Justice Stevens filed a dissenting opinion, agreeing with the majority that the Second Amendment confers an individual right, but disagreeing as to the scope of that right. ... Justices Souter, Ginsburg, and Breyer joined Justice Stevens's opinion."
^ Bhagwat, A. (2010). The Myth of Rights: The Purposes and Limits of Constitutional Rights. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 16–17. ISBN 9780195377781. Justice Stevens begins his opinion by conceding Justice Scalia's point that the Second Amendment right is an 'individual' one, in the sense that '[s]urely it protects a right that can be enforced by individuals.' He concludes, however, that all of the historical context, and all of the evidence surrounding the drafting of the Second Amendment, supports the view that the Second Amendment protects only a right to keep and bear arms in the context of militia service.
^ Bennett, R.; Solum, L. (2011). Constitutional originalism : A Debate. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. p. 29. ISBN 9780801447938. In both dissents, the clear implication is that if the purpose of the Second Amendment is militia—related, it follows that the amendment does not create a legal rule that protects an individual right to possess and carry fire arms outside the context of service in a state militia.
^ Schultz, D.A. (2009). Encyclopedia of the United States Constitution. New York: Infobase Publishing. p. 201. ISBN 9781438126777. Justice John Paul Stevens argued that the debate over the Second Amendment was not whether it protected an individual or collective right but, instead, over the scope of the right to bear arms.
^ Liptak, Adam (June 28, 2010). "Justices Extend Firearm Rights in 5-to-4 Ruling", The New York Times. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
^ Liptak, Adam (April 15, 2013). "Justices Refuse Case on Gun Law in New York", The New York Times. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
^ Long, Ray; Sweeney, Annie; Garcia, Monique (December 11, 2012). "Concealed Carry: Court Strikes Down Illinois' Ban", Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
^ Associated Press (February 23, 2013). "Court Finds No Right to Conceal a Firearm", The New York Times. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
^ Nagourney, Adam; Eckholm, Erik (June 9, 2016). "2nd Amendment Does Not Guarantee Right to Carry Concealed Guns, Court Rules", The New York Times. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
^ "U.S.C. Title 18 - CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE". www.govinfo.gov.
^ "May a nonimmigrant alien who has been admitted to the United States under a nonimmigrant visa possess a firearm or ammunition in the United States?". Atf.gov. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. 16 I&N Dec. 726 (BIA 1979) (same).
^ a b "18 U.S. Code § 922 - Unlawful acts". LII / Legal Information Institute.
^ "18 U.S. Code § 922 – Unlawful acts". LII / Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
^ "House Votes To Overturn Obama Rule Restricting Gun Sales To The Severely Mentally Ill". Npr.org. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
^ a b 18 U.S.C. § 921(a)(20)does not include—(A) any Federal or State offenses pertaining to antitrust violations, unfair trade practices, restraints of trade, or other similar offenses relating to the regulation of business practices, or (B) any State offense classified by the laws of the State as a misdemeanor and punishable by a term of imprisonment of two years or less...."); see also 18 U.S.C. § 927 ("Effect on State law").
^ See generally United States v. Torres, ___ F.3d ___, No. 15-10492 (9th Cir. Jan. 8, 2019); see also 8 U.S.C. § 1365(b) ("An illegal alien ... is any alien ... who is in the United States unlawfully....").
^ "Firearms – Frequently Asked Questions – Manufacturers". ATF.gov. 2015. Archived from the original on July 10, 2014. Retrieved February 24, 2015. |
0.998667 | What is it, that is so important to women when they travel for business? Are female business travelers the most demanding customers of luxury hotels today? Those are questions I can answer from experience.
Traveling for work usually means that the schedule is tight: meetings, calls, business lunches and probably evening events. To make sure those kinds of busy days go smoothly, women choose hotels that they can fully count on when it comes to everything that supports them in the background of their work day.
Taking into consideration the high rates of luxury hotels, working women who regularly stay at such hotels on business trips have usually reached a certain level of achievement and status within the company they work for, or have accomplished entrepreneurial success. Certainly, one can expect that these women know not only what business amenities are necessities, but also what they expect from personal services, dining and room accommodations when traveling and working on the go. When choosing a hotel, the expectation is for a high level of service and quality of all amenities, from the moment they check-in and beyond.
Many factors influence women when they choose their hotel, from the convenience and safety of the neighborhood, to transportation choices, to the proximity of great shopping possibilities. Must have amenities include high-end concierge service, overnight laundry service and 24h in-room dining with healthy food options. Noise-free rooms, comfortable beds, luxurious body products and a variety of spa treatments are a few examples of the important small details that allow women to decide if they like a hotel or not. These are some of the attributes that actually make a hotel the perfect choice for a discerning female business traveler.
On January 15th 2018, the world’s most exclusive by-invitation-only exhibition for luxurious timepieces, the SIHH 2018, will open its doors at Palexpo in Geneva. It’s one of the busiest times of the year for the watch industry, the city and its hotels. Here are the three most exceptional hotels in Geneva, that no matter what the season or event is, offer luxury in every detail to make their guests feel at home away from home and fulfill all criteria a female business traveler does wish for.
This legendary building, now known as the Four Seasons Hotel Des Bergues, was at one time home to Geneva’s first hotel and has been a landmark in the city’s history since 1834. Today it is the number one choice of upper class clientele from around the world. The hotel is internationally known as a luxurious property providing exceptional personal services to its guests. The purist interior design by Pierre-Yves Rochon, stages this historical building as art for the eye. Although the lobby and salons are quite spacious, the hotel exudes a welcoming coziness that female travelers find comforting, even when traveling alone. A total of 115 luxurious guest rooms and suites provide views over Lac Leman and the hotel’s dreamy courtyard. Located in the heart of Geneva, a few footsteps from the lake and la Rue du Rhone (Geneva’s luxurious shopping mile), the property is a famous hotspot for locals too. Two fine dining restaurants, a bar and a tea room are all inviting places to host meetings without ever leaving the hotel.
To unwind after a busy day or journey, guests can visit one of the city’s famous spas, ‘Le Spa Mont Blanc’, located on the top floor of the hotel. The latest addition to their spa menu is a phenomenal Ayurveda aroma therapy collection by the Australian brand ‘Subtle Energies’. The experience calms even after a long, busy day and guarantees a happy and relaxing stay.
Insider tip: Ask for a glimpse of the rooftop view when you are there (open only in summer). The views over the city, lake and Swiss Alps are breathtaking!
When Swiss charm meets modern design and one of the city’s best concierges, you know you are staying at the Mandarin Oriental Geneva. Located right next to River Rhone, this city retreat offers personalized service for business travelers on all levels. Besides an in-room office, the best breakfast in bed service as well as stunning river and mountain views, the guest rooms offer advanced technology, so that working from the room is easy and convenient. Adding to all of this, the hotel offers an unbeatable concierge service that makes every effort to fulfill all of your wishes by assisting with bookings and organizing your busy schedule to make your stay as comfortable as possible, especially for female travelers. You will appreciate the support while away from home and office.
Insider tip: For those who would like to enjoy a truly Swiss experience there is currently a Swiss chalet style pop-up restaurant located at Mandarin Oriental’s café. Swiss specialties such as ‘Roesti’ or ‘Zuercher Gschnetzeltes’ will await you there and will be served in a sophisticated way – the Mandarin Oriental way.
Mandarin Oriental Geneva and River Rhone views.
A hotel known for hosting the world’s most expensive Presidential Suite, called the Royal Penthouse Suite, is certain to offer exquisite standards to its guests. Situated right on the shore of Lac Leman, the Hotel President Wilson offers truly beautiful views. The large bay windows offer panoramic views over the lake, the Swiss Alps and the hotel’s luxurious pool. These are the iconic kinds of views that deserve the famous #roomwithaview Instagram hashtag. Also very instagrammable are the hotel’s famous flower arrangements in the entrance foyer that change weekly. The 204 guest rooms and 22 suites with their modern and light design make you feel ‘home away from home’. Except if you stay in the presidential suite – then you’ll probably feel like “can I stay here forever?!”. Topped with a Michelin-starred restaurant, it’s a wonderful city retreat experience for her.
Insider tip: The property exclusively hosts the only La Mer Spa in Switzerland. La Mer is considered one of the most favorite beauty brands by business women. The holistic brand offers its range of deeply hydrating and rejuvenating facial and body treatments that will let every woman shine confidence and feel beautiful before she conquers a day of meetings in Geneva.
Royal Penthouse Suite of Hotel President Wilson in Geneva and panoramic views of Lac Leman and the Alps. |
0.94828 | Here is my workout plan for this week: Mon 8 miles P57 Full body Tues Zumba plus 3 mile run and pilates ( mat) Wed Reformer, p57 abs and arms 30 min uphill walk Thus Zumba and pilates 3 mile run Fri 5miles and pilates Sat 3miles bike ride and pilates Sun plyo pilates 40 minutes bike ride Hydrating, stretching.
What is your exercise schedule for this week? Remember to mix it up. |
0.957684 | (CNN) -- "Under my um-ber-ella, ella, ella, eh, eh, eh."
As I walk into my interview with chart-topping singer Rihanna, I realize that song has been playing on constant repeat in my head for several weeks without respite.
Although Rihanna was very well known by the time "Umbrella" came out, it ensured that everyone with ears and a radio knew who she was.
Preparing for the interview was a breeze as there was so much to talk about; her massive rise to fame, her headline-grabbing sartorial choices, her troubled upbringing in Barbados with a crack-addicted father and of course, the situation with Rihanna's now ex-boyfriend, Chris Brown.
I'm sure you don't need reminding but just in case, Brown and Rihanna were the cutest couple on the pop block until he laid into her one night in early 2009. The photos of a savagely beaten Rihanna were leaked to the press, sparking off a media onslaught to get her side of the story.
That's why when the inevitable demand, "you must not mention Chris Brown" was delivered by Rihanna's record company, it came as no great surprise. An unrealistic request given the attention to the attack, but not unexpected. Leaving it out was not something I was prepared to do and we were busily toing-and-froing over it when in walked Rihanna.
I'd been warned earlier by my producer that she looked incredible; statuesque, towering tall and perfectly put together. Guess that means I won't be shoving my hair up in a ponytail, I thought. From there, much primping and preening with my long-suffering curling tongs ensued. Imagine my girly delight when her first words were, "Oh my God! I LOVE your hair!" We are going to get on just fine, I thought. And we did.
Yes, it's true that standing next to her I've never felt so short and frumpy in my life, but sometimes you just hit it off with someone. It was like we had known each other for ages as we chatted and chatted about ... everything, really.
I wonder if it was that rapport that made Rihanna comfortable enough to bring up C.B herself, even acknowledging it would be several years before she didn't have to talk about "the incident" anymore. What struck me in that moment was how realistic she was for a girl who wasn't even 22 at the time.
Her people weren't best pleased that we were discussing something other than her latest album "Rated R", but in the end, even they admitted to being happy with the interview.
As for us, we were thrilled with what we had. An open, insightful and hugely entertaining half-hour with one of the most lovely celebs I've ever met.
Now, if I can just get rid of that pesky song. "Ella, ella, ella, eh, eh, eh..." |
0.999995 | What's the "preferred" order of reading the Ender series?
The "preferred order" depends on what you mean by "preferred," and who's doing the preferring.
There are two main story threads. One begins with Ender's Game, and proceeds to Ender in Exile (which overlaps with EG) and then on to Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind.
The other story thread begins with Ender's Shadow (which is parallel to Ender's Game), and proceeds to Shadow of the Hegemon, Shadow Puppets, and Shadow of the Giant. Eventually the two threads come together with the book Shadows in Flight.
The short stories make things even more complicated. They should NOT be read in chronological order because even though many are prequels, they only take on their full significance if you have already read either EG or ES.
The Polish Boy and Theresa (in First Meetings) are the stories of Ender's parents - who they are and how they meet. Mazer in Prison (IGMS) is the story of Mazer Rackham's recruitment by Graff to be part of the training of the future commander of the fleeet.
The stories Cheater and Pretty Boy are the stories of Han Tzu (Hot Soup) and Bonzo Madrid when they were children on Earth, before going to Battle School.
Investment Counselor (First Meetings) takes place after EG and Ender in Exile, and before Speaker for the Dead.
The story War of Gifts (a novella) takes place in the midst of Ender's Game - sort of a side story. It can stand alone. There is also an IGMS story called Ender's Stocking that overlaps with War of Gifts but focuses on a crucial time in Peter's life.
The stories A Young Man With Prospects and Ender in Flight are both part of Ender in Exile, so if you've read that novel, you've read those stories.
You can read the novels as two separate threads in sequence. For younger readers, the best plan is to read Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow in any order, and then proceed through the Shadow books and then all the shorter works, saving Speaker, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind until you're older.
Or you can struggle to read them in chronological order of the story, as described above.
Then again, the Empire books, the Homecoming series, and the Alvin Maker books are absolutely in chronological order and are very clear. They have nothing to do with Ender Wiggin or Julian "Bean" Delphiki, but at least you know what order they're in! |
0.949043 | Are there any objective moral values if atheism is true? Atheist philosophers Michael Ruse and Edward Wilson’s don't think so. They assert that morality is an evolutionary illusion... .
These atheist thinkers affirm that even though atheists can live good moral lives that they are unable to justify why something is good or bad.
If Ruse is right then the atheistic world view that there is no God is one with horrific anti-moral implications. If one fully realizes the implications then the New Atheist movement has no motivation of its existence, no purpose, no reason to spread its unbelief. The atheist church in London or atheists arguments on this forum becomes purposeless. The atheist "realization" that "God does not exist" should be kept in silent horror by atheists in secret "enlightened clubs". Why spread the news that could lead mankind on a horrific road of moral relativism?
But, the atheist may say, I don't need to read some religious book to know the difference between right and wrong. Here lies a miss-understanding. The Christian does not think that one need to "read in a book to know what is right and wrong", neither that Christianity has the authority over right and wrong. No. Empathy, sympathy, love, common sense morality - these laws are intuitive realities for both the believer and non-believer. In Paul's letter to the Romans he stated: “When the Gentiles ... do instinctively what the law requires…they show that what the law requires is written on their hearts” (2:14–15).
However, to Know or Believe that something is right or wrong is quite different from being able (this is critical) to Justify that such a thing is right or wrong. (Think about how critical it is to assert Justifications for “objective moral values” when reading the rest of this article).
We all know Bundy is wrong. But why is he wrong though? With what moral argument can we respond to Bundy?
Some atheists hold that we walk to our own drumbeat and should merely use our common sense. We should use common sense to decide for our self what is morally right and wrong. Moral values might be "subjective" or "relative", but “personal” common sense will direct us just fine. This is called the "personal moral relativist" view.
Other atheists hold that moral values are culturally grounded. We must follow the guidelines of what is consider good or bad in society. This is the "cultural moral relativist" view.
"Most thoughtful atheists don’t tread here either, and this is one reason why: If right and wrong are cultural inventions, then it would always be wrong for someone within that culture to speak out against them. If culture defines right and wrong, then who are you to challenge it? For example, to speak out against slavery in Great Britain in the seventeenth century would have been morally wrong, for it was culturally acceptable. But surely it was a morally good thing for William Wilberforce and others to strive against the prevailing currents of their time and place to abolish the slave trade." So what moral argument would the cultural moral relativist give against the current slave trade in Mauritania for instance?
"Morality, or more strictly our belief in morality, is merely an adaptation put in place to further our reproductive ends. ..., ethics as we understand it is an illusion fobbed off on us by our genes to get us to cooperate. It is without external grounding. Ethics is produced by evolution but is not justified by it ..."
Morality, on this view, is something most of us believe in, follow, and practice, even though it doesn’t exist in reality; it’s just an illusion foisted on us via evolution so that we don’t kill ourselves off as a species.
On [Ruse's] worldview, we are merely evolved brutes whose very existence is derived from the naturalistic laws of evolution, including random mutation and survival of the fittest in which the strong survive and the weak die off (and sometimes the strong kill off the weak in their struggle for survival).
So if atheism is true, what moral argument could be used against Bundy, slavery and the genocidal dictators? What grounds the atheists’ moral positions? What makes their moral views more than mere hunches, inklings, or subjective opinions?"
1. If moral notions such as good and evil exist objectively, then there must be an objective foundation for their existence.
2. Atheism offers no objective basis for the existence of moral notions such as good and evil.
To put it in another way: True "Objective Moral Laws” are not personal, cultural, socio-biological, or illusory, they are universal objective realities that are metaphysically grounded in a Universal Moral Law Giver. The theist asserts that the Universal Moral Law Giver must be God - who or what else could it be? The atheists assert there is no God, therefore "Objective Moral Laws”, (even if he believes in them) cannot exist for the atheist.
The "atheist truth" should therefore be kept a secret. Confined to secret organizations that protects its horrific "secret insights" that "God does not exist" from a mostly believing mankind. Hidden at least until it finds the true foundation for the objective moral values that most philosophers assert, yet unable to explain. When it finds it, it could join the believer to tell those mistaking individuals mentioned above: "What you are doing, my brother, is objectively wrong. It is an objectively moral duty to love your neighbour and even to love your enemy. Why? Because that is the universal objective moral law. How do we know that? It was put onto all mankind’s heart by the Universal Moral Law Giver. We will all face Him one day to explain our actions. You say you don’t hear that inner voice? Don’t despair; it is only because you have been ignoring it for so long. You can get it back. Read the New Testament, open your life to Jesus and accept his gift of salvation, attend church, talk to Christian believers. The Holy Spirit will regenerate you with time..."
As stated by the atheist philosopher Michael Ruse, "Evolutionary Theory and Christian Ethics," in The Darwinian Paradigm (London: Routledge, 1989), pp. 262-269.
A statement by Ted Bundy, paraphrased and rewritten by Harry V. Jaffa, Homosexuality and the National Law (Claremont Institute of the Study of Statesmanship and Political Philosophy, 1990), 3–4. |
0.948545 | with the Global Health Cluster in Geneva.
format), could you please share this with me?
South Sudan, I would be quite interested in speaking with you. |
0.981675 | Is the Nikon D850 good for Landscape Photography?
Nikon D850 has a score of 89 for Landscape Photography which makes it an EXCELLENT candidate for this type of photography. It will satisfy all your need in Landscape Photography, no need to look further for other cameras.
Large sensor in Nikon D850 ensures a good low light image quality compared to smaller sensors, and it also provides higher pixel quality compared to smaller sensors.
Nikon D850's 46.0MP sensor is perfect for landscape photography. It will capture a lot of fine details and let you print them larger. |
0.999997 | The inflation rate in France between 1982 and today has been 135.43%, which translates into a total increase of €135.43. This means that 100 euro in 1982 are equivalent to 235.43 euro in 2019. In other words, the purchasing power of €100 in 1982 equals €235.43 today. The average annual inflation rate has been 2.28%. |
0.945044 | Money Numismatics is the scientific study of money .
Oldest Coins Ancient Greek coins. Obverse (front) and reverse (back) of a coin of Mithradates , King of Pontus, about 100 B.C. (above); and of a coin of Alexander the Great, 300's B.C. (left). The custom of showing a ruler or head of government on the obverse of coins has continued to the present day Obverse and reverse of a Roman solidus of the emperor Constantine III (early A.D. 400's) As the history of money tells, the first people who are known to have used coins as money were the Lydians , Lydian electrum trite (4.71g, 13x10x4 mm). This coin type, made of a gold and silver alloy, was in all likelihood the world's first, minted by King Alyattes in Sardis, Lydia, Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), c. 610-600 BC.
Barter System It's hard to imagine our world without money. A long time ago there were no coins. There was no such thing as money. Before money was invented people had to get their food, clothing and other needs by trading things. There is a special name for this kind of trading. The name is barter. The word barter comes from a French word, barater , which means " to trade ." When you swap baseball cards with a friend or trade your chocolate pudding for a cookie at lunchtime you are bartering because you are exchanging something you have for something you want.
The Indian Rupee Ever since the dawn of civilization, man has been trading with each other. In the ancient times when there was no concept of money, people used barter system. In this system goods were exchanged with each other instead of paying money. Gradually, with development, metals were used to cast coins. The Indian rupee symbol is derived from the Devanagari consonant " र" ( Ra) with an added horizontal bar. It is also derived from the English consonant "R" without the vertical line, with added two horizontal bars, (similar in comparison with Yen and Euro symbols) The origin of the word "rupee" is found in the word rūp or rūpā , which means "silver" in many Indo-Aryan languages such as Hindi. The Sanskrit word rupyakam ( Devanagari : रूप्यकम्) means coin of silver. The derivative word Rūpaya was used to denote the coin introduced by Sher Shah Suri during his reign from 1540 to 1545 CE. The original Rūpaya was a silver coin weighing 175 grains troy (about 11.34 grams. The coin has been used since then, even during the times of British India. Formerly the rupee was divided into 16 annas , 64 paise , or 192 pies .
Paper Money Among the earliest issues of paper rupees were those by the Bank of Hindustan (1770–1832), the General Bank of Bengal and Bihar (1773–75, established by Warren Hastings), the Bengal Bank (1784–91), amongst others. Reserve Bank issues during British India The Reserve Bank of India was formally inaugurated on Monday, April 1, 1935 with its Central Office at Calcutta. The bank issued the first five rupee note bearing the portrait of George VI in 1938. This was followed by Rs. 10 in February, Rs 100 in March and Rs 1,000 and Rs 10,000 in June 1938. The first Reserve Bank issues were signed by the second Governor, Sir James Taylor . In August 1940, the one-rupee note was reintroduced as a wartime measure, as a Government note with the status of a rupee coin. Bank Notes After Independence After Independence of India , the government brought out the new design Re. 1 note in 1949. Initially it was felt that the King's portrait be replaced by a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi . Finally however, the Lion Capital of Asoka was chosen. The language panel on the Indian rupee banknotes has 15 of the 22 national languages of India.
Plastic Money This is the era of plastic money - credit & debit cards . They have changed the face of banking in India. Now, people can remotely access their money through these plastics. Does it make sense to introduce children to plastic money? If yes than , how and when ? Parents hold strong views on this topic. It is widely believed that unless children understand the basics of money through traditional sources like cash management, introducing them to plastic money can be harmful..
Plastic Money Photo Card : When a Photo is imprinted on the card, it helps to identify the user of the credit card and is considered to be safer. In many cases, Photo card can also be used as identity card. Global Card : Global cards can be used as credit cards instead of cash and traveler cheques while traveling abroad to foreign countries for business or personal reasons. Add On Cards : It is a privilege offered to the spouse, parents, Children or other family members of the original card holder. Normally, an issuing bank permits two add on cards per credit card. All expenses incurred on add on card are billed to the primary card holder. Petro Card : Some Petroleum companies allow customers to pay for the fuel through electronic medium. It offers a scheme of gifting the points to the customers, when they pay for the fuel using petro card. It is convenient, secured and speedy mode of transaction. Co-branded credit cards like IOC- Citi bank and HPCL-ICICI bank are the co-branded petro cards available in the market.
Plastic Money Such cards may be used for following purposes :- Purchase of air, rail and road tickets for traveling For the Settlement of hotel bills . For Cash withdrawals . For the Settlement of club bills . For the Payment of purchase bills . For the Payment of insurance premium . Refilling the fuels in vehicles . Payment of phone, water and electricity bills . Payment of school/ education expenses.
Different bank accounts Different bank accounts offer different features – such as cheque books, cash cards, overdrafts etc. Find the one that's right for you. Basic bank account This will usually: receive money give you a cash card let you set up Direct Debits or standing orders to pay bills act as a stepping stone to a current account allow you to do business at the bank counter let you check your balance and withdraw cash at Post Office® branches let you check your balance and withdraw cash from a cash machine. Current account This will usually: receive money give you a cash or debit card let you set up Direct Debits and standing orders to pay bills to give you a cheque book and guarantee card allow you to check your balance and withdraw cash from a cash machine. Savings account This will usually: pay you interest on your money. It may offer: a passbook access to your money via a cash machine.
Types of Personal Bank Accounts in India Savings bank accounts are the most popular account. They promote the habit of saving money, as the fund is locked for a certain period. The rate of interest is around 4 percent. The minimum balance to be maintained in the public sector banks is 100 Indian Rupees, but if you are planning to make more transactions and need a checkbook, the minimum balance to be maintained is 500 Indian Rupees. Fixed deposit account is also known as Term Deposits . In a Fixed deposit account, a certain sum of money is deposited in the bank for a specified time period with a fixed rate of interest. The rate of interest depends on the maturity period.
its a very handy n useful post by you.
Excellent, informative and well designed not just for kids, even grownups can benefit! My Grand Daughter sat glued to the site for hours. |
0.999721 | The Neurobiology of Action Lab at the Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme is focused on the study of actions and how we do things. One main goal of action learning is to understand how brain networks and circuits are modified in order to allow for our motor system to acquire new motor skills.
We tackle this question by dividing it in three main topics: Action generation, focused on what are the mechanisms that allow us to generate a novel action; Action shaping, focused on the mechanisms that underlie changes during action performance leading to performance improvements and organisation of actions; Action goals, focused on the mechanisms that underlie changes in why actions are performed, if they are performed intentionally and how we create habits or routines.
Imagine that you are learning how to play tennis. Similarly to the process of learning most motor skills, this will involve a degree of trial and error. The first goal will always be to return the ball to the opposite side, while the force and accuracy at which this is done can remain variable within the first attempts. The motor system overcomes the problem of learning a complex task by identifying and reducing variability specifically on the motor elements that are essential for achieving the end goal. In our most recent study we found evidence for this, demonstrating that when learning to execute a complex action, some of the movement elements are more critical than others. Since in a challenging task it is difficult to master and optimize all elements of behavior, we observed that animals are able to select and refine specific motor patterns that lead to the end goal.
This behavioral observation led us to the subsequent question of how these processes are performed in the brain. Since there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that the circuits between the cortex (outer layer of cerebrum, composed of folded grey matter) and the basal ganglia (group of structures in the base of the brain, best known for their role facilitating voluntary movements) are involved in motor skill learning, action generation and selection, we then investigated the mechanisms that could subserve the observed effects.
By recording the electrical activity of neurons within the motor cortex (involved in the planning, control and execution of voluntary movements) and striatum (the major input of the basal ganglia, involved movement and also a part of the reward system) of mice, we were able to observe the emergence of a neuronal activity pattern that resembled the previously observed behavioral effect. The neurons displayed initial high variability of their firing rates that decreased over training, and importantly, these neuronal modulations seemed to track the more critical aspects of the movement by becoming increasingly linked to these specific elements of the action. Using genetic techniques we were also able to demonstrate that these processes depend on the capacity of these brain areas to plastically change the connections between neurons.
These results provide an important contribution to understanding how the brain chooses which action to perform and how to perform it. Understanding how the motor system selects and refines specific aspects of behavior, and how this information is encoded within the brain networks associated with motor skill learning is a crucial piece of information that can help us to get a better grasp of the complex process of how we perform motor actions.
Fernando Santos is a former PhD student at the Neurobiology of Action Lab, Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme. |
0.981099 | The Laudian "altar policy," requiring the communion table in a church to be moved to the eastern end of the building and railed, continues to fascinate historians of early Stuart England. This is a natural consequence of the extensive verbal war, and indeed material conflict, which made the topic so controversial at the time. The culmination of the religious disputes of the period was the trial and execution of the archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud, in which many of the themes of early Stuart ecclesiastical history came together.
Such a statement is worthy of further examination. As the support of the monarch would have been essential if any changes were to be achieved, it would be natural for the archbishop to instigate any such policy from the king's own chapel and the royal peculiar of Westminster Abbey. Indeed, some recent scholarship has emphasized the role played by Charles at the time, and thus somewhat diminished the impact of Laud on ecclesiastical strategy, particularly with regard to the strictness with which the policy was pursued.2 Similarly, if a national program was to be followed, it would be prudent for the policy to be promoted at the educational centers of Oxford and Cambridge, so that those entering the ministry in future could be taught the benefits of such views. As Laud's own cathedral was Canterbury, one would expect that communion tables within that diocese would have been some of the first to undergo such changes. Why, however, did Prynne focus attention in this statement upon the diocese of Winchester? It is true that the archbishop's palace at Lambeth was situated within that diocese, but this would appear to be more of a coincidence than of any real import. It may be that the diocese was particularly specified either because it had followed the policy with greater enthusiasm than others, or because it may have acted as a precursor and model for Laud's program.3 This article will examine this later possibility in more detail.
Laud has been portrayed as instigating his policies, to varying degrees, throughout his career, particularly testing his program during his time as dean of Gloucester, where he "ordered that the communion table be moved to the east end of the cathedral."4 Having been given the insignificant bishopric of St. David's by James in 1621, Laud only really began to have an influence on religious policy after the accession of Charles. After his translation to Bath and Wells, a diocese which has been termed his "laboratory,"5 Laud was elevated to the see of London, and it was here that the altar policy emerged as a focal point of disagreement, with the notorious St. Gregory's case of 1633.
At St. Gregory's the removal of the communion table "from a tablewise to an altarwise position" where it was "railed...at the east end of the chancel"6 was a move to which some of the parishioners objected. The dispute was brought to the attention of the Privy Council, which met on 3 November so that the king could decide on how the church's stance on the position of the communion table could be clarified.
Publication information: Article title: The Use of Hierarchy in the Post-Reformation Church: Laudian Altar Policy in the Diocese of Winchester*. Contributors: Abraham, Peter - Author. Journal title: Anglican and Episcopal History. Volume: 72. Issue: 2 Publication date: June 2003. Page number: 166+. © Historical Society of the Episcopal Church. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved. |
0.995287 | Android is a mobile operating system (OS) based on the Linux kernel and currently developed by Google. With a user interface based on direct manipulation, Android is designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphonesand tablet computers, with specialized user interfaces for televisions (Android TV), cars (Android Auto), and wrist watches (Android Wear). The OS uses touch inputs that loosely correspond to real-world actions, like swiping, tapping, pinching, and reverse pinching to manipulate on-screen objects, and a virtual keyboard. Despite being primarily designed for touchscreen input, it also has been used in game consoles, digital cameras, regular PCs (e.g. the HP Slate 21) and other electronics.
Android's source code is released by Google under open source licenses, although most Android devices ultimately ship with a combination of open source and proprietary software, including proprietary software developed and licensed by Google.Initially developed by Android, Inc., which Google backed financially and later bought in 2005, Android was unveiled in 2007 along with the founding of the Open Handset Alliance—a consortium of hardware, software, and telecommunication companies devoted to advancing open standards for mobile devices.
Android is popular with technology companies which require a ready-made, low-cost and customizable operating system forhigh-tech devices. Android's open nature has encouraged a large community of developers and enthusiasts to use the open-source code as a foundation for community-driven projects, which add new features for advanced users or bring Android to devices which were officially released running other operating systems. The operating system's success has made it a target for patent litigation as part of the so-called "smartphone wars" between technology companies.
Android, Inc. was founded in Palo Alto, California in October 2003 by Andy Rubin (co-founder of Danger), Rich Miner (co-founder of Wildfire Communications, Inc.), Nick Sears (once VP at T-Mobile), and Chris White (headed design and interface development at WebTV) to develop, in Rubin's words, "smarter mobile devices that are more aware of its owner's location and preferences". The early intentions of the company were to develop an advanced operating system for digital cameras. Though, when it was realized that the market for the devices was not large enough, the company diverted its efforts toward producing a smartphone operating system that would rival Symbian and Microsoft Windows Mobile. Despite the past accomplishments of the founders and early employees, Android Inc. operated secretly, revealing only that it was working on software for mobile phones. That same year, Rubin ran out of money. Steve Perlman, a close friend of Rubin, brought him $10,000 in cash in an envelope and refused a stake in the company.
Google acquired Android Inc. on August 17, 2005; key employees of Android Inc., including Rubin, Miner, and White, stayed at the company after the acquisition. Not much was known about Android Inc. at the time, but many assumed that Google was planning to enter the mobile phone market with this move. At Google, the team led by Rubin developed a mobile device platform powered by the Linux kernel. Google marketed the platform to handset makers and carriers on the promise of providing a flexible, upgradable system. Google had lined up a series of hardware component and software partners and signaled to carriers that it was open to various degrees of cooperation on their part.
Speculation about Google's intention to enter the mobile communications market continued to build through December 2006. An earlier prototype codenamed "Sooner" had a closer resemblance to a BlackBerry phone, with no touchscreen, and a physical, QWERTY keyboard, but was later re-engineered to support a touchscreen, to compete with other announced devices such as the 2006 LG Prada and 2007 Apple iPhone. In September 2007, InformationWeek covered an Evalueserve study reporting that Google had filed several patent applications in the area of mobile telephony.
On November 5, 2007, the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of technology companies including Google, device manufacturers such asHTC, Sony and Samsung, wireless carriers such as Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile, and chipset makers such as Qualcomm and Texas Instruments, unveiled itself, with a goal to develop open standards for mobile devices. That day, Android was unveiled as its first product, a mobile device platform built on the Linux kernel version 2.6.25. The first commercially available smartphone running Android was the HTC Dream, released on October 22, 2008.
In 2010, Google launched its Nexus series of devices – a line of smartphones and tablets running the Android operating system, and built by manufacturing partners. HTC collaborated with Google to release the first Nexus smartphone, the Nexus One. Google has since updated the series with newer devices, such as the Nexus 5 phone (made by LG) and the Nexus 7 tablet (made by Asus). Google releases the Nexus phones and tablets to act as their flagship Android devices, demonstrating Android's latest software and hardware features. On March 13, 2013 Larry Page announced in a blog post that Andy Rubin had moved from the Android division to take on new projects at Google. He was replaced by Sundar Pichai, who also continues his role as the head of Google's Chrome division, which develops Chrome OS.
Since 2008, Android has seen numerous updates which have incrementally improved the operating system, adding new features and fixing bugs in previous releases. Each major release is named in alphabetical order after a dessert or sugary treat; for example, version 1.5 Cupcake was followed by 1.6 Donut. Version 4.4.4 KitKat appeared as a security-only update; it was released on June 19, 2014, shortly after 4.4.3 was released. As of November 2014, the newest version of the Android operating system, Android 5.0 "Lollipop", is available for selected devices.
From 2010 to 2013, Hugo Barra served as product spokesperson for the Android team, representing Android at both press conferences and Google I/O, Google’s annual developer-focused conference. Barra’s product involvement included the entire Android ecosystem of software and hardware, including Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean and KitKat operating system launches, the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 smartphones, the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 tablets, and other related products such as Google Nowand Google Voice Search, Google’s speech recognition product comparable to Apple’s Siri. In 2013, Barra left the Android team for Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi.
Notifications are accessed by sliding from the top of the display; individual notifications can be dismissed by sliding them away, and may contain additional functions (such as on the "missed call" notification seen here).
Android's default user interface is based on direct manipulation, using touch inputs, that loosely correspond to real-world actions, like swiping, tapping, pinching, and reverse pinching to manipulate on-screen objects, and a virtual keyboard. The response to user input is designed to be immediate and provides a fluid touch interface, often using the vibration capabilities of the device to provide haptic feedback to the user. Internal hardware such as accelerometers, gyroscopes and proximity sensors are used by some applications to respond to additional user actions, for example adjusting the screen from portrait to landscape depending on how the device is oriented, or allowing the user to steer a vehicle in a racing game by rotating the device, simulating control of a steering wheel.
Android devices boot to the homescreen, the primary navigation and information point on the device, which is similar to the desktop found on PCs. Android homescreens are typically made up of app icons and widgets; app icons launch the associated app, whereas widgets display live, auto-updating content such as the weather forecast, the user's email inbox, or a news ticker directly on the homescreen. A homescreen may be made up of several pages that the user can swipe back and forth between, though Android's homescreen interface is heavily customisable, allowing the user to adjust the look and feel of the device to their tastes. Third-party apps available on Google Play and other app stores can extensively re-theme the homescreen, and even mimic the look of other operating systems, such asWindows Phone. Most manufacturers, and some wireless carriers, customise the look and feel of their Android devices to differentiate themselves from their competitors.
Present along the top of the screen is a status bar, showing information about the device and its connectivity. This status bar can be "pulled" down to reveal a notification screen where apps display important information or updates, such as a newly received email or SMS text, in a way that does not immediately interrupt or inconvenience the user. Notifications are persistent until read (by tapping, which opens the relevant app) or dismissed by sliding it off the screen. Beginning on Android 4.1, "expanded notifications" can display expanded details or additional functionality; for instance, a music player can display playback controls, and a "missed call" notification provides buttons for calling back or sending the caller an SMS message.
Android provides the ability to run applications which change the default launcher and hence the appearance and externally visible behaviour of Android. These appearance changes include a multi-page dock or no dock, and many more changes to fundamental features of the user interface.
Applications ("apps"), that extend the functionality of devices, are written primarily in the Java programming language (without the usual "write once, run anywhere" claim of theJava platform) using the Android software development kit (SDK). The SDK includes a comprehensive set of development tools, including a debugger, software libraries, a handset emulator based on QEMU, documentation, sample code, and tutorials. The officially supported integrated development environment (IDE) is Eclipse using the Android Development Tools (ADT) plugin. Other development tools are available, including a Native Development Kit for applications or extensions in C or C++, Google App Inventor, a visual environment for novice programmers, and various cross platform mobile web applications frameworks. In January 2014, Google unveiled an Apache Cordova–based framework for porting Chrome HTML 5 applications to Android, wrapped in a native application shell.
Android has a growing selection of third-party applications, which can be acquired by users by downloading and installing the application's APK file, or by downloading them using an application store program that allows users to install, update, and remove applications from their devices. Google Play Store is the primary application store installed on Android devices that comply with Google's compatibility requirements and license the Google Mobile Services software. Google Play Store allows users to browse, download and update applications published by Google and third-party developers; As of July 2013, there are more than one million applications available for Android in Play Store. As of May 2013, 48 billion applications have been installed from Google Play Store and in July 2013, 50 billion applications were installed. Some carriers offer direct carrier billing for Google Play application purchases, where the cost of the application is added to the user's monthly bill.
Due to the open nature of Android, a number of third-party application marketplace also exist for Android, either to provide a substitute for devices that are not allowed to ship with Google Play Store, provide applications that cannot be offered on Google Play Store due to policy violations, or for other reasons. Examples of these third-party stores have included the Amazon Appstore, GetJar, and SlideMe. F-Droid, another alternative marketplace, seeks to only provide applications that are distributed under free and open sourcelicenses.
Since Android devices are usually battery-powered, Android is designed to manage memory (RAM) to keep power consumption at a minimum, in contrast to desktop operating systems which generally assume they are connected to unlimited mains electricity. When an Android application is no longer in use, the system will automatically suspend it in memory; while the application is still technically "open", suspended applications consume no resources (for example, battery power or processing power) and sit idly in the background until needed again. This brings a dual benefit by increasing the general responsiveness of Android devices, since applications do not need to be closed and reopened from scratch each time, and by ensuring that background applications do not consume power needlessly.
Android manages the applications stored in memory automatically: when memory is low, the system will begin killing applications and processes that have been inactive for a while, in reverse order since they were last used (oldest first). This process is designed to be invisible to the user, so that users do not need to manage memory or the killing of applications themselves. As of 2011, third-party task killers were reported by Lifehacker as doing more harm than good.
Since Android 5.0 "Lollipop", 64-bit variants of all platforms are supported in addition to 32-bit previously supported; Android supports the ARM architectures (ARMv7 andARMv8-A), and for a long time now x86 and MIPS architectures also. Unofficial Android-x86 project had provided support for the x86 and MIPS architectures ahead of the official support. Since 2012, Android devices with Intel processors began to appear, including phones and tablets. While gaining support for 64-bit platforms, Android was first made to run on 64-bit x86 and then on ARM64.
As of November 2013, Android 4.4 recommends at least 512 MB of RAM, while for "low RAM" devices 340 MB is the required minimum amount that does not include memory dedicated to various hardware components such as the baseband processor. Android 4.4 requires a 32-bit ARMv7, MIPS or x86 architecture processor (latter two through unofficial ports), together with an OpenGL ES 2.0 compatible graphics processing unit (GPU). Android supports OpenGL ES 1.1, 2.0, 3.0 and 3.1. Some applications may explicitly require a certain version of the OpenGL ES, and suitable GPU hardware is required to run such applications.
Android devices incorporate many optional hardware components, including still or video cameras, GPS, orientation sensors, dedicated gaming controls, accelerometers,gyroscopes, barometers, magnetometers, proximity sensors, pressure sensors, thermometers, and touchscreens. Some hardware components are not required, but became standard in certain classes of devices, such as smartphones, and additional requirements apply if they are present. Some other hardware was initially required, but those requirements have been relaxed or eliminated altogether. For example, as Android was developed initially as a phone OS, hardware such as microphones were required, while over time the phone function became optional. Android used to require an autofocus camera, which was relaxed to a fixed-focus camera if it is even present at all, since the camera was dropped as a requirement entirely when Android started to be used on set-top boxes.
In addition to running on smartphones and tablets, several vendors run Android natively on regular PC hardware with a keyboard and mouse. In addition to their availability on commercially available hardware, similar PC hardware–friendly versions of Android are freely available from the Android-x86 project, including customized Android 4.4. Using the Android emulator that is part of the Android SDK, or by using BlueStacks or Andy, Android can also run non-natively on x86. Chinese companies are building a PC and mobile operating system, based on Android, to "compete directly with Microsoft Windows and Google Android". The Chinese Academy of Engineering noted that "more than a dozen" companies were customising Android following a Chinese ban on the use of Windows 8 on government PCs.
Android green figure, next to its original packaging.
Android is developed in private by Google until the latest changes and updates are ready to be released, at which point the source code is made available publicly. This source code will only run without modification on select devices, usually the Nexus series of devices. The source code is, in turn, adapted by OEMs to run on their hardware. Android's source code does not contain the often proprietary device drivers that are needed for certain hardware components.
The green Android logo was designed for Google in 2007 by graphic designer Irina Blok. The design team was tasked with a project to create a universally identifiable icon with the specific inclusion of a robot in the final design. After numerous design developments based onscience-fiction and space movies, the team eventually sought inspiration from the human symbol on restroom doors and modified the figure into a robot shape. As Android is open-sourced, it was agreed that the logo should be likewise, and since its launch the green logo has been reinterpreted into countless variations on the original design.
Google provides major incremental upgrades to Android every six to nine months, with confectionery-themed names, which most devices are capable of receiving over the air.The latest major release is Android 5.0 "Lollipop".
Compared to its chief rival mobile operating system, namely iOS, Android updates are typically slow to reach actual devices. For devices not under the Nexus brand, updates often arrive months from the time the given version is officially released. This is partly due to the extensive variation in hardware of Android devices, to which each upgrade must be specifically tailored, as the official Google source code only runs on their flagship Nexus devices. Porting Android to specific hardware is a time- and resource-consuming process for device manufacturers, who prioritize their newest devices and often leave older ones behind. Hence, older smartphones are frequently not updated if the manufacturer decides it is not worth their time, regardless of whether the phone is capable of running the update. This problem is compounded when manufacturers customize Android with their own interface and apps, which must be reapplied to each new release. Additional delays can be introduced by wireless carriers who, after receiving updates from manufacturers, further customize and brand Android to their needs and conduct extensive testing on their networks before sending the upgrade out to users.
The lack of after-sale support from manufacturers and carriers has been widely criticized by consumer groups and the technology media. Some commentators have noted that the industry has a financial incentive not to upgrade their devices, as the lack of updates for existing devices fuels the purchase of newer ones, an attitude described as "insulting". The Guardian has complained that the method of distribution for updates is complicated only because manufacturers and carriers have designed it that way. In 2011, Google partnered with a number of industry players to announce an "Android Update Alliance", pledging to deliver timely updates for every device for 18 months after its release; however, there has not been another official word about that alliance.
In 2012, Google began decoupling certain aspects of the operating system (particularly core applications) so they could be updated through Google Play Store, independently of Android itself. One of these components, Google Play Services, is a closed-source system-level process providing APIs for Google services, installed automatically on nearly all devices running Android version 2.2 and higher. With these changes, Google can add new operating system functionality through Play Services and application updates without having to distribute an upgrade to the operating system itself. As a result, Android 4.2 and 4.3 contained relatively fewer user-facing changes, focusing more on minor changes and platform improvements.
Android's kernel is based on one of the Linux kernel's long-term support (LTS) branches. Since April 2014, Android devices mainly use versions 3.4 or 3.10 of the Linux kernel. The specific kernel version depends on the actual Android device and its hardware platform; Android has used various kernel versions since the version 2.6.25 that was used in Android 1.0.
Android's variant of the Linux kernel has further architectural changes that are implemented by Google outside the typical Linux kernel development cycle, such as the inclusion of components like Binder, ashmem, pmem, logger, wakelocks, and different out-of-memory (OOM) handling. Certain features that Google contributed back to the Linux kernel, notably a power management feature called "wakelocks", were rejected by mainline kernel developers partly because they felt that Google did not show any intent to maintain its own code. Google announced in April 2010 that they would hire two employees to work with the Linux kernel community, but Greg Kroah-Hartman, the current Linux kernel maintainer for the stable branch, said in December 2010 that he was concerned that Google was no longer trying to get their code changes included in mainstream Linux. Some Google Android developers hinted that "the Android team was getting fed up with the process," because they were a small team and had more urgent work to do on Android.
In August 2011, Linus Torvalds said that "eventually Android and Linux would come back to a common kernel, but it will probably not be for four to five years". In December 2011, Greg Kroah-Hartman announced the start of Android Mainlining Project, which aims to put some Android drivers, patches and features back into the Linux kernel, starting in Linux 3.3. Linux included the autosleep and wakelocks capabilities in the 3.5 kernel, after many previous attempts at merger. The interfaces are the same but the upstream Linux implementation allows for two different suspend modes: to memory (the traditional suspend that Android uses), and to disk (hibernate, as it is known on the desktop).Google maintains a public code repository that contains their experimental work to re-base Android off the latest stable Linux versions.
The flash storage on Android devices is split into several partitions, such as /system for the operating system itself, and /data for user data and application installations.In contrast to desktop Linux distributions, Android device owners are not given root access to the operating system and sensitive partitions such as /system are read-only. However, root access can be obtained by exploiting security flaws in Android, which is used frequently by the open-source community to enhance the capabilities of their devices, but also by malicious parties to install viruses and malware.
Android is a Linux distribution according to the Linux Foundation, Google's open-source chief Chris DiBona, and several journalists. Others, such as Google engineer Patrick Brady, say that Android is not Linux in the traditional Unix-like Linux distribution sense; Android does not include the GNU C Library and some of other components typically found in Linux distributions.
On top of the Linux kernel, there are the middleware, libraries and APIs written in C, and application software running on an application framework which includes Java-compatible libraries based on Apache Harmony. Development of the Linux kernel continues independently of other Android's source code bases.
Until version 5.0, Android used Dalvik as a process virtual machine with just-in-time (JIT) compilation to run Dalvik "dex-code" (Dalvik Executable), which is usually translated from the Java bytecode. Following the JIT principle, Dalvik performs the compilation each time an application is launched. Android 4.4 introduced Android Runtime (ART) as a new runtime environment, which uses ahead-of-time (AOT) compilation to compile the bytecode upon the installation of an application. In Android 4.4, ART was an experimental feature and not enabled by default; it became the only runtime option in the next major version of Android, 5.0.
Android's standard C library, Bionic, was developed by Google specifically for Android, as a derivation of the BSD's standard C library code. Bionic itself has been designed with several major features specific to the Linux kernel. The main benefits of using Bionic instead of the GNU C Library (glibc) or uClibc are its smaller runtime footprint, and optimization for low-frequency CPUs. At the same time, Bionic is licensed under the terms of BSD licence, which Google finds more suitable for the Android's overall licensing model.
Aiming for a different licensing model, toward the end of 2012 Google switched the Bluetooth stack in Android from the GPL-licensed BlueZ to the Apache-licensed BlueDroid.
Android has an active community of developers and enthusiasts who use the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) source code to develop and distribute their own modified versions of the operating system. These community-developed releases often bring new features and updates to devices faster than through the official manufacturer/carrier channels, albeit without as extensive testing or quality assurance; provide continued support for older devices that no longer receive official updates; or bring Android to devices that were officially released running other operating systems, such as the HP TouchPad. Community releases often come pre-rooted and contain modifications unsuitable for non-technical users, such as the ability to overclock or over/undervolt the device's processor. CyanogenMod is the most widely used community firmware, and acts as a foundation for numerous others.
Historically, device manufacturers and mobile carriers have typically been unsupportive of third-party firmware development. Manufacturers express concern about improper functioning of devices running unofficial software and the support costs resulting from this. Moreover, modified firmwares such as CyanogenMod sometimes offer features, such as tethering, for which carriers would otherwise charge a premium. As a result, technical obstacles including locked bootloaders and restricted access to root permissions are common in many devices. However, as community-developed software has grown more popular, and following a statement by the Librarian of Congress in the United States that permits the "jailbreaking" of mobile devices, manufacturers and carriers have softened their position regarding third party development, with some, including HTC,Motorola, Samsung and Sony, providing support and encouraging development. As a result of this, over time the need to circumvent hardware restrictions to install unofficial firmware has lessened as an increasing number of devices are shipped with unlocked or unlockable bootloaders, similar to Nexus series of phones, although usually requiring that users waive their devices' warranties to do so. However, despite manufacturer acceptance, some carriers in the US still require that phones are locked down, frustrating developers and customers.
Permissions are used to control a particular application's access to system functions.
Android applications run in a sandbox, an isolated area of the system that does not have access to the rest of the system's resources, unless access permissions are explicitly granted by the user when the application is installed. Before installing an application, Play Store displays all required permissions: a game may need to enable vibration or save data to an SD card, for example, but should not need to read SMS messages or access the phonebook. After reviewing these permissions, the user can choose to accept or refuse them, installing the application only if they accept. The sandboxing and permissions system lessens the impact of vulnerabilities and bugs in applications, but developer confusion and limited documentation has resulted in applications routinely requesting unnecessary permissions, reducing its effectiveness. Google has now pushed an update to Android Verify Apps feature, which will now run in background to detect malicious processes and crack them down.
The "App Ops" privacy and application permissions control system, used for internal development and testing by Google, was introduced in Google's Android 4.3 release for the Nexus devices. Initially hidden, the feature was discovered publicly; it allowed users to install a management application and approve or deny permission requests individually for each of the applications installed on a device. Access to the App Ops was later restricted by Google starting with Android 4.4.2 with an explanation that the feature was accidentally enabled and not intended for end-users; for such a decision, Google received criticism from the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Individual application permissions management, through the App Ops or third-party tools, is currently only possible with root access to the device.
Research from security company Trend Micro lists premium service abuse as the most common type of Android malware, where text messages are sent from infected phones to premium-rate telephone numbers without the consent or even knowledge of the user. Other malware displays unwanted and intrusive adverts on the device, or sends personal information to unauthorised third parties. Security threats on Android are reportedly growing exponentially; however, Google engineers have argued that the malware and virus threat on Android is being exaggerated by security companies for commercial reasons, and have accused the security industry of playing on fears to sell virus protection software to users. Google maintains that dangerous malware is actually extremely rare, and a survey conducted by F-Secure showed that only 0.5% of Android malware reported had come from the Google Play store.
Google currently uses Google Bouncer malware scanner to watch over and scan the Google Play store apps. It is intended to flag up suspicious apps and warn users of any potential threat with an application before they download it. Android version 4.2 Jelly Bean was released in 2012 with enhanced security features, including a malware scanner built into the system, which works in combination with Google Play but can scan apps installed from third party sources as well, and an alert system which notifies the user when an app tries to send a premium-rate text message, blocking the message unless the user explicitly authorises it. Several security firms, such as Lookout Mobile Security, AVG Technologies, and McAfee, have released antivirus software for Android devices. This software is ineffective as sandboxing also applies to such applications, limiting their ability to scan the deeper system for threats.
Android smartphones have the ability to report the location of Wi-Fi access points, encountered as phone users move around, to build databases containing the physical locations of hundreds of millions of such access points. These databases form electronic maps to locate smartphones, allowing them to run apps like Foursquare, Google Latitude,Facebook Places, and to deliver location-based ads. Third party monitoring software such as TaintDroid, an academic research-funded project, can, in some cases, detect when personal information is being sent from applications to remote servers. In August 2013, Google released Android Device Manager (ADM), a component that allows users to remotely track, locate, and wipe their Android device through a web interface. In December 2013, Google released ADM as an Android application on the Google Play store, where it is available to devices running Android version 2.2 and higher.
The open-source nature of Android allows security contractors to take existing devices and adapt them for highly secure uses. For example Samsung has worked with General Dynamics through their Open Kernel Labs acquisition to rebuild Jelly Bean on top of their hardened microvisor for the "Knox" project.
As part of the broader 2013 mass surveillance disclosures it was revealed in September 2013 that the American and British intelligence agencies, the National Security Agency(NSA) and Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) respectively, have access to the user data on iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android devices. They are reportedly able to read almost all smartphone information, including SMS, location, emails, and notes. Further reports in January 2014 revealed the intelligence agencies capabilities to intercept the personal information transmitted across the internet by social networks and other popular apps such as Angry Birds, which collect personal information of their users for advertising and other commercial reasons. GCHQ has, according to The Guardian, a wiki-style guide of different apps and advertising networks, and the different data that can be siphoned from each. Later that week, the Finnish Angry Birds developer Rovio announced that it was reconsidering its relationships with its advertising platforms in the light of these revelations, and called upon the wider industry to do the same.
The source code for Android is open source; it is developed in private by Google, with the source code released publicly when a new version of Android is released. Google publishes most of the code (including network and telephony stacks) under the non-copyleft Apache Licenseversion 2.0. which allows modification and redistribution. The license does not grant rights to the "Android" trademark, so device manufacturers and wireless carriers have to license it from Google under individual contracts. Associated Linux kernel changes are released under the copyleft GNU General Public License version 2, developed by the Open Handset Alliance, with the source code publicly available at all times. Typically, Google collaborates with a hardware manufacturer to produce a flagship device (part of the Nexus series) featuring the new version of Android, then makes the source code available after that device has been released. The only Android release which was not immediately made available as source code was the tablet-only 3.0 Honeycomb release. The reason, according to Andy Rubin in an official Android blog post, was because Honeycomb was rushed for production of the Motorola Xoom, and they did not want third parties creating a "really bad user experience" by attempting to put onto smartphones a version of Android intended for tablets.
While all of Android itself is open source software, most Android devices ship with a large amount of proprietary software, such as Google Mobile Services, which includes apps such as Google Play Store, Google Search, and Google Play Services—a software layer which provides APIs that integrate with Google-provided services, among others. These apps must be licensed from Google by device makers, and can only be shipped on devices which meet its compatibility guidelines and other requirements. Custom, certified distributions of Android produced by manufacturers (such as TouchWiz and HTC Sense) may also replace certain stock Android apps with their own proprietary variants and add additional software not included in the stock Android operating system. There may also be "binary blob" drivers required for certain hardware components in the device.
Several stock apps in Android's open source code used by previous versions (such as Search, Music, and Calendar) have also been effectively deprecated by Google, with development having shifted to newer but proprietary versions distributed and updated through Play Store, such as Google Search and Google Play Music. While these older apps remain in Android's source code, they have no longer received any major updates. Additionally, proprietary variants of the stock Camera and Gallery apps also include certain functions (such as Photosphere panoramas and Google+ album integration) that are excluded from open source versions (however, they have yet to be completely abandoned). Similarly, the Nexus 5 uses a non-free variation of Android 4.4's home screen that is embedded directly within the Google Search app, adding voice-activated search and the ability to access Google Now as a page on the home screen itself. Although an update for Google Search app containing the relevant components was released through Google Play for all Android devices, the new home screen required an additional stub application to function, and was not provided in Android 4.4 updates for any other devices (which still used the existing home screen from Android version 4.3). The stub application was officially released on Play Store as Google Now Launcher in February 2014, initially for Nexus and Google Play Edition devices with Android version 4.4.
Richard Stallman and the Free Software Foundation have been critical of Android and have recommended the usage of alternatives such as Replicant, because drivers and firmware vital for the proper functioning of Android devices are usually proprietary, and because Google Play can forcibly install or deinstall apps and invites non-free software.
Google Mobile Services software, along with Android trademarks, can only be licensed by hardware manufacturers for devices that meet Google's compatibility standards contained within Android Compatibility Definition Document. Thus, forks of Android that make major changes to the operating system itself do not include any of Google's non-free components, stay incompatible with applications that require them, and must ship with an alternative software marketplace in lieu of Google Play Store. Examples of such Android forks are the Amazon's Fire OS (which is used on the Kindle Fire line of tablets, and oriented toward Amazon services), the Nokia X Software Platform (a fork used by the Nokia X family, oriented primarily toward Nokia and Microsoft services), and other forks that exclude Google apps due to the general unavailability of Google service in that country and licensing fees (such as in China). In 2014, Google also began to require that all Android devices which license the Google Mobile Services software display a prominent "Powered by Android" logo on their boot screens.
Members of the Open Handset Alliance, which include the majority of Android OEMs, are also contractually forbidden from producing Android devices based on forks of the OS; in 2012, Acer Inc. was forced by Google to halt production on a device powered by Alibaba Group's Aliyun OS with threats of removal from the OHA, as Google deemed the platform to be an incompatible version of Android. Alibaba Group defended the allegations, arguing that the OS was a distinct platform from Android (primarily using HTML5apps), but incorporated portions of Android's platform to allow backwards compatibility with third-party Android software. Indeed, the devices did ship with an application store which offered Android apps; however, the majority of them were pirated.
Android-x86 running on an ASUSEeePC netbook; Android has been unofficially ported to traditional PCs for use as a desktop operating system.
Android received a lukewarm reaction when it was unveiled in 2007. Although analysts were impressed with the respected technology companies that had partnered with Google to form the Open Handset Alliance, it was unclear whether mobile phone manufacturers would be willing to replace their existing operating systems with Android. The idea of an open-source, Linux-based development platformsparked interest, but there were additional worries about Android facing strong competition from established players in the smartphone market, such as Nokia and Microsoft, and rival Linux mobile operating systems that were in development. These established players were skeptical: Nokia was quoted as saying "we don't see this as a threat," and a member of Microsoft's Windows Mobile team stated "I don't understand the impact that they are going to have."
Since then Android has grown to become the most widely used smartphone operating system and "one of the fastest mobile experiences available." Reviewers have highlighted the open-source nature of the operating system as one of its defining strengths, allowing companies such as Nokia (Nokia X family), Amazon (Kindle Fire), Barnes & Noble (Nook), Ouya, Baidu and others to fork the software and release hardware running their own customised version of Android. As a result, it has been described by technology websiteArs Technica as "practically the default operating system for launching new hardware" for companies without their own mobile platforms.This openness and flexibility is also present at the level of the end user: Android allows extensive customisation of devices by their owners and apps are freely available from non-Google app stores and third party websites. These have been cited as among the main advantages of Android phones over others.
Despite Android's popularity, including an activation rate three times that of iOS, there have been reports that Google has not been able to leverage their other products and web services successfully to turn Android into the money maker that analysts had expected. The Verge suggested that Google is losing control of Android due to the extensive customization and proliferation of non-Google apps and services—Amazon's Kindle Fire line uses Fire OS, a heavily modified fork of Android which does not include or support any of Google's proprietary components, and requires that users obtain software from its competing Amazon Appstore instead of Play Store. In 2014, in an effort to improve prominence of the Android brand, Google began to require that devices featuring its proprietary components display an Android logo on the boot screen.
Research company Canalys estimated in the second quarter of 2009 that Android had a 2.8% share of worldwide smartphone shipments. By the fourth quarter of 2010 this had grown to 33% of the market, becoming the top-selling smartphone platform, overtaking Symbian. By the third quarter of 2011 Gartner estimated that more than half (52.5%) of the smartphone sales belonged to Android. By the third quarter of 2012 Android had a 75% share of the global smartphone market according to the research firm IDC.
In July 2011, Google said that 550,000 new Android devices were being activated every day, up from 400,000 per day in May, and more than 100 million devices had been activated with 4.4% growth per week. In September 2012, 500 million devices had been activated with 1.3 million activations per day. In May 2013, at Google I/O, Sundar Pichai announced that 900 million Android devices had been activated.
As of July 2013, the Google Play store has had over one million Android applications published, and over 50 billion applications downloaded. A developer survey conducted in April–May 2013 found that Android is used by 71% of mobile developers. The operating system's success has made it a target for patent litigation as part of the so-called "smartphone wars" between technology companies.
Android devices account for more than half of smartphone sales in most markets, including the US, while "only in Japan was Apple on top" (September–November 2013 numbers). At the end of 2013, over 1.5 billion Android smartphones have been sold in the four years since 2010, making Android the most sold phone and tablet OS. Three billion Android smartphones are estimated to be sold by the end of 2014 (including previous years). According to Gartner research company, Android-based devices outsold all contenders, every year since 2012. In 2013, it outsold Windows 2.8:1 or by 573 million.
Since July 2014, Android is the most popular mobile operating system when it comes to use for web browsing, according to NetApplications. In India and other countries, Android is the most popular operating system overall (not just counting the "mobile" ones) for web browsing usage. According to StatCounter, "mobile usage has already overtaken desktop in several countries including India, South Africa and Saudi Arabia", with several countries in Africa having done so already, including Ethiopia and Kenya in which mobile usage is at 72.23%.
While Android phones in the west commonly include Google's proprietary add-ons (such as Google Play) to the otherwise open source operating system, increasingly this is not done in emerging markets; "ABI Research claims that 65 million devices shipped globally with open-source Android in the second quarter of , up from 54 million in the first quarter"; depending on country, percent of phones estimated to be based only on Android's source code (AOSP), forgoing the Android trademark: Thailand (44%), Philippines (38%), Indonesia (31%), India (21%), Malaysia (24%), Mexico (18%), Brazil (9%).
According to Gartner, "Android surpassed a billion shipments of devices in 2014, and will continue to grow at a double-digit pace in 2015, with a 26 percent increase year over year." This makes it the first time that any general-purpose operating system has reached more than one billion end users within a year: by reaching close to 1.16 billion end users in 2014, Android shipped over four times more than iOS and OS X combined, and over three times more than Microsoft Windows. Gartner expects the whole mobile phone market to "reach two billion units in 2016", including Android.
Despite its success on smartphones, initially Android tablet adoption was slow. One of the main causes was the chicken or the eggsituation where consumers were hesitant to buy an Android tablet due to a lack of high quality tablet applications, but developers were hesitant to spend time and resources developing tablet applications until there was a significant market for them. The content and app "ecosystem" proved more important than hardware specs as the selling point for tablets. Due to the lack of Android tablet-specific applications in 2011, early Android tablets had to make do with existing smartphone applications that were ill-suited to larger screen sizes, whereas the dominance of Apple's iPad was reinforced by the large number of tablet-specific iOS applications.
Despite app support in its infancy, a considerable number of Android tablets (alongside those using other operating systems, such as theHP TouchPad and BlackBerry PlayBook) were rushed out to market in an attempt to capitalize on the success of the iPad. InfoWorldhas suggested that some Android manufacturers initially treated their first tablets as a "Frankenphone business", a short-term low-investment opportunity by placing a smartphone-optimized Android OS (before Android 3.0 Honeycomb for tablets was available) on a device while neglecting user interface. This approach, such as with the Dell Streak, failed to gain market traction with consumers as well as damaging the early reputation of Android tablets. Furthermore, several Android tablets such as the Motorola Xoom were priced the same or higher than the iPad, which hurt sales. An exception was the Amazon Kindle Fire, which relied upon lower pricing as well as access to Amazon's ecosystem of applications and content.
This began to change in 2012 with the release of the affordable Nexus 7 and a push by Google for developers to write better tablet applications. According to International Data Corporation, shipments of Android-powered tablets surpassed iPads in Q3 2012. |
0.999808 | Many travellers are searching for Things To Do In Koh Samui Honeymoon, Traveling is full of many opportunities to go on all kinds of adventures where you can experience new people and cultures. One popular country that many people like to flock to is the Southeastern country of Thailand. While there are many spots to go to in this affordable island paradise, but the island of Koh Samui is where many people like to go to because it has so many activities and natural and manmade structures to view. You can find Things To Do In Koh Samui Honeymoon travel information.
Things To Do In Koh Samui Honeymoon, Koh Samui is definitely the second largest island in Thailand. It offers many beaches full of coconut groves and rain forests. There are also many spots for relaxation, exciting nightlife and tourist culture, and religious architecture.
Allow me to share the best 7 things that you need to do during Koh Samui.
This can be found on a rocky island that is incorporated in the northern end of Koh Samui. It houses a 15-meter high Buddha Statue of the modern Buddha in Mara posture with the beautiful island sky surrounding him. Before visitors can enter in the area with the statue, they have to don the right traditional clothing for that area.
While Koh Samui has lots of waterfalls, the Na Muang waterfalls located inland are one of the most beautiful because they are perfect for doing things such as swimming, exploring, climbing, or having a picnic. The lower first waterfall might be reached via the "staircases" developed by the tree roots and rocks, and also at the base is really a large natural pool in which the water is cool and refreshing. The 2nd waterfall is around thirty minutes away and is known as Namtok Na Muang or "purple waterfalls" because the rocks contain shades of purple. Between your two will be the Na Muang Safari Park where you may see monkey shows and carry on elephant rides.
There is lots of exciting activity in this particular popular spot. You may go swimming or just relax on its beautiful sandy beaches flanked by clear and cool waters. Yet another thing this area is renowned for is its cabaret shows, or even more specifically its kathoey cabaret reveals that feature transgender women or effeminate males who dress and perform in classic cabaret or Thai dancing garb. The shows usually feature the dancers lip syncing to popular music and sometimes performing detailed choreography, making on an enjoyable experience that is full of glitz and glam.
These are typically also called "Grandfather and Grandmother Rocks." These rocks are really named as their natural formations look similar to female and male genitalia. The internet site can easily give someone with feelings of humor a giggle, as well as the local legend which you will listen to locals of how they came into being could also lead to a fascinating trip.
It becomes an aquarium where you may see a lot of the local wildlife of your area. Most of the marine every day life is in the Gulf of Thailand like tiger sharks, manta rays, nurse sharks, various tropical fish, and many others. The zoo inside features many animals like monkeys, otters and other birds, together with the main attractions being the leopards and tigers having the stage in the live show. You may also pay some extra to obtain your picture taken along with them.
For individuals who tire of heavily basic activities or individuals who would like to experience all that local fare offers can attend some classes at the popular cooking school. SITCA offers courses that are a few hours long to make a multicourse meal. Some of the items covered within the class include understanding local ingredients and ways to create intricate floral designs using various carving techniques on local fruit and veggies. Students can also receive a complementary instructional DVD so they can practice the strategy at home or elsewhere.
Within the interior hills of your island, you can experience these beautiful religious structures placed in a luscious jungle. Originally produced by a fruit farmer named Khun Nim on his land, the garden features many large statues of Thai deities, animals, and humans in dynamic poses. The farmer also created a statue of himself in a relaxed pose with a rock. Your garden is actually a serene and quiet place having a waterfall and stream running from the jungle areas. |
0.954428 | Slave server doesn't ask for updates after notify is being recived by it.
The most strange part is that AXFR bootstrapping goes fine.
If zone files are deleted, then slave server is restarted, then files are recreated after notify event (or knotc zone-refresh).
Workaround: downgrading slave version to 2.5.7.
Version 2.6.8 is affected too.
## Description Slave server doesn't ask for updates after notify is being recived by it. Error text: `error: [example.com.] refresh, failed (no usable master)` The most strange part is that AXFR bootstrapping goes fine. If zone files are deleted, then slave server is restarted, then files are recreated after notify event (or `knotc zone-refresh`). ## Reproduction Distro: Gentoo Master version: 2.7.0 Slave version: 2.7.0 Steps: 1. update SOA record serial on the master 2. perform `knotc zone-reload` on the master 3. perform `knot zone-notify` on the master Full slave log example: ``` info: [example.com.] notify, incoming, 123.123.123.123@35724: received, serial 2018080900 info: [example.com.] refresh, outgoing, 123.123.123.123@53: remote serial 2018080900, zone is outdated warning: [example.com.] refresh, remote master not usable error: [example.com.] refresh, failed (no usable master) ``` ## Additional info Workaround: downgrading slave version to `2.5.7`. Version `2.6.8` is affected too. More information can be provided on request. |
0.909913 | How to make your kids comfortable in water? Water play is a fun activity for the child. Likewise with swimming. Generally, child love swimming activities, to the extent that they "forget the time" do not want to go home because of the fun in the pool. But it turns out not all the kids feel happy to be in the pool, The reason, the fear of water or fear of drowning. Fear of water can occur in some children. The child develops fear because of various sources. One of them is having a direct experience that scared him. Well, make sure some of the following tips make your child become no longer afraid to swim.
1. Start in the Bathtub.
Start with the first step, invite your child to put his fingers into the bath. For a moment, let him feel the water first. He will feel that in the water was safe and comfortable as well. We recommend using warm water so that Little does not feel cold. Then, slowly start splashing water on your feet, stomach to your child's chest. When your child feels safe and does not cry, invite him into the bathtub. When he begins to enjoy, start to put a little water on his head, but avoid the water do not get exposed to the eye. Let him feel the bath in the bathtub for some time until he feels accustomed and comfortable.
You can add some floating toys and some action games in the water, such as pouring water into a plastic bowl with a glass and so on. Encourage the child to enjoy his toys. This will slowly make your child forget his fear and start to feel comfortable.
Once your child starts to feel comfortable with the tub, start introducing it with an artificial fountain using a water hose. Activities such as car washing or watering the plants you can use for the Little Know the fountain. Invite him to wash the car using a hose.
Let him hold the hose and start the water. Let him know the flowing water. Let the water also wet his body. You can also pour water over his head and see how he reacts. When he panics, try to delay the activity a few until he does not panic when the water flushed his head and hit the eyes up to his face.
4. Provide a Mini Pool.
The mini pool can be the next alternative. You can enter with him into the pool when your child is ready to play water. Do not forget to bring some toys to swim with. Try knee-high water or thighs, the next step, take you to the child pool in the area around you. Do not forget to bring a float.
5. Do not immediately immerse the child in the water.
This can cause shock because the kids are not used. If the child fears fear, do the same steps-the same when you and your kid play in the bathtub. Have your kid play by the pool first. Make your kid play with his toys with water in the shallowest pool. After the child is comfortable, take your child more to the center, then a little deeper, just the hips or thighs. Then move on to a deeper pool. Perform this stage while still playing with it, and let your child slowly adjust the feeling in the pool.
6. Do not use Water Wings.
When the child cannot swim, better wear safety jacket or jacket float when entering the pond. Do not use water wings or because even if the child can float, but can not hold his body. Nose and mouth of the child can still enter the water and make them unable to breathe.
7. Teach to open the eyes in the water.
Using swimming glasses can help children see in the water, but do not use it too often. Instead, teach your child to be able to open the eyes and familiar with the water without swimming glasses. You have to remember, teach swimming not just for fun, but teach children to survive in the water.
8. Don't let your fear prevent your child from recognizing water.
No need to panic. Adults themselves can be afraid of water, and sometimes because of this, the child is also so afraid of water. If indeed you are also afraid of water, ask the swimming coach to accompany your child. So while you teach your children water, you also learn about your own fears.
Fear of water will be the more severe effect if carried to adulthood because of no matter how the ability to swim can be important in life. So, it would be better if introducing water to the child since he was little.
Also, read Easy Ways to Overcome Sleep Disorders in Children. |
0.999982 | Conflicted about housing: Buy or keep renting?
About a year ago, we moved to a new city for my job. Sold our small condo in coastal California city A, and moved to city B (still California). This was to correct the trajectory of my career, which was going toward a dead end. My plan is/was to give it max 5 years, and go back to city A: That’s where we have family and friends, and where we want to be in, long term. I absolutely love my new job in city B and everything about it is almost perfect, but are not big fans of city B.
Question: Is it logical to keep renting until we leave city B?
City A is a hub for my field (B is not) and I can probably find another job there eventually (almost certainly not as good as the one I have now. I'm ok with that possibility), but who knows. The economy may collapse tomorrow and I may not be able to find a job there for the next 10 years. My new company provides reimbursements up to 2% of the closing costs, which expires this summer (assume ~$10k before taxes, the reimbursements are taxable income). The area we are renting now doesn’t have good schools, but is great for our commutes and we are ok living here. We don’t want to (and have been advised not to) buy in this area, and places we want to buy in are significantly more expensive (duh!) and will increase our monthly expenses. The main reason we decided to sit out was that if all goes as planned, we shouldn’t live here for more than 5 years and all the calculators I have seen online suggest we should live here for at least 3 years (even in a booming market) to make buying beneficial. I'll start looking in city A after 2 years.
On the other hand, not buying takes away a deduction on our taxes and a small amount of saving in the form of principal payments (we are maxing out 401ks/HSAs/FSAs and ROTH if income allows us), in addition to losing on any possible market gains (recognizing that it can just as easily go south). Oh, and then there’s the rising interest rates, etc. We have a 2 year old son and my worry is by the time schools really matter, we may still be in city B (in ~3 years), and then decide to buy here. If prices/rates are higher then, we'll lose. If lower, I'm not sure if we gain (considering our longer term plans).
So in short, we don’t think we should buy, but get some funny looks from people when we tell them that! What's the worst case scenario if we buy? Long distance rental?
Re: Conflicted about housing: Buy or keep renting?
I wouldn't buy unless I planned on owning a property for 10 years or more. Between market corrections and transaction costs there is a high risk you can lose your principle. Even in the red-hot Bay Area we saw about a 20%-25% decline in property values in my town from 2008-2012.
I have bought and sold houses when living there approx 4 years. Best case scenario I break even, worst case I lose maybe 3-5% so far unless there is a major swing in housing prices. I knew this going in and accepted the loss in exchange for access to housing I wanted to live in since the rental market had abysmal quality and was overpriced (5-8x their mortgage, taxes not that high). This made buying better also since even with a 3% loss the annual cost was only a few thousand when compared to renting.
About a year ago, we moved to a new city for my job.
If you are confident of your plan, I would keep renting.
I would never purchase a house for just a 4 year duration.
Remember the tax deduction is only on interest and at your marginal tax rate percentage.
renting especially if you don't like city B. OTOH I hate Illinois but am stuck there for a long time for a good job so I bought. The break even point in most markets is about 7-10 years.
+1 I would never buy unless I planned to stay in the house for 10+ years. Even then, I don't like home ownership. If you're renting and don't like the schools/neighbors/etc. you can easily move. Not so easy if you own a house.
Thank you all for your inputs. Seems we should stick to our plans for now.
Thanks for verbalizing what I meant better! Yes, buying in some areas seems to be the only option to get access (for a reasonable price).
Dottie57 wrote: Remember the tax deduction is only on interest and at your marginal tax rate percentage. |
0.999912 | Describe the cake, details and techniques: This cake was created for the ‘Around the world in sugar' collaboration and I chose the Amazon Rainforest as my inspiration. I had a few ideas of what I wanted to do and I knew I wanted the cake to be edgy, sharp, but also soft. I was desperate to incorporate polygons and other abstract shapes as the technique and I’m mad on Toucans so I wanted to get them in there too!
I decided to use hexagons on the bottom tier as they complimented the polygon theme above. My aim was to make the cake ‘pop!’ I wanted to add texture representing the diverse life of the Amazon and each hexagon style has it's own story representing its own unique piece of the Amazon... From the emerald tree boa... where I used the mesh bag from my oranges to give a realistic snake skin… to the jaguar where I sat for hours making brush strokes to get the effect I was looking for. I wanted this piece to have life!
One of my favourite techniques at the time involved water and angled airbrushing. When dried it created a unique water effect on the fondant which represented the rain.
What is the inspiration for this winning cake? I chose the Amazon Rainforest for my inspiration for the ‘Around the world in sugar’ collab because there is such an array of life and vivid colour there… I knew I wanted it to be bright, I wanted people to see it and smile - but most of all I wanted it to be fun! What better place than the Amazon to get all that from.
How much time did you spend creating this cake? Hahahaha great question! I lose track of time when I’m caking, researching, creating and recreating when it didn’t work out. I think around 100 hours, (this includes all the research, trials and errors), but I do know it was fun (and challenging), I recommend to everyone if you have the opportunity to take part in a Collaboration… big or small... grab it with both hands because you will produce something that will stay with you forever!
What do you do while you work? I must admit I get distracted easily so if I need to concentrate I don’t have anything on - but I always have my iPad next to me for when I need a break… I usually stalk all the other cakers out there to see what they are up to and their AMAZING creations! |
0.999998 | Here’s a question that came up lately on a teaching forum, a question more and more people will be asking as time passes and the industry becomes bigger.
Does anyone teach in a town or city with a way more advanced hooper than you? I’m feeling a lot of insecurity about developing my hoop classes because I feel like she could just walk in one day and do her thing and take it all away! Am I crazy?
First off, You’re not crazy at all!! It both makes sense to feel insecure and also, it makes sense to think that despite that insecurity you too can make a living teaching. For example, I’m a hoop instructor yet I’m based in the San Francisco Bay Area where people like Spiral, Shredder, Revolva and other amazing, internationally recognized hoopers are. Even Nicole Wong of Cherry Hoops, who may not be internationally known but sure has a lot of fame here in the Bay Area and who took a hoop class with me early on in her hooping career as a student, is a far better hooper than I am — truly a student becomes the master sort of thing. On my best day I can’t do a fraction of what they do. But — and this is a big and very important but — that in no way means I can’t teach what I know and teach it well.
In fact, when I started Temple of Poi, I can recall someone who had been teaching and facilitating spin jams here in the Bay Area literally laughing in my face saying other people had tried to start a school and no one else could do it before me so what made me think I could do it where they couldn’t?
The number one answer is that I treated it like a business where other’s may not have. That’s an important consideration when you decide to run a school – one that can literally make all the difference. Here are 9 other things to consider when starting work as a flow arts instructor and competing with the big names that may already be established in your area.
Just because someone is a great artist doesn’t make them a great teacher. This is a huge distinction which I at one point thought was worthy of this article: Teachers & Technicians: They Use Different Skills.
When you teach, you’re teaching from your competence, so only sell what you teach without comparison to anyone else. This may limit what you sell at first, but remember, what you do day one is certainly not what you’ll be capable of in year 3, 5, 10 and beyond. Just as the industry grows, if you yourself are growing as an artist and instructor, so will what you offer. Start with what you know an expand beyond that as you can.
Most client’s aren’t just coming to classes with me because of the education. There is an element of community and experience that is a really important part of the whole class, especially now in 2014 when there’s so much free information on the web. If you create a compelling experience, people will want to be with you and enjoy your sessions because it is not just education: it’s an educational experience. Distinguish your brand by creating a unique experience that shows off your strengths and creates a compelling and inviting opportunity for the particpants.
Never underestimate brand loyalty. People want to be right and they want to know they weren’t being fools signing up with one instructor vs. another so they will want to know that working with you was a good choice for them. Continue to add value to their lives both in and outside the classroom and people will get you’re invested and will be more loyal to you through action (class signups) and conversation (referrals).
You can always develop a partnership. For example, here in the bay, Aileen Lawlor, one of the best contact staff artists I’ve ever seen, teaches staff. That doesn’t mean that other’s won’t come to me for lessons — which, if you’ve ever seen me staff next to her might be laughable from a performance persepctive. However, I can teach the foundational material and then when the client gets to a place where I have nothing more to teach, I can forward them to Aileen for deeper studies. This has worked particularly well because she travels a lot where we have a fixed location and it allows us to get people in the practice when she’s too busy working in other cities and countries.
There’s nothing wrong with specializing in beginner material. In my experience, that’s where more money lies anyway. Not everyone goes past beginner level practice and, as they progress, they often find additional resources, want more variety and more so, have an independent practice. As a result, while they may want to come to an instructor in the beginning to get a good foundation, if you’ve done your job well, they may be more inclined to study off the internet or on their own after some amount of beginner studies. To some extent, that is actually desirable because it means you have empowered your student to teach them-self rather than being dependent on you — the sign of effective education.
It’s highly effective when you differentiate what you’re offering in some way to draw clients in to your facility. For example, we have over 40 different poi courses here at Temple of Poi and I am unaware of anyone in the Bay Area — the world for that matter — who offers such a broad range of material on a year found basis. I’m also unaware of anyone who teaches introduction to fire hooping here in the Bay so we have an offering that is different than what other hoop instructors offer, which makes us sort of the “go to” for fire beginners who want a class nearby.
Convenience is a factor! Some students study with me because my studio is closer to them or their work than anyone else’s and that is actually a factor for people, something you might not think about if you’re not the client.
The flow trend is growing, not shrinking. Best as I can tell, we’ve got more and more and more people picking up flow arts and wanting to do it. I firmly believe there is more than enough business opportunity for all of us to thrive. If yoga studios can be on every block, I don’t see any reason we can’t have the same thing and currently, we are no where near that level of availability. |
0.99542 | Fit potbot with a restraining bolt.
# Translation of the WordPress theme Twenty Ten 1.1 by the WordPress team.
# This file is distributed under the same license as the Twenty Ten package.
# FIRST AUTHOR <EMAIL@ADDRESS>, 2010.
"Apologies, but the page you requested could not be found. Perhaps searching "
"This post is password protected. Enter the password to view any comments."
msgid "One Response to %2$s"
msgid_plural "%1$s Responses to %2$s"
msgid "<span class=\"meta-nav\">←</span> Older Comments"
msgid "Newer Comments <span class=\"meta-nav\">→</span>"
msgid "Proudly powered by %s."
msgid "The primary widget area"
msgid "The secondary widget area"
msgid "First Footer Widget Area"
msgid "The first footer widget area"
msgid "Second Footer Widget Area"
msgid "The second footer widget area"
msgid "Third Footer Widget Area"
msgid "The third footer widget area"
msgid "Fourth Footer Widget Area"
msgid "The fourth footer widget area"
"<span class=\"%1$s\">Posted on</span> %2$s <span class=\"meta-sep\">by</"
"This entry was posted in %1$s and tagged %2$s. Bookmark the <a href=\"%3$s\" "
"This entry was posted in %1$s. Bookmark the <a href=\"%3$s\" title="
"Bookmark the <a href=\"%3$s\" title=\"Permalink to %4$s\" rel=\"bookmark"
msgid "This gallery contains <a %1$s>%2$s photos</a>."
msgid "<span class=\"%1$s\">Posted in</span> %2$s"
msgid "Search Results for: %s" |
0.999965 | How should I respond when I lied about my education and the company finds out through background check?
I lied about my education to my employer and background check revealed I did not graduate. How do I respond to my employer after they send me the following?
In order for us to move forward and complete the background check investigation, we need to understand the reason for the discrepancy and know about your highest level of education completed.
Side note: they are very professional.
You should own up to the the lie, apologise, be honest about the reasons why you lied, indicate that you are committed to learning from the experience, ask for a second chance to prove your trustworthiness, and thank them for giving you an opportunity to explain yourself.
Then you should indicate what your actual highest level of education is, and don't lie this time.
Your chances are very slim. Hopefully you can rationalise why you were dishonest with them in a way that they are willing to accept. But I wouldn't hold my breath.
The presupposition of the question is a bad supposition. You do not respond. You're in a hole of your own digging; stop digging.
You stop soliciting legal advice from strangers on the internet and get it from a lawyer.
Once you have a lawyer, ask them if you have committed fraud or any other crime, and how you should proceed so as to decrease your risk of being prosecuted if you have.
I would say that you take it as a life lesson, and be more scrupulous about preserving your integrity in the future. I would also say it's safe to assume that you've blown your chances of getting this job.
Honest people aren't people who are never dishonest, they are people who regret their moments of dishonesty, and are not dishonest in quite the same way again. By admitting that you haven't been entirely truthful, you've made a step in the direction of being an honest man, and a step away from the direction of being a dishonest one.
Finally, you can be glad that you got caught now, instead of two or three years in. If you are an honest man, it would have eaten at you, and you would feel relieved when it finally came out in spite of the fallout. If you aren't an honest man, you'd probably find that you were unable to talk your way out of it, assuming you hadn't been fired already for some other lapse of integrity.
So, man up, face the consequences, forgive yourself (even if other people don't), do your best to put it right, and don't do it again.
If you're not close, the other answers are spot on. Please read them and come clean.
If you are close, contact your school. Find out everything you need to graduate. It may not just be credits, there are often money issues that can prevent you from showing as graduated, too. Get the full list.
Now, respond to your employer along the lines of "I contacted my school, and it turns out you're right, I'm not showing as graduated to them. I spoke with a counselor and received the full list of what I need to show as graduated, and will be remedying the situation as soon as possible. I hope that this will not impede my ability to work here, as I am very excited to be here, etc etc."
It shows you admit that there's a problem, and that you're taking the initiative to remedy the problem. If they keep you on (and yes, that's still very much a big if), make sure you do take those steps, though.
Be as honest as possible. If you were on track to graduate but fumbled at last minute that is understandable. But otherwise very hard to save this, if there was a less positive explanation.
Keep whatever you say simple and truthful.
I am tempted to claim this as a duplicate of "How can I fix my relationship with my 7 month old cat after I've constantly abused her the past month?". While this may sound ludicrous, the problem is the same: you have broken a fundamental rule of social interaction for a relation that ultimately is dependent on mutual trust and trustworthiness. This is a question of the "how can I resume using a bridge I have burnt?" kind.
This bit will determine the stance of management and HR towards you in future because it casts into doubt everything that needs to be trusted at face value in a robust relationship.
You probably should consider polishing your resume. Or in this case, unpolishing it. It is quite likely that you'll be better off moving elsewhere even in case that your current employer can be made to swallow that toad (likely at a price).
You definitely need to own up to not having a degree. If you are close to having or it's a paperwork issue explain that.
Many companies do a minimal clearance when they hire and as the company takes on new clients or changes in insurance requirements, they will often do in depth background checks.
I worked for a company that did in-depth background checks every 5 years. The equivalent of an FBI Check. Be prepared that companies can retrieve information very cheaply on their employees and use it to their advantage.
I'm confused as to why there is a background check after you are employed rather than before. I'd also need to know how long you have been employed. That makes a big difference. Also, is this a highly skilled position? And does your intended degree really matter?
If the job is software engineering and your degree was art history, then having the degree is largely irrelevant, and you could come right out and say that. A sales job is another job where your choice of degree is often not meaningful. So, it's still a lie, but it's not a grievous one. You can probably talk your way out of it.
If the job is software engineering, then you are lucky, because that is a field where being self-taught is not usually a liability, and plenty of people never finished their degrees. Famously, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, and lots of others who are lesser known. But you need some credibility. You need some kind of proof that a degree would make no difference to your performance, and that's where it would be nice if you had already worked there a year or more. If this is the case, then you can probably talk your way out of it.
If this is a job that you just started, and you have established no credibility or meaningful performance, then I the only reasonable option is to fall on your sword and offer your resignation. It's not likely they will keep an unknown entity that has been caught in a lie. I wouldn't even try to explain the lie. Note, I didn't say quit. I said offer your resignation. They may accept it (the most likely scenario), but they may not. If they don't accept it immediately, it's because they like you for some reason and they will probably call you in to explain the lie. If you don't have a really, really good explanation, then don't waste their time.
My gut says act shocked too, but that's a horrible idea.
What the company is looking for is a reason that you do in fact have a higher education even though their background check shows that you don't. Something along the lines of, "I missed on class" or something.
Don't lie this time, though it's interesting that they're still talking to you at this point.
Do you want this job? Than you need to research every power of persuasion out there. 1. Do not admit to a lie. 2. Take a moral high ground.
"From past experience, companies discriminant against those without a degree. Either through automated filtering of resumes, or direct hiring biases. It is unfortunate, but this was required in order to cut through discrimination to showcase my skills that I can bring to your company, sans degree...."
Someone with better persuasion and manipulation can likely come up with a phrasing far more powerful that what is presented above. Many will dislike this comment. But apologizing, or whatever is stated above, will not get you the job. good luck!
Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged interviewing new-job hiring-process ethics employer-relations or ask your own question.
How to follow-up without being bothersome?
How do I inquire about a missing email just after I got the job?
If my CV employment months are a bit off, does this affect my chances after the background check finds out?
I did an internship 6 years ago in Beijing, but due to timezone difference a Background Check company refuses to call them. How do I ask for “Proof”?
Should I continue to interview during the background check?
How to respond to a “How's it going” from a potential employer? |
0.998115 | My parents already had a cat when I was born. The both of us would snuggle up together underneath my dad's hideous fetching green, orange and white fluffy jumper together, like two warm little peas in a pod. I have a photo of her when she was a bat-eared ginger kitten with a white underbelly, marked on the back as 'Wiggy - 1978'. Big wigs = big ears, hence the name my parents chose for this strange little critter. We were inseparable. When I got a cabin bed she climbed the ladder every night to get in and jumped from the third rung down in the morning. I still sometimes hear that familiar thud she made as she landed, it's one of the auditory hallucinations I have - along with the crunch of the gravel as someone came up to the house, and the sound of the back door closing. I hated leaving her to go on holiday - once when we did, I wasn't even that cross when we returned to find that she had eaten my gerbil - I remain convinced that another cat came in and did it, because she was a terrible hunter and barely went outside.
She was my world for the first decade of my life. My best friend. I didn't need to find the right words to explain myself to her, it was just instinctive and she'd comfort me without expectation. I was cat-obsessed and I methodically catalogued all the cats in my neighbourhood, noting everything I could observe about each one on a clipboard; recording their routes to and from home, where their territories began and ended and even how they meowed. I thought I could talk to them and it wasn't pretend to me - I spent hours staring out of my bedroom window watching them and I felt we understood each other in a way that other humans never would. Whenever I saw a new cat I would smile and narrow my eyes, the way cats do when they're relaxed and they smiled back.
When we moved in with my step family, who already had a young boy cat, Wiggy hated him so much she decamped to the garden for weeks and we had to buy her a litter tray with a lid on to put on top of the composting bin so she had shelter. I would stay out there in thunderstorms and pouring rain trying to coax her in - it was a horrible experience for me because nobody else seemed to care - to them she was just a cat. My friend's dad had a special machine that could laser cut stickers and he made her name in yellow for me to put on her tiny hut. She and I were going through the same period of adjustment and I felt detached and alone in a house full of people. I wanted to be part of things but I couldn't be and it never got easier - I was the odd one out and I just got better at keeping myself to myself. I had a loft conversion room made at the top of the house so I didn't have to share and the day I was moved in felt like the dawn of a new era in my melodramatic 13 year old mind. I remember the way the 'newness' smelled, how the sloping roof made me feel protected and the funny shaped cupboards backing into the eaves. I had Velux windows with special blinds, but often at night I would open them and look into the stars, wondering when I'd find out what my special purpose was. She stayed up there with me and we had our own little universe, just the two of us. Up there I could grow mould on a tomato and save a few scabs and hamster poo to squash on to a slide and inspect under my microscope without judgement. I could arrange my ornaments and rearrange them at will. I was very attached to all these objects and I still have a few of them because I'm afraid of what might happen if I throw them away. I often imagine them wondering why I've abandoned them, or picture a small ceramic animal, lost and alone in a rubbish dump somewhere. I remember waking up in that room during the night a few times to an awful smell and realising Wiggy had left a very smelly present on the end of my bed, but deciding to leave it until morning because I didn't want to get up and go all the way downstairs in the dark. I was still scared of the dark well into my teens and listened to story tapes so I could relax enough to sleep when night times were the hardest. She never judged me for any of these quirks, she just loved me unconditionally.
She'd barely ever been to the vet and when she did have to go for vaccinations we'd have to allow 24 hours to just get her into the travel basket. She'd stick out her legs like a starfish and attach herself by her claws to the rim as we tried to lower her in - always a two-person job. All the way in the car she'd howl as if daemons were trying to break out of her soul from another dimension. Sometimes she shat everywhere whilst we drove - the smell was indescribably awful.
Wiggy slept with me every night until I left home and even then I felt horribly guilty and visited almost every day. Eventually she became incontinent and unable to walk without falling, and the vet diagnosed a brain tumour. Soon she wasn't able to move and we knew it was time to do the kindest thing. When she died, unbelievably aged 22, I was utterly bereft. I didn't go with my mum when she had to be put to sleep - I couldn't - I didn't want to acknowledge that it was real and she'd finally be gone. She'd been the one constant thing in my life, she'd never let me down but I couldn't be there with her at the end and I don't think I'll ever forgive myself for that. Maybe that's why I still dream about her regularly; in the dreams I go back to the house and look for her; every time she's there and I marvel at how she's still alive.
Animals have always mattered to me and they seem drawn to me too - I'm the person that the cat at someone's house - who I'm assured hates most people - will immediately come and sit on, purring loudly, and once that happens I'm no longer a part of whatever human interaction is happening any more. Animal communication is so beautifully simple; no unwritten rules, no politics, no undercurrents or reading between the lines - all the things I've had to practice much harder than others to get to grips with, yet still failed to get it quite right. Animals are simple in a way humans never are. The careers I wanted when I was a child involved animals - paleontology, marine biology, zoology, RSPCA officer - and I've always maintained that if I were to be eaten by a shark I would be happy that it got a decent meal.
14 years after Wiggy died I now have a new feline companion - a handsome boy called Leo who was being fostered and who immediately chose us by leaping on to my husband's shoulders as soon as we went into the pen he was in. He kissed my face and we narrowed our eyes and I knew he was ours. Sounds sickeningly sentimental, but that's just how it happened. Since he moved in he's wanted to be near me all the time, draping himself across my lap, patting me and making puddings on my belly and playfully gnawing on whatever part of my body moves most like a mouse. I'm not relishing the idea of letting him outside once his three weeks' quarantine is up. Whatever else is going on in my life, he's just happy to be with me - not many humans value such a simple connection. |
0.737282 | The role of the cytoskeleton in regulating mitochondrial distribution in dividing mammalian cells is poorly understood. We previously demonstrated that mitochondria are transported to the cleavage furrow during cytokinesis in a microtubule-dependent manner. However, the exact subset of spindle microtubules and molecular machinery involved remains unknown.
We employed quantitative imaging techniques and structured illumination microscopy to analyse the spatial and temporal relationship of mitochondria with microtubules and actin of the contractile ring during cytokinesis in HeLa cells.
Superresolution microscopy revealed that mitochondria were associated with astral microtubules of the mitotic spindle in cytokinetic cells. Dominant-negative mutants of KIF5B, the heavy chain of kinesin-1 motor, and of Miro-1 disrupted mitochondrial transport to the furrow. Live imaging revealed that mitochondrial enrichment at the cell equator occurred simultaneously with the appearance of the contractile ring in cytokinesis. Inhibiting RhoA activity and contractile ring assembly with C3 transferase, caused mitochondrial mislocalisation during division.
Taken together, the data suggest a model in which mitochondria are transported by a microtubule-mediated mechanism involving equatorial astral microtubules, Miro-1, and KIF5B to the nascent actomyosin contractile ring in cytokinesis.
Mitochondria are essential organelles that function in ATP energy production, calcium buffering, and the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) [1–4]. The distribution of mitochondria within the cytoplasm is determined by interactions with the cytoskeleton. In mammalian cells, mitochondria are transported over long distances on microtubules, while short-range movement and docking require actin [5–7]. However, the role of the cytoskeleton and associated proteins in determining the distribution of mitochondria during cytokinesis, the final stage of cell division, is poorly understood.
Cytokinesis begins in anaphase with the assembly of a contractile ring composed of filamentous actin (F-actin) and Myosin II at the equatorial cortex. Constriction of the actomyosin ring results in a cleavage furrow that physically divides the parent cell into two daughter cells . Microtubules of the mitotic spindle specify the assembly of the actomyosin ring by delivering the small GTPase RhoA to the equatorial cortex [9–11]. Subsequently, RhoA triggers local actin polymerisation and Myosin II contractility via downstream effectors such as the diaphanous-related formin mDia1, Rho kinase, and citron kinase [12–14].
We recently reported that mitochondria localize to the cleavage furrow during cytokinesis in mammalian cells using a mechanism that is dependent on microtubules of the mitotic spindle . However, while we found that mitochondrial transport to the cleavage furrow during cytokinesis was microtubule-dependent, the subset of spindle microtubules and molecular machinery remained unknown. In contrast, a recent RNAi screen for new actin-based motors that function in division also identified the mitochondrial motor Myosin XIX (Myo19) as being involved in the regulation of mitochondrial distribution in dividing HeLa cells . Indeed, when Myo19 expression was knocked down in dividing cells, mitochondria were mislocalized and asymmetrically inherited. The authors reported a similar phenotype for cells treated with Latrunculin B and concluded that both Myo19 and actin were necessary for appropriate mitochondria distribution during cell division. In contrast, we previously showed, through systematic spatial and temporal analysis, that mitochondria accumulated at the cell equator following anaphase onset with no overall quantifiable differences in mitochondrial distribution between DMSO- or Latrunculin A-treated cells . Thus, the mechanism of mitochondrial redistribution in dividing cells remains controversial.
The kinesin-1 family of motor proteins play a key role in transporting mitochondria in the anterograde direction along microtubules [17–20]. Mammals possess three isoforms of kinesin-1 (KIF5A, B and C). KIF5A and KIF5C are neuronal, whereas KIF5B is ubiquitously expressed . KIF5B binds to mitochondria via an adaptor complex composed of the mitochondrial Rho GTPase (Miro) and the cytoplasmic adaptor protein Milton . Miro is an highly conserved atypical GTPase that is anchored in the mitochondrial membrane [21–23]. Miro binds to Milton, which in turns binds to KIF5B, thereby linking mitochondria to microtubules [24, 25]. It is not known if the KIF5B-Miro machinery mediates microtubule-based transport of mitochondria to the furrow during cytokinesis.
Herein, we used a combination of live spinning disk and superresolution structured illumination microscopy (SIM) to gain mechanistic insights into the previously reported relationships of mitochondria with microtubules and actin in mammalian cytokinesis. The mechanism of microtubule-based transport of mitochondria to the furrow was investigated using dominant-negative mutants of KIF5B and Miro-1. Finally, systematic spatial and temporal quantification of control- and cell-permeable C3 transferase treated-cells, allowed us to investigate the relationship of mitochondria with the contractile ring during cytokinesis.
We previously demonstrated that mitochondria are transported to the cleavage furrow in a microtubule-dependent manner [15, 26]. To gain further insight into the relationship between mitochondria and microtubules during cell division and determine the specific subset of spindle microtubules responsible for transporting mitochondria to the furrow, we imaged microtubules and mitochondria in dividing HeLa cells by spinning disk confocal microscopy and superresolution SIM (Fig. 1). HeLa cells were transfected with GFP-Tubulin and stained with MitoTracker Deep Red FM to detect microtubules and mitochondria respectively. Images of microtubules (green) and mitochondria (magenta) at six representative stages of division from metaphase to late cytokinesis are given in Fig. 1A (for a full time series see Additional file 1: Movie S1). Mitochondria begin to accumulate at the cleavage furrow coincident with the appearance of equatorial astral microtubules of the mitotic spindle (Fig. 1A, green arrowheads). However, the visualization of astral microtubules was limited by the resolution of the spinning disk microscope. To overcome this, we imaged microtubules and mitochondria at high resolution using SIM. Mitotic HeLa cells were stained with an anti-alpha tubulin antibody and MitoTracker Red CMX Ros to visualize microtubules and mitochondria respectively (Fig. 1B, C). A maximum projection image of the full confocal stack of a representative cell in early cytokinesis and magnified regions at the pole, side and equator of the cell are given in Fig. 1B. Mitochondria at the cell poles were localized in proximity to the polar astral microtubules (Fig. 1B; inset a, blue arrowheads). In addition, long equatorial astral microtubules originating from the cell poles curved towards the cleavage furrow (Fig. 1B; inset b, green arrow) and appeared to be associated with mitochondria (Fig. 1B; inset b, blue arrowheads). Interestingly, mitochondria at the cleavage furrow were clustered in a region devoid of microtubules, likely occupied by the contractile ring (Fig. 1B; inset c, blue arrow). To better visualize the association of mitochondria with microtubules, we analysed single z slice images taken from the centre of the stack of cells in metaphase, early- and late-cytokinesis (Fig. 1C). In metaphase cells, mitochondria did not appear to be associated with microtubules at either the equator or the poles of the cell (Fig. 1C; top row). We also confirmed using Nocodazole that the metaphase mitochondrial distribution is not dependent on microtubules (Additional file 2: Figure S1). In contrast, mitochondria in early cytokinesis appeared to be associated with astral microtubules at both the equator and poles (Fig. 1C; middle row, blue arrowheads). In late cytokinesis, mitochondria also appeared to be associated with astral microtubules at the equator and the poles (Fig. 1C; bottom row, blue arrowheads). These observations suggest that astral microtubules are the subset of spindle microtubules responsible for transporting mitochondria to the cleavage furrow during cytokinesis.
In line with our observation that mitochondria are transported along equatorial astral microtubules, we investigated the role of the Miro-Milton-KIF5B machinery in localizing mitochondria during cytokinesis. To visualize the distribution and localisation of Miro-1 during cytokinesis, HeLa cells were stained with MitoTracker Red, then fixed and stained with an anti-RhoT1(A16) antibody (shown in magenta) to detect Miro-1 (shown in green). Five representative stages of division from metaphase to late cytokinesis are shown in Fig. 2. In metaphase, Miro-1 was homogenously distributed in the cell cytoplasm. Cells in early-, mid-, and late-cytokinesis showed increased Miro-1 signal at the cleavage furrow (Fig. 2, green arrowheads). As expected, in all stages of division, the Miro-1 distribution colocalized with mitochondria (Fig. 2, merge), which is compatible with recently published observations by Kanfer et al. . We also observed some signal that did not co-localize with mitochondria, this may represent some non-specific staining of the antibody, or a yet undescribed localisation of Miro-1.
To examine the role of Miro-1 and its binding partner, KIF5B, in cytokinesis, mitochondrial distribution was assessed in dividing HeLa cells transfected with either control vector, dominant negative Miro-1 (Miro-1ΔTM), or dominant negative KIF5B (KIF5BTail). Miro-1ΔTM lacks the transmembrane domain that anchors Miro-1 to the outer mitochondrial membrane and, thus, exerts a dominant negative effect by binding and sequestering TRAK1 and KIF5B in the cytoplasm. KIF5BTail consists of the C-terminal cargo-binding domain of the full-length KIF5B and is able to bind mitochondria but not microtubules and, thus, inhibits microtubule-based mitochondrial transport. Transfected cells were stained with MitoTracker Deep Red FM and imaged by spinning disk confocal microscopy. Images of five representative time points from metaphase to late cytokinesis in control, Miro-1ΔTM and KIF5BTail-expressing cells are given in Fig. 3 (for the full time series see Additional file 3: Movie S2). In control cells, mitochondria were enriched at the cleavage furrow and depleted from the cell poles during cytokinesis (Fig. 3a). In KIF5BTail-expressing cells, mitochondria were partially mislocalized at the cell poles in late cytokinesis (Fig. 3a). In Miro-1ΔTM-expressing cells, mitochondria were mislocalized at the cell poles from early-cytokinesis through to late cytokinesis (Fig. 3a). Furthermore, mitochondrial enrichment at the cleavage furrow was reduced in cells expressing Miro-1ΔTM. We quantified these observations by performing line-scan measurements of mitochondrial fluorescence intensity from cell pole to equator in control, KIF5BTail-, and Miro-1ΔTM-expressing cells at each representative phase of division (Fig. 3b). Quantification confirmed that the difference in mitochondrial distribution was statistically significant in late cytokinesis in KIF5BTail-expressing cells and from early cytokinesis onwards in Miro-1ΔTM-expressing cells compared with control cells. We also quantified the effect of wild-type, full-length Miro1 expression and observed no difference in mitochondrial distribution compared with control cells (Additional file 4: Figure S2). These results support a role for Miro-1 and KIF5B in mediating the interaction of mitochondria with microtubules during cytokinesis.
In a previously published study, we used systematic spatial and temporal quantification of mitochondria distribution to show that mitochondrial transport to the equatorial portions of the cell equator in dividing cells was not affected by Latrunculin A or Jasplakinolide treatment . However, these observations do not preclude that actin may act indirectly to regulate mitochondria distribution, for example through sequestration or for localized (i.e. at the furrow) transport. Indeed, a knockdown of the actin-binding based motor protein, Myo19, was shown to cause mitochondrial mislocalization to the cell poles distribution during cytokinesis . An attractive explanation for this apparent discrepancy would involve a mechanism similar to that of neural cells where actin provides a docking mechanism following delivery the cell equator by microtubule-mediated transport [29–34]. For these reasons and to investigate further the relationship between mitochondria and actin, dividing cells were transfected with GFP-UtrCH, a marker for F-actin, stained with MitoTracker Deep Red FM to visualize mitochondria and imaged using spinning disk microscopy (Fig. 4). The distribution of F-actin and mitochondria at six representative stages of division from metaphase to late cytokinesis is shown in Fig. 4a (for the full time series see Additional file 5: Movie S3). Mitochondria enrichment at the cell equator coincided with the appearance of the contractile ring in anaphase B as indicated by cortical F-actin staining (Fig. 4a). Furthermore, mitochondria and cortical F-actin were progressively depleted from the cells poles as division proceeded. Interestingly, mitochondria appeared to co-localize with a cloud of sub-cortical F-actin that persisted throughout cytokinesis (Fig. 4a, red arrowheads). Spatial and temporal quantification of the pole: equator fluorescence intensity (F.I.) for both F-actin and mitochondria revealed that the polarization of mitochondria and F-actin occurred simultaneously as division proceeded (Fig. 4b). Indeed, no significant statistical difference was found between the pole: equator F.I. of mitochondria and F-actin in all stages of division. This colocalization of mitochondria with sub-cortical actin was also observed in cells displaying aberrant (i.e. collapsed or aggregated) sub-cortical actin morphologies, as those cells also displayed corresponding aberrant mitochondrial distribution (Additional file 6: Figure S3).
Next, we sought to quantify the time of onset of F-actin and mitochondria enrichment at the cell equator. To measure equatorial enrichment, equator: pole F.I. ratios for both F-actin and mitochondria were calculated at 30 s intervals following metaphase exit. The mean equator: pole F.I. ratio of eight cells (four quarters for each cells) ± SEM was plotted against time (Fig. 4c). Analysis revealed that the equatorial enrichment of both actin and mitochondria initiated at 1-min post-metaphase exit (Fig. 4c, arrow). Thus, the onset of mitochondrial enrichment at the cell equator occurs simultaneously with the onset of the formation of the actomyosin contractile ring.
The formation of the actomyosin contractile ring at the cleavage furrow is a spatiotemporally regulated event orchestrated by RhoA activity [9–14]. To investigate whether mitochondria enrich at the cell equator in the absence of a contractile ring, contractile ring formation was blocked by incubating cells with a commercially available, cell permeable, Rho-specific inhibitor, C3 transferase. C3 transferase is an ADP ribosyl transferase that selectively ribosylates RhoA, RhoB and RhoC proteins on asparagine residue 41, rendering them inactive. It has extremely low affinity for other members of the Rho family such as Cdc42 and Rac1 and does therefore not affect these GTPases. C3 transferase-treated cells were then stained with MitoTracker Deep Red FM and imaged by spinning disk confocal microscopy (Fig. 5). Images of five representative time points of division in control and C3-treated cells are given in Fig. 5a (for the full time series see Additional file 7: Movie S4). As expected, control dividing cells showed a progressive depletion of mitochondria from the cell poles to the equator and cleavage furrow. In contrast, RhoA inhibition caused cytokinesis failure and a reduction in mitochondrial polarization towards the cell equator (Fig. 5a, blue arrowheads). We confirmed these observations using the previously described systematic quantification method (Fig. 5b). Quantification confirmed that the difference in mitochondrial distribution was statistically significant in C3-treated cells from early cytokinesis onwards compared with control cells.
We previously reported that mitochondria localize to the furrow during cell division and that microtubule depolymerization inhibits this process . In this study, we further validate these observations by demonstrating using superresolution microscopy that mitochondria appear to associate with astral microtubules of the mitotic spindle, are enriched at the cell equator coincident with the nascent contractile ring and require Miro-1 for proper distribution during cytokinesis (Fig. 6). A similar a model of microtubule- and Miro-1-dependent delivery of mitochondria to a contractile ring has been observed at the immune synapse in T-cells .
The involvement of microtubules and Miro-1 in the re-distribution of mitochondria during the transition from late cytokinesis to interphase has also been recently confirmed by Kanfer et al., which provided evidence that, upon entry into mitosis, CENP-F redistributes to mitochondria via Miro-1 binding and links mitochondria to microtubule plus-tips . Herein, we investigated the role of KIF5B in linking mitochondria to microtubules during mitosis and found that inhibition of KIF5B activity caused mislocalized mitochondria in late cytokinesis but not during earlier stages of cytokinesis. One interpretation is that KIF5B mediates mitochondrial transport only during late cytokinesis. Alternatively, since our transfections were stringently optimized to minimize cytotoxic effects, dominant negative expression levels may not have been adequate to completely inhibit endogenous KIF5B activity. Another possibility is that other members of the kinesin-3 family members, such as KIF1B and KLP6, or CENP-F may compensate for KIF5B inhibition [36, 37]. In this regard, it would be interesting to assess the role of CENP-F and other kinesins in mediating the microtubule-mitochondria interaction at earlier stages of cytokinesis.
Following inhibition of Miro-1 activity and mitochondrial mislocalization, we did not observe obvious defects in cytokinesis or mitochondrial inheritance. This may be because mitochondria were only partially mislocalized and hence were still present, although reduced, at the furrow. It is also worth noting that our protocol did not allow for the observation of the effect of disrupted Miro-1/KIF5B over multiple generations, which may have yielded more robust mitochondrial mislocalization.
The fact that mitochondria polarize towards the cell equator simultaneously with contractile ring formation further supports, albeit indirectly, a microtubule-based mechanism of mitochondrial distribution during cytokinesis since microtubules are also required to stimulate contractile ring assembly at the equatorial cortex . In addition, our data show that mitochondrial distribution is coordinated with a key event of cytokinesis, contractile ring assembly. Whether the enrichment of mitochondria in the vicinity of the contractile ring or retention of mitochondria at the furrow during ingression has functional consequences for cytokinesis remains to be established. While we previously reported that mitochondria are transported to the cleavage furrow via an actin-independent mechanism [15, 26], a recent study showed that depletion of the actin-based motor Myo19 by RNAi in dividing HeLa cells caused mitochondria to aberrantly localize to the spindle poles during cytokinesis and resulted in defects in mitochondrial inheritance and cytokinesis . However, whether Myo19 anchors mitochondria to the contractile ring remains unknown since, in contradiction with our present and previous observations , they did not report mitochondria enrichment at the cleavage furrow in their control cells. The same group also failed to show enrichment of mitochondria to the equatorial portion of dividing cell in presence of Latrunculin B. The reason for this is unknown, but may relate to methodological differences in quantification methods, seeding density, or cell health. Indeed, we have reason to believe that the aberrant mitochondrial and F-actin distribution we sometimes observed during cell division in transfected cells (Additional file 6: Figure S3), may have been may be linked to altered cell shape or adhesion. Indeed, Fink et al. suggested that adhesion geometry can bias dynamic subcortical actin structures in mitotic cells. Spindle positioning have been shown to be actin-dependent in a number of other models , and subcortical actin clouds and retraction fibres have been suggested to be involved in centrosome positioning . Under our proposed model, aberrant spindle positioning due to aberrant retraction fibres (as seen in the aggregated phenotype of Additional file 6: Figure S3) would produce equally aberrant mitochondria distributions.
Interestingly, we also observed the colocalization of mitochondria with a subcortical pool of F-actin at the cleavage furrow. The source of this subcortical F-actin pool is unknown, but may represent pre-formed F-actin filaments that have been delivered to the cleavage furrow for incorporation into the contractile ring . Alternatively, actin may be directly polymerized on the surface of furrow-enriched mitochondria. A recent paper by Li et al., showed the formation of actin filament on the outer mitochondrial membrane in interphase and mitotic cells . Therefore, it is possible that actin at the cleavage furrow may promote mitochondrial docking and further enrich mitochondria at the furrow.
Mitochondria were retained at the cell poles and the enrichment of mitochondria at the cell equator was reduced when RhoA was inhibited. Interestingly, RhoA has previously been shown to reduce mitochondrial motility by promoting mitochondrial tethering to actin via mDia1-activation and local actin polymerization [43, 44]. In the context of dividing cells, local RhoA-triggered actin polymerization at the equatorial cortex in dividing cells may act similarly to inhibit mitochondrial motility in the vicinity of the cleavage furrow. However, it is difficult to discern the effects of RhoA inactivation since such cells exhibit a dramatically altered cell morphology. Additionally, since mDia1 has been shown to regulate microtubules at the furrow , we cannot exclude that mitochondrial mislocalization following RhoA inhibition may be due to the perturbation of microtubules at the furrow. This would however, still be compatible with microtubule-mediated transport of mitochondria to the cleavage furrow.
Finally, while there is now considerable evidence for microtubule-mediated transport to the cleavage furrow, it is also possible for mitochondria to be passively distributed. An example of such a mechanism would involve the mitochondria being squeezed toward the equator by the growth of the spindle in anaphase, telophase and early cytokinesis. Considering the importance of mitochondrial inheritance in ensuring daughter cell viability, it may be envisaged that mitochondria distribution during cell division relies on both passive and active, microtubule-mediated processes.
Herein, we demonstrate, for the first time, an association of mitochondria with astral microtubules of the mitotic spindle and their co-localization with the nascent contractile ring in early cytokinesis. Furthermore, we provided evidence that mitochondrial localization to the furrow requires KIF5B and Miro-1 and the formation of a contractile array. In this model (Fig. 6), mitochondria are delivered to the cleavage furrow along equatorial astral microtubules in a mechanism involving the KIF5B/Miro-1 trafficking. A similar a model of microtubule-dependent delivery and actin-dependent docking at a contractile ring has been observed in the context of the immune synapse in T-cells .
Enriching mitochondria at the cell equator may contribute to the robustness of cytokinesis by promoting actomyosin assembly and contractility at the equatorial cortex. Cytokinesis failure leads to centrosome amplification and tetraploidy and is a hallmark of certain cancers [46, 47]; therefore, a complete understanding of the mechanisms underlying cytokinesis may have important therapeutic implications.
HeLa cells purchased from ATCC were maintained at 37 °C in a 5 % CO2 incubator and grown in Minimum Essential Media (MEM; Invitrogen) supplemented with 2 mM GlutaMAX (Gibco) and 10 % foetal bovine serum (FBS; Invitrogen). To stain for mitochondria, live cells were incubated for 15 min with 20 nM MitoTracker Red CMX Ros or MitoTracker Deep Red FM (Molecular Probes) as indicated in the text. To inhibit RhoA, cultured HeLa cells were incubated with 2 μg/ml of a commercially available, cell-permeable version of C3 transferase (Cytoskeleton Inc.) for at least 4 h prior to live cell imaging. C3 transferase is an ADP ribosyl transferase that selectively ribosylates RhoA, RhoB and RhoC proteins on asparagine residue 41, rendering them inactive . It has extremely low affinity for other members of the Rho family such as Cdc42 and Rac1 and does therefore not affect these GTPases. Analysis was limited to metaphase cells exhibiting the hallmarks of RhoA inhibition: a spindly, non-round morphology [49, 50].
The cDNA encoding the wild-type, full-length human Miro-1 as well as Miro-1 lacking the transmembrane binding domain (Miro-1Δ593-618, hereafter referred to as Miro-1ΔTM) were purchased from Addgene (Addgene plasmids 47888 and 47895; originally published in . The cDNA encoding the motor domain-less KIF5B (hereafter referred to as KIF5BTail) was a kind gift from C. Hoogenraad, Utrecht University, The Netherlands, and was successfully used to study microtubule trafficking [51, 52]. Miro-1ΔTM and KIF5BTail cDNA sequences were amplified by polymerase chain reaction using the Expand High Fidelity polymerase (Roche). Miro1ΔTM was amplified with the primer pair: 5′-CCGCTCGAGCGGATGAAGAAAGACGTGCGGAT-3′ and 5′-CCGGAATT.
CCGGTCAAAACGTGGAGCTCTTGAGGT-3′. KIF5BTail was amplified with the primer pair: 5′-CCGCTCGAGCGGATGTGGCGTAATGGGGAGACG-3′ and 5′-CCGGAATTCCGGTCAAGTTGGAGAAGCTGCTGGAT-3′. The underlined sequences correspond to Xho1 (forward primer) and EcoR1 (reverse primer) restriction sites. Full length Miro1, Miro1ΔTM, and KIF5BT were subcloned into a pCIG2-ires-eGFP bicistronic vector (a kind gift from M. Cayouette, IRCM, Montreal). GFP-Tubulin and GFP-UtrCH in the pCS2eGFP vector were kind gifts from W. Bement, University of Wisconsin, Madison.
HeLa cells were plated 1 day prior to transfection on 35 mm glass-bottom dishes (1.5 mm thickness; MatTek) in antibiotic-free MEM media. Transfections were performed using Effectene Transfection Reagent according to the manufacturer’s protocol (Qiagen). Complexes were washed out after 6 h to minimize cytotoxicity. To achieve maximal numbers of mitotic cells for imaging, transfections were performed at least 30 h before imaging. To detect microtubules and filamentous actin, cells were transfected with 200 ng GFP-Tubulin and GFP-UtrCH, respectively. For dominant negative experiments, cells were transfected with 300 ng of the relevant construct and transfected cells were identified by GFP expression from the bicistronic pCIG2.ires.eGFP vector. Transfected cells with an average GFP fluorescence intensity of <1400 arbitrary units were used for analysis.
For fixed confocal imaging, cells were grown on #1.5 coverslips. For super resolution microscopy, cells were grown on Zeiss high precision #1.5 coverslips (a kind gift from the CIAN microscopy facility) prepared for superresolution imaging by washing with spectroscopic grade ethanol and methanol. First, live cells were stained for mitochondria, then fixed with 3.2 % paraformaldehyde in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) for 10 min, permeabilized with PBS containing 0.1 % Triton X-100 and blocked with 2 % bovine serum albumin (BSA) in PBS for 30 min. Primary antibodies were incubated overnight at 4 °C and secondary antibodies were incubated for 45 min at room temperature in the dark. The following primary antibodies were used: rabbit anti-alpha-tubulin (Abcam, ab18251) and rabbit anti-RhoT1(A16) (Santa Cruz, sc-102083). Alexa Fluor 488- and 647-conjugated secondary antibodies were purchased from Invitrogen. DNA was stained with DAPI (Invitrogen). For fixed confocal microscopy, coverslips were mounted onto slides using PermaFluor (ThermoScientific). For superresolution SIM, coverslips were mounted onto slides with Prolong Gold (Invitrogen) and left to cure for 60 h.
Fixed confocal imaging was performed using a Confocor LSM 510 META confocal system on a Zeiss Axiovert 200 M inverted microscope using a 1.4 NA 63× oil-immersion objective and Zen imaging software (Zeiss). MitoTracker Red fluorescence was excited with 514 nm laser, Alexa 488 fluorescence was excited with 488 nm laser and DAPI fluorescence was excited with 405 nm laser. Confocal stacks were acquired with a 0.3 μm step size.
Superresolution SIM was performed using an ELYRA PS.1 superresolution system combined with an LSM 710 laser scanning confocal microscope (Zeiss). Images were acquired using a 1.4 NA 63× oil-immersion objective and captured with a pco.edge sCMOS camera controlled by Zen imaging software (Zeiss). Alexa-488 fluorescence was excited with a 488 nm laser, MitoTracker Red fluorescence was excited with a 561 nm laser and Alexa 647 fluorescence was excited with a 642 nm laser. Emission was collected with the appropriate filter sets optimized for each laser line. Stacks were acquired with a 0.2 μm step size. SIM images were reconstructed from the raw data using Zen imaging software.
Live imaging was performed using a Quorum WaveFX-X1 spinning disk confocal system on a Leica DMI6000B inverted microscope (Quorum Technologies Inc.). HeLa cells were grown on 35 mm glass-bottom dishes (1.5 mm thickness; MatTek) and maintained on the microscope stage in complete phenol-free MEM media (Invitrogen) at 37 °C and 5 % CO2 using a Chalamide TC environmental control system (Live Cell Instruments). All Images were acquired using a 1.4 NA 63× oil-immersion objective and captured with a Hamamatsu ImagEM EM-CCD camera controlled with Metamorph software (Molecular Devices). MitoTracker Deep Red FM fluorescence was excited with a 643 nm laser and 25 ms exposure time and collected with an ET 700/75 emission filter set. GFP fluorescence was excited with a 491 nm laser line and 100 ms exposure time and collected with an ET 525/50 emission filter set. For time-lapse experiments, images were collected every 30 s. At each time point, 30 z-series optical slices were obtained with a step size of 1.0 μm using an ASI MS-2000 piezo stage.
For each cell fluorescence intensities were systematically quantified both spatially (linescan from cell pole to cell equator; all four quadrants) and at five representative phases of division (metaphase to late cytokinesis) as described previously with the following modifications: analysis was performed on average z-stack projections and a 40 pixel-wide linescan was used to measure average fluorescence intensity. Fluorescence intensity measurements from multiple cells were normalized and averaged using custom algorithms in MATLAB (mathworks) and transferred to GraphPad (Prism) for graph plotting. This analysis scheme allows for the direct and statistical comparison of average fluorescence intensity between division stages or culture conditions.
Linescan data were also used to calculate mitochondria and F-actin equator: pole fluorescence intensity ratios. Briefly, ratios were calculated using the first five (pole) and last five (equator) data points of each linescan at 30-s intervals from metaphase exit (t = 0 min) to late anaphase (t = 4.5 min) and then averaged across multiple cells.
The brightness, contrast and background were adjusted using Metamorph software (Molecular Devices). In order to aid the visualization of weakly fluorescent astral microtubules from live imaging data (Fig. 1a), the gamma was altered for presentation purposes, but was left unchanged for analysis.
Paired F-tests were used to compare mitochondrial distributions at five representative division stages in control cells versus KIF5BTail- or Miro-1ΔTM-expressing cells and DMSO- versus C3-treated cells. Mitochondria and F-actin distributions were also compared at five representative division stages using paired F-tests. All analyses were performed using GraphPad Software version 6.0 for Mac. Significance was set at p < 0.05.
EL carried out the confocal and SIM experiments, participated in the design of the study, performed the statistical analyses and helped draft the manuscript. EB participated in the analyses and helped draft the manuscript. CM participated in the design of the study and helped draft the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
We are grateful to Casper Hoogenraad for generously providing the KIF5BTail cDNA and Michel Cayouette for the pCIG2 vector. We also thank Gregory Twork for the custom Matlab scripts used in the quantitative analysis.
13008_2016_15_MOESM1_ESM.mov Additional file 1: Movie S1. Mitochondria and microtubules in dividing HeLa cells.
13008_2016_15_MOESM2_ESM.tiff Additional file 2: Figure S1. Metaphase mitochondrial distribution is not dependent on microtubules. HeLa cells in metaphase stained with MitoTracker Deep Red FM to visualize mitochondria and treated with either 0.02 % DMSO (control) or 10 μM Nocodazole to depolymerize microtubules. Shown are images of a single z slice from the centre of the confocal stack and a maximum z-stack projection.
13008_2016_15_MOESM3_ESM.mov Additional file 3: Movie S2. Mitochondria in dividing HeLa cells expressing dominant negative KIF5B and Miro-1ΔTM constructs.
13008_2016_15_MOESM4_ESM.tiff Additional file 4: Figure S2. Quantification of mitochondrial distribution in HeLa cells transfected with control or wild-type, full-length Miro1. The mitochondrial fluorescence intensity from cell pole to equator was quantified in control pCIG2-expressing cells (5 cells, N=20) and full-length Miro1-expressing cells (10 cells, N=40) during metaphase, anaphase, and early-, mid- and late-cytokinesis. The normalized distance from cell pole to equator is displayed on the x-axis and the average fluorescence intensity normalized against the mean is displayed on the y-axis. Data are represented as the mean +/- SEM and lines fitted by non-linear regression. The difference in mitochondrial distribution was not statistically significant in Miro1-expressing cells compared with control cells (F-Test, p<0.05).
13008_2016_15_MOESM5_ESM.mov Additional file 5: Movie S3. Mitochondria and F-actin in dividing HeLa cells.
13008_2016_15_MOESM6_ESM.tiff Additional file 6: Figure S3. Localization of mitochondria and cytoplasmic F-actin in control and aberrant cells. Spinning disk confocal images of HeLa cells transfected with GFP-UtrCH to visualize F-actin (green) and stained with MitoTracker Deep Red FM to visualize mitochondria (magenta). Representative images of cells in metaphase with either control, collapsed or aggregated mitochondrial phenotypes. Corresponding linescans are shown below the microscope images. The yellow and blue arrowheads indicate the colocalization of aberrant cytoplasmic F-actin and mitochondria in cells with the collapsed and aggregated phenotypes respectively. The yellow lines on the merge indicate the position of the linescans and black arrows on the linescans indicate mitochondria colocalized with cytoplasmic F-actin. Bar, 10 μm.
13008_2016_15_MOESM7_ESM.mov Additional file 7: Movie S4. Mitochondria in dividing HeLa cells treated with C3 Transferase. |
0.998165 | One of the first skyscrapers in Oklahoma, the Colcord Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
Wells' original plans called for a west wing that was never constructed.
Plans to convert the building to a boutique hotel were announced in early 2005.
Was the first skyscraper in Oklahoma City to have an elevator.
A $16 million renovation was completed in 2006.
The 2006 renovation preserved the hotel's architectural elements while blending contemporary style and state-of-the-art technology. |
0.999958 | As a singer you know how important it is that your choristers have some fundamental training on vocal technique. As a conductor I know how difficult it is to find the time during rehearsals to impart proper vocal technique to your singers. We both know as well that in the choral setting, distracted by reading the music, blending with our neighbours, tuning the chords, watching our diction, and following the conductor, we often lose awareness of our bodies and lose sight of the fundamentals of technique.
A well-timed clinic can help awaken body awareness long ago forgotten, it can create a deeper understanding of the fundamentals and reinforce the importance of good vocal technique. It can bring to light spcific technical issues that singers may be facing and that prevent them from their best sound. These individual defficiencies at large become choral issues and hold the choir back from their true potential.
My approach is wholistic and organic, based on the natural and proper structure of the singing apparatus and efficiency of the mechanism, tailored to the individual and their particular issues at the time. My first priority is to find tension and help release it, thereby freeing sound energy and achieving a more complete physical relaxation.
These are just some of the most common fundamental concepts which often need to be revisited and reinforced. You may have some specific concerns that need to be addressed with your choir.
I am available to visit you at rehearsals in or out of town, retreats and workshops. |
0.999992 | Online drug store and medical platform United Pharmacies has officially introduced Bitcoin as its newest payment method, offering 10% discount for all drugs and products listed on its store.
The online drug store and medical platform United Pharmacies has officially introduced Bitcoin as its newest payment method, offering 10% discount for all drugs and products listed on its store.
United Pharmacies is one of the few firms in the pharmaceutical industry to offer Bitcoin as one of its main forms of payment because of the strict Know-Your-Customer (KYC) regulations imposed on companies in the industry.
Customers of the United Pharmacies platform and members of the Bitcoin community presume that United Pharmacies’ integration of Bitcoin will establish a positive precedent for other companies in the pharmaceutical industry to offer payment methods with minimal regulation and legal processes.
Typically, companies such as United Pharmacies offer a limited range of payment methods to comply with the financial regulations they are required to respect. Thus, most pharmaceutical companies and independent drug stores offer traditional means of payments such as international wire transfer and international cashier's check.
Digital currencies like Bitcoin provide two major advantages over conventional payment methods: low transaction fees and efficiency. Payment options often recommended by online drug stores - specifically bank wiring - require users to take certain steps which often result in the customers either going to the physical branch or settling the transaction over the phone. Once the transaction is completed, bank details and transaction information have to be sent to the company, which then requires additional verification and authentication which could take anywhere from 3 to 7 days.
Bitcoin eliminates any additional processes and fees for both the customer and the company. It removes the fees usually dealt to the customer and enables the company to process the shipment faster, ultimately optimizing each operation handled by the firm. |
0.999997 | Let’s volunteer some advice about the Volunteer State: The beauty schools in Tennessee can offer the top training and knowledge you need to kick off your career. Learn about the skills you need to make it as a hairstylist, nail technician, or esthetician at one of Tennessee’s many beauty schools.
Mix your beauty training with the country music scene of Nashville, home to many coiffed and well-styled singers and songwriters. Realize that you don’t need to sing the blues over missed career opportunities in Memphis because you’ll have the education to succeed by attending a school of beauty in that city.
Beauty schools also can be found in cities from Chattanooga, home to the Tennessee Aquarium and near the Georgia border, to college towns such as Knoxville in this Southern state. If you ran into famous residents like singer and actress Dolly Parton, founder of Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, located in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains, we would expect her to encourage you in her sweet and sassy way to go for your career in beauty, too. Seek the top training you need in Tennessee and expect to find success in the field of beauty. |
0.989541 | I came across a video by Bobby Chiu entitled "Your Value in Art" and my curiosity was piqued. Being the even-keel, zen-like soul that Bobby Chiu is, he didn't place a value judgement on whether one should be a generalist or a specialist artist, but (perhaps because I'm less even-keeled) I definitively believe that a long-term career favors the specialist artist.
First, it would be helpful to establish a definition of both generalist and specialist artists. A generalist artist dabbles in any number of genres, styles, or niches of art making. A "jobbing artist" that goes from project-to-project, competing with several other well-qualified creatives to do so, perhaps a toy design one week, storyboards the next, and then a couple of weeks illustrating a book cover. A specialist artist narrows-in on one artistic field, medium, or overall aesthetic and produces work in that vein. The specialist artist is often brought into a project because they were one of a short-list of candidates who could properly envision the project, whether that's designing characters for film or television or creating work for print media.
While artists can make a living as a generalist, a generalist artist is a commodity, like a bottle of orange juice you'd buy at the local supermarket, easily replaced (and in the times we live in, easily outsourced if communication barriers are minimized). When their skill set is in alignment with what's desirable in the creative market place, a specialist artist is actively sought-out for the specific thing they do and therefore has a much easier time standing-out among a field of generalist artists.
If two artists were competing for the same job to design environmental concepts for a video game studio, who's most likely to get the job? The artist with the portfolio of character, vehicles, weapons, and environment concepts or the artist with the same number of pieces in their portfolio, but every single piece of the portfolio shows that they want to do the job their trying to get hired for, each piece shows a game environment concept? I don't know about you, but I'd say the smart money's on the second candidate, the specialist.
There's also the level of niche-ism that surrounds us today- an artist that may not have gained support through the conventional route of publishers can now go directly to the public if they're willing to become savvy marketers of their work. Services like Kickstarter, Patreon, YouTube, Instagram, and the like give artists a multitude of platforms to try and connect with an audience. Add to this that in most countries, there's fan conventions for any kind of niche you could imagine- everything from fantasy/sci-fi, to comic books, to My Little Pony, to... furries.
But isn't there a danger of being too specialized? Frankly, there's risk in any field one could choose to invest decades in that the market could shift and the only thing one can do is shift with it or perish. Commercial airbrush artists were in demand from the 60's through the 80's, but once the art market shifted, many of them either had to pivot their artistic skills to another medium or no longer work in the creative field. |
0.999987 | Here, the second term on the right-hand side represents the perturbing force due to the electromagnetic wave, whereas the first term represents the (linearized) force of electrostatic attraction between the electron and the proton. Indeed, we are very crudely modeling our hydrogen atom as a simple harmonic oscillator of natural frequency . We can think of as the typical frequency of electromagnetic radiation emitted by the atom after it is transiently disturbed. In other words, in our model, should match the frequency of one of the spectral lines of hydrogen. More generally, we can extend the above model to deal with just about any type of atom, provided that we set to the frequency of a spectral line.
respectively. This type of scattering is called Rayleigh scattering. There are two features of Rayleigh scattering which are worth noting. First of all, it is much weaker than Thompson scattering (since ). Secondly, unlike Thompson scattering, it is highly frequency dependent. Indeed, it is clear, from the above formulae, that high frequency (short wave-length) radiation is scattered far more effectively than low frequency (long wave-length) radiation.
The most common example of Rayleigh scattering is the scattering of visible radiation from the Sun by neutral atoms (mostly Nitrogen and Oxygen) in the upper atmosphere. The frequency of visible radiation is much less than the typical emission frequencies of a Nitrogen or Oxygen atom (which lie in the ultra-violet band), so it is certainly the case that . When the Sun is low in the sky, radiation from it has to traverse a comparatively long path through the atmosphere before reaching us. Under these circumstances, the scattering of direct solar light by neutral atoms in the atmosphere becomes noticeable (it is not noticeable when the Sun is high is the sky, and radiation from it consequently only has to traverse a relatively short path through the atmosphere before reaching us). According to Eq. (1138), blue light is scattered slightly more strongly than red light (since blue light has a slightly higher frequency than red light). Hence, when the Sun is low in the sky, it appears less bright, due to atmospheric scattering. However, it also appears redder than normal, because more blue light than red light is scattered out of the solar light-rays, leaving an excess of red light. Likewise, when we look up at the sky, it does not appear black (like the sky on the Moon) because of light from solar radiation which grazes the atmosphere being scattered downward towards the surface of the Earth. Again, since blue light is scattered more effectively than red light, there is an excess of blue light scattered downward, and so the sky appears blue.
Light from the Sun is unpolarized. However, when it is scattered it becomes polarized, because light is scattered preferentially in some directions rather than others. Consider a light-ray from the Sun which grazes the Earth's atmosphere. The light-ray contains light which is polarized such that the electric field is vertical to the ground, and light which is polarized such that the electric field is horizontal to the ground (and perpendicular to the path of the light-ray), in equal amounts. However, due to the factor in the dipole emission formula (1119) (where, in this case, is the angle between the direction of the wave electric field and the direction of scattering), very little light is scattered downward from the vertically polarized light compared to the horizontally polarized light. Moreover, the light scattered from the horizontally polarization is such that its electric field is preferentially perpendicular, rather than parallel, to the direction of propagation of the solar light-ray (i.e., the direction to the Sun). Consequently, the blue light from the sky is preferentially polarized in a direction perpendicular to the direction to the Sun. |
0.998142 | Amesbury Psychological Center psychological health center business plan market analysis summary. Amesbury Psychological Center is a multidisciplinary behavioral health care facility that offers mental health and substance abuse services to the communities of the Merrimack Valley in Massachusetts.
In this age of health care reform and increased use of contracts with health maintenance organizations (HMOs), preferred provider organizations (PPOs), and other groups, the demand for behavior health care providers continues to decline. This phenomenon, being driven by behavioral health "carve outs," has created a competitive clinical market, resulting in customer service being a critical factor. From this particular perspective, the customer identified as payor is: self-payor, medicare, medicaid, and managed care companies. They clearly drive the large percentage of referrals within the industry.
The Center has identified several behavioral health payors who have a strong foothold in the Merrimack Valley area. They include: Tufts HMO and Tufts Affiliated Health Programs, Harvard/Pilgrim Health Care, Medicare, Medicaid/MBHP, Magellan/MBC, Magellan Lucent, United Behavioral Health, Behavior Health Network, managed care company (MCC)/Cigna, US Health Care, and Health Care Value Management (indemnity products). Consumers participating in these programs are drawn from the communities of the Merrimack Valley and Southern New Hampshire area. Within this service area it is estimated that HMOs provide insurance for approximately 51% of the population.
It should be noted that there is an abundant supply of behavioral health providers/institutions within the Merrimack Valley and Southern New Hampshire. They include: psychiatric hospitals, residential facilities, outpatient group practices that vary from public to private organizations, and solo practitioners. Customer service, then becomes an even more critical factor. To obtain and maintain a foothold in the behavioral health market will necessitate the provision of optimal, accessible, quality customer service.
If the Center is going to survive and grow, we must market our services aggressively. As previously noted, our referral base is primarily driven by managed care companies, medicare and medicaid, indemnity products and self-payors. Within the Merrimack Valley geographical area, HMOs have approximately 51% of the covered lives. Focusing on and identifying the needs of these five referral sources is critical for our growth.
Trends which began with health care reengineering and the introduction of managed health care will continue during the next decade. There will continue to be change within this industry, but change will be less dramatic than the health care revolution of the 1980s and 1990s. Managed care companies will continue to influence fee structures and restructure the provider network.
With the advent of mental health parity in Massachusetts, utilization rates and reimbursement rates should improve. Under the mental health parity law, insurance companies are not allowed to cap mental health services for biologically based mental health disorders. Co-payments cannot escalate during the course of treatment for these disorders.
Managed care organizations (MCOs) are beginning to review provider compensation packages with the intent of increasing compensation rates. Rates have been flat for the past ten years.
As noted in a previous section, the growth rate for the Center during the past three years has been significant. There is no identified reason indicating that this will change. We are currently referring out four to five phone calls per day. Within the geographical area, it takes approximately six to eight weeks to get an appointment with a psychiatrist. For psychotherapy, it takes approximately seven to eight days to get an appointment. With the use of additional staff and creative scheduling, some of these challenges can positively impact the bottom line.
Dr. Marc Shay, an adult psychiatrist, has recently become an associate of the Center. He has committed to 12 hours per week, resulting in an increase of services by 48 units per week. His schedule is filled for the next three weeks as of July 10, 2000. He will begin work on July 17, 2000. We are also in the process of negotiating with a clinical nurse specialist to work 12 hours per week. Her specialty is with children and adolescents. Her starting date is estimated to be early September 2000.
Previously, we have identified the significant aspects of services offered by the Center. Of these services, children and adolescent services are in greatest demand by all referral sources. This gives strength to the four segments of our delivery service system which address these needs. Additionally, there is significant population growth in the Merrimack Valley and southern New Hampshire areas, and this growth is projected to continue over the next decade.
The behavioral health care industry consists of inpatient programs, residential and partial programs, outpatient group practices, and outpatient solo practices. For the purposes of this business plan, we will focus on multidisciplinary group practices, both public and private. Within the geographical area designated as the service area for this business plan, the industry participants include: North Essex Mental Health Center, Arbour/HRI Counseling Services, Harris Street Associates, and Harborside Psychological Center.
To identify the principal behavioral health competitors within the Merrimack Valley, it is important to have an understanding of the behavioral health industry as it has been transformed by the influence of health care restructuring. There are primarily four types of behavioral health facilities: (1) psychiatric hospitals, (2) residential facilities, (3) outpatient group practices, and (4) solo practices. The primary competitors of the Center fall within the third category, outpatient group practices. These practices can be further categorized as public, not-for-profit facilities, and for-profit private practice facilities that include homogeneous group practices and multidisciplinary group practices.
North Essex Mental Health Center, Inc., Newburyport, Massachusetts with a satellite office in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Three years ago, this facility was bought by a subsidiary of Northeast Health Systems of Beverly, Massachusetts. This facility is a community mental health center whose primary consumer is the medicaid population. The center has been providing behavioral health services in the Merrimack Valley area for over 20 years. This center has grown significantly in the last 10 years, culminating in the opening of an Amesbury office. North Essex Mental Health Center is the dominant provider in the Northeast area of Massachusetts. They are the emergency services provider for MBHP and have contracted with the AJH to provide emergency services to their emergency room. Their payor mix is composed of medicare, medicaid, self pay, and some MCOs.
Harris Street Associates is a multidisciplinary group practice providing mental health services to the Newburyport and Haverhill communities. It was established over fifteen years ago by several local psychiatrists and psychologists. Their payor mix has been primarily with MCOs, with some indemnity programs. It has had a rocky financial history, culminating in being bought by H.E.S. For the past three years, H.E.S. has attempted to turn around the financial status of the agency without success. It was recently announced that the center is closing on October 30, 2000.
Harborside Psychological Center is located in Newburyport, Massachusetts. It is a multidisciplinary mental health group practice. Until recently, their service focus has been psychotherapy with children, adolescents and adults. Currently, this center has added pharmacology to their list of services. Their payor mix is composed of MCOs and employee assistance programs (EAPs).
The market segmentation can best be understood from an analysis of the clinical services being offered by the Center. Presently, three services are offered: psychotherapy, pharmacology, and substance abuse/addiction treatment. When the Center commences its operations, a fourth service will be implemented: behavioral health contracts. Contracts are different from the previous three segments in that the services are provided offsite at another facility.
All services are offered to all age groups, with a modality of treatments that include individual, couple, families, and group. Some customers will use only one service at a time, while others will use a mix of the various services simultaneously. |
0.99665 | What do we mean by the term Deep Democracy?
Deep Democracy developed as a political principle, in the 1980s, having first demonstrated its use in integrative psychotherapy. Unlike Classical representational and Direct Democracy, which focuses on majority rule, Deep Democracy suggests that all voices, states of awareness, and frameworks of reality are important, and are all needed to understand a more complete process of the political system.
In order to understand the complete process we pose the question, does democratic governance have to be global to be effective? Deep Democracy suggests this is the case in a number of ways. First, attitudes focus on the awareness of voices both central and bedazzling in a way that all voices and views are given the same degree of importance. Secondly, these principles are to be used on all organisations, groups as well as personal inner experience; people in conflict etc. Thirdly, humanity needs to experience Deep Democracy as a bedazzling process of flow, in which all actors on the stage are needed to create the play being observed. Democracy needs to be a dynamical system that considers human needs and responsibility at all scales and levels. It is reasonable to deduce from this that Deep Democracy is the only form of benevolent governance that can produce such a political reality.
Democracy has always been based on direct or representational majority rule. It has functioned as a flawed concept in individual nations and societies, since its Greek inception. The reason for these flaws is that democratic government has always been based on linear Euclidean geometrics and a similar hierarchical structure to that of Aristocratic rule. As Democracy embraces the right of free speech and freedom of the press, it is certainly by far the fairest of all political systems, yet, as pointed out this articles, it still has many serious defects.
Free speech and freedom of the press are important, but without Deep Democracy, they can become abusive forces of tyranny, unrelated to emotional and social realities. According to Deep Democracy principles, in representative democratic systems, people often ignore the need for relationship between parties using free speech. Both parties, those who champion for free speech, and those who champion for limitations in the interests of public safety, need to relate more to each other and learn to understand the visions and ideals that are behind those diverse views.
Deep Democracy involves openness to other individuals, groups and nations. It includes feelings, dreams, body symptoms, altered states of consciousness, synchronicities, and an awareness of signals, roles, and the structural dynamics of the interactions between the parties involved. Deep Democracy can only be effective if we live from the heart. As matter of fact the most fundamental forum is our own heart. Therefore, both as facilitator and as a human being, we need to learn to listen to our hearts.
Support of deeper dialogue has been around at least since Plato argued for the inclusion of women in public discourse, albeit only the female upper classes. Unfortunately for slaves and foreigners, Plato's thinking didn't extend to include them. Nevertheless, he planted a cultural seed that needed another twenty-five hundred years to sprout, one which is only now coming to fruition in culturally creative and humanitarian ways.
At its most basic manifestation, Deep Democracy, refers to an openness towards the views of other people, groups, creeds and nations. It also embraces an openness to emotions and personal experiences, which tend to get excluded from conflict and rational public discourse. As Buckminster Fuller said, "We need to support the intuitive wisdom and comprehensive informed-ness of each and every individual to ensure our continued fitness for survival as a species. |
0.963277 | I would like to explain the current status about an alleged ammonia leak at the International Space Station (ISS). At 5:49 p.m. on Jan. 14 (JST), NASA issued an alarm that could have been indicative of an ammonia leak in Node 2. The crewmembers were isolated in the Russian segment and followed ISS emergency procedures that included switching the power source.
Following an analysis of every ISS area, no ammonia leaks were found, thus it was determined to be a system error. The crew returned to the US module, and is now working on recovering the power system. We received a report that there was no impact on the Kibo's operation. The ISS is now returning to its normal status, and, accordingly, JAXA's experiments there are also back to normal following the emergency operation.
New "Basic Plan on Space Policy"
On Jan. 9, the new "Basic Plan on Space Policy" was decided by the Strategic Headquarters for Space Policy. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe instructed JAXA and other related ministries to steadily follow the plan to make it a success. Thus JAXA, as a core space development agency which supports the Japanese government's space development, keeps firmly promoting research and development for satellites, launch vehicles, space exploration and other aerospace areas.
The original Japan Fiscal Year 2015 budget was approved by the Cabinet on Jan. 14. JAXA's total budget is 154.1 billion yen, about 400 million less than that of JFY 2014 of 154.5 billion yen. However, a supplementary budget of 29.9 billion yen was already set, thus the total will be 184 billion yen. So, incorporating the supplementary budgets, the JFY 2015 JAXA budget is about a 2.5 billion yen increase from the 2014 budged of 181.5 billion yen.
12.5 billion yen was allocated for a new flagship launch vehicle that is slated for launch in 2020. It is an increase of 5.5 billion yen compared to JFY 2014.
5.1 million yen was newly set for developing an "advanced optical satellite" to achieve unprecedentedly broad and high-resolution land observations, which no country has ever previously attained.
900 million yen was newly allocated for launching a small satellite by the Epsilon launch vehicle to set up an innovative satellite technology verification program for novel space technology.
11.4 billion yen was set for launching the next X-ray astronomy satellite "ASTRO-H" in JFY 2015.
As you can see, we received budget allocations for newly launched missions, thus we are working hard to cope with expectations.
Let me briefly introduce this year's scheduled activities.
From April, JAXA will begin activities as a "National Research and Development Agency." As such, we have to carry out our missions to maximize the purpose of this state policy.
A research and development agency is expected to 'optimize R&D results representing all of Japan." Hence JAXA is expected not only to work hard as an R&D agency but also to contribute to generating innovation allover Japan by disseminating JAXA's achievements.
Accordingly, our working practices within JAXA may differ from our conventional ways.
Astronaut Kimiya Yui will stay at the ISS as a 44/45 expedition crewmember from the end of May to November this year. He will perform space experiments and other activities.
In December, we plan to conduct an Earth swing-by of the Asteroid Explorer "Hayabusa2" and orbit re-injection of the Venus Climate Orbiter "AKATSUKI."
JAXA's JFY 2015 launch schedule includes launches of the KOUNOTORI-5, a cargo transporter to the ISS, and the next generation X-ray Astronomy Satellite "ASTRO-H."
As you can see, the next fiscal year will be another significant year for JAXA as we have to play an important role as a national research and development agency for new missions being planned, while many events have already been scheduled.
Two new R&D projects were launched in January in the aviation field, namely the Advanced Fan Jet Research project (aFJR) and the Flight Demonstration of Quiet Technology to Reduce Noise from High-lift Configurations project (FQUROH).
The "R&D project" is defined to be different from a "common noun of R&D" as the project is mainly led by the Institute of Aeronautical Technology but also guided by JAXA. Its goals are shared by the industry for collaboration. We will generate more "R&D projects" in addition to the above two. Both of them are categorized as priority issues in the "Strategic next generation aviation R&D vision" compiled by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science & Technology as government policy.
The third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction will be held in Sendai, Japan, between March 14 (Sat.) and March 18 (Wed.) One of the activities at the conference is a meeting of the CEOS (Committee of Earth Observation Satellites). As a chair organization of the CEOS, JAXA will lead addresses toward disaster preparation/mitigation using space technology. We plan to offer some opportunity to introduce you (the media) to JAXA's activities for disaster preparation using space under international cooperation by taking this opportunity of having the CEOS in Japan.
The Tokyo Conference on International Study for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience is being held at the University of Tokyo for three days from January 14 (Wed.) to 16 (Fri.) (The conference was hosted by the Science Council of Japan, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) and Ito International Research Center of the University of Tokyo.) Yesterday, JAXA Vice President Higuchi took to the podium as a panelist of the High Level Panel Session to introduce disaster preparation/mitigation activities using space technology. We would like to boost disaster preparation/mitigation activities using satellites as one of the big pillars of JAXA's engagement.
The Solar Physics Satellite "HINODE" has been achieving various results since its launch in 2006. We plan to hold an informative meeting for the media on Jan. 20 (Tue.) to introduce the latest solar flare research results and future prospects.
Let me explain the current status of the Asteroid Explorer "Hayabusa2." It is currently flying at about 17 million km away from the Earth. It is still under initial functional confirmation operation for its onboard instruments and ground tracking facilities. The onboard ion engines are also under confirmation, and all four are verified to generate thrust. We perform their test operation till the end of Jan. |
0.994698 | Literary theory in a strict sense is the systematic study of the nature of literature and of the methods for analyzing literature. However, literary scholarship since the 19th century often includes—in addition to, or even instead of literary theory in the strict sense—considerations of intellectual history, moral philosophy, social prophecy, and other interdisciplinary themes which are of relevance to the way humans interpret meaning. In the humanities in modern academia, the latter style of scholarship is an outgrowth of critical theory and is often called[by whom?] simply "theory". As a consequence, the word "theory" has become an umbrella term for a variety of scholarly approaches to reading texts. Many of these approaches are informed by various strands of Continental philosophy and of sociology.
The practice of literary theory became a profession in the 20th century, but it has historical roots that run as far back as ancient Greece (Aristotle's Poetics is an often cited early example), ancient India (Bharata Muni's Natya Shastra), ancient Rome (Longinus's On the Sublime) and medieval Iraq (Al-Jahiz's al-Bayan wa-'l-tabyin and al-Hayawan, and ibn al-Mu'tazz's Kitab al-Badi). The aesthetic theories of philosophers from ancient philosophy through the 18th and 19th centuries are important influences on current literary study. The theory and criticism of literature are tied to the history of literature.
However, the modern sense of "literary theory" only dates to approximately the 1950s when the structuralist linguistics of Ferdinand de Saussure began to strongly influence English language literary criticism. The New Critics and various European-influenced formalists (particularly the Russian Formalists) had described some of their more abstract efforts as "theoretical" as well. But it was not until the broad impact of structuralism began to be felt in the English-speaking academic world that "literary theory" was thought of as a unified domain.
In the academic world of the United Kingdom and the United States, literary theory was at its most popular from the late 1960s (when its influence was beginning to spread outward from universities such as Johns Hopkins, Yale, and Cornell) through the 1980s (by which time it was taught nearly everywhere in some form). During this span of time, literary theory was perceived as academically cutting-edge, and most university literature departments sought to teach and study theory and incorporate it into their curricula. Because of its meteoric rise in popularity and the difficult language of its key texts, theory was also often criticized as faddish or trendy obscurantism (and many academic satire novels of the period, such as those by David Lodge, feature theory prominently). Some scholars, both theoretical and anti-theoretical, refer to the 1970s and 1980s debates on the academic merits of theory as "the theory wars".
By the early 1990s, the popularity of "theory" as a subject of interest by itself was declining slightly (along with job openings for pure "theorists") even as the texts of literary theory were incorporated into the study of almost all literature. By 2010, the controversy over the use of theory in literary studies had quieted down, and discussions on the topic within literary and cultural studies tend now to be considerably milder and less lively. However, some scholars like Mark Bauerlein continue to argue that less capable theorists have abandoned proven methods of epistemology, resulting in persistent lapses in learning, research, and evaluation. Some scholars do draw heavily on theory in their work, while others only mention it in passing or not at all; but it is an acknowledged, important part of the study of literature.
One of the fundamental questions of literary theory is "what is literature?" – although many contemporary theorists and literary scholars believe either that "literature" cannot be defined or that it can refer to any use of language. Specific theories are distinguished not only by their methods and conclusions, but even by how they create meaning in a "text". However, some theorists acknowledge that these texts do not have a singular, fixed meaning which is deemed "correct".
Since theorists of literature often draw on a very heterogeneous tradition of Continental philosophy and the philosophy of language, any classification of their approaches is only an approximation. There are many types of literary theory, which take different approaches to texts. Even among those listed below, many scholars combine methods from more than one of these approaches (for instance, the deconstructive approach of Paul de Man drew on a long tradition of close reading pioneered by the New Critics, and de Man was trained in the European hermeneutic tradition).
Broad schools of theory that have historically been important include historical and biographical criticism, New Criticism, formalism, Russian formalism, and structuralism, post-structuralism, Marxism, feminism and French feminism, post-colonialism, new historicism, deconstruction, reader-response criticism, and psychoanalytic criticism.
The different interpretive and epistemological perspectives of different schools of theory often arise from, and so give support to, different moral and political commitments. For instance, the work of the New Critics often contained an implicit moral dimension, and sometimes even a religious one: a New Critic might read a poem by T. S. Eliot or Gerard Manley Hopkins for its degree of honesty in expressing the torment and contradiction of a serious search for belief in the modern world. Meanwhile, a Marxist critic might find such judgments merely ideological rather than critical; the Marxist would say that the New Critical reading did not keep enough critical distance from the poem's religious stance to be able to understand it. Or a post-structuralist critic might simply avoid the issue by understanding the religious meaning of a poem as an allegory of meaning, treating the poem's references to "God" by discussing their referential nature rather than what they refer to. A critic using Darwinian literary studies might use arguments from the evolutionary psychology of religion.
Such a disagreement cannot be easily resolved, because it is inherent in the radically different terms and goals (that is, the theories) of the critics. Their theories of reading derive from vastly different intellectual traditions: the New Critic bases his work on an East-Coast American scholarly and religious tradition, while the Marxist derives his thought from a body of critical social and economic thought, the post-structuralist's work emerges from twentieth-century Continental philosophy of language, and the Darwinian from the modern evolutionary synthesis.
In the late 1950s, the Canadian literary critic Northrop Frye attempted to establish an approach for reconciling historical criticism and New Criticism while addressing concerns of early reader-response and numerous psychological and social approaches. His approach, laid out in his Anatomy of Criticism, was explicitly structuralist, relying on the assumption of an intertextual "order of words" and universality of certain structural types. His approach held sway in English literature programs for several decades but lost favor during the ascendance of post-structuralism.
Mikhail Bakhtin argued that the "utter inadequacy" of literary theory is evident when it is forced to deal with the novel; while other genres are fairly stabilized, the novel is still developing.
Associated with Romanticism, a philosophy defining aesthetic value as the primary goal in understanding literature. This includes both literary critics who have tried to understand and/or identify aesthetic values and those like Oscar Wilde who have stressed art for art's sake.
Cognitive literary theory – applies research in cognitive neuroscience, cognitive evolutionary psychology and anthropology, and philosophy of mind to the study of literature and culture.
I.A. Richards, F.R. Leavis, Q.D. Leavis, William Empson.
^ Searle, John. (1990) "The Storm Over the University", The New York Review of Books, December 6, 1990.
^ Bauerlein, Mark (November 13, 2014). "Theory and the Humanities, Once More". Inside HigherEd. Washington, DC. Jay treats it [theory] as transformative progress, but it impressed us as hack philosophizing, amateur social science, superficial learning, or just plain gamesmanship.
^ Sullivan, Patrick (2002-01-01). ""Reception Moments," Modern Literary Theory, and the Teaching of Literature". Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. 45 (7): 568–577. JSTOR 40012241.
René Wellek. A history of modern criticism : 1750-1950. Yale University Press, 1955-1992, 8 volumes.
Literary Theory: An Anthology. Edited by Julie Rivkin and Michael Ryan. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2004. |
0.997535 | Sometimes the Moon, sometimes the Sun. The Moon's orbit is elliptical, and its apparent diameter varies by 10%. This is why both total eclipses (if the Moon is larger) and annular eclipses (if the Sun is larger) happen.
59%. Moon's libration changes the angle from which the Moon is seen, allowing about 59% of its surface to be seen from the Earth (but only half at any instant). Moon's libration is caused by the eccentricity of its orbit around Earth and by a slight inclination of its axis of rotation.
It slowly increases. Due to the loss of energy caused by tides, the Earth–Moon distance increases at approximately 38 millimetres per year.
In which phase is the Moon during the solar eclipse?
New moon. The new moon is the first phase of the Moon, when its orbit is not seen from the Earth; it is at this moment when the Moon and the Sun have the same ecliptical longitude. The Moon is not visible at this time except when it is seen in silhouette during a solar eclipse when it is illuminated by earthshine.
Which solar system moon is the only one with a dense atmosphere?
Titan is the largest moon of Saturn. It is the only moon known to have a dense atmosphere, and the only object in space other than Earth where clear evidence of stable bodies of surface liquid has been found.
What kind of 'natural disasters' happen on the moon?
Moonquakes are produced by tidal forces. Moonquakres are much less common and weaker than earthquakes, although they can last for up to an hour - a significantly longer time than terrestrial earthquakes - because of the absence of water to damp out the seismic vibrations.
When was the invisible side of the Moon photographed for the first time?
In 1959, the Soviet Luna spacecraft photographed the invisible side of the Moon, proving that the dark patches on the surface are not seas of liquid, but only areas of fine volcanic dust. |
0.998797 | Being a home health RN is a rewarding, flexible position for nurses that allows for more time with patients, a diverse schedule, and more hands on opportunities when caring for patients.
What is the outlook for home health professionals in 2019 and beyond? Who are the trendsetters in the space? Read on to learn more about the future of home health nursing.
On a basic level, home health care is exactly what it implies: care that is brought to a patient in his or her home. However, the term encompasses a number of services provided by healthcare professionals, including skilled nursing care, physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy. It also can sometimes include skilled, non-medical care and daily living services from home health aides.
Home health is sometimes associated with geriatric care, and it’s often incorrectly assumed that a nurse working in home health will simply be helping elderly patients who are struggling with dementia or other ailments. In fact, home health nurses treat patients ranging from the elderly and mentally ill to patients recovering from surgery or struggling with diabetes or congestive heart failure.
Unlike an RN in a hospital setting who will face various challenges within their specialty, the situations home health nurses will encounter can vary wildly and will require skills across specialties. A typical day might include checking vitals, cleaning wounds, administering medication, and drawing blood. Other situations may range from taking care of minor issues to ones where critical care responses are necessary.
Additionally, a home health nurse can serve as an educator, since he or she may have to instruct a new patient about lifestyle changes after being diagnosed with diabetes, or educate family members about how to care for an elderly relative after a fall.
Most home health nurses are part of a larger agency, who will assign them patients and a route. Others may work for a skilled nursing or other facility and have home care as part of their duties. Choosing the right agency is essential, as each has their own culture and training.
Not only are these companies consistently rated as having the best working conditions, they are also among the largest organizations in home health care. However, it’s important to consider the pros and cons of each agency before making the decision to work at one of them, and as not every agency is in every state, the possibility of working at one of these companies may not be available to every nurse.
What Does the Future of Home Health Care Look Like?
Since home health is one of the fastest growing medical specialties, the future of the profession is bright for nurses. New policy shifts and the adoption of AI and other medical technology has also made significant changes in the field that will likely allow for more growth and expansion.
Where Have Recent Political Changes Impacted Home Health Care Policy?
Medicare is the largest payer of home care services, but it has strict rules and coverage criteria for home care services. Each of the services under Medicare has a defined scope and specific types of care that are covered. One of the areas that is used often in home care is therapy. In 2018, the Bipartisan Budget Act removed existing therapy caps for physical, occupational, and speech therapy.
The result is that elderly patients may not have to pay high out-of-pocket costs for these services, and agencies may find themselves in need of more therapists to cover these services. Additionally, the act includes expansions to existing Medicare coverage, meaning that more patients would be able to benefit from the services offered. These changes come as more people in the U.S. are making use of Medicare and Medicaid than ever before. As the population ages, these services will continue to be in high demand.
How Does the Aging Population Affect Home Health Care?
Further, the Baby Boomer generation has higher rates of obesity and diabetes than previous generations, and 88% of people 65 and older have at least one chronic condition. Luckily, there are more options for care than ever before, and healthcare is becoming more affordable for those who need to rely on Medicare or Medicaid, especially in the home health arena.
The rising need for in-home care has inevitably led to a rise in opportunities for home health nurses. Nurse Journal reports that, “The BLS predicts a growth rate of 19 to 26 percent over the coming decade, which is much faster than the growth rate of other positions within the medical community and in other industries as well.” The rapid growth of jobs means that home health nurses have the opportunity to explore more options when it comes to where they want to work and when.
Strategies like this are also combined with sophisticated AI technology that analyzes patient data and sends alerts to nurses for immediate response. Amedisys has adopted this technology, as have others. Additionally, services like HomeBridge identify potential issues or gaps in care that help companies identify the right post-acute care and prevent rehospitalization.
Other companies thriving in the home health space include those who provide transitional care and case management services. Making the transition from the hospital to home care or to a nursing home requires the use of an organization and technology. Pioneers like naviHealth are establishing themselves in this field to help facilitate transitions and prevent hospital readmission. Further, other companies like citra health solutions are embracing telemedicine to bring transitional care services to patients and their families.
Further, other technology like remote monitoring (which uses digital tools to collect health data from patients) is helping the home health industry do their jobs better and faster. With recent legislature introduced to include costs of remote patient monitoring under Medicare, home health is able to adopt more new technology to make it easier for patients to get the care they need.
Having a career in home health means having a nursing job where no two days are the same. Here's what you need to thrive in home health.
To work in home health, a nurse is required to have the same certifications as any other RN specialty. This means at least an ASN in nursing, although a BSN is often preferred, and the nurse will also need to pass the NCLEX. Additionally, a nurse will likely need a license to practice in the state where he or she is working, and in some cases, additional exams through the board of Home Healthcare Nursing must also be passed.
Another consideration in home health is obtaining a compact license. A compact license allows nurses to practice across state lines. This can be invaluable for home health nurses who may need to practice across state lines. While this practice is incredibly rare, compact licensing is also helpful for home health nurses who want to pursue travel nursing, or who may be interested in taking various contract roles.
One of the critical components to become a home health nurse is a deep understanding of emergency life-saving skills, as often the nurse may be the only person around to provide these procedures to a patient.
In order to thrive as a home health nurse, you’ll need to be able to work independently, and to have a good handle on charting and documentation. The ability to quickly and accurately document patient interactions is key to finding success.
Typically, home health nurses are more experienced, and many transition to home health later in their careers. Often (especially in rural areas) the home health nurse may be the only health professional a patient may see, so it’s critical that these nurses not only be able to keep track of everything, they also need to be able to think on their feet and problem solve.
In her article in Nursing magazine, Brenda Elliott, PHD, RN, writes, “nurses in this setting must be skillful at detecting early signs and symptoms of decompensation and act quickly to keep a patient stable. Sometimes this means advocating for a change in medication regimen or a primary care appointment within 24 to 48 hours.” This is where experience greatly benefits home health nurses. Experiencing a range of issues with patients previously will better prepare anyone looking to move to home health for any eventuality.
Finally, great communication skills are essential for home health nurses. In this position, a nurse may need to communicate changes in care or medication not just to the patient, but also to families or other healthcare professionals. A nurse may also need to communicate with case managers, or if a patient is older, a skilled nursing or other facility. Having excellent communication skills can help a nurse to navigate a number of relationships, and can help to educate patients and their family to help them make more informed decisions about the type of care needed.
Home health has the greatest flexibility of any nursing specialty, but it’s not without its challenges. The nature of the job itself means that it can be very difficult to learn, and many nurses must work in the field for at least a year or two in order to feel comfortable.
One of the primary issues home health nurses face is the amount of required documentation. Some of the charting systems can be challenging to learn, and it can take much longer than typical charting. This is primarily because home health is far more independent, so nurses must be incredibly meticulous when documenting their time with patients.
Another related challenge is organization. While home health is often preferred for its flexibility, some nurses find it difficult to manage their time and complete all their work and visits within eight hours.
Additionally, some home health nurses may have to work in areas that present safety risks, or that aren’t clean. It’s important to work in a position or with an agency that prioritizes nurse safety.
While home health is in itself a specialty, having worked previously in med/surg or in critical care can be immensely helpful. This is largely because these specialties provide nurses with a wide range of assessment skills.
There are a number of ways to find a job in home health. First, consider whether your preference is full-time, contract, or per diem. Working a contract position in home health can be a benefit if you’re unsure about whether home health is for you. Per diem nursing is somewhat different from contract nursing, as it is literally pay-per-day. Nurses who choose this option may work a few days in home health, and then a few days at another facility.
If you’re interested in pursuing a career in home health, you can browse open home health positions on the Relode platform here. |
0.999999 | Why have women failed to achieve parity with men in the workplace? Contrary to popular belief, it's not because women prioritize their families over their careers, negotiate poorly, lack confidence, or are too risk-averse. Meta-analyses of published studies show that those ideas are myths--men and women actually have similar inclinations, attitudes, and skills. What does differ is the way they are treated on the job: Women have less access to vital information, get less feedback from supervisors, and face other obstacles to advancement. To ensure gender equity, the authors recommend that managers: (1) Question the stereotypes behind their practices; (2) Consider other factors that might explain the achievement gap; (3) Change workplace conditions accordingly; (4) Keep challenging assumptions and sharing learning so as to create a culture in which all employees can reach their full potential. |
0.999986 | How do we break out of our best of times/worst of times situation and chart a course for the Promised Land that's clearly out there for us?
I've talked about some of the choices we might make, some possible outcomes associated with those choices. But is there some overarching thing that has to happen to increase the odds that we'll head in the right direction?
My answer to a lot of our current problems is hinted at in the title of this article: I called my Montreal talk, and this article, "Gaming at the Margins" not only because of the status we used to - and could again - be accorded in society. There's another aspect of "marginalization" I find intriguing.
To my mind, it often seems the most interesting and influential work is done at the "margins," rather than at the meaty center of a medium or movement. And content, as I've said repeatedly in this article, is where we have to make our move if we want to reach the Promised Land.
Best-selling fiction is rarely the stuff that changes the world. The most popular movies and movie stars of years gone by are only occasionally the ones that influenced and changed subsequent thinking about what movies could be. You don't typically see Thomas Kincade paintings in museums and rarely hear of his influence on other artists. And, to use a somewhat geekier example, it's been 40 years since an upstart Marvel Comics changed the face of the comic industry by offering readers new kinds of heroes and conflicts - it's now the alternative comic artists whose work comes to the attention of, and changes, the work of the mainstream publishers.
The avant-garde artist (Renoir in his day, Rothko in his, maybe a Keith Haring or a Basquiat, more recently).
The low-budget and experimental film-makers (if you want to see where MTV came from, you don't look to Hollywood, you look to the Russian avant-garde of the 20s - check out Vertov or Eisenstein or Pudovkin).
The fundamental problem the game business has is that we went from being a medium that was all "indie" development, all avant-garde experimentalism, to one that actively discourages such efforts. As a business and as a medium, we are, basically, all "mainstream this," "big-budget that." Our entire business model has been geared toward bigger and brassier, but not bolder or better games.
Ten years ago, when I worked for EA, an executive there told me this was coming - that the future didn't lie in small, innovative, low-profit games, that the future was in roll-the-big-dice blockbusters. I thought he was nuts. And even though history has gone his way (for now) even though I play his game now, I still think he was nuts. We are an industry of blockbusters, but that is precisely what we have to change.
With very few exceptions, the truly innovative titles (when they make it past the corporate gatekeepers at all) rarely influence other titles in any significant way. I mean, it's not as if Katamari Damacy unleashed a flood of similar titles. Any of you tried selling a game like that to a publisher recently? Wow. Don't bother. |
0.999997 | What the results meanAerobic fitness is a measure of how much oxygen your body uses during exercise or physical work.
The score is yourmaximal oxygen uptakeand the higher the value, the better your aerobic fitness. Higher levels of cardiovascular fitness have been related to reduced risks of many chronic diseases and conditions (for example, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, obesity, depression, some cancers).
It’s also related to improved quality of life (for example, better mood, better ability to process thoughts and information, and enhanced bone health). |
0.977311 | Game Mechanic Idea based on Interesting Neanderthal Theory - "Them + Us"
While browsing the Internet, I came across an interesting theory regarding Neanderthals and their relationship (both genetic and behavioral) with early humans. Before I go into detail, I'd like to point out that this stuff is VERY theoretical (but is actually pretty cool).
Anyway, I think we've all seen some kind of depiction of a Neanderthal by now. Pretty human-looking, just a bit stockier, with a longer face and domed head. In more scenic depictions, you see them trundling through the glacial Ice Age lands, clad in thick furs and brandishing spears. You may have also read or heard some musings on their relationship with humans; preserved campsites have been found in the same regions, while genetic evidence hints at at least some interbreeding between both species.
Then this "Vendramini" guy thinks about it all. For starters, the absence of sewing tools at Neanderthal campsites (compared to such being found at human campsites) implies that Neanderthal clothing can't have been that sophisticated. For another, reconstructions of Neanderthals tend to employ identical methods to reconstructing human remains. While this is all well and good when one considers our ancestral ties, Vendramini couldn't ignore how distinctly apelike Neanderthal anatomy happened to be, such as the shape of their skulls (also consider their large, elevated eyes) and feet.
That thing does not look friendly.
Doesn't look like something that'd live in the snow, either. At least, not during the day. Maybe those nocturnal traits were a good call?
To put a long story short, humans looking to make their way out of the Middle East and into the Eurasian landmass would be right on Neanderthal turf (assuming Neanderthals didn't make their way even further south). Most interlopers were eaten, while the survivors underwent drastic change that finalized their transition into modern humans.
Cool idea, huh? Imagine playing Thrive, and being at the cusp of the Awakening Stage, when you wind up facing a "final challenge" in the form of a relative of yours that chose brawn over brain, and certainly isn't a vegetarian. This forces you into carefully planning a few decisive editor sessions to avert extinction while your population takes a dive (while still working towards sapience as a "check mate"). Or entering the Awakening Stage, only to realize that Auto-Evo felt like being a jerk (like last time), and you're forced to reach the Society Stage ASAP before your inability to evolve further does you in.
No offence, but this theory is complete Belgium, for reasons I'll try and explain below.
1. Cat-pupils are scary, but there's no evidence for them whatsoever (this feature isn't found anywhere outside of bushbabies and such when it comes to primates). Early in the video, Vendramini chides scientifically-grounded reconstructions for not being based on fossil evidence, since things like skin, hair, and eyes do not fossilise. Yet he reconstructs Neanderthal eyes in a far less plausible manner than scientists do.
A. The orientation is all wrong. Vendramini has the location of the chimp spine jutting out of the back of the Neanderthal's occiput- the back of the head is buried in the neck. Furthermore where the actual Neanderthal spine should attach to the skull, is the location of the chimp's windpipe. This is an incredibly wrong orientation- horribly incorrect. It's like screwing the tire of a car onto the passenger-side dashboard and concluding that it's located where it should be.
B. Vendramini forgot to put a jaw on the skull. Not quite helpful claiming a "perfect fit" when part of the skull is entirely absent from your image.
C. The ears would be roughly located on the chimp's throat if this orientation was correct- again, a product of the horrible mangling of anatomy.
D. It is far from a "perfect fit" as Vendramini claims- yes, the areas do, very roughly, link up, but so would parts of a human skull if a similar 'experiment' were performed.
E. It is no new trick- a similar superposition, of black people's skulls over a chimp silhouette, was used to "prove" the racial inferiority of Africans.
3. Vendramini claims for Neanderthals with flat noses, rather than human-like projected ones. However, Neanderthal skulls have a larger bony nasal projection than human skulls do. Which would imply that they had even more projected, or larger, noses, than we do.
A. Comparing an organism with another organism in an entirely different genus, from which it has been seperated for millions of years?
B. Comparing an organism with another organism in the same species, which it is known to posses several morphological similarities to, and is only seperated from by a few hundred thousand years?
I don't know, but I think it would make sense to compare Neanderthals with their closest living relative. Even if they did have key differences to us- in things like hirsuteness or skin texture- odds are, they looked fairly similar.
5. Vendramini then colours his Neanderthals black. Of course, it's fine to have black-skinned 'primitive' humans, when they're carno-gorillas- and when they're monsters. Needless to say, there is a very wide range of skin colouration that could have been possible for them (even nonhuman apes have striking variation in skin colour- there are a lot of beige, etc, chimps). Living at the latitude that they did, it seems highly unlikely that they would have had such dark skin.
7. Vendramini is no scientist- he is a TV/Film Writer, Director, and Producer (see here www.imdb.com/name/nm0892961/).
8. Vendramini claims that Neanderthal predation pressure essentially drove humans to sapience. He argues that "Neanderthal predation" occured in the area of the Medeterranean Levant. Considering that humans arose in Africa, and that humans with Neanderthal DNA (evidence of Neanderthal-human interaction, or in these terms, "Neanderthal predation", occuring) are found everywhere outside of Africa, what are the ramifications of this, exactly? It does not seem like humans from the Levant region re-colonised Africa and wiped out their pre-contact relatives.
So if Neanderthals drove humans to sapience, and Africans didn't have contact with Neanderthals- are black people not sapient!?
Nice response (apart from the race stuff... grazes Rule 6 a little).
You don't need to say "no offense," though, since I made this thread BECAUSE his theory's got more fiction than fact to it. Sounds like something in a video game; in other words, a fun scenario in a Thrive playthrough.
1. Respect other members. Any offensive language or posts, whether literal or implicit, is prohibited. Think about what you write before you post it.
2. Keep off-topic posts to a minimum and remember the original creator of the thread's intention.
3. Do not harass members about the spelling and grammar of their posts; many members do not speak English as a first language.
4. On the flip side, please put your best effort into making sure posts have good grammar, spelling and presentation to avoid confusion. However, we understand that this is difficult for some.
5. Do not advertise without permission from a moderator, admin or developer. This includes links and promotions of things such as private businesses and the like. If you are unsure whether your link counts or not, just ask. We usually allow links to things that are related to Thrive.
6. Do not spam. Spam counts as short, rapid, pointless posts.
7. Necro-posting is allowed as long as it is relevant and the poster understands that the contributors to the thread before may no longer be around to reply and the interest may have dissipated.
8. Do not double post unless you have a good reason.
9. Do not avoid bans by creating a new account.
10. Please obey the word of the moderators, admins and developers.
Did you mean rule 1?
Anyway, we're gonna let it slide since Vailnoff was just pointing out the flaws in Mr. Vendramini's argument.
Did you mean rule 1?.
Weird... Could've sworn there was a "no politics" rule.
I think the Discord has one such rule. But you're not on the Discord right? Nonetheless, we might be taking another look at the Forum rules.
EDIT: Turns out I posted an outdated set of rules, mitobox .
10. Thrive is not the place for political discussions of the real world. If you absolutely must have a political debate, do it via private message.
Here's the rule you were referring to.
What do you mean "Race stuff"? Do you mean "racist" stuff? There was none of that, unless you consider human species as a "Race" and were referring to that. Jokes on you, cause you brought up the "race stuff" in your OP.
Also, I don't get how politics are involved? Why bring forum rules in to back up your claims that are directed at no one? I think we need to respect what valinoff said there. He soundly disproved your's/Vendramini's claims. He said no offense and there's no need to bring it up again. That's the point of "no offense"
You didn't need to bring this back up again frogonunicycle. (Man, your name is hard to type when you're tired.) Motobox's query was answered and sorted. No one else add to this issue or I'll delete the message. Either go back to the main topic or don't post at all.
Motobox's query was answered and sorted. No one else add to this issue or I'll delete the message. Either go back to the main topic or don't post at all.
Is it OK if I try to address a small misunderstanding (which I believe will cool things down some)?
Why bring forum rules in to back up your claims that are directed at no one? I think we need to respect what valinoff said there. He soundly disproved your's/Vendramini's claims. He said no offense and there's no need to bring it up again. That's the point of "no offense."
Well, valinoff made excellent points, although I must restate that I never did claim Vendramini's points as my own. My only problem with them is that he seemed to read too far into it; this thread is meant to be fairly fun and somewhat Thrive-centric (that's why I noted that the Neanderthals look a bit like Ewoks). I do agree that Vendramini did not think things through deeply, but accusing him of racism (when I find it far more likely that Vendramini (who seems to be the "pro-scaly dinosaurs" kind of guy) was just oblivious to the implications) is a big leap.
The only reason I brought up Vendramini's theory is that it sounded like something that would be fun in Thrive; a powerful related species would be a fun challenge to tango with. As gamers, don't we all appreciate a challenge?
I do! Challenges are my jam.
However, considering it was in the Science section, I did think it was a legitimate theory. Perhaps you could further clarify it wasn't as serious as some thought it to be?
I didn't think it'd fit in the "Not Thrive" board (given that I intended for the thread to be somewhat Thrive-relevant), and since some other person's idea was the "backbone" of the thread (therefore making it difficult to place in "Future Game," since the idea wouldn't really be my own), I figured the "Science" board would be the best fit.
EDIT: Come to think of it, that'd explain everything else. "Huh, why's everyone so angry all of a sudden?"
Original ideas aren't the only things that can go in "Future Game." If you see something you think would make for a cool mechanic in the final game, I suggest posting it in that section.
As a matter of fact, would you mind if I moved this thread over there now? |
0.999345 | Customers trust your brand when their experience meets their expectation of your brand. Trust is a key factor when persuading your customers to purchase online and customers are more likely to purchase online from a familiar and trusted brand.
Consumer buying behaviour has changed significantly with the continuing rise in the use of smartphones and tablets. Smartphones have overtaken laptops for accessing the internet and activities such as search and evaluation are now conducted in different channels and at different times. Consumers now expect to have a seamless brand experience across multiple channels.
The multichannel customer journey can be complex, so to succeed a brand needs to adopt a multichannel approach and to have a brand experience strategy that is based on an in-depth understanding of the customers’ needs, goals and behaviours.
Awareness: This is the first stage of the customer journey, when a prospect becomes aware of a brand or product / service, they may recognise that they have a need. The initial brand perception formed at this stage is based on their indirect brand experience through e.g. PR, advertising, marketing communication, social media or word of mouth. So, you need to identify the key channels your customers or potential customers use to communicate with your company and to evaluate how effective each channel is for brand communication. It is the customer who chooses when and where to interact or communicate with a brand. If the initial brand perception is positive this forms the prospect’s initial trust in the brand, which is the key element that determines whether he/she decides to consider the brand and to move to the next stage of the customer journey.
Consideration and Evaluation: When a prospect realises that they have a need, he /she considers searching for a particular product or service from an initial set of favourite brands and chooses to visit and browse through the selected websites for more information as well as to compare their products / services. The direct experience of using a website has a stronger influence over the user's brand perception than the perception that is based on advertising and marketing communication only. If the overall brand experience in the evaluation stage is positive, then they would be persuaded to make a purchase, to achieve their goal.
Purchase: The decision whether to buy a product or service is based on whether the prospect trusts the brand to meet their need at their convenience. To help persuade the user to make a purchase, the website needs to be easy to use with consistent look and feel, providing a great user experience that reflects the brand values. The website needs to include content that enhances credibility and trust worthiness such as customer testimonials, product / service ratings and reviews. In addition, the website needs to have easy ordering with flexible shipping options, no hidden costs, privacy protection and security. Delivering a positive and successful branded user experience is key to developing and enhancing the user’s trust in the brand.
Post-purchase customer experience: The customer evaluates their experience of using the product or service and whether this meets their brand expectation. Good product / service quality and customer service e.g. efficient delivery and easy returns would further enhance the customer’s trust in the brand.
Brand relationship and loyalty: If the overall customer experience is positive and satisfying then the customer would buy the product or use the service again and would recommend it by sharing the brand experience with their friends and family. Delivering consistently successful brand experiences lead to customers having brand relationship and loyalty. Loyal customers become advocates for brands and help to persuade potential customers to develop trust in the brand with their blogs, product ratings / reviews and word of mouth recommendations.
Understanding the multichannel customer journey and how to optimise it to deliver a great branded customer experience is key for persuading your customers to develop and maintain trust in your brand. A brand needs to convey its brand values at every touchpoint across the multichannel customer journey. Delivering a consistent branded customer experience throughout the customer journey helps with consumer decision making by communicating the quality and value of the product or service, building brand trust and reassuring the consumer that they have made the right choice. To achieve this, it is all about integration, which requires all the various parts of your business to work together to enable you to deliver a great customer experience that meets or ideally exceeds your customers’ brand expectations.
Experience Consultancy is a Brand and User Experience Design Consultancy based in London. Our brand experience design services can help you grow your business by building your brand and designing a great customer experience that reflects your brand values and meets your customers' needs. |
0.999283 | US forces to withdraw from Iraqi cities by June 2009 and entire country by 2012.
The 18-page agreement takes effect when the UN mandate now governing the troops expires on December 31.
It will end the 2003 invasion of Iraq that toppled Saddam Hussein, then the Iraqi president, and plunged the country into chaos.
The agreement had already been approved by the cabinet a week ago.
The measure would govern some 150,000 US troops stationed in over 400 bases currently under a UN mandate, giving the Iraqi government veto power over virtually all of their operations.
The agreement is similar to so-called Status of Forces Agreements (Sofa) concluded with other US allies, but marks a major turning point in the relations between the two countries.
It is effectively a coming-of-age for the Iraqi government, which drove a hard bargain with Washington, securing a number of concessions - including a hard timeline for withdrawal - over more than 11 months of tough negotiations.
Iraq has also won the right to search US military cargo and the right to try US soldiers for crimes committed while they are off their bases and off-duty.
The agreement also requires that US troops obtain Iraqi permission for all military operations and that they hand over the files of all detainees in US custody to the Iraqi authorities, who will decide their fate.
The pact also forbids US troops from using Iraq as a launch-pad or transit point for attacking another country, which may reassure Syria and Iran, according to the official Arabic version of the pact, translated by AFP.
"That is where Prime Minister [Nuri] al-Maliki won," Hoda Abdel Hamid, Al Jazeera's Iraq correspondent, said.
"He got more of what the Iraqis wanted."
But the English version has not been made public, and US officials in Washington said there may be a dispute between the two sides over the interpretation of certain parts of the agreement.
"It's all in the wording, but it's also in the translation," Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera's senior political analyst.
"In so many ways we have just moved from international status to a bilateral status where America with 150,000 soldiers and 400 bases will probably be able to dictate the interpretation of this agreement."
The vote came after a flurry of last-minute negotiations in which the main Sunni parties secured a package of political reforms from the government and a commitment to hold a referendum on the pact in the middle of next year.
Should the Iraqi government decide to cancel the pact after the referendum it would have to give Washington one year's notice, meaning that troops would be allowed to remain in the country only until the middle of 2010.
"The Kurds also got guarantees that Prime Minister [Nuri] al-Maliki will respect the federal system of the country," Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel Hamid reported.
"They have been at odds lately with Baghdad over the fact that they thought the prime minister was centralising a bit too much governance in Iraq, and that really went against the constitution."
The pact was made possible in part by dramatic improvements in security over the past year, with US and Iraqi forces largely containing the violence and the chaos that erupted in the wake of the 2003 US-led invasion and Saddam's ouster.
But the accord has drawn fire from certain quarters, including followers of Moqtada al-Sadr, the Iraqi Shia leader, who reject any agreement with the US and who protested against the accord in Baghdad on Friday.
As the voting on the pact began several Sadrist MPs pounded tables in a bid to hinder the vote, chanting "Yes, yes to Iraq ... No, no, to the occupation," but the 30-member bloc failed to defeat the agreement. |
0.999998 | I had a future client ask me about the reality of a purely virtual company - can remote offices really work? My answer, like Sir Richard above, is a resounding yes, but it needs to be approached in the right way, and you need to develop a new set of skills to make it run smoothly.
Introducing remote aspects to an organization simultaneously creates and solves some common challenges. As a person that has managed remote workers and organizations for almost 10 years, I have an obvious bias towards remote/virtual offices. Here are some of the issues and benefits I’ve encountered, and the options to address or leverage them I’ve discovered through this process.
Traditional office - this is the traditional model, where the company leases a space and all workers perform their work in it. They are expected to maintain a schedule close to 8 hours, within fixed shifts, commonly 9-5 and are also allowed access to the space to work additional hours before and after. This organization is optimized for shared resources and is difficult if not impossible to participate in from remote locations.
Flexible Traditional office - The flex office is a traditional office, as above, but people have the option to shift hours from time to time or work from home on occasion. Acceptable frequency of telecommuting or mandatory overlapping hours might be stated or implied. This organization is also optimized for shared resources and is difficult to participate in from remote locations, with remote members frequently placing demands on those in the office or circumventing policy in order to function remotely.
Remote Aware Traditional office - As above, but with an explicit option to not come into the office. Typically there will be fewer desks than employees, with the expectation that people will pop in and out as their schedule suits them. Commonly those using the office will stick to a semi-fixed schedule, and that imposes itself loosely on the people working from other locations. This organization is optimized for in-office work, which often causes frustration for remote workers, possibly resulting in two or more distinct cultures forming within the company.
Remote Friendly Traditional office - As above, but the organization is optimized for remote work. This company essentially is a fully remote shop as detailed below, which also provides a common space for workers to plug in and work according to the remote rules, with a fixed and safe space and scheduled framework to do it in.
Fully Virtual organization - This is a fully remote shop, with no fixed working space where workers can expect to go to perform their duties. Most members will work from their homes, others may make use of shared co-working spaces, inhabit cafes or work wherever and whenever the whim strikes them. This can include very remote locations, including distant time zones and even other countries if the organization’s legal infrastructure supports it. The company’s main address may be a PO box accessible to the administration or even a lawyer’s office.
What’s GOOD about having a traditional office?
Communications - Being able to tap someone on the shoulder is remarkably efficient and makes constant, fluid communications possible.
Culture - Proximity can serve as an accelerator for jump-starting culture in an organization.
Credibility - Having a “real” office in a nice location where customers and investors can visit can serve to create credibility and enhance your image with people who are not accustomed to the virtual office environment. Being able to show a quiet, organized team hard at work can up the ante for a nervous client.
Visibility and Accountability - Something can be said for the simplicity of looking around a bullpen and seeing what’s going on at a glance. Why is that guy never at his desk? Why does that lady have a huge stack of folders she’s working through, but no one else does? Why is everyone whispering - what’s going on?
Scheduling - Traditional offices create an expectation of traditional hours. There is comfort in using your eyes to confirm there is actual effort being put forth for the hours someone is being paid for.
Homefulness - Some people LIKE having a place to hang out. It promotes social interaction, and they may just not have a decent place to work from, unless the organization provides one.
What’s BAD about having a traditional office?
Commuting - Travelling is possibly the most annoying and inefficient part of a traditional office, even though it’s one we’ve become used to. The average US worker spends 25.5 minutes commuting each direction every work day - that adds up to over 100 hours, more than the same worker typically gets in vacation over the same period. Workers that don’t commute can roll out of bed, check their mail and start work as soon as they are ready, wherever they are.
Environmental Impact - All that commuting and takeout and paper and fluorescent lighting takes its toll on both the environment and the people working.
Comfort - No office can satisfy every person in it perfectly, and most offices with more than three present find the day a process of compromise between personal efficiency and comfort, and attempting to address co-worker efficiency and comfort. She likes it quiet, he likes loud country music. She thinks better while bouncing a ping-pong ball to “Staying Alive,” he’s most efficient to work from a massage chair with Netflix on a screen behind his monitor. I like craft coffee that’s been allowed to reach room temperature, someone else wants it piping hot from a pod.
Space and Flexibility - Personally, I work best on three different desks: one for email and administration, one for projects requiring heads-down concentration, and one for wild projects. Allowing for that much space is expensive - and not providing the same to everyone can cause resentment.
Cost - Renting a suitable space invariably costs something, whether it’s rent or equity or the owner’s free space. If you want a good enough place to meet with clients and investors and impress them, you’ll be shelling out even more.
Redundancy - Networks go down, floods and fires happen, parades and government activity shut down roads, snow takes out power … all of these things can shut down an office for hours or days multiple times a year, often at inopportune times. When everyone has their own independent utility that they are motivated to maintain and upkeep, downtime is less impactful.
Moving - Nothing disrupts an office quite like packing it all up and moving it somewhere else. When you all share a traditional office, you all do it simultaneously, and can cause repercussions in the organization that are felt for years, until you finally unpack that box you forgot in the closet and you find the good ping-pong paddles.
As I pointed out above, I have biases, and those biases run towards the last two scenarios outlined above, the Remote Friendly Traditional office (RF) and the Fully Virtual organization (FV). Here, I’ll outline how to overcome some of these challenges, and how to leverage some of the benefits of these environments.
Increasing communications frequency and efficiency is probably the most imperative issue with remote organizations. With people never in the same place and frequently not working at the same time, good communications with solid hygiene is absolutely necessary. While this is as critical in a traditional office, it’s often “good enough” organically that these issues are never addressed.
First of all, everyone lives in the same chat client. I emphatically endorse Slack. It’s the first line of communication, status checking/check in, team dynamics and action logging. When you start work, say hello. When you take a break, announce it. When you come back from a break or start the day, scroll back and read what happened since you left.
By moving everyone to the same communications medium, no one is left waiting for a reply on Hangouts or Skype chat for hours or days while an issue starts to rot. Everyone is instantly available - or even knows instantly if someone isn’t going to talk to them.
Controlling noise in this environment is critical - both too much and too little. Chatter should be near-constant, everyone should know their opinion matters and is required - it allows supervisors and co-workers to ensure no one is secretly stuck on an issue or fuming from a perceived slight.
Email plays its role in communicating with the outside world, it’s value in expressing long and complex ideas, and email is just better for searching some things; since it has a larger cost per transaction than a chat client, each word is more likely to contain context that’s useful in 6 months.
Note that Slack is such an efficient communications tool, often people will get out of the habit of checking their email regularly.
Higher-bandwidth communications are available as pop-up video conferences and screen sharing experiences, and it does a group good to have some recorded video addresses so people can put a face to a name and recall good direction or advice from managers and co-workers.
A large concern some managers have with remote workers is one of accountability - losing the ability to walk around and sense worker’s efficiency, mood and presence. This brings great comfort to some managers, as they feel this is a critical piece of their duty.
I generally consider this to be completely wrong. Very few workers are comfortable with this behavior. Some are neutral, most consider it an invasion and deterrent to getting work done.
We hire adults and should expect them to provide an acceptable level of security, loyalty, self-management and motivation. If they fail to perform at those levels, then we have failed as managers, either at hiring the right talent, setting the right expectations, grooming the right skills, or encouraging proper behavior, whether they work in a traditional office or not. Those limitations within ourselves are what we should address, because ultimately that’s our job as managers.
I work to create and enforce public and transparent metrics on performance - if we can’t measure it and compare a standard it to a baseline, then we have no fair expectation of holding a co-worker to that standard. As leaders, setting a proper example and explaining clearly is 90% of our responsibility. Those that do not absorb the message are probably not a good fit for the organization and would do better elsewhere.
Holding one-on-one meetings with regularity, daily “standups” and regular town hall meetings are some of the techniques we can use to encourage the accountability and behavior we require, in hand with identifying problems with our process or personnel and taking care of them as soon as possible.
Once we identify and codify those practices and metrics we deem necessary, we can allow employees to act as they wish, with almost total freedom and still expect maximum efficiency from them.
Organizations cannot succeed alone, they succeed according to the artifacts and behaviors they produce and provide to the external world, and the value that wider audience attributes to and exchanges for those products. They also succeed according to the artifacts and behaviors they manifest inside the organization, those that build internal values like pride, loyalty and respect.
Those artifacts emerge from a core culture of espoused values - when individuals act within the organization, they should feel comfortable to act individually, and find that their individual effort helps build the whole into a constantly improving organization. Done well, this increases joy, efficiency, team building, camaraderie, respect and honor, and vocally stating those values helps others become comfortable with them … or determine they can’t or won’t relate.
None of this requires a tangible space for people to work. It does require diligent activity on behalf of the leadership to establish a set of basic assumptions that can inform those behaviors. When someone is unclear about their expected behavior, they need a set of guidelines, mission statements, ethics, or fair and documented past precedents to fall back on, as well as a clear line of communication to their peers and supervisors.
Understanding people’s motivations, treating them with respect and as though they were the actors we wish them to become goes most of the way to shaping them into those actors. Listening often goes further than telling, and acting goes much further than ordering.
In short, happy people work hard.
Satisfied people are happy. Satisfaction comes from consistent respectful leadership, appropriate compensation, and feeling they provide value with their effort.
I’m not a big fan of requiring a specific number of hours sitting in seats. I expect and communicate a certain amount of performance from every contributor, on a sliding scale based on factors such as: Has this person been overworked lately? Is this person learning a new skill? How experienced is this person? Is he/she deep in personal or family issues? Everybody gets pushed but hopefully just enough to be slightly better than they would be without.
That being said, people do need to be present enough to know what’s going on, and they need to be present at the right times to talk to the right co-workers. Most time zones have some overlap in “common” working hours, and important meetings should target those. (Unimportant meetings should be eliminated and turned into nap time.) Use calendar scheduling tools to make sure the right audience is present for the right meeting. If you need to slip out of someone’s “comfortable” hours, make sure you don’t do it all the time - make yourself uncomfortable once in a while, too.
If it’s sheer impossibility to get someone into a meeting or conversation because of scheduling conflicts, do the same things you would do if you all shared an office and it happened, as it does all the time. Summarize in email, keep a recording, issue “dueling” videos, etc. Do it well, and you’ll find you may need fewer meetings than you thought. Zero inbox is a laudable goal. Zero scheduled meetings is a saintly one. Isolation, Social Interaction and Overwork We should always be on the lookout for people who are in an unhealthy place with the integration of work and life. Working too little limits their value to the organization, restricts their potential and risks inefficiency and termination. Working too much risks burnout - potentially leading to a death spiral to the previous scenario. Remote work surprisingly pushes people far more frequently in the “too much” direction than in the direction of “too little”, and most managers are not used to watching for the warning signs of people working too hard.
Isolation can lead to depression - people should get out and work on things that aren’t “the job” on a regular basis. Remote organizations don’t easily do group trips to the local watering hole … encourage people to develop fun or useful interactions in their life, involving face to face meetings with humans.
Encouraging chatter (see the noise level paragraph above, under communication) provides people with a social outlet to determine if others like and respect them or not. Without this sort of feedback, introverted people get into their own heads too much and extroverted ones become annoying. Entice everyone into conversation, and you can watch the social dynamic self-govern.
Many organizations provide remote workers with vouchers for co-work spaces or reimburse Starbucks to encourage some work outside the home. I’ve never done this, but it’s an interesting idea.
This is a set of tools that can provide immense value while managing a workforce. I would say that these tools are of great value in a traditional office or a remote scenario. Used correctly, they level the playing field until there is no value whatsoever in workers being co-located in the same building.
Embrace a Blameless Culture so no one is afraid to face up to their failings. Shield someone’s back if it looks like they need it.
Deploy Metrics Everywhere and increase their Visibility. Ask people about their dashboard, to see if they are checking it.
Encourage Flexibility and Accountability for everyone at every level of the organization.
Enforce Uniform Ownership of systems, efforts and tools. Never need to call someone back from a vacation or bar mitzvah to restart a service or enter a password.
Create Small Systems that are understandable and repairable by a wide audience, within a comprehensive and common framework or architecture. Ideally, devops (or whoever is wearing the devops hat) should be able to understand what’s broken, if not be able to Fix It Themselves.
Allow only Temporary Specialization within a department. Cross train all the things. Fight stagnation by making people Move Chairs once in a while.
Frequently Recognize Contributions to combat isolation, enforce good interaction and Train Leadership.
Introduce people to Getting Things Done or Bullet Journaling. It isn’t for everyone, but learning that time management is a skill instead of a natural ability is useful in itself and helps people Seek A System. Provide decent Pens and Stationary to workers.
Start a Reading Club or Skill Workshop - it’s useful for groups of people to be learning the same skills at the same time, or engaging in the same thoughts at their individual paces.
All in all, anything that’s good about a well-running physical office is also good about a virtual one, with the difference that a virtual one also allows workers to better integrate their work and non-work activity into a single healthier alternative. |
0.7335 | What is better Yellowfin or Salesforce Analytics Cloud? A great way to find the appropriate Business Intelligence Software product for your firm is to match the solutions against each other. Here you can compare Yellowfin and Salesforce Analytics Cloud and see their functions compared thoroughly to help you select which one is the more effective product.
Likewise, you can examine their overall ratings, such as: overall score (Yellowfin: 8.7 vs. Salesforce Analytics Cloud: 8.8) and user satisfaction (Yellowfin: 98% vs. Salesforce Analytics Cloud: 99%). Examine their differences and similarities and find out which one outperforms the other. Similarly anticipate the state of how your business will look like in the future; will your business outgrow the app in the next couple of years?
Right now, the best products in our Business Intelligence Software category are: Hotjar, Sisense, Looker.
You can easily integrate Yellowfin with your other applications and report from virtually any data source, whether they are on-premise or in the cloud. You can integrate data science tools, such as PMML and have them run natively in Yellowfin, or calling models directly from a data-science platform such as R, Python and H20.ai.
An end-to-end business intelligence and analytics platform for transforming and visualizing data quickly.
In case you continue having second thoughts about which product will perform best for your business it might be a sensible idea to analyze each service’s social metrics. Such metrics are quite often a sign of how popular every app is and how big is its online presence. For instance, in case of Facebook Yellowfin has 0 likes on their official page while Salesforce Analytics Cloud profile is liked by 617842 users. |
0.999986 | The Cassini Orbiter's mission consists of delivering a probe called Huygens, provided by ESA, to Titan, and then remaining in orbit around Saturn for detailed studies of the planet and its rings and satellites.
The spacecraft was originally planned to be the second three-axis stabilized, RTG-powered Mariner Mark II, a class of spacecraft developed for missions beyond the orbit of Mars. However, various budget cuts and rescopings of the project have forced a more special design, postponing indefinitely any implementation of the Mariner Mark II series.
Cassini took a similar tour of the solar system as did Galileo, referred to as a VVEJGA (Venus-Venus-Earth-Jupiter Gravity Assist) trajectory. Several opportunities exist for Cassini to make observations of asteroids, although exact encounters remain to be determined after the spacecraft has been launched as it depends on the launch date. Cassini entered orbit around Saturn on 1 July 2004 after a 96 min burn of the primary main engine. Shortly after entering orbit around Saturn, Huygens will separate from the Cassini orbiter and begin its entry into the atmosphere of Titan. Cassini is then expected to make at least 30 loose elliptical orbits of the planet, each optimized for a different set of observations.
Cassini's instrumentation consists of: a radar mapper, a CCD imaging system, a visible/infrared mapping spectrometer, a composite infrared spectrometer, a cosmic dust analyzer, a radio and plasma wave experiment, a plasma spectrometer, an ultraviolet imaging spectrograph, a magnetospheric imaging instrument, a magnetometer, an ion/neutral mass spectrometer. Telemetry from the communications antenna as well as other special transmitters (an S-band transmitter and a dual frequency Ka-band system) will also be used to make observations of the atmospheres of Titan and Saturn and to measure the gravity fields of the planet and its satellites.
Cassini ended its mission on 15 September 2017, when it entered Saturn's atmosphere after 13 years in orbit.
examine the physical state, topography, and composition of the surface.
Huygens is a 1.3 m diameter descent module with a spherical nose and a conical aft section. A thermal protection aeroshell surrounds the descent module, decelerating it from 6 Km/s at arrival to 400 m/s in about two minutes and protecting it from the intense heat of entry. A parachute will then be deployed and the aeroshell jettisoned. The probe will float down through the atmosphere making measurements.
Huygens was separated from Cassini on 25.12.2004 and landed successfully on Titan on 14.01.2005. The probe transmitted images and data during decent and after landing from the surface. Huygens operated for about 2 hours after landing. |
0.999938 | Your heart is about the size of your fist and weighs approximately 1 pound. It is very strong and durable but the heart is not invincible. The incidence of heart problems is steadily declining but still relevant in our society. What can one do to possibly avoid heart problems? Glad you asked. First off let me say that I am not a doctor.
The information in this article is for informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for the advice of a licensed physician. When in doubt, go see your doctor, always.
As previously stated, I am not a doctor but I do have health concerns and I would like to share a few pointers that I have learned on heart health. A lot of the advice might seem obvious but people still do not seem to pay attention to the warnings.
Healthy Eating Habits: -Incorporate more fruits and vegetables in your diet -Moderate exercise program(again see your doctor about this) -choose whole grain products more often -Also try low fat foods when possible including leaner cuts of meat, fish or poultry.
Be Active: This doesn't mean a strenuous workout in the Gym, but maybe go for a walk after dinner, take the stairs instead of the elevator. Be creative but again if you are thinking about joining a gym seek the advice of your doctor.
Quit smoking: This is the most important for your health in general. This is a difficult task and is something that you might need help in but quite important and mandatory for a long and healthy life.
In closing: Get all the facts from your doctor and follow your doctors advice. Educate yourself on this matter and you will be on the road to good "Heart Health"
Please note, the information in this article is for informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for the advice of a licensed physician. Again, When in doubt, go see your doctor, always. |
0.999986 | Answer a few simple questions to find out which patient assistance option might be right for your patient.
Find the right assistance option for your patients.
Does the patient's insurance cover his or her Genentech medicine?
Does your patient have commercial insurance?
Has your patient already been referred to the Genentech BioOncology Co-pay Card and is either ineligible or no longer receiving assistance?
Has your patient already been referred to an independent co-pay assistance foundation and is either ineligible or no longer receiving assistance?
Is the patient 18 years of age or older?
*Genentech does not influence or control the operations or eligibility criteria of any independent co-pay assistance foundation and cannot guarantee co-pay assistance after a referral from PERJETA Access Solutions. The foundations to which we refer patients are not exhaustive or indicative of Genentech’s endorsement or financial support. There may be other foundations to support the patient's disease state.
*To be eligible for free Genentech medicine from the Genentech Patient Foundation, insured patients who have coverage for their medicine must have exhausted all other forms of patient assistance (including the Genentech BioOncology Co-pay Card and support from independent co-pay assistance foundations) and must meet financial criteria. Uninsured patients and insured patients without coverage for their medicine must meet different financial criteria.
†Genentech does not influence or control the operations or eligibility criteria of any independent co-pay assistance foundation and cannot guarantee co-pay assistance after a referral from PERJETA Solutions. The foundations to which we refer patients are not exhaustive or indicative of Genentech’s endorsement or financial support. There may be other foundations to support the patient's disease state.
‡To be eligible for free Genentech medicine from the Genentech Patient Foundation, insured patients who have coverage for their medicine must have exhausted all other forms of patient assistance (including the Genentech BioOncology Co-pay Card and support from independent co-pay assistance foundations) and must meet financial criteria. Uninsured patients and insured patients without coverage for their medicine must meet different financial criteria. |
0.999755 | A new British study designed to assess the effectiveness of a range of weight management programs has branded Weight Watchers a more effective and wallet-friendly weight loss strategy than family doctor-based services.
The research team studied the weight loss results of 740 obese and overweight men and women who participated in one of several different weight management programs. Three commercial programs were used – Weight Watchers, Slimming World, and Rosemary Conley – as well as a group-based program, a general practice with one-to-one counseling, and a pharmacy-led one-to-one counseling service. Some participants were given the option of choosing which program to follow, and a control group was given vouchers to use at an exercise facility but no weight loss plan. Progress was measured at the end of each 12-week program, as well as at the one-year mark.
Follow-up data was available for 88.9% (658) of participants at the study's end, and 70.5% (522) at one year. The good news is that all programs did achieve significant weight loss for the participants by the end of 12 weeks. The bad news is that the general practice and pharmacy provision did not result in significant weight loss at the end of one year. In fact, by the one-year mark, only the Weight Watchers group showed a significant amount of weight loss. After 12 weeks, those following the Weight Watches program had lost 3x the weight of those in the physician-supervised group. And after a year, they had lost an average of 5 pounds more than the control group.
In addition to differences in effectiveness, the programs also had marked differences in cost. The primary care programs were notably more expensive, though the commercial programs proved to garner better results for participants. HealthDay also pointed out that more people attended the Weight Watchers groups, while fewer participants regularly went to the primary care-based programs.
This study comes on the heels of another study that found Weight Watchers to be an effective weight management program. The one-year global study, published in the Lancet earlier this year, tested a group of 772 overweight and obese adults in Australia, Germany, and the UK. Participants in the commercial program group lost twice as much weight as those in the standard care group.
So if you're trying to decide what approach to weight loss is right for you, the moral of this story is: Weight Watchers appears to be a good choice for weight watchers. |
0.99949 | You may feel guilty about attempting to take a vacation plans this year because of the bad economy. You are about to be provided with tips that will gain some helpful insight on how to save money while traveling.
Pack up all your suitcase the night before. Make the necessary preparations you need well before your flight.It is horrible to miss your flight.
Be aware of certain food allergies when you visit a foreign country or new place. If you have food allergies that tend to be severe, you will need to have a good handle on the language of the country you are eating in. This will allow you to communicate to others what foods that you are trying to avoid.
Taking a trip can often make you pack too much. Limit yourself to essential for your comfort. List those toiletries you typically use every day and really cannot be without. Pack the ones that are really necessary.
Keep travel essentials in the same place of your home. Avoid wasted time looking through your home for travel necessities together. Buy a plastic bin and store all your travel needs in one location. A container that can be hidden under the bed is great for storing many different objects.
Bring a business card from your hotel while you explore your destination city. This is especially useful for people that do not quite understand the language fluently.
The markup on these small products is disproportionate compared to the amount of space that you save. Try simple folding your clothes in innovative ways that will take up less space. These techniques will help you create additional space in a smaller space.
You can never be certain about weather will be like. A raincoat can also serve as a windbreaker when the weather is cold, along with the bathrobe in the hotel.
Use services if you would like to take an eco-friendly trip. A lot of hotels have a program for reusing linens, have lighting that is energy efficient, put recycling bins out for guests to use, utilize alternative sources for energy, alternative sources of energy and so on. Tour companies, restaurants, auto rental companies and other service providers are looking for innovative ways to let travelers go green.
Jet lag happens to be a common problem when traveling across time zones. While it cannot be avoided, you can minimize the effects by sleeping a bit more during the days leading up to the flight. You should also make an effort to sleep during the flight if possible.
In conclusion, you might be thinking about skipping your annual trip because of financial difficulties. Apply the advice from this article and you will be on your way to budget friendly travels in no time. |
0.953389 | On September 11, 2001, a coordinated attack was carried out on the US. Commercial jetliners were hijacked and used as weapons, then crashed into the World Trade Center towers, and the Pentagon.
A fiery blasts rocks the World Trade Center after being hit by two planes on Sept. 11, 2001, in New York City.
On September 11, 2001, a coordinated attack was carried out on the US. Commercial jetliners were hijacked and used as weapons, then crashed into the World Trade Center towers, and the Pentagon. </br></br>A fiery blasts rocks the World Trade Center after being hit by two planes on Sept. 11, 2001, in New York City.
Smoke billows out from the Southwest E-ring of the Pentagon building, Sept. 11, 2001, in Arlington, Va., after a plane crashed into the building and set off a huge explosion.
The South tower of the World Trade Center collapses on Sept. 11, 2001 in New York.
People run from a cloud of dust and debris as one of the World Trade Center towers collapses on Sept. 11, 2001, in New York.
People watch from Jersey City, N.J. as the second tower of New York's World Trade Center dissolves in a cloud of dust and debris about a half hour after the first twin tower collapsed, Sept. 11, 2001.
FBI personnel continue excavating the site where United Flight 93 crashed, after the jet was hijacked during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, near Shanksville, Pa., Sept. 16, 2001.<br><br>United Flight 93 was one of the hijacked planes intended for use in the September 11, 2001 terror attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. Due to hero passengers and crew on board, the flight never made it to the intended target and crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing all 44 on board including the hijackers.
A New York fire fighter works amid the rubble of the World Trade Center following the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks in New York City.
Police officer Mike Brennan helps a distraught woman covered in ash and debris seek shelter following the collapse of 1 World Trade Center in the aftermath of a terrorist attack, Sept. 11, 2001, in New York City.
A bicyle sits covered with sediment and ash after the World Trade Center was hit by two planes, Sept. 11, 2001 in New York City.
Marcy Borders is covered in dust as she takes refuge in an office building after one of the World Trade Center towers collapsed in New York on Sept. 11, 2001.
An unidentified New York City firefighter walks away from Ground Zero after the collapse of the Twin Towers, Sept. 11, 2001, in New York City. The World Trade Center's Twin Towers and the Pentagon were attacked by terrorists using commercial airliners.
Rescue crews engulfed in a fog of dust set about the task of finding survivors in the rubble of the World Trade Center, Sept. 11, 2001, in New York City, after a coordinated attack brought down the two towers.
Capt. Michael Dugan hangs an American flag from a light pole in front of what is left of the World Trade Center after it was destroyed in a terrorist attack, Sept. 11, 2001, in New York City.
The rubble of the World Trade Center smoulders following a terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001, in New York.
FDNY firefighter, Dan Potter, pauses on a bench in Lower Manhattan after the collapse of the World Trade Center, Sept. 11, 2001.
Firefighters raise a U.S. flag at the site of the World Trade Center after two hijacked commercial airliners were flown into the buildings, Sept. 11, 2001 in New York.
Handwritten notes in memory of the victims of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, are seen in New York City.
A worker wipes his brow in the wreckage of the World Trade Center, Sept. 13, 2001, in New York City, two days after the twin towers were destroyed by two hijacked passenger jets.
Dennis Diaz, a member of Local 100 of the SEIU, looks over the Wall of Prayers, Sept. 13, 2001, at the entrance to Bellevue Hospital in New York City, for members of the union who are missing after the deadly terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.
A postcard pictured with the Twin Towers lies amid the rubble of the World Trade Center, demolished in a terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001, in New York City, Sept. 14, 2001.
Every year since the attack the annual Tribute in Light has marked the anniversary of the terror attack on the World Trade Center towers in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001. The pillars of light represent both of the World Trade towers that collapsed after being struck by hijacked airplanes. </br></br>The annual World Trade tribute light is seen from Jersey City, New Jersey, Sept. 5, 2018. |
0.987844 | Which of the following statements accurately describe a client in an SAP system? A client represents a completely independent business entity A client has its own database A client corresponds to a customer A client may represent an entire company.
You can use the F1 key to: Display an explanation of a field's uses Display a list of possible input values Change your user data (for example, the logon language End the session you are in Display detailed technical information on a field.
You can also call the context sensitive SAP Library using the F1 key. True False.
The following personalisation options are available in the SAP GUI: You can change the font size (within limits) in the SAP GUI You can have system messages displayed in a dialog box You can change the size of the input fields You can supress the display of pictures in the SAP GUI Every user can display a picture of their choice on the SAP Easy Access screen You can use a personal input history on your front end.
You can assign a business area to a company code directly True False.
Name the tools for maintaining the exchange rates Inversion Base currency Exchange Rate Spreads Bank buying rate Currency keys.
In R/3 currencies are defined using which of the following? Currency Keys Currency Index Currency Table Exchange Rates.
Match the exchange rate types with their descriptions: B G M.
What are the essentials of SAP's product strategy (in just a few words)? All words to be in lower case without full stop.
A G/L account consists of which segments? Chart of Accounts Segment Company Code Segment Sales Area Segment Purchasing Organization Segment.
The possible field status definitions in the order of their priority are: display,hide,required entry,optional entry required entry,optional entry,display,hide optional entry,required entry,display,hide hide,display,required entry,optional entry.
Which of the following controls the field display for the company code data in the G/L account master record? account group account number reconciliation account chart of accounts.
____________________ accounts contain the total of the transaction figures for the corresponding subledger accounts Reconciliation General Ledger Customer Vendor.
Reconciliation accounts are updated on a daily basis True False.
You can always display the line items of a G/L account True False.
G/L accounts with open item management must have line item display activated True False.
G/L accounts that are managed in local currency can only be posted to in this currency True False.
G/L accounts that are managed in a foreign currency can only be posted to in this foreign currency True False.
Because the company codes use different operational chart of accounts, you cannot carry out cross-company code controlling. True False.
A complete customer account consists of the following parts: General Data Company Code Segment Sales Area Segment Purchasing Organization Segment.
A complete vendor account consists of the following parts: General Data Company Code Segment Purchasing Organization Segment Sales Area Segment.
________________ number assignment means that the R/3 system assigns the number automatically. Internal External.
The customer/vendor accounts must always be maintained centrally. True False.
One number range can only be assigned to one account group. True False.
You maintain the customer/vendor master record centrally if you: create the FI segments at the same time as the SD/MM segments. create the FI segment followed by the SD/MM segments. create the SD/MM segment first and later create the FI segment create the FI and CO segments together.
General ledger accounts have which type of number assignment: Internal External.
Customer and vendor accounts can have either internal or external number assignment can only have internal number assignment can only have external number assignment need not have any number assigned to them.
How many tab pages does the company code data of a customer or vendor master record have? One Six Four Three.
Banks that are used by your company are defined as: associated banks house banks designated banks partner banks.
In R/3 a document is saved for every posting. This principle is called: Document Principle Data Integration Automatic Configuration Mutual Posting.
Every document is uniquely identified by the following fields: Document Number Company Code Fiscal Year Line Item.
Two documents cannot have the same document number True False.
Many business transactions occur in the system for which documents are created, but no accounting document is created because there is no effect for accounting. An example of this would be: purchase order in Materials Management receipt of invoice goods receipt payment of salaries to staff.
Match the standard document types with their descriptions: DR DG DZ SA AB KR KG KZ KN ZP.
Document types and posting keys are defined at _______ level. client business area document company code.
If the user assigns the document number manually, this is __________ number assigment external internal.
Every company code may define its own document types. True False.
Every company code may define its own document number ranges True False.
At the beginning of a new fiscal year, the system always starts the document number assignment again at the start of the number range. True False.
One number range can be assigned to several document types. True False.
Posting periods are opened and closed automatically. True False.
No more that two periods can be open at the same time. True False.
The authorisation group in the posting period variant applies only to authorisation for posting in special periods. True False.
The day limits define the dates of the cash discount periods. True False.
The ________________ is the date that the system uses to determine the due date of the invoice. baseline date invoice date date of goods receipt invoice receipt date.
The types of taxation that can be represented in the R/3 system are: Taxation at national level Taxation at regional/jurisdictional level Taxation at international level Taxation at global level.
What data is required for the automatic account determination for tax amounts? Rules Posting key Tax accounts Tax category.
_______________ must be defined in every company code before a cross-company code transaction may be carried out. Clearing accounts Tax accounts Posting periods Account groups.
Cross-company code documents cannot be reversed. True False.
In which of these cases cross-company code transactions can occur: Central purchasing Central payment Transfer of goods and services between company codes in same group Sale of goods to customer.
A cross-company code transaction consists of at least _____ documents One Two Three Four.
Tax amounts of a cross-company code transaction are automatically distributed to the company codes in which the expenses/revenues occured. True False.
Cross-company code clearing accounts must be G/L accounts True False.
The cross-company code transaction number is a combination of: First company code number Second company code number First company code document number Fiscal year.
Documents with open items cannot be archived because open items represent incomplete transactions. True False.
A clearing document must have atleast two line items. True False.
"Posting with clearing" can be carried out only for one account at a time. True False.
The posting keys to be used in the clearing document are defined in "clearing documents" True False.
The automatic clearing program cannot carry out automatic postings. True False.
Clearing a credit memo with an open invoice is an example of: account clearing post with clearing open item residual item.
Posting a payment for an open invoice with a resulting zero balance is an example of: posting with clearing account clearing archiving residual item.
A ______________ clears the invoice and the payment to create a new open item. residual item partial payment account clearing posting with clearing.
A ______________ results in the open invoice and the incoming payment remaining in the customer account as open items. partial payment residual item posting with clearing reversal entry.
The R/3 system generates the exchange rate differences automatically. True False.
G/L accounts must be defined for exchange rate losses or gains. True False.
Cash journal identification is done by a __________________ : 4 digit alphanumeric key 3 digit numeric key 4 digit numeric key 2 digit alphanumeric key.
It is possible to create a cash journal for each currency. True False.
IBAN stands for: International Bank Account Number International Business Account Number Indian Bank Account Number Integrated Bank Account Number.
IBAN was designed by: International Organization for Standardization (ISO) European Committee for Banking Standards (ECBS) World Bank International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and European Committee for Banking Standards (ECBS).
IBAN contains a maximum of ____________ characters. 34 alphanumeric 25 numeric 34 numeric 4 alphanumeric.
The maximum length of a G/L account number is _________ digits. 10 12 4 16.
The chart of accounts is defined using a ____________ ID. four character alphanumeric four character numeric three character alphanumeric five character numeric.
While entering exchange rates, if one unit of foreign currency is quoted for the local currency, it is a case of: direct quotation indirect quotation.
While entering exchange rates, if one unit of local currency is quoted for the foreign currency, it is a case of: direct quotation indirect quotation.
The relationship between currencies must be maintained per exchange rate type and currency pair using _______________. currency keys translation ratios inversion average of buying and selling rate.
The use of business area is __________. optional mandatory automatic unavoidable.
SAP Netweaver platform was introduced by SAP AG in ___________. January 2003 March 2005 September 2001 14th March 1999.
In the R/3 standard system, company code ____________ is a template for a general company code with chart of accounts INT and no special country specifications. 1000 0001 0002 2000.
The _______________ is a variant that contains the structure and the basic information about general ledger accounts. chart of accounts posting period company code business area.
You should use open item management for the which of the following accounts: Bank clearing accounts Clearing accounts for goods receipt/invoice receipt Salary clearing accounts Material stock accounts.
One can automatically generate and save the IBANs for several master records. True False.
The _____________ specify the accounts and documents that are to be included in the payment run. parameters proposals payment media payment program.
The payment program needs the ________________ to determine whether an open item has to be paid now or in the next payment run. next posting date posting date run date document date.
The sequence in which the payment methods are entered in the payment parameters reflects their priority. True False.
All the company codes in the payment run parameters must be in the same country. True False.
A payment method can be used only if it is entered in the account master record. True False.
The payment proposal can be edited, deleted, and recreated as often as necessary. True False.
The exception list is part of the payment proposal. True False.
Customers without dunning procedure in the master record are dunned with a default dunning procedure. True False.
If dunning areas are not used, dunning is performed at the company code level. True False.
It is possible to dun vendors as well as customers. True False.
The "run date" is always the date when a certain dunning run is supposed to be started. True False.
The parameters specify the accounts and documents that are to be considered in the dunning run. True False.
Dunning procedures with only one dunning level are referred to in the system as __________. dunning notices payment reminders single level dunning nil dunning.
The payment terms of a credit memo usually do not apply, and the due date is either the due date of the associated invoice or the baseline date of the document. True False.
Every dunning procedure must have atleast four dunning levels. True False.
An account is only dunned if all the overdue items have exceeded the minimum days in arrears. True False.
The dunning run updates the dunning data in the dunned items and accounts. True False.
A dunning notice is only sent if the dunning data has changed since the last dunning run or if "Always dun?" is selected. True False.
After the dunning proposal has been created, changes to the dunning data in items or master records are ignored in the current dunning run. True False.
The dunning proposal can be edited, deleted, and recreated as often as required. True False.
One dunning form can be used for all dunning levels and dunning areas. True False.
The dunning text for dunning level 6 is stored in text module 616. True False.
The last dunning level is equal to the legal dunning procedure. True False.
Account master data must contain an interest calculation indicator for interest calculation to take place. True False.
On a given account, SAP R/3 cannot calculate different interest rates based on the amounts of balances or items. True False.
You can configure SAP R/3 to calculate interest for customers or vendors that owe you money. You cannot calculate interest, however, if you owe your business partner money. True False.
The types of interest calculation in SAP R/3 are: Account balance interest calculation Item interest calculation Interest calculation on payables None of the above.
The number of characters in interest indicator is: One Two Three Four.
A name for the interest calculation indicator is mandatory. True False.
You can void a check without reversing the payment document. True False.
You can void a check and reverse the payment document at the same time. True False.
You can void a check and reverse the payment document and the vendor invoice all at the same time. True False.
During the transfer of salary expense data to financial accounting the period was already closed. How does the system react? An error message is displayed for the HR document. The document has to be recreated in HR. Nothing happens. The salary expense data is transferred without any problem. The system automatically reopens the closed period.
One can allocate costs outside controlling areas. True False.
The SAP standard includes the standard controlling area _________ which can be used as a template for creating other controlling areas. 0002 1000 IDES 0001.
The company codes assigned to a controlling area can all have different chart of account. True False.
A controlling area must consist of a single company code. True False.
A company code may be assigned to more than one controlling area. True False.
____________ data contains information that remains the same over a long period of time. Transaction Fixed Default Master.
______________ data is short lived and assigned to master data. Master Transaction Default Fixed.
Before you can create cost centres, you must first create a _______ heirarchy. Optimum Standard Complete Logical.
You can create secondary cost elements in financial accounting module. True False. |
0.999941 | For questions 1-12, read the text below and decide which answer A, B, C or D best fits each space. There is an example at the beginning (0).
In (0) ___________________ years, it has become fashionable to explain sudden changes in the past by (1) _________________ them to a natural disaster. Now (2) ______________ has been uncovered which suggests that the Dark Ages were also caused by a catastrophe. In 535 AD, a volcano, Krakatoa, (3) _____________________ with a force equal to 2,000 million Hiroshima bombs. This (4) _____________________ to a natural nuclear winter which, in turn, had dramatic (5) ___________________ on global history. In many parts of the world, there was a lack of rainfall. The resulting (6) ____________________ and famine forced people to migrate and invade areas where there was food. In other parts, a massive increase in rainfall meant that rats thrived and (7) ______________________ a disease, the plague, into Europe. This disease (8) ______________________ rapidly and killed up to 80% of the populations of some cities.
Although some experts have (9) _____________________ this theory, science and historical records have supported it. Scientists have discovered, that tree rings in wood from all (10) ______________________ the world indicate there was low growth in the years following the disaster due to a decrease in temperature. As regards history, the Roman historian, Procupius, reported that the sun didn't shine (11) __________________ for about a year.
This new theory supports the idea that a natural disaster can be responsible for the disappearance of a (12) _______________________ civilisation. It should also warn us about what global warming might do to our own civilisation. |
0.999036 | Why does Iran need a heavy, one-stage, inaccurate missile, with a liquid fuel engine and a huge 1.5-meter warhead that can carry more than 1 ton to a range of 2,000 kilometers? The only logical answer is that the Khorramshahr missiles, which are being developed along with the Shahab missiles, are designed to carry a nuclear warhead. Provided that is the case, accuracy plays a marginal role.
The most advanced models of the Shahab-3 missile, on the other hand, can already reach a range of 1,950 kilometers, according to the Iranians, basically covering every spot in Israel. Their warhead, however, weighs half the Khorramshahr warhead, which explains why the Iranians are developing another family of missiles that would be able to carry nuclear warheads. |
0.998382 | Define various units of radiation.
We hear many seemingly contradictory things about the biological effects of ionizing radiation. It can cause cancer, burns, and hair loss, yet it is used to treat and even cure cancer. How do we understand these effects? Once again, there is an underlying simplicity in nature, even in complicated biological organisms. All the effects of ionizing radiation on biological tissue can be understood by knowing that ionizing radiation affects molecules within cells, particularly DNA molecules.
The cell can go into an irreversible state of dormancy, known as senescence.
The cell can commit suicide, known as programmed cell death.
The cell can go into unregulated cell division leading to tumors and cancers.
Since ionizing radiation damages the DNA, which is critical in cell reproduction, it has its greatest effect on cells that rapidly reproduce, including most types of cancer. Thus, cancer cells are more sensitive to radiation than normal cells and can be killed by it easily. Cancer is characterized by a malfunction of cell reproduction, and can also be caused by ionizing radiation. Without contradiction, ionizing radiation can be both a cure and a cause.
However, the rad is still commonly used. Although the energy per kilogram in 1 rad is small, it has significant effects since the energy causes ionization. The energy needed for a single ionization is a few eV, or less than . Thus, 0.01 J of ionizing energy can create a huge number of ion pairs and have an effect at the cellular level.
The effects of ionizing radiation may be directly proportional to the dose in rads, but they also depend on the type of radiation and the type of tissue. That is, for a given dose in rads, the effects depend on whether the radiation is x-ray, or some other type of ionizing radiation. In the earlier discussion of the range of ionizing radiation, it was noted that energy is deposited in a series of ionizations and not in a single interaction. Each ion pair or ionization requires a certain amount of energy, so that the number of ion pairs is directly proportional to the amount of the deposited ionizing energy. But, if the range of the radiation is small, as it is for s, then the ionization and the damage created is more concentrated and harder for the organism to repair, as seen in Figure 1. Concentrated damage is more difficult for biological organisms to repair than damage that is spread out, so short-range particles have greater biological effects. The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) or quality factor (QF) is given in Table 2 for several types of ionizing radiation—the effect of the radiation is directly proportional to the RBE. A dose unit more closely related to effects in biological tissue is called the roentgen equivalent man or rem and is defined to be the dose in rads multiplied by the relative biological effectiveness.
Figure 1. The image shows ionization created in cells by α and γ radiation. Because of its shorter range, the ionization and damage created by α is more concentrated and harder for the organism to repair. Thus, the RBE for α s is greater than the RBE for γ s, even though they create the same amount of ionization at the same energy.
The RBEs given in Table 2 are approximate, but they yield certain insights. For example, the eyes are more sensitive to radiation, because the cells of the lens do not repair themselves. Neutrons cause more damage than rays, although both are neutral and have large ranges, because neutrons often cause secondary radiation when they are captured. Note that the RBEs are 1 for higher-energy s, s, and x-rays, three of the most common types of radiation. For those types of radiation, the numerical values of the dose in rem and rad are identical. For example, 1 rad of radiation is also 1 rem. For that reason, rads are still widely quoted rather than rem. Table 3 summarizes the units that are used for radiation.
“Activity” refers to the radioactive source while “dose” refers to the amount of energy from the radiation that is deposited in a person or object.
A high level of activity doesn’t mean much if a person is far away from the source. The activity of a source depends upon the quantity of material (kg) as well as the half-life. A short half-life will produce many more disintegrations per second. Recall that . Also, the activity decreases exponentially, which is seen in the equation .
The large-scale effects of radiation on humans can be divided into two categories: immediate effects and long-term effects. Table 4 gives the immediate effects of whole-body exposures received in less than one day. If the radiation exposure is spread out over more time, greater doses are needed to cause the effects listed. This is due to the body’s ability to partially repair the damage. Any dose less than 100 mSv (10 rem) is called a low dose, 0.1 Sv to 1 Sv (10 to 100 rem) is called a moderate dose, and anything greater than 1 Sv (100 rem) is called a high dose. There is no known way to determine after the fact if a person has been exposed to less than 10 mSv.
0.1 – 1 Slight to moderate decrease in white blood cell counts.
0.5 Temporary sterility; 0.35 for women, 0.50 for men.
1 – 2 Significant reduction in blood cell counts, brief nausea and vomiting. Rarely fatal.
2 – 5 Nausea, vomiting, hair loss, severe blood damage, hemorrhage, fatalities.
4.5 LD50/32. Lethal to 50% of the population within 32 days after exposure if not treated.
5 – 20 Worst effects due to malfunction of small intestine and blood systems. Limited survival.
>20 Fatal within hours due to collapse of central nervous system.
Immediate effects are explained by the effects of radiation on cells and the sensitivity of rapidly reproducing cells to radiation. The first clue that a person has been exposed to radiation is a change in blood count, which is not surprising since blood cells are the most rapidly reproducing cells in the body. At higher doses, nausea and hair loss are observed, which may be due to interference with cell reproduction. Cells in the lining of the digestive system also rapidly reproduce, and their destruction causes nausea. When the growth of hair cells slows, the hair follicles become thin and break off. High doses cause significant cell death in all systems, but the lowest doses that cause fatalities do so by weakening the immune system through the loss of white blood cells.
The two known long-term effects of radiation are cancer and genetic defects. Both are directly attributable to the interference of radiation with cell reproduction. For high doses of radiation, the risk of cancer is reasonably well known from studies of exposed groups. Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors and a smaller number of people exposed by their occupation, such as radium dial painters, have been fully documented. Chernobyl victims will be studied for many decades, with some data already available. For example, a significant increase in childhood thyroid cancer has been observed. The risk of a radiation-induced cancer for low and moderate doses is generally assumed to be proportional to the risk known for high doses. Under this assumption, any dose of radiation, no matter how small, involves a risk to human health. This is called the linear hypothesis and it may be prudent, but it is controversial. There is some evidence that, unlike the immediate effects of radiation, the long-term effects are cumulative and there is little self-repair. This is analogous to the risk of skin cancer from UV exposure, which is known to be cumulative.
There is a latency period for the onset of radiation-induced cancer of about 2 years for leukemia and 15 years for most other forms. The person is at risk for at least 30 years after the latency period. Omitting many details, the overall risk of a radiation-induced cancer death per year per rem of exposure is about 10 in a million, which can be written as 10/106rem·y10/106rem·y.
If a person receives a dose of 1 rem, his risk each year of dying from radiation-induced cancer is 10 in a million and that risk continues for about 30 years. The lifetime risk is thus 300 in a million, or 0.03 percent. Since about 20 percent of all worldwide deaths are from cancer, the increase due to a 1 rem exposure is impossible to detect demographically. But 100 rem (1 Sv), which was the dose received by the average Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivor, causes a 3 percent risk, which can be observed in the presence of a 20 percent normal or natural incidence rate.
The incidence of genetic defects induced by radiation is about one-third that of cancer deaths, but is much more poorly known. The lifetime risk of a genetic defect due to a 1 rem exposure is about 100 in a million or , but the normal incidence is 60,000 in a million. Evidence of such a small increase, tragic as it is, is nearly impossible to obtain. For example, there is no evidence of increased genetic defects among the offspring of Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors. Animal studies do not seem to correlate well with effects on humans and are not very helpful. For both cancer and genetic defects, the approach to safety has been to use the linear hypothesis, which is likely to be an overestimate of the risks of low doses. Certain researchers even claim that low doses are beneficial. Hormesis is a term used to describe generally favorable biological responses to low exposures of toxins or radiation. Such low levels may help certain repair mechanisms to develop or enable cells to adapt to the effects of the low exposures. Positive effects may occur at low doses that could be a problem at high doses.
Even the linear hypothesis estimates of the risks are relatively small, and the average person is not exposed to large amounts of radiation. Table 5 lists average annual background radiation doses from natural and artificial sources for Australia, the United States, Germany, and world-wide averages. Cosmic rays are partially shielded by the atmosphere, and the dose depends upon altitude and latitude, but the average is about 0.40 mSv/y. A good example of the variation of cosmic radiation dose with altitude comes from the airline industry. Monitored personnel show an average of 2 mSv/y. A 12-hour flight might give you an exposure of 0.02 to 0.03 mSv.
Doses from the Earth itself are mainly due to the isotopes of uranium, thorium, and potassium, and vary greatly by location. Some places have great natural concentrations of uranium and thorium, yielding doses ten times as high as the average value. Internal doses come from foods and liquids that we ingest. Fertilizers containing phosphates have potassium and uranium. So we are all a little radioactive. Carbon-14 has about 66 Bq/kg radioactivity whereas fertilizers may have more than 3000 Bq/kg radioactivity. Medical and dental diagnostic exposures are mostly from x-rays. It should be noted that x-ray doses tend to be localized and are becoming much smaller with improved techniques. Table 6 shows typical doses received during various diagnostic x-ray examinations. Note the large dose from a CT scan. While CT scans only account for less than 20 percent of the x-ray procedures done today, they account for about 50 percent of the annual dose received.
Radon is usually more pronounced underground and in buildings with low air exchange with the outside world. Almost all soil contains some and , but radon is lower in mainly sedimentary soils and higher in granite soils. Thus, the exposure to the public can vary greatly, even within short distances. Radon can diffuse from the soil into homes, especially basements. The estimated exposure for is controversial. Recent studies indicate there is more radon in homes than had been realized, and it is speculated that radon may be responsible for 20 percent of lung cancers, being particularly hazardous to those who also smoke. Many countries have introduced limits on allowable radon concentrations in indoor air, often requiring the measurement of radon concentrations in a house prior to its sale. Ironically, it could be argued that the higher levels of radon exposure and their geographic variability, taken with the lack of demographic evidence of any effects, means that low-level radiation is less dangerous than previously thought.
Laws regulate radiation doses to which people can be exposed. The greatest occupational whole-body dose that is allowed depends upon the country and is about 20 to 50 mSv/y and is rarely reached by medical and nuclear power workers. Higher doses are allowed for the hands. Much lower doses are permitted for the reproductive organs and the fetuses of pregnant women. Inadvertent doses to the public are limited to of occupational doses, except for those caused by nuclear power, which cannot legally expose the public to more than of the occupational limit or 0.05 mSv/y (5 mrem/y). This has been exceeded in the United States only at the time of the Three Mile Island (TMI) accident in 1979. Chernobyl is another story. Extensive monitoring with a variety of radiation detectors is performed to assure radiation safety. Increased ventilation in uranium mines has lowered the dose there to about 1 mSv/y.
To physically limit radiation doses, we use shielding, increase the distance from a source, and limit the time of exposure.
Figure 2 illustrates how these are used to protect both the patient and the dental technician when an x-ray is taken. Shielding absorbs radiation and can be provided by any material, including sufficient air. The greater the distance from the source, the more the radiation spreads out. The less time a person is exposed to a given source, the smaller is the dose received by the person. Doses from most medical diagnostics have decreased in recent years due to faster films that require less exposure time.
Figure 2. A lead apron is placed over the dental patient and shielding surrounds the x-ray tube to limit exposure to tissue other than the tissue that is being imaged. Fast films limit the time needed to obtain images, reducing exposure to the imaged tissue. The technician stands a few meters away behind a lead-lined door with a lead glass window, reducing her occupational exposure.
Step 1. Examine the situation to determine that a person is exposed to ionizing radiation.
Step 2. Identify exactly what needs to be determined in the problem (identify the unknowns). The most straightforward problems ask for a dose calculation.
Step 3. Make a list of what is given or can be inferred from the problem as stated (identify the knowns). Look for information on the type of radiation, the energy per event, the activity, and the mass of tissue affected.
Step 4. For dose calculations, you need to determine the energy deposited. This may take one or more steps, depending on the given information.
Step 5. Divide the deposited energy by the mass of the affected tissue. Use units of joules for energy and kilograms for mass. If a dose in Sv is involved, use the definition that .
Step 6. If a dose in mSv is involved, determine the RBE (QF) of the radiation. Recall that .
Step 7. Check the answer to see if it is reasonable: Does it make sense? The dose should be consistent with the numbers given in the text for diagnostic, occupational, and therapeutic exposures.
Calculate the dose in rem/y for the lungs of a weapons plant employee who inhales and retains an activity of in an accident. The mass of affected lung tissue is 2.00 kg, the plutonium decays by emission of a 5.23-MeV particle, and you may assume the higher value of the RBE for s from Table 2.
Dose in rem is defined by and . The energy deposited is divided by the mass of tissue affected and then multiplied by the RBE. The latter two quantities are given, and so the main task in this example will be to find the energy deposited in one year. Since the activity of the source is given, we can calculate the number of decays, multiply by the energy per decay, and convert MeV to joules to get the total energy.
First note that the dose is given to two digits, because the RBE is (at best) known only to two digits. By any standard, this yearly radiation dose is high and will have a devastating effect on the health of the worker. Worse yet, plutonium has a long radioactive half-life and is not readily eliminated by the body, and so it will remain in the lungs. Being an αα emitter makes the effects 10 to 20 times worse than the same ionization produced by s, rays, or x-rays. An activity of is created by only of (left as an end-of-chapter problem to verify), partly justifying claims that plutonium is the most toxic substance known. Its actual hazard depends on how likely it is to be spread out among a large population and then ingested. The Chernobyl disaster’s deadly legacy, for example, has nothing to do with the plutonium it put into the environment.
Medical doses of radiation are also limited. Diagnostic doses are generally low and have further lowered with improved techniques and faster films. With the possible exception of routine dental x-rays, radiation is used diagnostically only when needed so that the low risk is justified by the benefit of the diagnosis. Chest x-rays give the lowest doses—about 0.1 mSv to the tissue affected, with less than 5 percent scattering into tissues that are not directly imaged. Other x-ray procedures range upward to about 10 mSv in a CT scan, and about 5 mSv (0.5 rem) per dental x-ray, again both only affecting the tissue imaged. Medical images with radiopharmaceuticals give doses ranging from 1 to 5 mSv, usually localized. One exception is the thyroid scan using . Because of its relatively long half-life, it exposes the thyroid to about 0.75 Sv. The isotope is more difficult to produce, but its short half-life limits thyroid exposure to about 15 mSv.
The biological effects of ionizing radiation are due to two effects it has on cells: interference with cell reproduction, and destruction of cell function.
The SI unit for radiation dose is the gray (Gy), which is defined to be .
Whole-body, single-exposure doses of 0.1 Sv or less are low doses while those of 0.1 to 1 Sv are moderate, and those over 1 Sv are high doses. Some immediate radiation effects are given in Table 4. Effects due to low doses are not observed, but their risk is assumed to be directly proportional to those of high doses, an assumption known as the linear hypothesis. Long-term effects are cancer deaths at the rate of and genetic defects at roughly one-third this rate. Background radiation doses and sources are given in Table 5. World-wide average radiation exposure from natural sources, including radon, is about 3 mSv, or 300 mrem. Radiation protection utilizes shielding, distance, and time to limit exposure.
1: Isotopes that emit αα radiation are relatively safe outside the body and exceptionally hazardous inside. Yet those that emit radiation are hazardous outside and inside. Explain why.
2: Why is radon more closely associated with inducing lung cancer than other types of cancer?
3: The RBE for low-energy s is 1.7, whereas that for higher-energy s is only 1. Explain why, considering how the range of radiation depends on its energy.
4: Which methods of radiation protection were used in the device shown in the first photo in Figure 4? Which were used in the situation shown in the second photo?
6: Are some types of cancer more sensitive to radiation than others? If so, what makes them more sensitive?
7: Suppose a person swallows some radioactive material by accident. What information is needed to be able to assess possible damage?
1: What is the dose in mSv for: (a) a 0.1 Gy x-ray? (b) 2.5 mGy of neutron exposure to the eye? (c) 1.5 mGy of exposure?
2: Find the radiation dose in Gy for: (a) A 10-mSv fluoroscopic x-ray series. (b) 50 mSv of skin exposure by an αα emitter. (c) 160 mSv of and rays from the in your body.
3: How many Gy of exposure is needed to give a cancerous tumor a dose of 40 Sv if it is exposed to αα activity?
4: What is the dose in Sv in a cancer treatment that exposes the patient to 200 Gy of rays?
5: One half the rays from are absorbed by a 0.170-mm-thick lead shielding. Half of the rays that pass through the first layer of lead are absorbed in a second layer of equal thickness. What thickness of lead will absorb all but one in 1000 of these rays?
6: A plumber at a nuclear power plant receives a whole-body dose of 30 mSv in 15 minutes while repairing a crucial valve. Find the radiation-induced yearly risk of death from cancer and the chance of genetic defect from this maximum allowable exposure.
7: In the 1980s, the term picowave was used to describe food irradiation in order to overcome public resistance by playing on the well-known safety of microwave radiation. Find the energy in MeV of a photon having a wavelength of a picometer.
8: Find the mass of that has an activity of .
1 Values approximate, difficult to determine.
2 Multiply by 100 to obtain dose in rem.
3 Multiply by 100 to obtain dose in mrem/y.
32.2 Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. |
0.993247 | Prion diseases of ruminants, such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), scrapie and chronic wasting disease (CWD), are important because of their zoonotic potential, and the economic impact of control measures and trade restrictions on the farming industry. As ruminants are natural hosts of these diseases, they also provide valuable models for comparative studies that can yield insights into related human diseases, such as variant Creutzfeld-Jakob disease (vCJD). There are marked differences between different ruminant species in the pathogenesis and epidemiology of prion diseases. For example, in sheep and deer there is widespread replication of infectivity in lymphoid tissues, and relatively efficient disease transmission between susceptible individuals by a variety of routes, whereas in cattle the infectious agent is largely confined to the nervous system and there appears to be little or no direct transmission of disease. Interestingly, sheep with certain PrP genotypes also demonstrate limited replication of infectivity in lymphoid tissues when infected with prions, and this correlates with relative resistance to disease. I am interested in using a comparative approach in different ruminant species to identify the molecular mechanisms that determine susceptibility to prion infection at a cellular level, and explain differences in host susceptibility and routes of transmission. I am also interested in developing large animal models in cattle and sheep for comparative studies of age-related neurodegenerative changes, as well as the effects of ageing on other body systems. |
0.970224 | Long term relationship advice should also include an understanding of timing and emotional needs for waiting a relationship and creating inner compatibility. There's an instinctual clock to romantic relationships that can sometimes become confusing. For women, one label for this is the "biological clock", having to do with childbearing. Both men and women can have the "nesting urge" which describes the need to set up a domestic arrangement, and perhaps start a family. These needs are quite legitimate and need to be honored. There can be a conflict though, if these needs appear to be contrary to our conscious goals, or if the right partner isn't immediately available.
I'm all in favor of natural instincts. In metaphysics, we can take the viewpoint that there is a natural synchronicity in the timing of our instinctual drives and our spiritual requirements. This means that if the instinctual drive is present, quite likely there is a corresponding spiritual need as well. As in all matters metaphysical, the point is to get the whole thing conscious. Instinctual drives are often considered to be unconscious, but to a large degree this is an erroneous assumption. When you're hungry, you're consciously aware of the need to eat, aren't you?
It's important to bring the instinctual drives to form relationships that are compatible with one's spiritual needs. For example, one may have the nesting urge or sense the biological clock ticking down. If this is allowed to remain unconscious, one may act out an old behavior of looking for a temporary partner, such as visiting bars and picking up strangers. That's the purpose of such meeting grounds, temporary affiliations. We're talking about a different urge here. It's necessary to make a conscious decision about a life partner. Are you seeking someone who wants to spend their time in singles bars? Unlikely. Get an image of what you want to do with a life partner. Perhaps you'll enjoy haunting antique stores or spending time hiking together. This is the type of environment in which you'll find your partner, through common interests. Besides which, getting clear with yourself on the type of person that you want in your life will attract them far sooner.
As you gain clarity on the harmony between instinctual drives and spiritual requirements, you may find a deeper contentment within yourself. Additionally, there is a tremendous metaphysical power in achieving this sort of integration within yourself. My advice, manifesting your long term relationship goals becomes far easier and more predictable when you're in harmony with yourself. This way you are more apt to draw to you relationship compatibility on all levels. |
0.999995 | Are viruses living, once living, or never living?
Our definition of the word "living" doesn't really account for viruses. They tend to blur the lines.
Viruses don't contain within themselves all of the information they need to replicate, unlike living cells, which do. For this reason, we do not consider viruses to be organisms in the sense that you and I are.
However, viruses can reproduce with help, and their ability to reproduce and the information that distinguishes one virus from another behaves in a very life-like way. Viruses can evolve by natural selection, for example; this is why disease-causing viruses eventually become resistant to the drugs we use to fight them.
In reality, nature does not make such neat and tidy distinctions between living and nonliving that we like to identify, and viruses are an example of something that makes our human-made distinctions somewhat blurry. There are other examples that I can think of, too: the cells in a tree that make up its wood are not living cells, but the tree itself certainly is alive, and without the wood it would die, because it couldn't get water up from the ground into the leaves where it gets used. So is wood living or is it dead? I could ask the same question about the crystals of mineral that make up your bones and teeth, and so on. |
0.999992 | I felt the urge to examine the following quote from John Stuart Mill and attempt to rationalize the gist of the concept.
There is a very simple point here: War is terrible, but refuting war on principle, even when doing so jeopardizes one’s personal freedoms, is far more terrible.
It is very easy to agree with this, because a general philosophy should be that no truth is so absolute that it can contradict another absolute truth.
Now, to examine, I will state that there is a very distinct law in my own personal philosophy: Any state of being is a prison. Poetically justified: Anything you are is the consummate shadow of everything else that you are not.
In other words, everyone inhabits some sort of prison. Some have just hung curtains and plants and are happy there, while others are more content fighting to find a better prison.
Thus, the inherent contradiction in this quote becomes evident. For the idea to hold true, if you want to be anti-war, you must first succumb to a presumed logical inevitability (extraneous to your belief) that you must accept war as a viable method of protecting your belief.
In other words, you are free to be anti war, but to keep it that way, you must think like everyone else and fight a war on your own behalf. To be who you are, you must first be someone else.
At best this is a conundrum, and by no means is this a logical disproof of war. It is a simple demonstration that the path laid out by many as a journey to purity will inevitably require a very direct sacrifice of purity to conquer. |
0.999999 | Create A Personalized Preventative Maintenance Plan: For best results, create a personalized preventative maintenance plan for your truck. Use your smart phone’s calender to keep track of your maintenance plan, and adjust the calendar to alert you about each maintenance check. To set up this plan, consider how extensively you use the truck.
Change The Oil And Oil Filter: The oil and the oil filter of your truck need to be changed after some period, so you should check the truck’s manual to see when it is the right time to make the change. A general rule for most truck models is to change the oil and the filter on every 5,000 km. If you are changing the oil and the oil filter by yourself, you need to dispose the used oil properly.
Check The Fluids: A regular and simple fluid check is a great way to keep your truck in top condition. Check the antifreeze, brake, power steering, transmission and even the windshield washer fluid. Read your manual, and learn how to change these fluids.
Check The Tires Before Entering The Truck’s Cabin: During the winter months when the temperature is extremely low, the road conditions are very bad for driving. For more safety on the road and to avoid sudden accidents, don’t forget to check the truck’s tires before you start the working day. Check whether the tires are properly inflated, and look for visible scratches and damages. Find the perfect tire pressure in the truck’s manual.
Perform A Simple And Quick Pre-Trip Inspection: Before every trip, inspect your truck thoroughly in order to identify problems on time. If you identify a safety, starting, lighting, heating or fuel problem, make sure you solve any problem before you sit behind the steering wheel. |
0.999897 | 2. Only in America......are there handicap parking places in front of a skating rink.
3. Only in America......do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.
4. Only in America......do people order double cheese burgers, large fries, and a diet coke.
5. Only in America......do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.
6. Only in America......do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.
7. Only in America......do we use answering machines to screen calls and then have call waiting so we won't miss a call from someone we didn't want to talk to in the first place.
8. Only in America......do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.
describe the process so well: 'Poli' in Latin meaning 'many' and 'tics' meaning bloodsucking creatures'.
10. Only in America......do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.
11. Only in America......can a homeless combat veteran live in a cardboard box and a draft dodger live in the White House.
Two Kentucky men tried to pull the front off a cash machine by running a chain from the machine to the bumper of their pickup truck. Instead of pulling the front panel off the machine, though, they pulled the bumper off the truck. They panicked and fled, leaving the chain still attached to the machine, their bumper still attached to the chain, and their license plate still attached to the bumper.
A "tourist," supposedly on a golf holiday, stood in line at the customs counter. While making idle chatter, the customs official thought it odd that the golfer didn't know what a handicap was. The officer then asked the tourist to demonstrate his swing. He did - backwards. A substantial amount of narcotics was found in the golf bag.
Guns For Hire, an Arizona company specializing in staged gunfights for Western movies, got a call from a 47-year-old woman who wanted to have her husband shot. She was sentenced to four years in jail.
A Texan convicted of robbery worked out a deal to pay $9600 in damages rather than serve a two-year prison sentence. For payment, he provided the court a forged check. He got his prison term back, plus eight more years. |
0.999999 | Transform a used wine crate into a vintage-looking storage box with handles for easy transporting.
An ordinary wine crate was transformed into decorative bathroom storage by applying a coat of stain by Minwax called Weathered Oak. The nice gray tone gave the wood an aged look that blends well with this contemporary bathroom.
Despite their beauty, wine crates are typically headed for the dumpster after transporting their contents safely, so if you ask the manager of a liquor, grocery or wine store nicely, you'll likely leave with at least one, for free.
Working outside is recommended since you'll be sanding and staining. The edges of your crate are most likely quite sharp and rough. Take sandpaper (this project used 100 grit) and sand every edge, inside and out, until they are slightly rounded and smooth.
Next, apply the stain. Choose any color of stain, just be sure to stir your stain well first. Mine was a new stain by Minwax called Weathered Oak. It has a nice gray tone and makes the crate look very aged. Apply the stain with a disposable foam brush.
Next, apply the stain. Choose any color of stain; just be sure to stir your stain well first. Mine was a new stain by Minwax called Weathered Oak. It has a nice gray tone and makes the crate look very aged. Apply the stain with a disposable foam brush.
Allow the stain to sit for several minutes. The longer the stain sits, the deeper the color will be. To achieve a subtle tone wipe off excess stain with a rag.
Note: Your handles likely come with screws that are longer than the width of your wine crate. If so, you need to fill the gap somehow and paint sticks work well. This crate required 2 sticks for each end. Measure the interior width of your crate and mark that on your 4 paint sticks. They can be easily cut with a box cutter. Just score each side and then snap the end off. Place wood glue on 2 of your sticks and then place the remaining sticks on top.
Next, mark the sides of your crate to indicate where you'll drill holes for the handles. Here's a trick: Generously rub chalk on the holes where the screws will fit and press handle onto your crate.
Touch the chalked handles to the sides of your crate, one at a time, to create white marks where you'll need to drill. Once the chalk is in place, reinforce the mark with a pen. Then drill holes using a drill bit the same size as your hardware screws.
Apply a bead of glue on the paint sticks and place on the inside of the crate, in line with your screw holes. Now drill through those same holes again, this time going all the way through your sticks. Finish by screwing in your hardware.
An elegant set of four coasters is an inexpensive and easy gift for the holidays.
One simple stencil can turn into a holiday piece to enjoy year after year.
Transform an old frame into an Advent calendar or a holiday message board.
Make an easy, personalized Christmas gift for under $10. |
0.999997 | Make headlines as a cunning fake news creator in this social impact game. Information sheet helps educators use the game in class.
In this game at https://www.getbadnews.com/#play you take on the role of fake news-monger. Drop all pretense of ethics and choose the path that builds your persona as an unscrupulous media magnate. But keep an eye on your ‘followers’ and ‘credibility’ meters. Your task is to get as many followers as you can while slowly building up fake credibility as a news site. But watch out: you lose if you tell obvious lies or disappoint your supporters!
The game, developed by DROG, is intended for use in education and scientific research. The target age group of this game is 15-35. While the creators do not wish to prohibit anyone under or over that age from playing, the game does include some themes that may be interpreted as sensitive, especially to people under 15.
DROG develops programs and courses and conducts research aimed at recognizing disinformation, especially online. It is a multidisciplinary team of academics, journalists and media-experts all over Europe.
Information sheet helps educators use the game in class and provides details, backgrounds and additional information. |
0.99993 | Earthquakes. In Southern California, it's the natural disaster for which we're at greatest risk--and seismologists say we're long overdue for "the big one" (defined as a magnitude 8.0 or larger). In a sense, this lull period between major earthquakes has led many into a false sense of complacency--the longer time passes with no big shake, the more we think we have somehow been insulated from the danger, when in fact the likelihood only increases the longer we go without a major quake to relieve pressure on the San Andreas fault. There's no point in waiting to retrofit your building when the chances grow larger every day--knowing that your structure is able to withstand a major quake will save you money, and possibly your life.
Nielsen Environmental stands ready to strengthen your home for the next big earthquake in the Beverly Hills, Malibu and Greater Los Angeles area. There are a few ways to help reduce the risk of damage to your home: 1) by securely bolting the sill plates to the foundation (aka foundation bolting); 2) reinforcing the cripple walls with structural grade plywood (cripple wall bracing); and 3) by attaching joist blocking and framing anchors between the floor joist. We have completed hundreds of foundation projects in residential homes and large courtyard apartment buildings. In our experience working closely with structural engineers, developers, landlords, property managers and homeowners since 1995, we can assure you that your house bolting project will be completed in a timely, safe, and professional manner.
Many of the homes in Los Angeles were built using older construction techniques which are inadequate for the forces we now know earthquakes can cause, but these older homes can be reinforced easily. What follows is an explanation of what house bolting requires in older homes, and what can be done for modern homes still at risk as well.
Homes built in Los Angeles prior to 1940, were built without being bolted to their foundations. Without this anchorage, a large earthquake can move ground and therefore the foundation right out from under the house. Older homes were damaged or destroyed in this manner by every major earthquake in California's history. For these homes, foundation bolting is a must during a retrofit.
Some wood frame homes built as recently as the 1970s were shaken off their foundations in recent earthquakes. Even though these modern homes were bolted down, they failed because of weak bracing materials on the cripple walls. The cripple wall is a short wall that connects the foundation to the first floor of the house and encloses the "crawl space". Weak bracing materials, like cement plaster (stucco) or wood siding, are not strong enough to survive the force of moderate to strong earthquakes. The cripple wall must be braced with stronger materials like plywood. If not, the next earthquake may damage the cripple wall and move your home off its foundation, even if you've bolted it down. In these cases, cripple wall bracing is essential to a retrofit.
How You Can Strengthen Your Home For The Next Big Earthquake In the Los Angeles Area How-You-Can-Strengthen-Your-Home_L.A.
How have the buildings been identified?
Contain ground floor parking or similar open floor space.
Typically cost is divided into three groups.
Construction Costs: adding shear walls generally runs $5,000 to $10,000; cantilevered columns may be more space efficient, running between $15,000 to $20,000; for moment frames, the cost is generally $20,000 to $25,000 per installed, depending on the complexity of installation.
Permitting Fees can be forecasted by using the LADBS permit calculator.
Apartment and Condo building owners have been notified; usually owners with 16 units or more are notified first.
How long do I have to comply before I take action?
As can be seen here, house bolting--whether it involves foundation bolting, cripple wall bracing, or more--is not only the best method of ensuring your building's earthquake preparedness, in some cases (particularly for older, pre-1978 homes) it is also required by city and state ordinances. Nielson Environmental will ensure that your house bolting procedure is in accordance with all ordinances and performed to the highest standards.
"Kevin made our home safe for our family. We trust him with our lives - it is so hard to find someone like him. I can’t recommend Kevin and Nielsen Construction highly enough." |
0.99504 | An overweight student who shed a massive ten stone has revealed how the object of her desire changed his tune about dating her after she'd lost weight.
Rachael Heffner, 25, from Indianapolis, weighed in at a hefty 20st 5lbs (285lb) during her lowest point and would often guzzle up to four large bottles of fizzy drinks a day.
After her school crush told her he couldn't date her because of her size, she decided to slim down and try and win his heart, only to not want it after she'd lost the weight.
As a New Year's resolution, she decided to start cutting down on her sugary drinks intake, halve her portion sizes and began working out at the gym.
After dropping to a svelte 10st 5lbs (145lb), she now regularly gets chatted up at the gym, in supermarkets and even on social media.
Since slimming down, Rachael's also taken the opportunity to turn down the same childhood sweetheart who rejected her - relishing the opportunity to tell him she was no longer interested.
Rachael, a social media specialist, said: 'My initial motivation was to prove people wrong. In college I was rejected by a boy and I wanted to show him that he'd made a mistake.
'I liked him and he didn't like me, he made it known that it was because of the way that I looked and that he wasn't attracted to me because I was heavier.
'He's since asked me out a few times, but I've let him know that we're just friends now and not romantic.
'I also told him that he was the reason I started losing weight, which really shocked him and he apologised for what he said when we were younger.
'But I'm glad he rejected me, I actually thanked him for it, as he was the reason I was able to get to the size I am today and there's no point holding grudges.
Rachael's weight gain spiralled out of control after her mother died in 2004 from cancer.
The heartbreaking time led her to ignore advice about nutrition in favour of comfort eating.
She said: 'I was a little chubby when I was a kid, but after my mum became really sick and passed away I gained a lot of weight.
'Since I was so young when she died, I didn't learn about nutrition from her and I was too set in my ways to listen to my dad's advice about food.
I told the boy I'd had a crush on that he was the reason I started losing weight, which really shocked him and he apologised for what he said when we were younger.
By the age of 20, Rachael had a body mass index over 50 - the World Health Organisation's highest level of obesity.
But as a New Year's Resolution six years ago, she started her weight loss journey and was motivated by her college roommate Sam.
She says one of the greatest difficulties she found was giving up fizzy drinks.
Rachael said: 'In college I was drinking up to four bottles of soda a day, I was drinking Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Mountain Dew, Sprite and more.
'At first my body missed the sugar, I had to gradually reduce it by switching to Gatorade before going to water.
'I also started making meals myself instead of eating out and I cut my portions in half.
After small changes to her diet, she started working out with her roommate and eventually got into weight lifting which helped her lose an impressive ten stone (140lb).
Now she says former school mates double-take when they see her because of her dramatic transformation.
Rachael said: 'People who I used to go to school with don't even recognise me now.
'Whenever I see someone they're always so surprised by how I look and are impressed.
But after her extreme weight loss, Rachael was left with horrific saggy skin, which she says has held her back and leaves her feeling the same size she was at her heaviest.
She is now trying to raise $15,000 (£12,000) for excess skin removal surgery to complete her transformation.
Rachael said: 'My next major trial will get getting my loose and excess skin removed.
'I've been trying to tone-up for a while but it's not worked and it's hard being young with excess skin.
'I'm working three jobs and selling things I don't need on the side to try to raise the money before the end of this year. |
0.997795 | Is dairy bad for your skin?
Healthy skin requires hydration and a wide range of vitamins and minerals. These can be obtained by having a varied, balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables. A balanced diet includes all of the major food groups and dairy is one of these. Milk is a source of a number of nutrients that have established roles in normal skin health, such as vitamin B2 and iodine. Other lifestyle factors such as not smoking and getting enough sleep are also important.
Are all Humans Lactose Intolerant?
Is dairy intake linked to cancer risk? |
0.959165 | The revised age models for the upper Oligocene to middle Miocene interval of the Marion Plateau have been used to identify eleven sequence boundaries and sequences sets at the Marion Plateau; MSA1.2 (23.1 Ma), MSA1.4 (22.1 Ma), MSA2.1 (21.2 Ma), MSB1.1 (18.4 Ma), MSB1.2 (17.3 Ma), MSB2.1 (16.5 Ma), MSB2.2 (15.6 Ma), MSB2.3 (14.8 Ma), MSB3.1 (13.6 Ma), MSB3.2 (12.9 Ma), and MSB3.3 (11.8 Ma). The complementary Miocene oxygen isotope events Mi1, Mi1a, Mi1aa, Mi2, Mi2b, Mi3a, Mi3, Mi4, Mi5a, Mi5, and Mi6 are recognized in the Marion Plateau sequences. In addition correlation to sequences on the New Jersey margin, the Gulf of Papua, Great Australian Bight, and McMurdo Sound Antarctica indicate that these sequences are controlled by glacio-eustasy, primarily the increase of ice volume on Antarctica. Changes in the preservation, assemblage structure and diversity of calcareous nannofossils as well as %planktic foraminifera, %neritics coincide with transgressive phases and sequence boundaries. The principles of `highstand shedding' are illustrated at the Marion Plateau by enhanced preservation of calcareous nannofossil, deposition of glauconite, unconformities and condensed intervals associated with early to middle Miocene sequence boundaries. Variations in surface water nutrient and temperature conditions at the Marion Plateau throughout the Miocene coincide with climatic events of the early Miocene (23 - 17 Ma), the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum (17.6 - 15.4 Ma), and Middle Miocene Climatic Transition (14.8 - 13.8 Ma), and the stepwise growth of ice sheets on Antarctica. Calcareous nannofossil communities show evidence for precessional and eccentricity orbital forcing during the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum, as well as a significantly cooler surface water mass at the Marion Plateau coinciding with the onset of the Middle Miocene Climatic Transition and Mi3a (14.8 Ma) glacial event. Changes in surface water fertility and temperature during the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum agree with other studies that posit growth of significant ice volume on Antarctica starting as early as ∼17.35 Ma. Further evidence for significant cooling at the Mi3a (14.8 Ma) glacial event agrees with studies suggesting a step-wise cooling for the formation of a semi- permanent Antarctic ice sheet and thermohaline circulation, starting first at 14.8 Ma (Mi3a) and intensifying at 13.9 Ma (Mi3).
Browning, Emily, "Calcareous Nannofossil Records Of Miocene Sea Level At The Marion Plateau (Northeastern Australia); And Pliocenepleistocene Formation Of Cold Water Carbonate Mounds (North Eastern Atlantic Continental Margin)" (2012). Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014. 349. |
0.966928 | Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verbs. Use a comma ',' and a space between multiple answers.
1. I ---- (never come) across such a big snake in my life. What about you?
2. By Saturday next week, I ---- (work) on this painting for exactly one month.
3. My wife and I ---- (have) a few problems recently and I have to admit that our relationship ---- (get) a bit boring since our daughter ---- (leave) for university.
4. Even though I ---- (like) singing, I can say that I ---- (have) a terrible voice.
5. By the year 2020, the population of London ---- (grow) substantially.
6. My grandparents ---- (come) to see us next weekend. They ---- (not visit) us for two years.
7. We ---- (look for) her ring for two hours when we found it in the bathroom.
8. They were very tired in the evening because they ---- (help) on the farm all day.
9. I ---- (lead) a very busy life these days. I ---- (prepare) for my final exams and at the same time I ---- (try) to move to my new apartment. You can't imagine how tired I am.
10. Do you know what time the 10:45 plane ---- (arrive) in Chicago? |
0.992584 | Lets start writing the code. We will script for displaying a simple message box in this post.
Create a new script file using windows right click menu and selecting New -> AutoIt v3 Script.
Copy and paste the below code to editor. Program explanation is provided below.
;Includes the file which defines the constants to be used with MsgBox function.
;Calls the inbuilt Message Box Function.
The first and third lines are comments, which will not be executed. The comments are a way to provide more information to script readers and of-course to comment-out the code, so that it won't be executed. More information on comments are provided in Add Comments post.
#include <MsgBoxConstants.au3>: This is how we include files. So that its variables and functions are accessible from our script. Syntax: #include <FileName>. How to easily open an include file?
flag: The flag indicates the type of message box and the possible button combinations. Here we used information message.
title: The title of the message box. Here it is "Automation Developers"
text: The text of the message box. Here it is "Hello World!"
timeout: [optional] Timeout in seconds. Message box will be automatically closed after the timeout. The default is 0, which is no timeout.
hwnd: [optional] The window handle to use as the parent for this dialog. The message box will be tied to this window.
Select Tools -> Go command or press F5 to run the script.
It will syntax check the script using Au3Check.exe and if no errors are found, will run the script using AutoIt3.exe.
Selecting Tools -> SyntaxCheck Prod or pressing Ctrl+F5 will run only Au3Check.exe for checking the syntax errors.
Select Tools -> Build command or press F7 to build the script.
It will run Aut2exe.exe to compile the script. The output executable will be available at the same folder where the script is located.
Alternatively, select Tools -> Compile command or press Ctrl+F7to compile the script with options such as compression value, icon and the program resource information like Program Version, Legal Copyright and additional fields.
Output message box will be displayed as shown in the above screenshot.
How to easily open an Include file? |
0.999848 | In example 1, you listen “to” something, not “on” something.
In example 2, the preposition “in” is required at the space “_”. Furthermore, the preposition “of” is needed when discussing the promotion “of” something in particular.
The government provides over 600 million ___ funding to support the promotion in healthy living.
The government provides over 600 million in funding to support the promotion of healthy living. |
0.999976 | What are five key terms every probation/parole officer should know? Parole is one of the most important times during an individual’s life and can contribute to the success of former inmates. In fact, many states in the country are paving the way for criminal justice reform for parolees. Here are five key terms that every officer working in parole and probation should understand in order to help make a difference in former inmates’ lives, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Every probation and parole officer should be required to understand what the term community corrections means. It is an alternative to incarceration that is offered by the criminal justice system and could include anything from pretrial programs to parole. These alternatives can give some individuals another shot at living life as an upstanding citizen, but it comes with restrictions. Each individual must meet the criteria for community corrections; this is based on the severity of the crime, their willingness to seek medical or psychological help if needed, prior criminal record, and more.
In some cases, probation and parole officers participate in a conditional release. This is a term that refers to an individual returning to the community between trial hearings and court dates. Parole officers are assigned to these individuals, who have conditions upon their release, and are responsible for ensuring they meet those conditions. Sample conditions could include maintaining employment, participating in drug rehab, electronic monitoring, or abiding by restraining orders. If any of these conditions are violated, the parole officer remands the individual back into the correctional institution.
Probation officers are usually the first contact that a parolee has with society; therefore, it is important that they understand what the key term dual diagnosis means. This refers to an individual who has been diagnosed by psychiatric professionals as having two or more mental or physical disorders. This is an important term for parole and probation officers to understand, because it changes their interaction with the parolee and may have a hand in the conditions for that parolee’s release. Probation officers often coordinate community supervision with the parolee’s medical team in cases like these to ensure a successful reintroduction into society.
A key term that all parole officers should be aware of is halfway house. This is a residential facility set up for parolees who have left incarceration; it stands as the intermediary residence before the parolee is reintroduced into society. Most parolees who stay at halfway houses are court-ordered to do so and it is the responsibility of the parole officer to ensure that they meet this requirement as part of the conditions for release. If a parolee fails to comply with this requirement, they may be ordered back into the prison system for a length of time determined by the court that set the conditions for release.
One of the five key terms that every probation or parole officer should know is ISP, which is also known as intensive supervision probation. This is a term that refers to a parolee that has been required to undergo daily or frequent visits with their probation or parole officer. It is a more stringent version of parole in which the parolee must have direct contact with their parole officer on a consistent basis and is often paired with other monitoring services and community supervision. While not all parolees will be required to undergo intensive supervision probation, it does happen and parole officers should know what this supervision entails.
The criminal justice system is filled with terms that can be hard to keep up with, especially as the system undergoes reforms in different parts of the country. By understanding what these terms means, officers will be effective at their job. The above five key terms every probation/parole officer should know are just a start, and officers are encouraged to continue their education in order to help individuals become functioning members of society. |
0.931729 | Why travel and tour to Ethiopia?
Ethiopia is an extraordinary country, and the only one in Africa, except for Egypt, with such a rich history and with an original culture, the lifespan of which encompasses hundreds of years.
Ethiopia is very heterogeneous. The North of it is the mainstay of Christianity, thanks to which fact Ethiopia is sometimes referred to as the Island of Black Christianity, surrounded by the Sea of Islam. Travelling south, one will find themselves in real Black Africa, in which the passage of time came to a standstill several centuries ago. For several centuries, the Muslim East has been under the influence of nations from the Arabian Peninsula. In Axum, the legendary Ark of the Covenant, which contains the tables which Moses received from God, is stored. However, no one is ever permitted to see it, except for the appointed guardian, who then serves in this capacity throughout their entire life.
Ethiopia is a large country offering an incredible variety of natural, cultural and historical attractions. Its uniquely diversified climatic and landscape conditions makes it a habitat for numerous animals. Especially the population of birds, many of which can only be found in Ethiopia, is very big. After rain, the soil in Ethiopia is ornamented with a ‘carpet’ of colourful flowers. Also the amount of endemic plants is bigger than in most African countries. |
0.999999 | To learn this word , split it into two words i.e UN(not)+SAVOUR(pleasant) , and these two words combined give us the meaning of the word unsavoury.
1. Poor teachers can make education unsavory.
2. The survey found many Unsavory elements in the local plant population.
3. The Da Vinci code is another movie where Christian morals are put in an unsavory light. |
0.999998 | I am working on project for an app that uses AngularJS. I need to manipulate the DOM quite a bit, based on user events, i.e click, change, etc.
I am wondering what are best practices for manipulating a DOM while maintaining a decluttered/scalable project environment?
Some examples of what I am trying to do: one of my functions toggle a class to a DOM element on click. One function changes search filters in the UI, when a button is clicked, etc. One button changes the view layout based on user preference, one function changes the number of search results, etc.
Note, the sidebar for example needs to be manipulated quite a bit based on user actions. Also, the other areas such as search results, can be manipulated and I would like to code these two areas of the app separately, using best practices. |
0.999506 | There are 4 main types of paint that are popular these days. Oil, heavy bodied acrylic, fluid acrylic, and watercolour. Here are some of the basic differences.
1. Oil: The slow drying time of oils allows for beautiful blending and lovely soft edged gradations. It can be used thickly (called impasto) with luscious brush strokes showing lots of texture, or more thinly, with a smooth finish. I choose the water mixable oil. This paint responds to water while wet, so you can clean up with water instead of turpentine. Once dry, it is chemically identical to regular oils. The brand I use has the same drying time as regular oils too. Oil paints do have rules that must be followed so that the paint does not crackle after it is dry.
2. Heavy bodied acrylic: This paint will do the thick and textured brush strokes similar to oil. It is formulated to resist thinning with water. It dries much more quickly than oils, although very thick applications can still take hours, or even overnight. Recently manufacturers have come out with a variety of acrylic paints that have different drying properties, including some that are a bit slower drying to allow for blending of colours. Or you can buy an acrylic medium to extend drying time just when you want it.
3. Fluid acrylic: This paint thins well with water, while maintaining a rich pigment load for bright colour. That makes it perfect for wet and wild applications. If thinned enough with water, it will look identical to watercolour. If used in the consistency it comes out of the bottle, it can look like a smoothly finished oil painting. The main difference between it and watercolour is that when the fluid acrylic is dry, it no longer reactivates with water. This makes layering of colour (glazing) much easier.
4. Watercolour: Traditionally used in a delicate or pale colour manner, today’s watercolour paints have enough pigment load to do both rich and dark colours if desired. Watercolour in a painting reactivates when rewet, making lifting techniques possible. Lifting is used not only for correcting, but for beautiful painting effects as well. And the flow of watercolour paint placed into a wet area on the watercolour paper can delight both artist and art lover.
That’s a really brief summary. When new students ask me which type of paint to buy, I suggest that they go to some local art galleries, and see what type of paintings please their eye. Each type has both advantages and disadvantages, its own joys and challenges, and it’s more important to love the effects that you see in a certain paint type, than to worry about rumours of one being easier or harder to learn. |
0.885809 | My review in 3 words: Go see it.
Ben Affleck partnered with Matt Damon to write the screenplay for the film Good Will Hunting for which the two of them won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. This was the main launching point for the careers of these two wunderkind and we have seen both Ben and Matt rise to a status of secure, bankable stars in Hollywood.
While Mr. Affleck has developed as a leading man, we must not forget his contributions in other areas of film making such as director and producer. In fact, it is here in the list of credits for the film The Town we get to see just how multi-talented this gentleman is. Not only did Affleck star in this film; he directed it and co-wrote the script. While that unto itself is an accomplishment, we must add the Rotten Tomatoes rating of 95% to make this an accomplishment of high quality. There can be no doubt that the name of this person will be of substantial importance in Hollywood for years to come. Many come to the table with a specific talent; not everybody can shine in several areas and rarely at the same time in the same movie.
I leave the plot synopsis up to others like Wikipedia and Rotten Tomatoes, not wanting to give any spoiler alerts but will restrict myself to saying this film is about bank robbers. From there I will go on to compliment Affleck in bringing together some terrific action sequences and I will say that any action aficionados will not be disappointed. However let me underline that we do have a story and a good one at that. Great action and a story? Hey, what better combo could you ask for after shelling out your hard earned cash; great for guys and gals.
Please note that the film which takes place in Charlestown, a neighbourhood of Boston makes some statements which are exaggerations of reality. The movie starts by saying, "There are over 300 bank robberies in Boston every year. Most of these professionals live in a 1-square-mile neighborhood called Charlestown." This is apparently not at all true as numbers show only 23 robberies in the entire state of Massachusetts in the 1st quarter of 2010. That is... ah, slightly shy of 300 per year. Plus, while Charlestown has had a bit of a reputation back in history, it is nothing like that today. Let's chalk this up to poetic licence?
As an aside, Affleck directed a crime drama called Gone Baby Gone (2007) which clocked in at Rotten Tomatoes with 94%. Saw the film; good movie; I see some consistency in the high quality of Affleck the director and I add that Affleck also co-wrote the screenplay for this film. Multi-talented.
The Town had a budget of $37 million and right now, according to the latest numbers, has a world-wide gross of $77 million. There's nothing better than being good and turning a profit.
I return to my original review in 3 words: Go see it. |
0.988052 | My printer only feeds on the left side where the roller is. I've tried everything and there doesn't seem to be any jam. I have to do a report for school and I can't print it! Please help!
Check for a jam again somewhere in printer unit, rollers, teeth, down back in paper feeder area. I thought i had no jam in my unit either until i got a torch and found the tiniest slip of a shred barely noticeable right in the middle of the teeth/roller. Remeber to turn it off after this, to reset it.
This issue is generally caused by dirty rollers. Dust, paper scraps, and grime build-up on the paper feed rollers can cause paper jams. Follow these steps to clean the paper feed rollers.
1. A clean, lint-free cloth, or any cloth that will not come apart or leave fibers Distilled, filtered, or bottled water (tap water might damage the product) Clean, lint-free cotton swabs.
2. Disconnect the power cord from the rear of the product.
3. Press the tab on the left side of the rear access door, and then pull the door outward to remove it.
4. Lightly dampen a clean, lint-free cloth with bottled or distilled water, and then squeeze any excess liquid from the cloth.
5. Press the cloth against the paper feed rollers, and then rotate them upward with your fingers. Apply a moderate amount of pressure to remove any dust or dirt build-up.
6. Locate the pick roller on the left side of the product below and behind the paper feed roller.
7. Lightly dampen a clean, lint-free cotton swab, and then use it to clean the pick roller.
8. Allow the rollers to dry for 10 or 15 minutes.
9. Check the rollers on the rear access door. Make sure that the rollers are not missing, that they turn easily, and that they are springy when you press them. If the rollers are damaged, replace the door.
10. Reattach the rear access door. Align the door pins with the slots on the right side of the rear of the product, and then push the door forward, snapping it into place.
11. Press the On/Resume button ( ) to turn on the product.
If the self-test report does not print when slowly pushing the paper farther in , repeat the previous steps to clean the rollers again. If the issue continues after repeated cleaning, skip the next solution in this document, and then service the product. If the self-test report prints when slowly pushing the paper farther in , try printing the original document again. The paper might not have been loaded far enough into the product. If the issue is resolved, there is no need to continue troubleshooting.If the paper only feeds through the product when you slowly push it farther in , repeat the previous steps to clean the rollers again. If the issue continues after repeated cleaning, skip the next solution in this document, and then service the product.
If the self-test report prints , try printing the original document again. If the issue is resolved, there is no need to continue troubleshooting.If the self-test report prints, but the original document does not , continue to the next solution in this document.If the self-test report does not print , try printing the report again. Listen for the rubber paper-pick rollers; you should be able to hear them rotating. Then, try slowly pushing the paper farther in until the roller engages to pick up the paper. Be careful not to push the paper in too far, which can cause paper jams.
Reinstalling the printer is related the Software.
If the paper gets physically jammed than its the driver setting issue or hardware issue.
Check if two sheets get jammed or only one sheet.
If it is two sheets than printer is picking up multiple sheets and paper gets jammed.
If the printer is jamming a single sheet than remove the Tray and look there is rubber roller inside if there are marks or lines on that rubber roller or if the roller roller is worn out than that rubber roller called as paper pickup roller need to be replaced.
If the problem is not from Manual feed Tray that Replace the main Tray with known good Tray and check if the issue resolved.
Sounds like the feed rollers need cleaning.
Clean the feed rollers, lint free cloth,bottled water.
Revolve the feed roller bar as you clean them, to clean the feed rollers all the way round, remove all particles from them.
Check you ADF grips are set correctly, if not you will get mis-fed sheets. check the tray is sat properly too or mis-feeds.
Check paper size is correct in print properties too.
1. Blow it out with compressed air blower .especially the rollers and the paper feed area make sure there are no bits of paper or dust in the paper feed area and in the front access area that could be causing the jam.
3. Verify that the timing belt, drive belt, gearing and rollers all look normal.
6. Completely uninstall the printer's driver and software. Then reinstall the printer's drivers only.
In my experience, very rearly is the sensor bad, the sensor is a simple optical sensor activated by a flag. All this sensor does is indicate if there is paper in the tray or not. The most likely problem is that your paper feed roller,(the rubber roller at the back of the printer in the paper tray area) is embedded with paper dust as is very comon on these units. try getting some water or even better still some eucalyptus oil and clean the roller. try to print again and see waht happens.
Here is HP's answer to your problem.
Have a manual for Lexmark JetPrinter X1185 All-In-One InkJet? |
0.999992 | The term rhythm and blues has undergone a number of shifts in meaning. In the early 1950s it was frequently applied to blues records. Starting in the mid-1950s, after this style of music contributed to the development of rock and roll, the term "R&B" became used to refer to music styles that developed from and incorporated electric blues, as well as gospel and soul music. In the 1960s, several British rock bands such as the Rolling Stones, The Who and The Animals were referred to and promoted as being RnB bands; posters for The Who's residency at the Marquee Club in 1964 contained the slogan "The Who - Maximum RnB". This tangent of RnB is now known as "British rhythm and blues". By the 1970s, the term rhythm and blues changed again and was used as a blanket term for soul and funk. In the 1980s, a newer style of R&B developed, becoming known as "Contemporary R&B". It combines elements of rhythm and blues, soul, funk, pop, hip hop and dance. Popular R&B vocalists at the end of the 20th century included Michael Jackson, R. Kelly, Stevie Wonder,Whitney Houston, and Mariah Carey.
Is R Kelly's music being shut down after new abuse claims? |
0.894256 | 1 Univ. de les Illes Balears, Cra. de Valldemossa, km 7.5, 07071 Palma, Spain; vdmijlr0@clust.uib.es.
2 CMLA, ENS Cachan, 61 avenue du Président Wilson, 94235 Cachan, France; morel@cmla.ens-cachan.fr.
3 Cognitech Inc., 225 S. Lake Avenue, CA-91101 Pasadena, U.S.A.; lenny@cognitech.com.
In this note, we propose a general definition of shape which is both compatible with the one proposed in phenomenology (gestaltism) and with a computer vision implementation. We reverse the usual order in Computer Vision. We do not define “shape recognition" as a task which requires a “model" pattern which is searched in all images of a certain kind. We give instead a “blind" definition of shapes relying only on invariance and repetition arguments. Given a set of images , we call shape of this set any spatial pattern which can be found at several locations of some image, or in several different images of . (This means that the shapes of a set of images are defined without any a priori assumption or knowledge.) The definition is powerful when it is invariant and we prove that the following invariance requirements can be matched in theory and in practice: local contrast invariance, robustness to blur, noise and sampling, affine deformations. We display experiments with single images and image pairs. In each case, we display the detected shapes. Surprisingly enough, but in accordance with Gestalt theory, the repetition of shapes is so frequent in human environment, that many shapes can even be learned from single images.
Key words: Image analysis / basic shape elements / contrast invariance / level lines / scale space. |
0.999999 | Trekking poles have been a popular hiking tool for a long time, and their popularity is only increasing as increasingly more people find themselves on the trail. The benefits of using trekking poles have been proven and trekking poles can ease the burden of a long hike, so it is important that you choose a pair of poles that is built in a way that caters to your needs.
When looking through the multitude of trekking pole options available on the market, you will notice that they come in different build varieties such as “fixed”, “folding”, and “telescoping”. These terms refer to whether or not the trekking poles can be broken down for smaller storage, if the height of the trekking poles can be adjusted, and if they can even be broken down in the first place. Let’s break down the three terms.
Primarily, “fixed” trekking poles offer a simple design in comparison to other options. They do not need to be assembled and you can simply grab the fixed-length poles before heading on the trail. These trekking poles also have fewer moving parts than telescoping poles or folding poles, so they are less likely to break and can offer more durability. Also, because fixed-length poles are typically less complex, they can be lighter than other varieties of poles. Finally, fixed trekking poles can often be less expensive in comparison to telescoping and folding trekking poles of similar build quality. The drawback of fixed poles is that they do not offer the height flexibility of other varieties and do not pack down to a more manageable size when not in use.
Telescoping trekking poles are collapsible like a telescope. This means that, by virtue, they are adjustable. Not only can their length be adjusted to match your height, but they can also be adjusted to adapt to differing terrain. This is great for people who do not want to strap things to the outside of their backpack as telescoping poles can often fit inside the bag when collapsed. However, because telescoping poles have additional components, they can be slightly heavier than fixed-length poles. The additional weight, however, is often insignificant, and the benefit from the increased convenience of the design often outweighs this drawback for the average hiker. The adjustability of the poles also means that telescoping poles, while still durable, are not as durable as fixed-length poles. Finally, the extra materials required to manufacture telescoping poles minorly raises their cost.
Foldable trekking poles are much like telescoping trekking poles for what they offer in portability, but they fold instead of collapse. They can be folded down when not in use, which allows the poles to take up less space inside of a pack. These poles can fold because an elastic shock cord is attached to the inside of the pole. The pole is then divided into two or three parts that can be separated from one another. The separated pieces are attached together with the internal shock cord, but the cord is slack enough that the poles can be folded down into a “Z” shape. The folding mechanism of the poles slightly increases their weight and makes the poles more susceptible to damage.
Now that you know what these different build types of trekking poles have to offer, you can make a more informed decision on which trekking pole is right for you. |
0.999999 | Individual retirement accounts, or IRAs, account for a significant portion of Americans' retirement savings. Here's what you should know about IRA accounts.
Roth IRA: Roth IRA contributions are not deductible from your taxable income. However, money in Roth IRA accounts grow tax free. Unlike an IRA, earnings may be withdrawn tax free as long as the account has been open at least five years and you are 59 1/2 or older. Contributions can be withdrawn any time without taxes or penalty.
Other options: There are also other IRA account choices. Spousal IRA accounts can be of the traditional or Roth variety and are reserved for nonworking spouses, allowing them to build their retirement savings despite not earning income. Deemed or "sidecar" IRAs are IRA accounts through which employers automatically deduct an employee's IRA contributions from their after-tax compensation. They, too, follow the rules for traditional or Roth IRAs.
For 2015, anyone under the age of 50 can contribute up to $5,500 to his or her IRA accounts per year. Those aged 50 or older may contribute up to $6,500. However, your contributions can't exceed your taxable income, so if your taxable income is less than those limits, you can only contribute up to the value of your taxable income.
Technically, you can withdraw money from an IRA account at any time, but doing so before age 59 1/2 can trigger hefty tax penalties unless you meet certain IRS conditions.
For a traditional IRA account, withdrawing funds early can mean a 10 percent tax penalty on the withdrawal, in addition to the taxes that are owed on the withdrawal. For Roth IRA accounts, contributions may be withdrawn tax-free at any time, but any earnings on your contributions are still subject to the 10 percent penalty unless the account has been open at least five years and you are 59 1/2 or older.
Generally speaking, the longer you wait to withdraw your retirement savings the better. You not only avoid penalties (if you don't withdraw before 59 1/2) but also allow your retirement savings to compound over time, increasing the amount of funds you have available in retirement.
Some may have the resources to delay their IRA account withdrawals beyond their retirement date, but whether you can actually do that depends on your type of IRA. Roth IRA account owners may delay their withdrawals as long as they'd like, but traditional IRA account holders are required to begin taking minimum distributions by age 70 1/2. To determine the size of your required minimum distributions, use FINRA's required minimum distribution calculator. |
0.999496 | The song "Brothers in Arms" is an "elegiac slow burn, of the kind you might expect to close an episode rather than carry its middle section," says Sam Adams. "(Indeed, that’s exactly how it was used in The West Wing’s 'Two Cathedrals,' which found President Jed Bartlet facing storms both literal and metaphorical with a smile on his face.) But The Americans’ home stretch was a tribute to the power, and sometimes the frustration, of taking it slow, letting conflicts simmer like the unresolved organ chords and thundering rumbles that fade in on the soundtrack as Philip, Elizabeth, and Paige face what is left of the rest of their lives. Although it was released at a time when the threat of nuclear war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union—as chronicled in Season 4’s 'The Day After'—still seemed acute, 'Brothers in Arms' is steeped in sorrow instead of anxiety, sung from the perspective of an old soldier who’s come to the end of a war he wishes he’d never had to fight."
What should Keri Russell do next? How about a Ryan Murphy or Shonda Rhimes show?
It's a Top 10 series finale because of how it "thoroughly and almost radically it puts a bow on the series’ central preoccupation: the Jennings marriage" |
0.99945 | You must be wondering what is the usage of Gaussian functions in statistics. They are used to describe the normal distributions and signal processing for images. They are also required in the heat transfer and diffusion of equations to define the wire transformation.
If the number of events is very large then Gaussian distribution is particularly suitable for various physical events too. This is a continuous function that give you an idea of exact distribution of binomial events.
This concept is valid for normalized equations too when sun over all values of x define the probability of one. It is somehow related to the standard deviation of mean too. The other name for Gaussian distribution is the normal distribution that is usually defined as the bell-shaped curve.
The formula is designed to evaluate different mathematical concepts like mean value, standard deviation, and the value of distribution function too where the value of x is supplied. The concept is valid for a large number of distributions too for evaluating the precise results.
Further, the concept is necessary in discrete applications too particularly to process the digital signatures. The simple answer to each of your problem is Gaussian distribution yielding the best outcomes as needed. |
0.997464 | Why forests are so important to us and to the world.
Forests play a critical role for the global environment, population and economy. Besides alleviating the effects of climate change and natural disasters, they represent some of the richest biological areas on Earth. They also provide food, renewable raw materials for many of our products, and livelihoods for millions of people.
Trees are a renewable resource that can replenish themselves. Sustainable forest management ensures that young trees are planted when old ones are harvested.
Forests can mitigate climate change. By capturing and storing carbon, forests remove significant volumes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. A tree will continue to store carbon after it has been harvested and used – furniture and wooden homes can store carbon for hundreds of years. That is why it is so important to use wood-based products.
Sustainably produced wood and paper-based goods are a wise, renewable and environmentally friendly choice compared to other materials such as plastics, which alone, use 4% of the total global oil production. Similarly, energy production from forest-based wood and biomass can replace other more greenhouse-gas intensive products, such as oil and coal.
Forests also influence nature’s capacity to cope with natural hazards, acting as barriers against heavy rains, flooding and strong winds. They help control or reduce the risk of soil erosion, landslides and avalanches. Forests therefore have an important role in protecting the homes and communities (FAO) of animals and people, and they help to maintain the environmental conditions needed for agricultural production.
Biodiversity is a term used to refer to the diversity of life on earth.
Forests are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet and are home to about 80 percent of the world’s land-based animals and plants (FAO). Thanks to their presence and interaction, ecological processes such as pollination, seed dispersal and soil fertilization can take place.
Biodiversity forms the basis of many of the values and services that society derives from forests, including food, fibre, biomass, wood and shelter for people and wildlife.
Forests play a key role in the protection of the world's water resources and in the global water cycle. Much of the world’s drinking water comes from forested areas, and millions of people depend on high-quality freshwater flowing from forests (FAO).
Forests absorb water as direct rainfall from the atmosphere and through their roots from the ground. Through a process of evapo-transpiration, they then re-release water to the atmosphere. Without this process, a key part of the global water cycle would be interrupted, resulting in increased drought and desertification.
Through stabilization of soil, forests minimize erosion and reduce the impairment of water quality due to sedimentation. Woodlands protect water bodies and watercourses by trapping sediments and pollutants from other up-slope land uses and activities.
Forests also help to maintain nutrient cycling in the soil. Soil contains a myriad of organisms, such as earthworms, ants, termites, bacteria and fungi. This soil biodiversity helps regulate pest and disease occurrence in agricultural and natural ecosystems, and can also control or reduce environmental pollution.
Forests have numerous social benefits, ranging from indigenous peoples’ rights to contributions to sustainable livelihoods, rural development, and local employment.
Forests contribute to the livelihoods of some 1.6 billion people worldwide, including 60 million indigenous people who are fully dependent upon them. Fuelwood and charcoal are the main sources of energy for an estimated two billion people around the world. Two billion people also rely on traditional medicines from forests for their health.
Forest-based activities such as hunting and fishing provide over 20% of household protein requirements in developing countries. Non-timber forest products such as fruits, vegetables and mushrooms are important components of the diet in rural areas, especially for poor households or during times of food shortage.
Forests also contribute significantly to national and regional economies. In developing countries, forest-based enterprises provide about 13–35% of all rural non-farm employment, that’s equivalent to 17 million formal sector and 30 million informal sector jobs (IUFRO). In some developed countries, such as Canada, Sweden, Finland and parts of the United States, where the forestry sector is a major part of the rural economy, the forest sector is an important contributor to rural development (FAO). |
0.989503 | Many travellers are searching for Non Touristy Things To Do In Koh Samui, Traveling is full of many opportunities to go on all kinds of adventures where you can experience new people and cultures. One popular country that many people like to flock to is the Southeastern country of Thailand. While there are many spots to go to in this affordable island paradise, but the island of Koh Samui is where many people like to go to because it has so many activities and natural and manmade structures to view. You can find Non Touristy Things To Do In Koh Samui travel information.
Non Touristy Things To Do In Koh Samui, Koh Samui is the second largest island in Thailand. They have many beaches full of coconut groves and rain forests. Additionally, there are many spots for relaxation, exciting nightlife and tourist culture, and religious architecture.
This is found on a rocky island that is with the northern end of Koh Samui. It houses a 15-meter high Buddha Statue in the modern Buddha in Mara posture with all the beautiful island sky surrounding him. Before visitors can enter into the area with the statue, they should don the right traditional clothing for your area.
While Koh Samui has numerous waterfalls, the Na Muang waterfalls located inland are the most incredible because perfect for doing such things as swimming, exploring, climbing, or going on a picnic. The base of the first waterfall can be reached via the "staircases" produced by the tree roots and rocks, as well as the base is really a large natural pool where water is cool and refreshing. The next waterfall is about half an hour away and is recognized as Namtok Na Muang or "purple waterfalls" because the rocks contain shades of purple. In between the two is definitely the Na Muang Safari Park where you could see monkey shows and carry on elephant rides.
There is a lot of exciting activity within this popular spot. You may go swimming or maybe relax on its beautiful sandy beaches flanked by clear and funky waters. Another thing this area is recognized for is its cabaret shows, or more specifically its kathoey cabaret shows that feature transgender women or effeminate males who dress and perform in classic cabaret or Thai dancing garb. The shows usually feature the dancers lip syncing to popular music and sometimes performing detailed choreography, making on an enjoyable experience that is filled with glitz and glam.
These are also known as "Grandfather and Grandmother Rocks." These rocks are incredibly named as their natural formations look similar to female and male genitalia. The website can easily give someone with a feeling of humor a giggle, and also the local legend that you just will listen to locals of how they came about also can lead to a fascinating trip.
It is really an aquarium where you can see many of the local wildlife from the area. A lot of the marine life is in the Gulf of Thailand like tiger sharks, manta rays, nurse sharks, various tropical fish, and more. The zoo inside features many animals like monkeys, otters as well as other birds, together with the main attractions being the leopards and tigers taking the stage in a live show. You may also pay a little bit more to acquire your picture taken using them.
For those that tire of heavily physical exercises or people who just want to experience all that local fare has to offer can attend some classes at this popular cooking school. SITCA offers courses that are a couple of hours long to create a multicourse meal. A number of the items covered within the class include studying local ingredients and ways to create intricate floral designs using various carving techniques on local fruits and vegetables. Students may also get a complementary instructional DVD so that they can practice the strategy both at home and anywhere else.
Within the interior hills in the island, you will find these beautiful religious structures set in a luscious jungle. Originally developed by a fruit farmer named Khun Nim on his land, the garden features many large statues of Thai deities, animals, and humans in dynamic poses. The farmer also made a statue of himself in a relaxed pose on the rock. The garden is really a serene and quiet place having a waterfall and stream running throughout the jungle areas. |
0.972615 | What tools will I need to installing a floating, tongue and groove prefinished ash floor?
Basic tools needed are a level, carpenter's square, chalk line, crow bar, electric hand saw, hammer, jig saw, tape measure, utility knife, spacers rubber mallet, and safety goggles. That's all I can think of off the top of my head. You should check out the installation guides on here as it will give you a full list of the things you will most likely need as well as step by step instructions. |
0.999677 | Share code untuk tools pembersih “log” dengan menggunakan phython, manfaatnya adalah anda bisa menghilangkan jejak sejenak dari log yang tersimpan.
#logfile and also can watch a logfile for modifications.
print "\n Usage: python logcleaner.py <option>\n"
print "\t -i <ip>: Ip to search for and replace"
print "\t -e <file>: Encrypts logfile"
print "\t -d <file>: Decrypts logfile"
print "\t -w/-watch <file> <time to check> : Watches logfile for modification"
print "\t -h/-help: Prints this menu\n"
print "[-] No Active Logs Found"
#Lets not search a file with no data.
#print "\t[-] IP not found"
print "[+] Finding More Logfiles..."
print "\n[-] Need a time in seconds (ex: 60)\n"
print "Error: Check your full path.\n"
print "\n[-] Cannot Open File, Check Full Path!!!\n"
print "[+]log was finish to clean......\n"
makasih om admin.. nice info..
maaf ini buat LINUX ya? ataw bisa buat windows jg?
Kayaknya lebih gampang pake CCleaner ya gk.?
buat windows bisa ga nih gan ? |
0.953345 | In the late 1920s the American astronomer Edwin Hubble made a very interesting and important discovery. Hubble made observations that he interpreted as showing that distant stars and galaxies are receding from Earth in every direction. Moreover, the velocities of recession increase in proportion with distance, a discovery that has been confirmed by numerous and repeated measurements since Hubble's time. The implication of these findings is that the universe is expanding.
Hubble's hypothesis of an expanding universe leads to certain deductions. One is that the universe was more condensed at a previous time. From this deduction came the suggestion that all the currently observed matter and energy in the universe were initially condensed in a very small and infinitely hot mass. A huge explosion, known as the Big Bang, then sent matter and energy expanding in all directions.
This Big Bang hypothesis led to more testable deductions. One such deduction was that the temperature in deep space today should be several degrees above absolute zero. Observations showed this deduction to be correct. In fact, the Cosmic Microwave Background Explorer (COBE) satellite launched in 1991 confirmed that the background radiation field has exactly the spectrum predicted by a Big Bang origin for the universe.
As the universe expanded, according to current scientific understanding, matter collected into clouds that began to condense and rotate, forming the forerunners of galaxies. Within galaxies, including our own Milky Way galaxy, changes in pressure caused gas and dust to form distinct clouds. In some of these clouds, where there was sufficient mass and the right forces, gravitational attraction caused the cloud to collapse. If the mass of material in the cloud was sufficiently compressed, nuclear reactions began and a star was born.
Some proportion of stars, including our sun, formed in the middle of a flattened spinning disk of material. In the case of our sun, the gas and dust within this disk collided and aggregated into small grains, and the grains formed into larger bodies called planetesimals ("very small planets"), some of which reached diameters of several hundred kilometers. In successive stages these planetesimals coalesced into the nine planets and their numerous satellites. The rocky planets, including Earth, were near the sun, and the gaseous planets were in more distant orbits.
The ages of the universe, our galaxy, the solar system, and Earth can be estimated using modem scientific methods. The age of the universe can be derived from the observed relationship between the velocities of and the distances separating the galaxies. The velocities of distant galaxies can be measured very accurately, but the measurement of distances is more uncertain. Over the past few decades, measurements of the Hubble expansion have led to estimated ages for the universe of between 7 billion and 20 billion years, with the most recent and best measurements within the range of 10 billion to 15 billion years.
The age of the Milky Way galaxy has been calculated in two ways. One involves studying the observed stages of evolution of different-sized stars in globular clusters. Globular clusters occur in a faint halo surrounding the center of the Galaxy, with each cluster containing from a hundred thousand to a million stars. The very low amounts of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium in these stars indicate that they must have formed early in the history of the Galaxy, before large amounts of heavy elements were created inside the initial generations of stars and later distributed into the interstellar medium through supernova explosions (the Big Bang itself created primarily hydrogen and helium atoms). Estimates of the ages of the stars in globular clusters fall within the range of 11 billion to 16 billion years.
A second method for estimating the age of our galaxy is based on the present abundances of several long-lived radioactive elements in the solar system. Their abundances are set by their rates of production and distribution through exploding supernovas. According to these calculations, the age of our galaxy is between 9 billion and 16 billion years. Thus, both ways of estimating the age of the Milky Way galaxy agree with each other, and they also are consistent with the independently derived estimate for the age of the universe.
Radioactive elements occurring naturally in rocks and minerals also provide a means of estimating the age of the solar system and Earth. Several of these elements decay with half lives between 700 million and more than 100 billion years (the half life of an element is the time it takes for half of the element to decay radioactively into another element). Using these time-keepers, it is calculated that meteorites, which are fragments of asteroids, formed between 4.53 billion and 4.58 billion years ago (asteroids are small "planetoids" that revolve around the sun and are remnants of the solar nebula that gave rise to the sun and planets). The same radioactive time-keepers applied to the three oldest lunar samples returned to Earth by the Apollo astronauts yield ages between 4.4 billion and 4.5 billion years, providing minimum estimates for the time since the formation of the moon.
The oldest known rocks on Earth occur in northwestern Canada (3.96 billion years), but well-studied rocks nearly as old are also found in other parts of the world. In Western Australia, zircon crystals encased within younger rocks have ages as old as 4.3 billion years, making these tiny crystals the oldest materials so far found on Earth.
The best estimates of Earth's age are obtained by calculating the time required for development of the observed lead isotopes in Earth's oldest lead ores. These estimates yield 4.54 billion years as the age of Earth and of meteorites, and hence of the solar system.
The origins of life cannot be dated as precisely, but there is evidence that bacteria-like organisms lived on Earth 3.5 billion years ago, and they may have existed even earlier, when the first solid crust formed, almost 4 billion years ago. These early organisms must have been simpler than the organisms living today. Furthermore, before the earliest organisms there must have been structures that one would not call "alive" but that are now components of living things. Today, all living organisms store and transmit hereditary information using two kinds of molecules: DNA and RNA. Each of these molecules is in turn composed of four kinds of subunits known as nucleotides. The sequences of nucleotides in particular lengths of DNA or RNA, known as genes, direct the construction of molecules known as proteins, which in turn catalyze biochemical reactions, provide structural components for organisms, and perform many of the other functions on which life depends. Proteins consist of chains of subunits known as amino acids. The sequence of nucleotides in DNA and RNA therefore determines the sequence of amino acids in proteins; this is a central mechanism in all of biology.
Experiments conducted under conditions intended to resemble those present on primitive Earth have resulted in the production of some of the chemical components of proteins, DNA, and RNA. Some of these molecules also have been detected in meteorites from outer space and in interstellar space by astronomers using radio-telescopes. Scientists have concluded that the "building blocks of life" could have been available early in Earth's history.
An important new research avenue has opened with the discovery that certain molecules made of RNA, called ribozymes, can act as catalysts in modem cells. It previously had been thought that only proteins could serve as the catalysts required to carry out specific biochemical functions. Thus, in the early prebiotic world, RNA molecules could have been "autocatalytic"—that is, they could have replicated themselves well before there were any protein catalysts (called enzymes).
Laboratory experiments demonstrate that replicating autocatalytic RNA molecules undergo spontaneous changes and that the variants of RNA molecules with the greatest autocatalytic activity come to prevail in their environments. Some scientists favor the hypothesis that there was an early "RNA world," and they are testing models that lead from RNA to the synthesis of simple DNA and protein molecules. These assemblages of molecules eventually could have become packaged within membranes, thus making up "protocells"—early versions of very simple cells.
For those who are studying the origin of life, the question is no longer whether life could have originated by chemical processes involving nonbiological components. The question instead has become which of many pathways might have been followed to produce the first cells.
Will we ever be able to identify the path of chemical evolution that succeeded in initiating life on Earth? Scientists are designing experiments and speculating about how early Earth could have provided a hospitable site for the segregation of molecules in units that might have been the first living systems. The recent speculation includes the possibility that the first living cells might have arisen on Mars, seeding Earth via the many meteorites that are known to travel from Mars to our planet.
Of course, even if a living cell were to be made in the laboratory, it would not prove that nature followed the same pathway billions of years ago. But it is the job of science to provide plausible natural explanations for natural phenomena. The study of the origin of life is a very active research area in which important progress is being made, although the consensus among scientists is that none of the current hypotheses has thus far been confirmed. The history of science shows that seemingly intractable problems like this one may become amenable to solution later, as a result of advances in theory, instrumentation, or the discovery of new facts. |
0.999995 | The term "trigger warning"-- defined as statements that warn of a negative emotional response to potentially distressing stimuli-- originated in online communities for the benefit of people with post-traumatic stress disorder. Within the past 5 years, the term has spread everywhere in popular culture. This includes college campuses where college professors are incorporating trigger warnings into their syllabi. One survey found that half of professors have used trigger warnings in their classroom, and some universities are even instituting policies that require trigger warnings.
In their book Coddling of the American Mind, Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt argue that "today's college students were raised by teachers who may have had children's best interests at heart but who often did not give them the freedom to develop their antifragility." According to Lukianoff and Haidt, trigger warnings are a form of overprotection which prevent students from learning to cope effectively with uncomfortable emotions, thus making students weaker and less resilient.
Pushing back against the pushback, Kate Manne argued in her article "Why I Use Trigger Warnings" that the point of trigger warnings is "not to enable-- let alone encourage-- students to skip these readings or subsequent class discussion... Rather, it is to allow those who are sensitive to these subjects to prepare themselves for reading about them, and better manage their reactions."
From a psychological perspective, one could make a case either way. On the one hand, it may be the case that trigger warnings prompt people to better regulate their emotions. It's true that being able to anticipate a response can make you more proactive in regulating your stress if you have such skills. On the other hand, the same research also suggests that anticipating a particular response can also cause one to exaggerate the anticipated response.
For instance, people who were told that a suspenseful film clip contained graphic violence experienced significantly more distress than people who were told that graphic violence content had been cut. Other studies suggest that providing patients with a detailed enumeration of every possible adverse event can actually increase side effects. As Paul Bloom argues in his book "How Pleasure Works", the experience of pleasure is so dependent on expectations. The same goes for pain.
It's also possible that trigger warnings lead people to have even more intrusive thoughts afterwards. After all, if I tell you not to think about a pink elephant, you're likely to think even more about pink elephants. Of course, trigger warnings don't tell you to definitely skip the material, but it's possible that people who choose to avoid the material may be setting themselves up to think even more about the content (or even worse, make the content out to be worse in their mind than it is in actuality).
In the past few years, researchers have started to systematically investigate the effectiveness of trigger warnings. In their paper with the clever title "Trigger warning: Empirical evidence ahead", Benjamin Bellet and his colleagues found evidence that trigger warnings may inadvertently undermine resilience (consistent with the thesis of Lukianoff and Haidt).
They found that people who were randomly assigned to receive trigger warnings prior to reading literary passages reported greater anxiety in response to reading potentially distressing passages, but only if they believed that words can cause harm. According to a tweet by one of the authors, however, anyone with a history of exposure to an extremely distressing event was not permitted to complete the experiment-- which comprised roughly 50% of those who started it!
They found that people who saw trigger warnings judged the material to be just as negative, felt similarly frequently intrusive thoughts and avoidance, and understood subsequent material just as much as those who did not see trigger warnings. Whatever positive effects of trigger warnings that were found were "so small as to lack practical significance."
While they did not actually recruit people with a diagnosed psychopathology (e.g., PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, depression), they did find that most of their participants reported a traumatic experience (consistent with findings conducted on the general popular more broadly). Also, while they didn't ask their subjects their socioeconomic status or education level, their samples were drawn from college students-- a population for whom trigger warnings are often provided.
With that said, I do think we need more research particularly on populations who have experienced the most severe traumatic experiences. It's possible that there might really be a critical difference between college students who report a traumatic experience and those who have been diagnosed with PTSD or generalized anxiety disorder.
The researchers conclude that "trigger warnings are at best trivially helpful" and further note: "college students are increasingly anxious... and widespread adoption of trigger warnings in syllabi may promote this trend, tacitly encouraging students to turn to avoidance, thereby depriving them of opportunities to learn healthier ways to manage potential distress."
Of course, this research has implications not just for college students. The scientific study of trigger warnings has begun, and I personally hope that this research can be less about who is right vs. wrong in this cultural war, and more about simply getting at the truth about the best method of helping all people become resilient-- and even thrive-- after trauma. |
0.929549 | Home automation, also known as smart home technology, is the process of controlling various home functions through either automated or remote technologies. Automating your home can be done manually or automatically through a remote control or smartphone apps. Lights and temperature are examples of home functions that can be controlled and optimized. Most smart home technologies also include built-in proximity sensors to detect issues like water leaks, smoke hazards, and doors and windows that have been left open. You can learn easy and efficient ways to automate your home.
If you’d like the convenience of not having to turn a home appliance or light on or off, consider installing a remote-controlled outlet to control various functions wirelessly. These products are typically plugged into an outlet and programmed to a remote control for personal use. These are also considered to be an affordable version when compared to smartphone technology. You can also control various devices with one remote control, or control one device with multiple remote controls.
If you don’t feel like getting up to turn your light switch on or off, you may want to invest in an outlet timer. These are used to control not just lights, but almost any product that is plugged into an outlet. Outlet timers are designed to turn a light switch on or off at specified times of the day. Another option is to use a wall switch timer, which is designed to replace a standard light switch.
Motion sensors are designed to alert you to the current condition of your home. This includes electricity usage and any doors or windows that have been left open. Most are also built with piezoelectric transducers, water leak probes, ambient light sensors, and accelerometers. They are also especially useful for closets and garage doors that contain sensitive items and valuables, such as jewelry and money. Motion sensors may also be programmed through smartphone technology apps so you can control various functions through your own cell phone.
Also known as learning thermostats, smart thermostats are used to control the temperature of various rooms in your home. They can also reduce your monthly energy bill by monitoring and controlling the temperature when you’re away from home. Depending on the model, some smart thermostats also show the current time and weather. These may also notify you when temperatures are too low or high, which may cause potential home issues, such as burst pipes.
Automating your home is an easy and efficient way to reduce your monthly bills and modernize the look of your home. This can be done through products like smart thermostats, motion sensors, outlet timers, and remote-controlled outlets, each of which has various functions to optimize and control home appliances. Home automation is also useful for monitoring your home when you’re away so you can control things like windows, doors, temperatures, and lights from afar. Modernize your home with the ease and efficiency of home automation through smartphones and remote controls.
I think the outlet timer would be fantastic for the corridor night light. You will not have to worry whether you have turn it off before you sleep. |
0.959348 | Compare hotels in Estonia, find the best deal and save money up to 50%.
Estonia power plug : do I need a travel adapter?
You're going to travel to Estonia and you don't know if your electric devices (your computer, mobile phone, battery charger...) will be able to work there?
To know if you need a travel plug adapter to go to Estonia, you have to consider 3 things : the shape of the plugs, the voltage and the frequency of the current delivered by electrical outlets in Estonia. |
0.951521 | This recipe is so good. I didn't have the onions and it still came out awesome! I also didn't have the potatoes it called for so I just used the smallest russetts I could find. Definitely smaller potatoes would be easier to deal with. The recipe is not very healthy, but for special occasions it is great. |
0.991236 | what might be my second favorite story of the book: Orphans of the Kraken follows the exploits of a ‘Salvation Squad’ of the Scythes of the Emperor. For those not in the know, the Scythes were nearly destroyed by Hive Fleet Kraken. The story covers the aftermath of that destruction, and what it means to the chapter. Very cool.
I don’t want to give much away but all I can say is the idea of Salvation squads sounds awesome and fluff wise this is without doubt one of the best (either this or Relic) in the book and if you can’t buy the book I recommend either going to the library or borrowing it from a friend just for those two stories.
The writing style of Richard Williams is superb. I was pulled into the story quickly and its xenos memory still haunts me.
It doesn’t disappoint. The stories are incredibly varied, detailing a broad spectrum of different Chapters each with their different ideologies and associated problems. Personal highlights include ‘The Returned’ by James Swallow that goes some way toward exploring the Doom Eagles Chapter and their beliefs, and ‘Orphans of the Kraken’ by Richard Williams.
Their are little problems in some of the stories, most of them not too bad. The one that comes to mind is the fact that in "Orphans of the Kraken" they use a carnifex to remove the gene seed from dead marines. That definetly had me a little puzzled. Just imagining a Apothacary pulling out a pocket sized carnifex and having it dig out the gene seed.
Note from Richard, I don't normally add comments here but I just wanted to clarify that this was a mistake, but not the mistake the reviewer thought I was making. While a carnifex is now a tyranid monster, it also used to be a tool used by Space Marine apothecaries on mortally wounded marines. When apothecaries were first introduced (back in the days they were called medics) it was the only one of their tools mentioned, and it implied that it was used both for the coup de grace and to remove progenoids, and so it was _this_ carnifex that my memory dredged up. The apothecaries have now been described in more detail and the proper tool I should have named is called the reductor.
"Cool story, a rebuilding chapter who explores and cleans out dead hive ships."
It actually pissed me off. Richard Williams did an outstanding job with his Imperial Navy Book "Relentless" and other short stories that he has written, but actually did a worse job of mis-portraying Space Marines than Chris Roberson does. This guy has done a huge disservice to the Scythes of the Emperor. Let me sum this up, Space Marines do not get depressed!!! They do not allow subordinates to bad mouth them!!! A Space Marine stuck for 50 years in a live Hiveship would have been dissolved!!! Only Chaos Marines are driven by Ego to the extent in this story. I cannot think of a single good thing to say about this story."
"Orphans of the Kraken is perhaps the best story of the collection. It places a handful of surviving Space Marines trying to rebuild their Chapter. Salvation Teams enter dying/ dead Tyranid hive ships in trying to find possible survivors from a Tyranid invasion. The action is interesting in describing how the hive ship exists. The combat decisions are the focus here. Is it better to retreat so that the few survivors can fight another day or to battle and die in trying to prevent the Tyranid spread?"
"This story is decent, but nothing compared to the suspenseful story we got in the early 40K anthology. Instead of the horror element, this one is more about the internal conflict of the sergeant as he tries to obey an order that is contrary to his nature."
"A real winner late in the book, we have a team of Scythes of the Emperor scouts who are tasked with boarding derelict Tyranid space craft to verify no Space Marines still survive on them. How cool an idea for a story is that? ... My favorite story of the book, I'd love to see this short story drawn out into an entire novel. Very cool." |
0.999995 | Picture this: You’re on the 3rd date with someone you really like – and who seems to like you. Can you imagine yourself saying something along these lines?
I think it’s pretty clear we like one another – and I think you’re a terrific guy/girl. As we talked about on our last date, we’re both interested in finding someone to be in a long-term relationship with. If we’re going to continue dating, I think it’s a good idea to share with each other what we envision for ourselves to further test our compatibility. Would you be open to talking about that?
You’d be surprised. It’s actually not a tough question for people who are both ready to be in a relationship and relatively confident and clear about what they want and need. This type of person understands it could take time to find the right partner. So even when there’s chemistry with someone, they believe it makes sense to ask the difficult questions early on to make sure their relationship values and goals match up.
What might seem like the Mt. Everest of questions is also easy to leapfrog for those whose life goals (i.e., marriage and family) are tied to age. Many like-minded folks in their 30s and 40s have already dated a lot and are ready to make a decision on a partner. And don’t think biological clocks just affect women. Even though men may be capable of fathering a child at age 60 doesn’t mean they want to wait until then to do so.
The “7 key questions in 3 dates” timeline this post proposes isn’t for everyone – nor is it even appropriate for everyone.
If you’re in your early 20s or just want a casual relationship, then taking it slow and letting a relationship evolve organically is to be encouraged. I also have a 55-year-old client who hasn’t dated in 8 years. Since she doesn’t want marriage or children, she’s absolutely fine with taking her time so she can uncover what (and who) feels right for her.
In between these two camps, there are many people who truly, (and perhaps desperately) want to be in a relationship yet always seem to get tripped up by common dating pitfalls like fun-but-futureless serial dating or ending up with the wrong type of partner…again.
These people suffer, but I believe there’s a way to end the pain. More about that at the end of the post.
First, here’s why I believe there are 7 key questions serious daters should ask on the first 3 dates!
I like to compare the first few dates with someone to how we typically size up a buffet line. Think about it. Most of us stroll up and down the table, seeing what looks good before deciding what to commit to our plates. Why? Because if we simply selected the first several items on the table – we could end up missing the really yummy and satisfying entrees further down the line!
That’s how I lay out my 7-questions approach to my relationship-coaching clients. I encourage them to look at dating as a way to get clear about a person’s rightness for you before you’re in too deep. If you take the approach to let things “develop organically,” you could end up spending a lot of time with someone, only to find out they’re not someone you can be with long-term.
Plus, asking the key questions early on can save some heartache. Many people, women in particular, have a hard time letting go of a relationship once there is physical and/or emotional intimacy. So even if you come to know that he or she can’t meet your needs, it can be hard to say goodbye to someone you’ve really connected with.
I’m not proposing that these are the only questions you’ll ask, (or answer) on dates 1, 2 and 3. You’ve gotten to know hundreds, perhaps thousands of people in your lifetime, and that aspect of dating is no different. But if you’re nervous or unsure, a quick trip to the Internet will provide ample first-date conversational tips.
OK. As promised, here are the 7 key questions that will help you move on to the next date – or simply move on.
1. What do you do for fun or as hobbies? Do you prefer adventurous or quieter activities?
This icebreaker is perfect for discovering if there are any interests you share, which is an important aspect of healthy relationships. Of course there is nothing wrong with having dis-similar interests, too, as they help people develop their individuality within a relationship. There are no right or wrong answers here; you’re simply looking for a sense of your date’s temperament and personality.
2. What should I know about you that I’d never think to ask about?
3. What do you wish people would stop asking you?
Do they get defensive or are they intrigued?
Do they give themselves the time they need to respond?
Do their responses reveal some vulnerability or perhaps a “silly” side?
If there were enough positive signs and good feelings on the first date, you’ll likely find yourself making plans to see one another again.
4. How would you describe your family…and your relationship with them?
Every child plays a unique role in a family. This question invites your date to tell you about his or hers, as well as share about the values, ideals, religious and cultural influences that were part of growing up. What you’re looking to see is if your date talks about his family with warmth or annoyance. If the latter, why is that?
5. What’s your relationship / marriage history?
If you want a serious relationship, the second date is not too early to talk a little about your histories.
You’re not asking for every single detail (nor should you share yours). Instead, you’re after an overview of their relationship experiences. Pay attention: Your date may reveal his or her attitude toward exes (positive or negative), as well as if she or he shares the responsibility for a relationship’s or marriage’s end – or puts it all on the partner. The conversation can also be a sneak peak into what they want in future relationships.
6. Are you looking for a monogamous relationship or do you prefer to date a variety of people?
I know it’s only the second date. And Yes, this is a big question. But if you’re serious about wanting a long-term relationship, it’s better to know your date’s intention sooner rather than later. He or she can’t give a wrong answer… but there is only one right answer for you. If it’s “looking for a monogamous relationship” and the chemistry is good, you’re probably going on to a third date.
7. When it comes to a long-term relationship, what are your must-haves…as well as your must-not-haves?
Obviously this isn’t the only question or topic for the third date, but it’s the core one. This question presumes you know what your must-haves and must-not-haves are, of course, and are willing to share them honestly.
If you mention you’d like to be married and start a family within a year or so and your date freaks out, it’s a pretty clear sign that it isn’t in the cards for him or her – at least not on your timetable. It can be tough to distinguish someone’s ‘potential commit-ability” from their actual interest in a commitment… but that’s precisely what this question forces you to reckon with.
So there you have my 7 key questions to ask on the first 3 dates.
Before I sign off, I want to make good on my commitment to daters who want a serious relationship, but are no where near being able to ask these very direct questions.
First, let me assure you there is nothing wrong with where you are! Nor does a resistance to asking these questions mean you’re not meant to be in a relationship.
What it may mean is that you have some old belief systems about yourself and your fitness for a successful relationship that you may not even know you hold. In my experience, (personal and professional), these old beliefs need to be examined. Through that process, you will learn some truths about yourself – and the many positive traits you can bring to a relationship.
Some people can do this emotional work alone, but most find it more effective and efficient to work with a therapist or relationship coach. Eventually, doing it helps you become more clear and confident about what you want and need in a successful relationship – and how to go about achieving that goal.
In fact, I did exactly that to get unstuck and find the relationship of my dreams.
Sue De Santo is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has been a therapist in private practice for over 20 years. A graduate Loyola University with a Masters Degree in Social Work, Sue is also holds a certification in Relationship Coaching from the Relationship Coaching Institute. Sue has extensive experience in women’s issues, anxiety and depression, substance abuse, grief counseling, relationship issues, divorce recovery and couples counseling. To learn more, visit: suedesanto.com. This blog post was originally published on Sue’s blog.
>What do you wish people would stop asking you?
Although I can admit this would be an interesting question, it also seems kind of weird and random to ask someone that. It just seems like it’ll be pretty obvious that you read that you should ask someone that on the internet… I mean no one is going to naturally think of asking someone that and I can’t see how it would ever come up in conversation organically. |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.