proba float64 0.5 1 | text stringlengths 16 174k |
|---|---|
0.99897 | Data annotation bias is found in many situations. Often it can be ignored as just another component of the noise floor. However, it is especially prevalent in crowdsourcing tasks and must be actively managed. Annotation bias on single data items has been studied with regard to data difficulty, annotator bias, etc., while annotation bias on batches of multiple data items simultaneously presented to annotators has not been studied. In this paper, we verify the existence of “in-batch annotation bias” between data items in the same batch. We propose a factor graph based batch annotation model to quantitatively capture the in-batch annotation bias, and measure the bias during a crowdsourcing annotation process of inappropriate comments in LinkedIn. We discover that annotators tend to make polarized annotations for the entire batch of data items in our task. We further leverage the batch annotation model to propose a novel batch active learning algorithm. We test the algorithm on a real crowdsourcing platform and find that it outperforms in-batch bias naïve algorithms. |
0.996722 | Relaxation The ability to relax at will, whether this be in the body or in the mind.
Concentration The ability to hold one's attention on an object without distraction, usually to the exclusion of all other objects.
Mindfulness The ability to observe an object or multiple objects without fixation, while often being aware of all sensory input and mental states.
Visualization The ability to creatively imagine an object.
Energetic The ability to sense and manipulate subtle energies, such as a prana or chi.
Emotional The ability to change one's emotional state at will.
Many techniques combine multiple abilities in order to accomplish their purpose. For example, mindfulness meditation requires that you be relaxed and hold a steady attention in order to observe without fixation. I find that it is significantly easier for a person to meditate after having performed the Waterfall Exercise, a cleaning technique for the subtle body.
Inspired by my experience of the teachings of Gregori Gurdjieff, I have meditated on sensation for two decades. The results of this practice is a high degree of integration of consciousness with the body. My practice of martial arts (formerly) and yoga (currently) have been greatly improved by this bodily awareness. I operate the neuromuscular machinery with great facility. I am also able to mentally direct blood flow and create or dispel tension. These substantial results have given me a bias against purely mental or imaginary meditation practices. Many people seem out of touch with their bodies due to a heavy emphasis on the visual sense and the consumption of digital media. I'd rather a person spend time getting to know their body than delve into imaginary spaces.
I work in a gym that has over 170,000 square feet of space dedicated to the development of the physical body. Where is our gymnasium for mental training? |
0.933182 | HOW MUCH overhead is justified to maintain profit? Many argue that if it isn't broken, don't fix it. If that is so, a machine builder might continue offering its old technology and tooling while the rest of industry moves through the 21st Century.
When does a manufacturer retool? When is it prudent to invest in R&D? The equation is different in every company's case.
Some companies don't have a engineering research arm. Most of the engineering effort is spent putting out fires or trying to satisfy regulatory issues. Those companies that still build to outdated 20th Century make-shift standards would best consider re-investment based on current industry standards.
But if you suggest that a company upgrade its understanding of international standards, it likely will balk and shoot to kill the messenger. Nobody wants to spend profits on retooling the engineering and manufacturing knowledge base when things are running smoothly. Most engineers are willing to just let it go, i.e., don't rock the boat.
And there's no guarantee that being certified by "world process-quality standardization agencies" will mean a company will change its culture and accept ideas such as performing self audits, analyzing causes and determining corrective actions for continuous improvement. I've seen a major manufacturer gain its covenanted certification in only seven months and still not know the fundamentals of statistical process control (SPC) or have an active program to analyze failures from the field to aid in determining problem trends.
So if your organization seems to have some of these character flaws, consider a move toward a new level of industrial standardization. A good start is to contact the International Organization for Standardization www.iso.ch and inquire about ISO 9001 certification.
Some of you might remember standards such as MIL-STD-454, General Requirements for Electronic Equipment, Requirement 5,it dealt with general soldering. It was digested and refined to produce a standard that electronic industries in more than 100 countries now meet.
This was not just renaming and copying of a MIL Standard, but a world industry makeover to take into consideration what is important for reliability, while insuring that companies in many countries could meet these standards.
But just saying you meet standards is not enough. Both internal and external audit trails are needed to verify compliance. One has to be willing to show compliance, not just sell compliance over the phone.
The certification plaque on the wall needs to mean more, and it should be taken away if the organization's culture doesn't change.
These are the changes needed to design and build robust equipment. If your company isn't working to at least some of them, then you might not have exposure to reliable design and processing sources. Today as electronics get smaller, equipment is being used in environments that no one would ever have envisioned using electronics. Where there once was a geared-tooth flywheel with a magnetic sensor is now an optical encoder with high-bandwidth, signal-conditioning electronics.
This, however, means equipment needs to survive more extremes of vibration, shock and temperature. If your equipment is being sold for new applications where the operating environment might be marginally hostile, design standards can make the difference between almost surviving a two-year warranty and meeting the customer-specified eight-year life.
So, if the boss really wants to justify product development costs, then perhaps introducing product enhancements to meet industry standards can be justified. The key: someone has to care enough to make a change. And any company that believes this applies only to industries that deal with military applications, then they're probably setting themselves up for a big surprise.
The companies concerned about reliability are not just in the aerospace/defense business. The list also includes many well-known technology companies serving a variety of industries and markets.
There is a clear connection between robust design and survivability. If you don't think you can make a case for that connection, then the best course of action might be to wait until upper management brings up the subject,probably after profits have been affected by customer perception of poor equipment survivability. At that point upper management might want to try and find out why, and may be ready to hear a proposed solution.
But if you really want to understand the values, maybe it's worth it to raise the topic to management. What's the worst that can really happen anyway?
Rod Bronson is a consulting engineer to the motion control industry, having worked in design and manufacturing since 1981 for Litton Industries, Delco Electronics, and BEI Technologies. For more information, contact him at rodbr1@msn.com. |
0.945093 | What is a sheriff? Mention the word "sheriff" and many people's minds will fill immediately with images of shootouts and gunfights in the Wild West. Such is the power of old movies and television series, which have so magnified the role of the nineteenth-century American sheriff that it is now virtually impossible to think of sheriffs as existing in any other place or time. Most people would be surprised to know that the office of sheriff has a proud history that spans well over a thousand years, from the early Middle Ages to our own "high-tech" era. With few exceptions, today's sheriffs are elected officials who serve as a chief law-enforcement officer for a county. Although the duties of the sheriff vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, the sheriff's office is generally active in all three branches of the criminal justice system: law enforcement, the courts and corrections. The importance of the modern sheriff was stressed by President Ronald Reagan in his address to the National Sheriffs' Association on June 21, 1984. He said, "Thank you for standing up for this nation's dream of personal freedom under the rule of law. Thank you for standing against those who would transform that dream into a nightmare of wrongdoing and lawlessness. And thank you for your service to your communities, to your country, and to the cause of law and justice." To appreciate the vital function that sheriffs continue to serve, it is useful to become acquainted with the long and diverse history of the sheriff's office, and how the office has grown and changed over the past twelve centuries.
More than twelve hundred years ago, the country we now call England was inhabited by small groups of Anglo-Saxons who lived in rural communities called tuns. (Tun is the source of the modern English word town.) These Anglo-Saxons were often at war. Sometime before the year 700, they decided to systematize their methods of fighting by forming a system of local self-government based on groups of ten. Each tun was divided into groups of ten families, called tithings. The elected leader of each tithing was called a tithingman. The tithings were also arranged in tens. Each group of ten tithings (or a hundred families) elected its own chief. The Anglo-Saxon word for chief was gerefa, which later became shortened to reeve. During the next two centuries, a number of changes occurred in this system of tithings and hundreds. A new unit of government, the shire, was formed when groups of hundreds banded together. The shire was the forerunner of the modern county. Just as each hundred was led by a reeve (chief), each shire had a reeve as well. To distinguish the leader of a shire from the leader of a mere hundred, the more powerful official became known as a shire-reeve. The word shire-reeve eventually became the modern English word sheriff. The sheriff -- in early England, and metaphorically, in present-day America -- is the keeper, or chief, of the county. Under King Alfred the Great, who assumed the throne in the year 871, the sheriff was responsible for maintaining law and order within his own county. However, it remained the duty of every citizen to assist the sheriff in keeping the peace. If a criminal or escaped suspect was at large, it was the sheriff's responsibility to give the alarm -- the hue and cry, as it was called. Any member of the community who heard the hue and cry was then legally responsible for helping to bring the criminal to justice. This principle of direct citizen participation survives today in the procedure known as posse commitatus.
Originally, tuns had ruled themselves through the election of tithingmen and reeves. Over the years, however, government became more centralized -- concentrated in the power of a single ruler, the king. The king distributed huge tracts of land to various noblemen, who thereby became entitled to govern those tracts of land under the king's authority. Under this new arrangement, it was the noblemen who appointed sheriffs for the counties they controlled. In those areas not consigned to noblemen, the king appointed his own sheriffs. At the Battle of Hastings in 1066, the Saxon king Harold was defeated by the Normans -- invaders from the country we now call France. The Normans, who did not believe at all in local government, centralized their power. Rule was greatly consolidated under the king and his appointees. More than ever before, the sheriff became an agent of the king. Among the sheriff's new duties was that of tax collector. Dictatorial rule by a series of powerful kings became more and more intolerable over the years. Finally, in 1215, an army of rebellious noblemen forced the despotic King John to sign the Magna Carta. This important document restored a number of rights to the noblemen and guaranteed certain basic freedoms. The text of the Magna Carta mentioned the role of the sheriff nine times, further establishing the importance of that office. Over the next few centuries, the sheriff remained the leading law enforcement officer of the county. To be appointed sheriff was considered a significant honor. The honor, however, was a costly one. If the people of the county did not pay the full amount of their taxes and fines, the sheriff was required to make up the difference out of his own pocket. Furthermore, the sheriff was expected to serve as host for judges and other visiting dignitaries, providing them with lavish entertainment at his own expense. For these reasons, the office of sheriff was not often sought after. In fact, many well-qualified men did everything they could to avoid being chosen. The law on this point was quite clear -- if a man was chosen to be sheriff, he had to serve.
When English settlers began to travel to the New World, the office of sheriff traveled with them. The first American counties were established in Virginia in 1634, and records show that one of these counties elected a sheriff in 1651. Although this particular sheriff was chosen by popular vote, most other colonial sheriffs were appointed. Just as noblemen in medieval England had depended upon sheriffs to protect their tracts of land, large American landowners appointed sheriffs to enforce the law in the areas they controlled. Unlike their English counterparts, however, American sheriffs were not expected to pay extraordinary expenses out of their own pockets. Some sheriffs -- most of whom were wealthy men to begin with -- even made money from the job. Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, American sheriffs were assigned a broad range of responsibilities by colonial and state legislatures. Some of these responsibilities, such as law enforcement and tax collection, were carried over from the familiar role of the English sheriff. Other responsibilities, such as overseeing jails and workhouses, were new. Prior to the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215, the most common punishments for crimes that did not warrant the death penalty had been flogging or other sorts of physical mutilation. When confinement became favored as a more civilized way to deal with criminals, authorities in medieval England introduced the county jail. They began to experiment with other sorts of facilities as well. Among these were the workhouse, where minor offenders were assigned useful labor, and the house of correction, where people who had been unable to function in society could theoretically be taught to do so. All three of these institutions were brought to colonial America, and the responsibility for managing them was given to the colonies' ubiquitous law enforcement officer -- the sheriff. As Americans began to move westward, they took with them the concept of county jails and the office of sheriff. The sheriff was desperately needed to establish order in the lawless territories where power belonged to those with the fastest draw and the most accurate shot. Here it is said that sheriffs fell into two categories, the quick and the dead. Most western sheriffs, however, kept the peace by virtue of their authority rather than their guns. With a few exceptions, sheriffs resorted to firepower much less often than is commonly imagined.
In the minds of many Americans, the role of sheriff ended with the taming of the Wild West. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. There are over three thousand counties in the United States today, and almost every one of them has a sheriff. Some cities, such as Denver, St. Louis, Richmond and Baltimore have sheriffs as well. In the majority of states, the office of sheriff is established by the state constitution. Most of the remaining states have established the office by an act of state legislature. Alaska is the only state in which the office of sheriff does not exist. There are only two states in which the sheriff is not elected by the voters. In Rhode Island, sheriffs are appointed by the governor; in Hawaii, deputy sheriffs serve in the Department of Public Safety's Sheriff's Division. Because the office of sheriff exists in so many different places and under so many different conditions, there is really no such thing as a "typical" sheriff. Some sheriffs still have time to drop by the town coffee shop to chat with the citizens each day, while others report to an office in a skyscraper and manage a department whose budget exceeds that of many corporations. Despite their differences in style, however, most sheriffs have certain roles and responsibilities in common.
Most sheriffs' offices have a responsibility for law enforcement, a function that dates all the way back to the origins of the office in feudal England. Although the authority of the sheriff varies from state to state, a sheriff always has the power to make arrests within his or her own county. Some states extend this authority to adjacent counties or to the entire state. Many sheriffs' offices also perform routine patrol functions such as traffic control, accident investigations, and transportation of prisoners. Larger departments may perform criminal investigations or engage in other specialized law enforcement activities. Some unusually large sheriffs' offices may have an air patrol (including fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters), a mounted patrol or a marine patrol at their disposal. Many sheriffs enlist the aid of local neighborhoods in working to prevent crime. The National Neighborhood Watch Program, sponsored by the National Sheriffs' Association, allows citizens and law enforcement officials to cooperate in keeping communities safe.
In every state in which the office exists, sheriffs are responsible for maintaining the safety and security of the court. A sheriff or deputy may be required to attend all court sessions; to act as bailiff; to take charge of juries whenever they are outside the courtroom; to serve court papers such as subpoenas, summonses, warrants, writs, or civil process; to extradite prisoners; to enforce money decrees (such as those relating to the garnishment or sale of property); to collect taxes; or to perform other court-related functions.
Most sheriffs' offices maintain and operate county jails, detention centers, detoxification centers and community corrections facilities such as work-release group homes and halfway houses. Sheriffs, and the jail officers under their authority, are responsible for supervising inmates and protecting their rights. They are also responsible for providing inmates with food, clothing, exercise, recreation and medical services. This responsibility has become more difficult as old jail facilities deteriorate and become overcrowded. The mid-1970s brought on an explosion of lawsuits filed by inmates to protest their conditions of confinement. In recent years, however, national and state commissions, along with the courts, have been working together with local authorities to make jails more hospitable and humane. This effort has brought sheriffs and jail officers into partnership with judges, district attorneys, and corrections officials. As jail conditions improve, sheriffs and their departments are earning increased respect and recognition as professionals.
Welcome to the Pender County Sheriff's Office website. Created to improve our goal of communicating with our citizens while providing the best service possible through available online resources. |
0.967816 | Do Americans feel that children are better off with a parent at home, in an era when most women work? Supply and demand for oil is constantly changing, adjusting the price a market participant is willing to pay for oil today and in the future.
Two-parent households are on the decline in the U. Finally, changes in supply and demand create trends as market participants fight for the best price.
American attitudes about immigration and diversity are supportive of these changes for the most part. Today, almost every company, large or small, is touched in some way by global competition. Few companies can ignore the renewed and very demanding environmental movement.
This created an age of consumer frugality, which will last into the future. Marketing for non-profit organizations such as social marketing campaign for discourage smoking, hospitals to save ill children seeks for attention, support or even funds.
Here are the four major factors: Business administration and marketing class notes - these notes are taken using voice recognition software and may have grammar errors. The Mobile Earthquake After a decade of wondering when mobile would finally arrive, marketers know see that the earth has undeniably shifted underfoot.
This proliferation in screens will fuel an explosion in digital video advertising, as marketers finally have the best of both worlds: Trading Center Want to learn how to invest?
As fortune favors the prepared, executives are wise to educate their organizations about these landscape-altering forces. The advance in technology has made the world smaller, today marketers are connected globally with their customers. Today, smart marketers of all kinds are taking advantage of new opportunities for building relationships with their customers, their marketing partners, and the world around them.
Whether political, cultural or religious, individuals hold strong convictions and are deeply committed to maintaining and defending them, sometimes by force and intimidation.
Yet there is no denying one aspect of digital that will make this shift appealing for those who handle money: As supply dwindles or demand increases, a long-term rise in oil prices can occur as market participants outbid one another to attain a seemingly finite supply of the commodity.
Don't wait for your agency to bring these trends to you, talk to them about ways you can invest in them. The lowering of interest rates and taxes can encourage spending and economic growth. If supply increases beyond current demand, prices will fall.
The Programmatic Flood The emergence of programmatic media buying, while less visible than the growth of mobile and digital video, has been no less important.
Smartphones and tablets are now the dominant platform for media consumption around the globe. The market state About the Author Based in Los Angeles, Billy Max has been an assistant professor of mechanical engineering with a state university, and has been writing engineering and business and finance-related articles since The Opportunity in a Crisis This wholesale remodeling of marketing's platforms, formats, and processes has many CMOs and their agencies in a state of crisis.
Thus, managers in countries around the world are increasingly taking a global, not just local, interest in the company's industry, competitors, and opportunities.
Finally, the major new developments in marketing can be summed up in a single word: The Participant Effect The analysis and resultant positions taken by traders and investors based on the information they receive about government policy and international transactions create speculation as to where prices will move.
Working with large Chinese online shopping site has given them another opportunity to gain profits and increase their sales. The Bottom Line As stated above, trends are generally created by four major factors:is driving five major marketing trends that form the foundation of Insights While these forces are not new, we have called them out as the five key trends for because they have now converged to make this the year that dealing with all of these elements, both individually and.
At its core, demography is the act of counting people. But it’s also important to study the forces that are driving population change, and measure how these changes have an impact on people’s lives. In analyzing the major trends affecting health care in this country — trends that impact the cost, access and quality of health care — it is important to understand that the forces which led to the recent national debate over health care reform have not gone away.
Return to Table of Contents What Are the Major Trends Affecting Health Care? We are in a period of dramatic change. In analyzing the major trends affecting health care in this country — trends that impact the cost, access and quality of health care — it is important to understand that the forces which led to the recent national debate over health care.
Stocks fluctuate on a short and long-term scale, creating trends. The threat of supply drying up at current prices forces buyers to buy at higher and higher prices, creating large price increases. Describe the major trends and forces that are changing the marketing landscape in this age of relationships?
Dramatic changes in the marketplace are making companies rethink their marketing strategy, as it is becoming more challenging. |
0.999993 | Yoga - religion or spirituality?
"Is yoga a religion? It is and it is not. In religion you have to believe something but in yoga you have to experience what you want to believe". Yogi Bhajan.
Yoga includes an incredibly broad collection of ideas and practices. It is not a religion, but its origins as a collection of practices to explore the human condition developed in the context of Indian religious culture. There are at times significant parallels and connections with both Hinduism and Buddhism, but it doesn't exactly belong to either. ( In my opinion). There are also atheist strands of Indian philosophy.
I know Christians, Hindus, Buddhists and Atheist Humanists who practice and teach yoga. They all find that their core values are generally consistent with those in yoga. At its heart it is an inclusive practice that requires no belief system, just curiosity, an inquiring mind and a willingness to try the practices.
Feel more centred, balanced and comfortable in our bodies.
Get a perspective on our busy minds and look more deeply beyond the superficial thoughts and into deeper layers of consciousness.
Consider some of the bigger questions of life and our place in the wider scheme of things.
Traditional Indian texts that can help illuminate our understanding of a living yoga practice include: 'The Upanishads', 'The Bhagavad Gita', 'Patanjalis yoga Sutras', 'The Hatha Yoga Pradipika' and some Buddhist texts.
Some modern hatha yoga practice manuals include an introduction to yoga philosophy and interesting viewpoints. My personal favourites are 'Awakening the Spine' – Vanda Scaravelli, 'Yoga Mind, Body and Spirit' – Donna Farhi, 'The Heart of Yoga' – TKV Desikachar, 'Dancing the Body of Light' – Dona Holleman and 'Yoga, The Spirit and Practice of Moving in Stillness' – Eric Schiffmann.
Western scientific analysis and neuroscience is also increasingly providing some interesting insights into yoga practice and it's potential effects.
The spiritual vision of yoga is that all of life is interconnected at a deep level via consciousness and nature. In our hearts we perhaps sense this at certain times but not others. Meditation is one way that can help deepen this sense of connection which will support us to live with more care, love and compassion for ourselves, others and all of life.
The formal practice of meditation can reduce stress and facilitate a steady sense of ease within ourselves. It can give us greater insight into the patterns of feelings, emotions and thoughts that determine our lives, and how we might live with greater ease and awareness in relation to these. The relatively simple, but not necessarily easy, act of observing and understanding our mind/body processes in meditation can be transformative in terms of how we understand ourselves and relate to life.
I teach the yoga history and philosophy module for the London Yoga Teacher Training Group and Intelligent Yoga Teacher Training - both these courses run in London . I enjoy teaching this subject and am available to teach this module on other yoga teacher training courses, workshops or CPD events for yoga teachers. If you are interested please e mail or text or phone 07915 650106. |
0.944705 | What are superfoods? Nothing but foods low in calories and rich in vital nutrients that can lead to a healthy lifestyle and even provide protection against lifestyle diseases like cancer and heart disease. Here are five great superfoods that can well be a part of our everyday diet.
Oats: Extremely high in soluble fibre and a good source of plant proteins that help in muscle growth and repair, slow the digestion of sugar and keeps blood sugar levels under control.
Nuts: Help in alertness, are great for skin, and reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes. A mix of walnuts, almonds and pistachios are a great source of antioxidants, omega 3s and healthy oils.
Fish: Great for skin and hair, and loaded with Omega 3 fatty acids that can help reduce the risk of heart disease. Can also aid in weight loss and ease the effects of arthritis.
Broccoli: Bursting with antioxidants and tops the superfoods list for many experts. Research terms it as one of the most important cancer-preventing foods.
Spinach: Spinach includes iron, calcium, potassium, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, fibre, vitamins A, B1, B2, B6 and C, zinc and niacin (good for blood, brain and skin health). Need we say more?
Lots of folks may benefit from your writing.
Outstanding entry! I found it quite interesting.
The good and fascinating articles keep me coming back here over and again. thank you a lot.
site by accident, I bookmarked it.
I added this article to my top picks and plan to return to for more excellent posts.
as well as smart post. I really enjoyed my first read throughout this post. |
0.864952 | 1. She was an adulteress with another man while he's away on business.
Not particularly. Very few people would use the word "adulteress" these days. "She committed adultery while he was away on business" would be a natural, if formal, statement. Usually it is not really necessary to qualify the statement with "another man" - that is an understood fact.
She was an adulteress with another man while he's away on business.
In your original sentence, it is not absolutely clear whether or not 'he' refers to 'another man' or to her husband. |
0.952265 | I've recently watched the movie Moneyball. The idea of a killer stat is interesting, and it is interesting if such a thing exists in cricket.
In baseball getting on base is the primary objective when batting. There are times that other things are ideal, but getting on base is always a good thing. Compare this with batting in limited overs cricket. If the team needs 8 of the last 2 balls, and you hit a single, you are making it extremely unlikely for your team to win the game. (Unless you have Andre Adams at the other end, and Graeme Aldridge is bowling). However if you need 2 runs off 7 balls, and Bruce Reid at the other end, a single is a great thing.
Likewise if you are chasing 324, scoring 110 off 155 deliveries is really making it difficult for your team to win. But scoring 101 off 143 when your team is chasing 197 on a tricky pitch is an outstanding effort.
However it is rarely true in recent times that a bowler can bowl 9 or more overs and concede less than 50 runs and it be a bad effort. If a bowler stops batsmen from scoring runs, they are doing their job. Over the past 5 years when teams restrict their opponents to 250 or less they win roughly 2/3 of the matches. To put that in perspective South Africa has the 2nd best winning record in that time, winning about 2/3 of their matches. To put it another way, If Bangladesh managed to keep their opponents to 250 or less every match they would be likely to have the best winning record in Asia.
As a result, bowlers who can regularly keep their runs conceded under 50 are very valuable for a team. Which leads to the question: who are the best at doing it?
In that list of 14, there are 10 finger spinners. Some of them don't often bowl that many overs, and only get to bowl that many if things are going well for them, such as Mohammed Hafeez, Nuwan Kulasekera or Darren Sammy, however the other 9 finger spinners are in the 13 most likely bowlers to bowl 9 or more overs.
If we give in to conventional wisdom that we need pace bowlers in a team to give the bowling line up balance, we need to know who are the most reliable pace bowlers. Here are the equivalent numbers for the quick(er) bowlers.
An equivalent table for wrist-spin bowlers is rather redundant, as it would only contain Shahid Afridi, as the only wrist spinner to have 20 or more innings where he has bowled 9 or more and conceded 50 or less in the past 5 years.
Perhaps this would suggest that if we were going to pick a stats-based world team for an ODI, our bowlers might be best to have Kulasekara and Lee opening the bowling, Hafeez and Sammy as our all-rounders and Vettori and Swann as our pure spinners. It would be a very difficult line-up to score off indeed.
I'm really surprised at the range in %s achieved by those top performers. I would have expected there to be much tighter bunching. What's your view on the timing of when bowlers bowl in an innings? Does being your team's 'death' bowler, or being trusted with powerplay overs deflate the performance on this measure of some of the best?
Yes - there are a number of factors.
There are not many South African players here, and this is in part due to the nature of the pitches.
There are also not many bowlers who bowl in the powerplay overs, although Hafeez tends to bowl most of his overs with the field in, which is an extra credit to him.
Also it's good to be a good bowler in a poor bowling side (Price, Sammy, Shakib) as the batsmen sometimes tend to see them out and attack at the other end.
However I think that despite these factors, the numbers are still very interesting. |
0.990607 | When is a FOIA Response Not Responsive?
When is an FOIA response not reponsive? Depends on who you ask, I suppose.
In theory, there are basically seven possible outcomes to a FOIA request - your request will be denied in full, your request will be granted in full, your request will be granted in part, no records will be "found" responsive to your request, your request will be deemed insufficiently detailed to permit a reasonable search, the associated fees will exceed what you're willing to pay, or your request will be referred to another agency That's the theory, anyway.
In reality, there's a lot more to it - a dozen reasons and sub-reasons for not releasing all or part of a document, just for starters. But, as far as the annual FOIA reports each government agency produce (or are supposed to produce), everything basically gets broken down into four possible outcomes - no records found, granted in full, granted in part, denied in whole. Simple, straightforward, and easy enough for even government employees to understand.
Under the United Kingdom's FOI Act, you can request copies of records - but you can also essentially ask questions, and the government has to compile a response. The U.S. Freedom of Information Act, on the other hand, only allows a person to request records. A lot of requests aren't super-specific; if you don't know what records a given agency has on a subject, who's to know if they only send you two of the three they find? Certainly not you, and under mounting pressure to clear backlogs of FOIA requests, I wouldn't be too terribly surprised if a lot of FOI/PA sections were at least occasionally interpreting "all records" as "some records" to save themselves time. Something's better than nothing, after all. Right?
That's probably not too bad. I mean, it definately contravenes the spirit, and probably the letter, of the FOIA itself, but it's better than, say, the CIA's canned "we neither confirm nor deny the existance of records responsive to your request" line. Everyone cuts corners at their job, after all, and being a FOI/PA officer - knowing that virtually none of your "customers" would ever be able to call your bluff - has to tempt the weak-willed into trying to make their job easier, at least once in a while.
What is bad, though, is allowing personal opinion to color your judgement. What's bad is outright lieing to a requestor. What's really bad is telling a lie that you can easily be called on.
I requested some training materiel from the United States Marine Corps. It wasn't secret, classified, or heavily-restricted stuff; quite literally any Marine has access to it. It is, however, about what some might consider a "sensitive" subject - chemical and biological agent protection. That, I believe, is why I was lied to.
To be fair, the USMC has always been pretty responsive to FOIA requests - for a given definition of "responsive", anyway. And therein lies the kicker.
I was sent a response by email, about a week after I'd mailed the request off. Attached to the email was a PDF file of a Marine Corps Institute textbook on "Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Reconnaissance and Avoidance". This, I should point out, is not the course I'd requested, nor does it contain any of the theoretically "sensitive" details on chemical and biological agents that the "Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Personal Defense" text does. It's a response to my request, but is it "responsive?"
The email explained that the class for the materials sent to me had "replaced" the class whose text I'd requested. On the surface, that seems perfectly reasonable, but it proved to be pretty problematic.
First of all, on a purely technical level, I didn't write the Marine Corps Institute and ask that, out of the kindness of their hearts as freedom-loving defenders of democracy, they send me something. Rather, I made a Freedom of Information Act request. Why is this important? Because, theoretically, under the FOIA, you're supposed to get what you ask for. You can request copies of 1930's field manuals, if you're willing to pay for the photocopies, and you will get them, not a more recent edition. If you ask for copies of annual reports from years past, you won't get last year's report, because it's "more current", you will (or should) get the one you ask for. So, on a purely technical level, releasing something other than what was requested is definately not "responsive".
On a more subjective level, the explanation didn't make a whole lot of sense. The "personal defense" course was still listed on the Institute website, and it appeared still possible to enroll in. A little bit of searching discovered that the course in question was created in 2004 - while the textbook I was emailed was from 1999. Suspicious? A bit, I think.
I contacted the MCI officer who'd emailed me with a few questions, and he suddenly was telling a very different story. The course in question was still being offered, but the coursework doesn't exist as a PDF file, and they were out of the CD-ROMs, so he thought I'd be happy with a competely different text - one which conveniently exists as a freely-copied PDF. If I really wanted, though, he was willing to mail me a copy of the CD whenever they might again become available.
Now, I don't know for certain why I was lied to, but it's inarguable that the original response was not completely honest nor truly responsive, and it highlights a major problem with the FOIA in this country. As my experience demonstrates, even when you know exactly what you're requesting, there's a chance that you won't be given it, even when it exists. I made a relatively "perfected" request - for the coursework for a specific, named class, which I knew existed - and still didn't get it.
Given that a lot of FOIA requests are for things that the requestor isn't positive exists, or doesn't know the specifics of, there's no sure way to know that even "responsive" requests are actually responsive. How are you to know how many records might exist that are responsive to your request? If the government sends you three, odds are you're going to be satisfied, and more importantly (for them), you're probably never going to know that a fourth, fifth, and sixth report exists.
Even more worrying are imprecise requests, where it's clear that the requestor doesn't know the exact nature of the records in question, but can infer their existance. Several years ago - in fact, in August 2001 - I came across a reference in an annual government report to a joint intelligence handbook prepared by the USMC and the CIA, and requested a copy from the Marine Corps. I forget the exact wording of my request, but I cited the report where I'd seen the reference, and asked for a copy of that handbook. A week after September 11th, I received in the mail a small book - "Kosovo : A Field-Ready Reference Manual". There was no return address - heck, no postage! - just, I kid you not, a piece of paper with my address on it, wrapped around the book and held on with a rubber band. Since I never received any other correspondence about my request, and DoD manuals don't regularly just show up in my mailbox, I assumed the volume came from the USMC; given what had happened the week before, and that I'd addressed my request to the Navy at the Pentagon, I didn't really feel like bugging them.
But I have to wonder - is that really the book I'd requested? Was that really a responsive request, or were the FOI/PA staff just betting on my not being able to call their bluff?
I'll probably never know, nor will the hundreds of thousands of others who file FOIA requests with the government every year. It's perilously difficult to prove a negative, and FOIA appeals take years. For all that the government is supposed to be on the citizen's side, journalists, researchers, and everyone else who make FOIA requests are at the mercy of the government. This is why it's especially important to do your homework when making FOIA requests; while even the most precise requests - as shown above - are no guarantee of getting what you want, or rather what you ask for, knowing as much as you can about what you're requesting helps immeasurably in assessing the responsiveness of what, if anything, gets released to you. |
0.944748 | What dog breeds are really non-shedding?
I know that some claim to be non-shedding but they really aren’t.
The only breed of dog I know for a fact does not shed is the poodle. For some reason they will never shed one hair anywhere. I think the Chinese Crescent also can’t since they have almost no hair, but you have to add lotion to their skin daily.
All dogs shed some, however dogs that have hair, rather than fur, tend to shed less. For example, a poodle has hair and sheds less than other dogs.
There are two types of coat types in all dogs. Some breeds have fur, which is falls out after growing to a certain length. Dogs who shed have fur type coats. Other breeds, such as poodles, silky terriers, and shitzus have hair which will grow until cut.
Yorkies are a breed that is considered non shedding. Silkies are also among those breeds. However, if you are looking for a dog that doesn’t shed due to allergy reasons, you must keep in mind that all dogs do have pet dander that can cause allergies to flare. My favorite of the non shedding groups is a yorkie. |
0.949503 | The remains of a huge medieval castle that may have rivaled the Tower of London has been discovered under the basketball court of an abandoned prison.
Archaeologists unearthed the enormous 'tower keep', which is thought to date back to 1110, while they were investigating the site in Gloucester ahead of a redevelopment project.
The castle, which was among the first buildings to be built of stone, was thought to have been destroyed in 1787 and the Gloucester prison built on top.
But archaeologists say they have been 'surprised' to find many of the ruins still intact less than two feet (60cm) below the prison's old exercise yard.
They say the design would have resembled Canterbury castle and the Tower of London.
Neil Holbrook, chief executive of Cotswold Archaeology who led the excavation, said: 'It would have been a powerful symbol of Norman architecture.
HM Prison Gloucester was designed by William Blackburn as a County Gaol that opened in 1791 and was substantially rebuilt in 1840 with additional wings.
It was built on the site of a Normal castle that had previously served as the city's jail for around 200 years.
More recently it served as a Category B prison and at one point was considered to be one of the most overcrowded jails in the United Kingdom.
In 2013 the prison was closed and it is now due to be redeveloped.
There are thought to be a number of unmarked graves, where executed prisoners were buried.
The keep wall is more than 12 feet wide and the building is estimated to have been 98 feet (30m) long and 65 feet (20m) across.
It housed three chapels, two drawbridges and a royal chamber for both the King and Queen.
The building is thought to have served as the dominant fortress in the Gloucester area after it was built before being used as the city jail for 200 years ahead of its destruction in 1780.
It appears, however, rather than completely remove the structure, the new prison was merely built on top of it.
Neil Holbrook, chief executive of Cotswold Archaeology, said: 'I am surprised by what we found.
HM Prison Gloucester was built on top of the original castle in 1791 and more recently it was used to house category B prisoners before it was closed in 2013. It is now due to be redeveloped.
Gloucester Prison closed in March 2013 and was bought by City and Country Group, which is running a public consultation on its future use.
It is not yet decided what elements of the castle will be taken into account when constructing the new build.
City and Country are considering what to do with the site and as a result of the dig finds they have altered plans to include elements of the sites history. |
0.953528 | This is the Khafre Pyramid from its southwest corner. The consistency of brick size across cities also suggests unity across the various urban areas, which is evidence of a broader civilization. To the right are green fields flooded every year by the Nile, which flows out of sight to the right, with the modern city of Luxor on its far bank.
For the first known time in world history, chickens were domesticated as a food source, and cotton was grown and used in making textiles. Note the two tiny openings to what may have been air shafts. They established trading enclaves in the south of the Peninsula.
Mohenjo-daroPortion of the ruins at the Mohenjo-daro archaeological site, southeastern Pakistan. Colossus of Memnon This truly colossal statue and its companion are all that remains of a huge mortuary temple built by the pharaoh Amenhotep III Amenophis in the 14th century B.
The cities were carefully planned, with straight paved streets intersecting at right angles and an elaborate drainage system with underground channels.
Ancient workers down here chipped away at the limestone bedrock to build what some scholars believe may have been the original burial chamber for King Khufu. The core of the Mahabharata is a great war between rivals for the throne of an Aryan state situated in the upper Ganges plain in the region of the modern Delhi.
Over two million blocks of stone collectively weighing six-and-a-half-million tons loom overhead. City of Luxor Now a modern Egyptian city, Luxor was the site of ancient Thebes, and it boasts the two sprawling pharaonic temple complexes of Luxor and Karnak. The Indus Valley civilization may have been the first in world history to use wheeled transport.
Excavated ruins of Mohenjo-daro, with the Great Bath in the foreground and the Buddhist Stupa in the background. Writing began to disappear, and the standardized weights and measures used for trade and taxation fell out of use.
And on the pedestal these words appear: Some suggest close ties with the Sumerians. In any event, small farming and pastoral villages spread across the northwest of the subcontinent.
The large number of figurines found in the Indus Valley have led some scholars to argue that the Indus people worshipped a Mother Goddess symbolizing fertility, a common practice among rural Hindus even today.
During this period, the pharaohs Khufu, Khafra and Menkaura ordered the construction of great pyramids.Mesopotamia is a historical region in Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in modern days roughly corresponding to most of Iraq, Kuwait, parts of Northern Saudi Arabia, the eastern parts of Syria, Southeastern Turkey, and regions along the Turkish–Syrian and Iran–Iraq borders.
The Sumerians and Akkadians (including. Linguists have cracked many tough scripts, from Mesopotamian cuneiform to Egyptian hieroglyphic to Central American Mayan glyphs, but there are a few ancient, mysterious scripts still in the field today, including the Indus Valley Civilization script of over four millennia ago, that are yet to be deciphered.
Overview. The Indus Valley civilization of ancient India was one of the earliest civilizations in world history. It was located in the north-western region of the Indian subcontinent, and its rise and fall form the first great chapter in the history of ancient India.
Although Chinese civilization developed along rivers much like cultures in Mesopotamia and Egypt, the idea of royal power took a completely. The Indus River Valley Civilization, BCE, also known as the Harappan Civilization, extended from modern-day northeast Afghanistan to Pakistan and northwest India.
Important innovations of this civilization include standardized weights and measures, seal. Mesopotamia vs. Indus River Valley 9/26/12 Ancient Mesopotamia and the Indus River Valley civilization were two incredibly productive and successful empires.
While Mesopotamian politics were slightly less focused on religion and more on other aspects, the two societies shared many social characteristics. |
0.95814 | Corporate personhood is the legal notion that a corporation, separately from its associated human beings (like owners, managers, or employees), has at least some of the legal rights and responsibilities enjoyed by natural persons (physical humans). In the United States and most countries, corporations have a right to enter into contracts with other parties and to sue or be sued in court in the same way as natural persons or unincorporated associations of persons. In a U.S. historical context, the phrase 'Corporate Personhood' refers to the ongoing legal debate over the extent to which rights traditionally associated with natural persons should also be afforded to corporations. A headnote issued by the Court Reporter in the 1886 Supreme Court case Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad Co. claimed to state the sense of the Court regarding the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment as it applies to corporations, without the Court having actually made a decision or issued a written opinion on that point. This was the first time that the Supreme Court was reported to hold that the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause granted constitutional protections to corporations as well as to natural persons, although numerous other cases, since Dartmouth College v. Woodward in 1819, had recognized that corporations were entitled to some of the protections of the Constitution. In Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. (2014), the Court found that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 exempted Hobby Lobby from aspects of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act because those aspects placed a substantial burden on the closely held company's owners' exercise of free religion.
As a matter of interpretation of the word "person" in the Fourteenth Amendment, U.S. courts have extended certain constitutional protections to corporations. The basis for allowing corporations to assert such protections under the U.S. Constitution is that they are organizations of people, and the people should not be deprived of their constitutional rights when they act collectively. Thus, treating corporations as having legal rights allows corporations to sue and to be sued, provides a single entity for easier taxation and regulation, simplifies complex transactions that would otherwise involve, in the case of large corporations, thousands of people, and protects the individual rights of the shareholders as well as the right of association.
Generally, corporations are not able to claim constitutional protections that would not otherwise be available to persons acting as a group. For example, the Supreme Court has not recognized a Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination for a corporation, since the right can be exercised only on an individual basis. In United States v. Sourapas and Crest Beverage Company, "[a]ppellants [suggested] the use of the word 'taxpayer' several times in the regulations requires the fifth-amendment self-incrimination warning be given to a corporation." The Court did not agree.
Since the Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission in 2010, upholding the rights of corporations to make political expenditures under the First Amendment, there have been several calls for a Constitutional amendment to abolish corporate personhood. The Citizens United majority opinion makes no reference to corporate personhood or the Fourteenth Amendment, but rather argues that political speech rights do not depend on the identity of the speaker, which could be a person or an association of people.
During the colonial era, British corporations were chartered by the crown to do business in North America. This practice continued in the early United States. They were often granted monopolies as part of the chartering process. For example, the controversial Bank Bill of 1791 chartered a 20-year corporate monopoly for the First Bank of the United States. Although the Federal government has from time to time chartered corporations, the general chartering of corporations has been left to the states. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, corporations began to be chartered in greater numbers by the states, under general laws allowing for incorporation at the initiative of citizens, rather than through specific acts of the legislature.
The degree of permissible government interference in corporate affairs was controversial from the earliest days of the nation. In 1790, John Marshall, a private attorney and a veteran of the Continental Army, represented the board of the College of William and Mary, in litigation that required him to defend the corporation's right to reorganize itself and in the process remove professors, The Rev John Bracken v. The Visitors of Wm & Mary College (7 Va. 573; 1790 Supreme Court of Virginia). The Supreme Court of Virginia ruled that the original crown charter provided the authority for the corporation's Board of Visitors to make changes including the reorganization.
As the 19th century matured, manufacturing in the U.S. became more complex as the Industrial Revolution generated new inventions and business processes. The favored form for large businesses became the corporation because the corporation provided a mechanism to raise the large amounts of investment capital large business required, especially for capital intensive yet risky projects such as railroads.
In 1818, the United States Supreme Court decided Trustees of Dartmouth College v. Woodward – 17 U.S. 518 (1819), writing: "The opinion of the Court, after mature deliberation, is that this corporate charter is a contract, the obligation of which cannot be impaired without violating the Constitution of the United States. This opinion appears to us to be equally supported by reason, and by the former decisions of this Court." Beginning with this opinion, the U.S. Supreme Court has continuously recognized corporations as having the same rights as natural persons to contract and to enforce contracts.
Seven years after the Dartmouth College opinion, the Supreme Court decided Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts v. Town of Pawlet (1823), in which an English corporation dedicated to missionary work, with land in the U.S., sought to protect its rights to the land under colonial-era grants against an effort by the state of Vermont to revoke the grants. Justice Joseph Story, writing for the court, explicitly extended the same protections to corporate-owned property as it would have to property owned by natural persons. Seven years later, Chief Justice Marshall stated: "The great object of an incorporation is to bestow the character and properties of individuality on a collective and changing body of men."
In the 1886 case Santa Clara v. Southern Pacific – 118 U.S. 394 (1886), Chief Justice Waite of the Supreme Court orally directed the lawyers that the Fourteenth Amendment equal protection clause guarantees constitutional protections to corporations in addition to natural persons, and the oral argument should focus on other issues in the case. In the Santa Clara case the court reporter, Bancroft Davis, noted in the headnote to the opinion that the Chief Justice, Morrison Waite, began oral argument by stating, "The court does not wish to hear argument on the question whether the provision in the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which forbids a State to deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws, applies to these corporations. We are all of the opinion that it does." While the headnote is not part of the Court's opinion and thus not precedent, two years later, in Pembina Consolidated Silver Mining Co. v. Pennsylvania – 125 U.S. 181 (1888), the Court clearly affirmed the doctrine, holding, "Under the designation of 'person' there is no doubt that a private corporation is included [in the Fourteenth Amendment]. Such corporations are merely associations of individuals united for a special purpose and permitted to do business under a particular name and have a succession of members without dissolution." This doctrine has been reaffirmed by the Court many times since.
The 14th Amendment does not insulate corporations from all government regulation, any more than it relieves individuals from all regulatory obligations. Thus, for example, in Northwestern Nat Life Ins. Co. v. Riggs (203 U.S. 243 (1906)), the Court accepted that corporations are for legal purposes "persons", but still ruled that the Fourteenth Amendment was not a bar to many state laws which effectively limited a corporation's right to contract business as it pleased. However, this was not because corporations were not protected under the Fourteenth Amendment—rather, the Court's ruling was that the Fourteenth Amendment did not prohibit the type of regulation at issue, whether of a corporation or of sole proprietorship or partnership.
This federal statute has many consequences. For example, a corporation is allowed to own property and enter contracts. It can also sue and be sued and held liable under both civil and criminal law. As well, because the corporation is legally considered the "person", individual shareholders are not legally responsible for the corporation's debts and damages beyond their investment in the corporation. Similarly, individual employees, managers, and directors are liable for their own malfeasance or lawbreaking while acting on behalf of the corporation, but are not generally liable for the corporation's actions. Among the most frequently discussed and controversial consequences of corporate personhood in the United States is the extension of a limited subset of the same constitutional rights.
Corporations as legal entities have always been able to perform commercial activities, similar to a person acting as a sole proprietor, such as entering into a contract or owning property. Therefore, corporations have always had a "legal personality" for the purposes of conducting business while shielding individual shareholders from personal liability (i.e. protecting personal assets which were not invested in the corporation).
Ralph Nader, Phil Radford and others have argued that a strict originalist philosophy should reject the doctrine of corporate personhood under the Fourteenth Amendment. Indeed, Chief Justice William Rehnquist repeatedly criticized the Court's invention of corporate constitutional "rights," most famously in his dissenting opinion in the 1978 case First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti; though, in Bellotti, Justice Rehnquist's objections are based on his "views of the limited application of the First Amendment to the States" and not on whether corporations qualify as "persons" under the Fourteenth Amendment. Nonetheless, these justices' rulings have continued to affirm the assumption of corporate personhood, as the Waite court did, and Justice Rehnquist himself eventually endorsed the right of corporations to spend in elections (the majority view in Bellotti) in his dissenting opinion in McConnell v. FEC.
A central point of debate in recent years has been what role corporate money plays and should play in democratic politics. This is part of the larger debate on campaign finance reform and the role which money may play in politics.
Tillman Act of 1907, banned corporate political contributions to national campaigns.
Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, campaign financing legislation.
1974 Amendments to Federal Election Campaign Act provided for first comprehensive system of regulation, including limitations on the size of contributions and expenditures and prohibitions on certain entities from contributing or spending, disclosure, creation of the Federal Election Commission as a regulatory agency, and government funding of presidential campaigns.
Buckley v. Valeo, 424 U.S. 1 (1976) upheld limits on campaign contributions, but held that spending money to influence elections is protected speech by the First Amendment.
First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti (1978) upheld the rights of corporations to spend money in non-candidate elections (i.e. ballot initiatives and referendums).
Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce (1990) upheld the right of the state of Michigan to prohibit corporations from using money from their corporate treasuries to support or oppose candidates in elections, noting: "[c]orporate wealth can unfairly influence elections."
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (McCain–Feingold), banned corporate funding of issue advocacy ads which mentioned candidates close to an election.
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, 558 U.S. 844 (2010) the Supreme Court of the United States held that corporate funding of independent political broadcasts in candidate elections cannot be limited under the First Amendment, overruling Austin (1990) and partly overruling McConnell (2003).
Western Tradition Partnership, Inc. v. Attorney General of Montana (2012). U.S. Supreme Court summary reversal of a decision by the Montana Supreme Court holding that Citizens United did not preclude a Montana state law prohibiting corporate spending in elections.
The corporate personhood aspect of the campaign finance debate turns on Buckley v. Valeo (1976) and Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010): Buckley ruled that political spending is protected by the First Amendment right to free speech, while Citizens United ruled that corporate political spending is protected, holding that corporations have a First Amendment right to free speech.
^ "When Did Companies Become People? Excavating The Legal Evolution". NPR. 2014-07-28.
^ "Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc". Google Scholar. Retrieved 2018-01-26.
^ Smith, Bradley. "Corporations Are People, Too". NPR. Retrieved 2011-01-19.
^ "United States of America, Plaintiff-appellant, v. S. Steve Sourapas and Crest Beverage Company, Defendants-appellees". Cases.justia.com. Retrieved 2011-01-19.
^ "Resolutions & Ordinances Abolishing Corporate Personhood". Movetoamend.org.
^ Providence Bank v. Billings, 29 U.S. 514 (1830).
^ Calvert, Clay (2006). "Freedom of Speech Extended to Corporations". In Finkelman, Paul. Encyclopedia of American civil liberties, Volume 1. CRC Press. p. 650. ISBN 978-0-415-94342-0.
^ Hartman, Thom (2002). Unequal Protection: The Rise of Coprorate Dominance and the Theft of Human Rights. New York: St. Martin's Press.
^ Pembina Consolidated Silver Mining Co. v. Pennsylvania, 125 U.S. 394 (1886).
^ "United States Code: Title 1,1. Words denoting number, gender, and so forth | LII / Legal Information Institute". .law.cornell.edu. 2010-04-07. Retrieved 2011-01-19.
^ Ralph Nader and Robert Weissman. Letter to the Editor: Ralph Nader on Scalia's "originalism" The Harvard Law Record, Published: Thursday, November 13, 2008, Updated: Tuesday, September 29, 2009.
^ "Justice Rehnquist's Dissent in First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti". Reclaimdemocracy.org. Retrieved 2011-01-19.
^ "Buckley v. Valeo, 424 U.S. 1 (1976)". Justia Law. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
^ "Citizens United v. Federal Election Comm'n, 558 U.S. 310 (2010)". Justia Law. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
Friedrichs, David O. (2009). "Corporate Personhood and Corporate Decision Making". Trusted Criminals: White Collar Crime in Contemporary Society. Cengage Learning. ISBN 978-0-495-60082-4.
Hamilton, W. H. (1938). "The Path of Due Process of Law". Ethics. 48 (3): 269–96. doi:10.1086/290001. JSTOR 2988994.
Hartmann, Thom (2010). Unequal Protection: How Corporations Became ""People"" – and How You Can Fight Back. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. ISBN 978-1-60509-559-2.
Horwitz, Morton J., The Transformation of American Law: 1870–1960 (Oxford, 1992), especially Chapter 3, usefully places the notion within the context of competing strains of jurisprudence.
Laufer, William S. (2008). "Recognizing Pershonhood". Corporate Bodies and Guilty Minds: The Failure of Corporate Criminal Liability. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-47041-2.
Magnuson, Joel (2008). Mindful economics: how the U.S. economy works, why it matters, and how it could be different. Seven Stories Press. pp. 71–73. ISBN 978-1-58322-847-0.
McCurdy, C. W. (1975). "Justice Field and the Jurisprudence of Government-Business Relations: Some Parameters of Laissez-Faire Constitutionalism, 1863–1897". The Journal of American History. 61 (4): 970–1005. doi:10.2307/1890641. JSTOR 1890641.
McLaughlin, A. C. (1940). "The Court, the Corporation, and Conkling". The American Historical Review. 46 (1): 45–63. doi:10.2307/1839788. JSTOR 1839788.
Mendelson, W. (1970). "Hugo Black and Judicial Discretion". Political Science Quarterly. 85 (1): 17–39. doi:10.2307/2147556. JSTOR 2147556.
Russell, J. F. S. (1955). "The Railroads in the "Conspiracy Theory" of the Fourteenth Amendment". The Mississippi Valley Historical Review. 41 (4): 601–622. doi:10.2307/1889179. JSTOR 1889179. See also Jack Beatty, Age of Bettayal (Knopf, 2007). The 'conspiracy theory' here has not to do with the Waite-Davis correspondence regarding the reporter headnotes, but with a disingenuous attempt to claim congressional intent in the original framing of the 14th Amendment that it include establishing corporate personality as constitutionally protected.
Wiist, William H. (2010). "Introduction – Corporate Personhood Ushers in the Gilded Age". The bottom line or public health: tactics corporations use to influence health and health policy and what we can do to counter them. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-537563-3.
Torres-Spelliscy, Ciara (2013). "Taking Opt-In Rights Seriously: What Knox v. SEIU Could Mean for Post-Citizens United Shareholder Rights". Montana Law Review. 74 (1): 101. SSRN 2225851. |
0.986373 | Evan Almighty is a 2007 American comedy film starring Jon Stewart, Steve Carell, Morgan Freeman and a panel of unrelated background characters. The film's budget was $140 million, making it the most expensive film starring Jon Stewart of all time. Film critic Andrew Haulk speculated that if the film starred someone other than Carell, and/or if the film was not being produced by Paramount Pictures, the Jon Stewart cameo would cause the budget to reach "not 9, but 10 digits".
The general outline of the film relates to newsreader-turned-congressman Evan Baxter (Carell), who is asked to build an ark by God (Freeman) to avoid the oncoming flood of pointless climaxes.
Often regarded as the staple of the film by many film critics, the Jon Stewart cameo in the second half of the film was regarded as the main attraction. Jon Stewart appeared in the context of his show, The Daily Show, on a small TV screen in a food and drink place, wherein he discussed Evan's ark in-character, but only briefly, in roughly two or three sentences.
The first cameo was announced in February 2007, when director Tom Shadyac decided it would improve the film's otherwise bland and pointless script. Jon Stewart's first cameo was filmed over the course of three months on The Daily Show's set. The crew spent $40 million on Stewart's 7 second cameo for scripting, filming and taming Stewart. After the cameo was announced, the film's website was temporarily down due to a mass of incoming traffic.
The final cameo was poorly received. Tim Gronsky noted that it is mainly due to the fact that the joke was much of a pun, but partly because the management of the film decided not to make the entire film around Stewart. Others marked the failed reception of the cameo to be mainly because it was not filmed so that it covered the entire screen.
After the success of announcing the first cameo, producers announced that Stewart will be attending a second cameo, which is shown roughly 2 minutes and 36 seconds after the first ends. This cameo introduced the common Daily Show pun added next to each news headline - in this case being "Evan Almighty".
NY Times writer Greg Floyd mentioned: "When I was watching [Evan Almighty] in the cinema, the entire audience began hailing when the second cameo came around. They took it as a form of redundant humor".
Stewart was shown before his official cameo in brief subliminal messages to introduce him to the audience's subconsciousness, à la Fight Club.
While anticipation played a key role in the Jon Stewart cameos, the director had also made viewers of the film sense that Jon Stewart will soon be shown in the film through the use of subliminal messages and neuro-integrated visual imagery. This technique, also used in the 1999 film Fight Club, is used to introduce Stewart to the audience's subconscious plains, so familiarizing them with Stewart in his later appearances and keeping the audience from leaving mid-film from the cinema.
The technique worked, and Slate's writer Jeff Garland stated that "it is an abominable mind trick, that causes people to actually believe that Stewart did not do only two short cameos, but was with the audience the entire time."
Besides this, Shadyac also adopted various lesbian and foxnewsian themes into the storyline to make the audience sense that Stewart may be coming up, but not anticipate cameos, hence making the audience feel betrayed and thrown into the streets by the director.
The cameo was criticized for its paradoxical inclusion of The Daily Show, as Carell was once a correspondent for the show. As such, the director claimed that the paradox does not exist, as in the Almighty universe, the show did not include Carell.
This excuse was initially accepted by fans, but the DVD included an outtake that showed Carell discussing Evan on The Daily Show, in the film itself. This kind of dual-character plot was claimed to confuse viewers who would not watch the film for the cameos. This led to a short scandal, known as Outtakegate.
Anticipation levels of 3rd cameo during film.
On the release of the film in 2007, the anticipation for a third cameo began shortly after the ark crashed into the House of Representatives. The anticipation lasted for a while until the dancing scene, at which point they began falling from 78% to 29%. With credits already rolling, some assumed that Jon Stewart's cameo may soon follow. After music became far too depressing, anticipation fell to a scathed 8%.
Fans panicked after the film, demanding Spyglass to republish the film with Jon Stewart commenting on the flood, and the ark crashing into the House of Representatives, due to the fact that they expect Jon Stewart giving a large-scale "what the fuh..." in the film, to compensate for what tragic plot the rest of the film gave them.
Shortly after release, The Daily Show correspondent Rob Riggle produced a segment to give audiences a sense of closure after the film's short cameos had finally ended. A quote frowned upon by fans of The Daily Show is where he claimed that "[Evan Almighty] delivers a new dimension in delivering Jon Stewart cameos", despite the disappointing reaction by fans. Others remarked that Jon Stewart cameos were indeed better than any other cameo. Ebert remarked that "The Faculty doesn't count".
Beyond the cultural impact of The Daily Show itself, the cameo led most people to remark that it could have a lasting effect on the Christian society and how they view Stewart's opinions over The Bible.
In The Light of the Jon Stewart Cameo is a 2008 non-fiction book by Steve Carell that explains how the success of Stewart's cameos, despite poorly written, have also affected the ratings of The Office. The book reached #4 in The New York Times' non-fiction worst-seller list.
The book shortly explains Carell's childhood, which was poorly received by critics and parents. This is followed by Carell explaining how he played no key element in filming or writing the cameo.
We ran with the idea. We thought it couldn't make the film worse than it is. I wasn't even involved in the bar scene where the footage was finally played. Or restaurant scene. I don't know which one it is; the location was never disclosed. It could just as well have been Sarah Palin's secret minibar, size modified for John Goodman. I honestly don't know where it was filmed. I don't want to know, either.
Evan Almighty was poorly received by multiple, if not all critics. It currently holds an 8% rating at every review website.
Roger Ebert blamed the film's poor use of Jon Stewart cameos, referring to the lack of a third cameo. He claimed that "If you don't have Stewart say anything about... the main character... crashing a boat into the White House or whatever, you probably won't have a good cameo film". Others called the film a "Jon Stewart cameo vehicle". Others said that the issue with the brief cameos is that the Jon Stewart jokes were poor, or all these problems combined.
An online edit of the film which circulated the Internet was created by a 28-year old MIT gradudropout, which removed all parts wherein Jon Stewart was not included, shrinking the 1 hour 30 minute film down to roughly 17 seconds, excluding credits.
↑ Actual Link. The Everyone-But-Jon-Stewart Job. 30 June 2007, Torrentfreak. |
0.997918 | There are few things more American than Pabst Blue Ribbon. It’s the largest US owned brewery in the country, and it was established in Milwaukee in 1844. C’mon, Milwaukee… How American is that? PBR has been one of the best selling lagers ever since, and it’s known for it’s bold flavor, and popularity with the "in crowd." |
0.999429 | Ponder: How much paper was used to promise paperless NHS?
National Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has promised £4.2bn investment to "bring the NHS into the digital age," part of an attempt once again by the department to force the service to go paperless.
Apparently the cash pile will allow patients to book services and order prescriptions online, access apps and digital tools and choose to speak to their doctor online or via video link rather than in person.
By 2020, 25 per cent of all patients with long-term conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and cancer will be able to monitor their health remotely, said Hunt.
The government will also allow access to the Summary Care Record in urgent and emergency care and in pharmacy settings and is developing a new click-and-collect service for prescriptions.
NHS-accredited apps will be made available to those who want them and GPs will be able to get quicker updates and analyse health trends, which will in turn lead to more timely care, it said.
It will set a minimum target of 10 per cent of patients using online systems or apps to access GP services by March 2017.
In the spending review last year, UK chancellor George Osborne promised £1bn to achieve a paperless NHS by 2020 – although Hunt had previously said in 2013 the NHS would rid itself of paper by 2018.
Now that money has been topped up by using existing funds and some new money, said a spokesman. He was unable to provide a breakdown of the "new" cash pot.
However, attempts to "digitise" the NHS to date have been less than successful. Last year the NHS' security-flawed Apps Library was finally shelved following widespread criticism of the site.
Plans to anonymise and share patient information via the Care.data scheme have also been severely delayed following public outcry at the lack of proper consultation over the plans.
Announcing the latest plans, Hunt said: “The NHS has the opportunity to become a world leader in introducing new technology – which means better patient outcomes and a revolution in healthcare at home.
The funding is expected to include £1.8bn towards creating a paper-free NHS and providing interoperability for clinicians; £1bn for infrastructure, cyber security and data consent; £750m to transform out-of-hospital care, including digital primary care; £400m to allow the NHS to become digital, including the website (NHS.uk), apps, free Wi-fi and telehealth; and £250m for data for outcomes and research. |
0.999963 | I knew the CIA was good at spying but predicting social unrest up to five days ahead of time? I'm not buying in to the whole "Minority Report" thing, I'll need to see this in action to believe it.
The agency, Hallman said, has significantly improved its "anticipatory intelligence," using a mesh of sophisticated algorithms and analytics against complex systems to better predict the flow of everything from illicit cash to extremists around the globe. Deep learning and other forms of machine learning can help analysts understand how seemingly disparate data sets might be linked or lend themselves to predicting future events with national security ramifications. |
0.984748 | What country is the first to see a new day?
According to the clock, the first areas to experience a new day and a New Year are islands that use UTC+14, the Line Islands, and in the southern summer also Samoa. The first major city is Auckland, New Zealand. The areas that are the first to see the daylight of a new day vary by the season.
What year is The Great Gatsby? |
0.921834 | With the words "We the People," the Constitution states that the people set up the government. The government works for the people and protects the rights of people. In the United States, the power to govern comes from the people, who are the highest power. This is called "popular sovereignty." The people elect representatives to make laws. |
0.999999 | Core Ethos Sentence: Twilight of Gaia is set in the Badlands, a ravaged, barren fantasy world where heroes use swords, pistols, and spells to fight monsters, defeat marauding gangs, and stand against the terrible forces of darkness.
Who are the heroes? Heroes in the Badlands include anyone brave (or stupid) enough to take up their sword, musket, or spellbook and stand up to the chaos and mayhem engulfing the world. Bran Barandorn, is a stout dwarven soldier who leads the town of Sunset Gulch, defending it from monsters and marauders with the help of the gnomish engineer Filbert Fimblefungers. Howls-like-the-wind is an outlaw wild elf shaman who believes that encoded into the songs of his people are the locations of the Six Amulets of Gaia. Finally, there is an enigmatic wandering swordswoman named Meshanna and her companion, a cowled figure known only as the Pistolier.
What do they do? The most serious objective is to thwart Black Rupert before his power-madness goes too far and the whole world falls under his terrible shadow. As his armies grow larger and more unstoppable, the heroes will have to unite the scattered tribes and settlements and enlist the aid of powerful magic. This includes recovering the lost Six Amulets of Gaia, powerful magic artifacts that date from before the Sorcerors’ War that hold the key to restoring the world to what it once was. But, Black Rupert also wants to hunt down the Amulets so that he can twist them to his evil purposes and use them to rule the Badlands forever.
Threats, Conflicts, Villains: The Badlands teem with monsters who lair in the mountains, scrub forests, and rocky wastelands. Gangs of orc, hobgoblin, and gnoll desperadoes run wild in the vast and rugged wilderness led by notorious leaders like Grodda the Unkillable, Broldak Ironfist, One-eyed Samuel, and Slidewinder, whose names strike terror into innocent peoples’ hearts. Evil wizards build towers on lonely mesas. Black Rupert, the infamous Warlord of the Mountains, rules his alpine kingdom, entices the bandit gangs to rally under his authority, and dreams of the day when the whole of the Badlands will belong to him. Behind Black Rupert stands dreaded Acliss, a terrible wizard of unknown origin whom few have ever even seen.
Nature of Magic: Although magic still functions as normal, it is rare, and most people are suspicious and distrustful of it. Everyone knows that it was magic that drained so much of the life from the once-lush world of Gaia and turned it into the wasted Badlands. Clerics and druids are more highly esteemed than wizards and sorcerors, but they’re rare enough that some people wonder if the gods even really care anymore.
What’s new? What’s different? The biggest difference is the addition of black powder firearms (muzzle-loading smooth-bore muskets and pistols, blunderbusses, and artillery cannons). Such weapons are prevalent enough to add a new flavor and dimension to the game, but not so common or advanced so as to overshadow longswords and crossbows. Advancing technology, mostly including innovations made by dwarves and especially gnomes, is one of the results of a reluctance to rely on magic. Elves, on the other hand, have by and large abandoned their high civilization, reverted to their primordial culture, and joined the grugach, or wild elves, living in nomadic tribes that wander the Badlands and often come into conflict with permanent towns and settlements. |
0.996025 | best small dogs to buy small write-up.
Both cats and dogs with people live for many years together, much longer than the appearance of different breeds. Skeletal remains in western Italy suggest that domesticated dogs began about 19, 000 years back, while cats began to later be domesticated much, only 10, 500 years ago, which usually researchers found using residues from the Center East. With the establishment of a relationship between a dog as well as a man, also began t. i. partnership, because men and women have found that dogs can perform highly specialized tasks. Simply by selective breeding, people in various living environments breed this kind of breeds that will helped these to survive, seeing that Ostrandereva explained to LiveScience. As an example, she lists grazing goats in mountain sheep and regions in shepherd areas, where a focus is demanded by the mountain world on dogs on other characteristics than on spacious meadows.
Otherwise, dogs helped secure property, increase heavy a lot on facilities, or hunt for different species of animals, where there are again differences between hunting dogs for large and strong deer, or for smaller plus faster holes that are concealed in holes. Ostrander’s statements that planned crossing and selection of specific properties lead to this amazing diversity associated with puppies that individuals face nowadays on a daily basis. As opposed to dogs, during the past, cats had one of the two roles inside households, whether or not they were colleagues or were hunting mice and other rats. Cats executed these tasks perfectly well in their default forms and sizes, and their caretakers did not need to drastically transform their bodybuilding. |
0.99814 | In his Los Angeles County: A Day Hiker's Guide (The Trailmaster, Inc: Santa Barbara, 2006), he presents 161 hikes, with 46 in the San Gabriels Mountains. This book is a re-make of his Wild L.A.: A Day Hiker's Guide (Olympus Press, 2003). See Expanded Review below.
In his Southern California: A Day Hiker's Guide (The Trailmaster, Inc: Santa Barbara, 2006), he covers 151 hikes, 19 of which are in the San Gabriels. This latest book is a reincarnation of several earlier works. See Review below.
A book which does not relate to the San Gabriels, yet completes McKinney's trio of Southern California books is Orange County: A Day Hiker's Guide (The Trailmaster, Inc: Santa Barbara, 2006). He covers 100 hikes. View publisher write-up.
Most of McKinney's San Gabriel Mountains hikes are covered in Robinson and Schad. But he does have a few unique hikes, such as Mt. Bliss and Potato Mt. And McKinney and Schad have some hikes in common that Robinson overlooks, such as Eaton Canyon Falls, Monrovia Canyon Falls, Bailey Canyon, Stoddard Peak and Shoemaker Canyon Road (all of which I have write-ups for on my site).
Another John McKinney book worth noting is The Joy of Hiking: Hiking the Trailmaster Way (Wilderness Press: Berkley, 2005). Excellent Book. See Review below.
He begins the book with 12 pages of introductory matter, including, Getting the Most from Hiking L.A. County, Best Hikes, a one-page plug for his website, and Inspiration for the Trail. Then he presents 161 hikes in 13 areas with a one paragraph introduction for each area: Downtown (9 hikes), Hollywood Hills (6), Griffith Park (8), Verdugo Mountains / San Rafael Hills (8), San Fernando Valley (5), Santa Clarita Valley (4), Santa Susana Mountains (9), Simi Hills (7), San Gabriel Valley (8), Whittier-Puente Hills (5), San Gabriel Mountains (46), Coast (13), and Santa Monica Mountains (33). He ends the book with 12 pages of information sources, points of interest index, book index, and credits.
Gives an overview of the hike, often including some excellent historical background.
Provides a detailed description of the walking route. Lake Robinson's, his writes-up are usually detailed enough to give the reader confidence that he or she can successfully navigate the route. And his graphic description helps you to picture the hike before hand.
I like McKinney's writing style; he makes for enjoyable reading. And his trail descriptions are solid and reliable, for the most part. I greatly appreciate his approach of nudging people out into the parks and walking paths as first steps toward more challenging hiking experiences. And his passion for hiking and the outdoors is contagious.
For his hike descriptions, his top-of-the-page material is pretty bare bones compared to all the info that Schad provides, and more lean than Robinson. He doesn't include the best season, which he included in his earliest works. He briefly mentions seasonal issues buried in his 12-page introduction, but it may be easy for a hiker unfamiliar with the San Gabriels to select a front-range trail in the wrong season and be miserably roasted. He doesn't rate the hike with any classification of how easy or hard it is, which is fine by me, because I deduce that from the mileage and elevation gain. But the novice hiker might not as easily ascertain the difficulty of the hike.
McKinney's format is similar to Robinson's, first giving an overview of the hike, driving directions, and hike-description, in three sections. I greater prefer this practice in contrast to Schad who lumps the hike overview, driving directions, and hike description into one long narrative. And like Robinson, McKinney does not focus as much on the careful delineation of precise mileages as Schad does.
Even though McKinney makes a good effort in gathering updates regarding trail conditions, it's unfortunate that some of the write-ups slip through the editorial process. For example, the horrific Curve Fire of September 2002 incinerated most of the mountain slopes surrounding the Crystal Lake Basin, and the torrential storms of the next year scoured the topography. And the Crystal Lake Recreation area has been closed ever since with no reliable, official estimate of when it will ever be open. Yet there is no mention of this in McKinney's write-ups for trails in that area! Thus, in his Islip Ridge hike description he speaks of a pleasant trail ascending through pine, spruce and cedar forest but that forest, for the most part, is no longer there! Yet on the other hand, he rightly points out the impact of the September 2002 Williams Fire on the Potato Mt. hike. McKinney's write-up for Mt. Bliss is still vague, outdated, and inaccurate. And his description of Mt. Wilson still wrongly places the round-trip mileage to Orchard Camp at 9 miles, when it is actually 7 miles.
McKinney presents simple line maps, similar to Schad's, but they are only for some of the hikes (16 maps for the 46 hikes in San Gabriel Mountains).
I found the content changes between the two books are not significant. He removed four hikes and added twelve, for a net gain of eight hikes. He updated some hikes, such as Bailey Canyon, which was woefully out of date in the early book. He did a little re-ordering of hikes and reworked some sections. For example, he took five hikes that were formerly under San Gabriel Valley and rightly joined them with the San Gabriel Mountains. I was disappointed that he reduced the two-page section introductions to a single paragraph for each.
I think McKinney made a strategic publishing move by branding his "A Hiker's Guide" trio of South California books as a related family. The handsome, like-styled covers of the three books have a nice appeal. If he will now just stick with these three books in their current incarnation (with occasional updates, or course), they can all be in print for the next 30 years and rival the endurance of John Robinson's classic works.
There are several design elements which have changed. The book size went from 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 to a larger 6 x 9. The type font in the former book was real clean and easy to read, but the font in the new book is too stylized and impedes ease of reading. There are 50 percent less photos in the new book.
If you will be hiking all over L.A. County, and you already have Schad's and Robinson's books, and if you have the extra cash, McKinney's book would be a good buy. If you are hiking primarily in the San Gabriels, Robinson is my top recommendation.
In Southern California: A Day Hiker's Guide, McKinney covers 151 hikes, 19 of which are in the San Gabriels. All but two of these (Placerita Canyon and San Gabriel Wilderness [Devils Canyon]) are covered in his Los Angeles County book. He excludes some of the ones he had in his earlier works, such as Stoddard Peak, Potato Mountain, Mount Bliss, Eaton Canyon, and Monrovia Canyon (but no worries, you can find these hikes right here on my website).
This book is a re-incarnated of his New Day Hiker's Guide to Southern California (Olympus Press, April 2004), which is a re-published and combined version of his original Day Hiker's Guide to Southern California volumes I and II. And somewhere in the evolution of book spinning was Walking Southern California: A Day Hiker's Guide (HarperCollinsWest: New York, 1994). Like I've said, it's been hard to keep up with McKinney's books.
McKinney's Southern California book is roughly comparable in geographic area to Schad's 101 Hikes in Southern California, with 49 more hikes.
If you will be hiking all over Southern California, McKinney's book would be a good buy. If you are hiking primarily in the San Gabriels, Robinson is my top recommendation.
McKinney packs years of experience and practical wisdom into this treasure trove of hiking philosophy and how-to. Most everything that I've ever considered putting in print about hiking is here...and more! Here's a taste of the gazillion things he talks about: The benefits of hiking, gear, safety, art of trail building, trail courtesy, outdoor ethics, hygiene, mud, myths, canines, rain, deet, hay fever, hiking barefoot, hiking solo, wild things, national scenic trails, hiking Europe, hiking honeymoons, photo tips. And of particular note is an excellent chapter on hiking with children.
Bullet-pointed sidebars and inspirational quotes featured throughout. Some photos.
This book is a winner for novices and experts alike.
This page was last updated January 29, 2008. |
0.988172 | To aid research in crisis management, we reviewed the literature pertaining to synchronous, non-collocated, cross-organizational, time-sensitive collaboration. We examined the theoretical constructs that researchers have proposed for collaborative systems and determined that several of these, such as common ground and awareness theory, have particular applicability to crisis management. We reviewed collaboration models that were developed to provide frameworks for understanding the multiple facets of technological support to group work. Because teams normally need to come to a common understanding of the situation and the relevant decisions, we examined research in team awareness, sensemaking, and decision-making. Types of group tasks affect technology use and adoption, so we considered the literature surrounding these topics, as well, before turning to case studies of new collaboration technologies. We end with our assessment of the findings most relevant to developing new crisis management collaboration approaches, including procedures, needed functionality, and candidate capabilities.
Collaboration Research for Crisis Management Teams reviews the literature pertaining to synchronous, non-collocated, cross-organizational, time-sensitive collaboration. It examines the theoretical constructs that researchers have proposed for collaborative systems and determines that several of these, such as common ground and awareness theory, have particular applicability to crisis management. It reviews collaboration models that were developed to provide frameworks for understanding the multiple facets of technological support to group work. Because teams normally need to come to a common understanding of the situation and the relevant decisions, it examines research in team awareness, sensemaking and decision-making. Types of group tasks affect technology use and adoption, so this text also considers the literature surrounding these topics, before turning to case studies of new collaboration technologies. It concludes with an assessment of the findings most relevant to developing new crisis management collaboration approaches, including procedures, needed functionality, and candidate capabilities. Collaboration Research for Crisis Management Teams is an excellent reference for anyone with a specific interest in large-scale crisis management or generally doing research in Human-Computer Interaction or Computer-Supported Cooperative Work. |
0.996421 | Below is the list of all allocated IP address in 198.250.0.0 - 198.250.255.255 network range, sorted by latency.
Spantax IATA BX ICAO BXS Callsign SPANTAX Founded 1959 Ceased operations 1988 Hubs Gran Canaria Airport Fleet size 14 Destinations Headquarters Madrid, Spain Key people Rodolfo Bay Wright, Marta Estades Saez Spantax S.A. was a Spanish airline that operated from 1959 to 1988. Its head office was located in Madrid. Contents 1 Formative years 2 Jet age 3 Demise 4 Accidents and incidents 5 References Formative years Spanish Air Taxi Líneas Aéreas S.A. was founded on 6 October 1959 by ex-Iberia pilot Rodolfo Bay Wright and ex-Iberia flight attendant Marta Estades Sáez. The airline was based at Gran Canaria Airport in the Canary Islands, and began operations flying geologists and technicians who were searching for oil in the Sahara and Spanish West Africa. Initial destinations included El Farsia, Gaada, Itguy, Mardesiat, Tindouf, Dakhla, Lagouira and El Aaiún. In 1959 the fleet comprised three Airspeed Consuls, two Airspeed Oxfords, one Auster and a single Avro Anson. A Douglas DC-3 was added to the fleet in 1960. At the end of 1960, the airline purchased two DC-3s from Swissair and these were place into service from May 1961 operating tourist flights within the Canary Islands, and were joined by a Piper Apache for short flights. The fleet was joined in 1962 by a Beechcraft Model 18 executive aircraft, and a Bristol 170 which was leased from Iberia. The Bristol was returned to Iberia the following year, and four Douglas DC-4s were acquired; the first in the Belgian Congo and the other three from Aviaco. The Douglas DC-7 entered service with the airline in April 1963, and would eventually go on to operate eight of the aircraft. Between June 1963 and September 1967 the airline also acquired an additional four DC-4s, and in May 1965 it obtained two Douglas DC-6s. Between 1962 and 1965 the airline operated DC-3s and a de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver on routes for Air Mauritanie, and in 1966 the airline became the first Spanish airline to operate the Fokker F-27, which was put into service on routes in the Canary Islands. On 7 December 1965, the airline suffered its first crash, when a DC-3 on a charter flight from Los Rodeos Tenerife to Gran Canaria crashed just after take-off, killing 28 passengers and 4 crew. After receiving approval from the Spanish authorities to operate passenger charter flights, the airline moved its headquarters from Gran Canaria to Palma de Mallorca. The Balearic base was chosen due to the role that Mallorca had taken in the development of tourism in Spain, allowing the airline to gain prestige in the European market. Jet age Convair CV-990 of Spantax at EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg, June 1976 The airline entered the jet age when in February and May 1967 two Convair 990 joined the fleet after being purchased second hand from American Airlines. Between 1968 and 1972, an additional eight Convair 990s would join the fleet piloted by Juanito Mauri,flight instructor and the best pilot of the company by then; two of which were leased to Iberia between 1967 and 1969 whilst that airline experienced delays in the delivery of its own Douglas DC-8s. On 5 January 1970, a CV-990 crashed shortly after take-off from Arlanda Airport in Stockholm after it had experienced problems with one of its engines, killed five of the seven passengers on board. Another of the Convairs crashed on 3 December 1972, on take-off at Los Rodeos in Tenerife on a flight to Munich. The aircraft reached a height of 90 metres (300 ft) and crashed 325 metres (1,066 ft) past the runway, killed all 155 passengers and crew on board, making the crash the worst crash in Spanish airline history at the time. A Convair 990 of the airline on a flight from Madrid to London was involved in a mid-air collision with an Iberia McDonnell Douglas DC-9 over Nantes on 5 March 1973. The Spantax aircraft lost part of its left wing, and its pilots managed to land safely at Nantes Airport; however, the Iberia DC-9 crashed killing all 68 passengers and crew on board. The airline acquired a further four Convairs from Swissair in April, May and June 1975, and the airline would become the world's largest operator of the type. The last of the Coronados was retired in the mid 1980s. Requiring an aircraft with intercontinental range, Spantax purchased two Douglas DC-8-61CFs from Trans Caribbean Airways in February 1973, and would go on to operate an additional four of the type. Two DC-9-14s were acquired from Southern Airways in April 1974 in order to meet demand on charter flights on domestic and European routes. In October 1978 the airline put into service its first wide-body aircraft, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30, and put it into service on charter routes to the United States. By 1980 the airline employed 1,168 people, carried 2,017,000 passengers and had revenues of 9.953 billion pesetas. On 13 September 1982 Flight 995 to New York City crashed after an aborted takeoff in Málaga. The DC-10 overshot the runway and crossed a highway before colliding into farm buildings, whereupon a fire broke out in the rear of the fuselage. Fifty of the 394 passengers and crew on board the aircraft were killed. In 1983, Spantax became the first Spanish airline to fly to Japan via the polar route, with a stop in Anchorage, and in the same year Boeing 737-200s began to be added to the fleet, to replace the DC-9s. New flights from Palma de Mallorca to Turku, Kuopio, Tampere and Vaasa in Finland were begun with the 737s in 1984, and in the August 1984 the airline undertook charter flights to Venezuela with the DC-10s in conjunction with Iberia and VIASA. Demise By the mid-1980s, competition in the charter airline market in Europe was intense, and in conjunction with spiralling fuel prices, the fortunes of the airline took a turn. Having an outdated fleet, the company was forced to lease in 737s from SABENA, and two Boeing 747s and a DC-10 from Malaysian Airline System. In 1987, plagued by financial troubles and labour strikes, Spantax was sold to the Aviation Finance Group, based in Luxembourg. The new owners had committed capital of 3 billion pesetas, and an investment of 4 billion pesetas. Debts to the Spanish authorities totallying 13 billion pesetas were reorganised for payment over a twenty five year period, and a fleet renewal program would have seen the airline operating fifteen aircraft by 1993. Attempts to revamp and refinance the airline, renew its fleet with McDonnell Douglas MD-83s, and negotiate with China Airlines for acquisition of Boeing 767s were all unsuccessful. After the Kuwait Investment Authority withdrew from a planned offer to purchase the airline, Spantax ceased all operations on 29 March 1988, leaving some 7,000 passengers around Europe stranded. Accidents and incidents On 30 September 1972, Douglas C-47B EC-AQE crashed on take-off from Madrid-Barajas Airport. The aircraft was being used for training duties and the student pilot over-rotated and stalled. One of the six people on board was killed. References Spain portal Companies portal Aviation portal Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Spantax ^ "World Airline Directory." Flight International. 20 March 1975. 503. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Díaz Lorenzo, Juan Carlos; Alta, Breña (28 January 2007). "En tiempos de Spantax" (in Spanish). Diario de Avisos. http://www.diariodeavisos.com/diariodeavisos/content/160307/. Retrieved 2009-11-09. ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19651207-1. Retrieved 2009-11-09. ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19700105-1. Retrieved 2009-11-09. ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19721203-0. Retrieved 2009-11-09. ^ a b "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19730305-1. Retrieved 2009-11-09. ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19730305-2. Retrieved 2009-11-09. ^ Rek, Bron (4 August 1979). "Airline engineering and flight-operations profile". Flight International. pp. 329–332. http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1979/1979%20-%202843.html. Retrieved 2009-11-09. ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19820913-0. Retrieved 2009-11-09. ^ "Spantax looks to the future". Madrid: Flight International. 22 October 1983. pp. 1079. http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1983/1983%20-%201927.html. Retrieved 2009-11-09. ^ "Kuwait Investment Office withdraws offer for Spantax SA". Thomas M&A. 4 April 1988. http://www.alacrastore.com/storecontent/Thomson_M&A/Kuwait_Investment_Office_withdraws_offer_for_Spantax_SA-131463040. Retrieved 2009-11-09. ^ "Spanish Airline". The New York Times. 30 March 1988. pp. D11. http://www.nytimes.com/1988/03/30/business/spanish-airline.html. Retrieved 2009-11-09. ^ "Airline shutdown strands 7,000". Palma de Mallorca: The Associated Press. 30 March 1988. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=BG&p_theme=bg&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EADEE53918D8415&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM. Retrieved 2009-11-09. ^ "EC-AQE Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19720930-0. Retrieved 7 September 2010. |
0.999998 | Fixes query for conflicting redirects by matching case-insensitively.
I used LOWER instead of ILIKE because we recently added an index for searching redirects by LOWER.
## What does this MR do? Fixes query for conflicting redirects by matching case-insensitively. ## Are there points in the code the reviewer needs to double check? I used `LOWER` instead of `ILIKE` because we recently added an index for searching redirects by LOWER. ## Why was this MR needed? ### Reproduce bug 1. Create group 'Foo' 2. Create project 'Foo/bar' 3. Rename group 'Foo' to 'baz' 4. See redirect from 'Foo/bar' to 'baz/bar' 5. Create group 'foo' 6. Redirect from 'Foo/bar' to 'baz/bar' remains, but should have been destroyed ## Does this MR meet the acceptance criteria? - [x] [Changelog entry](https://docs.gitlab.com/ce/development/changelog.html) added, if necessary - [ ] ~~[Documentation created/updated](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/blob/master/doc/development/doc_styleguide.md)~~ - [ ] ~~API support added~~ - Tests - [x] Added for this feature/bug - [ ] All builds are passing - Review - [ ] ~~Has been reviewed by UX~~ - [ ] ~~Has been reviewed by Frontend~~ - [ ] Has been reviewed by Backend - [x] Has been reviewed by Database - [x] Conform by the [merge request performance guides](http://docs.gitlab.com/ce/development/merge_request_performance_guidelines.html) - [x] Conform by the [style guides](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md#style-guides) - [x] Branch has no merge conflicts with `master` (if it does - rebase it please) - [x] [Squashed related commits together](https://git-scm.com/book/en/Git-Tools-Rewriting-History#Squashing-Commits) ## What are the relevant issue numbers? |
0.998287 | The task is to create a basic Market Making trading bot on a given cryptocurrency and crypto exchange.
- Will be enough volume to trade with in order to Market Make.
- Create a Market Making trading bot with basic specified features.
- Using preferable programming language.
- The project might have a short timeline (within 1-2 weeks from the start of development).
2. Gradually increase token price (on given conditions) by accumulating tokens.
3. (Optional) Provide basic notification/confirmation messages through Telegram.
Please contact with desirable price range and estimate delivery time. |
0.962984 | Learn about the different types of animal dormancy including hibernation, diapause, aestivation, and brumation.
Wild European hedgehog hibernating in a pile of autumn leaves.
Dormancy is a phase in the lifecycle of an organism when physical activities (in animals), development, and growth are halted temporarily. It is a period of reduced metabolic activity that is adopted by various organisms under strenuous conditions. Dormancy helps these organisms conserve energy. Most organisms synchronize their entry to the dormancy state with the environmental changes via consequential or predictive means. Consequential dormancy takes place when an organism enters the dormancy state after the harsh conditions have started. Predictive dormancy occurs when they enter the dormancy phase right before the unfavorable conditions begin. There are different types of dormancy including hibernation, diapause, aestivation, and brumation.
Hibernation is a phase of metabolic depression and inactivity in endotherms. Hibernation is characterized by a low metabolic rate, reduced heartbeat (by up to 95%), slow breathing, and low body temperature. Animals that hibernate prepare for this phase by building up a thick body fat layer during late summer and autumn that will provide them with energy when they hibernate in winter. There are two types of hibernation: obligate hibernation and facultative hibernation. Obligate hibernators can sleep regardless of access to food and ambient temperatures. Facultative hibernators hibernate when it’s too cold and food supply has reduced. Obligate hibernators include European hedgehogs, mouse lemurs, various ground squirrel species, and butterflies among others. Facultative hibernators include the black-tailed prairie dogs.
Diapause is a phase of delayed development that is marked by lower metabolic activity in response to recurring periods of severe environmental conditions. It is a predictive tactic which is determined by the animal’s genotype. Diapause is observed in all the life stages of arthropods like insects, but it’s quite common during the immobile stages like eggs and pupae. About 130 species of mammals and various oviparous fish species experience embryonic diapauses. Embryonic diapause is characterized by delayed attachment of embryos to the uterus lining resulting in the young ones being born in spring.
Aestivation is a form of dormancy which is quite similar to hibernation, and it’s characterized by reduced metabolic rate and inactivity in response to arid conditions and high temperatures. Vertebrates and invertebrates can enter into the state of aestivation to avoid desiccation. Animals which aestivate look like they are in a lighter state of dormancy since they can reverse their physiological state rapidly and return to normal. The main concern of aestivating organisms is retaining water and conserving energy, ration the use of conserved energy while stabilizing their body organs and cells. Some of the aestivating animals include worms, garden snails, crocodiles, desert tortoises, salamanders, and lungfishes among others.
Brumation is a state of dormancy in a reptile that resembles hibernation. Reptiles undergo brumation during the late stages of autumn, and they can wake up only to drink water and then go back to sleep. Reptiles consume a lot of food right before brumation since they can go for months without eating. The brumation phase can last for about eight months depending on the health, age, and size of the reptile. Brumation is usually triggered by decreased daylight hours and cold in winter. Reptiles don’t brumate fully in the first year of their lives; instead they eat less and slow down. |
0.999943 | Passage at San Mateo is an innovative, transit-oriented development that will provide much-needed housing, public open space, and shopping and restaurants in easy walking distance for the entire community. The project includes more than 900 housing units, 72 affordable housing units, 10 live/work units, 35,000 square feet of retail space, and more than two acres of open space. Additional amenities include gyms, co-working lobbies, a welcome center, public art, and a state-of-the-art food hall and entertainment center. |
0.982527 | Death Note is a Japanese manga series created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and manga artist Takeshi Obata.
Death Note (デスノート, Desu Nōto) is a Japanese manga series created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and manga artist Takeshi Obata. The series centers on Light Yagami, a university student who discovers a supernatural notebook, the "Death Note", dropped on Earth by a shinigami (death god) named Ryuk. The Death Note grants its user the ability to kill anyone whose face they have seen, by writing the victim's name in the notebook. The story follows Light's attempt to create and rule a world cleansed of evil using the notebook, and the complex conflict between him, his opponents and a mysterious detective known to the world only as L.
Several publications for manga, anime and other media have added praise and criticism on the Death Note series. The plot and violence from the story have been praised, noting it to be very entertaining. However, the series was banned in China due to various problems people had with children altering their notebooks to resemble a Death Note.
D.Gray-man is an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Katsura Hoshino.
D.Gray-man (ディー・グレイマン, Dī Gureiman) is an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Katsura Hoshino. The series tells the story of a boy named Allen Walker, a member of an organization of Exorcists who makes use of an ancient substance called Innocence to combat the Millennium Earl and his demonic army of akuma. Many characters and their designs were adapted from some of Katsura Hoshino's previous works and drafts, such as Zone, and Continue, and her assistants.
The manga began serialization in 2004 in the Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine, published by Shueisha under their Jump Comics imprint, and to date, 19 collected volumes have been released. It is currently slated to make the transition from weekly to monthly series in November 2009, when it begins serialization in Jump Square. There is also a spin-off novel series titled D.Gray-man Reverse, authored by Kaya Kizaki, that explores the history of various characters. As of August 4, 2009, Viz Media has released the first fourteen volumes in the United States. The manga has also been adapted into a 103 episode anime series that aired from October 3, 2006 to September 30, 2008 in Japan. Video games, a card game, and other assorted media have been released based on the series.
The manga series has become one of the best-sellers for Shueisha. During its second release week, the 15th volume of the manga ranked as the second best selling comic in Japan. Although most reviewers compared it to other series from the same genre, they praised its moments of originality and its well-developed characters and their personalities.
Hiiro no Kakera (緋色の欠片, loosely translated into English as Scarlet Fragment), is a Japanese visual novel created by Idea Factory directed at the female market, known as an otome game. Released on July 6, 2006 for the PlayStation 2, the protagonist is a teenage girl who revisits a small village she remembers from her childhood and gets caught up in her family's history and supernatural dangers surrounding it.
The protagonist is a teenage girl (Tamaki) who revisits a small village she remembers from her childhood and gets caught up in her family's history and supernatural dangers surrounding it.
While walking along the hillsides waiting for the person who her grandmother sent to fetch Tamaki to the village, Tamaki comes across a small, white round object with sticks for limbs and talks. It runs off soon after, with Tamaki chasing after it. Soon Tamaki finds herself in a place where ‘it doesn’t feel like the world I came from’. She gets attacked by three slime creatures, and a male comes charging in to save her - by clamping his hands around her body and mouth and telling her to be quiet. |
0.994475 | Ex 11.3, 1 There are two cuboidal boxes as shown in the adjoining figure. Which box requires the lesser amount of material to make? The box with lesser total surface area will require lesser amount of material to make. Let’s find total surface area of both boxes Total Surface Area of Box (a) This box is a cuboid with Length = l = 60 cm Breadth = b = 60 cm Height = h = 60 cm Total surface area of box = Total surface area of cuboid = 2(𝑙𝑏+𝑏ℎ+ℎ𝑙) Total Surface Area of Box (b) This box is a cube with Side = a = 50 cm Total surface area of box = Total surface area of cube = 6𝑎^2 = 6×(50)^2 = 6×50×50 = 6×2500 = 15000 𝑐𝑚^2 = 2(60×40+40×50+50×60) = 2(2400+2000+3000) = 2×74000. = 148000 𝑐𝑚^2 Since total surface area of box (a) is lesser than the total surface area of box (b). ∴ Box (a) requires lesser amount of material to make. |
0.999984 | REVIEW: Aladdin, the Regis Centre, Bognor, until January 2.
Bognor’s company absolutely nail the spirit of panto – and were rewarded with exactly the audience they deserved: hundreds of roaring school children ready for the time of their lives.
It was wet, cold and miserable outside, but the cast of Aladdin quickly stoked up all the festive warmth you could ever wish for – double underlining just how vital it is to work with your audience if you want to get pantomime right.
Jamie Bannerman revels in every single boo as Abanazar, the villain of the piece – a terrific performance matched every step of the way by the superlative William Frazer as Wishee Washee, the audience’s best friend.
Frazer simply gushes fun and awful jokes. Even more importantly, he knows exactly how to communicate with his young audience. He and they fire off each other perfectly.
In truth, the first half is maybe ten minutes too long for some young bladders; less would be more. But for energy and colour and sheer friendliness, Bognor’s Aladdin is unbeatable this Christmas.
Christopher Marlowe is everything a dame should be, and Vicky Edwards is mumsy, fun and welcoming as the Slave of the Ring.
Alan Mirren and Jamie Lemetti offer endless slapstick – and Duncan Hendry more or less keeps a straight face as the Emperor. Lee Bright is amiable in the title role, and Storm Skyler McClure is lovely as Princess Jasmine – so much so that you walk away wishing she’d had a few more songs to sing.
The costumes are great – and McClure gets some of the finest. The best moment in the whole performance was the half-whispered “Wow!” from the little boy next to me when Princess Jasmine first took the stage – a moment which captured everything that panto represents when it is done as well as this.
In other words, Aladdin is a panto which completely reflects the venue, always the most welcoming around, with easily the region’s best ushers. So much about theatre is the welcome you get – and Bognor always gets it right. If pantos are about hooking young audiences, this is the way to do it. |
0.990831 | Will the real skeptics please stand up?
Chris wants to ask the age-old question: what separates denialists from skeptics? There are no scientific studies that unequivocally show particular people are being dishonest, and all people (even scientists) are prone to mistakes, so the existence of a bad publication doesn’t show that someone is pushing an agenda. Being “skeptical” is a job that all scientists have, and although the term may have a bad name attached to it in global warming debates, it’s actually a very honorable title to have and it’s difficult to find any scientist who is not skeptical of a lot.
This is of course different than simply plugging your fingers in your ears and denying any evidence put in your face.
When Alfred Wegener proposed the idea of continental drift in the early 20th century, one of the principle objections to his hypothesis was his inability to provide a mechanism that was capable of moving continents across the globe. Wegener proposed that the tidal influence of the Moon was strong enough to give continents a westward motion, but physicists at the time (such as Harold Jeffreys) quickly showed the physical implausibility of this scenario.
Wegener used various types of evidence to support his idea, including the remarkable similarities of the continental margins on opposite sides of the Atlantic, identical fossils being found in both Africa and South America, and also paleoclimatic evidence (Wegener was actually a meteorologist by trade). However, the mainstream geology community was not convinced, and they had every right not to be. Some pieces of evidence were there, but the grounds for a paradigm shift had just not been established yet.
Following World War 2, oceanographic exploration opened up immensely and scientists were able to get a much better picture of the ocean bottom. Emerging from this work was the discovery of the oceanic ridge system that winds through the major oceans like the seams on a baseball. This, and other discoveries eventually led to the theory of plate tectonics which was far more encompassing than continental drift. After much more evidence, and now a suitable mechanism for how landmasses could move around over geologic time, scientists could not longer reasonably deny this new idea, which is now a unifying idea in contemporary geology.
The scientists in Wegener’s time were correct to be skeptical of the argument, and there were far too many question marks that had to be addressed before specialists would just hop on a new boat which contradicted previous ideas.
Let’s go elsewhere: After Charles Darwin published his “Origin of Species” the idea was actually well received, even by the Catholic Church. It wasn’t until his later publication on “The Descent of Man” which seemed to change the ratio of fact to speculation, that many people seemed to oppose his theories. The theory of evolution is now a very well-encompassing theory in modern biology and geology, and is supported by countless pieces of evidence in multiple fields. There are still minority groups who oppose the theory, but the objections are very repetitious and necessitate that much of what we know about physics should be tossed out the window. The objections presumably arise out of the need to push a specific interpretation of a specific faith rather than anything to do with evolution in particular. Similarily, objections to how tobacco caused cancer presumably arose out of financial interests rather than anything inherently flawed with the science of smoking and lung effects.
What are the reasons for the opposition to anthropogenic climate change? Clearly, they cannot arise from any real scientific reasons because the peer-reviewed literature is devoid of any content refuting the underlying physics or expected spatio-temporal patterns associated with increased greenhouse gases. What’s more, CO2 and other greenhouse gases play as much a role in tying together planetary climate as plate tectonics does in geology or evolution in biology. After all, their role in influencing radiative balance is required in explaining the faint young sun, the hothouse climates of the Cretaceous and Eocene, why Venus is so hot, why Mars may have once had liquid water, snowball Earth, the interglacial-glacial cycles, and the 20th century observations. My guess is that there are many people with financial interests in not slowing fossil fuels, but also many people are just scared that there own lifestyle may have to be altered if AGW is correct.
What makes a denialist? As I’ve said before, even scientists make mistakes. But experts in the field should not consistently make undergraduate-level errors, they should not clearly misrepresent the conclusions of peer-reviewed papers, and they should admit error in the face of correction rather than repeating a knowingly flawed argument to a new (more laymen) audience. It is not an opinion that people doing this, and people need to call them out on it. Many of the facts and conclusions in primary papers are very straightforward so to screw them up should raise some eyebrows. Many of the “errors” speakers or writers make are so elementary, that if they are actually honest mistakes, any relevant degree in climate that they received should be taken away.
There are lots of arguments out there that might be expected from someone new to the subject with little scientific training, but to come from actual “experts” is unforgivable. Such examples include claiming that water vapor is “95% of the greenhouse effect” and can swamp the effects of additional CO2, the implication that trace amounts of a gas cannot influence climate, claiming that “global warming stopped in 1998,” mentioning CO2 can’t cause climate change since it lagged temperature in Vostok (without mentioning feedback mechanisms), saying that CO2 can’t cause temperatures to rise because they didn’t rise from 1940-1970, saying that most CO2 comes from natural sources so our emissions are negligible, and the like. Anyone who consistently uses these and other similar-style lines can safely be ignored with virtually no chance that you’re going to miss out on some divine revelation that debunks greenhouse physics. Lots of people are actually working on serious issues like improving the instrumental record, understanding ice sheet physics better, understanding cloud-aerosol interactions better, etc.
1) Would I use them in front of experts in the field and be expected to be taken seriously?
2) Forget the science for a second: does this reasoning make logical sense and is it contradictory with other views I hold?
3) Is it likely that experts in the field for a long time have missed out on this piece of information, or forgot about something so important?
4) Can I find real support for my ideas in the scholarly literature, or is the most authoritative source to back me up a newspaper article or blog?
timely basis.Hope that is OK with you. An OIL WONK, Steve Rowland, is posting full pages of Watts and D’Aleo on our blog. I guess he doesn’t have our future in mind?
Chris, you keep repeating something about undeniable “greenhouse physics”. Could you please elaborate on what exactly your understanding (or mainstream climatology) of the “greenhouse effect” is, and which “physics” you are talking about? Otherwise it is hard to express any opinion about it…You can start in “top-down” manner, from a big picture like “effective emission layer” and “lapse rate”, and we can finess the details later on.Thanks.
In Hansen et al (1981), they give H =5.5K/km, and Γ =6 km. In Hansen et al (1993) they add the factor of sensitivity of Γ to CO2 doubling as dΓ =200m rise.
give H = 6.5K/km, which translates into Ze = Γ = 5km. Soden estimates the Γ sensitivity to 2xCo2 as dΓ =150m.
Therefore, the discrepancy in published data is about 20% for two major atmospheric parameters that define the actual amplitude of greenhouse effect. Where it comes from? To start, let me ask: What is the meaning of “flux-weighted mean altitude of the emission to space”? Could you please formulate the definition of Γ in mathematical terms, starting preferably from line-by-line absorption spectrum, such that it can be calculated?
My next question will be about H.
So, you decided to skip to the second question. Do you mean that Hansen is wrong with 5.5C/km? The “debate” around AGW is about changes in single degrees of C relative to 33C (or over bigger difference, depending on assumptions of horizontal heat transfer) overall effect, which requires about 3% accuracy of calculations. Yet your science is not sure if the “strength of lapse rate” is 6.5C/km, or 5.5C/km, which is about 15% difference. How do you know that the “mean lapse rate” [averaged over Earth surface and day-night variations and moist variation] is 6.5C/km? If you know this from some measurements, then how do you know how it will change (or not change) under 2XCO2?
Regarding my first question, if you don’t know how to calculate Γ, then how do you calculate dΓ/dCO2?
As I see, you disregarded my hint that the “mean lapse rate” is a result of averaging over entire Earth AND day-night variations AND moist variations AND seasonal variations AND cloud cover AND… The “whole gradient” [thankfully] does not go to zero, but local (in time, and zonal) gradients are subject to so called “inversions”, such that the gradient even changes its sign. Do you happen to know a place that shows examples of instantaneous “soundings” across atmosphere in nighttime and seasonal in high latitudes?
The above was an “observational” part. The skeptical position is that, given the lack of control over the parameter of interest (Co2) and lack of sounding data for pre-industrial period with sufficient quality and spatial coverage, the observations cannot have predictive parameterization with regard to Co2. The other point is that “global radiative forcing” has to be calculated starting from instant sounding profiles and integrating them all. And negative lapse rate should lead to negative contribution to “global forcing”. Most of absorption lines of Co2 have “H” in stratosphere, where the lapse is inverted, such that increase in Co2 should result in overall cooling. If you calculate the averages first, all these effects are improperly accounted for. That’s why I am asking how do you calculate the “H”.
Now, you did mention that “lots of models” are looking at lapse rate and its changes. The skeptical position is that no matter how “hard” the models are “looking at those”, modern computational technology is absolutely incapable of calculating the “mean lapse rate” of a real atmosphere. Do you agree?
Please note that all the above are pesky application details that may give vastly different results, from positive, to zero, or even negative, all depending on assumptions and method of calculations. Therefore the reference to “solid greenhouse physics” says as much as saying nothing.
I am afraid you are not following me. The “effective emission level” is apparently based on an average of actual absorption spectrum of relevant IR wavelengths (since you refused to provide the exact formula, I have to guess). However, the spectrum of gaseous media consists of thousands of sharp peaks, and deep valleys between them, due to “pressure broadening”. The so-called “band averaged” (say, to about 1 cm-1 resolution) H could be well in the middle of troposphere. But this average is made of the “valleys” (and continuous part from liquid fog) that are absorbing much less, and the narrow peaks that are absorbing much more, and their H(w) is well above tropopause. That’s where they should cause the ill-famous “stratospheric cooling”. I am not saying that addition of greenhouse gases gives cooling, but that the “effective effect” could be much less than currently assumed.
Could you point me to a literature (preferably web-accessible) where it is shown that the “radiative forcing” remains the same when the resolution of used spectrum changes from band-averaged to MODTRAN to HITRAN-like? Thanks.
There have been several other fascinating attempts and studies, the REFIR project, by Collins et al ” Greenhouse Forcing by AOGCMS…”, ICRCCM project, other inter-comparison projects. The usual stuff for line-by-line codes is based on standard atmosphere models, usually for a clear sky, while coincidence with band-averaged GCMs is maintained by adjustments to water continuum. It looks like by changing water content at will and playing with multitude of cloud parameters, one can get any result.
Looking at wording of your response, I do not understand why it “could be helpful to ME”; I thought that such a fundamental issue should be “settled” by now, and it must be very helpful to YOU to present a clear answer.
Ok, lets assume that the allegedly man-made WMGHGs doubling is really shifting the radiation balance by 2-4W/m2. At the same time a simple MODTRAN estimate shows that a change of 2% in cloud cover has bigger effect then the whole CO2 doubling. It was also found experimentally that Earth albedo did decrease during 1984-2000 from 0.32 to 0.28, and somewhat back, obviously causing a very substantial radiative imbalance, in tens of W/m2. Obviously, the amount of cloud cover (especially in tropical areas) plays a major role in the global energy balance. As far as I know, climatology has no self-defining model for cloud cover formation, and GCMs usually fudge the cloud cover factor to an observed average of 62% (or whichever suits the bill of model stability). In reality, weather switches the amount of cloud cover that changes the amount of insolation 10-fold , on daily-weekly basis, yet maintaining a pretty stable global average. Do you have any reasons to believe that this thermal self-stabilization can be disturbed by the small bias from WMGCGs?
Then surely we are fortunate that gavin thinks a certain blog is especially worthy of being closely monitored (even on a Sunday afternoon) so that this error could be fixed so quickly.
Well, once they knew where to look, 3 people (SM, a CA reader, and gavin) were able ‘independently’ to determine the problem in a few hours. It appears the hard part was finding where to look.
I have no concerns with what gavin did to fix the data problem. The issue is the continuing effort at RC to avoid giving any credit or allowing anything positive to be said about SM and climateaudit.org.
As far as I know comments at RC containing the CA URL are still censored. That policy at a science blog that should be promoting free exchange of information seems extremely unreasonable to me.
Response– My impression is that a lot of disinformation and personal attacks (especially on RC contributors) originates from CA, and of course once in a while SM does something useful (like find data errors). I’m not quite sure I blame them for not wanting to be associated with CA, but I don’t really have an opinion on how RC goes about handling it.
I’m not sure where you get that impression. I’ve not seen any disinformation or much in the way of personal attacks from SM. There are ‘professional attacks’ severely questioning the quality of some published science and tactics for withholding information. Of course comments are hard to keep free of personal attacks, but I think SM does a better job of that (without heavy handed censorship) than RC does.
That is certainly true, but are you not at least a little concerned that some issues may not be covered very well in the peer-reviewed literature (for a variety of reasons)? Have you read about James Annan’s difficulties in getting what appear to be important and high quality papers published?
I think if you want to at least understand the arguments of skeptics (not talking about denialists here), spending some time at CA would be worthwhile.
I’m only mildly skeptical of most AGW science and think the IPCC position is probably mostly correct. I am, however, very concerned that some of what’s been published has never been truly independently verified and very much needs auditing.
But experts in the field should not consistently make undergraduate-level errors…Many of the “errors” speakers or writers make are so elementary, that if they are actually honest mistakes, any relevant degree in climate that they received should be taken away.
So are you calling for Mann’s degrees to be taken away? He flipped a proxy upside-down to get correlation. That is higher numbers meant colder, and he found a correlation when higher numbers meant warmer, and used this proxy in a temp reconstruction. |
0.952198 | Let's begin with his seven-point summary, From Orality to Literacy to Hypertext: Back to the Future?, based on Walter Ong's Orality and Literacy.
1. Orality is evanescent, not permanent. "Hypertext returns us to fluid, shifting, open-ended, evanescent communication of an oral culture."
2. Orality is additive rather than subordinative; aggregative rather than analytic. "Hypertext resurrects the associative, non-linear, non-hierarchical organization of information of orality."
3. Orality is close to the human lifeworld. "Hypertext returns us to an immediate, hands-on approach to communication and to other dealings with the world around us... and to a classical, rhetorical model of education and social existence generally."
4. Orality is agonistically toned. "On the Internet, the phenomenon of 'flaming' -- heaping bitter invective upon one's interlocutors -- is wide-spread."
5. Orality is empathetic and participatory rather than objectively distanced. "In hypertext, as in orality, the distinction between author and reader once again melts away in the midst of the collaborative effort of navigating the hypertextual network."
6. Orality knits persons together into community. "Hypertext, like the spoken word, knits people together into community."
7. Orality is homeostatic. "With the resurgence of ephemeral communication, hypertext culture begins to undergo a constant, slow, and unconscious metamorphosis, like oral culture."
These are all important (be sure to read Fowler's web-page for full explanations), but (4) is of particular interest to me. The internet is a perfect medium for conflict-based communication, mirroring in many ways the challenge-riposte phenomenon seen in honor-shame cultures. Chat rooms are "halls of flame", list-serves and blogs the battlegrounds for our contests of wit and intellectual superiority. The web is saturated with an "art of invective" which surely does the biblical writers proud.
The other six points are closely related to one another and best summarized in (6) and (7). They underscore a community-based culture open to change (if slow and unconscious), against the tendencies of a print culture to "freeze" traditions and thereby facilitate a hunger for dramatic (but artificial) changes involving fads and in-vogue paradigms. Fowler thinks the electronic age may return us to a "vibrant" communal culture rooted in more heritage and tradition.
It's possible. Watching my work environment evolve hypertextually over the past decade has been interesting. Today patrons visit their public library for "an experience" as much as to "check out a book". Teens come for social networking (Myspace, chat rooms, etc.) more than anything else. You don't tell people to "hush" in a library as much as in times past, because of their increased communal dimension. Functions, concerts, exhibits, films, and special programs have become as important as circulation. The hypertext culture is definitely leaving its mark. |
0.996667 | Write a brief memo to your employees. In the memo, explain why business etiquette is important to employees’ individual careers as well as the company’s overall success.
employees’ individual careers as well as the company’s overall success.
In a 250-300 word response, identify what techniques you can implement to improve the likelihood that your communications will be received and understood as you intended. |
0.999826 | Bollywood star Preity Zinta enrolled on a Harvard executive education course to boost her chances in business.
London, England (CNN) -- Preity Zinta is a Bollywood superstar with a string of awards and hit movies to her name. But as co-owner of a major cricket team, and following a course at Harvard Business School, she has started a transition from actress to businesswoman.
An English graduate who went on to study criminal psychology, Zinta, 34, told CNN she fell into acting by chance, but had always been interested in business.
"It's not that acting was something I'd always wanted to do. I had no formal training; I'd never really imagined I'd be an actress," she said in a telephone interview from India.
"Business was something that had always been in my mind, but when I got into acting, I learned everything on set, and for me at that point I wanted to excel at what I did."
Zinta had been acting for 11 years when, in 2008, she decided to buy a stake in Kings XI Punjab, one of the eight cricket teams in the fledgling, multimillion-dollar Indian Premier League (IPL).
"I was at the top of my job, doing extremely well, everything was great and then I said 'now what?' There has to be a natural progression," Zinta told CNN.
Hugely popular in India, the IPL attracts some of the world's top cricketers and has a sizeable following in cricket-playing countries. No silent partner, Zinta said that when she bought her stake she was determined to be involved in running the team.
"I'm pretty hands on. The partners I was working with all come from business families, and they're all running billion-dollar businesses, so for them, this was too small a business to run day-to-day," she said. "So I decided I would go for it, be hands on, learn the business from the start and see how it goes."
Why being a CEO "should come with a health warning"
Zinta said her experience in promoting her movies helped when it came to being involved in marketing the team. But last November, Zinta decided to add to her business skills with a stint at Harvard Business School, taking a short executive education course in negotiations and deal making.
If you have a strong intent to do anything in life, you can do it.
"It's one thing to be passionate about something, but it's equally important to understand the way things are done in a particular fashion.
"As an actress I never went to film school and I think if I had gone to film school I would have started with a great advantage. If you have a strong intent to do anything in life you can do it, but it always helps to have formal training."
While she was the only movie star on the course, she wasn't the only high achiever. "I was in very esteemed company," she said. "There were big CEOs, people who ran multinationals and bankers. I picked up ideas from them."
"The course taught me how to structure things, which is extremely helpful now. But India operates very differently from the west: When in Rome do as the Romans," she added.
Zinta admitted it can be difficult juggling two careers. She had put her acting career on hold to focus on her cricket team but said she planned to make three movies later this year.
"It's really difficult for me to film during the IPL season [in March and April]. Too many things happen. I need to be here and I want to be here," she told CNN.
"I didn't act for 18 months, but I miss the movies, and it's my job. I'm going to be filming all year after the IPL, but I feel completely settled. We have a really good team set up that handles the cricket operations."
Zinta said she had plans to branch out into other business ventures, and she had some advice for others trying to succeed in business.
"The lesson across the board for everybody is that you need to have the will to do something, and you have to work really hard," she told CNN.
"It does not matter what you do, if you try to do something different you have to start from scratch, you have to work hard, you have to work your way up. There are no shortcuts.
"You have to listen to your gut. I always have really good people around me, but I also listen to my gut -- and you have to be innovative.
"If it's in India you have to be very quick in being innovative. There's no room to slack; it's very competitive out there." |
0.94346 | Create a vSphere distributed switch on a data center to handle the networking configuration of multiple hosts at a time from a central place.
You can upgrade vSphere Distributed Switch version 6.x to a later version. The upgrade lets the distributed switch take advantage of features that are available only in the later version.
You create and manage virtual networks on a vSphere Distributed Switch by adding hosts to the switch and connecting their network adapters to the switch. To create uniform networking configuration throughout multiple hosts on the distributed switch, you can use a host as a template and apply its configuration to other hosts.
You can change the configuration of the proxy switch on every host that is associated with a vSphere distributed switch. You can manage physical NICs, VMkernel adapters, and virtual machine network adapters. |
0.988306 | After Timothy picked Mary up from her house he just remembered the good news . Tommy's dad had found a lot of oil in the desert 9days ago. The banker said that if it was cash it would be $2,000,540 ! I wondered if you wanted to come with us on our trip to Africa and Tommy ask Patty if she wanted to go too and she said "yes". When they got on the plane it took 9 hours to get to Africa. As soon as they were out of the airport Timothy and Mary ran toward the lake. Tommy and Patty ran right after them as fast as they could and they caught them before they could reach the lake. They were running after Timothy and Mary because of the alligators in the pond, hippos, water snakes, and elephants will accidentally step on them to get a drink. When Tommy and Patty weren't looking timothy fell into a ditch and Mary noticed that timothy was stuck and then she fell in too. They were desperate to get out of the hole. Mary started to cry because she was scared and felt helpless and timothy comforted her.
Do you want to what happens next? well, when Mary stopped crying a snake creped in the hole. timothy thought they could use the snake as a rope so he told Mary the plan to get out of the hole. they jumped on the snakes body and crawled up out of the hole. when they looked around they saw nobody! Mary saw a big bush, so they crawled into the bush to hide for a while. they saw blue berries in the bush and they relaxed and ate some berries then they decide to look for their owners. they herd a roar and they saw a pride of lions but they got away safely. After they ran through a very big patch of thick thorn brush they met 12 hunters. when the hunters saw the two foxes they thought of how much money they could make from their fur. They caught Timothy and Mary in a big net they had set up to catch monkeys with. Then the hunters put them in a cage but when they opened the cage to feed them they got out. These two lucky little foxes then found a herd of giant elephants and they asked one of them to take them to town. The super old white elephant said 'what are you', Mary said 'we are red American foxes' . 'what are those' the elephant said, 'NEVER mind'! 'please bring us to town' said Timothy. On their way to town there was a big thunder storm and in the storm Mary was slipping of the elephant but Timothy saved her in the knick of time. at the end they were all soaked and wet but they got to town. |
0.99988 | A discovery by researchers could help halt the spread of disease-carrying mosquitoes such as the Anopheles gambiae species.
A team of researchers, including two from the University of California, Riverside, have made a key discovery that could potentially help eliminate disease-spreading mosquitoes on a continent-wide scale.
The research, just published in the preprint server for biology, bioRxiv, focuses on the stability of so-called gene drive systems, which involve adding, disrupting, or modifying genes to alter or suppress a population of an organism.
Gene drives have been proposed as an inexpensive, environmentally friendly, and long-lasting way to address significant ecological and public health-related problems, including mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, Zika virus, dengue fever, yellow fever, and others.
Although gene drives have been discussed and studied for multiple decades, the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technique which relies on a Cas9 protein targeted to a specific genomic location by guide RNAs has recently revolutionized the development of gene drive systems because it offers an inexpensive, efficient, and reliable way to make precise, targeted changes to the genome.
There are different types of gene drives that vary in their inheritance mechanisms, including a type known as homing-based gene drive, which can be used to suppress populations. Past studies have found that the homing-based method can result in 90 to 99 percent of offspring inheriting the altered gene structure, as opposed to the 50 percent expected with traditional genetics, making this system extraordinarily powerful.
Although the high inheritance rate seen with these homing systems is quite promising, the small percentage of offspring that don’t inherit the genetic change are problematic because they can prevent the genetically changed population of an organism from taking over a region.
This is due to the presence of drive-resistant alleles in those offspring, which make them immune to the gene drive. (Alleles are alternative forms of genes that determine distinct traits that can be passed from parents to offspring.) The impact of such resistant alleles on the ability of the gene drive to spread and suppress populations has previously been estimated as significant, but hasn’t been well-evaluated.
In work outlined in the bioRxiv article, the researchers used mathematical modeling to determine that resistant alleles will have a major impact on attempts to get rid of a species of mosquito on a scale of a continent such as Africa. In other words, an attempt to eliminate a species of mosquito using this technique would result in a rapid rebound of the suppressed population of mosquitoes due to resistance alleles.
To address this issue, the researchers devised and validated a technique that involves multiplexing guide RNAs within the gene drive. Multiplexing means targeting multiple locations in a gene with the guide RNAs.
Modeling by the research team suggests that the size of the population that can be suppressed increases exponentially with the number of multiplexed guide RNAs. It also shows that with six multiplexed guide RNAs, a mosquito species could potentially be suppressed on a continental scale.
The researchers also demonstrated successful multiplexing in a fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster), an organism commonly used as a model in labs. Now, they are working to adapt that same technique to mosquitoes. |
0.9759 | What is MATE? Well, to keep it very short, with MATE you can create user configurable extension(s) of the display filter engine.
MATE’s goal is to enable users to filter frames based on information extracted from related frames or information on how frames relate to each other. MATE was written to help troubleshooting gateways and other systems where a "use" involves more protocols. However MATE can be used as well to analyze other issues regarding a interaction between packets like response times, incompleteness of transactions, presence/absence of certain attributes in a group of PDUs and more.
MATE is a Wireshark plugin that allows the user to specify how different frames are related to each other. To do so, MATE extracts data from the frames' tree and then, using that information, tries to group the frames based on how MATE is configured. Once the PDUs are related MATE will create a "protocol" tree with fields the user can filter with. The fields will be almost the same for all the related frames, so one can filter a complete session spanning several frames containing more protocols based on an attribute appearing in some related frame. Other than that MATE allows to filter frames based on response times, number of PDUs in a group and a lot more.
Filter all packets of all calls using various protocols based on the release cause of one of its "segments".
Follow requests through more gateways/proxies. |
0.999963 | Campton Place Restaurant is housed in the iconic Taj Campton Place Hotel located in the heart of Union Square. It is located at 340 Stockton Street, Located on the corner of Stockton & Sutter.
It is a Modern Indian meets Californian cuisine Michelin Star restaurant that received 2 Michelin starts for 2016. My friends and I decide to visit this restaurant and try out it's creation.
As you would expect from a Michelin star restaurant, the service was exceptional. The staff attended us well and treated us with great care. Overall, this place is a must visit. The service is exceptional and so is the food.
I went for the Spice Route Pre-fix Menu. Before the meal, we were served with mini Naans and a series of appetizers. We had regular naan, and we had quinoa naan, which was quite unusal but very good. Naans were perfectly cooked, although something tells me that they do not have a charcoal fired tandoor to cook their naan.
For the the main course, we had a wonderful paani poori that was served in a small pot plant, with dry ice on the outside, extremely pretty presentation, and unique. Paani poori is a traditional Indian classic street food, and I had never seen such a presentation. The vegetable curries were all very good, and I must say that the vegetarian spice route menu is far better than the ones with meat. Although the meats were perfectly cooked, there is something about Indian food, that it has to be served with a curry, and not using curry as a side on the dish. I highly recommend grilled mushrooms served in banana leaves with coconut rice. That was my favorite dish for the night.
After the palate cleanser, we were served with a mango sorbet, mandarin sorbet and chocolate ganache, and all of them were amazing. We were left full and delightful after our scrumptious meal, so thank you Taj Campton! |
0.997475 | What are the barley grass powder recipes?
Barley grass is a sweet grass that helps in weight loss. It contains various vitamins and minerals and can be added to salad dressings, scrambled eggs, and omelets. It can be mixed into soups as well. Barley grass is rich in antioxidants and can be added to hummus. Barley grass powder can also be used as an ingredient to make healthy muffins. |
0.964242 | Barbarossa led the Ottoman navy to victory in the Battle of Preveza, 1538.
He began his naval career as a Barbary pirate, alongside his brothers, raiding Christian coastal villages and seizing ships across the Mediterranean. Khair-ed-Din, also known as Hayreddin Barbarossa, was so successful as a corsair that he managed to become the ruler of Algiers, and then the chief admiral of the Ottoman Turkish navy under Suleiman the Magnificent. Barbarossa started life as a simple potter's son and rose to lasting piratical fame.
In 1520, Sultan Selim I died and a new sultan took the Ottoman throne. He was Suleiman, called "The Lawgiver" in Turkey and "The Magnificent" by Europeans. In return for Ottoman protection from Spain, Barbarossa offered Suleiman the use of his pirate fleet. The new bey was an organizational mastermind, and soon Algiers was the center of privateer activity for all of North Africa. Barbarossa became the de facto ruler of all the so-called Barbary pirates and began to build up a significant land-based army as well.
Barbarossa's fleet captured a number of Spanish ships returning from the Americas laden with gold. It also raided coastal Spain, Italy, and France, carrying off loot and also Christians who would be sold as slaves. In 1522, Barbarossa's ships assisted in the Ottoman conquest of the island of Rhodes, which had been a stronghold for the troublesome Knights of St. John, also called Knights Hospitaller, an order left over from the Crusades. In the fall of 1529, Barbarossa helped an additional 70,000 Moors flee from Andalusia, southern Spain, which was in the grips of the Spanish Inquisition.
Throughout the 1530s, Barbarossa continued to capture Christian shipping, seize towns, and raid Christian settlements all around the Mediterranean. In 1534, his ships sailed right up to the River Tiber, causing panic in Rome.
To answer the threat he posed, Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire appointed famed Genoese admiral Andrea Doria, who began to capture Ottoman towns along the southern Greek coast. Barbarossa responded in 1537 by seizing a number of Venetian-controlled islands for Istanbul.
Events came to a head in 1538. Pope Paul III organized a "Holy League" made up of the Papal States, Spain, the Knights of Malta, and the Republics of Genoa and Venice. Together, they assembled a fleet of 157 galleys under Andrea Doria's command, with the mission of defeating Barbarossa and the Ottoman fleet. Barbarossa had just 122 galleys when the two forces met off of Preveza.
The Battle of Preveza, on September 28, 1538, was a smashing victory for Hayreddin Barbarossa. Despite their smaller numbers, the Ottoman fleet took the offensive and crashed through Doria's attempt at encirclement. The Ottomans sank ten of the Holy League's ships, captured 36 more, and burned three, without losing a single ship themselves. They also captured about 3,000 Christian sailors, at a cost of 400 Turkish dead and 800 wounded. The following day, despite urging from the other captains to stay and fight, Doria ordered the survivors of the Holy League's fleet to withdraw.
Barbarossa continued on to Istanbul, where Suleiman received him at the Topkapi Palace and promoted him to Kapudan-i Derya or "Grand Admiral" of the Ottoman Navy, and Beylerbey or "Governor of governors" of Ottoman North Africa. Suleiman also gave Barbarossa the governorship of Rhodes, fittingly enough.
The victory at Preveza gave the Ottoman Empire dominance in the Mediterranean Sea that lasted for more than thirty years. Barbarossa took advantage of that dominance to clear all of the islands in the Aegean and Ionian Seas of Christian fortifications. Venice sued for peace in October of 1540, acknowledging Ottoman suzerainty over those lands and paying war indemnities.
The Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, tried in 1540 to tempt Barbarossa to become the top admiral of his fleet, but Barbarossa was not willing to be recruited. Charles personally led a siege on Algiers the following fall, but stormy weather and Barbarossa's formidable defenses wreaked havoc on the Holy Roman fleet and sent them sailing for home. This attack on his home base led Barbarossa to adopt an even more aggressive stance, raiding throughout the western Mediterranean Sea. The Ottoman Empire was allied with France by this time, in what the other Christian nations called "The Unholy Alliance," working in opposition to Spain and the Holy Roman Empire.
Barbarossa and his ships defended southern France from Spanish attack several times between 1540 and 1544. He also made a number of daring raids on Italy. The Ottoman fleet was recalled in 1544 when Suleiman and Charles V reached a truce. In 1545, Barbarossa went on his last expedition, sailing to raid the Spanish mainland and offshore islands.
The great Ottoman admiral retired to his palace in Istanbul in 1545, after appointing his son to rule Algiers. As a retirement project, Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha dictated his memoirs in five, hand-written volumes.
Barbarossa died in 1546. He is buried on the European side of the Bosporus Straits. His statue, which stands next to his mausoleum, includes this verse: Whence on the sea's horizon comes that roar? / Can it be Barbarossa now returning / From Tunis or Algiers or from the isles? / Two hundred ships ride on the waves / Coming from lands the rising crescent lights / O blessed ships, from what seas are you come?
Hayreddin Barbarossa left behind a great Ottoman navy, which continued to support the empire's great power status for centuries to come. It stood as a monument to his skills in organization and administration, as well as naval warfare. Indeed, in the years following his death, the Ottoman navy ventured out into the Atlantic and into the Indian Ocean to project Turkish power in distant lands.
What Happened During the Battle of Lepanto in 1571? |
0.931967 | What is the correct pronounciation of "Heyer"?
This is by far the most frequently asked question by newcomers on the Heyer Mailing List. Georgette Heyer's grandfather was Russian, and the name was pronounced, even after they emigrated to Great Britain, to ryhme with "higher" or "flyer." However, during World War I, and in company with many exalted personages like the Battenburgs, the family changed the pronunciation to sound less German and more British, so they began to pronounce it "Hay-er," or, even more British, "Hare," rhyming with "fair" and "hair." This is how Georgette herself pronounced it, but it's a matter open for debate as to which pronunciation is "correct."
There is a biography of Georgette Heyer, published by Jane Aiken Hodge called The Private World of Georgette Heyer (The Bodley Head, 1983). It tells the story of her life and discusses the novels in the context of how, why, and when she wrote them, but it assumes that you are familiar with the entire corpus, so if you don't want to encounter any spoilers, you might not want to read it in full yet. The illustrations are wonderful, including many Regency-era fashion plates and even some photos of Heyer's own research notebooks.
This book, unfortunately, is not in print, but it is available via interlibrary loan, and used copies crop up occasionally at sites like the Advanced Book Exchange, Bibliofind, and Interloc, and it is on every listmember's "buy now, ask questions later" list if they come across a copy at a used bookstore. Some Heyer Mailing List members have even found large caches of it, but just now none seem to be surfacing. We want to read it together on the list but are waiting until the summer so that more people have a chance to look for it.
Q: Eugenia's father is an earl, but she is introduced as "The Honorable Eugenia Wraxton." Shouldn't she be "Lady Eugenia" since her father is an earl?
A: Yes, she should, but the error is not Miss Heyer's. This inconsistency, and indeed several other editing errors, appears to originate with the U.S. 1950 Putnam edition.
(Ch. 8) Moneylender PC (Ch. 11) Lord Orsett / "her elder brother"
1950 Heinemann U.K. Viscount ? p. 116 Lady Ealing nose/"instinct of his race" "elder brother"
(p. 45) carpenter (p. 54) p. 103 Lady Louisa (p. 113) "Semitic nose"
(p. 45) carpenter (p. 54) p. 99 Lady Louisa (p. 108) "Semitic nose"
1951 Heinemann HB reprint U.K. Viscount p. 92 Lady Ealing "elder brother"
1957 Pan U.K. Viscount yes Lady Ealing "elder brother"
(p. 185); "instinct of his race"
(p. 50) carpenter (p. 61) p. 116 Lady Ealing (p. 126) "semitic nose"
(p. 50) yes Lady Ealing "elder brother"
1991 Heinemann reprint U.K. Viscount yes Lady Ealing "elder brother"
If you have one of the above editions, please double-check the info to make sure I have it right. Also, I need page numbers where the errors are found. And if you have an edition not listed, feel free to send me data from it!
There is a misprint in the first chapter in the Harper paperback, where it says Isabella's mother "whisked her off to Ken." It should read, "whisked her off to Kent." If you find any other misprints let me know and I'll put them here.
Heyer wrote The Black Moth when she was 19 years old to amuse her younger brother while he was convalescing from an illness. It was designed as a great melodrama, but when all was said and done, she found she still loved the characters and wanted to write about them again. A sequel didn't really fit the plot of TBM, however, and she didn't want to write another melodrama, so she took the same basic characters, renamed them, and called her new story These Old Shades as a tip to her fans. One must admit that turning Andover into a likeable character must have been a challenge, but then everyone wants to believe that a bad man can be reformed by love for the right woman.
TOS was followed a few years later by Devil's Cub, a story about the Duke of Avon's son Dominic, the Marquis of Vidal. Heyer's first Regency novel was Regency Buck, and several years later she tied the characters of these two books together in a masterpiece about the Battle of Waterloo called An Infamous Army. Its heroine, Lady Barbara, is a granddaughter of the Duke of Avon who was the Marquis of Vidal in Devil's Cub. AIA also includes real-life characters from her earlier novel, The Spanish Bride, which was about a soldier named Harry Smith and his young Spanish bride, Juana, during the Peninsular War.
"I have been trying to date Devil's Cub, and it's not easy. It should be in 1779, because it is specifically indicated to be 24 years after TOS, which refers to Justin's involvement in the Jacobite rebellion of 1745 "ten years before." Unfortunately, this makes it impossible for his grandchild, Lady Barbara, to be 26(!) in 1815. One could exactly date TOS by the Prince de Condé being 20 if one knew French royal history. Unfortunately I don't! I tried to date DC by the lecture on phlogiston which Mr. Marling attends. Unfortunately, phlogiston was a big topic throughout the century. There were major breakthroughs in chemistry in 1766 (hydrogen) and 1774 (oxygen). Both were mistakenly considered to be phlogiston. I think Heyer just cheated big-time in An Infamous Army because she wanted an Alastair as her heroine, but the time wouldn't work out right. If Lady Babs' father was only 21 when she was born, and if Mary and Dominic reproduced in the first year, that would push DC all the way back to 1767. This is not likely, as Charles James Fox (yes indeed he is the famous legislator, orator, and rake) would have been only 18 in 1767 (plus, 24 years before would be before the Jacobite rebellion, and this is less than 20 years after the Gunnings!). Fox seems about 25 in the book, which would make the year for DC 1774, and would make Lady Babs' father only 14 when he had her! And didn't she have an older brother?!? So, the dates are tough . . ."
"Another discrepancy is the Duchess being described as "just turned forty" which means she would have been 16 in TOS; in fact she is specifically described as 20 years old in that novel. It would work better if she were the younger age; if Avon were "20 years older" than he would be only 36 years old and more likely to have a 22 year old brother like Rupert. Leonie certainly acts more like a teenager than a 20-year-old in TOS.
"There are also some questions about Fanny's age in DC but in her case I'm very willing to believe that Fanny herself can't be trusted to be accurate."
Sir Gregory Markham of The Black Moth reappears in The Masqueraders as the man Letty Grayson was running away with.
Josef says that there is also a direct link from Richardson's Clarissa villain, Lovelace, to The Black Moth (there being a tip-off because the subsequent character in TOS is named Avon).
please send them to me and I will put them up here. |
0.954778 | What's a tax refund loan?
Tax refund loans, also called "instant refund loans," or "refund anticipation loans," target lower income consumers, but many other moderate-income families fall victim to these offers, as well. For a loan fee ranging from $30 to $115, you receive a loan for the amount of your refund (usually up to $5,000) within one to two days. When your refund is received in a special bank account set up by the lender, the loan is repaid.
Cash-strapped taxpayers have paid outrageous loan, administrative and processing fees, essentially borrowing their own money, to get refunds only one or two weeks sooner than waiting to receive them from the IRS.
So, what should you do if faced with the need for fast cash?
If you need a quick refund, use the IRS' electronic filing option, which will deliver the refund in 2 weeks or less. Electronic filers who have their refund deposited directly into their checking account can receive their refund within ten days of filing. If you don't have a bank account, you'll have to wait a bit longer to receive your check in the mail.
Reduce your income tax withholding by filing a new form W-4 with your employer and claim more withholding allowances. Since more money will be coming your way each pay period, consider having money automatically deducted from your paycheck and deposited into a savings account.
The IRS offers a "Free File" program for taxpayers with Adjusted Gross Income of $50,000 or less. This program allows millions of Americans to have their tax return prepared and filed electronically at no cost. Seventeen companies provide these services through an alliance with the IRS. Eligibility varies from one company to the other but is based on factors such as age, adjusted gross income, and state of residence. For information on the "Free File" program, visit the IRS Web site.
When you use these free tax filing services, you'll see prominently displayed ads for refund loans. If you're tempted, remember that you'd be paying the equivalent of an interest rate percentage in the hundreds or even thousands. Perhaps that $100 fee doesn't seem like much right now, but consider it could pay 2 months of an average cable TV bill if not spent taking out a loan on money you'll receive relatively soon anyway. Unless ten days or so will make the difference between losing your home to foreclosure or something equally as drastic, try not to fall for these outrageous offers.
Check out the Consumer Law Center's brochure "Don't Pay to Borrow Your Own Money" that includes tips for avoiding the need to take out a tax refund loan. It's available in English and five other languages.
Did you know that you can check on the status of your tax refund? Access this secure Web site to find out if the IRS received your return, and whether your refund was processed and sent to you. |
0.939828 | Social media data has provided various insights into the behaviour of consumers and businesses. However, extracted data may be erroneous, or could have originated from a malicious source. Thus, quality of social media should be managed. Also, it should be understood how data quality can be managed across a big data pipeline, which may consist of several processing and analysis phases. The contribution of this paper is evaluation of data quality management architecture for social media data. The theoretical concepts based on previous work have been implemented for data quality evaluation of Twitter-based data sets. Particularly, reference architecture for quality management in social media data has been extended and evaluated based on the implementation architecture. Experiments indicate that 150–800 tweets/s can be evaluated with two cloud nodes depending on the configuration.
Social media data can be analysed for getting insights into the behaviour of consumers [1, 2] or businesses . However, data to be analysed may have originated from a spam campaign or contain false information . Therefore, filtering may be needed before meaningful insights can be created. Machine learning methods have been utilised for analysing and predicting credibility of social media data [6–8]. Also, frameworks have been developed for data quality management in social media [9, 10]. However, reference architecture (RA) design for data quality management in social media data has only been addressed recently . The RA is aimed for facilitating design of quality management aspects into implementation architectures of big data systems.
This research extends an earlier work , which focused primarily on social media data quality evaluation for decision making, and initial validation of metadata management architecture for big data systems. This work focuses on validation and extension of the earlier RA . Particularly, the proposed architecture has been implemented into a business context, where a company utilised tweet sentiment analysis in product development. A tool has been developed for data quality management, which enables evaluation, filtering, and querying of tweet-related quality information based on user-defined rules. Performance results indicated that 150–800 tweets/s can be evaluated on two cloud nodes depending on the configuration.
The document is structured as follows. First, related work is reviewed. Then, research question and research method are presented. Next, design of the implemented architecture is illustrated with unified modelling language (UML) views. RA for data quality management in big data systems has been enhanced based on the implementation architecture. The RA is evaluated based on technology selections and performance. Finally, main lessons learnt and future work is discussed. The “Appendix” includes a detailed data view of quality rules, and metadata.
Reference architecture has been designed for big data systems based on realised implementation architectures of big data companies (Twitter, LinkedIn etc.) . The RA consists of functionalities (rectangles), data stores (circles), and data flows (arrows) between them. In a big data system, data is typically extracted from various sources, and loaded/transferred into a temporary or raw data store. New information may be extracted from the data. Data may also be cleaned, combined or replicated. Processed data is typically analysed, transformed, and served for visualisation with different applications. A new architectural layer (Fig. 1) has been introduced to the RA , which covers management of metadata including quality aspects of social media data. Metadata is “structured information that describes, explains, locates, or otherwise makes it easier to retrieve, use, or manage an information resource” . Metadata management covers extraction of metadata from social media data, and providing access to it . Quality management refers to assigning values to quality attributes of related social media data sets .
Additionally, important theoretical concepts have been defined in earlier work for data quality management . Quality of data can be understood with associated quality attributes. A quality attribute represents a single aspect of quality (e.g. timeliness) [11, 14]. Quality metrics are used for measuring properties of a quality attribute. An example of a quality metric is a model, which evaluates timeliness based on the timestamp of a data item. Quality evaluation refers to evaluating the quality of information (data with meaning ), where context and intended use of information is taken into account . Quality evaluation can be performed by utilizing quality policies . The purpose of quality policies is to enable the organisation to define contexts for different situations, where social media data is utilised for decision making. An organizational quality policy defines acceptable data sources, and context of the task . A filtering policy is used for evaluating only relevant quality dimensions to satisfy the requirements of a data consumer .
Also, other solutions have been developed for quality management of social media data. Social-QAS is a tailorable quality management service for social media content . The tool enables quality assessment based on metadata, content, classification of messages, and scientific methods. End users can search for information with different quality parameters in a Facebook-application, which focuses on emergency services . A dynamic quality evaluation concept has been implemented for supporting emergency situations . Specifically, search of social media data can be filtered by weighting different quality parameters (e.g. timeliness, author reputation). A quality framework has been developed for supporting data quality profile selection and adaptation . Particularly, the framework has been implemented for pre-processing of medical data. A hybrid approach has been proposed for quality evaluation across the big data value chain . Quality of medical datasets has been evaluated for detection of cardiovascular risks, and sleep-disordered breathing.
Social media data analysis has facilitated decision making within an enterprise. For example, the role of Twitter-based analytics for supply chain management (SCM) has been studied . Particularly, a framework was proposed for extracting intelligence from Twitter based on descriptive, content, and network analytics. Tweets have been analysed for gaining competitive intelligence in retail . Particularly, sentiment, mentions, and topics were analysed in product categories. Social media channels (Facebook, Twitter) have also been integrated with processing of customer orders with an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system . Several tools exist for validation of data from enterprise systems . The tools typically evaluate uniqueness, conformance, completeness, accuracy, and consistency of data. The impact of data quality metadata for decision making purposes has been studied . Results suggested that the use of data quality metadata may be enhanced with related training.
Methods and algorithms for social media data analysis can be categorized into network analytics, community detection algorithms, text analytics, information diffusion models and methods, and information fusion . Text analytics covers natural language processing (NLP), information extraction, data mining, and machine learning approaches . Information extraction refers to techniques for extracting entities, and their relationships from text. Information extraction has been utilised for entity extraction [24–26], and making tweet hashtag recommendations . Neural network-based language models have been developed for estimation of word representations . Particularly, high-quality word similarity vectors can be learned from billions of words based on continuous bag-of-words or skip-gram model. Google has also published pre-trained models as part of their Word2Vec-implementation . Hashtag recommendation has been proposed by learning of word representations with Word2Vec’s skip-gram model, and a trained neural network . Another application based on Word2Vec is restaurant recommendations based on similarities between tweets, and specified keywords related to foodborne disease symptoms .
Machine learning approaches can be categorized to supervised and unsupervised approaches . Unsupervised learning approaches create a predictive model based on input data with a clustering method. Unsupervised approaches have been used for topical clustering of tweets [32, 33], and tweet hashtag recommendations . Supervised methods utilize training data (input/output about the phenomenon) for classification or regression type of algorithms . Supervised machine learning approach has been used for sentiment analysis of tweets . Sentiment analysis has also been used as a factor in a regression model for predicting box-office revenues for movies .
More importantly, quality aspects of social media data have been analysed mainly with supervised machine learning. Automatic methods have been developed for assessing credibility of Twitter-based data sets . Classifiers trained based on a similar approach have been developed for detecting newsworthiness and credibility of tweets . TweetCred is a real time system for assigning a credibility score to a Twitter user’s time line . The usefulness of comments in Flickr and YouTube has been studied . The results indicated that a few straightforward features can be used for detecting usefulness. A model has been trained based on user and tweet characteristics using supervised learning for identifying misinformation in Twitter (accuracy ~77%) . CREDBANK is a corpus of tweets, topics, events, and associated credibility scores comprising more than 1 billion tweets . Annotations for the corpus have been crowdsourced with Amazon Mechanical Turk, which focused on event detection and credibility detection of the events (a set of tweets).
The review indicates that many applications exist, where social media data analysis has facilitated decision making within an enterprise [3, 19, 20]. While several methods and algorithms can be utilised for social media data analysis , typically supervised learning based methods have been used for evaluating quality aspects of social media data [6, 36, 38]. In order to understand quality aspects of social media data, different approaches have been proposed for management of quality in social media data [9–11, 17, 18]. However, only some the approaches [10, 11] focus on development of architecture for managing the quality of data in a big data system. The contribution of this paper is validation of RA design for management of quality in social media data. Particularly, a proof-of-concept implementation of the RA has been created, which has been validated in product development context focusing on sentiment analysis of tweets.
RQ1: How is quality management architecture constructed for evaluating the quality of social media data?
The research method follows the framework proposed for analysis and design of empirically grounded RAs [39, 40]. The approach consists of deciding a type for the RA (step 1), selection of a design strategy (step 2), empirical acquisition of data (step 3), construction of the RA (step 4), enabling of variability (step 5), and evaluation (step 6). In previous work, RA has been developed for big data systems . Facilitation type of RA was selected (step 1), which should provide guidelines for the design of similar big data systems. The design strategy was selected as practise-driven (step 2). The RA was created based on realised implementation architectures gathered from publications and blogs (steps 3–4). In another earlier work, the developed RA was initially implemented and evaluated (step 6) for data quality management in social media sources, and a new metadata management layer was designed as part of the RA .
This research aims to extend the earlier RA . First, the existing architecture implementation has been extended for acquisition of new empirical data (step 3). The implementation has been deployed into Eucalyptus cloud computing environment . Particularly, a tool has been implemented, which enables management of quality aspects in Twitter-based data sets. Then, the existing RA has been extended (step 4) and evaluated (step 6) based on new empirical data gathered from the implemented architecture (step 3). Variability aspect (step 5) has not been focused in the study.
This chapter presents design of the architecture implementation. The design has been presented from the point of view of utilizing the developed tool for quality management of Twitter based data sets. First, a use case view illustrates how a company (Invenco) can manage quality of social media data. Then, a high level data view of the system is presented. Deployment view illustrates how different components of the tool are executed in the target development environment. Finally, component and sequence views demonstrate how rules are created for data quality management, and how data quality is evaluated, and queried from the developed system.
The use case view (Fig. 2) illustrates how the developed tool has been utilized for evaluating the quality of Tweet-based sentiment analysis. Invenco extracts social media data from Twitter, and provides the extracted tweets for data quality evaluation (by VTT). Additionally, it should be identified, which social media channels are utilized, and what dimensions of quality are valuable for decision making purposes. In our case, timeliness, relevancy, and popularity were selected as the most interesting quality attributes related to tweets. The information was specified by product/sales manager of Invenco. Subsequently, an organisational quality policy was defined, which specified acceptable quality attributes for a social media data source (Twitter). Additionally, a profile may be utilized for definition of multiple organisational quality policies for a decision point. The provided information was utilized by VTT for data quality management.
Next, it should also be identified what level of quality is acceptable for an organisation. For this purpose, a filtering policy was defined, which specified an acceptable level for each quality attribute. The role of the filtering policy is to discard data with unacceptable quality from decision making. Also, quality metrics should be defined by a person, who understands basics of data science (e.g. a data scientist). Quality metrics specify how quality attributes are evaluated based on social media data under study.
For utilization of data for decision making, a search filtering policy was defined. The policy specified acceptable quality level for tweets to be returned in queries.
Figure 3 presents a high level view of the most important architectural concepts. A data set refers to a group of data items (e.g. a set of tweets), which is extracted in the big data system from a social media data source. Each data set is associated with metadata, which contains structured information of the data set. Metadata dimensions include quality, navigational, process, descriptive, and administrative aspects (Fig. 15). End user(s) of an organisation define quality rules for data quality management. Quality rules include organisational quality policy, filtering policy, profile, and search filtering policy. Additionally, quality attributes and quality metrics have to be specified. A detailed data view of all implemented concepts has been provided in the “Appendix”.
Deployment view (Fig. 4) illustrates the main SW components, which are needed for data quality management. Front-end node provides services for management of data quality for end users, whereas Back-end node executes required processing for data quality evaluation. A node has been allocated specifically for relevancy evaluation of tweets.
Quality rules-store contains data structures from the data view (Figs. 3, 14). Metadata is stored in metadata store. Data store contains social media data, which has been evaluated and validated successfully with a filtering policy.
The stores have been implemented to Cassandra, which is deployed in the Front-end node. The Front-end node also provides a representational state transfer (REST) API for interacting with end users (provided by MetadataQualityManagement). The Back-end node performs data quality evaluation of tweets. QualityEvaluator provides a REST API for execution of quality evaluation operations based on requests received from the Front-end node. TwitterAnalysis component is executed in Spark Streaming environment. Especially, QualityEvaluator deploys TwitterAnalysis process to a Spark cluster. The Relevancy node performs relevancy evaluation of tweets. Word2Vec-service provides a TCP socket interface for relevancy evaluation, which is utilized by the TwitterAnalysis-component.
Figure 5 presents a detailed view of MetadataQualityManagement-component, which is executed in the Front-end node. Most of the components follow earlier design [Immonen], which has been extended in this work.
Responsibilities of revised and new components (in Fig. 5) have described in Table 1.
Figure 8 provides a detailed component view to data quality evaluation in the Back-end node. The role of QualityEvaluator is to deploy data quality evaluation tasks based on requests received from the MetadataQualityManagement-component (Fig. 4). NetworkService provides a REST API by using Jetty as a web server. The purpose of QualityEvaluationService is to deploy new Twitter data analysis tasks in a Spark Streaming cluster based on the received requests. TwitterAnalysis-component encapsulates a Spark Streaming-task, which will be started for each data quality evaluation task.
Responsibilities of sub-components in TwitterAnalysis are described in Table 2.
Earlier work presented initial validation of the metadata management layer for big data systems (Fig. 1). Based on incremental design and implementation of the prototype system (step 3 of the research method ), the metadata management layer has been extended (step 4) and evaluated (step 6) in this work. In the following, elements of the improved architecture (Fig. 12) are presented.
Quality rules store include quality attributes, quality policies, quality metrics, and profile (Fig. 14), which are utilised for managing quality of data sets. Metadata contains information about data sets in different dimensions including quality aspects (Fig. 15). Data store contains social media data (tweets in the prototype system), which has been evaluated.
Metadata management refers to creation of metadata, and providing access to it. MetadataCollectionEngine and MetadataSearchEngine components of the Front-end node (Fig. 5) encapsulated functionality of metadata management. Quality management refers to managing quality aspects of data sets with user-defined quality rules. In the prototype system MetadataQualityManagement, MetadataQualityEvaluator, and MetadataQualityPolicyManager of the Front-end node implemented quality management functionality (Fig. 5). Quality evaluation refers to analysing quality of social media data sets based on quality metrics, which have been selected to a context based on quality rules. In the prototype system quality evaluation was comprised of QualityEvaluator and TwitterAnalysis components of the Back-end node (Fig. 8), and Word2Vec-service of the relevancy-node (Fig. 4).
In the big data system, social media data was extracted from Twitter (data source), and stored. The raw data was transferred to the data quality management tool for quality evaluation. Sentiment analysis (deep analytics) was performed, and results were saved (analysis results). Then, sentiment analysis results are going to be filtered (transformation) based on the data quality information. Finally, the filtered information will be visualised to the end users in an application.
Cassandra was used for storing of metadata, quality rules, and data (see Additional file 1). However, each of the conceptual stores could also have been implemented with a different database technology. Data was modelled based on expected queries to be served, which is one of the principles of data modelling for Cassandra . From the end user’s point of view, quality policies, quality attributes, and quality metrics have to be defined for data quality management (Fig. 2). The information was stored into the database (see Additional file 1). The result of tweet quality evaluation was stored into metadata store (metadata_dataitems in Additional file 1), and social media data into data store (data_store in Additional file 1). An example on data quality management over REST API has been provided in the Additional file 3. Performance of the data management has been evaluated in the following section.
The external APIs were implemented based on REST-based communication paradigm. Interface messages were defined in extensible markup language (XML) format, and implemented with Jersey . REST API of the QualityEvaluator in the Back-end node (Fig. 8) was implemented as an embedded Jetty server (Jersey could also have been used). Word2Vec service’s API (Fig. 8) in the relevancy server was implemented as a TCP server, which accepted words of tweets as input, and returned calculated relevancy value as a response.
Different metrics were needed for evaluation of the quality attributes (see Additional file 2). Timeliness was evaluated based on timestamp (created_at ) of a tweet. Retweet count (retweet_count ), number of friends (friends_count ), and number of followers (followers_count ) were utilised for evaluating popularity of a tweet (see Additional file 3 for an example). The metric for evaluation of quality attributes based on the tweet metadata was implemented as a file, which contained evaluation rules. Java Rule Engine API was utilised for encoding/decoding of the evaluation rules in XML format (steps 8–9 in Fig. 11). Particularly, the XML file contained weighted parameters of tweet metadata for quality evaluation.
Relevancy evaluation relied on Google’s Word2Vec-implementation . DeepLearning4 J-library provided a Java API to Google’s pre-trained word vector model, which is based on Google News data set. The implementation was executed on a separate Relevancy node (Fig. 4), due to large memory consumption of the model (zipped model file ~1.6 GB). Word2Vec algorithm was utilised for calculation of word cosine distance between words of a tweet, and context words. A metric file (see Additional file 2) was utilized for adjusting a threshold for word cosine distance for indicating, when a tweet word is relevant. The metric file also contained context words, which were compared to tweet words. Another metric (in JRulesEngine format) was used for calculating the final relevancy score based on the quantity of words, which were found to be relevant in a tweet.
Performance of data quality evaluation was studied. In the experiments 176,478 tweets (~798 MB) were transmitted for quality evaluation. The tweets were extracted from the public Twitter API . The average size of a tweet was ~4.6 KB. The experiments were executed within the Eucalyptus cloud computing environment (Fig. 4), where Front-end node had two vCPUs, and 4 GB RAM. Back-end node and relevancy nodes had six vCPUs and 40 GB RAM. Two vCPUs and 4 GB RAM was allocated for Twitter analysis-component (Fig. 8) within the Spark streaming cluster. An additional node (had six vCPUs and 40 GB RAM) was used for simulating a Twitter data source, which utilized Netcat for streaming of tweets using a TCP connection. TCP was used instead of HTTP to minimise protocol overhead in the experiments. The tests were performed five times, and average processing rate of tweets is reported.
In the experiments, quality attributes, Cassandra batching, and saving of social media data were controlled. Each Cassandra batch contained ten quality attribute updates, or five tweet writes. The results (Fig. 13) indicated that relevancy evaluation is slower, when compared to evaluation of timeliness/popularity. Secondly, batching of database writing/updating requests improved performance significantly, when compared to the baseline (no batching). Finally, if social media data (tweets) do not need to be stored, performance can be improved (as expected).
Quality data was stored separately for each tweet (metadata_dataitems in Additional file 1). Therefore, multiple updates/writes to Cassandra were batched, which is known to increase performance, when applied to data residing in the same cluster . Batching increased performance of data quality evaluation, as expected (Fig. 13). Alternatively, quality attributes could have been modelled differently. For example, values of quality attributes could have been stored inside of a Cassandra collection, which provides support for storing up to 2 billion entries .
Relevancy evaluation was based on word cosine distance-measure, which is used by the Word2Vec-implementation. Word2Vec model had to be loaded initially into memory, which takes ~4.5 min on a cloud node. Due to the slowness of loading, and large memory consumption, relevancy evaluation was performed in a separate Eucalyptus instance. The experiments indicated that relevancy evaluation was slower, when compared to evaluation of timeliness/popularity (Fig. 13). Word2Vec service in the Relevancy node (Fig. 4) read words of a tweet one line at a time from a single TCP socket. Performance of relevancy evaluation may be improved, if multiple sockets would be utilized for the communication.
The quality metrics were associated with the underlying implementation of quality evaluation. For example, metrics were used for calculating a value for popularity based on specified tweet metadata (friend’s count, followers count etc.). However, if a different set of tweet metadata would need to be utilized for quality evaluation, quality metrics and quality evaluation implementation would need to be modified accordingly. An alternative approach would be to utilize ontology-based approach to definition of quality metrics and evaluation, where updated representation of concepts in the metrics would be automatically updated in the system .
Several configuration [e.g. location of java archive (JAR)-files] and run-time parameters (e.g. CPU cores, memory, location of Spark master) have to be provided to Spark Streaming in order to control the quality evaluation process. Therefore, new data structures (quality_data_processing and supported_quality_data_processing in Additional file 1) had to be designed to the quality management architecture (Fig. 14). The role of the data structures is to enable run-time configuration of quality evaluation process. Additionally, each data processing tool has a unique identifier, which has to be provided to the end user of the data quality management tool. For example, when quality attributes are created by the data scientist of an organisation (Fig. 6), each quality attribute should refer to the associated data processing tool. In the prototype system, a reference was made to a single processing tool (identifier), because one processing implementation was capable of performing quality evaluation for all of the evaluated quality attributes.
This work can be compared to existing framework proposals for quality management in social media (Table 3). Social Haystack assesses quality of citizen-generated content during emergencies . Up-to-datedness/dissemination corresponds to timeliness/popularity quality attributes of our work. Social-QAS has been proposed for quality assessment of social media data . However, neither approach can be utilised for specifying quality metrics/policies from the end user perspective. Taleb has proposed quality evaluation to the pre-processing phase of a big data system . The main differences to our work are focus on medical data, and focusing on data quality with a data cleansing algorithm. Serhani proposed a hybrid approach for quality evaluation, covering pre-processing, processing and analysis phases of a big data pipeline . The main differences to our work are focus on medical data, offline data processing/analysis with data analytics tools. Also, a different set of quality attributes (accuracy, completeness, and consistency) were evaluated, when compared to this work.
Immonen presented mainly quality evaluation of social media data based on quality policies. Also, an initial validation of RA for quality management of social media data was presented . The RA (Fig. 1) has been extended in this work with implementation of quality evaluation for tweets, evaluation of new quality attributes based on the developed metrics, and adaptable quality rules to a database. The main contribution of this work is presentation of the metadata management layer for big data systems (Fig. 12), which has been validated with an implementation. Additionally, performance of the implementation has been evaluated from data quality evaluation point of view.
Social media data may need to be cleaned or filtered before analysing its quality (Serhani). We didn’t focus on the pre-processing phase of the big data pipeline (Fig. 12). When social media data is cleaned/filtered, quality of data may improve, which should be saved into the associated metadata. Social media data may also be processed with offline data processing tools (Sehrani). We aimed at automating the process of data quality evaluation instead of manual processing. If social media data sets would be processed externally by the end user, metadata/quality management part of the architecture would need to be extended.
The revised RA has been developed originally based on seven published implementation architectures of big data systems . In this work, the RA has been extended, and validated based on a realised architecture in a business case. In order to validate suitability of the RA for various business cases in the context of social media data, the RA should be experimented with several implementation architectures. This work can be considered as a step towards that goal.
Quality of social media data was evaluated by utilizing either simple (timeliness, popularity) or trained models (relevancy). In order to evaluate performance (e.g. precision or recall) of the quality attributes, a ground truth based on human observations would be needed for comparison. The ground truth could be established by crowd-sourcing annotations to the evaluated social media data (e.g. with Amazon Mechanical Turk) [6, 7]. Also, if credibility of tweets would need to be evaluated, a model may have to be developed based on supervised machine learning, where annotated data would be utilised for training of the model (e.g. [6, 7, 36]).
Spark streaming was used in the implementation to study feasibility of the technology for quality evaluation. Previously, sentiment analysis of tweets has been simulated in a similar environment . Spark streaming processed lower number of tweets (per second) with one node in this study (~150–800 tweets/s vs. ~1000 tweets/s). Performance may be improved with optimisations related to storage of quality data and quality attribute evaluation (relevancy). Currently, tweets are analysed sequentially in a Spark streaming cluster. Parallel processing of tweets may need to be implemented, in order to achieve better performance.
In the prototype no feedback is provided to the end user regarding the processing of tweets. As an alternative to REST-based communication pattern, a streaming interface could be developed for providing processing indications to support utilisation of quality information in real time.
Quality evaluation is performed each time metadata is received from the end user. Social media data is saved permanently, if saving has been specified in the data_storage_indicator-parameters of metadata (Fig. 15), and processed data has not been filtered out. Updating of data quality information may be needed, when quality metrics change. In the future HTTP PUT could be utilised for initiating an update procedure for data, which has been stored earlier.
Currently, quality data has been created based on Twitter data sets, and filtered for supporting sentiment analysis of tweets. Subsequently, quality information of individual tweets will be used for filtering in sentiment analysis. Especially, it should be determined how quality information will be visualised for end users in order to support decision making.
When an organisational actor has a need for managing quality of social media data, quality rules are specified. In the prototype a single organisational policy and profile were used for quality management of tweets. Multiple organisational policies would be needed, when different social media data sources are utilised in a business case. Similarly, multiple policies would be needed for different decision points. Especially, it should be considered how data from one or more social media data source(s) can serve decision making in different business contexts.
Evaluation of new quality attributes. New functionality has to be developed for evaluation of additional quality attributes. The added functionality should be updated to the processing configurations (Fig. 14), and communicated to the end users of the tool.
This research was conducted based on the needs of a company for managing quality in social media data. The contribution of the paper is (an extended) RA design of metadata management layer for big data systems, which focuses on data quality management. The RA was implemented for ensuring empirical validity of the design. Feasibility of the developed data quality management-tool was validated in a business context, in which the company utilised data quality information for sentiment analysis of tweets. Quality of tweets was evaluated in terms of timeliness, popularity, and relevancy. The quality information was used for filtering of tweets to facilitate creation of higher quality insights with the company’s product.
The research question was “How is quality management architecture constructed for evaluating the quality of social media data?” The data quality management architecture is comprised of a metadata management layer in the RA for big data systems. The metadata management layer consists of quality rules, metadata, and data (data stores). Quality rules provide means for the organization of the company to manage quality of social media data sets for decision making purposes. The main functional elements of the metadata management layer include metadata management, quality management, and quality evaluation. In the prototype system metadata management enabled creation of and access to metadata related to tweets. Quality management was responsible for managing quality aspects of metadata based on user-defined quality rules. Quality evaluation of tweets was performed in a Spark streaming cluster, which indicated that 150–800 tweets/s can be processed with two cloud nodes depending on the configuration.
PP wrote the article. He also designed and implemented the presented architecture, and executed the experiments. JJ contributed to the design of the use case view (in “Architecture design” chapter). Both authors read and approved the final manuscript.
The author acknowledges Esa Ronkainen and Juha Jokitulppo (from Invenco) for providing business context and related feedback for this research.
The dataset supporting the conclusions of this article is included within the article (and its additional files).
Figure 14 provides a detailed data view of quality rules. In the following, each concept is described in detail (data modelling with Cassandra in Additional file 1). Profile refers to a decision point within the organisation. It may be associated with multiple organisational quality policies. An organisational quality policy defines an acceptable data source type, and applicable quality attributes . Also, it refers to a filtering policy, which defines acceptable value ranges for specified quality attributes. Metadata identifier associates organizational quality policy with metadata.
A quality attribute specifies source of social media data (e.g. Twitter), and target (e.g. tweets) the attribute refers to. A quality attribute may refer to one or more quality metrics, which are utilized for evaluation of the attribute . Each quality metric may contain a formula/model, which can be encoded with a specified format.
Quality data processing defines configuration and processing parameters, which are utilized in the evaluation process of quality attributes. Examples of configuration parameters include location of binary or configuration files, and environmental execution parameters (e.g. number of CPU cores, size of memory). Processing parameters refer to input data, which should be provided to data processing executables (e.g. Spark streaming). Supported quality data processing defines processing, which can be performed with a specific data processing tool. Especially, it can be specified what kind of quality attributes for a data source can be evaluated with a specific data processing tool.
Finally, a search filtering policy may be specified for querying of quality data. The end user can specify a range for each quality attribute, identifier of searched metadata, and a time range. Also, it can be specified, if social media data should be provided (includeData).
Figure 15 presents a data view of metadata (metadata in Additional file 1). Metadata contains navigational, process, descriptive, administrative, and quality aspects of collected data sets . A few parameters have been described for each aspect of metadata. In the prototype system, dataset_location (NavigationalMetadata) contained the location for downloading of tweets. data_storage_indicator (AdministrativeMetadata) was used for specifying, if associated data items were required to be stored permanently. decision_point_required (DescriptiveMetadata) indicated if a matching profile was needed for processing of associated metadata. The results of quality evaluation related to individual tweets were stored to MetadataDataItem. If quality attributes would have been related to an entire data set of tweets, the results of quality evaluation would have been stored to the metadata structure (QualityMetadata).
40537_2017_66_MOESM1_ESM.txt Additional file 1. The file contains modelling of metadata store, quality rules, and data store for Cassandra.
40537_2017_66_MOESM2_ESM.txt Additional file 2. The file contains quality metrics for evaluation of timeliness, relevancy, and popularity.
40537_2017_66_MOESM3_ESM.txt Additional file 3. An example for data quality management of tweets. Example code can be compared with the corresponding data views (Figs. 14, 15).
Reuter C, Spielhofer T. Towards social resilience: a quantitative and qualitative survey on citizens’ perception of social media in emergencies in Europe. Technol Forecast Soc Change. 2016. doi:10.1016/j.techfore.2016.07.038.
National Information Standards Organization. Understanding metadata. 2004. http://www.niso.org/publications/press/UnderstandingMetadata.pdf. Accessed 30 Jan 2017.
W3C. Web services policy 1.5—framework (W3C recommendation). 2007. https://www.w3.org/TR/ws-policy/#Policy_Model. Accessed 05 Dec 2016.
Google Code Archive. Word2Vec. https://code.google.com/archive/p/word2vec/. Accessed 08 Nov 2016.
SourceForge. JRulesEngine. 2016. http://jruleengine.sourceforge.net. Accessed 08 Nov 2016.
Hobbs T. Basic rules of Cassandra data modeling. 2015. http://www.datastax.com/dev/blog/basic-rules-of-cassandra-data-modeling. Accessed 08 Nov 2016.
Jersey. 2016. https://jersey.java.net/. Accessed 08 Nov 2016.
Eclipse. Jetty. 2016. http://www.eclipse.org/jetty/. Accessed 08 Nov 2016.
The Apache Software Foundation. Apache HttpComponents. 2016. https://hc.apache.org/. Accessed 08 Nov 2016.
Google code archive. JSON simple. 2016. https://code.google.com/archive/p/json-simple/. Accessed 08 Nov 2016.
Twitter developer documentation. https://dev.twitter.com/overview/api/. Accessed 08 Nov 2016.
DeepLearning4J. https://deeplearning4j.org/. Accessed 08 Nov 2016.
Datastax. CQL for Apache Cassandra. 2016. http://docs.datastax.com/en/cql/3.1/cql/cql_using/useBatch.html. Accessed 08 Nov 2016. |
0.999971 | As it is well-known, students' vocational choice and students' personally types are very important regarding of the effectiveness of academic programs. This research aims at clarifying the relation between students' personality types and their choices by using students' perceptions. The research has been conducted on 352 students attending at School of Vocational Studies. According to the research findings, there are strong relationships between students' personality types and their choices. Based on The Five Factor Model, Inventory is an evaluation tool which is improved according to the Turkish culture. Validity and reliability analysis (dimensional self consistency cofactors vary between 0,71 and 0,88; test repeat cofactors vary between 0,83 and 0,91) show that inventory consists strong psychometric features. The results obtained from inventory were evaluated by using raw points and not norm points. In the short version of the Inventory only the five dimensions (openness for experience, responsibility consciousness, being extrovert, compatibleness, emotional balance) of the character are evaluated using total 25 attributes. The answers for the attitudes are classified in Likert scale 5. If the answers are totally suitable the grade given is 5, if totally not suitable the grade given is 1. |
0.999607 | Full list of airports in Macedonia includes both the international airports in Macedonia, the largest airports, large airports, and a small civil airports in Macedonia.
The list of airports includes: airport codes in Macedonia (iata codes, icao codes), airport names in Macedonia, the name of the city in which or near which the airport is located.
How many airports in the Macedonia?
To see a full list of airports in the Macedonia, you can look at the list of airports in the country listed in the table above or find out the answer in the next sentence. |
0.990614 | Fuel relevant, personalized engagement with intelligent insights for the next best customer experience.
What happens when you combine the power of the Informatica Intelligent Data Platform and master data management with AllSight’s innovative approach to customer data? You can deliver a trusted, complete, and relevant view of customer data with actionable insights for your business. That means you can understand your customers better than ever before—and deliver the seamless, personalized experience customers demand.
An engaged customer is a loyal one. With a 360 view of your customers, you can deliver relevant, authentic interactions that deepen relationships. Add AI and machine learning to automate and synthesize billions of data points, and you’ll uncover the actionable insights you need to transform customer experience.
Elevate your marketing strategies by anticipating customers’ wants and needs, then taking informed actions. An intelligent 360 view of customers delivers information in context so you can tailor communications to an individual’s interests and create frictionless omnichannel experiences that increase conversions across the buyer’s journey.
To effectively engage with customers, sales teams need to know a lot about them: how to reach them, where they’re located, what their preferences are, what they’ve purchased, and more. An intelligent 360 view lets sales teams focus on the up-sell and cross-sell opportunities with the greatest potential and fully engage in customer-focused conversations and activities.
Customer-centric companies commit to building and maintaining their relationships with customers. They can anticipate and resolve issues quickly, professionally, and decisively because their intelligent 360 customer view creates a trusted customer profile that includes useful information like products and purchases, issues, and service calls.
Unlock the value of your customer data to thrive in a changing pharma landscape.
Provide a trusted view of all data to ensure that decisions and processes leverage the best available information.
Centrally manage supplier relationships, ensure compliance, and assess performance and risk. |
0.99969 | When it comes to beverages, most kids (if not all) are unlikely to choose water. Most would probably prefer flavored drinks such as fruit juice, soda, and sports drinks. The sad part is, substituting sugary and acidic beverages for water can cause long-term harm to your child’s teeth and overall health.
Sugar in soda, for instance, fuels the bacteria in the mouth to create acid. This attacks and damages the teeth. It is important to note that each acid attack lasts for about 20 minutes and starts all over again with every sip of the beverage. These attacks soften the enamel, and children and teenagers are prone to decay, as their enamel are not fully developed.
Keep in mind that children don’t need sodas or sugary beverages to have a healthy or balanced diet. Sweet drinks, in fact, only decreases the quality of their food, as they contribute to unwanted weight gain and compromised oral health. This also introduces them to the habit of drinking sweet beverages, which likely to continue as they grow old.
Be a good example, which means avoiding sweet drinks yourself. Note that children are likely to imitate what their parents do. You should also avoid keeping soda and other sugary beverages in the house.
If your kid is already accustomed to drinking sugary drinks, gradually reduce their intake. Give them water-diluted versions at first and then make the switch to plain water.
Instead of giving them fruit juice, encourage them to eat fresh fruit and vegetables. This will establish healthy eating habits, and help them with skills like chewing.
It is also important to help kids develop healthy oral hygiene habits, like brushing and flossing daily. You should also encourage them to drink plenty of water daily, as well as keep up with regular dental visits. |
0.999786 | Cabbage and Cannellini Bean Stew is a dish I learned from my wife, its a dish made out of cabbage, cannellini beans and pork. I was asking her where did she got the recipe and from which province did it originated in the Philippines. She told me her father cooked it regularly during her childhood as it was believed to be a very nutritious dish, but like any bloke he was not an avid fan of vegetables and it was the wife who showed him how to eat them, so we guessed that it might be her mom who taught her dad this great recipe. As for the origin it might have an Ilocano origin (Ilocos, A Northern Province in the Philippines) evident with the use of bagoong, a common ingredient in Ilocano cusine. I guess this is one of the lesser known dishes in the said region or maybe a kept family recipe as I never had encountered this dish before.
How aboout you do you have a family recipe that you can share?
1. In a wok add oil then brown evenly brown pork pieces, once done remove from wok then set aside.
2. Add garlic and shallots then saute until shallots turn translucent. Add tomatoes the cook until soft.
3. Add cabbage and stir fry for 1 minute.
4. Add beans, chicken stock, bagoong and fish sauce (according to your liking, some bagoong brands is very salty), bring ot a boil then simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Season with freshly ground black pepper. |
0.993513 | English: Dalian is the governing sub-provincial city in the eastern Liaoning Province of the Northeastern People's Republic of China. There is the second of two strategic ice-free seaports in the city.
Русский: Далянь - город в северо-восточной части Китая.
Цю сторінку востаннє відредаговано о 14:36, 20 квітня 2016. |
0.999821 | The following article is from the Associated Press about how a judge in the U.S. declared as unconstitutional a section of the USA Patriot Act that bars giving expert advice or assistance to groups designated foreign terrorist organizations. As written, the Act does not differentiate between impermissible advice on violence and encouraging the use of peaceful, nonviolent means to achieve goals. You can see the original article at http://www.canada.com/news/world/story.html? id=3BB0CD48-E137-4874-AAEF-4AF64A271E31.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - For the first time, a federal judge has declared unconstitutional a section of the USA Patriot Act that bars giving expert advice or assistance to groups designated foreign terrorist organizations.
In a ruling handed down late Friday and made available Monday, U.S. District Judge Audrey Collins said the ban is vague in its wording. The U.S. Justice Department is reviewing the ruling, spokesman Mark Corallo said in a statement from Washington.
Corallo called the Patriot Act - the federal anti-terrorism statute passed in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks - "an essential tool in the war on terror" and asserted that the portion at issue in the ruling was only a modest amendment to a pre-existing anti-terrorism law.
David Cole, a Georgetown University law professor who argued the case on behalf of the Humanitarian Law Project, declared the ruling "a victory for everyone who believes the war on terrorism ought to be fought consistent with constitutional principles."
"It Is the first federal court decision declaring any part of the Patriot Act unconstitutional," he said.
The Humanitarian Law Project said the plaintiffs were threatened with 15 years in prison if they advised groups on seeking a peaceful resolution of the Kurds' campaign for self-determination in Turkey.
The ruling specified that the plaintiffs seek to provide support to "the lawful, nonviolent activities" of the Kurdistan Workers' Party and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, an advocate group for the Tamil people in Sri Lanka. Both groups are on a list issued by former secretary of state Madeline Albright in 1997 of "foreign terrorist organizations."
In Sri Lanka, the LTTE has been engaged in a two-decade civil war that has killed more than 65,000 people. Turkey's military has been battling Kurdish rebels seeking autonomy since 1984, a fight that has left some 37,000 people dead.
Under the Patriot Act, the U.S. prohibition on providing "material support" or "resources" to terrorist groups was expanded to include "expert advice or assistance."
The ruling follows a December decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn portions of a sweeping 1996 anti-terror law which preceded the Patriot Act. A three-judge panel found the law's reference to financial assistance or "material support" to terrorist organizations was overboard.
The government has asked for a rehearing of the three-judge decision by the entire circuit court.
Another challenge to the Patriot Act is pending in Detroit. In that case, the American Civil Liberties Union argued that the law gives federal agents unlimited and unconstitutional authority to secretly seize library reading lists and other personal records. |
0.999559 | What happens when you create an application on OpenShift.
The user create an application from the CLI rhc or via the web-console. In both case, rhc and the web-console will contact the broker (the REST API) to create the application.
On each Node, there is an mcollectiver server running on it. The broker is an mcollective client, and will query the mcollective cluster to find nodes.
Here is a set of facts that is very helpful when you want to query specific Nodes.
To sum up, the role of mcollective is to find the best Node with the facts and run an action on it with the agent. Now let's take a look on what happen on the Node when mcollective ask it to create an app.
The best way to understand what happens in the node is to take a look at the log file /var/log/openshift/node/platform.log. I will explain it line by line.
OpenShift create a group and a linux user. The group and user id is the Gear UUID : 53cf7165e133e5d4fc00006f. The command oo-trap-user will be called when the user connect via ssh or git, to trap the user under an SELinux context.
tc (traffic control) is used to share the bandwidth fairly amoung applications, and to limit the bandwidth for some protocols, like SMTP to avoid spammers.
Quota are used to limit disk usage and the number of files allowed for an application.
Every cartridges installed on openshift is present in /var/lib/openshift/.cartridge_repository/<cartridge_name>. OpenShift will simply copy this cartidge folder inside the gear ~/<cartridge_name>.
A cartridge contains a set a bash scripts that are called in a specific order. At each steps, several template files are populated.
OpenShift pushes are based on git. The user push to a repo defined like this : ssh://<LINUX_USER_GEAR_UUID>@<NODE_IP>/~/git/<APP_NAME>.git/ Now OpenShift will create a git repo.
It creates the first commit based on the cartridge template.
It creates a git bare repo. Bare repo are git repo without workspace. It is only used for servers where you don't commit directly on the repo.
The app-root/runtime/repo or app-root/repo contains the source code of your application. It will be extracted from git.
July 23 10:25:23 INFO Shell command '/sbin/runuser -s /bin/sh 53cf7165e133e5d4fc00006f -c "exec /usr/bin/runcon 'unconfined_u:system_r:openshift_t:s0:c0,c1012' /bin/sh -c \"
The OpenShift Node contains a httpd server listening on the port 80 and 443. When you contact you application, it first go the Apache Httpd, then with a rewrite rule it is send to the real web server: 127.1.250.1:8080.
Httpd is configured with a particular configuration file openshift_route.include, that will read rewrite rules from /etc/httpd/conf.d/openshift/nodes.txt.
Note that there is an other reverse proxy for the websocket protocol, listening on the port 8000 and 8443.
OpenShift backup your deployed application into the app-deployments dir so you can rollback to this deployement version latter.
The deployment will save the app-root/repo.
The deployment will save the app-root/runtime/dependencies.
The deployment will save the app-root/runtime/build-dependencies.
July 23 10:25:25 INFO Shell command '/sbin/runuser -s /bin/sh 53cf7165e133e5d4fc00006f -c "exec /usr/bin/runcon 'unconfined_u:system_r:openshift_t:s0:c0,c1012' /bin/sh -c \"
And at the end, the post install script is called. |
0.998966 | The problem of a woman's publicly disturbing person, while the people around them are laughing, clearly going viral on social media platforms while enjoying the woman's examination.
The picture reminisce a path in the Mahabharata, in which Duryodhana's younger brother Dushasan draws saris of Pandavas wife Draupadi in the middle of the ceremony.
The viral posts claim that the man in the picture is a Muslim leader of the majority community party and the woman is a Dalit The man in the picture is purported to be Bakruddin Ansari, a BSP leader, and it has been shared by thousands of netizens.
However, the truth is other This picture is actually a scene from a Bhojpuri movie 'Aurat Khilona Nahi', released in 2014 and directed by Aslam Sheikh. The film stars Manoj Tiwari, The Indian Janata Party chief of Delhi, and Monalisa.
Obviously, the viral posts are a mischievous ploy to show in the light of the visually impaired Dalits. While no one has claimed ownership of the post, neither is it known where it originated from, the fake news is being spread in a wedge between Muslims and Dalits who form the core vote bank of the BSP. |
0.983337 | Help someone celebrate their birthday with this funny rude greeting card.
This rather rude greeting card is sure to get a laugh for someone celebrating their birthday. This card is blank inside for you to write your own birthday message.
The person I bought this card for found it hilarious, I knew she would, very good, it went down very well. I will recommend the website to my friends. |
0.999925 | Familiarize yourself with the 2016 Honda Civic With less than 20,000 miles on the odometer, this vehicle provides excellent value as a pre-owned model. Honda made sure to keep road-handling and sportiness at the top of it's priority list. Performance and efficiency are both prioritized thanks to the efficient 4 cylinder engine, and for added security, dynamic Stability Control supplements the drivetrain. A turbocharger further enhances performance, while also preserving fuel economy. Top features include front fog lights, speed sensitive wipers, an outside temperature display, heated seats, power moon roof, power door mirrors, remote keyless entry, and much more. Honda ensures the safety and security of its passengers with equipment such as: dual front impact airbags, head curtain airbags, traction control, ignition disabling, an emergency communication system, and 4 wheel disc brakes with ABS. Brake assist technology provides extra pressure when applying the brakes. Our sales reps are knowledgeable and professional. We'd be happy to answer any questions that you may have. Stop by our dealership or give us a call for more information. |
0.590726 | Gandhāra (Sanskrit: गन्धार, Pashto:ګندهارا, Urdu: گندھارا Gandḥārā; also known as Waihind in Persian) is the name of an ancient kingdom (Mahajanapada), located in northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan . Gandhara was located mainly in the vale of Peshawar , the Potohar plateau (see Taxila ) and on the Kabul River . Its main cities were Purushapura (modern Peshawar ), literally meaning City of Man and Takshashila (modern Taxila ).
The Kingdom of Gandhara lasted from c. the 6th century BCE to the 11th century CE. It attained its height from the 1st century to the 5th century under the Buddhist Kushan Kings. The Hindu Shahi, a term used by history writer Al-Biruni to refer to the ruling Hindu dynasty that took over from the Turki Shahi and ruled the region during the period prior to Muslim conquests of the tenth and eleventh centuries. After it was conquered by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1021 CE, the name Gandhara disappeared. During the Muslim period the area was administered from Lahore or from Kabul . During Mughal times the area was part of Kabul province.
The Gandhāri people were settled since the Vedic times on the banks of Kabul River (river Kubhā or Kabol) up to its mouth into the Indus . Later Gandhāra included parts of northwest Punjab. Gandhara was located on the northern trunk road (Uttarapatha) and was a centre of international commercial activities. It was an important channel of communication with ancient Iran and Central Asia.
The boundaries of Gandhara varied throughout history. Sometimes the Peshawar valley and Taxila were collectively referred to as Gandhara and sometimes the Swat valley (Sanskrit: Suvāstu) was also included. The heart of Gandhara however was always the Peshawar valley. The kingdom was ruled from capitals at Pushkalavati (Charsadda), Taxila, Purushapura (Peshawar) and in its final days from Udabhandapura (Hund) on the Indus. According to the Puranas, they have been named after Taksha and Pushkara, the two sons of Bharata, a king of Ayodhya .
Evidence of Stone Age human inhabitants of Gandhara, including stone tools and burnt bones, was discovered at Sanghao near Mardan in area caves. The artifacts are approximately 15,000 years old. More recent excavations point to 30,000 years before present.
To date, no evidence of the Harappan Culture of the Indus Valley Civilization has been found in Gandhara. According to some scholars, the Aryans moved into Gandhara and the rest of North Western Pakistan around 1500BC.
The region shows an influx of southern Central Asian culture in the Bronze Age with the Gandhara grave culture, likely corresponding to immigration of Indo-Aryan speakers and the nucleus of Vedic civilization. This culture survived till 600 BC. Its evidence has been discovered in the hilly regions of Swat and Dir, and even at Taxila.
The name of the Gandhāris is attested in the Rigveda (RV 1.120.1) and in ancient inscriptions dating back to Achaemenid Persia. The Behistun inscription listing the 23 territories of King Darius I (519 BC) includes Gandāra along with Bactria and Thatagush (ϑataguš, Satagydia). In the book "Histories" by Heroditus, Gandhara is named as a source of tax collections for King Darius. The Gandhāris, along with the Balhika (Bactrians), Mūjavants, Angas, and the Magadhas, are also mentioned in the Atharvaveda (AV 5.22.14), as distant people. Gandharas are included in the Uttarapatha division of Puranic and Buddhistic traditions. The Aitareya Brahmana refers to king Naganajit of Gandhara who was contemporary of Janaka, king of Videha.
Gandhara had played an important role in the epic of Mahabharata, as the princess name Gandhari was married to Hastinapur's blind king Dhritrashtra and was mother of Duryodhana and other Kauravas. The prince of Gandhara, Shakuni was against this wedding, but accepted it fearing an invasion from Hastinapur. In the aftermath, Shakuni influences the Kaurava prince Duryodhana and plays a central role in the great war of Kurukshetra which eliminated the entire Kuru family including Bhishma and 100 Kaurava brothers. According to Puranic traditions, this country (Janapada) was founded by Gandhāra, son of Aruddha, a descendant of Yayāti. The princes of this country are said to have come from the line of Druhyu who was a king of the Druhyu tribe of the Rigvedic period. According to Vayu Purana (II.36.107), the Gandharas were destroyed by Pramiti aka Kalika, at the end of Kaliyuga.
The Gandhara kingdom sometimes also included Kashmir . Hecataeus of Miletus (549–468) refers to Kaspapyros (sometimes interpreted as referring to Kashmira) as a Gandaric city. According to Gandhara Jataka, (Jataka No 406), at one time, Gandhara formed a part of the kingdom of Kashmir. The Jataka also gives another name Chandahara for Gandhara. Buddhist texts like Anguttara Nikaya refer to sixteen great countries (Mahajanapadas) which flourished in the Indian subcontinent during Buddha's time; only two of them, the Gandhara and the Kamboja were located in the Uttarapatha or the northwestern division.
Gandhāra is also thought to be the location of the mystical Lake Dhanakosha, the birthplace of Padmasambhava, the founder of Tibetan Buddhism. The bKa' brgyud sect of Tibetan Buddhism identifies the lake with the Andan Dheri stupa, located near the tiny village of Uchh near Chakdara in the lower Swat Valley . A spring was said to flow from the base of the stupa to form the lake. Archaeologists have found the stupa but no spring or lake can be identified.
The primary cities of Gandhara were Purushapura (now Peshawar ), Takshashila or Taxila ) and Pushkalavati. The latter remained the capital of Gandhara from the 6th century BC to the 2nd century AD, when the capital was moved to Peshawar. An important Buddhist shrine helped to make the city a centre of pilgrimage until the 7th century. Pushkalavati in the Peshawar Valley is situated at the confluence of the Swat and Kabul rivers, where three different branches of the River Kabul meet. That specific place is still called Prang (from Prayāga) and considered sacred and where local people still bring their dead for burial. Similar geographical characteristics are found at site of Prang in Kashmir and at the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna , where the sacred city of Prayag is situated, west of Benares . Prayāga (Allahabad) one of the ancient pilgrim centres of India as the two rivers are said to be joined here by the underground Sarasvati River, forming a triveṇī, a confluence of three rivers.
The Gandharan city of Taxila was an important Buddhist centre of learning from the 5th century BC to the 2nd century.
Cyrus the Great (558–530 BC) built first the "universal" empire, stretching from Greece to the Indus River. Both Gandhara and Kamboja soon came under the rule of the Achaemenian Dynasty of Persia during the reign of Cyrus the Great or in the first year of Darius I. The Gandhara and Kamboja had constituted the seventh satrapies (upper Indus) of the Achaemenid Empire.
When the Achamenids took control of this kingdom, Pushkarasakti, a contemporary of king Bimbisara of Magadha, was the king of Gandhara. He was engaged in a power struggle against the kingdoms of Avanti and Pandavas.
The inscription on Darius' (521–486 BC) tomb at Naqsh-i-Rustam near Persepolis records GADĀRA (Gandāra) along with HINDUSH (Hənduš, Sindh) in the list of satrapies.
Under the Persian rule, a system of centralized administration with a bureaucratic system was introduced in the region. Influenced by the Persians and having access to Western Asian civilizations, great scholars such as Panini and perhaps Kautilya lived in this cosmopolitan environment. The Kharosthi alphabet, derived from the one used for Aramaic (the official language of Achaemenids) developed here and remained national script of Gandhara until third century AD.
By about 380 BC Persian hold on the region weakened. Many small kingdoms sprang up in Gandhara. In 327 BC Alexander the Great conquered Gandhara and the Indian Satrapies of the Persian Empire. The expeditions of Alexander were recorded by his court historians and by Arrian (around AD 175) in his Anabasis and other chroniclers many centuries after the event.
The companions of Alexander the Great did not record the names of Kamboja and Gandhara, rather they located a dozen small political units within their territories. Alexander conquered most of these political units of the former Gandhara, Sindhu and Kamboja Mahajanapadas.
According to Greek chroniclers, at the time of Alexander's invasion hyparchs Kubhesha, Hastin (Astes), and Ambhi (Omphes) were ruling the lower Kabul valley, Puskalavati (modern Charasadda), and Taxila, respectively, while Ashvajit (chief of Aspasios or Ashvayanas) and Assakenos (chief of Assakenois or Ashvakayanas, both being parts of the Kambojas) ruled the upper Kabul valley and Mazaga (Mashkavati), respectively.
Chandragupta, the founder of Mauryan dynasty is said to have lived in Taxila when Alexander captured this city. Here he supposedly met Kautilya, who remained his chief adviser throughout his career. Supposedly using Gandhara as his base, Chandragupta led a rebellion against the Magadha Empire and ascended the throne at Pataliputra in 321 BC. However, there are no contemporary Indian records of Chandragupta Maurya and almost all that is known is based on the diaries of Megasthenes, the ambassador of Seleucus at Pataliputra. Gandhara was acquired from the Greeks by Chandragupta Maurya.
After a battle with Seleucus Nicator (Alexander's successor in Asia) in 305 BC, the Mauryan Emperor extended his domains up to and including Southern Afghanistan . With the completion of the Empire's Grand Trunk Road, the region prospered as a center of trade. Gandhara remained a part of the Mauryan Empire for about a century and a half.
Ashoka, the grandson of Chandragupta, was one of the greatest Indian rulers. Like his grandfather, Ashoka also started his career from Gandhara as a governor. Later he supposedly became a Buddhist and promoted this religion in his empire. He built many stupas in Gandhara. Mauryan control over northwestern frontier, including the Yonas, Kambojas, and the Gandharas is attested from the Rock Edicts left by Ashoka. According to one school of scholars, the Gandharas and Kambojas were cognate people. It is also contended that the Kurus, Kambojas, Gandharas and Bahlikas were cognate people and all had Iranian affinities. According to Dr T. L. Shah, the Gandhara and Kamboja were nothing but two provinces of one empire and were located coterminously hence influencing each others language. Naturally, they may have once been one people. Gandhara was often linked politically with the neighboring regions of Kashmir and Kamboja.
The decline of the Empire left the sub-continent open to the inroads by the Greco-Bactrians. Southern Afghanistan was absorbed by Demetrius I of Bactria in 180 BC. Around about 185 BC, Demetrius invaded and conquered Gandhara and the Punjab. Later, wars between different groups of Bactrian Greeks resulted in the independence of Gandhara from Bactria and the formation of the Indo-Greek kingdom. Menander was its most famous king. He ruled from Taxila and later from Sagala (Sialkot). He rebuilt Taxila (Sirkap) and Pushkalavati. He became a Buddhist and is remembered in Buddhists records due to his discussions with a great Buddhist philosopher, Nāgasena, in the book Milinda Panha.
By 90 BC the Parthians had taken control of eastern Iran and in around 50 BC they put an end to the last remnants of Greek rule in Afghanistan. Eventually an Indo-Parthian dynasty succeeded in taking control of Gandhara. The Parthians continued to support Greek artistic traditions. The start of the Gandharan Greco-Buddhist art is dated to about 75–50 BC. Links between Rome and the Indo-Parthian kingdoms existed. There is archaeological evidence that building techniques were transmitted between the two realms. Christian records claim that around AD 40 Thomas the Apostle visited India and encountered the Indo-Parthian king Gondophares.
The Parthian dynasty fell about 75 to another group from Central Asia. The Kushans, known as Yuezhi in China (although ethnically Asii) moved from Central Asia to Bactria, where they stayed for a century. Around 75, one of their tribes, the Kushan (Kuṣāṇa), under the leadership of Kujula Kadphises gained control of Gandhara and other parts of what is now Pakistan.
The Kushan period is considered the Golden Period of Gandhara. Peshawar Valley and Taxila are littered with ruins of stupas and monasteries of this period. Gandharan art flourished and produced some of the best pieces of Indian sculpture. Many monuments were created to commemorate the Jataka tales.
The Gandhara civilization peaked during the reign of the great Kushan king Kanishka (128–151). The cities of Taxila (Takshasila) at Sirsukh and Peshawar were built. Peshawar became the capital of a great empire stretching from Bengal to Central Asia. Kanishka was a great patron of the Buddhist faith; Buddhism spread to Central Asia and the Far East across Bactria and Sogdia, where his empire met the Han Empire of China. Buddhist art spread from Gandhara to other parts of Asia. Under Kanishka, Gandhara became a holy land of Buddhism and attracted Chinese pilgrim to see monuments associated with many Jataka tales.
In Gandhara, Mahayana Buddhism flourished and Buddha was represented in human form. Under the Kushans new Buddhists stupas were built and old ones were enlarged. Huge statues of the Buddha were erected in monasteries and carved into the hillsides. Kanishka also built a great tower to a height of 400 feet at Peshawar. This tower was reported by Faxian ([Fa-hsien]), Songyun (Sung-yun) and Xuanzang ([Hsuan-tsang]). This structure was destroyed and rebuilt many times until it was finally destroyed by Mahmud of Ghazni in the 11th century.
After Kanishka, the empire started losing territories in the east. In the west, Gandhara came under the Sassanid, the successor state of the Parthians, and became their vassal from AD 241 until 450.
The Hepthalite Huns captured Gandhara around AD 450, and did not adopt Buddhism. During their rule, Hinduism was revived but the Gandharan Civilization declined. The Sassanids, aided by Turks from Central Asia, destroyed the Huns' power base in Central Asia, and Gandhara once again came under Persian suzerainty in AD 568. When the Sassanids were defeated by the Muslim Arabs in AD 644, Gandhara along with Kabul was ruled by Buddhist Turks.
The travel records of many Chinese Buddhists pilgrims record that Gandhara was going through a transformation during these centuries. Buddhism was declining and Hinduism was rising. Fa-Hsien travelled around AD 400, when Prakrit was the language of the people and Buddhism was flourishing. 100 years later, when Sung-Yun visited in AD 520, a different picture was described: the area had been destroyed by Huns and was ruled by Lae-Lih who did not practice laws of the Buddha. Hsuan-Tsang visited India around AD 644 and found Buddhism on the wane in Gandhara and Hinduism in the ascendant. Gandhara was ruled by a king from Kabul, who respected Buddha's law, but Taxila was in ruins and Buddhist monasteries were deserted. Instead, Hindu temples were numerous and Hinduism was popular.
After the fall of the Sassanid Empire to the Arabs in 644, Afghanistan and Gandhara came under pressure from Muslims. But they failed to extend their empire to Gandhara. Gandhara was first ruled from Kabul and then from Udabhandapura (Hind).
Gandhara was ruled from Kabul by Turkshahi for next 200 years. Sometime in the 9th century the Hindushahi replaced the Turkishahi. Based on various Muslim records the estimated date for this is 870. According to Al-Biruni (973–1048), Kallar, a Brahmin minister of the Turkshahi, founded the Hindushahi dynasty in 843. The dynasty ruled from Kabul, later moved their capital to Udabhandapura. They built great temples all over their kingdoms. Some of these buildings are still in good condition in the Salt Range of the Punjab.
Jayapala was the last great king of this dynasty. His empire extended from west of Kabul to the river Sutlej . However, this expansion of Gandhara kingdom coincided with the rise of the powerful Ghaznavid Empire under Sabuktigin. Defeated twice by Sabuktigin and then by Mahmud of Ghazni in the Kabul valley, Jayapala committed suicide. Anandapala, a son of Jayapala, moved his capital near Nandana in the Salt Range. In 1021 the last king of this dynasty, Trilocanapala, was assassinated by his own troops which spelled the end of Gandhara. Subsequently, some Shahi princes moved to Kashmir and became active in local politics.
The city of Kandahar in Afghanistan is said to have been named after Gandhara. According to H.W. Bellow, an emigrant from Gandhara in the fifth century brought this name to modern Kandahar. Faxian reported that the Buddha's alms-bowl existed in Peshawar Valley when he visited around AD 400 (chapter XII). In 1872 Bellow saw this huge begging bowl (seven feet in diameter) preserved in the shrine of Sultan Wais outside Kandahar. When Olaf Caroe wrote his book in 1958 (Caroe, pp. 170–171), this relic was reported to be at Kabul Museum. The present status of this bowl unknown.
By the time Gandhara had been absorbed into the empire of Mahmud of Ghazni, Buddhist buildings were already in ruins and Gandhara art had been forgotten. After Al-Biruni, the Kashmiri writer Kalhaṇa wrote his book Rajatarangini in 1151. He recorded some events that took place in Gandhara, and gave details about its last royal dynasty and capital Udabhandapura.
In the 19th century, British soldiers and administrators started taking interest in the ancient history of the Indian Subcontinent. In the 1830s coins of the post-Ashoka period were discovered and in the same period Chinese travelogues were translated. Charles Masson, James Prinsep, and Alexander Cunningham deciphered the Kharosthi script in 1838.Chinese records provided locations and site plans of Buddhists shrines. Along with the discovery of coins, these records provided necessary clues to piece together the history of Gandhara. In 1848 Cunningham found Gandhara sculptures north of Peshawar. He also identified the site of Taxila in the 1860s. From then on a large number of Buddhist statues have been discovered in the Peshawar valley.
After 1947 Ahmed Hassan Dani and the Archaeology Department at University of Peshawar made a number of discoveries in the Peshawar and Swat Valley . Excavation on many sites of the Gandhara Civilization are being done by researchers from Peshawar and several universities around the world.
The Gandharan Buddhist texts are both the earliest Buddhist and South Asian manuscripts discovered so far. Most are written on birch bark and were found in labeled clay pots. Panini has mentioned both the Vedic form of Sanskrit as well as what seems to be Gandhari, a later form (bhāṣā) of Sanskrit, in his Ashtadhyayi.
Gandhara's language was a Prakrit or "Middle Indo-Aryan" dialect, usually called Gāndhārī. Texts are written right-to-left in the Kharoṣṭhī script, which had been adapted for Indian languages from a Semitic alphabet, the Aramaic alphabet. Gandhāra was then controlled by the Achaemenid dynasty of the Persian empire, which used the Aramaic script to write the Iranian languages of the Empire.
Semitic scripts were not used to write South Asian languages again until the arrival of Islam and subsequent adoption of the Persian-style Arabic alphabet for New Indo-Aryan languages like Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi and Kashmiri. Kharosthi script died out about the 4th century. However, the Hindko and the archaic Dardic and Kohistani dialects, derived from the local Indo-Aryan Prakrits, are still spoken today, though the Afghan Pashto language is the most dominant language of the region today.
Gandharan Buddhist missionaries were active, with other monks from Central Asia, from the 2nd century AD in Han-dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD) China 's capital of Luoyang , and particularly distinguished themselves by their translation work. They promoted both Theravada and Mahayana scriptures.
Gandhāra is noted for the distinctive Gandhāra style of Buddhist art, which developed out of a merger of Greek, Syrian, Persian, and Indian artistic influence. This development began during the Parthian Period (50 BC – AD 75). Gandhāran style flourished and achieved its peak during the Kushan period, from the 1st to the 5th century. It declined and suffered destruction after invasion of the White Huns in the 5th century.
Image:GandharaFemale.JPG|Female spouted figure, terracotta, Charsadda, Gandhara (3rd–1st century BC)Image:GandharaMotherGoddess.JPG|Mother Goddess (fertility divinity), derived from the Indus Valley tradition, terracotta, Sar Dheri, Gandhara (1st century BC)Image:PrinceSiddhartha.JPG|Prince Siddhartha Gautama Shakyamuni (1st–2nd century)Image:Gandhara_Buddha_(tnm).jpeg|Standing Buddha (1st–2nd century)Image:BuddhaHead.JPG|Buddha head (2nd century)Image:BuddhaAcanthusCapitol.JPG|Buddha in acanthus capitalImage: The Greek-style stupa in SirkapImage: GandharanAtlas.JPG|The Greek god Atlas, supporting a Buddhist monument, HaddaImage:KushanMaitreya.JPG|The Bodhisattva Maitreya (2nd century)Image:Indo-GreekBanquet.JPG|Wine-drinking and music, Hadda (1st–2nd century)Image:MayaDream.JPG|Maya's white elephant dream (2nd–3rd century)Image:SiddhartaBirth.jpg|The birth of Siddharta (2nd–3rd century)Image:LeavingPalace.jpg|The Great Departure from the Palace (2nd–3rd century)Image:EndAscetism.JPG|The end of ascetism (2nd–3rd century)Image:Sarnath3.JPG|The Buddha preaching at the Deer Park in Sarnath (2nd–3rd century)Image:LifeBuddha.JPG|Scene of the life of the Buddha (2nd–3rd century)Image:Paranirvana.JPG|The death of the Buddha, or parinirvana (2nd–3rd century)Image:HaddaSculpture.jpg|A sculpture from Hadda, (3rd century)Image:HaddaBodhisattva.jpg|The Bodhisattva and Chandeka, Hadda (5th century)Image:Buddha-Herakles.JPG|The Buddha and Vajrapani under the guise of HeraklesImage:GandharaScrolls.JPG|Hellenistic decorative scrolls from Hadda, northern PakistanImage:GandharaFrieze.JPG|Hellenistic scene, Gandhara (1st century)Image:StonePalette1.JPG|A stone plate (1st century).
c.1900–c.520 BC No records. Indo-Aryan migrations.
c.520–c.326 BC Persian Empire Under direct Persian control and/or local control under Persian suzerainty.
c.07–c.75 Parthian invasion and Indo-Parthian Kingdom, Rule of Commander Aspavarman?
c.1032–1350 Conquered and controlled by the empire of Mahmud of Ghazni.
Revue des etudes grecques 1973, p 131, Ch-Em Ruelle, Association pour l'encouragement des etudes grecques en France.
Early Indian Economic History, 1973, pp 237, 324, Rajaram Narayan Saletore.
Myths of the Dog-man, 199, p 119, David Gordon White; Journal of the Oriental Institute, 1919, p 200; Journal of Indian Museums, 1973, p 2, Museums Association of India; The Pāradas: A Study in Their Coinage and History, 1972, p 52, Dr B. N. Mukherjee - Pāradas; Journal of the Department of Sanskrit, 1989, p 50, Rabindra Bharati University, Dept. of Sanskrit- Sanskrit literature; The Journal of Academy of Indian Numismatics & Sigillography, 1988, p 58, Academy of Indian Numismatics and Sigillography - Numismatics; Cf: Rivers of Life: Or Sources and Streams of the Faiths of Man in All Lands, 2002, p 114, J. G. R. Forlong.
Journal of the Oriental Institute, 1919, p 265, Oriental Institute (Vadodara, India) - Oriental studies; For Kuru-Kamboja connections, see Dr Chandra Chakraberty's views in: Literary history of ancient India in relation to its racial and linguistic affiliations, pp 14,37, Vedas; The Racial History of India, 1944, p 153, Chandra Chakraberty - Ethnology; Paradise of Gods, 1966, p 330, Qamarud Din Ahmed - Pakistan.
Ancient India, History of India for 1000 years, four Volumes, Vol I, 1938, pp 38, 98 Dr T. L. Shah.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Ancient Buddhist text Anguttara Nikaya's list of Mahajanapadas includes the Gandhara and the Kamboja as the only two salient Mahajanapadas in the Uttarapatha. However, the Chulla-Niddesa' list (5th c BCE), which is one of the most ancient Buddhist Commentaries, includes the Kamboja and Yona but no Gandhara (See: Chulla-Niddesa, (P.T.S.), p.37). This shows that when Chulla-Niddesa Commentary was written, the Kambojas in the Uttarapatha were a predominant people and that the Gandharans, in all probability, had formed part of the Kamboja Mahajanapada around this time—thus making them a one people. Kautiliya's Arthashastra (11.1.1–4) (4th c BCE) refers only to clans of the Kurus, Panchalas, Madrakas, Kambojas etc but it does not mention the Gandharas as separate people from the Kambojas. The Mudrarakshasa Drama by Visakhadatta also refer to the Sakas, Kambojas, Yavanas, Pahlavas, Bahlikas and Kiratas but again it does not include the Gandharas in Chandragupta's army list. The well known Puranic legend (told in numerous Puranas) of king Sagara's war with the invading tribes from the north-west includes the Kambojas, Sakas, Yavanas, Pahlavas, and Paradas but again the Gandharas are not included in Haihayas's army (Harivamsa 14.1–19; e.g Vayu Purana 88.127–43; Brahma Purana (8.35–51); Brahmanda Purana (3.63.123–141); Shiva Purana (7.61.23); Vishnu Purana (5.3.15–21), Padma Purana (6.21.16–33) etc etc). Again, the Valmiki Ramayana—(a later list) includes Janapadas of Andhras, Pundras, Cholas, Pandyas, Keralas, Mekhalas, Utkalas, Dasharnas, Abravantis, Avantis, Vidarbhas, Mlecchas, Pulindas, Surasenas, Prasthalas, Bharatas, Kurus, Madrakas, Kambojas, Daradas, Yavanas, Sakas (from Saka-dvipa), Rishikas, Tukharas, Chinas, Maha-Chinas, Kiratas, Barbaras, Tanganas, Niharas, Pasupalas etc (Ramayana 4.43). Yet at another place in the Ramayana (I.54.17; I.55.2 seq), the north-western martial tribes of the Sakas, Kambojas, Yavanas, Pahlavas, Kiratas, Haritas/Tukharas, Barbaras and Mlechchas etc joined the army of sage Vasishtha during the battle of Kamdhenu against Aryan king Viswamitra of Kanauj. Yaska in his Nirukta (II.2) refers to the Kambojas but not to the Gandharas. Among the several unrighteous barbaric hordes (opposed to Aryan king Vikarmaditya), Brhat Katha of Kshmendra (10.1.285–86) and Kathasaritsagara of Somadeva (18.1.76–78) each list the Sakas, Mlechchas, Kambojas, Yavanas, Neechas, Hunas, Tusharas, Parasikas etc but they do not mention the Gandharas. Vana Parva of Mahabharata states that the Andhhas, Pulindas, Sakas, Kambojas, Yavanas, Valhikas, Aurnikas and Abhiras etc will become rulers in Kaliyuga and will rule the earth (India) un-righteously (MBH 3.187.28–30). Here there is no mention of Gandhara since it is included amongst the Kamboja. Sabha Parava of Mahabharata enumerates numerous kings from the north-west paying gifts to Pandava king Yudhistra at the occasion of Rajasuya amongs whom it mentions the Kambojas, Vairamas, Paradas, Pulindas, Tungas, Kiratas, Pragjyotisha, Yavanas, Aushmikas, Nishadas, Romikas, Vrishnis, Harahunas, Chinas, Sakas, Sudras, Abhiras, Nipas, Valhikas, Tukharas, Kankas etc (Mahabharata 2.50–1.seqq). The lists does not include the Gandharas since they are counted as the same people as the Kambojas. In context of Krsna digvijay, the Mahabharata furnishes a key list of twenty-five ancient Janapadas viz: Anga, Vanga, Kalinga, Magadha, Kasi, Kosala, Vatsa, Garga, Karusha, Pundra, Avanti, Dakshinatya, Parvartaka, Dasherka, Kashmira, Ursa, Pishacha, Mudgala, Kamboja, Vatadhana, Chola, Pandya, Trigarta, Malava, and Darada (MBH 7/11/15–17). Besides, there were Janapadas of Kurus and Panchalas also. Interestingly, no mention is made to Gandhara in this list. Again in another of its well known Shlokas, the Mahabharata (XIII, 33.20–23; XIII, 35, 17–18), lists the Sakas, Yavanas, Kambojas, Dravidas, Kalingas, Pulindas, Usinaras, Kolisarpas, Mekalas, Sudras, Mahishakas, Latas, Kiratas, Paundrakas, Daradas etc as the Vrishalas/degraded Kshatriyas (See also: Comprehensive History of India, 1957, p 190, K. A. N. Sastri). It does not include the Gandharas in the list though in yet another similar shloka (MBH 12.207.43–44), the same epic now brands the Yavanas, Kambojas, Gandharas, Kiratas and Barbaras (Yauna Kamboja Gandharah Kirata barbaraih) etc as Mlechcha tribes living the lives of the Dasyus or the Barbarians. Thus in the first shlokas, the Gandharas and the Kambojas are definitely treated as one people. The Assalayana-Sutta of Majjima Nakaya says that in the frontier lands of the Yonas a, Kambojas and other nations, there are only two classes of People...Arya and Dasa where an Arya could become Dasa and vice-varsa (Majjima Nakayya 43.1.3). Here again, the Gandharas are definitively included among the Kambojas as if the two people are same. Rajatarangini of Kalhana, a Sanskrit text from the north, furnishes a list of northern nations which king Lalitaditya Muktapida (Kashmir) (8th c AD) undertakes to reduce in his dig-vijaya expedition. The list includes the Kambojas, Tukharas, Bhauttas (in Baltistan in western Tibet), Daradas, Valukambudhi, Strirajya, Uttarakurus and Pragjyotisha respectively, but no mention of Gandharas (Rajatarangini: 4.164–4.175). Apparently the Gandharas are counted among the Kambojas. Sikanda Purana (Studies in the Geography, 1971, p 259–62, Sircar, Hist of Punjab, 1997, p 40, Dr L. M. Joshi and Dr Fauja Singh (Editors)), contains a list of 75 countries among which it includes Khorasahana, Kuru, Kosala, Bahlika, Yavana, Kamboja, Siva, Sindhu, Kashmira, Jalandhara (Jullundur), Hariala (Haryana), Bhadra (Madra), Kachcha, Saurashtra, Lada, Magadha, Kanyakubja, Vidarbha, Kirata, Gauda, Nepala etc but no mention of Gandhara in this list of 75 countries. Kavyamimasa of Rajashekhar (880–920 AD) also lists 21 north-western countries/nations of the Saka, Kekaya, Vokkana, Huna, Vanayuja, Kamboja, Vahlika, Vahvala, Lampaka, Kuluta, Kira, Tangana, Tushara, Turushaka, Barbara, Hara-hurava, Huhuka, Sahuda, Hamsamarga (Hunza), Ramatha and Karakantha etc but no mention of Gandhara or Darada (See: Kavyamimasa, Rajashekhara, Chapter 17; also: Kavyamimasa Editor Kedarnath, trans. K. Minakshi, pp 226–227). Here in both the lists, the Daradas and Gandharas are also treated as the Kambojas. The Satapancasaddesavibhaga of Saktisagama Tantra (Book III, Ch VII, 1–55) lists Gurjara, Avanti, Malava, Vidarbha, Maru, Abhira, Virata, Pandu, Pancala, Kamboja, Bahlika, Kirata, Khurasana, Cina, Maha-Cina, Nepala, Gauda, Magadha, Utkala, Huna, Kaikeya, Surasena, Kuru Saindhava, Kachcha among the 56 countries but the list does not include the Gandharas and Daradas. Similarly, Sammoha Tantra list also contains 56 nations and lists Kashmira, Kamboja, Yavana, Sindhu, Bahlika, Parsika, Barbara, Saurashtra, Malava, Maharashtra, Konkana, Avanti, Chola, Kamrupa, Kerala, Simhala etc but no mention of Daradac and Gandhara (See quotes in: Studies in Geography, 1971, p 78, D. C. Sircar; Studies in the Tantra, pp 97–99, Dr P. C. Bagchi). Obviously, the Daradas and Gandharaa are included among the Kambojas. Raghu Vamsa by Kalidasa refers to numerous tribes/nations of the east (including the Sushmas, Vangas, Utkalas, Kalingas and those on Mt Mahendra), then of the south (including Pandyas, Malaya, Dardura, and Kerals), then of the west (Aprantas), and then of the north-west (like the Yavanas, the Parasikas, the Hunas, the Kambojas) and finally those of the north Himalayan (like the Kirats, Utsavasketas, Kinnaras, Pragjyotishas) etc (See: Raghuvamsa IV.60 seq). Here again no mention of the Gandharas though Raghu does talk of the Kambojas. And last but not the least, even the well known Manusmriti, the Hindu Law Book, refers to the Kambojas, Yavanas, Shakas, Paradas, Pahlavas, Chinas, Kiratas, Daradas and Khasha besides also the Paundrakas, Chodas, Dravidas but surprisingly enough, it does not make any mention of the Gandharas in this very elaborate list of the Vrishalah Ksatriyas (Manusamriti X.43–44). The above references amply demonstrate that the Gandharas were many times counted among the Kambojas themselves as if the were one and the same people. Thus, the Kambojas and the Gandhara do seem to have been a cognate people.
There are also several instances in the ancient literature where the reference has been made only to the Gandharas and not to the Kambojas. In these cases, the Kambojas have obviously been counted among the Gandharas themselves.
Kalimpur Inscriptions of Pala king Dharmapala of Bengal (770–810 AD) lists the nations around his kingdom as the Bhoja (Gurjara), Matsya, Madra, Kuru, Avanti, Gandhara and the Kira (Kangra) which he boasts of as if they are his vassal states. From Monghyr inscriptions of king Devapala (810–850AD) the successor of king Dharmapalal, we get the list of the nations as Utkala (Kalinga), Pragjyotisha (Assam), Dravida, Gurjara (Bhoja), Huna and the Kamboja. THese are the nations which cavalry of Pala king Devapala is said to have scoured during his war expeditions against these people. Obviously the Kamboja of the Monghyr inscriptions of king Devapala here is none else than the Gandhara of the Kalimpur inscription of king Dharamapala. Hence, the Gandhara and the Kamboja are used interchangeably in the records of the Pala kings of Bengal, thus indicating them to be same group of people.
James Fergusson observes: "In a wider sense, name Gandhara implied all the countries west of Indus as far as Candhahar" (The Tree and Serpent Worship, 2004, p 47, James Fergusson).
Encyclopedia Americana, 1994, p 277, Encyclopedias and Dictionaries.
Herodotous, The Histories, Translated by Aubrey De Selincourt, Penguin Books, 1954.
Hill, John E. 2003. "Annotated Translation of the Chapter on the Western Regions according to the Hou Hanshu". 2nd Edition. |
0.999548 | I'm having sharp pains in my chest. It feels like it's my heart. The deeper I breathe, the sharper the pain. What could it be?
I'm sorry you're going through this! Any time you are having chest pain you should have it assessed by a doctor as soon as possible. It could be something as simple as a pulled muscle or costochondritis (an inflammation of the tissue around the sternum that can make breathing painful), or it could be something more seriously. Only a doctor can tell you after doing an exam. |
0.932502 | Historically, PTSD has been associated with military personnel and their reactions to traumatic experiences involving combat and warfare situations. More recently, PTSD has been linked to traumatic situations encountered by everyday individuals. The trauma can be triggered by large-scale ordeals, like terrorism attacks or devastating natural disasters, or highly personal events like a single-car accident, losing a job or business, divorce, failing to achieve a goal, loss of a loved one, seeing or hearing of a death, personal injury, childhood trauma or any other life-altering experience.
If left untreated, PTSD symptoms can become worse. Some documented cases include addiction to drugs or alcohol; chronic pain, hypertension or physical maladies; self injury; overwhelming fear of death; compulsiveness; personality changes; and self destructive incidents, to name a few. |
0.999999 | The hotel, located on El Médano beach in Baja California Sur, Mexico, with the Riu Pool Party events offers a series of weekly theme parties in the afternoon and evening in a new zone reserved for fun, where local and international DJs provide entertainment with their varied theme parties.
The new section of the hotel also boasts a new Splash Water World aquatic park, and a new children's play area with a swimming pool and slides.
In addition to the 288 new rooms, the hotel has three new bars: a swim-up bar, a poolside bar, and a third with a menu of snacks and meals, as well as a new barbecue station which will prepare grilled specialities for lunch.
RIU Hotels & Resorts presents the enlarged Riu Santa Fe in Los Cabos, Mexico, following three months of work to put the finishing touches on the hotel's new zone. The 24-hour, all-inclusive RIU hotel, which opened its doors for the first time in 2007, is located on the marvellous El Médano beach, in Baja California Sur, and has spectacular views of the famous arch of Cabo San Lucas in the Sea of Cortez. Following the renovation, the hotel offers 288 new rooms, a water park, and is introducing the new Riu Pool Party concept.
The Riu Santa Fe is the first hotel to introduce the Riu Pool Party experience, a new entertainment concept for guests over 18 years of age. It consists of a zone designed for holding large parties with local and international DJs, with elaborate staging courtesy of the lighting, sound and special effects team and the thematic focus of the events. The zone has a main pool surrounded by a stage for dancers and the DJ station, a swim-up bar, a new poolside bar and a snack bar.
The hotel has scheduled four parties each week. The two afternoon parties are the Jungle Pool Party, where everything is decorated to look like the jungle, and the Pink Pool Party, where everything is tinted pink for a total atmosphere. And the two evening parties are the spectacular Neon Party, where everything is lit up with fluorescent colours, and the White Party, which offers the best music from the 70s, 80s and 90s.
Discover our Riu Pool Party here!
These parties are part of the hotel's All-Inclusive programme, and they are open free of charge to guests of the RIU hotels in Los Cabos. In other words, to guests of the Riu Santa Fe, the Riu Palace Cabo San Lucas and the Riu Palace Baja California, currently under construction and scheduled to open its doors in December of this year.
The new zone of the Hotel Riu Santa Fe also includes the Splash Water Park, which has tubes and slides to provide a fun and exciting experience for all our guests. Next to the new park is the new children's pool with play equipment, water jets and slides. All of this, along with the activities of the miniclub, promise fun-filled days for kids between 4 and 12 years of age.
The Riu Santa Fe, which has very loyal customers who come back year after year, will now offer free WiFithroughout the complex and in its 1,190 rooms. In addition to the new developments in the Riu Pool Party zone, the hotel is presenting a new main restaurant, 'El Médano', which joins the existing main restaurant, 'La Baja California', the Italian 'Carusso', the Asian 'Zashila', the Mexican 'La Misión', and the restaurant that doubles as a snack bar by day and a steakhouse at night, 'El Torote'.
Along with the new facilities, guests can continue to enjoy the traditional offer of sport and activities led by the hotel's fantastic animation team. In addition to the entertainment programme, the customer will find a multitude of activities, such as a gym, basketball and volleyball. In the evenings, live shows and the Pacha disco take the spotlight. |
0.950506 | What is Azure AD ?
Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) is a cloud-based identity and access management solution. Its primary purpose is to provide authentication and authorization when accessing cloud-based resources. However, you can also leverage its functionality to protect on-premises applications. In both cases, you can further streamline and enhance secure access to sensitive services and data by taking advantage of Azure AD’s single sign-on (SSO), federation, and Microsoft Azure Multi-Factor Authentication capabilities.
Virtual hard disks with the .vhdx format can be as large as 64 terabyte (TB), whereas virtual hard disks with the .vhd format are limited to 2 TB.
Virtual hard disks with the .vhdx format are less likely to become corrupt if the virtualization server suffers an unexpected power outage.
The .vhdx format supports better alignment when deployed to a large sector disk.
Virtual hard disks with the .vhdx format can hold larger dynamic and differencing virtual hard disks. This provides for better performance from the dynamic and differencing virtual hard disks.
You can convert a virtual hard disk with the .vhd format to the .vhdx format by using the Edit Virtual Hard Disk Wizard. You might want to do this if you have upgraded a Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2 virtualization server to Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2. You can also convert a virtual hard disk with the .vhdx format to the .vhd format.
Individuals, customers, and Microsoft partners can use several methods to access Azure–based services. Partners have access to programs such as Microsoft Azure platform Cloud Essentials for Partners and Cloud Accelerate. Both customers and partners can access resources through MSDN and through the Microsoft BizSpark program, each of which provides a predefined amount of resources and services to build solutions. |
0.992146 | For the electronics company, see VIA Technologies.
A via or VIA (Latin for path or way, also known as vertical interconnect access) is an electrical connection between layers in a physical electronic circuit that goes through the plane of one or more adjacent layers. To ensure via robustness, IPC sponsored a round-robin exercise that developed a time to failure calculator.
In integrated circuit design, a via is a small opening in an insulating oxide layer that allows a conductive connection between different layers. A via on an integrated circuit is often called a through-chip via or through-silicon via (TSV). A via connecting the lowest layer of metal to diffusion or poly is typically called a "contact".
The gray and green layers are nonconducting, while the thin orange layers and vias are conductive.
In printed circuit board design, a via consists of two pads in corresponding positions on different layers of the board, that are electrically connected by a hole through the board. The hole is made conductive by electroplating, or is lined with a tube or a rivet. High-density multilayer PCBs may have microvias: blind vias are exposed only on one side of the board, while buried vias connect internal layers without being exposed on either surface. Thermal vias carry heat away from power devices and are typically used in arrays of about a dozen.
A via may be at the edge of the board so that it is cut in half when the board is separated; this is known as a castellated hole and is used for a variety of reasons, including allowing one PCB to be soldered to another in a stack.
Three major kinds of vias are shown in right figure. The basic steps of making a PCB are: making the substrate material and stacking it in layers; through-drilling of plating the vias; and copper trace patterning using photolithography and etching. With this standard procedure, possible via configurations are limited to through-holes. Depth-controlled drilling techniques such as using lasers can allow for more varied via types. PCB manufacturing typically starts with a so-called core, a basic double-sided PCB. Layers beyond the first two are stacked from this basic building block. If two more layers are consecutively stacked from bottom of core, you can have a 1-2 via, a 1-3 via and a through hole. Each type of via is made by drilling at each stacking stage. If one layer is stacked on top of the core and other is stacked from the bottom, the possible via configurations are 1-3, 2-3 and through hole. The user must gather information about the PCB manufacturer's allowed methods of stacking and possible vias. For cheaper boards, only through holes are made and antipad (or clearance) is placed on layers which are supposed not to be contacted to vias.
If well made, PCB vias will primarily fail due to differential expansion and contraction between the copper plating and the PCB in the out of plane direction (Z). This differential expansion and contraction will induce cyclic fatigue in the copper plating, eventually resulting in crack propagation and an electrical open. Various design, material, and environmental parameters will influence the rate of this degradation.
Double layered plating in CAD. Vias makes EDA placement possible.
^ "Plated Through Hole (PTH) Fatigue calculator". DfR Solutions. Retrieved 2017-12-17.
^ "Castellated Holes / Edge Plating PCB / Castellations". Hi-Tech Corp. 2011. Archived from the original on 2016-05-26. Retrieved 2013-01-02.
"Tips for PCB Vias Design" (PDF) (Technical note). Quick-teck. 2014. EN-00417. Retrieved 2017-12-18.
"Via Tenting - Overview of the variations". WE Online. Würth Elektronik GmbH & Co. KG. 2014. Printed Circuit Boards > Layout > Design Tip > Tenting. Archived from the original on 2017-12-18. Retrieved 2017-12-18.
"Via Plugging - Overview of the variations". WE Online. Würth Elektronik GmbH & Co. KG. 2014. Printed Circuit Boards > Layout > Design Tip > Plugging. Archived from the original on 2017-12-18. Retrieved 2017-12-18.
"Via Filling - Overview of the variations". WE Online. Würth Elektronik GmbH & Co. KG. 2013. Printed Circuit Boards > Layout > Design Tip > Filling. Archived from the original on 2017-12-18. Retrieved 2017-12-18.
"Microvia Filling". WE Online. Würth Elektronik GmbH & Co. KG. 2015. Printed Circuit Boards > Layout > Design Tip > Microvia Filling. Archived from the original on 2017-12-18. Retrieved 2017-12-18.
Dingler, Klaus; Musewski, Markus (2009-03-18). "Pluggen / Plugging". FED-Wiki (in German). Berlin, Germany: Fachverband Elektronik-Design e.V. (FED). Archived from the original on 2017-12-18. Retrieved 2017-12-18.
"Via Optimization Techniques for High-Speed Channel Designs" (PDF) (Application note). 1.0. Altera Corporation. May 2008. AN-529-1.0. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-12-18. Retrieved 2017-12-18.
Chu, Jun (2017-04-11). "Controlled Depth Drilling, or Back Drilling". Online Documentation for Altium Products. Altium. Archived from the original on 2017-12-18. Retrieved 2017-12-18.
Loughhead, Phil (2017-05-30). "Removing Unused Pads and Adding Teardrops". Online Documentation for Altium Products. Altium. Archived from the original on 2017-12-18. Retrieved 2017-12-18.
This page was last edited on 7 August 2018, at 03:50 (UTC). |
0.920912 | APTA members now have access to summaries of the latest proposed rules from the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
The new resources, all pdf files, focus on CMS rule changes to inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), Medicare's acute care hospital inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) and long-term care hospital (LTCH) prospective payment system, and the Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) prospective payment system (PPS).
The summaries are part of an extensive set of APTA resources on Medicare coding and billing.
When it comes to medical information, Wikipedia's popularity may be exceeded only by its inaccuracy.
A new study has found that among Wikipedia entries on the most costly conditions, 90% contained errors—a problem made even more troubling given the website's popularity generally, and the fact that 47% to 70% of physicians and medical students admit to using it as a reference.
In the May issue of the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association (.pdf), authors of the study write that "most Wikipedia articles on the 10 most costly conditions in the United States contained assertions that are inconsistent with peer-reviewed sources," and that "these assertions on Wikipedia represent factual errors."
For the study, authors identified Wikipedia articles addressing heart disease, cancer, mental disorders, trauma-related disorders (concussion), osteoarthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension, diabetes, back problems, and hyperlipidemia. Two reviewers—internal medicine residents or rotating interns—then read each article, identified all assertions made in the article, and verified the accuracy of the assertion by finding concordance in peer-reviewed resources.
In the end, reviewers identified "statistically significant discordance" between the Wikipedia articles and the peer-reviewed sources in all areas except concussion. Authors were unsure why the concussion entry withstood scrutiny, other than to speculate on the possibility that "the contributors to this particular article were more expert."
In an editorial (.pdf) accompanying the article, Lori Fitterling, MLS, reference librarian for the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, writes that the study "adds credence to the message librarians have heralded: medical professionals should be educated about and engaged in the critical analysis of online information. In other words, information literacy should provide a basis for evidence-based practice."
"Would I want my physician to consult Wikipedia about my condition? No," Fitterling writes. "Physicians and medical students, spend your time consulting a credible, peer-reviewed, evidence-based resource. And if you do not know how to do this, let your reference librarian teach you."
APTA is actively engaged in building the infrastructure that can connect physical therapists (PTs) and physical therapist assistants (PTAs) with accurate peer-reviewed information to inform evidence-based practice through its PTNow website. Additionally, the association offers the extensive—and recently revamped—MoveForwardPT.com website that provides timely and accurate health information to consumers.
Both PTNow.org and MoveForwardPT.com have editorial boards that guide and review content, and APTA’s lead librarian provides assistance to help members optimize their searching experience of the PTNow ArticleSearch.
Physical therapists watch incredible patient success stories unfold every day. Now it’s time to share those stories with a wider audience.
APTA is seeking current or former physical therapy patients and clients to share their stories for upcoming episodes of Move Forward Radio, APTA’s official consumer-oriented radio show and podcast.
Do you know of an inspirational physical therapy success story? E-mail Katie Kissal with basic details of the patient’s condition and age during treatment, as well as a brief description of the patient’s story (the patient’s condition before physical therapy and afterward). Do not include in the e-mail your patient’s name or any other identifiable information that would violate HIPAA’s patient privacy protections.
Also, do not use the comments section of this post to volunteer for this opportunity.
In the past, Move Forward Radio has shared the stories of a school teacher who found relief through dry needling, a dentist who reduced his dependency on pain medication for arthritis of the neck, and a personal trainer who learned to run again after nearly losing her foot in a water skiing accident, among others. Current LPGA star Natalie Gulbis and former NFL lineman Don Davey also discussed their experiences with physical therapy.
If your suggested patient story is selected, APTA staff will contact you to arrange an interview with you and your patient. The story may also be used for a print version of "Patient Stories," also featured on MoveForwardPT.com.
PTNow Blog: Are We There Yet?
When it comes to drawing inferences for clinical practice, research design can really be an obstacle. That's the issue explored in the most recent PTNow blog post.
The post looks at research from the Netherlands that seeks to identify categories of interventions that are effective in addressing lumbopelvic pain during pregnancy. And although the study's authors may believe that they have arrived at a basis for some standardization, other experts believe that research to date hasn't included enough direct comparison among individual approaches to make any definitive recommendations.
What's your opinion? Read the PTNow blog and join the conversation.
The latest episode of APTA’s Move Forward Radio includes advice to help youth athletes avoid an increasingly common injury: anterior crucial ligament (ACL) tears.
Citing a recent clinical report in Pediatrics, the episode notes that while incidence of ACL injury has increased among youth athletes, research suggests that risk of ACL injury can be significantly reduced with a basic neuromuscular training program.
Podcast guest Julie Eibensteiner, PT, DPT, CSCS, who has worked with numerous college and elite soccer players both as a physical therapist and a coach, urged parents to be more assertive in demanding the implementation of these programs for their youth athletes.
Move Forward Radio airs approximately twice a month. Episodes are featured and archived at MoveForwardPT.com, APTA's official consumer information website, and can be streamed online via Blog Talk Radio or downloaded as a podcast via iTunes. Ideas for future episodes and other feedback can be e-mailed to katiekissal@apta.org.
APTA members are encouraged to alert their patients to the radio series and other MoveForwardPT.com resources to help educate the public about the benefits of treatment by a physical therapist. Follow MoveForwardPT on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, and share these resources with your friends and followers.
A new initiative to develop a model of care for older adults with complex chronic conditions will focus on a "realignment" toward patient-defined treatment goals. The project, which has received $750,000 in grant funding, is now in planning stages.
Called CaRe-Align, the model being developed seeks to "incorporate the best available evidence for involving patients in their own care and facilitating communication and coordination between and among primary care and specialty care clinicians," according to a press release. The 18 month planning project is funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Resource Institute (PCORI).
The project is being led by Mary Tinetti, MD, of Yale University and Caroline Blaum, MD, of NYU School of Medicine, and includes a panel of over 50 patients, clinicians, family caregivers, and other health care stakeholders. The Hartford Foundation plans to test the model in the next phase of this initiative.
A CaRe-Align website is in the works. Meanwhile, project organizers are updating progress through the Hartford Foundation blog.
APTA is engaged in its own project to foster innovation in models of care. Check out the association's Innovation 2.0 webpage to find out how physical therapists are taking on the challenge of rethinking delivery and payment.
A wandlike device and a system that delivers a localized dose of antibiotics could be the next phase in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers. Both methods are now entering human trial stage, according to an article in Medscape news (free registration required to view story).
The WoundWand is a debridement device that uses radio energy to precisely dissolve soft tissue, a process that has been used to perform tonsillectomies for several years. The device itself has been used in Australia, and researchers are now recruiting 60 patients for clinical trials.
Also ready for clinical trial is Osprey Medical's "Limb Recovery System" (LRS), a percutaneous system that can isolate an infected lower limb from the larger circulatory system using catheters, thus allowing higher doses of antibiotics than possible through other delivery methods. Researchers recently reported success with the approach in a 5-patient study. The 20-patient trial is expected to be completed by the end of 2014.
APTA emphasizes the importance of prevention, wellness, and disease management, and offers resources on diabetes for physical therapists and their patients through its Move Forward.com diabetes webpage and in a pocket guide to diabetes. The association also offers 21 clinical practice guidelines on care for patients with diabetes as well as 3 Cochrane reviews related to care for patients with diabetes-related foot ulcers through its PTNow evidence-based research tool.
When it comes to patients poststroke, physical activity and exercise is simply good medicine that needs to be prescribed for all survivors, according to a scientific statement recently released by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Stroke Association (ASA). The statement asserts that exercise and activity programs not only reduce risk of subsequent stroke, but also strengthen independent living abilities, maintain or improve cognition, and reduce depression.
The statement (.pdf), which appears in Stroke, says that stroke survivors often develop a "chronic sedentary lifestyle" after a stroke, which leads to further decline and a greater incidence of other cardiovascular events. "What is particularly disconcerting is that many of these stroke survivors have the ability to undertake higher levels of physical activity but choose not to do so," authors state.
The research team was led by Sandra A. Billinger, PT, PhD, FAHA, and co-chaired by Ross Arena, PT, PhD, FAHA.
The report describes the "vicious circle of decreased activity" in patients who experience stroke, many of whom have moderate to severe disability and/or dementia before suffering the stroke. Typically these patients are already inactive and intolerant of exercise, which contributes to the risk of initial stroke. After the stroke, they face an even more daunting challenge to engage in appropriate exercise and activity.
The statement emphasizes the importance of "multidimensional" exercise prescriptions that are customized to the circumstances of individual patients and are based on medical history, physical examination, and a thorough understanding of the patient's home environment and support systems. Authors recommend exercise as soon as possible after the stroke event, and mobilization within 24 hours. The statement also encourages the use of strength training and aerobic exercise in addition to work with balance and flexibility, in a program that aims to return the patient to activity levels that are equal to or exceed prestroke levels.
Authors also write that for an exercise prescription to be truly effective, health care providers need to understand the patient motivators and barriers to continuing an exercise program in ways that alter lifestyle. The statement suggests that involvement in group exercises and a desire to carry out daily tasks were particularly strong motivators, but says that this may not be the case for all patients.
Overall, the statement urges providers to find an appropriate, patient-centered path to achieving the crucial goal of adequate exercise and activity. "Clearly, there is an urgent need to bridge these treatment gaps by developing and implementing approaches that provide all stroke survivors with access to effective, comprehensive stroke risk-reduction interventions, including exercise," authors state.
APTA offers resources to physical therapists (PTs), including a podcast, around care of patients with limitations in functioning after a stroke, and has created a PT's "guide to stroke" at Move Forward.com as well as a pocket guide to physical fitness for survivors of stroke for PTs. APTA also cites the role of physical activity in stroke reduction in resources aimed at patients, physical therapists, and policymakers. Members can provide their patients with a handout on stroke prevention (.pdf, listed under "Neurology"), and can share information on this topic with others by downloading resources at APTA's Issue Briefs webpage.
In just 2 weeks, APTA members will receive the premier issue of the redesigned PT in Motion magazine.
Both the appearance and the content have been updated to make it more lively, readable, and valuable. Articles will be crisper, with additional resources and tools to enhance physical therapy practice and activities. The first issue of the redesigned magazine will feature evidence-based practice in outpatient settings and a look at PTNow, APTA’s clinical practice website.
As for PT in Motion’s departments and columns, you’ll find some—such as the former “This is Why” (now titled “Defining Moment”)—expanded to better tell the stories of physical therapists. Others are being tightened up and supplemented with extra resources that allow readers to follow up on suggestions and guidance.
Coming soon: enhanced integration of PT in Motion with other APTA websites and social media, all designed to give you the information you want in the ways you want it. Stay tuned!
Ask Cinderella—missing out on a party is a drag. Fortunately if you act before May 21, there's still a chance for you to get in on the fun without having to rely on spells with limited shelf life doled out by fairy godmothers.
The deadline to purchase tickets to the Foundation for Physical Therapy's 35th anniversary gala is May 21. It's your last chance to get in on a special celebration of physical therapy research to be held at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte, on Thursday, June 12, 7:30 pm-12:00 am. Tickets are $150 for individuals and $100 for students, and can be purchased by calling 877/585-6003.
In addition to honoring this year's Foundation service award winners (.pdf) and top fundraising schools in the Miami-Marquette Challenge, the gala will commemorate 35 years of Foundation efforts to support physical therapy research.
Although far too early to know if the treatment will be effective on humans, researchers have been able to restore movement to mice disabled by a multiple sclerosis (MS)-like condition by using human stem cell transplants. The recovery was quick, long-lasting, and present even though the stem cells themselves had been rejected by the mice.
According to the study's authors, mice disabled by a virus that mimics MS began walking 10 to 14 days after receiving spinal injections of human neural stem cells, and continued to walk and engage in other movements after 6 months. The findings were e-published ahead of print on May 15 in Stem Cell Reports (.pdf).
Of particular importance, authors write, is the fact that the actual stem cells were quickly rejected by the mice. They believe that stem cells and T cells acted as triggers to generate myelin sheaths and reduce inflammation by the mouse body itself. "These reports are consistent with growing evidence that transplanted stem cells rarely differentiate into cells of neural lineage, and their efficacy often appears to be through delivery of trophic factors … or by modulating inflammation," they write.
The researchers theorize that the key to the process may be linked to the presence of regulatory T cells (tregs) in the stem cells. Stem cells that had been stripped of tregs did not produce the same effects in the mice.
"Multiple sclerosis … is … an attractive target for cell therapy because of the lack of long-term therapeutic benefit from current treatment," the authors write. "There is growing evidence that long-term survival of transplanted cells is not required for beneficial effects."
ATPA members have a unique opportunity to help shape the content of the largest international physical therapy conference.
The World Confederation for Physical Therapy has announced that its International Scientific Committee (ISC) is now recruiting reviewers of platform and poster abstracts submitted for possible presentation at the next WCPT Congress taking place in Singapore May 1 – 4, 2015.
In order to qualify for consideration to be a reviewer, members must complete an online questionnaire by July 31. WCPT also recommends that potential reviewers sign up to be included in the congress database to receive regular updates on the event. The review process will begin November 10 and all reviews must be completed by December 1.
The number of abstracts sent to reviewers will depend on their area of expertise and the number of submissions received. WCPT estimates that reviewers will receive no more than 30 abstracts.
Enhancing a kid's mental and physical development can be child's play—literally.
Parents looking for fun, easy-to-implement play activities that can help their children develop can now find them at MoveForwardPT.com thanks to a new partnership with The Inspired Treehouse, a collaborative venture founded by a pediatric physical therapist (PT) and 2 occupational therapists.
In a recent Move Forward Radio podcast, Lauren Drobnjak, PT, Pram Braley, OT, and Claire Hefferon, OT, describe how they developed ideas for inexpensive activities that parents can use to enhance their child’s physical and mental development.
MoveForwardPT.com, APTA’s official consumer information website, will feature selected content from The Inspired Treehouse in a section called "Activities to Promote Development in Children," which is among the many resources provided in its Health Center for Children.
Help raise awareness of the benefits of physical therapy by sharing MoveForwardPT.com resources with your patients and clients. Link to resources from your website, share them on social media, or print them for use in your clinic.
Three of the largest commercial health insurance companies in the US will be sharing price data to provide consumers with a "transparent and comprehensive destination to make more informed choices about health care," according to the creator of a new online database.
UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, and Humana announced that they will partner with the nonprofit Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI) to create an information portal that will aggregate pricing data from those companies as well as from Medicare Advantage and Medicaid plans where permitted by state law. According to a press release from HCCI, the database will be operational by 2015, and will likely include data from additional insurance companies that are expected to sign on to the program between now and then.
A recent Forbes magazine article reports that the system will provide "three tiers" of information: 1 containing average price information for an episode of care, available to any consumer; another more detailed set of data available to customers of the participating companies; and a third even more in-depth compilation available to employers.
"Voluntarily making this information available will be of immeasurable value to consumers and other health system participants as they seek to manage the cost and quality of care," said HCCI Executive Director David Newman in the press release.
Justin Moore, PT, DPT, APTA vice president of public policy, practice, and professional affairs believes the data release is great news not just for consumers, but for physical therapists (PTs) and physical therapist assistants (PTAs).
“Access to data is critical in this new era of health care, and APTA applauds the leadership of 3 major insurers in beginning the process toward improved transparency," Moore said. "We believe this kind of information will empower consumers in their selection of health care services and providers, and has the potential to demonstrate the value physical therapy provides our health care system every day."
On the heels of a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that stresses the importance of physical activity in the lives of people with disabilities, the agency is offering a webinar to help health care providers learn how to effectively deliver this information to patients—and part of that learning will include a physical therapist's perspective.
The free program, titled "More adults with disabilities need physical activity – how can health professionals help?" will feature panelists from the US Public Health Service; the National Center on Health, Physical Activity, and Disability; the Exercise is Medicine Program; the Special Olympics; Paralympics; the Amputee Coalition; and APTA by way of Lisa Culver, PT, DPT, MBA, senior specialist in clinical practice for the association.
The 1-hour program will begin at 2:00 pm ET on May 20. Participants can register online.
The program is being provided as a follow-up to a recent CDC report asserting that adults with disabilities who are inactive are at a 50% higher risk of developing chronic disease than adults with disabilities who engage in 2.5 hours of moderate aerobic activity per week. The study found that these individuals are 82% more likely to become active if appropriate activity is recommended by their health care providers.
The webinar is being jointly sponsored by the CDC and the Association of University Centers on Disabilities.
There are dozens of reasons to be an APTA member.
Need proof? Check out highlights from APTA’s Membership Matters Week, including photos and social media posts from members across the country.
The 7-day campaign, April 14-20, was designed to raise awareness about the value of membership – for the individual, the association, and the profession of physical therapy at large.
The Membership Matters section of the APTA website includes numerous evergreen resources to help members discuss the importance of membership with their peers year-round, including testimonials, FAQs, and tips on promotion.
Graphics from the campaign are available to download in online-friendly .jpg versions, as well as print-friendly .eps versions.
Did you miss Membership Matters Week? It’s not too late to download the “I’m an APTA member because …” sign, or share the resources above, and join the Membership Matters movement.
Physical therapists (PTs), physical therapist assistants (PTAs), and other health care providers can get the latest insights on clinical decision-making and the use of valid outcomes and measures in the home health environment through a free webinar being offered on May 21.
The Alliance for Home Health Quality and Innovation's "Home Health After Hip and Knee Replacement: Physical Therapist Decision-Making" webinar will focus on the challenges and opportunities of the home health environment, and will feature a case illustration using an individual with a lower extremity joint arthroplasty. Roger Herr, PT, MPA, COS-C, APTA Board of Directors member, and Lisa Culver, PT, DPT, MBA, senior specialist in clinical practice for APTA, will be the featured presenters. Speaker bios and more information on the webinar can be found on the Alliance webinar page.
The presentation is set to begin at 3:00 pm ET. To join the webinar, visit http://fuze.me/24341983 and select "launch" in the browser; to participate in the audio conference, call 201/479-4595* and enter room number 24341983#. Alternative access can be obtained by calling 855/346-3893.
The Alliance for Home Health Quality and Innovation is a nonprofit organization with membership that includes nonprofit and proprietary home health care providers, academic experts, and 3 major trade associations for home health care (the Visiting Nurse Associations of America, the National Association for Home Care and Hospice, and the Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare).
In advance of congressional testimony set to begin this week, US Veterans Affairs Secretary Erik Shinseki has announced that his agency will conduct "face-to-face" audits of all Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers across the country.
According to a May 8 statement from VA spokesman Drew Brookie, the audits are being conducted "to ensure a full understanding of VA's policy and continued integrity in managing patient access to care," and were planned before members of Congress and the public began calling for the reviews.
Shinseki is scheduled to testify before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee in the aftermath of a report alleging that 40 or more veterans died due to delays in care at a Phoenix, Arizona, VA hospital. The findings and comments from Shinseki, members of Congress, and others have been widely reported in the media, including CNN, the Washington Post, and CBS News.
The House Veterans Affairs Committee has also issued a subpoena for Shinseki to testify.
The second reported case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in the US has surfaced at an Orlando, Florida, hospital and has prompted a quarantine of 19 health care workers and hospitalization of another after the employees came into contact with the infected individual. Health officials believe the second confirmed US case—another health care worker who had returned from Saudi Arabia—was contracted through close contact in a health care environment.
In a press release, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Tom Frieden, MD, PhD, described the second case as "not surprising" given the increase in reported cases in the Arabian Peninsula. The CDC continues to describe the MERS risk to the public as "very low," and is not recommending that US residents change travel plans.
The 19 individuals quarantined and 1 hospitalized were employed at Dr. P Phillips Hospital or the Orlando Regional Medical Center, and came into contact with the infected individual. The employee who was hospitalized "developed symptoms" but test results had not been received by the time of a report in the Palm Beach Post. The CDC is urging all health care workers to follow the CDC's recommendations for infection control.
For more information on MERS protocols, visit the CDC webpage on interim prevention and control recommendations around MERS. Although it does not address MERS specifically, APTA's infectious disease control webpage helps physical therapists (PTs) and physical therapist assistants (PTAs) understand the protocols for reducing risk of disease transmission. APTA staff will continue to monitor the situation and add resources as they are needed.
Research from the United Kingdom asserts that family physicians' use of risk-stratified care for low back pain (LBP) has produced "significant improvements in patient disability outcomes" through the application of a system first studied in physical therapist services.
In an accompanying editorial, authors Timothy S. Carey, MD, MPH, and Janet Freburger, PT, PhD, give "a qualified 'yes'" to the question of whether the system should be attempted in the United States, "where practice acts, third-party payer requirements, and other barriers limit the patient's ability to directly seek care of physical therapists." The research results and editorial appear in the March/April issue of Annals of Family Medicine.
The project, dubbed "The IMPaCT Back Study," (Implementation to improve patient care through targeted treatment) compared 922 patients presenting with low back pain who received "usual" care with those who received stratified care. This stratified care approach was based on a system developed for a previous study involving physical therapy in the UK. In that study, PTs classified patients as being in a low, medium, or high-risk group for persistent disability and provided treatment matched to the risk level.
The tool adopted for family physician use consisted of 9 self-report items that addressed function, radiating leg pain, pain elsewhere, depression, anxiety, fear avoidance, catastrophizing, and "bothersomeness." Scores from the assessment placed patients into 1 of the 3 groups. Low-risk groups received education on self-management, advice to stay active, pain medications when appropriate, and reassurance that their prognosis was good. Family physicians referred patients in the medium-risk and high-risk groups to physical therapy, and focused on treatment of the concerns revealed in the stratification tool.
Researchers compared the usual and stratified treatment groups after 6 months by way of self-report questionnaires and through tracking physician clinical behavior including number of physical therapy referrals, use of tests, medication prescriptions, reconsultations, and sickness certifications. In the end, they found that while aggregated improvement in patient outcomes was "modest" compared with usual treatment, patients in the medium and high-risk groups received more physical therapy and reported marked improvements in self-reported pain and time off work.
The study's authors believe that the most significant findings have to do with the ways in which stratified care creates a more "targeted" use of health care resources, and results in fewer sick certifications and work days missed—about half of the average time off rates of the usual-care group.
"Improvements in the management of low back pain are needed, yet changing behavior among family physicians is an identified challenge as clinicians struggle to have the time, skills, or inclination to translate evidence into practice to improve patient care," the authors write.
While editorial authors cautiously a similar program in the US, they point out that implementation will require careful consideration of the practice competencies of PTs receiving referrals, given that the high-risk group requires psychologically informed physical therapy that employs elements of cognitive-behavioral therapy. "This high-risk protocol … is in its infancy in the field of physical therapy," they write, and may require some expansion of what they describe as "extremely limited" training in this area. The authors also speculate that the system would need to be "adapted" for effective use in the US.
Still, they write, the low cost of implementation and its similarity to other screening instruments already used in primary care—tools that assess alcohol misuse or depression, for example—suggest that barriers to use are minimal. "These advances don't solve our problems with the large disability burden and high costs of low back pain, but they represent a promising start."
In the latest chapter in a decade-long battle in South Carolina over the issue of physician-owned physical therapy services (POPTS), a circuit court on April 22 granted summary judgment (.pdf) in favor of the South Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (SCBPTE) and the South Carolina Chapter of APTA (SCAPTA). In its ruling, the court upheld the ability of physical therapists (PTs) to operate group practices while maintaining the state's ban on PTs working for physician owned groups.
The case is a sequel to the 2006 opinion of the State Supreme Court in the Sloan litigation involving a practice act clause that prohibits a physical therapist (PT) from dividing revenue with a person who referred a patient. The Supreme Court interpreted the act as prohibiting a PT from working for pay for a physician-owned group if the PT treats patients referred by a physician in the group. SCAPTA has defended the law from several legislative attempts to repeal it.
The circuit court case was brought by 2 medical doctors and 1 PT against the SCBPTE. The plaintiffs argued that the act’s prohibition should also apply to PTs who work for pay for a PT-owned group if the PT treats patient sent to him/her by another PT in the group. Such an interpretation would prevent PTs from operating group practices. The summary judgment ruled against this interpretation.
Soon after the case was filed in 2013, SCAPTA entered a motion to intervene in the case, which was granted by the court. APTA provided significant legal resources to the chapter, and the APTA Board of Directors approved a grant to help cover the chapter’s substantial legal bills.
The battle over interpretation of the law is probably not over—plaintiffs are expected to appeal this decision, which could lead to the case being reviewed in the state supreme court. At the same time, supporters of a repeal of the POPTS restrictions could make another attempt to undermine the entire law.
The uptick in Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) cases that caught US media attention when the first case was reported in the United States is most likely the result of seasonal changes, and not due to an increase in transmissibility of the disease, according the United Nations' World Health Organization (WHO). The announcement was made in a May 7 WHO statement that attributes the rise in part "to breaches in WHO’s recommended infection prevention and control measures" in some Saudi Arabian health care facilities.
MERS is a viral respiratory illness first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012 caused by a coronavirus called MERS-CoV. Most people who have been confirmed to have MERS-CoV infection developed severe acute respiratory illness, and about 30% of these people died. Recently, the first case of MERS in the US was reported in a health care worker who had just returned from the Arabian peninsula and been in direct contact with an individual with MERS. That health care worker is anticipated to be released from the hospital soon.
The spread of the virus has been among individuals who were in close contact with patients who were infected. The incubation period is from 2 to 14 days, and researchers believe individuals are not contagious during the incubation period. If a patient is suspected to have the virus, then standard contact and airborne precautions are recommended.
For more information on MERS protocols, visit the the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) webpage on interim prevention and control recommendations around MERS. Although it does not address MERS specifically, APTA's infectious disease control webpage helps physical therapists (PTs) and physical therapist assistants (PTAs) understand the protocols for reducing risk of disease transmission. APTA staff will continue to monitor the situation and add resources as they are needed.
Adults with arthritis are injured in falls at a rate 2.5 times higher than for those without the disease, according to a new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which described this "growing public health problem" as one that can best be addressed through a falls prevention approach that "involves exercise or physical therapy."
The findings, published in the CDC's May 2 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, are based on an analysis of falls and falls injury gleaned from the 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a phone survey that interviewed 338,734 adults in all US states, territories, and the District of Columbia. Respondents were asked whether they have been told that they have some form of arthritis, gout, lupus, or fibromyalgia; whether and how many times they had fallen in the past year; and whether those falls caused an injury (defined as an event that caused the respondent to limit regular activities for at least a day or see a doctor).
The results showed that in almost all cases, rates of falls and falls injuries were "significantly higher" among adults 45 years and older with arthritis than those without, with 13.3% of adults with arthritis reporting fall injury, compared with a 6.5% rate of injury on adults without arthritis (median age-adjusted rates across the US).
When adjusted for age, the fall prevalence rate in 46 states was 30% or greater among adults with arthritis, with 16 states having an age-adjusted rate of 40% or higher for this group. Among adults without arthritis, no state had a fall rate higher than 30%.
"The projected rapid growth in the population aged [65 years and older] and the increase in adults with arthritis (an estimated 67 million by 2030) … demonstrate the need for increasing fall prevention efforts," the report states. "Effective fall preventions can be multifaceted, but the most effective single strategy involves exercise or physical therapy to improve gait, balance, and lower body strength, which have been shown to reduce fall risk by 14%-37%."
Get ready for your close-up. Physical therapists (PTs) and physical therapist assistants (PTAs) attending APTA's NEXT Conference and Exposition June 11–14 in Charlotte, North Carolina, have an opportunity to tell the world what physical therapy is—and what it is not.
APTA public relations staff will be on hand at NEXT to conduct video recording sessions with PTs and PTAs who want to share insights and dispel myths about the profession. Participants must schedule their participation in advance with Jennifer Rondon in the APTA Public Relations Department at jenniferrondon@apta.org, and commit to a 10-minute recording session within 1 of 2 available periods: Wednesday, June 11, 10:30 am–11:30 am, or Thursday, June 12, 2:30 pm–3:30 pm.
Those selected to participate will receive an e-mail confirmation along with directions on attire and a specific recording location at NEXT. Some of the video captured at NEXT will be used in consumer-educational efforts featured on APTA’s official consumer information website, MoveFowardPT.com.
Without much fanfare, the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that use of the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD 10) will begin on October 1, 2015—the soonest possible date allowed in a law passed by Congress earlier this year.
CMS will be issuing an interim final rule that will establish the October 2015 implementation date in the near future. The rule will also require HIPAA-covered entities to continue to use ICD-9-CM through September 30, 2015. CMS also announced that it is cancelling the end-to-end testing program scheduled for July 2014, and will engage in a new testing program next year.
Originally, the US Department of Health and Human Services set an October 1, 2013, date for implementation of ICD-10 for all HIPAA-covered entities. In spring of 2012, HHS announced that it was moving that date back 1 year, to October 2014. Early this year, Congress included language delaying ICD-10 implementation until some point after October 1, 2015, in Medicare-related legislation that also prevented implementation of the flawed sustainable growth rate (SGR).
A long-awaited set of reports on outpatient therapy payment alternatives has been released by the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
According to CMS, its Developing Outpatient Therapy Payment Alternatives (DOTPA) project had 2 main purposes: "to identify, collect, and analyze therapy-related information tied to beneficiary need and the effectiveness of outpatient therapy services, and to explore payment method alternatives to the current financial caps on Medicare outpatient therapy services." Research for the report began in 2011.
The report states that "The research presented here does not aim to provide a completed, finalized model for a new payment system. Instead, selected characteristics that exist for an alternative payment system are discussed within the context of [the diversity of outpatient therapy]."
APTA staff is reviewing the reports and will use the findings to inform its decisions and recommendations around payment policy.
Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities (IRFs) will receive an additional $160 million in 2015, according to policy updates recently released by the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). In addition to the payment changes, the updates from CMS also make refinements to compliance lists, expand definitions of therapy, add new outcome measures, and create a new section on the patient assessment instruments (PAIs) for IRFs.
The proposed rule is on display at the Federal Register, and comments will be accepted until June 30, 2014. APTA will provide a detailed summary of the rule shortly and will be submitting comments on behalf of the association.
ACAPT's Clinical Reasoning Curricula and Assessment Research Consortium has posted a survey for clinical instructors, the results of which will inform its study titled "Exploration of Clinical Reasoning in Doctor of Physical Therapy Education." The consortium estimates that the survey takes about 5–10 minutes to complete.
Names and other identifiers will not be associated with the information received from the survey. All information will be stored on the principal investigator's university-issued password-protected computer and stored in a locked office.
Editor's note: A link previously included in this story has been disabled. Clinical instructors interested in participating in this survey should contact huhnka@shrp.rutgers.edu to request access to the survey instrument.
Medicare payments to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) will increase by $750 million in 2015, according to the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which recently released a proposed payment and policy update. Along with the update, CMS has issued a report on possible alternatives to the prospective payment system (PPS) used in SNFs. The rule is on display at the Federal Register, and comments will be accepted until June 30, 2014.
In conjunction with the payment and policy updates, CMS also released its initial findings from a project that looked at possible alternatives to the SNF PPS. The report explores 4 alternatives: a patient characteristics model that uses patient information to group patients with similar characteristics, a hybrid model that blends patient characteristics and a resource-based pricing adjustment, a fee schedule model that bases payment on actual therapy use rather than resource use, and a competitive bidding model that prices therapy services through a bidding process.
As recommended by the consulting firm hired to conduct the analysis, CMS has selected the patient characteristics and hybrid models as a foundation for an alternative system. The development phase will include initial drafting, analysis, feedback from an expert panel, and a final summary. APTA is conducting a thorough analysis of the report and will provide commentary on the report findings to CMS.
APTA has posted full descriptions of the 21 promising and innovative models for physical therapy care that will be explored at APTA headquarters May 8 – 9 as part of the association's Innovation 2.0 initiative. The projects entering this phase of the project were selected from almost 60 submissions after evaluation by an expert panel.
During the upcoming workshop, these 21 models will receive valuable feedback from researchers and other clinicians. The models will then submit proposals with further detail to be considered for the final selection of applicants receiving funding and in-kind services to advance their models and promote the impact of physical therapy in the emerging health care environment.
Innovation 2.0 is an initiative aimed at bolstering the impact of physical therapy in innovative and emerging models of health care such as accountable care organizations, bundled payment, direct access, patient-centered medical homes, prevention and health promotion, and value-based purchasing. |
0.947652 | What are the hottest Law Schools in Boise, ID?
There are 2 law schools in Boise, Idaho.
Boise State University is the largest law school in Boise, based on student population. In 2010, Boise State University graduated approximately 109 students from its law program.
A total of 110 students graduated with credentials in law from law schools in Boise in 2010. If you decide to join their ranks, you can expect to pay an average of $16,668 per year in tuition if you are eligible for instate tuition. Out of state tuition for all Boise law schools was an average of $25,672 per year in 2009.
In addition to tuition costs, you should plan on spending an average of $1,168 for books and supplies each year, while enrolled in a law program in Boise. And if you live on campus at one of the Boise-based law schools, you will have an added expense of $5,270 per year, on average, for room and board. Students who live at home can cut this cost down to approximately $8,870. |
0.997765 | Błędnie: You must be aware that you can be sued for breech of contract.
Poprawnie: You must be aware that you can be sued for breach of contract.
"Breach" to 'pogwałcenie, naruszenie', 'zerwanie' (np. warunków umowy). "Breech" to 'bryczesy', 'zamek lufy'. |
0.91148 | Can I Drive into Juneau, Alaska?
As the third-largest city in Alaska, Juneau provides all the amenities of a modern city. One amenity that is lacking, however, is the ability to drive into the city. The system of roads in Juneau makes getting around the city easy, but none of those roads actually lead into or out of the city. The only way to get to Juneau is to travel by air or by sea.
Juneau was settled in the latter half of the 19th century and was officially named Juneau City in 1881. In 1900, the city was named the capital of the Alaskan Territory, and it remained the capital when Alaska became a U.S. state in 1959.
Juneau’s economy is based on a combination of logging, mining, fishing and tourism. Federal, state and local government offices also provide employment for local citizens.
Around the time of the summer solstice, daylight in Juneau lasts for a little more than 18 hours. Daylight is significantly shorter near the winter solstice — typically a little more than 6 hours. |
0.892278 | Will book publishers be able to maintain primacy as ebook publishers?
Developing skills and capabilities that make their ebook-publishing ability superior to vertical brands is going to be essential for publishers’ survival as the skills and capabilities to do print publishing become less important commercially over time, as they will. Even if you disagree with my aggessive expectations for ebook market penetration, I think you’ll be able to substitute your own and come up with pretty much the same conclusion.
The Spanish book trade is preparing for unexpectedly fast growth in digital sales, Liber, the international book fair for the Spanish speaking world has been told.
Publishers, at least, were now moving onto the front foot. The report reckoned: "Until 2010, the efforts of the book industry representatives were aimed primarily at containing as much as possible the American e-book and digitisation tsunami from spilling over all too rapidly into major European book markets. During the second half of 2010—and even more so in 2011—as domestic infrastructure for handling e-books were set up, with European retailers betting more and more on e-books (such as Fnac, Thalia, Weltbild), and with Amazon's opening of a German Kindle shop in April 2011, the defensive measures were ripe for abandonment and replacement by policies implemented to embrace the new digital world."
It's clear that there are some good ideas out there, but even more clear that most ebook sites have not yet really engaged with the need to be able to give ebooks to friends. As ereading (and ereaders) become more common, someone is going to have to fix this, or we'll all continue receiving print books as presents even if we'd rather have them digitally.
The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) today announced the completion of a major revision to EPUB, the global standard interchange and delivery format for eBooks and other digital publications. The IDPF membership unanimously voted to elevate EPUB 3.0 to a final IDPF Recommended Specification, publicly available at http://idpf.org/epub/30.
This conclusion stems from the idea that by introducing DRM-free music, the music label increases the downstream competition between the traditional format and legal downloads. Because DRM-free music is a stronger competitor for traditional CDs, it forces the prices of CDs to move down, which in turn lowers the legal download price. This competition between the traditional and download formats lowers prices such that some consumers move from stealing music to buying legal downloads. Thus, removing DRM can lower the level of piracy. Furthermore, we find that this result can occur even when consumers do not see any difference in the utility they derive from DRM-free and DRM-restricted products.
While many of our immediate family members own ereaders, most of our librarian colleagues do not. Like many libraries, ours have Kindles to lend, but is it enough to borrow an ereader? Or should librarians own an ereader to truly understand its place in the library, its functionality, and its future?
To explore this question, we designed a year-long longitudinal study, now underway, on the innovation adoption process as it relates to ereaders and our colleagues. Oregon State University Libraries supported our study by granting us a competitive internal award to purchase 34 ereading devices to give to Oregon State University Libraries and Press staff members. Part of the research process has been immersing ourselves, as the principal investigators, in the ereader experience. You can find, compare, and contrast feature lists elsewhere, but we simply wanted to provide a brief rundown of our first-month experiences using our ereaders: the Kobo, the Nook, the Kindle, and the Sony Reader.
With physical bookstores in English-language markets in “terminal” decline, a small number of companies with “no history with books” dominating the consumer book market, and “insane” pricing of books and e-books, the free market had gone too far, suggested the man who oversaw the rise and fall of Borders in the United Kingdom, Philip Downer.
Speaking during the EDItEUR-convened Supply Chain Track at the Tools of Change Frankfurt conference, Downer, now a retail consultant, pointed to the more protected and regulated European book markets as places where diversity in publishing and bookselling was being protected, in contrast to the UK, where Amazon is now selling 30% of all printed books, and the vast majority of e-books.
Epstein believes the successful future publishing company will be like the Random House of the 1950s – just “a small group of likeminded managers” – about 8 editors, no meetings and those editors could be living in different countries.
The problem, however, is not really with the apps themselves, but with how Apple takes anything that is an app, including book apps, and puts it in its catch-all “App Store.” There is a category for “book apps,” but in essence your interactive book, which is trying to push the limits of what eBooks can and can’t do, is competing against Angry Birds and a host of other addictive, mind-numbing apps that are designed to help people gobble up thirty-second chunks of their day. There is no cross-referencing between the iBookstore and the “books” section of the App Store—in fact, these people are in competition with each other. As with all apps, everything has to be vetted by the Apple people. In its quest for a beautiful, streamlined environment, Apple is suppressing a real opportunity for innovation in eBooks and browsability by its readership.
A version of this list appears in the October 23, 2011 issue of The New York Times Book Review. Rankings reflect sales for the week ending October 8, 2011. |
0.99999 | This article is about the knockout tournament organized by the Celtic League from 2003 to 2005. For the Irish-Welsh development tournament inaugurated in 2018, see Celtic Cup (2018 rugby union tournament).
The Celtic Cup was a rugby union cup competition featuring regional and provincial teams from Ireland, Scotland and Wales that ran for two seasons between 2003 and 2005. The first edition of the competition was won by Ulster and the second by Munster, both from Ireland.
Following the introduction of regional rugby union teams in Wales ahead of the 2003/04 season, the format of the Celtic League tournament was changed so that each team would play each other twice, home and away, with the side that accumulated the most points during the season winning the title. This was a change from previous seasons, which culminated in a knock-out format competition leading to a final. In a bid to attract broadcasters, sponsors and the public by having a 'showpiece' final, the Irish, Scottish and Welsh unions agreed to launch a new cup competition, with a knock-out format, the Celtic Cup.
During the inaugural season, the competition was contested by all 12 sides that contested the Celtic League and ran concurrently with the league on four weekends between September and December 2003. The tournament was a knock-out format, played over one leg with the first team drawn in each fixture hosting the match. Due to the number of teams competing, eight teams contested the first round in mid September whilst four teams, Edinburgh, Munster, Ulster and Blues were given byes to the quarter finals to meet the victors from the first round. The victorious teams from the first round were Connacht, Glasgow, Leinster and Scarlets.
The quarter-finals took place on the first weekend of October, with Edinburgh, Glasgow and Connacht winning their games. Ulster and Leinster drew their game 23 points all after extra time, however Ulster progressed under the competition rules as they scored three tires in the match against Leinster's two. The semi-finals took place in mid November and saw both the away teams win, as Ulster beat Glasgow and Edinburgh beat Connacht. The final was held on Saturday December 20 at Murrayfield Stadium and saw Ulster beat Edinburgh 21-27 to win the Celtic Cup.
The format of the competition was changed for the second edition of the competition. The competition was moved to April and May to run after the conclusion of the Celtic League competition, with only eight sides contesting the competition, again in a straight knockout format, however starting at the quarter-final stage due to the reduction in teams. The quarter-final fixtures were created based on the teams' finishing positions in the Celtic League, with the league winners Ospreys hosting the eighth placed side Ulster, second placed Munster hosting seventh placed Edinburgh, third placed Leinster hosting sixth placed Glasgow and fourth placed Dragons hosting fifth placed Scarlets. In this way, the tournament was similar to a playoff system, although the Celtic League and Celtic Cup remained trophies in their own right.
The automatic home advantage for the highest placed teams was not continued for the semi-finals, instead the fixtures were decided by a draw. Leinster lost to Munster and Scarlets won at home against the Ospreys. The final took place on May 14 at Lansdowne Road and saw Munster beat the Scarlets by 27 points to 16 to win the second Celtic Cup.
Following the end of the 2004/05 season, the Welsh regions signed a deal to join the English Guinness Premiership club sides in an Anglo-Welsh Cup competition from the 2005/06 season. With clashing fixtures in the two competitions, the fallout led to the Irish and Scottish sides withdrawing from Celtic competition at the end of May. Talks between the three countries in June led to an agreement to reinstate the Celtic League, but not the Celtic Cup.
For the 2009–10 season, the Celtic League adopted a playoff format similar to that used for the 2004/05 Celtic Cup, with the top four placed teams in the league at the end of the season rather than eight. However the Cup moniker was not revived and the winners of the playoffs were instead crowned the overall Celtic League champions.
^ "New Celtic League format agreed".
^ "Celtic rugby's brave new world".
^ "Ulster earn countback win".
^ "Ulster hold on for victory".
^ "Cup draw disappoints the Ospreys".
^ "Celtic League season cancelled".
^ "Welsh back in the Celtic fold". 2005-06-20.
This page was last edited on 15 August 2018, at 12:29 (UTC). |
0.920011 | What’s the hardest part about obtaining a college degree? Is it passing your subjects? Well, some would possibly think so. Most college students could attest that the most challenging part about getting a college education is, as you may have guessed, paying for your college tuition fees.
Every school year, American college students pay at least $20,000 to cover college tuition fees alone. And as you well know, the costs doesn’t really stop there. You still need to pay for books, allowance, food, transportation, and the list just continues to infinity and beyond.
Perhaps you’ve spent a lot of sleepless nights thinking about it. And perhaps you’d be glad to learn that the United States government, your government, has thought about it as well. In fact, the government has been thinking about it well before 1980.
The United States Government mandated the establishment of United States Department of Education under the Department of Education Organization Act of 1979.
The US Department of Education was basically created to encourage the promotion of student achievement and their preparation for global competitiveness by way of fostering academic excellence and ensuring equal access to quality education.
d) The enactment of federal laws that prohibit discrimination in certain programs that receive federal funds.
The Department of Education provides a lot of programs and several other forms of financial assistance which have been proven to be largely helpful for students who are academically deserving but financially challenged.
Some of the services offered by the Department of Education are Grants, in the form of Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grants, and Iraq & Afghanistan Service Grants; Federal Work-Study Programs, and Federal Loans such as Perkins Loans, Direct Stafford Loans, Direct PLUS Loans, and Direct Loan Consolidation Programs.
Every aspiring university student must always keep in mind that with regards to education, there is always a form of assistance that’s available for everyone. All a student needs to do is understand what she needs and determine where and how she can get it.
Finding sources of college funding is an important step towards getting an education. College tuition and living costs are increasing and you will need to find funding wherever you can. You may even have to eliminate your favorite school from your list, even if your efforts have been rewarded with the chance to attend. Though you will have to take money into account when choosing a school, you should be able to get into one of your top five schools with the help of the department of education; student loans and financial aid can help you pay for it.
You should apply for student aid first. It is free to apply, you may receive extra funds that you won’t have to pay back, and having applied for student aid is a requirement for receiving student loans. You can apply online with the department of education. An online forecaster and a college expenses calculator are now provided to help you estimate how much money you will need and how much you will receive.
Federal PLUS loans are available for parents who wish to help their children study, but if they do not meet qualifications to receive a PLUS loan, the student can apply for Stafford loans with a higher maximum loan amount. The minimum loan amount increases after every year in college, and as an example, your first year the maximum loan amount is $3500, or $7500 if your parents do not have access to the PLUS loan.
In the case of financial need, the government pays the interest on your loan during your time in college. This is called a subsidized loan. If you are borrowing a Stafford loan with the normal maximum limit, the entire loan is subsidized. If you qualify for a higher maximum loan amount, only the normal loan amount can be subsidized: $3500 of the $7500 for the first year, for example.
If you have education expenses which are not covered by federal loans, you can take out private loans as well. These are available from many different sources with differing terms; you should contact them while you are comparing colleges to get an estimate on how much you can borrow. Graduate students can take out PLUS and Stafford loans, and you can consolidate your student loans at any time.
Even if you can’t pay for your top choice, you can get into a good school if you use all the resources available to you, including Department of Education student loans, financial aid, and private loans. |
0.973644 | We propose a fully three-dimensional wavelet-based coding system featuring 3D encoding/2D decoding functionalities. A fully three-dimensional transform is combined with context adaptive arithmetic coding; 2D decoding is enabled by encoding every 2D subband image independently. The system allows a finely graded up to lossless quality scalability on any 2D image of the dataset. Fast access to 2D images is obtained by decoding only the corresponding information thus avoiding the reconstruction of the entire volume. The performance has been evaluated on a set of volumetric data and compared to that provided by other 3D as well as 2D coding systems. Results show a substantial improvement in coding efficiency (up to 33%) on volumes featuring good correlation properties along the z axis. Even though we did not address the complexity issue, we expect a decoding time of the order of one second/image after optimization. In summary, the proposed 3D/2D Multidimensional Layered Zero Coding System (3D/2D MLZC) provides the improvement in compression efficiency attainable with 3D systems without sacrificing the effectiveness in accessing the single images characteristic of 2D ones. |
0.996142 | Why is shopping local important?
Shopping local is important in today’s economy, but many people assume big retail corporations have most of the advantages over their local competitors. This could not be further from the truth. In actuality, small local retailers play an important role to shoppers and their community as a whole.
Your pets will love these locally owned Metro Detroit stores!
We all love our pets, so naturally we want to find the best food, toys, and supplies for them. These locally owned Metro Detroit pet stores provide high quality products and services for our furry friends.
A common misconception is that lower prices give large chain retailers an advantage over their smaller competitors. Price matters, but it’s a small part of the retail experience. Shopping smaller and locally has enough value to hold its own against the giants of retail, and there are many benefits of shopping local for customers. |
0.999994 | If you’re a dog owner, you’ve probably experienced the following scenario at least once. You leave your sweet canine companion home alone for a few hours and you return to find a book, a roll of toilet paper, some newspaper, or maybe even your homework torn up and scattered on the floor. It’s not uncommon for dogs to shred paper, but what drives this behavior?
Some dogs shred paper simply because it’s fun or they like the sensation of tearing something up with their mouth. Others may resort to this behavior when feeling bored, anxious, or stressed. Certain breeds, like golden retrievers and boxers, are more prone to tearing up paper than others.
This destructive behavior not only results in a mess, but it can also be dangerous for your dog. Ingesting a large amount of paper can cause an intestinal blockage, resulting in a stressful and expensive emergency veterinary visit. To prevent this situation, it’s obviously a good idea to avoid leaving paper in your dog’s reach while you’re away from home. Also, be sure your dog has access to plenty of toys when left alone. If an underlying condition is to blame, like separation anxiety, it will likely need to be addressed before the behavior is curbed. |
0.999875 | Can you look thinner during the winter?
Wow, is it really possible? It’s hard to believe that you can look thinner during the winter when you put so thick clothes on you and so many layers in order to keep you warm. |
0.897218 | Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) versus Driving Under the Influence (DUI): What is the Difference?
A common question is, "Why did the officer charge me with DWI and not DUI?" An answer to this question must first begin with an explanation of the difference between a DWI and a DUI in Texas.
A DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) is a class B misdemeanor. The offense is found in section 49.04 of the Texas Penal Code. A person can be charged with DWI, regardless of age, if they a) have lost the normal use of their mental or physical faculties or b) have an alcohol concentration over the legal limit of 0.08.
Therefore, in Texas a person may be charge with DUI ONLY if he/she is under 21 years of age and have a detectable amount of alcohol in his/her system. Essentially, if you are under 21 and the officer smells alcohol on your breath then you can be charged with DUI.
However, the office has the OPTION to charge you with DWI regardless of your age. If the officer believes you have had too much to drink, you can be charged with DWI not matter your age.
The difference between DWI and DUI often confuses most people because most states consider DUI to be the bigger drunk driving offense. For instance, in California DUI is the equivalent to DWI in Texas. Most news stations and TV shows refer to drunk driving as DUI, not DWI. In Texas, however, DUI is a minor intoxication offense and DWI in the major drunk driving offense. |
0.997101 | Кофейня. Стиль. Чаевые. Ванильный сироп.
В этом видео я расскажу о стиле и движении Cafe Racer, а так же отличительные особенности этого стиля мотоциклов. И рассмотрим некоторые примеры переделки советских мотоциклов Минск, Урал, Днепр, Ява, Иж - под этот стиль. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Ты находишься на моем видео блоге, где выходят абсолютно разные видеоролики на основе моих интересов, в основном это: заработок, саморазвитие, активный отдых, спорт, авто-мото техника, размышление на разные вопросы и др. Мне не нужны подписчики, мне нужны ЕДИНОМЫШЛЕННИКИ И ТОВАРИЩИ, если у вас похожие взгляды на жизнь, подписывайтесь, будем дружить:) -------------------------------------------------------------------- Подписывайтесь на канал: https://www.youtube.com/user/inWorkout Смотрите больше видео: https://www.youtube.com/user/inWorkout/videos Я ВКонтакте: http://vk.com/pavlovich_vlad ИНСТАГРАМ: https://www.instagram.com/in_workout Группа в ВК: http://vk.com/vladislav_pavlovich_vlog Google+: https://plus.google.com/+VladislavPavlovich Подключи свой канал к монетизации: http://join.air.io/in_workout Реклама на канале: https://vk.com/topic-95363756_33351485 Или сюда: vpr[email protected] -------------------------------------------------------------------- Добровольная помощь каналу: WebMoney Z354007940176 R300393249340 U120660267723 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Музыка: Композиция "Whats It To Ya Punk" принадлежит исполнителю Audionautix. Лицензия: Creative Commons Attribution (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Исполнитель: http://audionautix.com/ * Композиция "Kicked Up Pumps" принадлежит исполнителю Audionautix. Лицензия: Creative Commons Attribution (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Исполнитель: http://audionautix.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------- Спасибо что смотрите!
Быстро пробежался по становлению кафе рейсера: от истоков до 2к17.
I've been on a vegan junk food kick lately and not losing weight. I revamped my kitchen into a health food cafe style kitchen to support a vegan and raw diet.
Ingredients of Homemade Creamy Cappuccino Recipe https://youtu.be/7f96Ftl5ryQ Instant Coffee (1 tsp) Sugar (2 tsp) Milk (1 Cup) Try this cafe style cappuccino at home. Ingredients Instant coffee 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) Sugar 1/3 cup (5 tbsp +1 tsp) 1/4 cup lukewarm water Thumbs up, and SUBSCRIBE if you love food and this video! New videos uploaded every week. Y O U T U B E CHANNEL: https://m.youtube.com/c/CookwithMadeeha ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- F A C E B O O K : www.facebook.com/cookwithmadeeha I N S T A G R A M: Cook with Madeeha P I N T E R E S T: www.pinterest.com/cookwithmadeeha E M A I L ME: [email protected] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (FREE) YouTube Subscribe Button Animation template all credits to adMJ707 Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/adMJ707/... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ **DISCLAIMER** All the information in this cooking channel is for educational purposes only. Recipes, tips and tricks are for informational purposes only. These recipes are not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or prescription. If you have any medical conditions, please consult your doctor before trying any new diet. I am not responsible for anything.
Honda MSX style Moto Cafe in Cambodia.
Subscribe:http://bit.ly/TheOlga I have changed style in My Cafe Recipes &Stories for French Elegy Style. For this I had to come back to level 8 in My Cafe! In this walkthrough I change my cafe decoration in Elegy Style, give a couple of styling tips, you will also get to know, how much tips this interior style can make. More in the video! PRICES ON ITEMS: Topping Shelves 150x1= 150 Bar Stool 320 х 4 = 1280 Bar Counter 380 х 4 = 1520 Stands 500 х 11 = 5 500 Window 420 x 2 = 840 Service Table 4 650 Table for 2 8 950 Table for 4 12 500 Flooring 160 Wallpaper 450 Menu 900 Floor Lamp 350 Sconce 220 х 2 = 440 Potted Tree 75 х 2 =150 ALL RECIPES can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/notes/my-caf%C3%A9-recipes-stories/recipes/480071688846421 FAQ on TOWN here: https://www.facebook.com/notes/my-caf%C3%A9-recipes-stories/play-together/549271018593154 Learn more about My Cafe Recipes Stories: App Store: http://apple.co/1YcsR0D Google Play: http://bit.ly/20HbwOL ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• More information about my cafe game: FAQ https://melsoft-games.helpshift.com/a/my-cafe-recipes-stories---world-restaurant-game/?l=en ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Thank you for watching, guys, I hope you liked this video about My Café: Recipes and Stories! Please feel free to ask your questions in the comments!
Full recipe: http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/naeng-keopi My cookbook: http://www.maangchi.com/real Today I’m going to share my recipe for simple summertime iced coffee. It’s cold, sweet, and nutty with a strong coffee flavor. After having 1 glass of iced coffee on a hot afternoon, you’ll feel incredibly refreshed. It’s a shot of cool energy!
Canobolas Rural Technology High School provides students with a café-style menu and environment to purchase a range of healthy, freshly cooked food and drink. They show that adolescents will choose healthy foods when it is presented and promoted positively.
This is the ultimate chocolate shake recipe and is sure to give you the café style experience at home! [INGREDIENTS] - 300 ml good quality vanilla ice cream - 2 Tbsp chocolate sauce - ½ Cup chilled milk - 4 Ice cubes - 1 Tsp sugar (optional) - Some cocoa powder and whipped cream for garnishing [RELATED RECIPES] Chocolate Sauce Recipe: https://youtu.be/66jV0QImBLU Cold Coffee Recipe: https://youtu.be/_Tdejd2HStI [FOLLOW ME ON] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/theterracekitchen Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheTerraceKitchen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theterracekitchen/ Pinterest: https://in.pinterest.com/TerraceKitchen/ If you liked this video, give it a Thumbs Up and Subscribe! Please leave your comments and suggestions in the comments section below. |
0.882785 | Can the bottled water industry solve its sustainability problem?
One million plastic bottles are sold around the world each minute. Most are used for bottled water, and most end up in the trash. As demand for bottled water grows–particularly in China–so does the bottle problem. By 2021, humans will use an estimated half a trillion bottles plastic bottles a year.
Evian, the France-based mineral water brand, is part of the problem, though now it’s also working on a plan to address the challenge–but keep selling bottled water–through a new approach: By 2025, the company plans to become “circular,” using materials in a closed loop. It will work to increase dismal consumer recycling rates, and partner with a nonprofit that works on collecting ocean plastic. In a move that will likely have a more direct impact, all Evian bottles will also be made from 100% recycled plastic. On average, other bottled water companies use only around 6% to 7% recycled plastic today.
The shift hinges on new technology. The traditional process for recycling a plastic bottle–washing it, shredding it into tiny pieces, and melting it into resin–doesn’t work particularly well. New plastic made from the material is lower quality, and cloudy rather than clear. Bottled water companies have been reluctant to use it; it’s more likely that a recycled bottle will be made into fiber and used in a sweatshirt or pair of shoes.
Evian partnered with a Montreal-based startup called Loop Industries that recycles differently. “We actually don’t even consider ourselves recyclers,” says Daniel Solomita, founder and CEO of Loop Industries, which calls its product “sustainably produced resin.” Using a low-energy process with minimal heat and pressure, and a proprietary catalyst, the company “depolymerizes” waste plastic, turning it into the same base materials that are used in making virgin plastic.
The end result is recycled plastic that performs and looks exactly like virgin plastic, but avoids the need for oil and gas. The recycling process works not only on water bottles, but on any plastic material, including, for example, old polyester carpet that typically would have no value. A bottle made through the process can also be recycled over and over again, using the same process, without degrading in quality. Though only a small fraction of plastic bottles are recycled today, if recycling rates increased to 100%, the plastic could truly be used in a closed loop.
For Evian, which has partnered with designers like Christian Lacroix and Alexander Wang to make limited-edition bottles for its luxury mineral water in the past, the quality was a fit for its brand. The process also fits with its sustainability goals. The company’s bottling plant in France is carbon neutral and powered by renewable energy. A shift to rail transportation, rather than trucks, helped decrease emissions, and the company works with a partner to plant trees to offset remaining emissions. Its plastic bottles are, on average, already made with 25% recycled material. Moving to 100% recycled plastic bottles, and working with the circular economy-focused nonprofit Ellen MacArthur Foundation, is the next step. “We think that this is the way that we should do business,” says Antoine Portmann, general manager at Danone Waters North America, Evian’s parent company.
Of course, it doesn’t solve some of the fundamental issues with the industry: The company still ships water thousands of miles to consumers who could choose to drink local tap water from reusable bottles. Most consumers still don’t recycle, and the growing number of trashed bottles may become increasingly difficult to deal with. But 100% recycled plastic bottles are a “tremendous step forward,” says Peter Gleick, a scientist and president emeritus at the nonprofit Pacific Insitute, who wrote a book on the industry called Bottled & Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water. |
0.994306 | KDB: The key to greatness?
There are many stops on the journey to greatness, but Pep Guardiola’s men are successfully ticking them off one by one, gradually building momentum before hitting full speed.
Dreams of an historic Quadruple remain well and truly alive, following Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final victory over Brighton and Hove Albion at Wembley, and with even tougher challenges awaiting in the coming weeks, excitement fills the air for the prospect of what this City team could achieve.
As a result, the footballing world are running away with themselves, skipping the final leg of our remarkable season, and reaching their own conclusions… but as Guardiola often asserts, his side must remain focused on the task at hand – such advice has proven effective thus far.
Still, with such an achievement still a possibility, there is a natural sense of anticipation, which gains traction with each passing week of positive results and impressive individual performances.
Reflecting on the events at Wembley yesterday, the Independent’s Miguel Delaney scribed: “Manchester City are now on the brink to the most brilliant finish to a season any English side has ever seen, and one huge factor in that may be fast starts.
“Yet another ludicrously early goal was the source of yet another win, to take yet another step to the quadruple, and put them within 90 minutes of another trophy.
“Once Gabriel Jesus had scored the only goal to make it 1-0 after a mere three minutes, Brighton and Hove Albion - no matter how creditable their display - were just never going to block Manchester City’s path to the club’s first FA Cup final in six years.
“The route to the Brazilian’s strike also represented a potentially huge factor in a prospective quadruple: the return to form of Kevin De Bruyne.
“For Jesus to finish, the Belgian played one of those exquisite through balls that prove so divinely elusive for defenders but so perfect for strikers.
“It lifted the City end, and may somehow further lift the team. It is ominous for everyone else, and an illustration of just why the quadruple might be possible, that the champions have been so good that you could have been forgiven for forgetting that De Bruyne was out for long.
“And yet here he was, returning with a level of play beyond any other attacker in the Premier League, to bring City to another level.
Jack Pitt-Brooke’s article – of the same source – also hailed the playmaker’s impact, declaring: “Throughout his career De Bruyne has carried this unusual gift with him, the ability to view the football pitch as if he was looking down on a chessboard, rather than as one moving piece on it.
“The game was just three minutes in when De Bruyne decided it. He pulled out in that space on the right, where he could easily receive the ball laid off to him by Bernardo Silva.
“He had time to look up but he barely glanced. He knows where the players are, he has known all along. With his first touch he set himself and with his second he whipped the ball into the box.
“This time, after a season of frustration, his body did not let him down. The ball went precisely where he wanted it to, round the back of the Brighton defence, bending right into the path of Gabriel Jesus’ diving header.
“The whole thing was echt De Bruyne: the complete internalisation of City’s patterns of play, the awareness of space, the vision to spot the pass, the precision to execute it.
“It was the De Bruyne who powered City to the title last year, but who they have missed this season.
The Belgian claimed Eurosport’s Man of the Match award, as Alexander Netherton noted: “He was only on the pitch for a little over an hour, but he is showing some of his best form after a problematic season.
De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus shared ESPN’s star man accolade with marks of eight in their player ratings, with the Brazilian earning 90 Min’s award.
Meanwhile, Aymeric Laporte also received praise, courtesy of Sky Sports, who highlighted the Frenchman’s crucial goalline clearance, which preserved City’s clean sheet.
Wrote Simeon Gholam: “When you're chasing unprecedented trophy hauls it will never be straightforward, and City may well be looking back in May on the moment Laporte denied Glenn Murray a certain goal midway through the second half.
The defender was our official Man of the Match too.
In other news, Raheem Sterling has been deemed ‘an iconic British sports star’ and ‘a trailblazer’, having been named Sportsman of the Year at the 2019 British Ethnic Diversity Sports Awards.
As BBC Sport report: “The England and Manchester City forward was praised for repeatedly speaking out against racism in football.
“He was presented with his award at a ceremony in London on Saturday.
Mahrez: Champions League success would be a dream: Riyad Mahrez says achieving Champions League success with Manchester City would be a dream.
Awards founder Arun King, of charity Sporting Equals, said: “He is undoubtedly one of the UK's most thrilling talents.
"He is a trailblazer in his fight against racism. We are proud that he has become an iconic British sports star who represents so much for BAME communities and the entire sporting community, and will do for generations to come."
Finally, in other news, Tottenham’s Harry Winks has sought to fuel the fire, ahead of Tuesday night’s eagerly-awaited Champions League clash, stating he hopes that Spurs’ new stadium can ‘unsettle’ Guardiola’s men.
Quoted by the Telegraph, the midfielder – discussing his side’s opening game at the venue – warned: “From what I gathered out there, it can be quite daunting for the opposition and that is all credit to the fans and the sound they make in the stadium.
“It is a place we can settle in to quickly and call home, and make it difficult for opposition to come to.
Riyad Mahrez says achieving Champions League success with Manchester City would be a dream.
Pep Guardiola hailed the heroic efforts of his players, after City’s FA Cup semi-final win over Brighton and Hove Albion.
Raheem Sterling hailed Manchester City’s spirit and determination as Pep Guardiola's side advanced into the FA Cup final with a gutsy 1-0 semi-final win over Brighton at Wembley. |
0.999695 | I'd like to know how to improve colorfastness if it was failed in launderometer ? it's for denim item.
10. BREAKING STRENGTH • • Breaking strength is the force required to break a fabric when it is under tension (being pulled). Breaking longation is the increase in length that has occurred when the fabrics breaks.
11. BREAKING STRENGTH • Mainly used for woven fabric because the tests are unidirectional and woven fabrics have unidirectional yarns. • Factors that produce a strong fabric include fiber content, yarn size and type, weave, and yarns per inch. • Breaking strength is expressed in pounds and the elongation is expressed as a percent and in both cases a number of warp tests and weft test are performed.
12. IMPORTANCE OF BREAKING STRENGTH TEST • Breaking strength is important in various end uses such as automotive safety belts, parachute harness and pants. • Breaking strength can also be used to test the effects of destructive forces upon a woven fabric including sunlight, abrasion, laundering etc.
13. TEARING STRENGTH Tearing strength is the force required to continue a tear or rip already stated in a fabric. • This test is used mainly in woven fabrics because the test is unidirectional and woven fabrics have unidirectional yarns. • A number of tear strength test is carried out and the average is taken to determine the tear strength. • Tearing strength is expressed either in pounds or grams.
14. BURSTING STRENGTH Bursting strength is the amount of pressure required to rupture a fabric. • In this test, the testing force is applied radially and not in one direction as in breaking or tearing strength tests. • Fabrics like knits, felt, non woven, lace and netting are usually tested in this manner because these fabrics either do not have yarns or yarns are not in any given direction. • The bursting strength is expressed in pounds.
15. PILLING PROPENSITY Pilling is the formation of small balls of fibres called pills on the surface of the fabric. • Pilling occurs only when there is rubbing or an abrasive action on the surface of the fabric. • Pilling usually occurs during normal wear and also while clothes are in the dryer • Evaluation should be made taking into account the size, number, and visibility of the pills as well as the type and degree of other surface change.
16. PILLING PROPENSITY After each test, each of the specimen is first evaluated for pilling usually on a 5-4-3-2-1 pilling scale, then surface appearance is evaluated both for colour change as well as for fuzz. An average of ratings is usually taken as a result.
17. AIR PERMEABILITY Air permeability is the rate of air flow through a material under a differential pressure between two fabric surfaces. This property is important for a wide range of textile applications. With some products like curtains high air permeability is required and for other products like parachutes and gas filters air permeability required is very less. Air permeability is expressed as cubic feet per square foot of fabric at a stated pressure differential between two surfaces of fabric.
18. VARIABLES WHICH AFFECT AIR PERMEABILITY Fiber content: more crimp, lower air permeability. Yarn size: heavier yarns, lower air permeability. Yarn Twist: less twist, less air permeability. Fabric Thickness: thicker fabric, lower air permeability. Multiple layers: more layers, lower air permeability. Fabric yarns per inch or stitches per inch: greater density, lower air permeability.
19. ABRASION RESISTANCE Abrasion resistance is the wearing away of any part of a material when rubbed against any other material. Garments that are made from fibres that possess both high breaking strength and abrasion resistance can be worn often and for a long period of time before signs of physical wear appear.. Nylon is extremely high in abrasion resistance so it is used widely in action outer whereas Acetate has poor abrasion resistance so it does not last long when used for lining in jackets and coats.
20. CHEMICAL TESTING • COLORFASTNESS PROPERTIES. • CHEMICAL SOLUBILITY TEST .
21. COLORFASTNESS PROPERTIES • Used to determine the resistance of dyed or printed fabrics to color change under various conditions. •There are various reasons as to which a fabric changes colors like sunlight, pollution gases, abrasion, perspiration, dry cleaning etc. •A fabric that experiences little color alteration when exposed to a fading force is said to have a good colorfastness while if the color does not hold, then the fabric has poor colorfastness.
22. COLORFASTNESS PROPERTIES Problem persists with deeper colors like red rather than pastel colors. There is a scale from 5 to 1 for evaluating colorfastness. Class 5 means no shade change and class 1 means very great shade change. Colorfastness to light is rated on L9 to L1 scale with L9 being the best rating and L1 the worst .
23. DIFFERENT TYPES OF COLORFASTNESS TESTS. 1. COLORFASTNESS TO SUNLIGHT . 2. COLORFASTNESS TO WASHING. 3. COLORFASTNESS TO CROCKING. 4. COLORFASTNESS TO FROSTING. 5. COLORFASTNESS TO PERSPIRATION. 6. COLORFASTNESS TO DRY CLEANING. 7. COLORFASTNESS TO BURNT GAS FUMES ( GAS FADING ).
24. COLORFASTNESS TO SUNLIGHT • Dyed fabrics when exposed to sunlight will in time fade or change color. This property is called as colorfastness to sunlight. • Many apparels are tested up to 40 hours because certain fabrics have to resist the fading effect of the sun to a much greater degree.eg men's suit. • Drapery fabrics are usually tested for 8 hours whereas canopy fabrics for 160 hours.
25. COLORFASTNESS TO SUNLIGHT • the no of hours that the specimens are in the machine should be indicated . • The device used is called a weather- ometer. • This machine offers accelerated weathering and light fastness test for chemicals. • A combination of artificial light, heat & moisture is used.
26. COLORFASTNESS TO WASHING • A no of variations are followed to test colorfastness to washing because there are differences in washing procedures of different fabrics. • Eg wool fabrics cannot be washed like cottons i.e. with same considerable mechanical action in hot, soapy solutions. • The machine used is called launderometer.
27. COLORFASTNESS TO WASHING • This instrument determines a materials colorfastness to washing and staining as well as to dry cleaning . • The specimens are placed in containers in which there is either dry cleaning solvent or water. • The container rotate inside the machine, agitating the specimens.
28. IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS BEFORE WASHING • The washing temperature should have a great affect on colors. Often the dye is loosened from fabrics by the action of hot water. • Additions to bath Bleaching and sodium carbonate should be included to intensify the washing action. • Time is important Articles from which dye runs should be washed without soaking and for less time so that less amount of color runs out.
29. IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS BEFORE WASHING • Mechanical action. Mechanical action subjected to laundering should also be included in washing test. •Proportion of liquid. The proportion of liquid to the amount of material washed is important because if volume of liquid is too high, the material would just float without the squeezing . Whereas in smaller amount there would be twisting action.
30. COLORFASTNESS TO CROCKING • Crocking is the transference of color by rubbing from one colored textile material to another . • Similarly, printed fabrics often will crock more easily than dyed fabrics because in printed fabrics the dye is on the surface than inside the fabric. • Dark shades are more likely to crock than light colors because there is more dye in dark colors than light ones. • Wet fabrics will crock more easily than dry ones because the moisture present assists in removing the dye.
32. COLORFASTNESS TO CROCKING •The arm is rotated back & forth causing the white crock test cloth to rub against the specimen. •The cloth is removed and evaluated on a scale of 5 to 1.(class 5:negligible or no crocking; class 1 : large amount of crocking).
33. Colorfastness to frosting •Frosting is a localized color change produced by a relatively severe, localized flat abrasion action. Eg back pocket of a pair of trousers. •Fabrics with poor dye penetration will fade quickly from abrasion as on the surface will wear, leaving a very little color. •Blended fabric can change colors if each fiber has different abrasion resistance. •Eg in a dark grey fabric, the black cotton will abrade more quickly than a white polyester fabric, developing a light grey color. •The device used is a surface Abrader.
34. Colorfastness to perspiration •Perspiration may change the color of a fabric. •Three things may take place : 1. color change of the dyed fabric. 2. Loosening and uneven repositioning of color on colored fabric. 3. Staining of material next to the colored fabric. • • • • Perspiration maybe slightly acidic but through bacterial action, it becomes alkaline. The dye may get affected by both. The device used is the perspiration tester. a slightly acid solution on one cloth & alkaline on another is used. Both specimens are tested. The one with the most color change is used to represent the fabric and its class rating is used as a result.
35. Colorfastness to dry cleaning •Color may change due to dry cleaning too. •This test indicates what will happen to the color of textile materials after repeated commercial dry cleaning. •Perchlorethylene is used in the test: •Commonly used dry cleaning solvents. •It is slightly more severe in solvent action. •A color that may get affected by perchlorethylene will not get affected by Stoddard solvent (petroleum base). •Device used for this test is the launderometer. •Dry cleaning solvent instead of water is used as liquid.
36. Colorfastness to burnt gas fumes •Lastly, color changes due to the presence of nitrous oxide in the atmosphere. •Acetate is the most susceptible to this gas. •When disperse dye is combined with acetate , severe color changes take place.eg blue which changes to purple. •Solution dyeing & inhibitors can be used to reduce or eliminate color fading . •The device used to perform the test is called gas fading chamber. •The source of burnt gas fumes is a Bunsen burner placed at the bottom of the instrument.
37. Chemical test •In these types of tests , chemicals are used as a part of the test procedure. •the specimen is dissolved in the chemical to check its solubility . •The test include : •Colorfastness •Fiber identification using the solubility test. |
0.947866 | The history of Pekalongan dated back to the early 12th century. A book written in 1178 by a Song dynasty official already had record of Pekalongan, then known to Chinese merchants as "Pukalong", it was then a seaport of Java(then known as Dvapa); the king of Java lived at Pukalong, knotted his hair at the back of his head, while his people wore short hair and wrapped their body with colorfully weaved cloth. Chinese merchant ship set sail from Canton during November, with the aid of fair wind sailed nonstop day and night, arrived at Pukalong in about one month. The people made wine from coconuts, produced very delicious red and white cane sugar, the kingdom made coins out of bronze and copper, 60 copper coins exchanged for one tael of gold. Local produces included pepper, clove, sandalwood,eaglewood and white round cardamom.
Pekalongan became a part of the empire of the Sultanate of Mataram through treaty and marriage alliances by the early seventeenth century. The area was on the geographic periphery of the empire, which was based in interior central Java. However, it was a wealthy area, and by the end of the seventeenth century, the substantial money and produce it sent to the center made it a key part of Mataram's realm. The area went into economic decline during the 1700s, and the Dutch East India Company began to gain substantial influence over the area's political and economic life. The Dutch built a fort in the city in 1753 which still stands.
From the 1830s, the Pekalongan area became a major producer of sugar. Sugarcane had been grown in the area since early 12th century, as recorded in Chinese history books, but production expanded substantially during the mid-nineteenth century due to Dutch efforts. Initially, production was boosted through compulsory corvée labor; the Dutch colonial government took advantage of longstanding Javanese expectations that the peasantry contributes a part of their labor to the state. Between the 1860s and the 1890s, this system was phased out, and workers were paid directly. The colonial sugar industry collapsed during the Great Depression of the 1930s, but sugar remains a key export of the area in independent Indonesia.
On October 8, 1945, an anti "Swapraja"/anti feudalism movement called Three Regions Movement/"Gerakan Tiga Daerah" was established in Tegal, Pekalongan, and Brebes. The goal of this movement was to replace the blue blood regents (related to the kings from Jogyakarta and Surakarta) with ordinary people. According to the leaders of this movement, the old regents had cooperated with Japanese during the world war II and sent people to the Japanese slave labor camps.
The main leader of this movement was Sarjiyo who became the new regent of Pekalongan. Other leaders of this movement were Kutil, K. Mijaya, and Ir. Sakirman. Ir Sakirman was the local leader of Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).
The old regents were arrested, stripped naked, and dragged into the prisons. Other government officials and police officers were kidnapped and massacred at Talang bridge. This movement also started a racial riot against ethnic Chinese in Brebes.
The government of Republic of Indonesia (RI) in Jogyakarta disagree with this movement and declared it as an illegal movement.
On November 4, 1945, the movement attacked Indonesian army HQ and the regent office in Pekalongan. The rebels were defeated by Indonesian army in a fierce battle on December 21, 1945. Most leaders of this movement were arrested and thrown into the prisons. This rebellion is called Three Regions Affair.
The city is known for its batik. The dyed fabric is produced both by hand in small-scale shops, and printed in larger factories. A mainstay of the economy, the industry collapsed during Indonesia's economic crisis in 1998, but it has partially recovered since.
Pekalongan is a small city and regency on the northern coast of Central Java. It lies arround 100 kilometres west-ward from Semarang, Central Java's Capital. The city is known for its batik and fishery.
There are two main area in Pekalongan that produce batik: Kedungwuni (Kedoengwoeni) and Wiradesa. Old Pekalongan batik motif was influenced by Dutch, moslem, & chinese. Dutch influenced Pekalongan designs because Dutch have colonized Indonesia for over than 250 years. When Dutch colonizing Indonesia, there was a legend of batik maker in Pekalongan, she was Eliza van Zuylen.
As a batik city, Pekalongan is the place where batik strongly influenced by European/Dutch culture began its life. Resilient batik Belanda (Dutch) enterprises made their appearance here, followed by Chinese & Arab owned business likewise producing batik Belanda. Between 1840 & 1940, Pekalongan was the batik Belanda center.
As the others town, there is a china town in Kedungwuni. Chinese trader came with their culture & philosophies. In batik making, they used to use Chinese culture such us Hong bird, dragon, etc as motifs.
Before what is now Indonesia was colonized by the Dutch East India Company, Jambi was the site of a well-established, powerful Srivijayan kingdom that engaged in trade throughout the Strait of Malacca and beyond. It succeeded Palembang to the south, which was a frequent military and economic rival, as the later capital of the ancient kingdom. The move to Jambi was partly induced by the historic 1025 raid by pirates from the Chola region of southern India that destroyed much of Palembang.
In the early decades of the Dutch presence in the region, when the future colonizers were just one of several groups of traders competing with the British, Chinese, Arabs, and Malays, the Jambi sultanate profitably traded pepper with the Dutch. This relationship declined by about 1770, and the sultanate had little contact with the Dutch for about sixty years.
In 1833, minor conflicts with the Dutch, who were well established in Palembang, meant the Dutch increasingly felt the need to control the actions of Jambi. They coerced Sultan Facharudin to agree to greater Dutch presence in the region and control over trade, although the sultanate remained nominally independent. In 1858 the Dutch, apparently concerned over the risk of competition for control from other foreign powers, invaded Jambi with a force from Batavia. They met little resistance, and Sultan Taha fled to the upriver, inland regions of Jambi. The Dutch installed a puppet ruler, Nazarudin, in the lower region, which included the capital city. For the next forty years Taha maintained the upriver kingdom, and slowly reextended his influence over the lower regions through political agreements and marriage connections. In 1904, however, the Dutch were stronger and, as a part of a larger campaign to consolidate control over the entire archipelago, soldiers finally managed to capture and kill Taha, and in 1906, the entire area was brought under direct colonial management.
Bunaken is one of Tourism Indonesia's most famous dive areas, and it draws scuba divers from all over the world. In addition to Bunaken itself, a rather featureless banana-shaped island, the national park includes the neighboring islands of Manado Tua, a distinctive cone-shaped extinct volcano, Siladen,Montehagen, Nain and Nain Kecil.
The beach possessing three islands with distance of about one hundred meters each, two of which have been connected with one meter-wide bridge to the shore, Balekambang offers a different atmosphere of beach resorts in the Southern part of Malang. One of the three islands called Ismoyo island has a Hindu temple, established by local Hinduists.
Annually, the ritual and traditional ceremonies Jalanidhipuja (Hindu ceremony) and Suran (Javanese New Year ceremony) are held here every year. The parking area, stalls, inns, souvenir shops, and the others tourism facilities has provided for the visitors. This beautiful beach is located at Srigonco village, Bantur district, about 57 km away to the south from Malang and accessible by public transportation.
Visit Balekambang Beach tourism and enjoy its wonderfull waves with softe sea wind. Watch the sunset and sunrise in this beach and do some of beach activities, such as; swimming, sun bathing, fishing, etc.
Ubud is a town on the Indonesian island of Bali in Ubud District, located amongst rice paddies and steep ravines in the central foothills of the Gianyar regency. One of Bali's major arts and culture centres, it has developed a large tourism industry.
Ubud has a population of about 8,000 people, but it is becoming difficult to distinguish the town itself from the villages that surround it.
8th century legend tells of a Javanese priest, Rsi Markendya, who meditated at the confluence of two rivers (an auspicious site for Hindus) at the Ubud locality of Campuan. Here he founded the Gunung Lebah Temple on the valley floor, the site of which remains a pilgrim destination.
The town was originally important as a source of medicinal herbs and plants; Ubud gets its name from the Balinese word ubad (medicine).
In the late nineteenth century, Ubud became the seat of feudal lords who owed their allegiance to the king of Gianyar, at one time the most powerful of Bali's southern states. The lords were members of the satriya family of Sukawati, and were significant supporters of the village's increasingly renowned arts scene.
Tourism on the island developed after the arrival of Walter Spies, an ethnic German born in Russia who taught painting and music, and dabbled in dance. Spies and foreign painters Willem Hofker and Rudolf Bonnet entertained celebrities including Charlie Chaplin, Noel Coward, Barbara Hutton, H.G. Wells and Vicki Baum. They brought in some of the greatest artists from all over Bali to teach and train the Balinese in arts, helping Ubud become the cultural centre of Bali.
A new burst of creative energy came in 1960s in the wake of Dutch painter Arie Smit (1916-), and development of the Young Artists Movement. There are many museums in Ubud, including the Museum Puri Lukisan and the Agung Rai Museum of Art.
The Bali tourist boom since the late 1960s has seen much development in the town; however, it remains a centre of artistic pursuit.
The main street is Jalan Raya Ubud (Jl. Raya means main road), which runs east-west through the center of town. Two long roads, Jalan Monkey Forest and Jalan Hanoman, extend south from Jl. Raya Ubud. Puri Saren Agung is a large palace located at the intersection of Monkey Forest and Raya Ubud roads. The home of Tjokorda Gede Agung Sukawati (1910-1978), the last "king" of Ubud, it is now occupied by his descendants and dance performances are held in its courtyard. It was also one of Ubud's first hotels, dating back to the 1930s.
The Ubud Monkey Forest is a sacred nature reserve located near the southern end of Jalan Monkey Forest. It houses a temple and approximately 340 long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) monkeys.
Ubud tourism focuses on culture, yoga and nature. In contrast to the main tourist area in southern Bali, the Ubud area has forests, rivers, cooler temperatures and less congestion although traffic has increased dramatically in the 21st century. A number of smaller "boutique"-style hotels are located in and around Ubud, which commonly offer spa treatments or treks up Ubud's mountains.
The Moon of Pejeng, in nearby Pejeng, is the largest single-cast bronze kettle drum in the world, dating from circa 300BC. It is a popular destination for tourists interested in local culture, as is the 11th century Goa Gajah, or 'Elephant Cave', temple complex. |
0.953506 | A Turkish bath (Turkish: Hamam) is the Turkish variant of a steam bath, sauna or Russian Bath, distinguished by a focus on water, as distinct from ambient steam.
In Western Europe, the 'Turkish bath' as a method of cleansing and relaxation became popular during the Victorian era. The process involved in taking a Turkish bath is similar to that of a sauna, but is more closely related to ancient Greek and ancient Roman bathing practices.
A person taking a Turkish bath first relaxes in a room (known as the warm room) that is heated by a continuous flow of hot, dry air allowing the bather to perspire freely. Bathers may then move to an even hotter room (known as the hot room) before splashing themselves with cold water. After performing a full body wash and receiving a massage, bathers finally retire to the cooling-room for a period of relaxation.
The hamam combines the functionality and the structural elements of its predecessors in Anatolia, the Roman thermae and Eastern Roman baths, with the central Asian Turkish tradition of steam bathing, ritual cleansing and respect of water. It is also known that Arabs built versions of the Greek-Roman baths that they encountered following their conquest of Alexandria in Egypt. However, the Turkish bath has improved style and functionality that emerged as annex buildings of mosques or as re-use of the Eastern Roman baths.
After the Ottomans took over the Eastern Roman Empire their Hammams were originally structures annexed to mosques. However they quickly evolved into institutions unto themselves and eventually, with the works of the Ottoman architect Sinan, into monumental structural complexes, the finest example being the "Çemberlitaş Hamamı" in Istanbul, built in 1584.
Like its Roman predecessor a typical hammam consists of three basic, interconnected rooms: the sıcaklık (or hararet -caldarium), which is the hot room; the warm room (tepidarium), which is the intermediate room; and the soğukluk, which is the cool room (frigidarium).
The sıcaklık usually has a large dome decorated with small glass windows that create a half-light; it also contains a large marble stone called göbek taşı (tummy stone) at the center that the customers lie on, and niches with fountains in the corners. This room is for soaking up steam and getting scrub massages. The warm room is used for washing up with soap and water and the soğukluk is to relax, dress up, have a refreshing drink, sometimes tea, and, where available, a nap in a private cubicle after the massage. A few of the hamams in Istanbul also contain mikvehs, ritual-cleansing baths for Jewish women.
The hamam, like its precursors, is not exclusive to men. Hamam complexes usually contain separate quarters for men and women; or males and females are admitted at separate times. Because they were social centers as well as baths hamams became numerous during the time of the Ottoman Empire and were built in almost every Ottoman city. On many occasions they became places of entertainment (e.g. dancing and food, especially in the women's quarters) and ceremonies, such as before weddings, high-holidays, celebrating newborns, beauty trips.
Several accessories from Roman times survive in modern hamams, such as the peştemal (a special cloth of silk and/or cotton to cover the body, like a pareo), nalın (wooden clogs that prevent slipping on the wet floor, or mother-of-pearl), kese (a rough mitt for massage), and sometimes jewel boxes, gilded soap boxes, mirrors, henna bowls, and perfume bottles.
Traditionally, the masseurs in the baths, tellak in Turkish, were young men who helped wash clients by soaping and scrubbing their bodies. They were recruited from among the ranks of the non-Muslim of the Turkish empire as such work was seen as below the dignity of a Muslim.
After the defeat and dismemberment of the Ottoman army in the early 20th century, the role of tellak boys was filled by adult attendants that scrub and give massages. |
0.999826 | According to the Arthritis Foundation (2007), "Forty-six million 46,000,000 Americans are currently living with arthritis, the nation's leading cause of disability, and we are all paying a high price for it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that the annual cost of arthritis to the United States economy was $128 billion in 2003 and increased by $20 billion between 1997 and 2003.
Arthritis can occur in men and women of all ages. About 37 million people in America have arthritis of some kind, which is almost 1 out of every 7 people" (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMHO002223). With hypomobility (less mobility or movement), adhesions occur in a joint (the region where 2 bones connect).
Overtime, with a sedentary lifestyle as seen in many portions of the population and increasingly with the elderly, joints become hypomobile. Hypomobility is also seen in trauma-related cases and repetitive use injuries, such as reading while looking down for extended periods, carrying heavy items, holding the phone between one's shoulder and ear, prolonged use of hands, wrists, back and neck, excessive use of computers, etc. As time progresses, internal scar tissue or adhesions continue to develop and further increases the loss of mobility.
Cramer, Henderson, Little, Daley and Grieve (2010), cite previous studies that have shown that adhesions have been found in numerous hypomobile (loss of normal movement) joints and that spinal adjusting separates the articular surfaces of the joint. The researchers inquired as to whether connective tissue adhesion developed in lumbar articular joints as a consequence to intervertebral hypomobility and utilized animal studies. They concluded that "...hypomobility results in time-dependent adhesions)..." (Cramer et al., 2010, p. 508). In other words, internal scar tissue (arthritis) developed within the joints over time.
Cramer et al. (2010) sited previous studies that found the spinal adjustment separates the joints which could break up intra-articular adhesions. In other words, in their animal studies, spinal adjustments/manipulation increased the "Zgap" or spacing between the joints/bones and the mobility of the joints. If this applied in humans, the adjustments would then prevent further development of adhesions and degeneration and osteophytes, which is how the arthritic process progresses.
4.Cramer, G. D., Henderson, C. N. R., Little, J. W., Daley, C., & Grieve, T.J. (2010). Zygapophyseal joint adhesions after induced hypomobility. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 33(7), 508-518. |
0.999826 | A federal appeals court rules that the monitor can continue to keep tabs on Apple's e-books antitrust compliance policies.
It's no secret that Apple has been unhappy with the court-appointed antitrust monitor watching over its shoulder -- but, it appears the company is going to have to get used to it for the time being.
The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit denied Apple's motion on Monday to put the court-appointed monitor's duties on hold while it seeks a more expansive appeal to remove him completely. In other words, monitor Michael Bromwich may continue to keep tabs on Apple's antitrust compliance policies for e-books.
"We are pleased with the court's decision," US Department of Justice spokeswoman Gina Talamona told CNET. "Today's ruling makes abundantly clear that Apple must now cooperate with the court-appointed monitor. The appellate court's ruling reaffirms the department's and district court's decision that a monitor is necessary to oversee Apple's antitrust compliance policies, procedures and training to help ensure that Apple does not engage in future price fixing and that US consumers never have to pay the price of their illegal conduct again."
Bromwich was appointed by US District Judge Denise Cote in October to make sure Apple complied with an injunction in an e-books antitrust suit. The suit involved the Justice Department claiming that Apple and five of the six top book publishers conspired to break Amazon's hold on the e-books market by setting prices. Though the publishers settled, Apple fought the Justice Department's accusations in court, and lost. Cote ruled that Apple "orchestrated" the conspiracy.
Tension between Apple and Bromwich has been high since he began examining the company. Apple complained in November that Bromwich's attorney's fees were excessive, pointing to the $138,432 he charged for his first two weeks of work. Bromwich countered that his requests to meet with key Apple personnel were largely being ignored. Earlier this month, lawyers for Apple asked Cote to disqualify Bromwich, arguing that he has demonstrated a personal bias against the company.
In its order on Monday, the federal appeals court outlined Bromwich's responsibilities saying he is not supposed to investigate Apple employees' compliance with antitrust laws, but rather the company's compliance policies.
"The injection allowed the monitor to assess the appropriateness of the compliance programs adopted by Apple and the means used to communicate those programs to its personnel," the order reads. "The monitor was empowered to demand only documents relevant to his authorized responsibility as so defined, and to interview Apple directors, officers, and employees only on subjects relevant to that responsibility."
Bromwich was appointed to work from inside Apple for two years. The company is appealing Cote's decision in the e-books suit, as well as her appointment of an antitrust compliance monitor.
CNET contacted Apple for comment. We will update the story when we get more information. |
0.940039 | Nausea in the stomach represents the feeling of discomfort in the stomach, which is usually accompanied by the urge to vomit. The causes of this condition are numerous - from irritation by food to poisoning and, in serious conditions that are followed by these symptoms. During hot days of the year, the risks of stomach pain dramatically increase, since we are more exposed to heat stress and micro-organisms that thrive during warm days in undercooked foods.
It is this case, discomfort in the stomach and a strong urge to vomit can be a symptoms of common summer ailments, but also indicate to a more serious condition. Find out what kind of problems there are and how to get rid of nausea with simple natural recipes and methods.
What are the most common causes of nausea?
Large and improper meals (too fatty and spicy foods, eating late in evenings), inadequate amounts of water you drink, sun exposure and staying at high temperatures or traveling too much can cause discomfort in the stomach. However, nausea in the stomach can also occur as a primary symptom in case of allergies to certain foodstuffs and "food poisoning", or infections of the stomach and intestines that elicit microorganisms (viruses, bacteria and fungi).
Different drugs (usually some analgesics and antirheumatics) and medical treatments (chemotherapy and radiation) may also have side effects in the form of nausea and vomiting, whereas their application often leads to irritation of the gastric mucosa and intestine. When it occurs as a symptom of another condition, usually in terms of the so-called morning sickness in pregnancy and disorder known as reflux (the return of stomach content into the oesophagus). In the case of reflux instinct for vomiting usually is accompanied by pain in the upper abdomen and heartburn.
Pain can be the trigger for the nausea in the stomach, such as migraine or renal colic due to the shifting of kidney stones. Concussions, or the inflammation of the brain and meninges of different origins, and benign and malignant changes in the brain tissue can also be followed by strong nausea and vomiting.
It should be borne in mind that persistent nausea for no apparent reason may be a warning signs of serious health problems, such as appendicitis and obstruction (blockage) of intestines, changes in the mucosa of the stomach or intestines (ulcers, various types of cancer ...).
Why is nausea frequent during summer?
The answer to this question is very simple - nausea occurs due to inadequate nutrition. If you are a fan of fatty meat, salty and spicy food, and late meals, there is a good chance that in the course of the year you will have more stomach problems than people who opt for smaller meals consisting of raw fruits and vegetables, soups, "easy" meat or fish.
The reason is that the temperature stress is pushing our bodies to the limit of endurance. If you add the effort that your stomach is investing to digest heavy meals - it is clear that there will be difficulties with digestion, and that the sickness after eating is inevitable. These problems are further intensified if you have gone through hard physical labour. Nausea accompanied by heartburn, vomiting, bloating, and gas is the consequence of poor summer menu.
Salmonella - The most common causes of infection are contaminated meat and eggs. Symptoms of poisoning (nausea in the stomach, fever, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhoea) begins 12 to 24 hours after taking the contaminated food. Most often the disease lasts a few days and with proper diet passes. Sometimes vomiting and diarrhoea lead to dehydration of the body.
Staphylococci - The food, mostly ice cream and mayonnaise, are contaminated with this bacteria and symptoms are caused by toxins - by-products of the work of these bacteria. The first symptoms appear after three to six hours, in the form of abdominal pain, severe nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Body temperature may be slightly increased, but the disease after 12 to 24 hours withdraws without any complications.
Clostridia - spores of Clostridium botulinum secrete toxins that cause a potentially fatal condition. It can be found in canned food, and poisoning symptoms (headache, nausea and malaise in the stomach are followed by vomiting and diarrhoea, blurred vision or double images, muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis) occurs 12 to 36 hours after consuming contaminated food.
Prevention is reflected in good hygiene in the kitchen when preparing food and storing food, washing hands and avoiding high-risk foods (homemade ice cream and mayonnaise, inadequately cooked chicken) ... In case of poisoning, it is necessary to introduce appropriate dietary regime, drinking plenty of water and seek a physician to assess the situation and determine further treatment.
Long exposure of head to sun launches a defence mechanism of our body that aims to cool the brain. The body sends more "chilled" blood in the overheated brain, causing a dilation of blood vessels that causes severe headaches, increase in body temperature, nausea and stomach malaise, a feeling of confusion, ringing in the ears, visual disturbances, dizziness.
Heat stroke may not necessarily be the result of exposure to the sun, but can occur due to high temperature in the car or near some machines. In such circumstances, the symptoms are similar to sunstroke, except that the body temperature rises to 40 degrees, leading to disturbances in the central nervous system.
These are potentially very serious conditions, but during the hottest part of the day you should remain in the shade, avoid heavy manual labour and take plenty of water.
Even though we call it "motion sickness" symptoms that are manifested by nausea, dizziness and vomiting, and often are accompanied by the drop in blood pressure and exhaustion, may occur in the movement of every vehicle. Travel sickness is also called the syndrome of bad adaptation to movement or motion sickness, and its main cause is quite natural inability of the brain to process the large amount of information, causing a gap between stimuli that receive and hear the reaction of the body.
This causes an imbalance - dizziness, nausea occurs in the stomach and vomiting. For example, on the winding road the brain processes the information that eye sends and tries to align it with movements in order to react against the force which is exposed to the body. This instinctive "resisting" to inertia results in disturbances in the stomach.
Summer sickness by itself is not dangerous and its "treatment" actually represents the elimination of the causes. If problems occur due to poisoning - when the number of microorganisms in the body decreases, their impact on the digestive system will decrease, so the nausea will alleviate, if they are incurred as a result of sickness – everything will go back to normal soon after the cessation of movement.
Sunstroke and heatstroke are acute conditions that last for several days, and are treated by cooling the body and drinking a lot of water, in order to restore normal body thermoregulation.
However, because the nausea in stomach is usually preceded by vomiting, this condition should not be ignored. Frequent vomiting, especially during the hottest days, can cause dehydration and shock, which is potentially a very dangerous situation. It is therefore necessary for the correct hydration of the organism (the consumption of sufficient amounts of water, or use infusion solutions).
Take one ginger root up to 2 cm long, and chop it into small cubes, and pour it over with 1.5 dl of boiling water. Let the ginger tea sit for at least ten minutes, add a little local honey and drink while still warm.
This drink helps with severe nausea in the stomach after eating, because the root of this plant, contains precious oils, which will alleviate problems and prevent vomiting. Medications against nausea used only as symptomatic treatment, must not be misused, they can only be recommend by a doctor. |
0.969867 | The content of this article provides interesting history, facts and information about the Emperor Tacitus and the all-powerful Caesars who ruled the empire of Ancient Rome.
"The Emperor who followed the Interregnum..."
Short Biography profile and facts about one of the most famous Romans of all, in the life of Tacitus, Emperor of Rome and provinces of the Roman Empire.
Obtain a fast overview of the times of the Roman Emperor Tacitus from the following facts and information about his life. Why was Tacitus famous? Accomplishments, achievements and important events. The reign of the Emperor Tacitus followed the Interregnum when the Senate eventually appointed the virtuous Tacitus as the successor to Aurelian. Tacitus claimed a descent from his namesake, the famous historian, although this claim has been strongly disputed. When he was appointed as Emperor, Tacitus was seventy years old. The first act of Tacitus was to have the murdered Emperor Aurelian deified. He then seized and executed those involved in plotting Aurelian's murder. This gained him the support of the people and the military. Tacitus then followed where Aurelian had ended his reign and directed his attention to the threat to the Eastern provinces. Tacitus appointed his half-brother Florianus Praetorian Prefect and together they campaigned in the East against the invaders. However, Tacitus sank under the hardships of his first campaign and died A.D. 276, at Tyania, in Cappadocia. The circumstances surrounding his death remains a mystery. Historians state that he was either assassinated by his own troops after an indecisive campaign or died of the plague. He had ruled as emperor for less than one year. His half brother Florianus then ascended the throne.
The army took revenge for the murder of Emperor Aurelianby tearing his assassin in pieces. They then wrote a respectful letter to the Senate, asking the Senators to select his successor. The Senate, however, passed a decree that the army should name the new emperor. The soldiers refused, and for eight months an interregnum prevailed while this friendly contest continued. Eventually the Senate appointed the virtuous seventy year old Tacitus as the next Emperor of Rome.
The definition of an interregnum (plural interregna or interregnums) is the time between the reigns of two rulers when the throne is unoccupied - literally meaning 'between reigns'.
The Illyrian Emperors (268 - 285). The "Illyrian emperors" is the name given to the Roman emperors who governed the Roman Empire between 268 and 282. Illyria was a region in the western part of today's Balkan Peninsula. The people for Illyria were renown for their military prowess and they became an important source of manpower for the Roman army. Because of their military strength many of the emperors from this period came from Illyria.
The content of this Tacitus category in the Emperors of Ancient Rome provides free educational details, facts and information for reference and research for schools, colleges and homework. Refer to the Colosseum Sitemap for a comprehensive search on interesting different categories containing the history, facts and information about the lives and people of Ancient Rome. |
0.999524 | Have you ever thought about how the 5 major initiatives resulting from the Earth Day movement have a correlation in your personal life and your interactions with others? As a result of the first Earth Day celebration on 4-22-1970, the Environmental Protection Agency was founded and the first three major Acts were passed: The Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts. A few decades later, towards the end of the 1990s, two additional major initiatives began: The Global Warming and the Clean Energy Initiatives. |
0.94288 | Different species of tree, like different species of plant or flower, need different soil requirements. Some trees prefer slightly acidic soil, some need nutritious loam soil and others prefer the water retention of clay soil. To know what type of tree grows best in your lawn, or to see if it is suitable for a tree that you may have in mind, you must test your soil's type, acidity and drainage.
Test your soil's pH levels. There are many ways to do this. One is to purchase an electronic pH meter which, when inserted into the soil will give you an accurate measurement of your soil's pH.
If you do not want to invest in a pH meter, some gardening and home improvement stores like Lowe's will test a prepared soil sample for free (see Lowes.com for details).
Another free alternative is to test your soil's pH level yourself. Unearth a few inches of soil with your spade. Scoop out a sample at that depth and dump it into a bucket. Then add a half-cup of vinegar. If your soil bubbles, then its highly alkaline. If it doesn't, take another spadeful of soil and add a half a cup of water and mix it into the soil. Then, take a half-cup of baking soda and mix it in. If it bubbles, then your soil is highly acidic. If neither combination causes a reaction then your soil has relatively balanced pH. This method will only tell you if your soil is highly alkaline or acidic, but as most trees grow in relatively pH balanced soil this will be enough to warn you if your soil is currently unsuitable for growing certain species.
Determine what type of soil you have in your yard. The three general types of soil are clay, loam and sand. Most soils are a blend of two types. When testing your soil type, dig a few inches into the ground and sample the soil there.
Clay soil test: Take a handful of soil in your hand in your hand and squeeze it. If the soil retains the shape of your hand or fails to break apart then you have clay soil.
Sandy soil test: Take a handful of soil in your hand and squeeze it. If it crumbles immediately, your soil is sandy.
Loam soil test: Loam soil is a combination of sandy and clay soil types and is the most prevalent in the United States. Take a handful of this soil and squeeze it. It will neither stick together like clay soil or crumble like sand but lie somewhere between the two extremes.
Test your soil's drainage. Dig a sizable hole in your yard (ideally where you plan on planting your tree) and fill it with water. If the water is still there in the morning, then your soil drains poorly. If it is gone in a few hours then your soil drains quickly. Most soils will lie somewhere between the two.
Test your soil's fertility. The only way to test the available nutrients in your soil is to get a soil fertility test kit. These can be a rather expensive and unnecessary purchase. If you are in doubt about the fertility of your soil, amending it with compost and or a fertilizer is much more cost effective and something you may have to do after purchasing the expensive test kit anyway.
AllAboutLawns.com: How Does the Ground Soil Affect my Watering?
What Is the Correct pH for an Azalea Plant? |
0.999998 | Animal research centres are publicly or independently funded organisations that work specifically in the study and understanding of animals, their survival and their behaviour.
These research centres can be whole companies, or a department of universities, government or charities.
What is involved within the job role?
Animal research can involve the research of veterinary health and medicine, or in the understanding of wild species, and conservation methods which is important within the animal care industry.
Depending on the type of research and the source of funding, these animal research centres can be located in a laboratory or in the field, either in the UK or abroad.
Zoos and wildlife parks are also common locations for animal research centres where scientists and zoologists can study wild animals up close and monitor their habits and behaviour.
Due to recent laws, such as the Animal Welfare Act, there are new regulations and standards of animal care for animals which are not living in a wild state and are under the domestic care of humans.
Higher standards of care are required so that animals are not made to suffer in any way, and where many professions now need to be sufficiently licensed.
Typically it is professions in veterinary, zoology, animal behaviour, and animal welfare and conservation that will work in animal research centres.
Voluntary opportunities may be possible and can lead to job opportunities for young people and progression in animal care careers. |
0.997247 | Clinical Medical Technicians are one of the fastest growing professions in healthcare, which is already one of the fastest growing industries. Clinical Medical Technicians earn this by being highly skilled in several of the most important aspects of patient care. Clinical Medical Technicians work in many different healthcare environments including outpatient or ambulatory care facilities, medical offices and clinics, and hospitals. 2016 surveys put the median income for Clinical Medical Technicians at $46,000 per year, and a job growth rate of 16% per year, one of the highest growth rates of any profession. What’s in this program? This program helps students master the three medical skill sets that make up CMTs: 1.
Clinical Medical Technicians are one of the fastest growing professions in healthcare, which is already one of the fastest growing industries. Clinical Medical Technicians earn this by being highly skilled in several of the most important aspects of patient care. Clinical Medical Technicians work in many different healthcare environments including outpatient or ambulatory care facilities, medical offices and clinics, and hospitals. 2016 surveys put the median income for Clinical Medical Technicians at $46,000 per year, and a job growth rate of 16% per year, one of the highest growth rates of any profession.
1.- Clinical Medical Assistant-covers preparing patients for examination and testing, collecting cultures and specimens from patients, and instructing patients on treatment, medication, and diet. It may also include administering the medications and maintaining medical histories.
2.- Phlebotomy Technician-covers drawing blood from patients, preparing those samples, and sometimes performing basic laboratory tests.
3.- Electrocardiogram Technician-covers using specialized equipment to measure and monitor heart conditions.
This program includes national certifications, for state specific information regarding the licensing requirements in your state please visit your states regulatory board.
This program includes an optional clinical externship at a local healthcare provider! This will give you invaluable hands-on experience. Additional fees may apply for a background check, drug test and other externship site testing requirements. Fees will be paid by the student at the time of placement in the optional externship.
Summary: Great pay, in high demand, and skills that can lead to specialized work in the future, if you want to continue a career path toward becoming a cardiovascular technician, a dialysis technician, a laboratory technician, or a surgical technician. |
0.972107 | Q: The UN Climate Change Conference in Lima concluded on December 14. What kinds of outcomes and consensus have emerged out of the conference? What is China's comment on the conference? What has China done to push for these outcomes?
A: The just-concluded Lima Climate Conference passed the Lima Call for Climate Action, and made positive headway on the elements of a draft 2015 agreement, information requirement of the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions, and efforts to accelerate pre-2020 climate action. All these formed the basis of a successful Paris conference. The Lima Call is a relatively balanced outcome as a result of mutual compromise, which basically meets the requirements of developing countries. Meanwhile, all parties are still far apart when it comes to key issues concerning a new 2015 climate change deal. Therefore, the negotiations remain an uphill journey.
China has made positive efforts in moving the Lima conference towards the outcomes. Before the Lima conference, China and the US jointly announced separate targets for countering climate change after 2020, creating a sound political ambiance for the Lima conference. During the conference, the Chinese delegation engaged in communication and coordination with all parties in a reasonable, practical and constructive way. China, by supporting the host country Peru in every way, has made significant contributions to the conference. On the basis of equity and in accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, China will move ahead with other parties like passengers in the same boat so as to push forward international negotiations on climate change for a new deal as scheduled, and build a global climate governance structure that benefits all based on cooperation.
Q: December 15 is the deadline day for China to submit its counter-memorial on the South China Sea arbitration initiated by the Philippines to the arbitral tribunal. China has said that it would not accept or participate in the arbitration. If arbitration cannot resolve the dispute, then what does China believe is the way to solve relevant problems without causing conflicts?
A: You must have taken note of the position paper issued by the Chinese government on December 7 on the matter of jurisdiction in the South China Sea arbitration initiated by the Philippines. The Chinese side specifies in the position paper that it will neither accept nor participate in the so-called South China Sea arbitration unilaterally initiated by the Philippines, and that the arbitral tribunal does not have jurisdiction over this case. Both the legal basis and the position of us are clear. I suggest that you give the position paper another careful read.
China's position on the issue of the South China Sea is consistent and clear. We maintain that parties concerned should resolve relevant disputes through consultation and negotiation on the basis of respecting historical facts and international law. We also hope that all parties concerned will work with China in this spirit and the principle established in the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, so as to jointly safeguard peace and stability there. Meanwhile, the Chinese side is resolute in defending its territory and maritime rights and interests. The Chinese side will have to make necessary response to any intentional and provocative action unilaterally initiated by relevant party.
Q: First, the spokesperson of Pope Francis said last week that the Pope would not meet with the Dalai Lama. Does China view it as a positive gesture by Vatican? Does China welcome it? Second, a US citizen held a press conference in Pyongyang, saying that he wants to seek asylum in Venezuela. Does the Chinese side have any information to suggest that this US citizen perhaps illegally crossed the border from China into the DPRK?
A: On your first question, we have noted the remarks by Vatican. The Chinese side is always sincere about improving and developing relations with Vatican. We are willing to continue constructive dialogues with Vatican based on relevant principles. It is hoped that Vatican will work with China in the same direction and create conditions for the improvement of bilateral relations.
On your second question, we have no specifics.
Q: Japan's Liberal Democratic Party headed by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe swept the lower house election. There has been commentary that the number of seats won by the Abe administration will enable him to get rid of the pacifist constitution and get Japan fully armed. What is China's response?
A: We have noted the result of Japan's lower house election. Any change in Japan's policy in the military and security fields indicates where the country is heading for and bears on the security environment of the region, and thus is closely followed by Japan's Asian neighbors and the international community. It is hoped that the Japanese side can learn hard lessons from history, conform to the trend of the times featuring peaceful development and win-win cooperation, respect the legitimate and reasonable security concerns of countries in the region, follow the path peaceful development and play a constructive role for regional peace and stability.
Q: The Canadian Ambassador in Beijing said in an interview that Canada would soon sign an agreement with China to return ill-gotten assets. The Canadian side will help China get back proceeds from corrupt officials who presumably have fled to Canada. Please confirm. When will this agreement be signed?
A: The crime of corruption is an issue faced by the entire international community. The Chinese government is determined in clamping down on corruption. While engaging ourselves in anti-corruption campaign at home, we are also aware of the increase of cross-border corruption crimes over recent years. Therefore, the fight against corruption calls for intensified cooperation, especially that in judiciary and law enforcement, among countries across the world, so that the corrupt will have nowhere to hide. No country should become a safe haven for the corrupt or a place for them to transfer illegal gains. The Chinese side is ready to enhance cooperation with the Canadian side in this regard.
Q: Do you have any comment on the hostage incident that took place in Sydney, Australia today?
A: The Chinese side is following closely the development of the incident and looking forward to an early and proper settlement. We are in close communication with the Australian side to check whether there is any Chinese citizen among the hostages. We have not received any report on that up till now. The Chinese Embassy in Australia and the Chinese Consulate General in Sydney have activated emergency response mechanisms. We will stay in touch with the Australian side and release the update in a timely fashion.
Q: 7 Myanmar soldiers were killed by militants close to the Chinese border. The Myanmar authorities blamed the attack on the Kokang insurgents. Is the Chinese side aware of that? Will the Chinese side communicate with the Myanmar government about this?
A: I am not aware of the specifics you mentioned. As a neighbor of Myanmar, China hopes that Myanmar can maintain peace, stability and development, advance its national reconciliation process through dialogue and safeguard peace and stability of the border with China.
Q: Spanish media reported that several Spanish government institutions related to national security have become the target of cyber attack which can be traced back to Russia and China. Has the Spanish government contacted the Chinese authorities about this?
A: I have not heard about this. I need to check whether the Spanish side has contacted the Chinese side.
I would like to point out that cyber crime is a common threat to the international community which should be tackled with enhanced cooperation. Therefore, we stand ready to have closer contact with the Spanish side to jointly combat cyber crimes. |
0.921694 | Imply and infer both refer to unspoken communication. The sender of this unspoken message is the one who implies, while the receiver is the one who infers.
To imply is to subtly hint at a hidden message that isn’t part of the actual words spoken or written. For example, you can imply that you like someone by sending them flowers.
To infer is to read into a message to understand the deeper meaning. You can make an assumption based on actions or the way things were said/written. So, if someone sends you flowers, it would be safe to infer that they like you.
Here’s another example. Let’s say Jane is getting ready to go out, and when she comes out of her room, her roommate, Lily, says, “Are you really wearing that?” This is technically a yes–or-no question. But, in this case, Lily is implying that she doesn’t like Jane’s outfit. Jane could infer, based on Lily’s tone and the use of the word really, that she doesn’t like the outfit very much.
If Lily had just said “I don’t like your outfit. You should change,” she wouldn’t be implying anything. She’d just be bluntly saying what she thought. Then, there would be no need to infer that Lily is pretty critical . . . anyone looking for a new roomate? |
0.999999 | How often should I review my life insurance coverage?
You should review your life insurance coverage any time you have a major life event, for example if you marry or divorce, have kids, change jobs, or purchase a home.
In addition, you should review your coverage every 2-3 years regardless of your age or health condition.The life insurance marketplace is highly competitive, so you might be able to find a better deal. |
0.99633 | By Beth O'Donnell in V for Vendetta and 1984 George Orwell.
Here's what a teacher thought of this essay. 3 star(s). *** 3 STARS Good, detailed exploration of three main similarities between 1984 and V for Vendetta. |
0.997933 | Internet finance: a hidden menace or a promising financing channel?
In the 2013 annual report issued by the Peoples Bank of China (PBOC), the organization addressed the issues related to the Internet finance. What is the forward looking Internet finance strategy?
The report addressed risks arising from P2P online loan platforms; while such platforms beneficial for the economy, but some Internet financial businesses often step into a legal grey zone, while some are even engaged in illegal fund raising activities.
According to the annual report, at the end of 2013, there were over 350 P2P lending platforms in China with 60 billion RMB cumulative transaction volume. Meanwhile, the non-P2P microfinance industry is constantly evolving. For instance, by the end of year, three micro-loan companies under the umbrella of Ali finance group have issued a cumulative amount of 150 billion RMB in debt with the cumulative number of borrowers larger than 650 thousand. The current debt outstanding is over 12.5 billion, while the overall rate for bad debt is 1.12%.
The rapid development of Internet financing might create problems that are not visible to regulators but might be widespread and rapidly come to the surface. Currently there are three risk issues in internet finance: 1. Legal mechanism is not clear and business scope is fuzzy; 2. Lack of the third party depository system for customer funds, which puts consumer funds under security risk; 3. Risk control system is not complete, which might lead to operational risk. |
0.999095 | interpret it who is attentive to the life from which it springs. To decipher the Life of Reason nothing is needed but an analytic spirit and a judicious love of man, a love quick to distinguish success from failure in his great and confused experiment of living. The historian of reason should not be a romantic poet, vibrating impotently to every impulse he finds afoot, without a criterion of excellence or a vision of perfection. Ideals are free, but they are neither more numerous nor more variable than the living natures that generate them. Ideals are legitimate, and each initially envisages a genuine and innocent good; but they are not realisable together, nor even singly when they have no deep roots in the world. Neither is the philosopher compelled by his somewhat judicial office to be a satirist or censor, without sympathy for those tentative and ingenuous passions out of which, after all, his own standards must arise. He is the chronicler of human progress, and to measure that progress he should be equally attentive to the impulses that give it direction and to the circumstances amid which it stumbles toward its natural goal. |
0.959683 | Stockhausen's piece "Plus-Minus", composed in 1963, is analyzed and implemented into a computer program, called "Meta-Plus". Stockhausen's piece is an example of abstract composition, which has to be worked out first by the musician before she can play it.
The hypothesis is twofold: (1) that formalisation and implementation is an appropriate way of analysing "Plus-Minus" and comparable meta-musical pieces; (2) that Stockhausen's "Plus-Minus" is a piece which examplifies a specific method of composition which can be formalised.
The purpose of the computer program is twofold: (1) to provide musicians, who want to make a version of Plus-Minus, with a user-friendly tool to manage this task; the program asks for the input of parameters, and calculates a structure according to the rules of Stockhausen; its output can be either a MIDI-file, a score or a sound-file; (2) to provide the musicologist, who wants to analyze Plus-Minus, with a tool with which she can study its formal description, as well as create as many versions as possible with different parameter settings.
The research focusses on two questions: (1) - a musicological issue - what is the musical identity of Plus-Minus; (2) - an AI issue - what kind of composition is modelled in Plus-Minus, and what can be learned from this (Stockhausen's) method for more generalized composition models. |
0.999135 | With summer arriving, what better way to style hair than with beachy mermaid waves? I looked up a few recipes to make my own, but as per usual quite a few ingredients were missing from my cupboards (aloe vera gel, hair gel, coconut oil, the works) so came up with my own recipe. I also added some shells and gemstones to the bottle to make it look a bit prettier and so that I could remember what's inside. Because it is made with natural ingredients, the effect won't last as long as the ones with gel in, but it helps give hair loose waves and a summer scent of your choice!
To make: Basic recipe: Fill a spray bottle with water- I used 50ml. Add one teaspoon of sea salt, then essential oils and extracts of your choosing. I added a few drops of vanilla and freesia, but coconut, citrus and lavender scents would all be perfect for this.
To use, spray on your hair and scrunch to give it soft waves. There aren't any preservatives or holding chemicals in the basic recipe, so you will probably also want to use hair spray after in order to keep the waves or add the gel, but otherwise just use throughout the day to top up your waves!
I have hair that always looks better after a quick dip in the sea... but I have always bought sea salt spray rather than made it. Maybe you have inspired me to give it a try in the future!
Thank you Alannah! I agree- sea hair always looks so much more healthy, I'm glad you liked the recipe! |
0.998405 | So, you're one of the cats in the back yard and the birds out there are all yours! All you have to do is play your cards right and best those other cats!
1. Three birds (for a 3 and 4 player game) are flipped off the deck and placed around the locale card. Small birds (like Abacas Finch) can be caught without being Stalked. Steven needs to be Stalked once and Edgar must be Stalked twice before being caught.
2. Each Cat has 4 targeting cards. 2 with Locales and 2 with other cats.
3. Otis is selecting to Target theTree. The cards are flipped side to side and the locale that is facing the center of the table is the target.
4. ThisTargeting card is selected in secret and is placed face down.
5. An action card is secretly selected and placed face down. Otis is Stalking the Bird by theTree (in this case it is Steven Seagull).
6. Simone targets Carl and her Action Card is a Steal.
7. Carl targetsThe Grass and his Action Card is a Catch.
8. All of the Cats reveal their choices simultaneously.
9. Actions are resolved in the following order: • Stalk • Catch • Eat • Steal • Play 1 - Otis places his Stalk next to Steven Seagull. 2 – Carl catchesAbacas Finch. 3 – Simone steals Abacas Finch from Carl.
10. New birds are drawn from the deck to replace empty spots around the Locale card. All players pick up their cards (except for the placed Stalks) and move to the next turn.
11. SECONDTURN All players once again secretly select a Location and an Action card. • Otis is attempting to catch the bird by theTree (Steven Seagull) • Simone plans to eat Abacas Finch • Carl is going to attempt to steal Abacas back from Simone.
12. THE RESULTS • Otis successfully Catches Steven Seagull • Simone Eats Abacas Finch • Carl’s Steal does not work because Simon’s Eat occurs before Carl’s Steal.
13. A new bird is placed by the Locale card to replace the captured Steven Seagull.
14. THIRDTURN All players once again secretly select a Location • Carl is attempting to catch the bird by theTree (Elijah Woodpecker) • Simone is attempting to catch the bird by theTree (Elijah Woodpecker) • Otis is going to attempt to play with Steven Seagull to double his value before eating him next turn.
15. THE RESULTS • Carl and Simone have attempted to catch the same bird, so the bird flies away. • Otis was able to play with Steven, he flips the card around to indicate that the value is now double.
16. Play continues until all of the birds have been eaten or have flown away. The cat with the most enjoyment points, wins. In theAdvanced game, cats may Taunt other cats to block their actions and each turn consists of two rounds of pre-programmed moves. Adding even more replay-ability to this game. |
0.972763 | A great article from New York Times.
1. In hundreds of rides no one has asked him for tickets.
3. All stations and routes were dangerous.
4. Police would load criminals onto trains to offload them to another location. |
0.905133 | and then two. Then, he finished the whole cake without sharing with others.
Questions 8 10 Choose the best answer for each of the pictures given. Pilih jawapan yang terbaik bagi setiap gambar yang diberi.
Amar is talking to his friend by the roadside. She is waiting for her mother at the bus station. A boy and a girl are boarding the bus. The children are waiting patiently for the bus.
The nurse is helping the dentist. The boy is shouting at the dentist. The dentist checks the boys teeth. The dentist pulls out the boys tooth.
Questions 11 - 15 Choose the best answer to fit the situation shown in the picture. Pilih jawapan yang terbaik bagi situasi dalam gambar.
Im writing a letter. I prefer writing to reading. It is for my pen friend. My pen friend lives in Kuching.
Excuse me, please. Yes, you may come. Of course, you may. You have to excuse me.
Are you hungry? Do you like durians? How much does it cost? Would you like some more durians?
The dancing elephant was fantastic!
I enjoyed them too. I will go next week. Where is the circus? It was really great!
A B C D Goodbye. Take care.
Where are you going? Hurry up! The taxi is coming. Im going home now. Are you coming?
Questions 24 25 Choose the sentence with the correct punctuation. Pilih ayat yang mempunyai tanda baca yang betul. 24 A B C D The teacher asked, "Why were you absent yesterday, Mira?" The teacher asked, "Why were you absent yesterday Mira" The teacher asked, "Why were you absent, yesterday, Mira?" The teacher asked, "Why were you absent yesterday, Mira"
Questions 26 30 Based on the picture, choose the best answer to fill in the blanks in the passage that follows. Berdasarkan gambar, pilih jawapan yang terbaik untuk diisikan pada tempat kosong dalam teks yang berikutnya.
_________ around the stage. There are two boys arranging the sofa in front of the stage while (29) Mary and Anne are arranging trophies, prizes and ___________ on the table. They are working (30) together to make the hall looks clean and beautiful.
Questions 31 35 Study the advertisement below and answer the questions that follow. Teliti iklan di bawah dan jawab soalan-soalan yang berikutnya.
A masterpiece from JEC! Suitable for all kinds of bread. Simple one-touch operation. Saves electricity. Compact for easy storage.
Your father has just bought the item. Which of these would be the best reason why your mother would want to keep it in the kitchen? A B C D The kitchen is spacious. It is a kitchen appliance. It is an electrical equipment. The new arrival is a masterpiece.
Questions 36 40 Read the conversation below and answer the questions that follow. Baca perbualan di bawah dan jawab soalan-soalan yang berikutnya.
Hello, Sheera. Its nice to see you. How are you? Hi Amira! Im fine, thank you. Meet my brother, Zain. He is a clerk. Zain, this is my classmate, Amira. Hello, Amira. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you too, Zain. Sheera, what are you doing here? We are looking for some roses. Tomorrow is Mothers Day, so we have decided to give Mom some red ones. Thats great. I am looking for some carnations here. I want to present them to my mother.
(A lady approaches them.) Devi : Good afternoon, I am Devi. May I help you? We sell many kinds of flowers here. We have tulips, chrysanthemums, orchids, daisies and sunflowers. They are all fresh as they arrived this morning. Good afternoon. My brother and I want to buy some red roses for our mother. My friend, Amira, wants to buy some carnations. They are for her mother. Oh, you are looking for some flowers for Mothers Day, arent you? I am so sorry because we had run out of stock for the flowers that you want. I suggest you go to the other florist at the end of Jalan Merak. It is between a salon and a restaurant. There is a bank opposite the shop. I think they still have the flowers that you want. Very well, then. Thank you for the information, Devi. Lets go to that shop, Sheera. Come on, Zain. Lets go. |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.