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0.999999 | Output 258: This output is included in 5 transaction input(s).
Output 298: This output is included in 5 transaction input(s).
Output 336: This output is included in 5 transaction input(s).
Output 416: This output is included in 8 transaction input(s).
Output 460: This output is included in 4 transaction input(s).
Output 470: This output is included in 5 transaction input(s).
Output 537: This output is included in 6 transaction input(s). |
0.999972 | PM Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin finalized the deal to construct units 5 and 6 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP).
Along with inking five other pacts, Modi and Putin discussed plans to take energy and strategic ties forward.
The PM is now set to undertake a much anticipated visit to the US on June 26.
What context is this happening in?
PM Modi is currently visiting Russia as part of his four-nation Europe visit, after having completed successful trips to Germany and Spain.
PM's visit also coincides with the 70th anniversary of India-Russia diplomatic relations. Kudankulam deal was expected to be a key takeaway.
The visit looks towards reaffirming ties in the background of India's US tilt and Russia's growing affinity to China and Pakistan.
Allaying India's concerns on growing Russia-Pakistan defence ties, Putin stated, "Russia does not have a tight military relationship with Pakistan". He further noted that friendship with India cannot be diluted.
Kudankulam Deal: What has happened so far?
The KNPP, built by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL) in collaboration with Russian state-company Atomstroyexport, is scheduled to have six 1000 MW VVER-1000 reactors.
Russia has already supplied 4 reactors. While the signing of Agreements for supply of units 5 and 6 was scheduled for 2016, the line of credit offered by Russia proved to be a hurdle.
Along with finalizing the Kudankulam deal, India and Russia also decided to commence manufacturing stealth-frigates and hold 'Indra 2017', the first bilateral tri-service exercise.
Putin also assured that India would become an official member of the Shanghai Co-operation Organization (SCO) in a week's time.
Nagpur-Secunderabad high-speed rail and a Memorandum of Understanding concerning export of precious stones were amongst the other deals clinched.
Modi and Putin devised an 'Action Plan' to speed up bilateral co-operation around various issues.
Both the countries, under a joint document titled, ' A vision for the 21st Century', stated their intention to 'build an energy bridge' and deepen energy co-operation across renewable, nuclear and hydrocarbon sectors and improve energy efficiency.
They also underlined a unified stance against terrorism.
Where are India-Russia ties headed?
While India-Russia ties have more-or-less stayed strong over time, it has transformed from an ideological and natural affinity to a transactional affinity.
Moreover, India views Moscow's growing friendship with Pakistan and China as a disregard of its strategic concerns.
Despite geopolitical considerations, both countries are indispensable partners, making it counterproductive to not engage with each other. The ties are likely to continue strong.
What's on the PM's agenda next?
The PM will stop at France next and meet with the newly elected President Emmanuel Macron and strengthen the India-France Strategic Partnership.
He will also travel to Astana, Kazakhstan next week, to attend SCO summit.
The PM is also expected to undertake an important visit to the US, attempting to work out new immigration regulations with President Trump and drop by Netherlands and Portugal.
Completing fruitful visits to Germany and Spain, PM Modi is currently undertaking a visit to Russia, as a part of the third leg of his four-nation trip.
Reacting to the inauguration of the Dhola-Sadiya bridge, linking Assam to Arunachal Pradesh, China has issued a sharp warning to India to "be cautious and exercise restraint on building infrastructure in Arunachal Pradesh". |
0.999891 | In short: Researchers on behalf of the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) have now demonstrated a proof of concept loudspeaker that can be attached to the skin and play music. In addition, the researchers have also showcased similar technology for a skin-attached microphone that not only can sense and transmit speech, but has the potential to activate and control AI-based voice assistants on smartphones and other devices.
Background: Similar loudspeaker and microphone technology has been demonstrated in academia in the past although as this new paper points out, in some instances those solutions have suffered by being too rigid for use as a skin-worn device, and when flexible enough have proven to be too vulnerable and not durable enough to be fit for purpose. In this case, the researchers were able to make use of a flexible enough build quality and mitigated against the delicate nature of the nanomembranes-based design by utilizing silver nanowire for additional strength. Resulting in what the researchers refer to as an “ultrathin, transparent, and conductive” solution.
Impact: Although the attention-grabbing aspect here is the ability for an individual’s skin to play music, the study, published in the August edition of Science Advances, was conducted with a view to enhancing health care devices and especially in respect of the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) sector. For example, the technology could be used in wearable IoT sensors designed for those who suffer with hearing or speech-related difficulties. Especially considering the thickness of the sensors demonstrated are thin enough to be worn without becoming a physical hindrance, while also thanks to the use of the silver nanowire remaining durable enough for everyday usage. Likewise, the transparent nature of the sensors will add to the aesthetic appeal of the sensors, allowing individuals to wear them in a more discrete manner. It is this combination of being ultrathin, transparent, and still conductive which the researchers hailed as their big breakthrough. Of course, besides the medical and clinical benefits, there is also nothing stopping consumer-grade wearables from taking advantage of the technology in the future. In both cases, more research is expected based on the current findings. |
0.922559 | Dutch novelist. Name variations: Anna Louisa Toussaint. Born Anna Louisa Geertruida Toussaint at Alkmaar in north Holland on September 16, 1812; died at The Hague on April 13, 1886; daughter of a local chemist named Toussaint; married Johannes Bosboom (1817–1891, a Dutch painter), in 1851.
Anna Bosboom-Toussaint's father, a local chemist of Huguenot descent, saw that she had a fair education. Early in her career, she developed a taste for historical research, which was perhaps nurtured by a forced indoor life due to ill health. In 1851, she married the Dutch painter Johannes Bosboom, and was known thereafter as Mrs. Bosboom-Toussaint. Her first romance, Almagro, appeared in 1837, followed by the Graaf van Devonshire (The Earl of Devonshire) in 1838, the Engelschen te Rome (The English at Rome) in 1840, and Het Huis Lauernesse (The House of Lauernesse) in 1841, an episode of the Reformation which was translated into many European languages. Founded on some of the most interesting epochs of Dutch history, many of these stories were said to reveal a strong assimilation of facts and situations, combined with Anna's great mastery over her mother tongue. Bosboom-Toussaint devoted the ten years between 1840 and 1850 mainly to further studies, which resulted in the appearance in 1851–54 of Leycester in Nederland (3 vols.), Vrouwen van het Leycestersche Tydperk (Women of Leicester's Epoch, 3 vols.), and Gideon Florensz (3 vols.), a series dealing with Robert Dudley's adventures in the Low Countries. After 1870, she abandoned historical romance for the modern society novel, but her Delftsche Wonderdokter (The Necromancer of Delft, 1871, 3 vols.) and Majoor Frans (Major Frank, 1875, 3 vols.) did not command the success of her earlier works. Major Frank was translated into English in 1885. Her novels were published in a collected edition (1885–1888, 25 vols.).
"Bosboom-Toussaint, Anna (1812–1886)." Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. . Encyclopedia.com. 24 Apr. 2019 <https://www.encyclopedia.com>. |
0.998272 | A typical Linux distribution comprises a Linux kernel, GNU tools and libraries, additional software, documentation, a window system (the most common being the X Window System), a window manager, and a desktop environment. Most of the included software is free and open-source software made available both as compiled binaries and in source code form, allowing modifications to the original software. Usually, Linux distributions optionally include some proprietary software that may not be available in source code form, such as binary blobs required for some device drivers. A Linux distribution may also be described as a particular assortment of application and utility software (various GNU tools and libraries, for example), packaged together with the Linux kernel in such a way that its capabilities meet the needs of many users. The software is usually adapted to the distribution and then packaged into software packages by the distribution's maintainers. The software packages are available online in so-called repositories, which are storage locations usually distributed around the world. Beside glue components, such as the distribution installers (for example, Debian-Installer and Anaconda) or the package management systems, there are only very few packages that are originally written from the ground up by the maintainers of a Linux distribution.
Almost six hundred Linux distributions exist, with close to five hundred out of those in active development. Because of the huge availability of software, distributions have taken a wide variety of forms, including those suitable for use on desktops, servers, laptops, netbooks, mobile phones and tablets, as well as minimal environments typically for use in embedded systems. There are commercially backed distributions, such as Fedora (Red Hat), openSUSE (SUSE) and Ubuntu (Canonical Ltd.), and entirely community-driven distributions, such as Debian, Slackware, Gentoo and Arch Linux. Most distributions come ready to use and pre-compiled for a specific instruction set, while some distributions (such as Gentoo) are distributed mostly in source code form and compiled locally during installation.
Linus Torvalds developed the Linux kernel and distributed its first version, 0.01, in 1991. Linux was initially distributed as source code only, and later as a pair of downloadable floppy disk images one bootable and containing the Linux kernel itself, and the other with a set of GNU utilities and tools for setting up a file system. Since the installation procedure was complicated, especially in the face of growing amounts of available software, distributions sprang up to simplify this.
See also: Package management system and Linux package formats.
See main article: Live CD and Live USB.
Many Linux distributions provide a "live" form in addition to their conventional form, which is a network-based or removable-media image intended to be used only for installation; such distributions include SUSE, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, MEPIS and Fedora. Some distributions, including Knoppix, Puppy Linux, Devil-Linux, SuperGamer, SliTaz GNU/Linux and, are designed primarily for live use. Additionally, some minimal distributions can be run directly from as little space as one floppy disk without the need to change the contents of the system's hard disk drive.
Mandriva Linux was a Red Hat derivative popular in several European countries and Brazil, backed by the French company of the same name. After the company went bankrupt, it was superseded by OpenMandriva Lx, although a number of derivatives now have a larger user base.
See main article: Lightweight Linux distribution.
See also: List of proprietary software for Linux.
Some specific proprietary software products are not available in any form for Linux. As of September 2015, the Steam gaming service has 1,500 games available on Linux, compared to 2,323 games for Mac and 6,500 Windows games. Emulation and API-translation projects like Wine and CrossOver make it possible to run non-Linux-based software on Linux systems, either by emulating a proprietary operating system or by translating proprietary API calls (e.g., calls to Microsoft's Win32 or DirectX APIs) into native Linux API calls. A virtual machine can also be used to run a proprietary OS (like Microsoft Windows) on top of Linux.
However, it is possible to buy hardware with Linux already installed. Lenovo, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Affordy, and System76 all sell general-purpose Linux laptops, and custom-order PC manufacturers will also build Linux systems (but possibly with the Windows key on the keyboard). Fixstars Solutions (formerly Terra Soft) sells Macintosh computers and PlayStation 3 consoles with Yellow Dog Linux installed.
The end user license agreement (EULA) for Apple gives the consumer the opportunity to reject the license and obtain a refund. The current Microsoft Windows license lets the manufacturer determine the refund policy. With previous versions of Windows, it was possible to obtain a refund if the manufacturer failed to provide the refund by litigation in the small claims courts. On 15 February 1999, a group of Linux users in Orange County, California held a "Windows Refund Day" protest in an attempt to pressure Microsoft into issuing them refunds. In France, the Linuxfrench and AFUL (French speaking Libre Software Users' Association) organizations along with free software activist Roberto Di Cosmo started a "Windows Detax" movement, which led to a 2006 petition against "racketiciels" (translation: Racketware) with 39,415 signatories and the DGCCRF branch of the French government filing several complaints against bundled software. On March 24, 2014, a new international petition was launched by AFUL on the Avaaz platform, translated into several languages and supported by many organizations around the world.
Web site: Explaining Why We Don't Endorse Other Systems. June 30, 2014. January 5, 2015. gnu.org.
Web site: Linux Operating Systems: Distributions. November 27, 2014. January 8, 2015. swift.siphos.be.
Web site: HTG Explains: How Software Installation & Package Managers Work On Linux. June 27, 2012. January 15, 2015. Chris Hoffman. howtogeek.com.
Web site: The status of CentOS mirrors. January 15, 2015. January 15, 2015. centos.org.
Web site: The LWN.net Linux Distribution List. September 11, 2015. LWN.net.
Web site: How to install Ubuntu Touch on your Android phone or tablet. Jim Martin. PC Advisor.
Web site: Install Linux on your x86 tablet: five distros to choose from. David Hayward. TechRadar.
Web site: The Top 7 Best Linux Distributions for You. February 3, 2010. January 11, 2015. Brian Proffitt. linux.com. yes. https://web.archive.org/web/20150105063710/http://www.linux.com/learn/docs/ldp/282996-choosing-the-best-linux-distributions-for-you. January 5, 2015. mdy-all.
Web site: Mobile Linux Distros Keep on Morphing. November 4, 2014. January 11, 2015. Eric Brown. linux.com.
Web site: Debian and Other Distros. December 7, 2013. January 5, 2015. debian.org.
Berlich. Ruediger. ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT... The early history of Linux, Part 2, Re: distribution. LinuxUser. April 2001. .
Web site: The Slackware Linux Project: Slackware Release Announcement. Slackware.com. . .
Web site: A Brief History of Debian - Debian Releases. debian.org. . .
Web site: Usage statistics and market share of Unix for websites. w3techs.org. . .
Web site: Browser & Platform Market Share January 2017. w3counter.com. . .
Web site: Debating overlayfs. 2011-06-15. 2015-01-05. Jonathan Corbet. LWN.net.
Web site: PiTuX – a micro serial terminal distro. 2015-01-06. asashi.net.
Web site: Wikimedia Traffic Analysis Report - Operating Systems. stats.wikimedia.org. July 23, 2018.
Web site: Mandriva Linux will return to the community. mandriva.com. January 14, 2015. yes. https://web.archive.org/web/20150523070604/http://blog.mandriva.com/en/2012/05/17/mandriva-linux-will-return-to-the-community/. May 23, 2015. mdy-all.
Web site: The LWN.net Linux Distribution List. 2015-01-15. LWN.net.
Web site: New Security Policy Report. Manjaro Linux. manjaro.github.io. January 12, 2015.
Web site: Slackware Linux Basics, Chapter 2. rlworkman.net. July 23, 2018.
Book: Dieguez Castro. Jose. Introducing Linux Distros. 2016. Apress. 978-1-4842-1393-3. 49, 345.
Web site: Ask AC: Is Android Linux?. Ask AC: Is Android Linux?. Android Central. .
Web site: derStandard.at. Google: "Android is the Linux desktop dream come true" - Suchmaschinen - derStandard.at " Web. Derstandard.at. .
Web site: Paul. Ryan. Dream(sheep++): A developer’s introduction to Google Android. Ars Technica. . .
Web site: How I stopped distro hopping. Linux Today.
Web site: Distro Selector. Desktop Linux At Home. . yes. https://web.archive.org/web/20110722230446/http://desktoplinuxathome.com/distro.html. July 22, 2011. mdy-all.
Web site: Philipp's Homepage: whohas. Philippwesche.org. . .
Web site: Multi Distro is Linux times 9 on a single CD-R. Linux.com. .
Web site: 2.4. Installation Media. www.debian.org. July 23, 2018.
Web site: Network install from a minimal CD. Debian. .
Web site: Debian Webmaster, webmaster@debian.org. Debian - Details of package win32-loader in Lenny. Packages.debian.org. .
Web site: Steam for Linux tops 1,500 games as launch of Valve's Steam Machines nears. Jared Newman. 21 September 2015. PCWorld.
Web site: Steam’s living room hardware blitz gets off to a muddy start. Ars Technica.
Web site: The state of Linux gaming in the SteamOS era. Ars Technica.
Web site: Affordy - TITAN Computers. Shop.affordy.com. . yes. https://web.archive.org/web/20090529014808/http://shop.affordy.com/?lang=en. May 29, 2009. mdy-all.
Web site: Laptops/Notebooks with Linux Preinstalled. Mcelrath.org. . .
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Web site: Getting a Windows Refund in California Small Claims Court. Linuxjournal.com. .
Web site: Windows Refund Day. Marc.merlins.org. . .
Web site: (en) Computers in the post-Snowden era: choose before paying!.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Linux distribution". |
0.992516 | You have just signed a contract to sell your condominium unit. You are excited and happy. Your buyer is also pleased, but then decides she wants to cancel the contract. Can she do this once she has signed a binding real estate contract?
Yes, there are many avenues she can take, such as having a financing contingency and not being able to get a loan, or having an appraisal contingency and the lender's appraiser low-balls the value of the unit.
There is one additional way to get out of a contract, but this one is (or should be) in the control of the seller.
When a potential buyer signs a contract to buy a condominium unit, whether in Maryland, Virginia or the District of Columbia, the buyer is entitled to receive what is known as the "resale package".
There are minor differences in the requirements between the three states, but all have the same message: the buyer has a number of days after receiving the package in which to cancel the contract.
What is contained in the package? Again, the state condominium laws differ but all require such disclosures as: how much money does the association have in reserve, the most recent financial statement including the association's current budget, and any judgments or pending lawsuits against the association.
In Maryland, the buyer must receive the package no later than 15 days before closing, and has the right to cancel within 7 days of receipt. In the District, the buyer must be provided the package 10 days after the contract is signed, and has 3 days to cancel. In Virginia, the package must be given to the buyer within 14 days after a contract is signed. If the package is hand-delivered or emailed, the contract must be cancelled within 3 days from receipt. However, if it is mailed, the rescission right is extended to 6 days.
The condominium association is primarily responsible for preparing the documents and information contained in the package. Typically, the association's property manager compiles everything that is required, but many times, the information is either incomplete or missing. For example, in the District, the package must contain a copy of the condominium instruments. This is a defined term in the DC Condominium Act meaning "the Declaration, Bylaws, Plats and Plans and any recorded amendments".
Accordingly, if the package does not contain all three items, this will give a skittish buyer the absolute right to cancel the contract. In a recent situation, a buyer wanted out of the contract. She had received the resale package and her time to cancel had expired. However, she advised the seller that the plats and plans were not included; the seller immediately arranged to get those documents to her.
This reopened the right to terminate, and the buyer opted to cancel the contract.
It should be noted that a buyer does not need a reason to cancel a contract, so long as she is within the statutory time. It is a true "cooling off" period. When someone buys a condominium unit, it is important to understand what you are getting involved with. Are there lots of foreclosures in the complex; does the association have sufficient reserves and when was the last reserve analysis study done by the association?
Is the association planning major expenditures that will require a large special assessment? Is this a mixed commercial/residential complex, and if so how does this impact on residential owners.
All of these questions can be found in the resale package. I found it interesting that while the District requires all condominium instruments to be included, it does not require that the rules and regulations be given to potential buyers. In Virginia, while the rules and regulations and the Bylaws are part of the package, there is no requirement that the Declaration be included. And in Maryland, the Declaration, Bylaws, Rules and Regulations are to be given to the buyer, but not the plats.
Although the association's property manager is primarily responsible for preparing the resale package, it is important that the Board -and the association's legal counsel - carefully review the package at least once a year. In fact, since all three jurisdictions require that the "association" provide the material, I have consistently recommended that a board member physically review - and sign - each package before it is transmitted to the buyer.
If a seller loses a potential buyer because of a faulty or defective resale package, does the seller have a case against the board and the property manager? In order to win such a court case, the seller would have to prove that he has incurred financial damages. For example, the original sales contract was for $350,000 and despite diligent efforts on the part of the seller and his real estate agent, the best new contract they could get was only for $300,000 - thus creating a $50,000 loss. In addition, had the original contract gone to settlement, the seller would no longer have to pay real estate taxes, insurance and mortgage interest; these are also components of the seller's loss.
In good market conditions, when sales were hot, the seller would probably be able to get another contract within a short period of time, and thus suffer no financial loss. However, now that the economy is weak - and in many parts of the Washington metropolitan area condo sales are sluggish - I can see such lawsuits being filed if the resale package is flawed.
There is an interesting court opinion from a 2001 Minnesota Court of Appeals dealing with the disclosure requirements. A condominium association levied a special assessment against each owner in the amount of $8,000. However, when a potential unit owner received the required resale package, the assessment was not disclosed, despite the clear statutory requirement that such assessments must be included in any resale package.
The potential buyer was, however, orally advised by the property manager that he would have to pay an assessment - but only in the amount of $6,000.
After the buyer took title to the unit, under protest he paid the $8000 assessment and then sued for its return. The court found that the association did, in fact, make a mistake by not disclosing the special assessment. However, the court said "nevertheless, we are not unmindful of the windfall that (the owner) stands to receive" were we to order that he get back the full $8,000. Since the owner was orally advised before closing that he would have to pay $6,000, the court - using its equity powers - ordered that the owner get back $2000, the difference between what he knew and what was not disclosed.
Bottom line: buyers should read all the information contained in the package carefully, and condominium boards of directors must make absolutely sure that all of the legal requirements are included in the resale documents. |
0.994599 | The Greatest Common Factor (GCF) is the largest prime factor shared by two or more numbers.
Both numbers share the factoring "2 x 3 x 3". Thus, the Greatest Common Factor is 18. |
0.999594 | Write-Output "Log path not found..."
. Logit "Build the base command line"
$DependenciesPath = $AppxBundlePath + "\Dependencies"
. Logit "No license file found..."
. Logit "License file found..."
. Logit "Installing application $($AppxBundle.Name)"
. Logit "Command line $BuildAppxCommand"
. Logit "Exit code from command $ExitCode" |
0.988025 | How can I increase what I can borrow?
If you are worried that your savings may not cover all of the purchasing costs when buying a property, you can explore several options to increase your borrowing ability. The first and most traditional method is to borrow money from your parents or other family. While interest rates are low and purchasing maybe attractive, the transactions costs are very high in Germany. Therefore you want to buy the right size house and not move say after you have children. So sometimes it may make sense to borrow additionally from your parents to help you buy the right size house.
The second most common way is to find a commission-free property, such as a newly built property, this will increase your maximum loan in some cases by as much as 50% or more.
Finally, the last traditional method is to wait and save - you can do so by opening a savings account and systematically depositing monthly payments there. When house prices increase rapidly, this may not work well for you.
For more questions, please reach out to one of our advisors, after you have checked your affordability. |
0.9995 | Prior research reported that consumers obtain more information from over the counter medicine packaging when name and dosage of the medicine was located in the upper right hand corner of the package. However, this conclusion was recommended without any input from consumers. This inspired us to ask what information actual consumers would deem most important when buying over-the-counter medication. To answer this question, each participant was given a piece of paper containing a large blank rectangle representing a blank medication package. Contained within the large rectangle was a smaller blank rectangle that was located at the upper right corner of the larger rectangle. Finally, located below the large rectangle were 18 descriptors items that might be found on over-the-counter labels. The participants (N=53) placed items they deemed important inside the large rectangle and up to three items that they felt were most important inside the smaller rectangle. The frequency of where each item was placed on the label in general and the frequency of which item was placed in the smaller box were analyzed. The most frequently listed item was purpose for the drug followed closely by drug name and dosage. In the small box, the most frequently listed item was dosage with the next two highest being drug name and purpose for the drug. This supports the decision that the authors of prior research made about what to put in the small box to an extent. Most medication labels have the purpose somewhere on them but this study shows that consumers view it as highly important and it should be highlighted as well as dosage and drug name. In subsequent experiments, we will place the most commonly listed items in a highlighted portion of a packaging label and test the knowledge that participants obtain from the packages. |
0.871201 | What is a radial piston pump and why do you need it?
Radial piston pumps are used in applications that involve high pressures (operating pressures above 400 bar and up to 700 bar), such as presses, machines for processing plastic and machine tools that clamp hydraulics. Radial piston pumps are the only pumps capable of working satisfactorily at such high pressures, even under continuous operation.
Radial piston pumps are available in two different configurations. With eccentric cylinder block, the piston rotates within the rigid external ring. Eccentricity determines the stroke of the pistons. Or, with an eccentric shaft, the rotating eccentric shaft causes radially-oscillating piston movements to be produced. Most models have an odd number of pistons to reduce the flow pulsation. |
0.937999 | There have been a variety of flow visualization methods, among which texture-based ones are gaining significant attention for the dense representation of a flow. Traditional geometry-based approaches such as arrow plots , streamlines , , , , , , pathlines , , , , timelines , streaklines , particle tracing , , , , surface particles , stream ribbons , stream polygons , stream surfaces , , , stream arrows , , stream tubes , stream balls , flow volumes , , and topological analysis , , , tend to result in an incomplete view or a cluttered image of the flow unless an effective seeding strategy is adopted. Van Wijk presented a texture synthesis technique called Spot Noise , , that visualizes flow data by stretching in the flow direction a collection of oval texture splats placed within the field. Later Cabral and Leedom proposed LIC (Line Integral Convolution) that convolves an input noise texture using a low-pass filter along pixel-centered symmetrically bi-directional streamlines to exploit spatial correlation in the flow direction. LIC synthesizes an image that provides a global dense representation of the flow, analogous to the resulting pattern of wind-blown sand. There have been many optimizations of and extensions to LIC such as fast LIC , parallel LIC , LIC on curvilinear grids , LIC on triangulated surfaces , multi-frequency LIC , oriented LIC , enhanced LIC , dyed LIC , volume LIC , , and HyperLIC .
Heidrich et al. incorporated indirect pixel texture addressing and additive/subtractive texture blending to accelerate streamline integration and texture convolution in LIC. Preuber and Rumpf adopted another texture-based method, anisotropic nonlinear diffusion, to low-pass filter a noise texture along streamlines, but enhance edges in the orthogonal flow direction. Later Burkle et al. adapted this approach with texture transport for unsteady flows. Max and Becker applied texture mapping in either forward mesh warping or backward texture coordinates advection for time-dependent flow visualization. Forssell and Cohen used pathlines as convolution paths in LIC to visualize unsteady flow fields. Verma et al. presented PLIC (Pseudo LIC) in which pre-synthesized template textures are mapped on sparsely placed pathline ribbons to emulate a dense representation of time-dependent flows.
Some methods take advantage of hardware capabilities to achieve high performance visualization. Jobard et al. , designed an efficient rendering pipeline based on indirect pixel texture addressing for fast texture/dye advection and feature extraction. Weiskopf et al. exploited the pixel texture unit to visualize time-varying 3D vector fields. Van Wijk proposed IBFV (Image Based Flow Visualization) in which a sequence of temporally-spatially low-pass filtered noise textures are advected via forward texture mapping on warped meshes in combination with the blending of successive frames. This easy-to-implement, efficient, versatile method can emulate a wide range of techniques such as particles, arrow plots, streamlines, timelines, spot noise, LIC, and topological analysis at high frame rates using basic hardware features. IBFV was then used to visualize flow on 3D curved surfaces and enhance surface shape cueing by means of flow-aligned textures . IBFV was even extended to 3D flows by decomposing the 3D advection to planar and longitudinal advections . Jobard et al. presented LEA to visualize unsteady flow fields also at high frame rates despite its independence of hardware acceleration . To compute each pixel value of a frame, backward integration is used to retrieve at the last time step the contributing particle's footprint into which the iteratively advected texture, with noise injected at in-flow areas, is indexed for the contributed texture value. Successive textures are blended to create temporal coherence along pathlines in the flow evolution and short-length directional low-pass filtering is performed to improve spatial coherence along streamlines in an image. Visually pleasing effects can be obtained when arbitrarily shaped field domains are addressed using contextual masking. Recently Laramee et al. presented a novel method based on IBFV and LEA for a direct dense representation of unsteady flow on arbitrary triangular surfaces to address large, unstructured, dynamic meshes by projecting the surface geometry to image space to which backward mesh advection and successive texture blending are applied. Weiskopf et al. proposed UFAC , which, based on a generic spacetime-coherent framework, establishes temporal coherence by property advection along pathlines while building spatial correlation by texture convolution along instantaneous streamlines.
A well-known hardware-independent algorithm is UFLIC (Unsteady Flow LIC) proposed earlier by Shen and Kao . UFLIC uses a time-accurate value scattering scheme and a successive texture feed-forward strategy to achieve very high temporal and spatial coherence. At each time step a value scattering process occurs for which a seed is placed in each pixel. For this seed a pathline is integrated along which the seed's texture value is scattered to the downstream pixels over several time steps. The values received by each pixel at a time step are accumulated and convolved to synthesize the corresponding frame. To address the low performance of UFLIC, Liu and Moorhead presented AUFLIC (Accelerated UFLIC) based on their earilier work . AUFLIC is an order-of-magnitude faster than UFLIC and achieves interactive unsteady flow visualization by reusing pathlines in the time-consuming value scattering process. AUFLIC can be easily extended to time-varying volume flows --- VAUFLIC , .
As a geometry-based method, streamlines remain one of the most important approaches to flow visualization for the straightforward direction cueing and the low computational expense. Furthermore, a placement of evenly spaced streamlines , , may provide an aesthetic and informative pattern, without either incompleteness or cluttering, to facilitate mental reconstruction of the flow. The sparseness makes evenly spaced streamlines, particularly coupled with curve illumination, a promising solution for visualizing planar flows, curved surface flows, and volume flows.
[ 1] Robert S. Laramee, Helwig Hauser, Helmut Doleisch, Benjamin Vrolijk, Frits H. Post, and Daniel Weiskopf, "The State of the Art in Flow Visualization: Dense and Texture-based Techniques," Computer Graphics Forum, Vol. 23, No. 2, 2004.
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Detlev Stalling, M. Zockler, and Hans-Christian Hege, "Parallel Line Integral Convolution," Proceedings of the First Eurographics Workshop on Parallel Graphics and Visualization, Sept 26-27, Bristol, U.K., pp. 111-128, 1996.
Lisa K. Forssell and S. D. Cohen, "Using Line Integral Convolution for Flow Visualization: Curvilinear Grids, Variable-Speed Animation, and Unsteady Flows," IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 133-141, June 1995.
Christian Teitzel, Robert Grosso, and Thomas Ertl, "Line Integral Convolution on Triangulated Surfaces," Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference in Central Europe on Computer Graphics and Visualization (WSCG97), Feb 10-14, Plzen-Bory, Czech Republic, pp. 572-581, 1997.
Ming-Hoe Kiu and David C. Banks, "Multi-Frequency Noise for LIC," Proceedings of IEEE Visualization 96, Oct 27-Nov 1, San Francisco, California, pp. 121-126, 1996.
R. Wegenkittl, E. Groller, and W. Purgathofer, "Animating Flow Fields: Rendering of Oriented Line Integral Convolution," Proceedings of Computer Animation 97, June 5-6, Geneva, Switzerland, pp. 15-21, 1997.
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Han-Wei Shen, C. Johnson, and Kwan-Liu Ma, "Visualizing Vector Fields using Line Integral Convolution and Dye Advection," Proceedings of IEEE Symposium on Volume Visualization 96, Oct 28-29, San Francisco, California, pp. 63-70, 1996.
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C. Rezk-Salama, P. Hastreiter, C. Teitzel, and T. Ertl, "Interactive Exploration of Volume Line Integral Convolution Based on 3D-Texture Mapping," Proceedings of IEEE Visualization 99, Oct 24-29, San Francisco, California, pp. 233-240, 1999.
XiaoQiang Zheng and Alex Pang, "HyperLIC," Proceedings of IEEE Visualization 03, Oct 19-24, Seattle, Washington, pp. 249-256, 2003.
Wolfgang Heidrich, Rudiger Westermann, Hans-Peter Seidel, and Thomas Ertl, "Applications of Pixel Textures in Visualization and Realistic Image Synthesis," Proceedings of ACM Symposium on Interactive 3D Graphics, April 26-28, Atlanta, Georgia, pp. 127-134, 1999.
T. Preuber and M. Rumpf, "Anisotropic Nonlinear Diffusion in Flow Visualization," Proceedings of IEEE Visualization 99, Oct 24-29, San Francisco, California, pp. 325-332, 1999.
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Bruno Jobard, Gordon Erlebacher, and M. Yousuff Hussaini, "Hardware-Assisted Texture Advection for Unsteady Flow Visualization," Proceedings of IEEE Visualization 00, Oct 8-13, Salt Lake City, Utah, pp. 155-162, 2000.
Bruno Jobard, Gordon Erlebacher, and M. Yousuff Hussaini, "Tiled Hardware-Accelerated Texture Advection for Unsteady Flow Visualization," Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Computer Graphics & Vision (Graphicon 2000), Aug 28-Sept 2, Moscow, Russia, pp. 189-196, 2000.
Daniel Weiskopf, Matthias Hopf, and Thomas Ertl, "Hardware-Accelerated Visualization of Time-Varying 2D and 3D Vector Fields by Texture Advection via Programmable Per-pixel Operations," Proceedings of the 6th International Fall Workshop on Vision, Modeling, and Visualization (VMV 2001), Nov 21-23, Stuttgart, Germany, pp. 439-446, 2001.
Jarke J. van Wijk, "Image Based Flow Visualization," Proceedings of ACM SigGraph 02, July 21-26, San Antonio, Texas, pp. 745-754, 2002.
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Bruno Jobard, Gordon Erlebacher, and M. Yousuff Hussaini, "Lagrangian-Eulerian Advection of Noise and Dye Textures for Unsteady Flow Visualization," IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, Vol. 8, No. 3, pp. 211-222, July-September 2002.
Daniel Weiskopf, Gordon Erlebacher, Matthias Hopf, and Thomas Ertl, "Hardware-Accelerated Lagrangian-Eulerian Texture Advection for 2D Flow Visualization," Proceedings of the 7th International Fall Workshop on Vision, Modeling, and Visualization (VMV 2002), Nov 20-22, Erlangen, Germany, pp. 77-84, 2002.
Robert S. Laramee, Bruno Jobard, and Helwig Hauser, "Image Space Based Visualization of Unsteady Flow on Surfaces," Proceedings of IEEE Visualization 03, Oct 19-24, Seattle, Washington, pp. 131-138, 2003.
Daniel Weiskopf, Gordon Erlebacher, and Thomas Ertl, "A Texture-Based Framework for Spacetime-Coherent Visualization of Time-Dependent Vector Fields," Proceedings of IEEE Visualization 03, Oct 19-24, Seattle, Washington, pp. 107-114, 2003.
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Zhanping Liu and Robert J. Moorhead II, "Accelerated Unsteady Flow Line Integral Convolution (AUFLIC version 2.0)," IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 113-125, 2005.
Zhanping Liu and Robert J. Moorhead II, "AUFLIC: An Accelerated Algorithm for Unsteady Flow Line Integral Convolution (AUFLIC version 1.0)," Proceedings of EuroGraphics / IEEE VGTC Symposium on Visualization (VisSym 02, now EuroVis), May 27-29, Barcelona, Spain, pp. 43-52, 2002.
Zhanping Liu and Robert J. Moorhead II, "Visualizing Time-Varying Three-Dimensional Flow Fields Using Accelerated UFLIC," The 11th International Symposium on Flow Visualization, Aug 9-12, Notre Dame, Indiana, pp. 1-10, 2004.
Zhanping Liu and Robert J. Moorhead II, "A Texture-Based Hardware-Independent Technique for Time-Varying Volume Flow Visualization," Journal of Visualization, Vol. 8, No. 3, pp. 235~244, 2005.
Zhanping Liu, Robert J. Moorhead II, and Joe Groner, "An Advanced Evenly Spaced Streamline Placement Algorithm," IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, Vol. 12, No. 5 (Special Issue on IEEE Vis'06), pp. 965-972, 2006.
Zhanping Liu and Robert J. Moorhead II, "Robust Loop Detection for Interactively Placing Evenly Spaced Streamlines," IEEE Computing in Science and Engineering, Vol. 9, No. 4, 2007. pp. 86~91.
Zhanping Liu and Robert J. Moorhead II, "Interactive View-Driven Evenly Spaced Streamline Placement," Proceedings of IS & T / SPIE Conference on Visualization and Data Analysis (VDA'08), Jan 27-31, San Jose, CA, 2008. 68090A pp. 1~12. |
0.990176 | Newaygo County is a county located in the state of Michigan. As of 2000, the population is 47,874. Its county seat is White Cloud6.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,231 km² (861 mi²). 2,182 km² (842 mi²) of it is land and 49 km² (19 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.21% water.
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 47,874 people, 17,599 households, and 12,935 families residing in the county. The population density is 22/km² (57/mi²). There are 23,202 housing units at an average density of 11/km² (28/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 94.80% White, 1.12% Black or African American, 0.65% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.63% from other races, and 1.48% from two or more races. 3.85% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 17,599 households out of which 35.20% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.20% are married couples living together, 9.00% have a female householder with no husband present, and 26.50% are non-families. 22.20% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.00% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.68 and the average family size is 3.13.
In the county the population is spread out with 29.10% under the age of 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 12.80% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 99.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 97.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $37,130, and the median income for a family is $42,498. Males have a median income of $35,549 versus $22,738 for females. The per capita income for the county is $16,976. 11.60% of the population and 9.00% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 14.60% of those under the age of 18 and 8.50% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
This page has been accessed 3384 times. |
0.983085 | Cloud storage is a service model in which data is maintained, managed, backed up remotely and made available to users over a network (typically the Internet). There are three main cloud-based storage architecture models: public, private and hybrid.
These cloud storage providers are responsible for keeping the data available and accessible, and the physical environment protected and running. People and organizations buy or lease storage capacity from the providers to store user, organization, or application data.
What is cloud computing services and types of cloud computing? |
0.954871 | The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast and traverses the United States states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. At 1,469 miles (2,364 km), the Arkansas is the sixth longest river in the United States, the second-longest tributary in the Mississippi-Missouri system, and the 45th longest river in the world.
The river's origin is in the Rocky Mountains in Lake County, Colorado, near the town of Leadville. It enters the Mississippi at Napoleon, Arkansas 40 miles (64 km) northeast of Arkansas City, Arkansas. Principal cities along its route are Pueblo, Colorado; Wichita, Kansas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Fort Smith and Little Rock, Arkansas.
The Arkansas River drainage basin covers 161,000 square miles (417,000 square km), and has a total fall of 11,400 feet (3,500 m). In volume, the river is smaller than both the Missouri and Ohio Rivers, with an average discharge of at its mouth of 41,000 ft³/s (1155 m³/s).
Historically, the Arkansas River has played an important role in westward expansion. Native Americans hunted along its length, early explorers followed it westward, and from 1820 to 1846, it served as the boundary between the United States and Mexico. It continues to play an important role in the central states, feeding that region's important farmlands.
The Arkansas River has three distinct sections in its long path through the central United States.
At its headwaters in the Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mountains near the town of Leadville Colorado, the Arkansas runs as a steep mountain torrent through the Rockies in its narrow valley, dropping 4,600 feet (1.4 km) in 120 miles (193 km). This section (including The Numbers, Brown's Canyon, and the Royal Gorge) sees extensive whitewater rafting in the spring and summer.
At Cañon City, Colorado, the Arkansas River valley widens and flattens markedly. Just west of Pueblo, Colorado, the river enters the Great Plains. Through the rest of Colorado, through Kansas, and through northern Oklahoma to Tulsa, it is a typical Great Plains riverway, with wide shallow banks subject to seasonal flooding. Tributaries include the Canadian River and the Cimarron River, both flowing from northeastern New Mexico, and the Salt Fork Arkansas River.
Below Tulsa, and continuing to its mouth, the river is navigable by barges and large river craft thanks to a series of dams that turn it into reservoirs. Above Tulsa, it is navigable only by small craft such as rafts, canoes, and kayaks.
Water flow in the Arkansas River (as measured in central Kansas) has dropped from approximately 248 cubic feet per second (7 m³/s) average from 1944-1963 to 53 cubic feet per second (1.5 m³/s) average from 1984-2003, largely because of the pumping of groundwater for irrigation in eastern Colorado and western Kansas.
Important cities along the Arkansas include Pueblo, Colorado; Wichita, Kansas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Fort Smith and Little Rock, Arkansas.
Inland waterway system with McClellan-Kerr Navigational Channel shown in red.
The McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System is part of the inland waterway system originating at the Tulsa Port of Catoosa and running southeast through Oklahoma and Arkansas to the Mississippi River.
Though it primarily follows the Arkansas River, it also follows portions of the Verdigris River in Oklahoma and the White River in Arkansas. It includes the Arkansas Post Canal, a short canal named for nearby Arkansas Post National Memorial, connecting the Arkansas and White Rivers.
Through Oklahoma and Arkansas, dams artificially deepen and widen this modest sized river to build it into a commercially navigable body of water. Along the section of the Arkansas River that carries the McClellan-Kerr channel, the river sustains commercial barge traffic and offers passenger and recreational use, and is considered by some, a series of reservoirs.
The Arkansas River is quite shallow through Arkansas and Oklahoma, and was naturally incapable of supporting river traffic though most of the year. To allow for navigation, construction was begun in 1971 on a system of channels and locks to connect the many reservoirs along the length of the Arkansas River. The first section, running to Little Rock, Arkansas, opened in 1968. The first barge to reach the Port of Catoosa arrived in early 1971.
Each lock measures 110 feet (34 m) wide and 600 feet (180 m) long, the standard size for much of the Mississippi River waterway. Standard jumbo barges, measuring 35 by 195 feet (59 m), are grouped 3 wide by 3 long, with a tug at center rear, to form a barge packet which can be fit into a lock. Larger barge packets must be broken down and passed through the lock in sections, and rejoined on the opposite side.
Many nations of Native Americans lived near or along the Arkansas River in its 1,450 mile (2334 km) stretch, but the first Europeans to see the river were members of the Coronado expedition on June 29, 1541 near the site of Dodge City, Kansas. Also in the 1540s Hernando de Soto discovered the junction of the Arkansas with the Mississippi. The name "Arkansas" was first applied by Father Jacques Marquette, who called the river Akansa in his journal of 1673. In 1806 the American explorer Zebulon Pike traveled through the river's upper reaches.
From 1819 the Adams-Onís Treaty set the Arkansas as part of the frontier between the United States and Spanish Mexico, which it remained until the annexation of Texas and the Mexican-American War in 1846.
Later, the Santa Fe Trail followed the Arkansas through much of Kansas except for the Cimarron Cutoff from Cimarron, Kansas, to Cimarron, New Mexico, via Cimarron County, Oklahoma along the Cimarron River.
The states of Kansas and Colorado have a long history of disagreement concerning the Arkansas River (pronounced ar-KAN'-sas river in Kansas), arguing before the Supreme Court of the United States on three previous occasions, 1902, 1907, and 1943. After the 1943 action, the states developed the Arkansas River Compact, which was intended to apportion the Arkansas River between the two states. In 1985, Kansas alleged that Colorado had violated the Compact and sought legal recourse before the Supreme Court. The Court appointed a Special Master to investigate the allegations and submit recommendations to the Court.
In 1994, the Special Master issued his first report, which recommended that the Court find Colorado in violation of the Compact in certain respects. Since then, the Master has issued three more reports and the states have filed various objections, most of which the Court has dismissed. Kansas has filed six exceptions to the reports recommendations, and the United States has intervened to ask the Court to overrule two of them.
↑ J.C. Kammerer. Largest Rivers in the United States U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved September 22, 2008.
Arkansas River Coalition. Arkansas River Retrieved September 22, 2008.
EarthTrends. Full Scale Map Retrieved September 22, 2008.
Oklahoma. 2007. McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System 2007 inland waterway fact sheet. Tulsa: ODOT Waterways Branch.
This page was last modified on 14 April 2016, at 15:08. |
0.96422 | What are the best rums that can be found in Vancouver, Canada?
Zaya is a very good rum in Vancouver with their limited selection! Or if you can find it Admiral Rodney extra old 12 year.
Be careful with the Zaya rum, buy only the old version with the real straw neck and not the version with the printed neck label. Find more info under the ratings.
If you go to a 'Signature" BCLDB store, you can find the Flor de Cana line, higher end Appletons, Gosling's, and Matusalem. I haven't lived in Vancouver for about 5 years now, however, the best store was at 41st and Cambie St.
Legacy Liquor (1633 Manitoba St) carries a great selection of premium brands, but be warned - at a (swallow hard) premium markup. However, having searched the province(s), they seem to be the only ones who do - other than going to Alberta.
I've purchased a variety from them over the years, such as Diplimatico (Ambassador & Single Vintage), Brugal 1888, Plantation 20 XO and Santa Teresa 1796. Their website is decent, but missing a ton of product images for the premiums. Still, it provides origin country and price point.
You can also collect points redeemable for store purchases, which does help to offset the markup down the road. |
0.999992 | Include two games! Valley 1: Procedural Metroidvania with crafting. Valley 2: Procedural Contra-like with Strategy Layer. |
0.685084 | In the various discussions about the dynamics of the potentially habitable planet around Gliese 581, the issue of tide-locking comes up. How do we know that a planet like this may face this problem? It's closer to the parent star, of course, but the star is a lot less massive as well.
It turns out it's not too hard to estimate the tidal forces, at least at the order-of-magnitude level, for a clone of Earth put around another star. More details below.
Gliese 581, a red dwarf star already known to have at least one other planet, has a potentially habitable planet. It's somewhat larger than Earth (about 5 times as massive), and its average temperature appears to be well within the liquid range for water.
First off, this detection is amazing. Just finding something like this is a challenge; most exoplanets are much more massive, making them that much easier to detect. And then there's the question on everyone's mind: Is this planet truly Earthlike? It's reasonably sized, and could have the right temperature, but beyond that, it's really hard to answer. For one thing, it already has a massive planet, about the mass of Neptune, orbiting even closer still. This complicates the system's dynamics significantly. The smaller planet's orbit is obviously stable in the long term, but even small orbit changes can have significant effects on a planet's climate. As far as I can tell, this is still an open question; astronomers haven't really figured out whether or not a large planet like this would make the smaller, more Earthlike planet uninhabitable. Additionally, red dwarf stars can subject planets to unusually high tides compared to larger stars. In extreme cases, this can lead to a planet having one side always face its star, much as the Moon always keeps one face towards Earth.
In short, the planet configuration is stable and the inner Neptune mass should have neglibible influence on the middle planet (other than being a spectacular evening/morning star) - only way it would affect the climate on the middle planet is if it affected tidal locking process - the middle planet is just outside a 2:1 orbital resonance with the inner planet - hm, in fact it might be in the 12:5 resonance which is a bit weird - but their final orbital configuration might have been dynamically coupled, this could influence whether the middle planet locked to its orbital period in 1:1 rotation resonance.
Of course, we still don't know enough about the atmosphere, actual temperature, etc. to answer other questions about habitability.
If there were intelligent beings living here, what would they experience? More below.
Read more about Habitable planet?
I haven't posted a whole lot of updates in the last year. That's because I've been busy with something else huge: adopting a beautiful 6-year old girl from China. |
0.999837 | Moving animals to save them from floods, fires and drought is reminiscent of the tale of Noah's Ark, but this radical plan is being considered to save some species from climate change.
Assisted migration has been used to help out species, such as the Gilbert's potoroo (pictured), from introduced predators. Could it be of use in the face of climate change, too?
Assisted migration, in relation to climate change, will involve taking threatened species and moving them from one site to another in order to escape changes in temperature and rainfall, or extreme weather events, that could make their original location unsuitable in the future. Assisted migration can also be called translocation, managed relocation or assisted colonisation, and can involve both plants and animals.
Why might it be necessary?
While some species have already shifted their range in response to climate change, not all can move so easily. Many will not be able to move fast enough to keep pace with climatic changes, while urban areas and habitat loss could hinder movement in others. For animals and plants already restricted to mountaintops, there could be nowhere left to go.
Also, events triggered by climate change, like wildfire, flood or drought, could devastate the entire habitat used by a species, such as the critically endangered Western swamp tortoise, whose estimated range is only five square kilometers in Western Australia.
Proponents of assisted migration argue that there may be no option but to ship species like these somewhere new.
Assisted migrations in Australia have, to date, been undertaken to protect animals from introduced predators, not in response to climate change. For example, the Gilbert's potoroo, Australia's most endangered mammal, is threatened by cats and foxes. Potoroos have been translocated to a predator-free island where they are now breeding successfully.
In the first test of assisted migration in response to climate change, British researchers moved a population of butterflies 65 km north of their current range to a site predicted to be climatically suitable. The butterflies persisted at the new site and have expanded their range, leading the scientists to conclude that assisted migration could save some species from climate change.
Opponents argue that the risk of a relocated species becoming a pest in its new home outweighs any potential benefit. As Australia spends millions battling cane toads, rabbits and foxes, we should understand the risks of moving species beyond their native range.
It will be hard to predict a suitable new site and even harder to prove climate change is the main threat and not habitat loss or another factor. A failed relocation could cause further declines in already imperiled species.
However, advocates counter that such risks can be minimised and that the alternative - to do nothing and watch species become extinct - is not an option.
Assisted migration will most likely occur when extinction is imminent and risk of the species becoming a pest at the new site is low. Many animals and plants once had larger geographic ranges across Australia, so moving them to sites within their historic range could prove the least risky option.
Despite the controversy, assisted migration is supported by the Ecological Society of Australia and a number of prominent scientists.
Which species could be candidates?
As yet, no species have been flagged as candidates for assisted migration in response to climate change in particular in Australia, and the strategy is likely to be used only as a last resort.
However, a new study aims to identify sites for the potential relocation of the Western swamp tortoise. The tortoise is highly vulnerable to drought and high temperatures, and translocations have already been carried out within its historic range, suggesting that Australia's most endangered reptile could be the first aboard the new Noah's Ark. |
0.928485 | You are sitting at your desk, looking at your to do list but you really do not want to do that list today.
Ask: What is the best use of my attention at this moment? If the answer does not pull you into your most important priority, you may be ready for a break.
can give you a vital break. You will come back refreshed to start the task another day.
Ask: Will I be more productive with a well-rested mind? Instead of struggling in the present moment by wasting time, you will breeze through the task at a more productive time.
If you keep cramming more and more onto your list, somewhere there is going to be a traffic jam. When you get stuck, it may be a good time to get off the road and take break! |
0.999995 | What do you think are some of the greatest Ideas explored in Science Fiction over the years?
By "Great Ideas" I don't necessarily mean something which is technically feasible (although those count as well), but something which expands the way we see the world and makes us think of new possibilities.
I'm not so much interested in the stories themselves as those have been discussed before, and I don't want to get into spoilers, but what about the ideas in the stories specifically.
For example, "Warp Drive" as popularized in Star Trek has become an almost household idea even though it is not technically feasible at this point. It's an idea which allows us to bypass the daunting limitations of distances in space and to theorize about other worlds and what we might discover. It has also lead to actual research as real scientists strive toward the idea which is at present well beyond our technical capacity.
Another more obscure example might be the Spherical Statis fields called Bobbles in Vernor Vinge's Marooned in Realtime. In the story, a device exists which can create a "bobble", a spherical stasis field in which time stands still for a specified length of outside time, allowing one-way time travel into the future. The bobble can also be used as a weapon, a shield against other weapons, for storage, for space travel (combined with nuclear pulse propulsion), and other purposes.
What are the most interesting "Ideas" you have encountered in Science Fiction?
The space elevator brought to the world through the great mind of Arthur C. Clarke. It could actually be the great democratizer of escaping Earth and Earth's gravity.
I like the tales that asserted that aliens "invested their own destinies " in us via viruses that have changed our genomes (or the genomes of the earlier primates to create the "hopeful monsters" waiting on an environmental condition that is favorable to these genomic changes.
Not so far from a possibility , because several "Pseudogenes" reside on our own string that bear the result of the infection by viruses (tht have left their copies of their own DNA onto a specific string of genes like the GULO genes , associated with our chemical inability to create vitamin C).
The other thing was the first writing about Alderson "jump spots" where, like "worm holes" a vessel could cross the galaxy or two by knowing the jump spot road map of the universe. Theres a contingent of cosmologists who say that a black hole will not detroy whatever enters its realm, but will "beam it to the next "node" where two or more event horizons cross.
I like the tales that asserted that aliens "invested their own destinies " in us via viruses that have changed our genomes (or the genomes of the earlier primates) to create the "hopeful monsters" waiting on an environmental condition that is favorable to these genomic changes.
I hadn't heard of this one before. Do you remember who wrote or what book it was from?
Clarke had some great ideas. Was he the first to come up with a Space Elevator? I didn't know that.
I recall one book from the distant past, but not the title. In it, the space craft hosted a self sustained city and their destination was a new habitable planet.
Then HG Wells antigravity machine was interesting to me. First Men in the Moon.
I like the "babel fish" from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
I just saw this online. Maybe it's not so far-fetched!
That's interesting. Years ago Setanta asked if anyone could identify a novel in which this old trope (Colony on an Interstellar Ship) was used, and everyone could remember reading something like that, but I don't recall anyone ever identifying an actual novel.
Babel Fish? Is that a translator device of some type? If it's in Hitchhiker's Guide I'm guessing it might be an actual "fish" of some type.
I think it really was a fish in Hitchhiker's Guide.
I would love to see beaming, but not for human transport (I have philosophical issues with it). Rather, I would love to see it used for surgery. Just teleport the tumor away.
Pertinent article on BBc website today.
I have searched for the story online. I am beginning to think it may have been a novelette instead of a complete book.
I think it was Peter Hamilton in one of his series where people had implants that would allow them to communicate across interstellar distances and have insane amounts of information at their fingertips. If you tape people's smartphones to their heads you would just about have that now.
Star Trek: Stun guns, e-readers, cell phones.
Yep, reading that book now and it was a fish inserted into the ear.
The closest thing to this I ever read was The Worthing Saga.
It had to be an author who wrote from the 30s 0r 40s into the 60s.
Then Michael Chrichton wrote Prey, which dealt with a swarm of nano robots.
I always liked the idea of Nano Machines being able to form themselves into larger and more complex forms.
So many writers envisioned debit cards/cash withdrawals by credit cards. That may just have been laziness, though--it was easier than imagining money transactions in the future. But it did come to pass.
"Dyson Sphere" or similar structures. Like in Larry Niven's "Ringworld" |
0.903901 | It is estimated that by 2031 the number of mainland Chinese living in Vancouver will double to 800,000 making up about 25% of the estimated total population of Vancouver.
Over the 10-year period between 1996 and 2006, the population of mainland Chinese residing in Vancouver increased 88% to 137,245. Vancouver is densely populated by mainland Chinese, so much so that Richmond a city within Vancouver is home to the first city outside of China with a majority-Chinese population. The city of 200,000 exemplifies the ways Vancouver has embraced the Chinese culture, making it a popular destination for many.
However, the increased popularity of Vancouver has also come with some bad news: Vancouver has become the second most expensive city to live in the world, a rank that has resulted from the spike in property value with the increasing demand for homes. Though many wealthy Chinese have purchased homes to live in, many have also left them vacant due to frequent travelling and strong connections back home.
Though there are not exact numbers detailing how many homes have been purchased by Chinese investors, some local real estate agents claim that as many as 80% of their sales have been to Chinese mainland residents.
Vancouver appeals to Chinese because of the fresh air, beautiful environment, and education system for their children, according to a real estate agent interviewed. Given China's prohibition on dual citizenship, mainland Chinese are more likely to have the wife and children in Vancouver while the husband continues to live and work in China. |
0.965357 | Is staging a home really that vital of a component to marketing and selling your home in Palm Beach Gardens?
Because I work with buyers and sellers in a variety of communities, country clubs and gated neighborhoods throughout Palm Beach County I see what appeals to buyers and what sellers need to be doing in order to get their property sold. Dealing with both sides of the transaction means that I see both sides and know what works and what doesn't work on both ends.
Staging, the art of organizing and designing a living space for a variety of personalities and tastes, is certainly an art form. Not everybody is good at it and those that are, tend to do it professionally. But how crucial is it to selling your property?
Even the best staging in the world could not possibly sell a home that is overpriced. Price truly is the number one factor to getting a home sold. However, staging, location, condition, size and price all play vital factors in whether a home gets sold, how fast, and at what price. Staging is just a component to marketing, but I would say it's at least 25 to 35% of the home selling process. Whether you do it yourself or hire a professional, having your home staged, designed, and properly laid out means that buyers feel more comfortable in your home and can easily see themselves living in the house. Having too many personal items, clutter, uncleanliness, collections and simply too much "stuff", will all detract from the true bones of the structure. Buyers realize that they're not buying the furniture or items in the home but by using professional items or simply staging what you already have in a neat and organized fashion, gives buyers more of a sense of how they would lay out their home.
One simple way to do this is to leave rooms designed as they were originally intended. This means that you remove any items that could be used as an office out of the dining room and keep the dining room neatly set and ready to go. If you have rooms that just collect storage, it's time to clear those out and make room for either an additional bedroom or a nice office area. If you have a sitting room add books, a pair of glasses, perhaps the wine bottle and a couple of glasses to set the stage and create an environment that would be inviting to the general public. Rather than simply organizing a table and a chair, design and experience such as setting the table for the evening meal, setting a breakfast table with fresh flowers or greens, providing fresh flowers next to a nightstand by the bed with a good book and a pair of reading glasses. Create a spa-like ambience in the bathrooms with fresh linens, live greenery arrangements, soaps and a basket of amenities. Again, we do realize that buyers will not be buying your personal belongings but by giving them an experience as they browse each room, it can create a sense of comfort, peacefulness, and calm, all of which provided attractiveness to your Palm Beach County property.
For more information on staging your home or to contact professional stagers in our area to get your home sold as quickly as possible give me a call anytime. |
0.999971 | I want the caption to read, “Larry Wayne Wagstaff, 63, was arrested after the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office found the vehicle he was advertising on Craigslist was reported as stolen.
A 63-year-old man is under arrest after the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Auto Theft Task Force discovered a vehicle being sold on Craigslist was reported stolen.
Larry Wayne Wagstaff was taken into custody Friday when he drove up in the reportedly stolen vehicle, a 2017 Nissan Frontier, to a meeting the task force arranged at West Davis Street in Conroe. The truck, reported stolen by the Houston Police Department, was being advertised on the classified website Craigslist.
Wagstaff is facing three felony charges of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, forgery of a government document and possession of a controlled substance. Wagstaff is being held on a $6,000 bond. |
0.999856 | What about the numbers after billion?
International Number System 1 10 100 1,000 10,000 100,000 1,000,000 10,000,000 100,000,000 1,000,000,000 One Ten Hundred Thousand Ten Thousand Hundred Thousand One Million Ten Million Hundred Million One Billion Million has 6 zeroes. Billion has 9 zeroes. |
0.999871 | John Brennan was the director of the CIA under President Barack Obama. He joined the agency in the early 1980s and rose through the ranks to work with multiple presidents. Brennan says he applied to the agency after he saw an ad in The New York Times and his wife nudged him to get a real job. The screening process can take six to 12 months, with deep background checks on every applicant. We interviewed Brennan in April at the Masters golf tournament, where Intersport held a leadership summit. Brennan had a lot of thoughts on cybersecurity, which he views as one of the world's top threats. He also opined on President Donald Trump's first 100 days in office and explained how he dealt with the stress of learning some of the world's deepest, darkest secrets.
On January 20, John Brennan retired from his role as CIA director. He had been with the agency for more than 30 years and served multiple US presidents, including Bill Clinton, George Bush and Barack Obama.
In April, Brennan was invited to speak at the Masters golf tournament in Augusta by Intersport for a summit on leadership. Business Insider US Editor in Chief Alyson Shontell interviewed Brennan there about how he joined the agency, the nascent administration of President Donald Trump, and what it was like in the Situation Room when Osama Bin Laden was killed.
"The minutes seemed like hours, it went on and on, and even after we knew that it seemed like the raid was successful, waiting for our forces that carried out that raid to get out of Pakistani airspace safely, because it was a fair distance that had to travel, it was white knuckles," Brennan said.
Below is a transcript of the conversation, which has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Alyson Shontell: John Brennan is here with us today. He was the director of the CIA until January 2017 when a new administration took over. But he worked under US President Barack Obama. He served before that as chief counterterrorism adviser. He speaks fluent Arabic. He's been working in and around the government for decades and now he's attempting to retire for a second time.
So my first question is, how is retirement going? Is it actually happening and are you relaxing? What have you been doing since January?
John Brennan: Well, first of all, Alyson, I just want to thank you so much for inviting me down here, to have an opportunity to talk about leadership issues. January 20 was my last day in the government, and I promised my wife yet again that I will not go back into government, because it's my second time I retired. I retired back in 2005. This time I told myself I wanted to really take my time before I figured out what I want to do in the next chapter of my life. And one of the things that I really wanted to do was to be able to reintroduce myself to my family. My wife has stood by my side for 38 years; we have three children. But now also we have a 2 1/2-year-old grandson. And so since January 20 I've been trying to spend as much time as I can with my family and spend a lot of time with my grandson, which I really enjoy. I still get up at about 4:15 in the morning. My body clock is not adjusted yet.
Brennan joined the CIA after graduate school.
Shontell: Looking now back on your career, when you were growing up, your career in the CIA, is it something you could have anticipated?
Brennan: I didn't anticipate it, although I must say, when I was young I used to read a lot of history books and I was really fascinated with the Revolutionary War. I noticed that when I was reading about Nathan Hale - the nation's first spy - he was hanged on September 22, 1776. My birthday is September 22. So from a very early age, I had this affinity with Nathan Hale, although I was hoping I wasn't going to wind up like him, but it got me interested in the business of intelligence. I never in my wildest imagination thought that I would have that great, great honor and privilege to lead such tremendously talented, hardworking, and dedicated patriots at the CIA. And so when I had the opportunity to do that, there's no way that I would decline that opportunity.
Shontell: Let's talk about how you got to the CIA. You mentioned you're getting reintroduced to your wife and your family now, but your wife actually encouraged you to apply, right?
Brennan: Yeah, one could say "encouraged." I was in the doctoral program at the University of Texas at Austin, went to undergraduate school up at Fordham University, in New York. So I was down in Texas getting a doctorate in government, concentration in Middle Eastern studies. And I was married when I was 22, and my wife, she was a physical-education teacher down there. She was the one who was earning the money to keep us afloat. I had previously sent in an application to the CIA because of a New York Times ad I saw one time on the way to Fordham, and I had some overseas experience. My wife knew that I had that application, so she prodded me and said, "Send that application in so you can get a real job and help pay the bills," which I did, and it was a great, great opportunity.
I started off in operations and then switched over to analysis pretty early on, and then had opportunities to go overseas, including in the Middle East. I had to take an intensive six-month Arabic class before going out there. My instructor, who at the end of the six months, he hated me and I hated him because it was just so intense. But I was pretty good in Arabic.
Shontell: Let's go back just a tiny bit to the recruiting process for the CIA - not just any old schmo can join. So what's that like, and what do they look for?
Brennan: Well, I think that the requirements have changed over time. When I applied, they were interested in my overseas experience, my language ability. We still are. The CIA is very much interested in people who have that type of world experience as well as language skills. But increasingly, we're looking for people with great technical skills as well as different types of engineering and scientific and all different types of backgrounds and talents.
We have 61 or 63 professions within CIA. There's a background investigation that goes on for six to 12 months because we want to know who we're welcoming into our family and who is going to be entrusted with some of the nation's most sensitive and precious secrets and capabilities.
Shontell: So you do background checks for six to 12 months on each person that you bring in?
Shontell: And that consists of calling family members?
Brennan: Yes, and a lot of people now, who, because of our interconnected world, they've spent a lot of time overseas, and so lot have family overseas, so there are just a slew of security officers and background investigators who go out to make sure that we're not bringing into our organization somebody that the Russians or the Chinese might have sent to us under the guise of somebody who was interested in working for the agency. But when you look at the percentage of people who have gone bad within the agency, it is a very, very small percent.
Brennan: Much less than that - .001%, I would say.
Shontell: I want to talk about your rise through the ranks at the CIA. You said you began in operations. Was there some sort of mentor you had? What was it that really accelerated your career there?
Brennan: Well, as I said, I went to Serbia in 1982. There was an individual by the name of Bob Ames who was renowned within the agency for being the epitome of a CIA operations officer, a very good Arabist, worked in the Middle East for many years. When I joined the agency, he was in operations, but then he took charge of the analytic component working in the Middle East, which I worked for. And so when I was studying Arabic, I'd go back into the office in the afternoon and the weekends, and he would frequently quiz me on Arabic. And he just exuded leadership, as well as integrity and honesty, as well as knowledge about Middle East and the intelligence business. And so he encouraged me to take the job in Saudi Arabia. I went out to Saudi Arabia, and it was in April of 1983 when I was there, and our embassy in Beirut was bombed by Hezbollah, killing scores of people, including many American diplomats - about 18 or so, I think it was.
When I was looking at the names that were coming in, I saw Robert Ames. And I said, "Oh, is someone else at that embassy with that name? Because I knew he was back in Washington. Well, in fact, he was on travel to Beirut, and he was in the embassy when that bomb hit. And at 49 years old, six months away from retirement - he and his wife had five or six children - he was killed.
He has one of those stars on our memorial wall. And I always felt that his dedication to this country, and that he gave his life to this country, to me it just served as a tremendous inspiration and a model for somebody who really was at the top of his craft, and so dedicated and hardworking, and also had those leadership qualities and traits that I greatly admired. So I guess through the course of my career I've always thought of Bob Ames and what he did, even in his short lifetime.
Brennan: When I was head of CIA for four years, I had to go out to Dover Air Force Base a number of times to receive the remains of officers who fell in line of duty, and their families go out there, too. And whenever that happens, obviously it's a body blow to the agency. In all instances when I was out there, we couldn't acknowledge that the person was CIA, so we had to go there under the dark of night. But it's a very, very solemn ceremony, where the casket is brought off of the plane. And the US military has the Honor Guard there. But it doesn't make CIA officers then leave because of those risks and the costs. It redoubles our commitment to this country so that we can carry on the legacy and honor the sacrifice of those officers. So as I said, that memorial wall in our lobby, which has now 117 stars, it will be a constant reminder about what it is that we do.
Shontell: The CIA has been criticized sometimes publicly by top people now in the administration. There have been tweets. How do you deal with something like that as the leader of this group, something you're really proud of? Someone taking aim at what you're doing - what your team has done?
Brennan: I do think that there was a lack of appreciation about just how important and essential the agency is among some who are joining. And I think there were some careless words that were used to describe what intelligence officers do. If some senior government officials diminish, deride, and criticize what they do, it does take a toll, because not only are the sacrifices made by individuals who have given their lives, but sacrifices of people who were away from their families for so long. I have missed countless baseball games and volleyball games and school events and other things. And you want to believe that what you're doing is valued by those individuals who have the responsibility for leveraging the CIA and others to keep this country safe.
So there are a few things that were said before the transition that I took umbrage at when there were references made to Nazi Germany and equating intelligence officers to them. I reacted to it. And I also reacted to some statements that were made in front of that wall of honor that I thought were very political and didn't have a place and were not respectful of the sacrifices those individuals made. So I said that I found that it was inappropriate. And I spoke out.
I think, though, since then there has been a greater understanding and appreciation of just how valuable what the intelligence community does to these people. So I like to think that it's starting to cool down. However, the partisan waters in Washington run deep, and they are swirling about much more so than I've ever seen before. It is hobbling our government's ability to do what it needs to do on the domestic front as well as on the international front.
President Donald Trump delivered remarks during a visit to the CIA in Langley, Virginia, the day after his inauguration.
Shontell: In his first 10o days, Trump touted his leadership abilities as a winning selling point for him during his campaigning. How do you think he's doing as a leader so far?
Brennan: Clearly he did a phenomenal job during the campaign, and I feel as though he believes that his natural instincts on these issues, whether it be in business or in campaigning, which have been very successful and can continue to drive him. He is somebody who is a very spontaneous individual. He reacts to his gut. A lot of these issues are very, very complex and complicated, and my feeling and impression is that he has had only a very, very limited experience in dealing with these international issues and has very superficial understanding of issues that are very, very complicated, whether it be terrorism or North Korea or Russia, China, you name it - cyber issues. And he really needs to go to school on some of these issues.
The gut instinct, the spontaneity that got him through the election, that's not sufficient to deal with these issues, and missteps and mistakes on the international front, as well as on the domestic front, really can have very, very damaging locations for the country. And I was hoping that by now we would have seen an adjustment from the candidate Trump to President Trump. But I think he has a certain persona, and I think he feels as though he's been very successful to date, and so he has continued in that path. But to me one of the great marks of good leaders is to understand that what made you successful in this area or in this realm may not necessarily be the same thing that's going to make you successful at something else. You have to adapt to the realities, to the new responsibilities, to the operating environment that you're in. Presidential transitions are tough.
Shontell: What is the best way to transition from one leader to the next? You've been a part of that numerous times, including just in January.
Brennan: I think the best way to do it is to recognize that you are passing the solemn responsibilities of governance to a new team, and I believe that every administration has an obligation to do whatever it can for the incoming team, and I think, certainly, President Bush, President Clinton, President Bush 41, they all saw themselves as building upon the foundations and the past actions of their predecessors. Yes, there were differences of view, and, yes, there were criticisms of it, but I've never seen a transition now where there is this condemnation and finger-pointing of the previous administration.
Shontell: How about for your own transition to Mike Pompeo? Did you have any words of advice for him?
Brennan: Mike Pompeo, the new director of CIA, he was a member of the House Intelligence Oversight Committee, so I had interactions with him previously before he was even nominated to be the director of CIA. When he was, he came over, we sat down, spent about an hour and a half together. He said he was humbled and honored by the opportunity to lead the men and women of CIA. He was a congressman from Kansas - Republican - and he was known as a pretty tough partisan fighter. And I said, the most important thing for success at the agency in terms of how the work force is going to receive you and your interactions with your counterparts overseas and the administration, you really need to put those partisan politics behind. You really need to make sure that you understand and embrace the responsibilities of an objective, nonpartisan leader of the CIA. I think he is doing well.
I told him, the most important thing for anybody who's going to be taking on that responsibility, is use your first period of time, whether it be six, nine, 12 months, to learn as much as you can about the organization that you're running. Understand how it interacts within itself, how it inter-operates with the rest of the intelligence community and the US government. You really need to have that in-depth understanding and knowledge in order for you to have the wisdom to be able to leverage it for the best of the country's security.
And there is a distinction between knowledge and wisdom in my mind. I felt that when I joined the agency, I had a fair amount of knowledge about the Middle East and Arabic and terrorism and other things. But wisdom is using that knowledge and having the ability then to see opportunities, risks, challenges, things that you need to do.
Shontell: Running the CIA is certainly no easy task. There's probably no harder job in the world. You have to earn serious trust with people, and you have to keep the world's deepest darkest secrets all to yourself. How do you deal with that? How did you learn to figure out the most daunting things in the world and then internalize them?
Brennan: For many years at CIA, I had no opportunity to interact with the public. And partly that was the sign of the times that CIA would really not do any type of public speaking or engagement. Over time, as I rose through the ranks of the agency, I had to appear before Congress, the 9/11 Commission. I was invited to speak to groups, whether it be for recruiting purposes or for educational purposes. The more familiar you are with the work as well as how certain information is collected, I became more comfortable with distinguishing between that which I could talk about and that which I have to say, I'm sorry I can't get into details on this.
Shontell: But doesn't it eat you up inside? I mean, you know everything.
Brennan: No, I don't know everything. Absolutely I don't know. To me, it's Socratic wisdom, which is you start to realize how much you don't know and for an intelligence officer, even for others, it's critically important to understand what it is that you know, the confidence that you attach to what you know.
But most important for an intelligence officer is what you do not know, and briefing President Obama, President Bush, and others. I'd talk to him about what it is we know, reporting our confidence in our assessments and analysis, but I always made a point of saying that we don't know this and we're unsure of this, and we may have the opportunity to learn about this, but we're not going to be able to find out about this before it happens.
And that's very important. One's wisdom is understanding exactly how limited one's knowledge is in this world, where there's just been an explosion in information, which is maybe more challenging now because of social media and fake news and all the stuff that's out there separating the wheat from the chaff.
Brennan worked with Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George H.W. Bush.
Shontell: You've worked with Bush, you've worked with Clinton, you've worked with Obama, and you've now seen the transition of Trump, so talk a little bit about their leadership styles. How do they differ? What did you impart on them?
Brennan: Well, President Clinton was the first president I got to work with on a fairly regular basis. I had met with and briefed President George H.W. Bush, who was one of my real idols because he was a former director of CIA, the only one who became president.
The thing about President Clinton is that he had a photographic memory. He would read something, or I'd brief him on something, and then two or three months later, when I'm briefing him on something else, he'd say, "Didn't you tell me - ?" and then he would recollect something that I had long since forgotten. You could see his brain was working like a computer.
President George W. Bush, as I mentioned, he's somebody who had tremendous, tremendous respect for CIA officers, the intelligence community. Obviously being there at 9/11 and the aftermath of that, he was somebody who, again, wanted to talk to the experts, and not just the directors of the CIA, whatever. I was heading up a multi-agency counterterrorism program at the time, so I had a lot of interaction with him, and I felt as though he was really trying to get to the bottom of things because he wanted to do what was right. And although I didn't agree with a number of his decisions - and, quite frankly, I blame that not on President Bush but some of the people around him in the White House who had a rather dark view of the world, but I won't mention Vice President Cheney. But President Bush really was a very hard worker, very diligent. He's somebody who recognized he didn't have all the knowledge that he needed, but I felt that he was a wise person because he tried to tap into the knowledge of others.
President Obama, as somebody who I worked obviously most closely with, he would, you know, stay up into the early hours of the morning reading papers and absorbing it, and so any meeting he would go to, he had a lot of background already on it. But what I always found interesting, as well as I admired, he would always ask, 'What do you think?' He tried to draw out from people other views and perspectives.
Shontell: So as someone who was working closely with them and as the head of the CIA, you were given a lot of very tall tasks, including most recently an investigation into how much Russia influenced the election. When you're given a task like that, how do you handle that investigation and then how do you deal with the stress of it personally?
Shontell: Could you tell her?
Brennan: No, I couldn't, and so she would be the one who would lie awake at night and I'm there snoring, so maybe it's just you get used to it.
In the morning when I wake up, I look myself in the mirror and I'd say to myself, 'Yeah, I'm doing the best I can do. Am I human? Yes. Do I make mistakes? Yes. But do I feel as though I'm making the decisions for the right reasons and I'm not doing it to promote myself or to protect myself? Yeah.' And so sometimes I tend to be maybe more honest than some people would like, but I was taught at a very young age that honesty is the best prescription for avoiding problems and self-inflicted wounds. I would hope that more US officials would be honest, as opposed to just pushing out things that are designed to promote oneself or protect oneself.
Former CIA director John Brennan testifies before the House Intelligence Committee to take questions on “Russian active measures during the 2016 election campaign” in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., May 23, 2017.
Shontell: A big issue increasingly is cybersecurity. And it seems as if we're pretty ill-prepared - there are leaks happening all over the place, the CIA was just part of a data dump from WikiLeaks. How big a threat do you think this is, and does it keep you up at night?
Brennan: Well, my stock answer to the question when I was at the agency, I used to say, "Nothing - I'm so friggin' tired at the end of the night. Just as soon as my head hits the pillow, 15 seconds later." But it is one of the issues that I'm very concerned about, because the cyber domain, the digital domain is the environment now where most human activity takes place, across all different areas, whether it be social media, financial, educational, commerce, business, you name it. That's the environment that is rich now with opportunity, risks, and dangers. The issue that I think we have to come to grips with as a nation is that we really have to decide for ourselves what's the role of the government in the digital domain.
There is this great debate about what's the government doing there - it's an invasion of privacy. Well, what we need to do is optimize those things that we want in the digital domain. We want to optimize security and safety, we want to optimize privacy and civil liberties, and we need to find a balance whereby the government can help to keep that environment rich so that we're able to prosper as a country. The challenge is that 85% of the critical digital infrastructure of the world is owned and operated by the private sector.
Brennan: All of them, whether it be internet service providers or all the various technical firms. So I have argued that there needs to be an unprecedented partnership between the government and the private sector to determine how the government's authorities and capabilities can be applied to that environment that's going to not sacrifice our privacy and civil liberties or security - it's going to optimize both. That's a big challenge. It's going to take a major, major effort, something akin to the Manhattan Project, and also the digital domain does not respect sovereign boundaries. So this is the challenge I think of the 21st century. If we continue to admire the problem, we do so at our own peril.
Shontell: The US has been a world leader for a long time. Do you think that the way things are moving, we are at risk of losing that? Or are you optimistic?
Brennan: That's a really good question, and I think the United States of America is an exceptional nation. We're an exceptional country because we have such tremendous good fortune, and, to me, we have exceptional responsibility then to do what we can to have this world be as stable and as peaceful as possible because we are an interconnected world, and people who think that we should ignore what's going on overseas - whether it be in the Middle East or Europe, Asia, Africa - really do not understand just how interconnected our world is. What happens in those countries really makes a difference to our global strength, our capabilities, and our security.
What we need to do is to continue to play this role on the world stage. Looking back on the last 100 years, the United States had isolationist tendencies before the two world wars and, thankfully, those isolationist tendencies melted away as we recognized that we needed to join forces with allied countries to stave off fascism and Nazism and communism, which we did.
But now when I look in places like the United States and Europe and other areas where you have this anti-incumbent and populist movement that's gaining strength, I think it's really telling that politicians and governments have really not stepped up to what their responsibilities are. And so now there is this popular sentiment about pushing these people out. This administration is going to recognize that we do play this extraordinarily exceptional role on global affairs. We need to do so judiciously. We cannot just go in and think that we can take care of North Korea's nuclear ballistic-missile program easily with a military strike. You cannot do that. We have to be thoughtful about this. But our presence worldwide, our leadership really needs to, I think, loom large now just because of the nature of the challenges we face, how many there are out there, and just how complex these issues are.
If the United States were to shrink from its responsibilities on the world stage, it would be bad news for global stability as well as for peace security in so many countries around the world. And it will hurt us. We cannot build walls, despite what some people may think, and keep problems out.
John Brennan, in the back right corner, watching the raid that took out Osama bin Laden, alongside Obama and Clinton.
Shontell: We wrapped up the Brennan interview by letting the audience ask some questions. One of the audience members asked Brennan what one of his proudest moments was during the CIA after 9/11.
Brennan: Well, obviously a lot of people talk about the takedown of bin Laden. I was the president's assistant for counterterrorism at the time, worked very closely with the CIA and Special Forces. And so clearly that, you know, ranks up there.
Shontell: What was it like to be in that room?
Brennan: It was a 72-hour period of time there that was quite, quite intense as we went up to the point of bin Laden's takedown. And I must say that the minutes seemed like hours, it went on and on, and even after we knew that it seemed like the raid was successful, waiting for our forces that carried out that raid to get out of Pakistani airspace safely because it was a fair distance that had to travel, it was white knuckles, because you always want to be able to succeed in your mission but you also want to make sure that the people who are undertaking these great risks and doing it are going to come home safely. And I think it just shows just how tremendously skilled US military is in terms of doing these things, so clearly that was a proud moment. There are a number of other moments that when I was at the CIA that I'd love to be able to tell you about.
Brennan: But I can't, and that really is what is typical about the agency is that the successes are ones that you cannot tout and you don't see on the front pages. There were some real white-knuckle moments when I was at the agency, when we were trying to either do something that was very, very delicate and sensitive, that if we failed, it would have had tremendously negative implications and impact on national security, as well as things that we were doing that really were quite risky for the people involved and sweated bullets over it. And thankfully, because of the great competence of the people, those things came off successfully.
Every time when I'd go down to the White House and I was bringing forth what the CIA was able to contribute to the national-security discussion, it gave me tremendous pride. I'll always feel that I'm a CIA officer, a retired one now. But there is a camaraderie and esprit de corps that really is very, very special.
Shontell: Thank you so much, John. We could all spend many more hours with you, but unfortunately we need to let you go catch your flight. Thank you very much. |
0.977328 | Nokia is taking Apple to court, alleging that the iPhone infringes on 10 different technology patents owned by Nokia. Nokia is entitled to protect its investments in research and development and its intellectual property, but there is reason to be skeptical of Nokia's timing and motives.
Are you just waking up and nursing a hangover after hosting one of those wild Windows 7 launch parties? No? Well, you at least attended one, right? Invited to one but had a scheduling conflict??
Now that Windows 7 is here, the three out of four users who have rejected Windows Vista and clung to the tried and true Windows XP can breathe a sigh of relief and consider moving to the new flagship operating system.
BlackBerry is rolling out the Bold 9700 which will be available from T-Mobile and AT&T. For T-Mobile and AT&T customers who are Blackberry devotees, this is great news. For the rest of the smartphone market it is more or less not news-- at least not compared with more innovative device that have been introduced lately.
Whether at home or at the office, networking has gone mainstream.
Until now, Windows Vista was the most secure version of the Windows operating system.
Pictures have emerged of what is allegedly the Barnes & Noble eReader device slated to be available next month in time for the holiday season. Barnes & Noble's entry into the eReader fray adds another major player to the mix-- and one that has its own book distribution to compete with Amazon and the Kindle.
The relationship between T-Mobile and Danger's Sidekick service is no longer a doe-eyed love affair thanks to the epic failure of the Danger servers and loss of data for thousands of customers. As the company that markets and distributes the Sidekick mobile device, T-Mobile is taking most of the heat from the debacle, although it is not to blame.
Verizon announced that it is joining the ranks of mobile service providers embracing devices built on the open source Google Android operating system. Landing the largest mobile service provider in the United States is a coup for Android, and proves that the mobile operating system is becoming a force to be reckoned with in the mobile industry.
T-Mobile has a new partner in its plan to take over the world with Android. T-Mobile has announced plans to introduce the Samsung Behold II mobile phone, Samsung's first venture based on the Google Android OS.
There is much excitement and celebration today in the world of mobile phones. Adobe announced that Flash Player 10.1 will soon be gracing the diminutive screen of your mobile phone...unless you have an iPhone.
Facebook has just introduced the latest feature in its ongoing evolution to lur the lines between social networking and search engine- tags. The new '@' tags allow users to tag other users in posts and integrates a whole new realm of search capabilities.
Microsoft has announced that the next incarnation of Windows Mobile, version 6.5, will hit the streets on October 6. Obviously, Microsoft would like it to be a huge success and reclaim some of the lost smart phone market share, but the real prize lies in Microsoft embracing other mobile operating system platforms.
Snow Leopard is out and users seem generally satisfied with the latest version of the Mac OS X operating system. The release hasn't been without some controversy though, part of which has been the debate over the malware protection features Apple included in Snow Leopard. |
0.999906 | A father was left in agony for nearly eight months, after surgeons left an 18inch swab inside his body.
Ian Smith is taking legal action over the blunder, which happened when he had surgery for bowel cancer at Sandwell Hospital, in the West Midlands.
'This has ruined my life,' the 60-year-old said.
Ian lost three stone and was in agony following surgery, yet he said medics still failed to spot the swab – even though he was admitted back into hospital a month after the operation.
It was not until a district nurse saw a piece of plastic sticking out of the wound that it was finally discovered – more than seven months after Mr Smith's original operation.
Sandwell Hospital has apologised but the couple are now waiting for a payout over the so-called 'never event' – a government term to describe errors that should never happen.
The father-of-one from West Bromwich said he first knew something was wrong when his wound began leaking more than two weeks after the surgery.
'At first I felt very sore and rough but thought that was normal,' he said.
'Soon afterwards the wound opened up and liquid came pumping out.
I was rushed to hospital and they kept me in for a week, giving me antibiotics through a drip.
Mr Smith's weight plunged and he had no appetite.
'The wound continued to leak and they even sent a district nurse daily to change the dressing,' he added.
'Then one day the nurse saw some plastic poking out. I was taken to hospital and I remember the doctor calling the consultant who had done the surgery.
'He pulled out this very long swab, quickly put it into a plastic bag and disposed of it.
It wasn’t until his bus driver wife Christine, 62, complained to the Patient Advice and Liason Service that they eventually received an apology.
'I feel very angry about what’s happened,' said Mr Smith.
'It’s affected my life and I had to have a blood transfusion because the swab had affected my white blood cell count.
A spokeswoman from Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust said: 'We are aware of Mr Smith’s claim and thoroughly investigated his complaint. |
0.999998 | Как известно недавно в университете Жубанова на профессионально-творческом факультете стартовал этап творческих экзаменов для абитуриентов. На сегодняшний день по дисциплине «Физическая культура и спорт» экзамены в три этапа сдавали почти 300 человек. Стоит отметить, что все абитуриенты успешно справились с заданиями.
В первый день экзамен по легкой атлетике (бег на 100 и 1000 м) у будущих студентов проходил на стадионе Центра Олимпийской подготовки Актюбинской области. На втором этапе абитуриенты сдавали нормативы по гимнастике. Юноши показывали результаты по подтягиванию и удержанию угла в упоре на брусьях, а девушки сдавали нормативы по подниманию и опусканию туловища из положения лежа и прыжкам в длину с места. Заключительный экзамен по специализации прошел по трем видам спорта: футбол, баскетбол и волейбол.
По словам председателя экзаменационной комиссии, заведующего кафедрой теоретических основ физической культуры, доктора педагогических наук, Толегена Ботагариева, абитуриенты, поступающие на дневное отделение, набрали от 60 до 80 баллов. Для абитуриентов после колледжа и заочного отделения был предназначен один творческий экзамен с максимальным баллом 20. По результатам данного экзамена абитуриенты набрали от 13 до 20 баллов.
Среди поступающих были абитуриенты со всех районов Актюбинской области, а также с районов Кызылординской области. Общее количество абитуриентов составило 272 человека, из них 144 подали заявление на дневное отделение, 15 на дневное отделение (3 года), 106 на заочное отделение (3 года) и 7 человек на второе высшее. Также стоит отметить, что среди поступающих есть Чемпионы Республиканских соревнований и Чемпионы Мира по таким видам спорта, как борьба, баскетбол, волейбол, гандбол, пауэрлифтинг и др.
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0.985158 | Bacon wrapped kimchi and kimchi Yorkshire puddings.
For some Christmas parties recently I made two dishes - kimchi wrapped in bacon; and kimchi in Yorkshire puddings for the vegetarians.
It's a relatively simple dish to make, just bacon (rasher is probably best - I tried picnic bacon, but it wasn't as flavoursome as I was hoping for) and kimchi. You'll also need some toothpicks (the round variety of course) to be able to keep the wrap together while you bake it. Once baked, it should stay in that shape as the bacon becomes crispy.
Cut the bacon into segments about 3 cm wide and long enough that you can wrap all the way around the kimchi, leaving about a quarter of the wrap around again (for integrity).
I've found it better to poke the toothpick diagonally through the wrap, otherwise the bacon just unfolds.
Bake them in the oven. I used the technique from The Bacon Method - 20 minutes from cold at 190 degrees C.
I left them in the toothpicks for everyone to take out as they wished.
I made these for the vegetarians or even people who don't like bacon. I used frozen Yorkshire Puddings, chopped kimchi of course, and cheese.
I used these Yorkshire Puddings from the supermarket, but any should work.
Place the chopped up kimchi into (or is it on to?) the puddings. You might need to be selective about which ones you use - I found that some of them weren't very bowl-like so didn't hold much.
Place the cheese bits on top. Just randomly break them up if that's easier, or you can use grated cheese.
After a few minutes they'll be done in the oven. Follow the instructions on your particular packet of Yorkshire Puddings though - mine said 4 minutes.
If you wanted to, you could of course add chopped bacon or mozzarella cheese would be nice too. If you decide to add bacon, you'd want to cook the bacon separately first otherwise the puddings might burn.
If you try it, let me know in the comments of your ideas!! |
0.999986 | What's the best way to determine when your knife needs sharpening?
Owning a knife sharpener makes tuning up your knife easy, but how do you know when it’s time? The best way to tell if a knife is sharp is to put it to the paper test. Holding a sheet of paper (basic printer/copy paper is best) firmly at the top with one hand, draw the blade down through the paper, heel to tip, with the other hand. The knife should glide through the paper and require only minimal pushing. If it snags, try realigning the blade’s edge using a honing, or sharpening, steel and then repeat the test. If the knife still doesn’t cut the paper cleanly, use your sharpener. Repeat the paper test to make sure the knife is properly sharpened; if it catches on the paper, note where along the blade it happens. You can minimize the amount of metal removed by focusing on just this section of the blade to fine-tune the sharpening (just make sure you don’t overdo it and end up making the blade uneven).
MAKING THE CUT: A properly sharpened knife will glide through paper with minimal pushing, no snagging. |
0.975409 | The Galliformes are sister to the Anseriformes. Together, they are sister to Neoaves.
The arrangement of Galliform families follows the genetic analyses of Crowe et al. (2006a), Cox et al. (2007), Hackett et al. (2008), and Meiklejohn et al. (2014). It is also consistent with Kaiser et al. (2007) and Kriegs et al. (2007), who analyze retropositions. Of the two, Kriegs et al. is more complete, and exhibits the same basic structure as the tree here. Since it is a different method of reading the genetic data, it represents significant additional support for the current arrangement of Galliform families. Nonetheless, there is still some question about whether the Numidade branch off before or after the Odontophoridae (e.g., Shen et al., 2010).
The Galliform tree takes the form of a cascade, with one group breaking off at a time until you get to the Phasianidae. It starts with the megapodes, then the Cracidae (guans, chachalacas, and curassows), guineafowl, and finally new world quail, all before we get to the Phasianidae. A number of genera have been rearranged or split compared with previous treatments. The genera decorated with question marks are uncertainly placed and could easily end up in a different subfamily.
The arrangement of the megapodes is based on the complete multi-gene analysis by Harris et al. (2014b), which is similiar to the sparser 2-gene analysis of Birks and Edwards (2002).
There has been a debate concerning whether the chachalacas and Horned Guan are more closely related to the guans or currasows. Pereira et al. (2002, 2009) found that the Horned Guan is closer to the currasows, and that the chachalacas are sister to the Horned Guan-Currasow clade. This topology has generally been supported by other studies, e.g., Kimball et al. (2011), although Frank-Hoeflich et al. (2006) found the opposite branching order using combined molecular, osteological, morphological, and behaviorial data (but see the response by Pereira et al., 2009).
Pereira et al. (2002) estimated divergence times for various genus-level nodes. They found several divisions dating back to the Oligocene. I've used subfamilies and tribes to highlight these divisions. Except for the Horned Guan, they correspond to the traditional division into chachalacas, curassows, and guans.
The genus Pipile has been submerged into Aburria (Grau et al., 2005). The arrangement of Aburria is based on Grau et al. (2005) and Robinson (2011).
No comprehensive study of the guans is available. The order follows SACC. The chachalaca ordering is based on the analyses of Frank-Hoeflich et al. (2006). Interestingly, they found the Ortalis canicollis race pantanalensis on a separate branch from O. canicollis, whether this is an artifact or real is unclear. The order within the currasows is based on Pereira and Baker (2004), which also requires merging Mitu into Pauxi.
Based on Gastañaga et al. (2011), Sira Curassow, Pauxi koepckeae, from the Sira Mountains in Peru, has been split from Horned Curassow, Pauxi unicornis.
The SACC has split East Brazilian Chachalaca, Ortalis araucuan, and Scaled Chachalaca, Ortalis squamata, from Speckled Chachalaca, Ortalis guttata.
Various issues have arisen concerning the Chachalaca tribe. I now use Donegan's Ortalidaini (Donegan, 2012) as all more natural forms are preoccupied by names based on the fly genus Ortalis Fallén 1810, a junior homonym of the chachalaca genus Ortalis Merrem 1786. The genus Ortalis Fannén 1810 has been used to establish the family-group names Ortalides Fallén, 1810, Ortalidae Swainson 1840, Ortalididae sensu Harris 1841, and Ortalisini Acloque, 1897, all of which are based on Ortalis Fallén 1810. See Donegan (2015). The last case rules out use of David's (2014) correction of Donegan's spelling Ortalidaini. There is also a discrepancy between the French and English versions of the ICXN that calls into question whether Ortalidaini is properly formed. Still, it is the best current option pending the outcome of ICZN case 3669 (Donegan, 2015).
The order of genera follows Crowe et al. (2006a, b). This coincides with the cytochrome-b tree in Crowe et al. (2006a). Kimball et al. (2011) give a slighty different arrangement that swaps Numida and Guttera.
Surprisingly, two Old World species thought to be unrelated members of Phasianidae have turned out to be sister taxa and basal members of the Odontophoridae. They are the Stone Partridge (Ptilopachus petrosus) and Nahan's Francolin, which I've moved to Acentrortyx (Chapin, 1926) as Nahan's Partridge, Acentrortyx nahani. See Crowe et al. (2006a) and Cohen et al. (2012). Although Cohen et al. recommend including Nahan'a Partridge in Ptilopachus, it has long been considered to belong to a separate genus and lives in an entirely different habitat. Moreover, they estimate a divergence time of 9.6 mya between the two taxa. The chronogram in Hosner et al. (2015a) makes clear that all other such divergences in Odontophoridae are treated in separate genera. Taking all this into account, I put the two African partridges in separate genera.
The division between the two African partridges and the New World Quail is quite ancient. Cohen et al. (2012) estimated it between 33.9 and 55.8 mya (mostly likely in the Eocene), while Hosner et al. (2015a) put it between 27 and 38 mya (mid Oligocene to late-Eocene). Accordingly, I treat them as separate subfamilies. Bowie et al. (2013) created the name Ptilopachinae for this.
The New World Quail are arranged based on Hosner et al. (2015a). Different methods of estimation gave slightly different results for Odontophorus. The biggest change involved the Spotted Wood-Quail, Odontophorus guttatus. Their concatenated tree put it sister to Stripe-faced Wood-Quail, Odontophorus balliviani. Their coalescent tree (Fig. 3b) is followed here.
The divisions within the Phasianidae remain a problem. The papers by Bao et al. (2010), Bonilla et al. (2010), Crowe et al. (2006a, b), Kan et al. (2010), Kimball and Braun (2008), Kimball et al. (2011), Kriegs et al. (2007), Liu et al. (2012) Meng et al. (2008), and Shen et al. (2010) give different answers about how the various components of Phasianidae are related. This is especially true if you consider the individual gene trees contained in Shen et al.'s supplementary material. And what is one to make of Liu et al. (2012)?
There does seem to be a broad, but not complete consensus that the Asiatic partridges (Rollulinae) are basal (see Liu et al. (2012) for a contrary view), and that some group containing Gallus is sister to a group containing the Phasianinae, but the placement of various pheasants (Pavonini, and Polyplectronini) and even the placement of the Tetraogallini is problematic (ditto its internal organization). Sometimes these tribes group near the Gallini in various configurations, sometimes they are not in a clade with Gallini and Phasianinae. Right now, the consensus seems to be running in favor of grouping these four tribes together (Pavonini, Polyplectronini, Gallini, and Tetraogallini) as Pavoninae but leave the branching order unresolved for the present. They are listed in order of size.
How to piece together the Phasianinae subfamily had been a little tricky, but a consistent picture has now emerged. The current order is based on Kimball et al. (2011), which includes most of the species in the subfamily. Other than including more taxa, it is quite similar to the results of Kimball and Braun (2008). Phasianinae is their “erectile clade”. I have divided it into tribes to better show the relationships of the various groups. As you can see by their membership, these tribes generally correspond to what we think of as natural groupings. Bao et al. (2010) is generally consistent with the present arrangement of the Phasianinae. Crowe et al. (2006a) suggested that the turkeys and Perdix partridges might be sister genera, but that has gotten little support from recent analyses.
Not surprisingly, part of the reconstruction of the Phasianidae involved moving some of the species to new genera. Crowe et al. (2006a) found two species that were quite wrongly placed: the Stone Partridge (Ptilopachus petrosus) and Nahan's Francolin (now Nahan's Partridge, Ptilopachus nahani), both of which ended up in the new world quail (Odontophoridae). When Crowe et al. (1992, with a different set of co-authors) had reorganized the francolins, they noted that Nahan's Francolin didn't appear to be a francolin. That reorganization is mostly supported by the new paper, but one other francolin proved problematic. The Crested Francolin, which they had already reassigned to the genus Peliperdix, is now Dendroperdix sephaena, although it remains in the junglefowl/francolin subfamily, Gallini.
Eo et al. (2009) draws attention to several genera that are currently regarded as part of Phasianidae (Haematortyx, Melanoperdix, Rhizothera, Galloperdix). While it suggests closer scrutiny of these genera is in order, I don't buy the arrangement of them in the paper. I think it's an artifact of the supertree method. In fact, Sun et al. (2014) found that Haematortyx and Galloperdix belong near Polyplectron, a very different location than in Eo et al. Crowe et al. (2006a), does find that the Ptilopachus-Odontophoridae clade is sister to the Phasianidae, which is why I've moved Ptilopachus into Odontophoridae. They did not find Phasianidae nested within the Ptilopachus-Odontophoridae clade. I'm leaving the other genera highlighted by Eo et al. in Phasianidae for now, but we should keep in mind that some or all may too belong in Odontophoridae.
Bonaparte's name Rollulinae has priority over Arborophilinae, Crowe et al. (2006a). Note that the Rubeho Forest Partridge, Xenoperdix obscuratus has been split from Udzungwa Forest Partridge, Xenoperdix udzungwensis (Bowie and Fjeldså, 2005). See Wang et al. (2013) for the treatment of Caloperdix as sister to Rollulus.
The Chestnut-necklaced Partridge and Green-legged Partridge have been moved out of Arborophila and Rollulinae to become genus Tropicoperdix in Pavoninae. It is uncertain exactly where they belong in Pavoninae. One possibility is that they are basal in Pavonini. For now, they are left incertae sedis in Pavoninae (Chen et al., 2015).
The arrangement of Polyplectron is based on Davison et al. (2012), Kimball et al. (2011, 2014) and Sun et al. (2014). Sun et al. (2014 also found that Galloperdix belongs here.
The Taiwan Bamboo-Partridge, Bambusicola sonorivox, has been split from the Chinese Bamboo-Partridge, Bambusicola thoracicus. See Hung et al. (2014).
The Orange River Francolin, Scleroptila gutturalis, has been split into Archer's Francolin (including subspecies archeri and lorti) and Orange River Francolin, Scleroptila levalliantoides. See Mandiwana-Neudani et al. (2014) and Sinclair and Ryan (2003). There are some other still-unpublished possible splits in Mandiwana-Neudani (2013).
The Brown Quail is not closely related to the other Coturnix species (Seabrook-Davison et al., 2009; Kimball et al., 2011). Its closest relatives are Excalfactoria. However, it seems to be a fairly distant relative and I have placed it in Synoicus (Gould, 1843). Wang et al. (2013) found that Ammoperdix is a basal member of the Coturnix clade.
The arrangement within Pternistis is based on Mandiwana-Neudani et al. (2014).
Töpfer et al. (2014) recommend treating the Black-fronted Francolin, Pternistis castaneicollis atrifrons, as a separate species. However, the genetic differences are modest and I think more evidence is required.
The Vietnamese Pheasant, Lophura hatinhensis, is considered part of Edwards's Pheasant, Lophura edwardsi. It appears to be either a subspecies or color morph. In any event, it is not genetically distinct (Hennache et al., 2003). Also, the arrangement within Lophura is based on Randi et al., 2001.
The Turkeys are now consiered embedded in Tetraonini. Interestingly enough, using a combined mitochondrial and nuclear dataset, Kimball and Braun (2014) found that the Koklass Pheasant, Pucrasia macrolopha, is basal in this group. Note that an analysis of the complete mitochondrial genome puts it basal in the Phasianini (Meiklejohn et al., 2014). |
0.957178 | The Leave vote has sent significant shockwaves across our society. In this article, we consider the immediate risks, and the steps employers should take to prevent tensions spilling over into in the workplace.
Retail employers should be mindful of harassment in the workplace following the vote to leave the European Union. In particular, employers should take steps to protect their EU migrant worker population from harassment on the grounds of nationality from colleagues and or third parties, such as customers. Since the referendum, EU nationals have reported a rise in xenophobic attitudes, for example, being asked by colleagues when they are planning to "go home" or how long they have been in the UK.
Employers also need to take steps to protect old workers from harassment on the grounds of age. The analysis of the referendum vote revealed a gap in the voting patterns of young and old. It is easy to ima gine how arguments about the Brexit vote might break out in the workplace and descend into age-related insults on both sides with the young dismissed as "naïve" and the old described as "out of touch".
It is also advisable to monitor the tone of discussions and behaviours connected with the Brexit vote, to avoid allegations of bullying or harassment associated with the worker's voting choice.
The retail sector relies heavily on EU nationals to meet its workforce needs, for example, in warehouses and depots. If the UK negotiates a deal which requires the continuation of free movement of persons (e.g. the Norwegian EEA model) then no material changes to the current rules are expected.
In the short term, it is not yet clear whether EU nationals currently residing in the UK would be required to leave. This will ultimately depend on the deal which is struck with the EU. However, even the Leave campaign stated prior to the referendum that EU citizens who were "lawfully resident" in Britain should automatically be granted indefinite leave to remain.
In the long term, it would become more difficult for EU nationals to work in the UK. There could be a points -based system, which would make it harder for low-skilled EU nationals to work in the UK. This may make it harder for retailers to recruit sufficient staff. This may mean employers will need to recruit from outside the EU. It could also lead to upward pressure on wages in order to attract domestic job applicants.
Could the UK Government repeal EU-derived employment law? If the UK negotiated a relationship with the EU along the lines of the Norwegian EEA or Swiss models, there would, in practice, be little scope to amend EU-derived employment laws. However, if the UK opted for a "full Brexit", adopting the WTO model, there could be some degree of change. Some of the key areas of interest for retailers are discussed below.
Discrimination: the Equal Treatment Directive is implemented in the UK by way of a primary act of Parliament, the Equality Act 2010. Protection from discrimination is now embedded within UK society and there is likely to be little support for a reduction in discrimination and equal pay protection within the workplace. One possible change is the introduction of a cap on compensation in discrimination claims, which would not be possible under EU law.
Business transfers and outsourcings: the Acquired Rights Directive was implemented via the TUPE regulations. In theory, a full Brexit would mean that TUPE would fall away. However, it is unlikely that the Government would permit the complete deregulation of this area. Such a move would be very unpopular with trade unions and emp loyees. Further, many commercial outsourcing agreements have been priced on the basis that TUPE applies and/or will do so in future. A more realistic prospect is that the Government would retain TUPE, but would seek to amend it to make it less burdensome on business. One possible area of change would be to make it easier to harmonise terms and conditions of employment post-transfer.
Agency workers: the Temporary Workers Directive (TWD) regulates the working conditions of temporary workers by providing that basic working conditions for assigned temporary workers (i.e. agency workers) are no less favourable than for ordinary employees. The TWD was enacted in the UK by way of the Agency Workers Regulations 2010 ( AWR), under which agency workers gain these rights after they have completed a 12-week qualifying period. In the event of a full Brexit, it is possible that the Government would not retain the AWR, either in the current form or otherwise. This would reduce the burden on retail employers to equalise certain employment conditions for agency workers.
Family-friendly rights: different EU Directives establish the framework for "family-friendly rights" – for example, the Parental Leave Directive and the Pregnant Workers Directive. These rights are now embedded within our employment law framework. Indeed, the UK has exceeded many of the minimum EU requirements, for instance, when it introduced the system of shared parental leave in 2015. It would be an unpopular move to allow minimum protections to fa ll away. However, employers who enhance these rights (e.g. by providing enhanced maternity / paternity / shared parental pay) may seek to reduce these entitlements in the longer term.
Retail employers should monitor the Government's proposals in these areas and lobby appropriately for desired changes.
Employment laws which are not derived from EU law would be unaffected by Brexit (e.g. the right not to be unfairly dismissed, protection for whistleblowers, the right to be paid in accordance with the national minimum wage etc). That said, retail employers may wish to lobby to have such rights pared back given the financial uncertainty that accompanies a post -Brexit economy. |
0.96759 | Stephen Colbert's Salary: $4 million Born in Washington D.C. and raised in South Carolina, comedian, writer, actor and political satirist Stephen Colbert has a net worth of $45 million. Colbert attended Hampden-Sydney College before transferring to Northwestern University to study performance art. His early career began at the ImprovOlympic's Annoyance Theater where Colbert performed long form improvisation before moving on to Second City where he made friends and connections that led to his first television gig, the Comedy Central sketch show Exit 57. Colbert has appeared in various television and film titles, most notably The Dana Carvey Show, Stranger with Candy, and The Daily Show, all of which he also wrote for. In 2005 Colbert was granted his own Daily Show spin-off show, The Colbert Report, a satirical news program hosted by a caricature of Colbert himself, airing on Comedy Central. The Colbert Report has won an Emmy Award and Peabody Award, while Colbert himself has won three Emmy Awards as a writer on The Daily Show and a Grammy Award for A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All! Colbert has loaned his voice for television and film roles on The Simpsons, American Dad!, Monsters vs. Aliens, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, and Saturday Night Live. As an author, Colbert co-authored Wigfield: The Can Do Town That Just May Not and authored under the satirical Colbert Report caricature I Am America (And So Can You!) which reached number one on the New York Times Bestsellers List.
Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( /ko?l'b??r/ or /'ko?lb?rt/; born May 13, 1964) is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.
Colbert also wrote and performed on the short-lived Dana Carvey Show before collaborating with Sedaris and Dinello again on the cult television series Strangers with Candy. He gained considerable attention for his role on the latter as closeted gay history teacher Chuck Noblet. It was his work as a correspondent on Comedy Central's news-parody series The Daily Show, however, that first introduced him to a wide audience.
In 2005, he left The Daily Show with Jon Stewart to host a spin-off series, The Colbert Report. Following The Daily Show's news-parody concept, The Colbert Report is a parody of personality-driven political opinion shows such as The O'Reilly Factor. Since its debut, the series has established itself as one of Comedy Central's highest-rated series, earning Colbert three Emmy Award nominations and an invitation to perform as featured entertainer at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in 2006. Colbert was named one of Time's 100 most influential people in 2006. His book I Am America (And So Can You!) was No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list. |
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0.999679 | Thinking about having a baby after a cancer treatment, but worried whether you can get pregnant or not? Do not worry, as many cancer survivors who were told that cancer treatment could lead to reduced fertility have had children.
Your chances of getting pregnant after cancer treatment depend on diagnosis, the type of treatment and the doses of medication and radiation you received during the course of your treatment.
• How long to wait before trying to get pregnant?
• Whether trying to get pregnant will affect your follow-up care or increase the risk of recurrence?
chances of becoming pregnant if your treatment involved surgery.
Radiation Treatments: Treatment with radiation might damage your eggs. However, depending upon the area of treatment and the type used, it is possible to shield the ovaries from getting damage or move ovaries out of the radiation portal. Consider talking to your doctor about your chances of conceiving if your treatment involved radiation.
Chemotherapy: Some chemotherapy drugs are more likely to lead to infertility when compared to others. Talk with your doctor to know whether the drugs you are taking will put you at risk of fertility problems.
Talk with your doctor about all your available options and then come up with a plan.
Be positive in your journey to get pregnant. Remember, you are not alone. Take help and support from your friends and family.
Join networks of other cancer survivors and take inspiration from them. This will help you stay motivated. |
0.997832 | SAT is the standardized test used for college admissions in the United States. It is owned as well as published by College Board, which is a nonprofit corporation in the US. It is developed and administered by ETS (Educational Testing Service). However, there are some new changes which have been introduced in its design.
Old SAT: The old SAT was usually taken on or before January month.
New SAT: The new SAT can be taken in the month of March or after that.
Which classes can use it for college?
Old SAT: The old SAT could be used by the high school class of 2016 as well as by the class of 2017.
New SAT: The new SAT can be used by the class of 2017, 2018 and beyond.
Old SAT: According to the old SAT lowest score possible was 600 and the highest score could go up to 2400. The median score could be around 1500.
New SAT: The new SAT accepts scores as low as 400 and the maximum score goes up to 1600. The median score could be around 1000.
Old SAT: The time duration for old SAT was 3 hours and 45 minutes.
New SAT: The time duration for new SAT is 3 hours and 50 minutes. Of which 50 minutes are kept aside for essay writing which is optional.
Old SAT: There are three sections in the old SAT namely reading, writing and math, with a mandatory essay included.
New SAT: The new SAT has both reading & writing in one section, a separate section for math and an optional essay.
Old SAT: In the old SAT 1/4th marks were to be deducted for every wrong answer.
New SAT: In the new SAT there is no penalty for wrong answers. So guesses can be made.
Old SAT: The old SAT had Geometry and shapes as the main content which was to be tested upon.
New SAT: The new SAT has the content of old SAT and along with that Data Interpretation and graphs have been added.
Old SAT: The old SAT had Memorizing Vocabulary and Sentence Completion which was the main content tested during the exam.
New SAT: The new SAT tests the candidate on Evidence Support and Data Reasoning. Thus the content on which the students are tested is basically been changed.
Old SAT: The old SAT tested students on individual sentences and grammatical rules.
New SAT: The writing section in new SAT basically focuses more on passage-based questions.
Old SAT: The old SAT had 25 minutes allotted for the essay section which was compulsory and was included in the writing section itself.
New SAT: The new SAT has 50 minutes time allotted for the essay section and the essay is optional.
One needs to prepare according to the revised test and can get professional help for the same from experienced institutes for SAT Coaching in Nagpur. Krishna Consultants is one such institute with a vast experience of more than fourteen years in SAT Coaching and a lot of success stories. The right guidance can help you achieve your goals faster. So buckle up! and start preparing.
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How to apply for SAT Exam? |
0.937191 | Sampling can enhance processing of large training example databases, but without knowing all of the data, or the example producing process, it is impossible to know in advance what size of a sample to choose in order to guarantee good performance. Progressive sampling has been suggested to circumvent this problem. The idea in it is to increase the sample size according to some schedule until accuracy close to that which would be obtained using all of the data is reached. How to determine this stopping time efficiently and accurately is a central difficulty in progressive sampling. We study stopping time determination by approximating the generalization error of the hypothesis rather than by assuming the often observed shape for the learning curve and trying to detect whether the final plateau has been reached in the curve. We use data dependent generalization error bounds. Instead of using the common cross validation approach, we use the recently introduced Rademacher penalties, which have been observed to give good results on simple concept classes. We experiment with two-level decision trees built by the learning algorithm T2. It finds a hypothesis with the minimal error with respect to the sample. The theoretically well motivated stopping time determination based on Rademacher penalties gives results that are much closer to those attained using heuristics based on assumptions on learning curve shape than distribution independent estimates based on VC dimension do. |
0.987361 | The American Society of Addiction Medicine recently defined addiction as a chronic brain disorder and not simply a behavioral problem that involves excessive alcohol, drugs, gambling, etc.
While the mention of the word 'addiction' conjures up images of individuals addicted to nicotine, illicit drugs, prescription drugs, and alcohol, there are many kinds of addictions. Addiction can involve food, gambling, and other types of behavior such as compulsive shopping, playing video games, surfing the Internet, etc.
An addiction is characterized by a physical and psychological need for the substance or habit, which turns into an obsession or preoccupation with the substance/behavior. The substance or behavior affects the brain's reward and motivation center. As the addiction becomes severe, it interferes with the addict's ability to perform routine activities.
Sometimes, identifying addictive behavior might not be that simple. There are instances, when people who are going through difficult times resort to substance abuse or any other form of addiction, thinking of it as a coping mechanism for dealing with stress or internal conflicts.
Some might indulge in comfort eating or compulsive shopping to deal with stressors, as that brings about a feeling of euphoria, which offsets the anxiety and stress. Unfortunately, they value the mood-altering effects of the substance or behavior, while ignoring the adverse effects associated with this type of behavior.
A few studies have suggested a link between certain personality traits and addictive behavior. However, it must be noted that 'addictive personality' is not a universally accepted concept.
The proponents of this theory believe that a person with an addictive personality might switch from one addiction to another, or even have multiple addictions at different times. Though the role of a neurotransmitter called dopamine is suggested in such cases, it needs to be substantiated with scientific evidence.
In 1983, Professor Alan R. Lang of Florida State University conducted a study; wherein, he hoped to find common personality traits in addicts that could be considered as risk factors for addiction. In a study published by the National Academy of Sciences, he found personality factors that might make one susceptible to an addiction.
He referred to these traits as 'significant personality factors'. Though the subjects of the study (alcohol and drug abusers) did possess one or more of these significant personality factors, there wasn't a single trait or set of traits that was common in all the subjects.
There have been other studies that suggest a link between certain personality disorders and predisposition to addiction. According to R. Verheul, W. van den Brink, and C. Hartgers (1995), antisocial personality disorder and borderline personality disorder frequently co-occur with substance use disorders.
It is believed that such behavioral patterns might be triggered by environment. In some cases, excessive stress due to physical/sexual abuse, or unpredictable behavior of the family members could act as triggers. In such cases, affected individuals might take to drugs, alcohol, or other habits to cope with the anxiety and get a high.
A person with the so-called addictive personality traits may not necessarily be affected by an addiction. However, he/she is considered to be more likely to develop an addiction. If such a person does get addicted to a substance or behavior, the road to recovery will be rough, if the addict is not ready to admit to the fact that he has an addiction.
Only when the addict is aware of the problem and feels a sincere need to recover, he will try to suppress the impulsive behavior. Addicts should constantly remind themselves of the chances of a relapse if they falter. The biggest obstacle is the denial of one's condition. Half the battle is won, if the addict truly accepts and recognizes the addiction.
The addict must think why he developed an addiction in the first place. It's possible that a substance or behavior made him feel relaxed or euphoric, but did this habit make his life any better?
While addicts may have indulged in the habit or behavior, thinking of it as a coping mechanism, the fact is that, what they get is momentary relief. As a result, they try to prolong the relief, thereby becoming addicted to the substance.
First of all, the current addiction has to be overcome. For this, he needs to go to a rehabilitation center. At the center, the issue of physical and psychological dependence on the substance or behavior would be addressed.
If a person with the aforementioned traits has become addicted to a drug, it is extremely essential that he joins a rehabilitation center for detoxification. In a drug rehabilitation center, the addict might be asked to go cold turkey, or the doses of the drug would be tapered off gradually in case there's a risk of withdrawal symptoms.
Psychotherapy or counseling is extremely beneficial, as the therapist can get to the root of the emotional issues or internal conflicts that are responsible for the addiction. Drug or alcohol abuse, comfort eating, compulsive shopping, or other such habits might actually be an escape route through which the person might be trying to avoid the real issue.
To mask the addiction, the addict might further avoid social situations, which can make the situation worse. Thus, the therapist has to deal with such issues in a sensitive manner. He has to persuade the addict to speak up or vent his emotions or frustrations, and make him emotionally stronger to be able to deal with the stresses of life.
In order to help the patient cope better, the therapist might follow dialectical behavioral therapy; wherein, the patient learns to accept self-destructive thoughts, feelings, and behavior, and then tries to change the thought process and behavior. He learns to regulate his emotions, identify the triggers to destructive behavior, and use coping skills.
During the sessions, the therapist helps the patient recognize situations that might trigger such behavior and provides ways to tackle such situations. As per the addictive personality theory, such individuals are more likely to jump from one addiction to another. Thus, emphasis should be laid on how to replace unhealthy behavior with healthy behavior.
It must be noted that if a person with addictive personality type only undergoes treatment for the current addiction, it's possible that he might get addicted to another substance or behavior. Moreover, there could be a relapse, if the treatment is not based on changing the behavior patterns associated with this personality type.
Thus, it is essential to treat individual behavior patterns that might be the underlying cause of addiction. The therapist can focus on the addict's hypersensitivity to stress, and train him to deal with stress. He can focus on traits that are considered to make one susceptible to addictions. He can work on social alienation and impulse control issues.
While checking into a rehabilitation center or recovery program is essential, it is equally important to have a support system. Support from family and friends is essential for someone affected by an addiction. If you have decided to give up your addiction, you need someone to support your decision, especially during times when you are vulnerable.
Also, joining a support group is quite beneficial. Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and Dual Recovery Anonymous are some of the renowned substance abuse support groups.
Being with others who are facing the same problem helps one feel less isolated, as there are others who know what you're going through, and understand your state of mind. Moreover, the members help each other stay motivated enough to start a new life.
Besides the aforementioned treatment options, pharmacological approach might be followed in some cases. Medication for addictive personality disorder might vary, depending on the type of addiction.
For instance, some drugs causes untoward effects if it is combined with alcohol. Though it might discourage alcohol use, doctors prescribe it in cases where the benefits outweigh the risks. Some opioids are also prescribed for addiction. They works by blocking the opioid receptors, which prevents the euphoria-like effects of opiates.
On a concluding note, the concept of addictive personality is not recognized by everyone, and many people are against the idea of labeling someone as an addictive personality. However, if a person who possesses the aforementioned significant personality factors develops an addiction, medical assistance must be sought immediately. |
0.943539 | Could a gorilla raise a human child?
A zoologist explains how Tarzan's premise could happen in real life.
With "The Legend of Tarzan" in theaters, we started wondering how realistic it is for a family of apes to raise a human child. But then, why wonder when we could find out? From the Grapevine sat down with Keren Or, a zoologist at the Ramat Gan Safari, a 250-acre wildlife preserve and zoo near Tel Aviv, Israel. She has been working with apes for 15 years.
"... I think the best candidates for a successful rearing of a human child are gorillas," Or told From the Grapevine, explaining that gorillas, like humans, like to stay on the ground. Chimpanzees and orangutans spend a lot of time in trees, which would be tough for a human.
"A human child will never be able to jump from tree to tree and branch to branch as they do," Or explained, casting shadows of doubt on Tarzan's ability to swing from conveniently placed vines.
If a gorilla found and adopted a human baby, the kid might not have it so bad, since gorilla mothers are pretty amazing.
"Mother apes are very attentive and might take very good care of a baby," Or explained. Gorillas tend to live in families with one silverback male, a few females and their offspring. "Gorillas are extremely protective with their families."
Plus, these apes, who tend to live in African rainforests, have pretty good lives.
"Their days are very easygoing," Or told us. "They spend a lot of the daytime eating ... You can say that they actually live in a huge salad bowl." Infinite salad without dressing may seem like a Twilight Zone nightmare, but it's not a bad deal for a family of herbivores.
In addition to eating, young gorillas play and nap most of the day. At night, they sleep in nests they build in trees, an architectural task that might be tough for our imaginary Tarzan and his underdeveloped biceps.
It wouldn't be the only challenge he'd face. Or explained that human babies grow up much slower than gorilla babies, so a boy living with gorillas would not be a straight-A student in gorilla school. But Or thinks he'd catch up and learn to communicate with his adoptive family.
"I guess the human child would have no problem learning the gorillas' behavior," Or determined, pointing out that children learn by mimicking adults. Gorillas and humans are so close, genetically, that the two species act pretty similarly. "We sure can read each other's body language and facial expressions easily," Or said.
In fact, real-life Tarzan has been tried before ... sort of. In the 1960s, some scientists decided to raise baby chimps in a human family to figure out how human-like the chimps would end up. But the parents stopped the experiment when their human children starting getting a little too chimp-like.
If a child raised by apes tried to live with humans, like Tarzan, Or thinks he'd run into problems. "I guess he would still be able to learn to live amongst humans, but he would never be a normal person," she said. "Some things must be learned in childhood." There are plenty of stories about feral children living with apes, though it's hard to separate fact from fiction.
Then again, maybe real-life Tarzan would prefer to just stay with his gorilla family. As Or told us: "Disregarding poaching, habitat destruction and so on, life with a gorilla family can be lots of fun!" |
0.999998 | Why is a Salvadoran writing Haiku?
It is El Salvador the place where I learned my first and most enduring lessons, where life first met me and revealed shadows and mysteries, joys and miseries. It was in the jungle and the volcano, not in the snowy peak of gentle Japanese mountains, that nature surrounded me with the song of birds, the scorching heat of the sun, the clear dark of starry nights. It was here that the unknown rained from vast darkness unto the panic beauty of nights without electricity an the perennial presence of the Duende, the voyeuristic games of the Cipitio, and the dreadful curse of the Cihuanaba. In its cities I smelled blood, touched death, and tasted static mystery. It wasn’t the profound calm of zen but the torrid emotions of the human and tropical jungle that forged my joy for life, my avid desire for experience, and my sense of self.
More than anything, it is here in the war and the full beauty of that valley of hammocks that I came first to sense the seed of self that exists before I was born and that shall endure well after this body and that country are long dissolved and forgot. That place is then my origin and therefore my end (as an Aristotelean telos, not as a tomb). In stories as in mathematics, the end is contained in the beginning. The egg contains the potentiality of the being, and in the being is the solution to the puzzle of evolution. |
0.999879 | Delft pottery is one of the most unique types of pottery to have come out of Europe and its striking blue and white design has become truly iconic. Delftware certainly ranks up there in the top collector's items, when it comes to ceramics. The technique can also be referred to as Delft Blue pottery (Delfts Blauw in Dutch). Its inspiration came from examples of blue painted pottery that were brought back from China to the Netherlands by the Dutch East India Company.
Delft got its namesake from the small town it originated from in the Netherlands in around the 16th century (the town of Delft is also well known for being the birthplace of famed Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer). Delft was a development on the glaze technique majolica, which has been defined as being ‘an earthenware covered with an opaque tin glaze and decorated before firing’. Majolica was a glaze technique that became most popular in Europe in the 15th century. The difference being Delftware was painted with highly decorative scenes in a distinct blue and white. The content of the scenes varied greatly, but a great source of inspiration was Dutch working life and the work often depicted the country’s famous windmills, fishing boats, and hunting scenes. Scenes from the Spanish Fury (or the Sack of Antwerp), 1583 to 1589 during the Dutch Revolt were also painted onto ceramics works. The pieces were commonly plates and vases, but a vast quantity of tiles were also made and used on houses that were built through the 17th and 18th century, many of which can still be seen if you visit Delft today.
How Did Delft Potters Create Their Work?
Delft is created by the potter’s work being completely covered in a white tin glaze before they paint an intricate design or scene onto the piece. The entire piece is then covered in a clear glaze to seal in the color and create a rich shine. The clay used is sometimes referred to as porcelain, but it's actually usually made from a type of white clay, which had a high content of calcium compounds, kaolin, and quartz. Much of the Delftware was created in large quantities and slip cast, rather than being hand or wheel thrown. To create the scenes they wanted to paint on their earthenware, potters often made stencils, to make sure their designs were perfect. An ancient technique of creating a stencil, which is sometimes still used, was to sketch the design and then make pinpricks in the paper, the paper was held over the ceramic piece and charcoal dust was sprinkled on to it, leaving an outline of the basic sketch on the pottery. From there the potter can see exactly where to create the design and will then finish the entire decoration by hand, using a black paint containing cobalt oxide, which turns to the famous beautiful rich blue color in the kiln.
Once finished the whole work will be dipped into a white glaze.
Delft polychrome earthenware was developed from the original Delftware and incorporated not just blue and white but a range of colors (often using the primary colors red, yellow and blue).
Where Can You Find Delftware Today?
Despite its popularity, Delft pottery came close to dying out around the mid-18th century when mass production of pottery began to gain momentum. Luckily for the craft, a Dutchman named Joost Thooft bought one of Delft’s most important factories De Koninklijke Porceleyne Fles (known more commonly as Royal Delft), which was struggling at the time, and brought it back to popularity. The factory is still in operation and has been running for over 360 years, it’s also the last of the remaining earthenware factories in the area. Often you would find Delft works with Joost Thooft’s initials marked on the bottom. Another popular producer is the DeWit factory in the Netherlands, which still produces some of the most beautiful hand-painted Delftware created by Dutch artisans, carrying on this rich tradition. |
0.999523 | This article is about the historical political group also known as the Montagnards. For other uses, see The Mountain (disambiguation) and Montagnard (disambiguation).
The Mountain (French: La Montagne) was a political group during the French Revolution, whose members called the Montagnards (French: [mɔ̃taɲaʁ]) sat on the highest benches in the National Assembly.
They were the most radical group and opposed the Girondists. The term, which was first used during a session of the Legislative Assembly, came into general use in 1793. Led by Maximilien Robespierre, the Montagnards unleashed the Reign of Terror in 1793. By the summer of 1793, two minority groups who were referred to as the Mountain and the Girondin, divided the National Convention. The Mountain was composed mainly of members of the middle class, but represented the constituencies of Paris. As such, the Mountain was sensitive to the motivations of the city and responded strongly to demands from the working class sans-culottes. The Mountaineers had little understanding of the daily life and needs of the people in the cities and towns beyond Paris. Although they attempted some rural land reform, most of it was never enacted and they generally focused on the needs of the urban poor over that of rural France. The Mountain operated on the belief that what was best for Paris would be best for all of France.
The Girondins were a moderate political faction created during the Legislative Assembly period. They were the political opponents of the more radical representatives within the Mountain. The Girondins had wanted to avoid the execution of Louis XVI and supported a constitution which would have allowed a popular vote to overturn legislation. The Mountain accused the Girondins of plotting against Paris because this caveat within the proposed constitution would have allowed rural areas of France to vote against legislation that benefits Paris, the main constituency of the Mountain. However, the real discord in the Convention occurred not between the Mountain and the Gironde, but between the aggressive antics of the minority of the Mountain and the rest of the Convention.
The Mountain was not entirely unified as a party and relied on leaders like Maximilien Robespierre, Georges Danton and Jacques Hébert, who themselves came to represent different factions. Hébert, a journalist, gained a following as a radical patriot Mountaineer (members who identified with him became known as the Hébertists) while Danton led a more moderate faction of the Mountain party (followers came to be known as Dantonists). Regardless of the divisions, the nightly sessions of the Jacobin club, which met in the rue Saint-Honoré, can be considered to be a type of party caucus for the Mountain. In June 1793, the Mountain successfully ousted most of the moderate Gironde members of the Convention with the assistance of radical sans-culottes.
Following their coup, the Mountain, led by Hérault-Sécuells, quickly began construction on a new constitution which was completed eight days later. The Committee of Public Safety reported the constitution to the Convention on 10 June and a final draft was adopted on 24 June. The process occurred quickly because as Robespierre, a prominent member of the Mountain, announced on 10 June the "good citizens demanded a constitution" and the "Constitution will be the reply of patriotic deputies, for it is the work of the Mountain". However, this constitution was never actually enacted. The Constitution of 1793 was abandoned when Robespierre later granted himself and the Committee of Public Safety dictatorial powers in order to "defend the Revolution".
It is difficult to pinpoint the conception of the Montagnard group because the lines which defined it were themselves quite nebulous early on. Originally, members of The Mountain were the men who sat in the highest rows of the Jacobin Clubs, loosely organized political debate clubs open to the public. Though members of the Montagnards were known for their commitment to radical political resolutions prior to 1793, the contours of political groups presented an ever-evolving reality that shifted in response to events. Would-be prominent Montagnard leaders like Jean-Baptiste Robert Lindet and Jean Bon Saint-André were tempted by early Girondin proposals and soon many moderates—even anti-radicals—felt the need to push for radical endeavors in light of threats both within and without the country. It was only after the trial of Louis XVI in December 1792, which united the Montagnards on a position of regicide, that the ideals and power of the group fully consolidated.
The rise of Montagnards corresponds to the fall of the Girondins. The Girondin party hesitated on the correct course of action to take with Louis XVI after his attempt to flee France on 20 June 1791. Some elements of the Girondin party believed they could use the king as figurehead. While the Girondins hesitated, the Montagnards took a united stand during the trial in December 1792–January 1793 and favored the king's execution.
Riding on this victory, the Montagnards then sought to discredit the Girondins. They used tactics previously employed by the Girondins to denounce them as liars and enemies of the Revolution. They also formed a legislative committee in which Nicolas Hentz proposed a limitation of inheritances, gaining more support for the Montagnards. Girondin members were subsequently banned from the Jacobin club and excluded from the National Convention on 31 May – 2 June 1793. Any attempted resistance was crushed. Maximilien Robespierre then continued to consolidate his power over the Montagnards with the use of the Committee of Public Safety.
Through attempted land redistribution policies, the Mountain showed some support for the rural poor. In August 1793, Montagnard member Jean Jacques Régis de Cambacérès drafted a piece of legislation which dealt with agricultural reform; in particular, he urged "relief from rent following harvest loss, compensation for improvements and fixity of tenure". This was in part to combat restlessness of share-croppers in the southwest. This draft never made it into law, but the drastic reforms suggest the Mountain's awareness of the need to please their base of support, both the rural and urban poor.
Other policies aimed at supporting the poor included price controls enacted by the Mountain in 1793. This law, called the General Maximum, was supported by a group of agitators within the Mountain known as the Enragés. It fixed prices and wages throughout France. At the same time, bread prices were rising as the commodity became scarce, and in an initiative spearheaded by Collot d’Herbois and Billaud-Varenne, a law was enacted in July 1793 that forbade the hoarding of "daily necessities". The hoarding of grain became a crime punishable by death.
Other economic policies enacted by the Mountain included an embargo on the export of French goods. As a result of this embargo, France was essentially unable to trade with foreign markets and the import of goods effectively ended. In theory, this protected French markets from foreign goods and required French people to support French goods. In addition to the embargo against foreign goods, Act 1651, passed by the Mountain in October 1793, further isolated France from the rest of Europe by forbidding any foreign vessels from trading along the French coast.
The fall and exclusion of the Montagnards from the National Convention began with the collapse of the Revolution's radical phase and the death of Robespierre on 10 Thermidor (28 July 1794). While the Montagnards celebrated unity, there was growing heterogeneity within the group as Robespierre and his Committee of Public Safety overextended themselves with their tight control over the military and their extreme opposition to corruption in the government. Their overextension drew the ire of other revolutionary leaders and a number of plots coalesced on 9 Thermidor (Thermidorian Reaction) when collaborators with the more moderate group the Dantonists acted in response to fears that Robespierre planned to execute them.
The purge of Robespierre was strongly similar to previous measures employed by the Montagnards to expel disagreeable factions, such as the Girondins. However, as Robespierre was widely considered the heart of the Montagnards, his death symbolized the collapse of the party. Few desired to take on the name of Montagnards afterwards, leaving around only about 100 men. Finally, at the end of 1794 the Mountain largely devolved into a party called The Crest (French: crête), which lacked any real power.
The Mountain was born in 1792, with the merger of two prominent left-wing clubs: the Jacobins and Cordeliers. The Jacobins were initially moderate republicans and the Cordeliers were radical populist. In late 1792, Danton and his supporters wanted a reconciliation with the Girondists, which caused a break with Robespierre. After the trial of Girondists in 1793, Danton became strongly moderate while Robespierre continued his authoritarian policies.
The moderates of Danton were also rival to the followers of Jacques Hébert that wanted the persecution of all non-Montagnards and the dechristianisation of France. When Robespierre eliminated first the Hébertists (March 1794) and then the Dantonistes (April 1794), his group ruled The Mountain. This was until the Thermidorian Reaction, when several conspirators supported by The Plain instituted a coup d'état. They executed Robespierre and his supporters and split from The Mountain to form the Thermidorian Left. The Montagnards that survived were arrested, executed or deported. From 1794 to 1795, the Mountain was effectively obliterated.
^ Howard G. Brown (3 August 1995). War, Revolution, and the Bureaucratic State: Politics and Army Administration in France. Clarendon Press. p. 370.
^ Edward Berenson (1984). Populist Religion and Left-Wing Politics in France. Princeton University Press. p. 308.
^ Jennifer Llewellyn; Steve Thompson (2015). "The Girondins and Montagnards". Alpha History.
^ Gregory Fremont-Barnes (2007). Encyclopedia of the Age of Political Revolutions and New Ideologies. Greenwood Press. p. 867.
^ Jeremy D. Popkin, A Short History of the French Revolution, 6th ed. (Pearson Education, Inc. 2006), pp. 75–76.
^ William D. Edmonds, "The Siege" in Jacobinism and the Revolt of Lyon, (Clarendon Press, 1990), p. 249.
^ a b Jeremy D. Popkin, A Short History of the French Revolution, 6th ed. (Pearson Education, Inc. 2006), pp. 50–51.
^ R. R. Palmer, Twelve Who Ruled: The Year of the Terror in the French Revolution with a new foreword by Isser Woloch (Princeton University Press, 2005), p. 26.
^ Jeremy D. Popkin, A Short History of the French Revolution: Sixth Edition, (Pearson Education, Inc. 2006), p. 62.
^ a b Jeremy D. Popkin, A Short History of the French Revolution, 6th ed. (Pearson Education, Inc. 2006), pp. 64–66.
^ R. R. Palmer, Twelve Who Ruled: The Year of the Terror in the French Revolution with a new foreword by Isser Woloch (Princeton University Press, 2005), p. 25.
^ Jeremy D. Popkin, A Short History of the French Revolution, 6th ed. (Pearson Education, Inc. 2006), p. 66.
^ R. R. Palmer, Twelve Who Ruled: The Year of the Terror in the French Revolution with a new foreword by Isser Woloch (Princeton University Press, 2005), p. 34.
^ R. R. Palmer, Twelve Who Ruled: The Year of the Terror in the French Revolution with a new foreword by Isser Woloch (Princeton University Press, 2005), p. 35.
^ Jeremy D. Popkin, A Short History of the French Revolution, 6th ed. (Pearson Education, Inc. 2006), p. 67.
^ Jeremy D. Popkin, A Short History of the French Revolution, 6th ed. (Pearson Education, Inc. 2006), p. 71.
^ "Definition of 'mountain' - Collins English Dictionary". Collins English Dictionary.
^ a b François Furet and Mona Ozouf, A Critical Dictionary of the French Revolution (Belknap Press, 1989), pp. 380–390.
^ a b Jeremy D. Popkin, A Short History of the French Revolution, 5th ed. (Pearson, 2009), pp. 72–77.
^ Marisa Linton, Choosing Terror: Virtue, Friendship, and Authenticity in the French Revolution (Oxford University Press, 2013), pp. 174–175.
^ Robert J. Alderson, This Bright Era of Happy Revolutions: French Consul Michel-Ange-Bernard Mangourit and International Republicanism in Charleston, 1792-1794 (University of South Carolina Press, 2008), pp. 9–10.
^ a b P. M. Jones, "The 'Agrarian Law': Schemes for Land Redistribution during the French Revolution", Past & Present, no. 133 (1991), p. 112.
^ Jeremy D. Popkin, A Short History of the French Revolution, 6th ed. (Pearson Education, Inc. 2006), p. 68.
^ R. R. Palmer, Twelve Who Ruled: The Year of the Terror in the French Revolution with a new foreword by Isser Woloch (Princeton University Press), 2005. p. 226.
^ R. R. Palmer, Twelve Who Ruled: The Year of the Terror in the French Revolution with a new foreword by Isser Woloch (Princeton University Press, 2005), 226.
^ R. R. Palmer, Twelve Who Ruled: The Year of the Terror in the French Revolution with a new foreword by Isser Woloch (Princeton University Press, 2005), p. 227.
^ Peter McPhee, Robespierre: A Revolutionary Life (Yale University Press, 2012), p. 271.
François Furet and Mona Ozouf. A Critical Dictionary of the French Revolution. (Belknap Press, 1989).
Jeremy D. Popkin, A Short History of the French Revolution, 5th ed. (Pearson, 2009).
Marisa Linton, Choosing Terror: Virtue, Friendship, and Authenticity in the French Revolution. (Oxford University Press, 2013).
Morris Slavin. The Making of an Insurrection: Parisian Sections and the Gironde. (Harvard University Press, 1986).
Peter Kropotkin, Trans. N. F. Dryhurst The Great French Revolution, 1789-1793. (New York: Vanguard Printings, 1927).
Peter McPhee, Robespierre: A Revolutionary Life. (Yale University Press, 2012).
Robert J. Alderson, This Bright Era of Happy Revolutions: French Consul Michel-Ange-Bernard Mangourit and International Republicanism in Charleston, 1792-1794. (University of South Carolina Press, 2008).
"Mountain (the Mountain)". Collins English Dictionary Online. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
"Montagnard (French history)". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Montagnards.
Shusterman, Noah (2013). The French Revolution: Faith, Desire and Politics. Routledge. p. 255. ISBN 978-0415660211.
Hanson, Paul R. (2004). Historical Dictionary of the French Revolution (Historical Dictionaries of War, Revolution, and Civil Unrest). p. 395. ISBN 978-0810850521.
Jordan, David P. (1983). The Jacobins and Their Victims in The Eighteenth Century. University of Pennsylvania. p. 268. ISSN 0193-5380.
Palmer, R.R. (2005). Twelve Who Ruled: The Year of the Terror in the French Revolution. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0691007618.
Popkin, Jeremy D. (2016). A Short History of the French Revolution. Routledge. ISBN 978-0205968459. |
0.999699 | Which of these pharmaceutical stocks should you prefer for your portfolio?
GlaxoSmithKline is researching the field of bioelectronics for potential new advances. Image source: GlaxoSmithKline.
Investors like pharmaceutical stocks because of the combination of dividend income and growth prospects that they have historically provided. Both GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK) and Merck (NYSE:MRK) have been leaders in the pharma world for a long time, and both companies have developed lifesaving medications that millions of people rely on for their health. Yet some consumer advocates worry that pharmaceutical companies are profiting too much from their breakthroughs, charging high prices that put a strain on the government programs and health insurance providers that manage the costs of healthcare more broadly. With those challenges, investors want to know which stocks offer the best combination of risk and reward. Let's look more closely at Glaxo and Merck using a range of common metrics to evaluate their merits.
Despite the pharmaceutical industry's recent challenges, GlaxoSmithKline and Merck have held their own over the past year. On a total-return basis, Glaxo has posted a nearly 10% advance since the end of June 2015. Merck has trailed that figure but has still managed to eke out a nearly 4% rise.
Simple valuation metrics have their limitations, and in the case of Glaxo and Merck, looking at trailing earnings in relation to their share prices leads to some misleading conclusions. Glaxo's current price-to-earnings ratio is greater than 100, implying an extraordinarily high valuation. Yet most of the reason for the company's temporarily low earnings is that Glaxo has incurred billions of dollars in restructuring charges and fair-value balance sheet adjustments related to foreign currency movements. Similarly, Merck has incurred restructuring charges of its own, along with foreign-exchange losses related to Venezuela's currency devaluation and adverse legal settlements, and that has boosted its trailing P/E to 35.
Future earnings expectations take those factors out of consideration, and there, the two stocks compare more fairly. GlaxoSmithKline trades at about 16 times forward earnings, while Merck comes in slightly cheaper with a forward multiple of 15. On a valuation basis, Glaxo's superior stock performance hasn't made its shares look much more expensive than Merck's.
The largest pharmaceutical companies typically pay substantial dividends, sharing the success of their blockbuster drugs with their shareholders. Merck offers a dividend yield of 3.3%, which is above average for the market as a whole. GlaxoSmithKline, however, has a much higher yield of 5.6%, and that doesn't even include the special dividend of roughly $0.57 per share that investors received earlier this year. When you add in that amount, Glaxo's effective yield rises to nearly 7%.
Glaxo has also been more diligent in boosting its dividend payments over time. The company's payouts vary from quarter to quarter as many European stocks' dividends do, but the overall trend in local-currency terms has been upward. Since 2007, Glaxo has more than doubled its annual dividend payments, and it has made at least token increases every year since at least 2001. By contrast, Merck has been less regular about its dividend increases, including just minimal boosts over the past five years and flat payouts for most of the preceding decade. Overall, Glaxo's dividend treats shareholders better than Merck's does.
Both Merck and GlaxoSmithKline have considerable growth opportunities, although the risk is always that pipeline products in development won't pan out the way that the companies hope. For GlaxoSmithKline, recent results have been extremely encouraging. HIV therapies Tivicay and Triumeq produced extremely strong growth in the first quarter of 2016, with sales climbing 60% and 193% respectively. Glaxo's pipeline of about 40 potential products has several products nearing possible approval, including treatments for rheumatoid arthritis and a shingles vaccine. At the same time, Glaxo has unlocked cost savings to bolster its profits. Even though its asthma blockbuster Advair will decline with generic competition expected in the near future, Glaxo is still working to overcome disappointment in the oncology field and handle concerns about pricing of its drugs.
Merck is dealing with similar issues. The company's blockbuster Januvia and Janumet treatments for diabetes are still doing reasonably well, even though the key products are facing substantial competitive pressures. Merck has also seen promising pipeline moves, including the likely filing for approval of osteoporosis therapy odanacatib later this year. Poor results from hepatitis C treatment Zepatier haven't made investors happy, and growth in Merck's Keytruda cancer drug have lagged behind a rival treatment, Bristol-Myers Squibb's Opdivo, in terms of sales. Yet the company is interested in looking at acquisitions to bolster its growth prospects further. On this point, both Merck and Glaxo have similar growth prospects and face many of the same risks.
All in all under this analysis, GlaxoSmithKline has a slight edge over Merck, due largely to its more generous dividend payouts. Investors will need to keep an eye on both companies to see how they weather big-picture issues in the pharmaceutical industry, but if it can deliver on its full potential, GlaxoSmithKline looks like the better buy right now. |
0.979213 | Has gold lost its investment value or it still does make sense to stay invested in gold? Gold has been volatile with negative bias for some time now. However, does it mean that, gold as an investment can be completely ruled out?
If we read the chart (See At Variance), we understand the returns on gold or gold price movement y-o-y has shown inverse relation to the index returns. Which means whenever equity markets were down gold has delivered better returns or vice versa. This can be attributed to the fact that investors tend to invest more in equity when the sentiments are positive and in converse when the equity markets are going negative investors find comfort in gold as safe haven.
More recently if we compare the India gold returns with Nifty Index in the last five years, we can still see the similar pattern and quite clearly (See Poles Apart).
To put it in perspective, we are not trying to project the performance of gold and also not commenting on whether the gold prices are heading down or up or even what factors might affect the gold price movement.
The idea behind this is to understand how gold prices have moved vis-à-vis equity returns and does this present to us an investment opportunity which might be helpful. It is often spoken that gold acts as a hedge against inflation, true, but can it be also hedged against bear trend in the markets?
Going by this broad trend depicted in the charts, we can think of gold as an investment option which can deliver returns when the equity markets start consolidating as and when it happens, which however might take some time.
For investors who have invested in Gold Funds in the form of SIP can continue with the investment or even increase the tenure of SIP instead of redeeming. For lump-sum investors who have negative returns, can add an SIP to their investments as they can get more units when the prices are coming down.
The way gold prices are moving now, it looks similar to the negative movement in the equity markets few years back (not as bad though) and most investors did the grave mistake of stopping their SIPs or redeeming them. It can now only be looked at in hindsight as a missed opportunity to buy at lower levels.
This in no way is to suggest that the equity rally will not last long or the gold prices will come up zooming soon. However, if the gold prices are low and might go further low because of various factors affecting it, there will certainly be a change in those factors which might trigger positive cues for gold.
Since the majority of the action seems to lie in the equity space, equity of course takes the major chunk of investment but other classes such as gold cannot be ignored. However, nobody would like to have negative returns when we presume that the equity markets are headed towards newer highs and gold seems directionless. But, if somebody is investing in gold in the form of SIP and the gold prices are heading down, isn’t it that one is adding more units, which would help them gain more as and when the trend reverses.
Is Gold Good SIP Option?
If one is already holding a Gold SIP, this would be an ideal time to add more units. In fact one can increase the tenure of the SIP so that it can continue.
If one is not currently having a SIP and believes equity is the best and the only investment option, the answer is partly yes and partly no. Yes, because in the long run across market ups and downs SIP remains the best investment option and is also pocket friendly, but if one assumes that market is only heading northwards, every SIP investment will be hitting at a higher NAV, so lower units.
Gold on the other hand can be a useful investment option with the prices fluctuating and more so in the negative direction. Also, if the trend in the graph is to be considered, whenever equity loses the favor, gold might give better returns and for those investors who held on to their Gold SIP’s through this lull period will tend to gain more.
The importance of Gold as an asset cannot be ruled out in our lives, and there are products which offer physical gold at the end of the term such as Satyug Mera Gold Plan or Reliance My Gold Plan. These can be good options for accumulation of gold more than the investment and can be planned with a goal or target in perspective. As with any other investment, longer time horizon is of high importance even in gold.
It is better to be prepared for both the best and the worst. For best most investments are already invested in the growing asset class of Equity. For the worst, Gold might be one of the investment options if it carries on with the trend depicted in the charts. |
0.972513 | Shopping for a digital USB microscope that works on Mac OSX? It isn't just webcams that have adopted the USB Video Class camera standard. There's now a decent range of UVC digital computer microscopes and inspection scopes that are UVC compliant and compatible with any modern OS : MacOS, Linux, and Windows.
The Go-To brand seems to be Amscope with good software support for Macintosh computers. Omax is another digital USB scope manufacturer worth checking out. Some are conventional computer lab microscopes for medical or biological uses that combine both optical eye-pieces plus a digital camera sensor for capturing and recording whatever it sees under high magnification. Windows users will likely find snapshot and video capture apps more readily available, but Linux and Mac OS users will find any general purpose still image or video capture program will let them capture images or video clips from the digital computer microscope's sensor.
There are also many MacOS friendly UVC compatible inspection microscopes for business, industrial, construction or hobbyist uses. Some are handheld such as dental cameras, some feature a mounting stand, others may have a long or extended cable for, say, automotive engine or in-wall construction inspections. |
0.999926 | Internal e-mails among Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care's new administrators and volunteers from September 20 to October 9 show a newly independent city agency plagued with miscommunication and continued animal negligence -- the same problems BARC suffered under its former leadership.
Hair Balls' preliminary review of nearly 500 pages' worth of e-mails obtained by former volunteer Margaret Gondo's open records request show that, two months into Interim Bureau Chief Gerry Fusco's reign -- and many more months after a series of "Incident Command Teams" were dispatched by Health and Human Services Director Stephen Williams -- the shelter still lacked the basic governance to keep animals fed and free from living in their own filth.
Per one volunteer's impassioned e-mail, cats have been left without food or water, to the point where one cat was gnawing on a bowl. (That cat was lucky -- some cages allegedly had no bowls). Other e-mails complain of dogs being put out for adoption without being spayed/neutered; and one volunteer complains of a dog with a bad eye injury who was forced to wait for a week -- allegedly with fragments of its damaged eye hanging out of the socket -- before being treated.
Much of the concern over actual problems -- as well as a spate of rumors -- came from volunteers who encouraged City Council to approve Fusco's $180,000 contract, an irony that was not lost on Fusco, per his September 27 e-mail to Elena Marks of Mayor Bill White's office (and BARC's current spokesperson): "Somehow we have to do something to stop this. There is only so much I can take of this nonsense," Fusco wrote. "These are the same people who sang my praises. This is much more than one person should have to bear."
Although some of Fusco's e-mails express dismay over management not being "in sync" with volunteers, of "procedural problems that are pervasive at BARC," about a policy change in releasing euthanasia records made without his knowledge, and about "dismal" record-keeping in the shelter's computerized inventory database, he places much of the blame for BARC's problems on negative comments from the public.
On September 26, Fusco e-mailed Marks that "I will forward you an e-mail from a volunteer that must have seen a [blogger's] comments. I'm really tough, but this nonsense does have a way of wearing you down and works to demoralize one. No wonder BARC can't get on a sustainable path. Much of the public won't allow it."
September 20: a volunteer e-mails Interim Chief Gerry Fusco and others about conditions in the north kennel.
"Saturday was pure hell at BARC....The cages [in the north kennel] themselves were abominable. Cages cannot become this filthy day after day. Some of these cages had not been cleaned the right way for days. There were feces in the corners of the cage, smeared on the cages and caked on the cages. We tried to just give food and water, but had to clean a few where the excrement was on the animals."
The volunteer continues: "The condition in the north kennel has definitely gotten worse in the last couple of weeks. I have never seen the cages in this condition....The city prosecutes individuals for having their animals with no food [and] water and lying in excrement. But we are doing the same thing."
Fusco replied later that morning: "I [saw] the cat ward and it was terrible. PLEASE....allow me the opportunity to fix this." Fusco goes on to tell two BARC employees, who were apparently in charge of the north kennel, "I will not put up with this....Either we scheduled poorly, or no one is doing their work."
A September 28 e-mail from a volunteer to Fusco states "I am becoming concerned about the number of dogs that are going to the south kennel available for adoption that are not spayed or neutered. The percentage of unaltered dogs has increased over the last several months. Now that BARC has more vet staff, I do not understand this development. Both of the PetSmarts that I have talked to [for offsite adoptions] request that we bring altered animals only."
Fusco later e-mailed staff vet Virginia Groemminger, asking her for an answer: "As I've mentioned several times, we need to develop clinical stats that show what we are accomplishing at BARC. These are the types of questions we routinely get and we must be prepared to not only answer them but to be proactive in telling the public how we are progressing."
At Hair Balls, we're still waiting for the proactive part. We will update this as we continue to go through the e-mails. |
0.999992 | Take a first person narration set in the present day, an autistic teenager, and a brutal law firm quick to abolish the weak. The result is Francisco X. Stork's brilliant novel, Marcelo in the Real World.
Judging from the cover and strategically written description by the online Nook Store, I expected to immerse myself in the fictional mind of seventeen year old Marcelo Sandoval as he navigates a law firm and finds first love. (Why else would the front cover display two figures holding hands in the starry night?) While the main plot was Marcelo's social progression in a summer job at his father's law firm, Stork embellishes the novel with a mystery Marcelo seeks to solve. This requires him to choose between following his father's instruction and returning to the school of his choice or discovering something only he could learn.
The cast of characters includes Marcelo's parents and sister, a rabbi, and a stone faced assistant who guides Marcelo through his day to day assignments. Since Marcelo is developed so thoroughly in the story many of the characters are not seen closely. The minimal development can be observed in many ways.
Francisco X. Stork was surrounded by people with mental complications his entire life and it shows through his comfortable storytelling. Marcelo encounters daunting city streets and an arrogant young man who attempts to use him to lure a hookup. His character is believable and relatable, and his struggles are thought provoking. Religion, poverty, and addiction are amongst other themes touched, but it is the reader who is left to make an informed decision regarding them.
I give Marcelo in the Real World a solid four stars (of a possible five). |
0.999798 | Article about: Here is a very nice example I have had for a very long time. It is very special because it belongs to a member from Turkmenistan!
Here is a very nice example I have had for a very long time. It is very special because it belongs to a member from Turkmenistan!
Lets see what else is out here.
I do have to admit that it is my favorite medal.
Yes... the prices on these are simply outrageous! I paid 200 for the set in 1993!
in the document , i not see the year ! you have the year of this document ??
It was not filled in. The area for it is provided on the right hand side of the open book. |
0.999887 | A friend woke me up early a couple days ago and told me to get outside because it was really foggy. I’m grateful for friends who know what I love and push me to take advantage of the moments that present themselves to me. I’m also grateful that I pushed through my mental fog and exhaustion and got outside, because it was a truly beautiful morning. |
0.956106 | Why is it so dispiriting?
For that matter, why are vegetables in general so dispiriting?
I guess there's a lesson in there somewhere about Things That Are Good For Us.
Some years ago, probably quite a few though I'm not sure, I read a review of one of Joan Didion's books which said something to the effect that the chief or most engaging characteristic of her work is her sensibility. I may have that wrong, but whether or not it's what the reviewer said, it seems apt to me, based on the fairly small amount of her work I've read: the novel Play It As It Lays, the essay collections The White Album and Slouching Toward Bethlehem. I just finished the last of these, and that notion occurred to me several times during the reading.
What is that sensibility? Sensitive, intelligent, unillusioned, depressed, neurotic, nostalgic, fatalistic, romantic, cynical, disappointed--the last three are essentially aspects of one thing. All three of these books were written in the 1960s, and it's pretty clear that she was pretty unhappy at the time. I don't know whether things got better for her or not.
I've had Slouching on my shelf for some time, and had read a couple of the essays in it. I picked it up again because the title essay is her report on the Haight-Ashbury hippie culture in 1967, when it came to the attention of the whole nation as "the Summer of Love." I find Didion's perspective on "The Sixties," by which I mean the whole phenomenon which has been so heavily mythologized since it actually occurred, essential. The prevailing myth, subscribed to by most of the social-political left (which means that it's the dominant one in the media, the entertainment industry, and the academy, and therefore dominant in general) is that it was a time of awakening and liberation, and that the summer of 1967 was one of its high (ha ha) points, the moment when a counter-cultural impulse which included political, social, and philosophical revolutions came to flower. The countervailing myth, subscribed to by most of the social-political right, is that it was a time of disintegration and collapse.
Didion stands somewhat apart from those categories and those views. I take her to be more or less a liberal, but she is, as I said earlier, unillusioned, and she reports what she sees without, as far as I can tell, any ideological filter. She is, in a sense, conservative, in that she seems to suffer from a sort of civilizational vertigo, and to want to hold on to whatever stability she can find. Accordingly, she tends to focus on the crazy aspects of the hippie subculture, which were undeniably there and significant, whether you think it was on the whole a good or a bad thing. I'd say this essay, like its companion, the title essay of The White Album, is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand what was going on then. Or wants to understand what it was actually like. Didion's view is not the whole story, but it is a true and important part of the story.
We were seeing the desperate attempt of a handful of pathetically unequipped children to create a community in a social vacuum.
She herself seems to be caught out in that vacuum, as the essay "On Morality" shows.
Apart from all that, she is a terrific writer, in both style and substance, and I think anyone who appreciates good prose and deep intelligence would value this book. Not all the essays are of equal quality and significance, but all are at least interesting.
I'm going to quote from one of them, "I Can't Get That Monster Out of My Mind," about the movie industry, because I think it's so striking a picture of the mentality that apparently set in there in the early 1960s, when the decline of "the studio system"--the nature of which has never been clear to me--gave directors new freedom. And is still prominent.
One problem is that American directors, with a handful of exceptions, are not much interested in style; they are at heart didactic. Ask what they plan to do with their absolute freedom, with their chance to make a personal statement, and they will pick an "issue," a "problem." The "issues" they pick are generally no longer real issues, if indeed they ever were--but I think it a mistake to attribute this to any calculated venality, to any conscious playing it safe.... Call it instead--this apparent calcuation about what "issues" are now safe--an absence of imagination, a sloppiness of mind in some ways encouraged by a comfortable feedback from the audience, from the bulk of reviewers, and from some people who ought to know better. Stanley Kramer's Judgment at Nuremberg, made in 1961, was an intrepid indictment not of authoritarianism in the abstract, not of the trials themselves, not of the various moral and legal issues involved, but of Nazi war atrocities, about which there would have seemed already to be some consensus.... Later, Kramer and Abby Mann collaborated on Ship of Fools, into which they injected "a little more compassion and humor" and in which they advanced the action from 1931 to 1933--the better to register another defiant protest against the National Socialist Party.
She makes a number of judgments about directors which I don't necessarily share, including a negative one about Bergman, a terrible failing in my eyes. But: "they are at heart didactic." That's still a justifiable complaint. And aren't they self-righteous and self-important about it?
The above is quite inadequate as a review of the book, by the way. I've focused only on a couple of things that happen to especially interest me. There is much more to say of both book and author as seen therein. I might add that her use of Yeats's poem "The Second Coming" in her title and as epigraph were probably not at the time the somewhat tired devices they've since become, when even politicians quote the poem--or at least the one sentence, "The center cannot hold."
This porch ceiling has been painted a color known around here as "haint blue." I only learned of this recently. Has anyone else heard of it? Here's an explanation.
Most people would just call it sky blue, I guess.
There is a brewery called Haint Blue in Mobile. I'd like to support them but there is a brewery right here in my town so I usually buy theirs. Haint Blue has an odd beer called Marianne, which is spiced with saffron. You can read about it here. Rather in the "hmm...interesting" than "mmm...wonderful" category to me.
May all these little breweries thrive for generation unto generation. The success of the craft beer movement is a great compensation for living with the craziness of our time.
In 2012, David Graham, writing in The Atlantic, noted a study that showed that a growing number of Americans would be displeased if their children married someone of the other party.
That sounds bad. It is bad. But if you change the "liberal" and "conservative" categories to "fervent atheist" and "fervent Christian," it makes sense. Even without actual animosity, two people with such seriously opposing views on such fundamental matters ought to think twice, at least, about getting involved in love and marriage with each other.
More disturbing than such views about romance are the instances I've seen of liberals not wanting to live in the same neighborhood as conservatives. Maybe the same thing happens in the other direction, but I haven't encountered it.
Once again I assert that the culture war is actually a religious conflict. I say this not for the purpose of inflaming the situation but of understanding what is actually happening. It's possible--only possible--that if people on both sides were more aware of this they might make more of an effort to tamp down their anger. Or then again it might make things worse, if people recognize that there are irreconcilable differences over first principles, not just policies. Well, even so, I prefer to have a clear understanding, even if that means recognizing that a situation is more dire than I had hoped.
In that long Facebook argument (381 comments!) I mentioned a few weeks ago in which I was taken to task for my comments about toxic femininity, I was criticized for "attempt[ing] to be reasonable" when the other person thought (apparently) that I should be emotional. I almost took this as a compliment, because I think reasonableness is in pretty short supply these days where political-cultural matters are concerned. That was certainly on display this past week in the matter of parents and children being separated when families enter the country illegally.
As I always take pains to say whenever I discuss anything having to do with Donald Trump, I did not support him, and the best I can say about his presidency is that it hasn't been as bad as I feared. But the open crusade waged by the media, the entertainment industry et.al. is so disproportionate to what he is actually doing that when some "Oh my God did you hear what Trump just did?!?" story hits the news, which it does at least once a week, I automatically assume that it's exaggerated. I wait several days before even bothering to check it out, because the chances are very good that it will turn out to be either not as bad or not as significant as reported, and sometimes that it's not entirely true. It often seems that the anti-Trump forces never heard the old fable of the boy who cried wolf. Or didn't understand its lesson, and thought that the problem was that the boy didn't scream loudly enough.
So: no, there is nothing familiar, not even vaguely, to the Holocaust, and it is a disgrace to suggest that there is.
I’m not going to go into a long post describing the Holocaust, but it is clear to all who study history that the death camps and even work camps were not refugee detention centers, and the people in them (Jews and others) were not illegal immigrants asking for asylum or seeking to become German citizens (or Polish citizens for that matter, the country where the Germans located most of the death camps).
In Nazi work camps, many people (if relatively able-bodied to begin with) were set to “work” to be starved, tortured both psychologically and physically, and killed in droves by disease and exhaustion because of the terrible conditions. In Nazi death camps they were killed at the outset, although a very small percentage were spared briefly to help with the cleanup of the mass killing in exchange for a few more months of life, or to work at certain other tasks for a while under conditions that would ordinarily kill them rather quickly (within months as a rule). The object was to eliminate them as a group from the face of the earth, and certainly from Europe.
That was the stark reality, and it is obscene to make the comparison so many people are making.
If you want to read some exasperatingly reasonable discussion of the complex immigration situation, try Damon Linker or David Frum. I'm usually not much of a fan of Frum, but I think he's on target here. Damon Linker is often interesting. He seems to consider himself on the left--"center-left" I think is the term he uses--but is willing to take conservative and/or populist concerns seriously and to characterize them fairly, which is unusual to put it mildly.
Well, I didn't intend to write that much about politics. Now I've run out of time for the music-related post I had planned. Next week.
For more than ten years we had a Meyer lemon tree growing beside our front steps. In many of those years it bore more lemons than we knew what to do with. This is a how it looked in its glory days, a picture of a few branches of a tree that was eight feet or so tall.
When life gives you this many lemons, limoncello, not lemonade, is the appropriate response. Several years ago my wife made a big batch of it, several quarts at least, stored in Mason jars. It's delicious and very potent, made with a base of Everclear. I've been using this neat little bottle to dispense it. It originally contained two different and delicious liqueurs, brought from Europe (France, I think) by one of our children. I liked the bottle(s) so much that I didn't want to throw it (them) away, and have been using it for limoncello for a while now. A few days ago I poured the last of the limoncello into it and took this memorial photo.
I call it a memorial because this not just the last of that big batch: it's the last ever from our lovely lemon tree. Several years ago we had an unusually cold winter which had the tree covered in ice for several days. It lost all its leaves and we thought it might be dead, but it recovered, partially, and gave us a few lemons the next year. Then the year after we had another cold spell, not quite as bad as the earlier one but enough to kill back all the leaves, and that was pretty much the end of the tree. This spring only a few living branches were left and we finally cut it down. I'll spare you the sad sight of the stump.
It's a sort of novel, written by Mark Frost, the co-creator of the series. It provides a great deal of fascinating background for the story by means of a wonderfully entertaining mixture of truth and fantasy. You learn a lot about people and events from the series, but you also get some history and context that are not even suggested by the series. For instance, the book opens with some odd incidents in the life, and odd circumstances about the death, of Meriwether Lewis, and works forward in time until shortly after the time of the original story, with a link to the present day. I'm expecting that link to be present in the new series; we'll see.
And I had a very good time reading it. The premise is that in the present day a cache of documents relating to the town of Twin Peaks, its inhabitants, and certain events that occurred in the late 1980s, has been "recovered on 7-20-2016 from a crime scene." Deputy Director Gordon Cole has given it to an agent identified only by the initials T.P. for "comprehensive analysis, cataloging and cross-referencing.... We need to learn and verify the person or persons responsible for compiling this dossier...."
The book then consists of "documents" assembled by that unknown person, who refers to him or herself as "the archivist," typewritten annotations by him/her, and marginal notes from TP. It's a very elaborate physical production, and you can easily pretend that it's all genuine history, or at least I could. I noticed the other day that an audio version is available. Don't. That would at best be like reading a script instead of watching a film.
I always did like Major Briggs a lot.
Doug Milford is full of surprises.
The Log Lady's attachment to her companion is eccentric but not crazy.
My wife gave me the book for Christmas last year. I started reading it, but when it reached the point in time where characters from the series began to appear, I realized that my recollection of the series was pretty spotty. So I stopped reading and over a period of weeks we watched the series again, and then the "prequel," and then I went back to the book.
I ended up being very impressed all over again with the series. Even the latter part of the second season, generally thought of as a mess and a letdown, seemed better than I remembered. I now feel fully prepared to watch the new series and hope it won't be a disappointment.
I deliberately refrained from reading any reviews or commentary on The Secret History because I didn't want to be prejudiced, or to learn anything that might have reduced the pleasure of reading it. And I still haven't read any. But I can imagine that some readers might be disappointed that it really does not answer a lot of questions that the series left open, questions about the specific events portrayed. I didn't feel that way, but others might. It's not about those events, and really only touches on them; it is, as the title says, about the history of the place, the forces at work there, and certain of the people; many characters from the series do not appear at all. And in what it does tell it not only leaves a lot of earlier questions unanswered, but raises new ones without answering them. It wouldn't really be true to Twin Peaks if it didn't.
And in one important respect the book is not Twin Peaks: it's not really very Lynchian, which is to say it's not seriously weird. It doesn't have the depth or mystery of the series, even though it's about mysterious things. But then the whole premise is that it's a strictly factual dossier.
But what happens when that trust disintegrates? In particular, what happens when the issues closest to people’s hearts are neither discussed nor mentioned by their representatives, and when these issues are precisely issues of identity—of “who we are” and “what unites us”? This, it seems to me, is where we have got to in Western democracies—in the United States just as much as in Europe. And recent events on both continents would be less surprising if the media and the politicians had woken up earlier to the fact that Western democracies—all of them without exception—are suffering from a crisis of identity. The “we” that is the foundation of trust and the sine qua non of representative government, has been jeopardized not only by the global economy and the rapid decline of indigenous ways of life, but also by the mass immigration of people with other languages, other customs, other religions, other ways of life, and other and competing loyalties. Worse than this is the fact that ordinary people have been forbidden to mention this, forbidden to complain about it publicly, forbidden even to begin the process of coming to terms with it by discussing what the costs and benefits might be.
And when the pre-political “we” has, for whatever reason, been jeopardized, it is too late for the political process to deal with it. Emerging from behind the politics there then appears another and deeper question, the question who we are.
There's considerably more to the essay than this, and I think the whole thing is available online to non-subscribers, so I suggest you read it. But the deterioration of that 'pre-political "we"' is part of the reason that Trump was elected, and no doubt part of the reason for Brexit. And both those events have damaged it even further. Do committed Hillary voters feel that committed Trump voters have anything much in common with themselves? When left and right say "we" do they intend to include the other? Not that I can see. We're at a point in the U.S. where a presidential election is seen by one side as a sort of coup by the other, with dire consequences expected for the latter. I'm inclined to think the breach is irreparable, but maybe that's too pessimistic. Scruton himself proposes some attempts at repair.
We were discussing drinks last week. I seem to have invented one which I like very much. I more or less stumbled on it last summer one day when I wanted a martini. I was out of gin, and I don't consider vodka martinis to be martinis. So I messed around and ended up with vodka, vermouth (dry), lime slice (squeezed), and club soda. I make it roughly half-and-half alcohol and soda, but obviously that would be a matter of taste. It's really good if you like non-sweet drinks. There is no trace of sweetness in it at all.
As far as I've been able to determine by asking people and searching the web, it's not a known species. So I think I get to give it a name. I immediately thought of something related to moonlight. I wanted Half Moon, because that's the phase of the moon I enjoy most, when the moon is over the bay at the time I'm typically there. But Half Moon is already in use, as is Full Moon.
Bay Moon? Silvery Moon? Silver Moon? Feel free to vote and/or make suggestions. And fix yourself one, if you think it sounds good.
This may taste good to someone who has never eaten a biscuit.
From Lee Smith's memoir, Dimestore. Which I recommend.
Bagels are fine. I've eaten a good many over the years. But they aren't as good as biscuits. And really I never quite got over the fact that they look like doughnuts but aren't.
Vanilla does not equal plain! It's a delicious flavor.
I love vanilla ice cream, and for that matter vanilla almost anything. A few months ago I saw these in the grocery store while I was looking for another favorite, ginger snaps, and have become very fond of them.
My preferred alcoholic beverage is beer. I love beer. I'm not sure exactly when my willingness to drink beer for the sake of being grown-up (and drunk) turned into a real enjoyment of beer for its own sake, but I don't think it took very long. And it really solidified when I discovered beers with more character than the standard American product. One instance of genuine progress in this country over the past forty years or so is the wide availability of imported and craft beers.
Cultured persons are supposed to like wine, and know something about it, but I've never developed any great enthusiasm for it. I actually made a deliberate decision years ago not to attempt to develop the taste for good wine, because I knew it would be an expensive one. But more fundamentally--and I don't care if this marks me as a bit of a clod--I just don't like it as much as I like beer. I'm not a connoisseur of beer, either, but I know what I like. My wife and I occasionally go out to dinner with another couple, and the three of them share a bottle of wine, while I drink Sweetwater 420. My standing order for birthday and Father's Day gifts is a six-pack of Guinness Extra Stout and a bag of Cheetos. (Someone remarked that that sounded like a vile combination, so I'll clarify: they are two separate indulgences.) But I'm happy with lesser stuff. I'll only drink "lite" beer if I really want a beer and it's the only thing available, but I recently had a regular Budweiser, which I hadn't done in a long time, solely because it was cheap, and enjoyed it.
As for hard liquor, I have over the years only rarely ventured far from bourbon and scotch, straight, or on the rocks, or with water, or, in the case of scotch, soda. Now and then I've experimented with mixed drinks, and I like one every now and then, but mostly they're not something I want regularly. A few years ago one of my sons brought back a bottle of Ron Barrilito rum from a trip to Puerto Rico and introduced me to the Dark and Stormy, which when made with that rum and Reed's Ginger Beer, is wonderful. But it's not something I want to drink regularly, and anyway Ron Barrilito is not available here, and the drink when made with Bacardi and ginger ale is not that different from other soft-drink-and-liquor combinations, which I generally dislike.
But over the past couple of years I've added another drink to my small list of staples: the martini. I don't think I'd ever even had one till eight or ten years ago, and that was only out of curiosity--it is, after all, a storied drink, though associated with a culture rather different from my own. Unlike my other experiments, this one kept drawing me back, and now I think I'm a confirmed fan.
I mainly like it in the summer. The summers here are very hot and humid, and the martini is cold and dry. Sweet drinks have a lot of initial appeal, but for a slow sipper like me they grow thin and warm before I'm finished. Conventionally, a summer drink is something sweet and tropical. But where the summers are brutal, the most desirable drink for the season is one that is the opposite of summer, a drink with the chill and clarity of a windless and cloudless winter day. There is absolutely nothing sweet about the martini as I make it, and I make very sure it's cold and will stay that way until I've finished it.
I've experimented with different approaches preached by various self-styled experts on the web, and what I've settled on seems to make me somewhat of a traditionalist, but also somewhat of maverick. On the traditional side, I refuse to use the unqualified term "martini" for any drink that does not include gin and vermouth. A vodka martini is just that--not a martini, period, but a qualified one. Nothing wrong with it, but it should be called what it is. Concoctions that are labelled as martinis just because they are served in a martini glass don't even deserve mention; vodka and apple juice may make a pleasant drink, but they don't make a martini.
I also observe the olive tradition, if only because I very much like olives, and love that finishing touch of salty gin-soaked olive at the end of the drink. One is not enough, but having read that a gangster was once identified to his assassins by the placement of three olives instead of two in his martini, I superstitiously limit myself to two. And four seems excessive.
On the other hand, my martini is not served in a martini glass, because I don't have one (I did, but it got broken), and, more importantly, because a normal-sized martini glass doesn't leave enough room for ice. Yes, I have it on the rocks, which seems to make it in some views not a true martini. I tried the crushed-ice-and-shaker technique, and the result is fine for a few minutes, but it gets warm long before I'm done with it. And I keep the gin and vermouth in the refrigerator, which seems to be frowned upon.
And I have no patience at all with the extreme dryness snobs, who seem to take it as some sort of a challenge to see how little vermouth they can use and still feel entitled to use the word "martini." You know the sort of thing: "wave an open bottle of vermouth back and forth several times over the glass", etc. If you want to drink straight gin, or gin with olives, go ahead. But why make a fetish of minimizing the thing that makes the martini something more? I don't measure, but I think my gin-vermouth ratio is about five to one.
I use inexpensive gin and vermouth. I actually prefer the cheaper and harsher Gallo vermouth over Martini, because the latter, while smoother, and better as a drink on its own, is a bit sweeter.
It's October, and of course that's still late summer here. This afternoon I came to the end of both the gin and the vermouth. There was a little too much of both for a single martini, but not enough to save for another day. So I made myself a martini-and-a-half, of which I enjoyed every sip, and which left me wondering how anyone could, as legends have it, drink three martinis at lunch and still be able to do useful work--or, in my case, even walk. Sometime around next May I'll replenish the supplies. Or maybe sooner. Maybe I'll try some kind of expensive gin; one always wants to make a good thing even better. But then again, that may not be a taste I ought to cultivate.
(Except for the number of olives, and maybe the amount of ice--I use less--this looks very much like one of my martinis, down to the style of the glass. This photo is from the Flickr account of Josh Ames; since code for embedding is provided, I assume it's ok for me to use it.
By the way, speaking of mixed drinks in general: five or six years ago I was at an event--I suppose it was a cocktail party, though that is a pretty foreign term to me--hosted by a consulting firm looking to be hired by my employer. A young lady came around taking drink orders, and I asked for scotch and soda. I thought she looked a little disconcerted, and she hesitated for a second, maybe as if she were about to ask a question, then decided not to. A few minutes later she brought me something that looked like scotch and soda, but I almost spat out the first sip: it was scotch and Seven-Up, or Sprite, or something of that sort. It was nasty.
This arose in connection with an incident related on Facebook in which a British-born wife requested that her American-born husband bring her some noodles, and was displeased when he brought her a species of pasta. It turns out there are some significant variations in usage of the term "noodle." As Wikipedia says: "The material composition or geocultural origin must be specified when discussing noodles."
I'm not entirely sure what the wife had in mind, but I think it was some sort of Asian noodle. If you had asked me, I would have said, as several people in the discussion did, that noodles are a subset of pasta, namely pasta in an elongated cylindrical or tubular form--that is to say, recursively, noodle-shaped pasta. Where I'm from, one might refer, for instance, to "spaghetti noodles" when referring to the yellowish-white part of spaghetti, and "spaghetti sauce" when referring to the red part. And fan- or corkscrew-shaped pasta would not be called noodles.
But then there are flat noodles, too...still, they are noodle-shaped in being elongated.
I think "pasta" is a word of relatively recent introduction to middle-class America. At any rate I don't recall it being used when I was growing up. There was spaghetti and there was macaroni, and each had its characteristic noodle, and I don't recall other varieties of pasta, though at some point--in the '70s, maybe, with the advent of the yuppie--the word became widespread.
I'm interested in what the usage is in other parts of the country and the world. Do you think of noodles and pasta as two different things? If you asked for noodles and got pasta, would you be annoyed?
Also noodles, but not pasta?
It was just over a year ago that I wrote about sampling this legendary substance: see this post and this one. I ended my reflection saying "I haven't been back to the Marmite jar. I do plan to finish it, but I probably won't replace it."
And I more or less forget about it until a few months ago, when I noticed the jar in the cabinet and tried it again. And then just a few days ago, I said words I never expected to say: "We need some more Marmite. We're almost out."
And, at Janet's blog, a link to some enthralling nature photos at National Geographic. I'll send you over there instead of just swiping the link in case you haven't visited there lately, because there are other good posts. |
0.878917 | A confederacy of a number of cultural groups, the Creeks, now known as the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, played a pivotal role in the early colonial and Revolutionary-era history of North America. In 1775, author and trader James Adair described the Creek Indians as "more powerful than any nation" in the American South. Despite the fact that they were able political and economic partners of the colonial and early U.S. government, the Creeks suffered the same fate as their fellow southeastern tribes, and many of them were forced from their lands in the 1830s. Creek culture is kept alive in Alabama among the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, based in Escambia County.
The Creek Indians, along with other southeastern tribes such as the Choctaws and Cherokees, are descended from the peoples of the Mississippian period (ca. AD 800-1500), known for its giant earthen mounds and complex, hierarchical social structure. In the sixteenth century, the arrival of Europeans brought epidemics and widespread warfare and violence to the Southeast, resulting in the scattering of the region's indigenous peoples. Beginning in the seventeenth century, these diverse populations joined together and established settlements along the central Chattahoochee River, the lower Tallapoosa River, and the central Coosa River in what is now east-central Alabama. For the next two centuries, these areas served as the heart of what came to be called Creek country, and these new towns (talwa in the Muskogean language of the Creeks)—devoid of the earthen platform mounds that typified Mississippian villages—became the centers of Creek political and ceremonial life and defined the political identity of each Creek individual.
As a political unit, the Creek Nation grew gradually during the century and a half prior to their removal from Alabama in the 1830s. From as few as perhaps 9,000 persons in the 1680s, the Creek population increased to about 20,000 by the time of the American Revolution and exceeded 21,000 at the time of removal. Muskogee- and Hitchiti-speaking peoples from the main Creek towns made up the major portion of the population. But the Creek nation was multiethnic and included Indian peoples from Spanish missions in Georgia and Florida as well as Yuchi, Shawnee, Chickasaw, and Natchez refugees, who fled to Creek country to escape intertribal warfare and conflicts with French and Spanish colonists.
Though the numbers fluctuated over time, the Creek nation was generally comprised of between 30 and 60 towns (talwa), with each group primarily identifying itself with the major town in its region. Thus national unity was often hard to come by in Creek country, given the independence of each town and the multiethnic composition of the nation. In fact, the name "Creek" was a term English traders first used as a convenient way to label the people of various Creek towns. The Creeks themselves tended to view their nation as a confederacy consisting of three distinct provincial groups: the Ochese or Coweta of the Chattahoochee River basin, the Tallapoosa of the lower Tallapoosa River, and the Abeika of the upper Tallapoosa and Coosa rivers. The British and Americans, however, tended to refer to the first group as the "Lower Creeks" and the latter two groups together as the "Upper Creeks."
The Creek people applied kinship terminology to designate each town's relationship to others, based upon the perceived age of a town or size of its population. The Creeks regarded older towns, for instance, as "grandmother" towns, whereas newer towns often carried the designation of "daughter" or "grandchild" towns. The Creeks also divided their nation into "war" and "peace" towns, represented by the colors red for war and white for peace. In diplomacy and warfare, the groups represented by each town could act as independent units, as each was comprised of a dual hierarchy of civil and military offices. The Creek peoples recognized some groups and their towns as particularly influential in national affairs. Creek oral tradition describes the Coweta, Cusseta, Tuckabatchee, and Abeika as the four "foundation" groups of the nation. The Coweta and Cusseta, according to Creek histories, were closely related and exercised great influence among the Creeks of the Chattahoochee River. Leaders of towns among the Tuckabatchee, Okchai, Okfuskee, Talassee, and Abeika tended to dominate political affairs among the Creeks of east-central Alabama.
The Creeks are culturally and linguistically related to other southeastern Indian tribes, particularly Muskogean-speaking peoples such as the Choctaw and Chickasaw. Like their Indian neighbors, the Creeks were horticulturalists who grew corn and several other crops, supplemented by seasonal hunting for white-tailed deer and other game animals. The Creek busk ceremony, or poskita (in Muskogee, "to fast"), shares many aspects of the Green Corn Ceremony practiced throughout the Southeast. It was the centerpiece of the yearly cycle of rituals that occurred in mid-summer and generally involved four to eight days of fasting, dancing, and (at the end of the ceremony) feasting. During poskita ceremonies, the elders reminded the young of their responsibilities to the tribe. The chiefs pardoned people who committed offenses against other members of the tribe. Quite often it was the time when war and civil leaders received new offices and new names to reflect their change in status. The emphasis of the poskita ritual was group harmony.
Creek contact with European colonists was intermittent at first and largely occurred through trade and diplomacy with Spanish Florida. Their involvement with colonial powers became more pronounced by the middle of the 1680s, when traders from South Carolina began venturing directly to Creek villages. A brisk trade ensued, and colonial traders exchanged cloth, guns, and steel tools for deerskins and, notably, Indian slaves taken in warfare from other tribes. In 1690, in order to facilitate trade with the South Carolinians, the Chattahoochee towns and allies from among the Tallapoosas and elsewhere moved and relocated their towns on the Ocmulgee and Oconee Rivers in central Georgia. At one such town—Ocmulgee—English traders built a permanent trading post that has been the subject of archaeological investigation. Its remains are contained within the Ocmulgee National Monument in Macon, Georgia.
The years that the Creeks spent in central Georgia (ca. 1690–1715) proved to be pivotal ones. Because of their ties to South Carolina traders, they became deeply immersed in the trade in deerskins and Indian slaves, as well as the conflicts with Britain's imperial rivals, Spain and France. Creek war parties played an important role in destroying Spanish Indian missions along the Georgia coast and in the Florida mission provinces among the Timucuas and Apalachees, whom the Creeks often enslaved or sold as slaves to the South Carolinians. Having brought Spanish Florida to near ruin by 1706, the Creeks began seeking slaves in such far-off places as the Florida Keys and the Choctaw settlements of Mississippi. English officials compelled Creek war parties to assist in their wars against Spanish and French outposts (Queen Anne's War, 1702–13) and against the rebellious Tuscarora tribe of North Carolina (Tuscarora War, 1711–12). By 1715, the Creeks and other Indian nations found that their formerly beneficial relationship with South Carolina had ensnared them in a cycle of debt and warfare that compromised their economic well-being, if not their cultural and territorial integrity.
The Yamasee War of 1715 ushered in a new diplomatic era in Creek history. On Good Friday (April 15, 1715), the Yamasees, Creeks, and other allies launched a war against South Carolina, while at the same time seeking new alliances with the Spanish and French. By the end of the war the Creeks had settled upon a strategy by which they pledged to remain neutral in times of war between the three European powers. Established at a meeting in the Lower Creek town of Coweta in March 1718, and devised by that town's chief, known to the English as the "Emperor" Brim, the policy of neutrality increased their political leverage by enabling them to defend their ancestral territory by "playing off" one European power against another. Creek leaders, for example, welcomed the French and allowed them to build Fort Toulouse at a location near Wetumpka, Elmore County, while at the same time they maintained their economic relationship to traders in South Carolina and, later, Georgia. Neutrality became the distinguishing characteristic of Creek diplomacy for the remainder of the colonial era. Their neutral status, though precarious at times, enabled the Creeks to trade with Europeans with little disruption and may account for Creek population growth before the American Revolution.
The revolution, which played an integral role in stimulating the westward movement of Anglo-American settlers in the decades that followed, brought about revolutionary developments for the Creeks as well. At that time, the most influential Creek leader was Alexander McGillivray, the son of a Scottish trader and Creek mother. McGillivray was instrumental in encouraging cooperation among the various Creek towns and courting the assistance of the Spanish in Florida to help the Creeks defend their land against the Americans. But U.S. government pressure proved too much to bear, and the Creeks ceded their remaining Georgia lands in treaties negotiated in 1790, 1802, and 1805. The Creek economy likewise began to bear stronger resemblance to the plantation economies of the Lower South, as many Creeks (often the bi-cultural sons of Scottish fathers and Creek mothers) began introducing cotton and plantation slavery into the region.
In an effort to assimilate southeastern Indians, the U.S. government enacted its plan of civilization, as the effort became known, in 1796 and placed Indian agent Benjamin Hawkins in charge. Under the plan, the Creeks and other southeastern tribes were to receive instruction in commercial farming, animal husbandry, cloth spinning, and the principles of Christianity. Hawkins also attempted to centralize the Creek government by creating a police force, a Creek National Council and by encouraging the creation of written laws.
Many Creeks accepted, if not embraced, the new order of things. Creek leaders such as William McIntosh of the Coweta and Big Warrior of the Tuckabatchee benefited from the new economy and became close allies with Hawkins and other U.S. agents. Creek traditionalists, in contrast, became increasingly defensive of their sovereignty and culture. Their concerns reached new heights after white settlers began pouring into Alabama Territory along the newly constructed Federal Road, which connected Fort Mitchell, in present-day Russell County, with Mobile. In 1813, a group of warriors belonging to this traditionalist group, inspired by local "prophets" such as Josiah Francis (Creek name, Hilis Hadjo) and the pan-Indian, nativist movement founded by Shawnee warrior Tecumseh (who himself visited the Creeks in 1811), began fighting back. The Creek War, also known as the Red Stick Revolt after the red war clubs carried by the Creek fighters, was partly a war against the U.S. government and partly an internal war between rival Creek factions led by Francis and Big Warrior. After scoring early victories at places such as Ft. Mims, the Red Stick Creeks, led by Menawa, were ultimately defeated by U.S. forces, led by Gen. Andrew Jackson, and their Creek and Cherokee allies at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend (1814). In the subsequent Treaty of Fort Jackson (1814) and Treaty of Indian Springs (1825), the Creeks ceded all of their remaining lands in Georgia, causing the nation to relocate entirely into Alabama. Only a small faction of Creek leaders, led by William McIntosh, signed the Indian Springs treaty, and many Creeks thus viewed it as fraudulent. Under Creek law, McIntosh's action was punishable by death, and the Creek National Council shortly thereafter executed McIntosh and three others who had signed the treaty.
In 1830, the federal government passed the Indian Removal Act, which authorized the eventual removal of all the southeastern tribes to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). Although a few Creek leaders embraced removal as a means of self-preservation, the vast majority of Creeks opposed abandoning their ancestral homelands. White squatters continued to infiltrate the Creeks' remaining homelands in Alabama, and the state government asserted its sovereignty in 1831 by extending its laws to unceded Creek territories. Creek leaders sent a delegation, headed by Tuckabatchee leader Opothle Yoholo, to Washington to defend their treaty rights and issue complaints against such actions, which authorities in Washington had done nothing to address. While in Washington, the delegation sensed the futility of their attempts to avert removal and on March 24, 1832, Creek delegates agreed to the Treaty of Cusseta, which set forth the conditions of their removal. On paper, the treaty included several incentives, such as land grants for leading chiefs and the promise of protection from white intruders, which might have encouraged a sizable number of Creeks to stay in Alabama or, at the very least, allow them to make advance preparations for removal. But the defeat of an attempted Creek rebellion in 1836 during the Second Creek War brought immediate forced removal by the U.S. government to the Creek Nation. Opothle Yoholo led several thousand of his followers out west after a failed attempt at purchasing land in Mexico. A year later, 5,000 more Creeks departed. A few who accepted land allotments or evaded removal stayed behind. Some of their descendants have unified as the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, headquartered in Atmore, Alabama.
The majority of the Poarch Band's 2,340 members live in Escambia County, Alabama, on a 230-acre reservation. They are the only federally recognized Indian tribe in Alabama and operate as a sovereign nation with their own system of government and bylaws. Long ignored, impoverished, and subjected to the "separate but equal" provisions of Jim Crow laws, the Poarch Band now operates three gaming facilities in Alabama. In partnership with the state of Alabama, the Poarch Band of Creek Indians contributes to economic and cultural life of its members and the surrounding communities.
Hahn, Steven C. The Invention of the Creek Nation, 1670–1763. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2004.
Martin, Joel. Sacred Revolt: The Muscogees' Struggle for a New World. Boston: Beacon Press, 1991.
Piker, Josh. Okfuskee: A Creek Indian Town in Colonial America. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2004.
Saunt, Claudio. A New Order of Things: Property, Power, and the Transformation of the Creek Indians, 1733–1816. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1999. |
0.998974 | My brain farted out this idea and I think it might possibly be good. The basic idea is that it is an ancient temple. Inside the temple there are many cylinders embedded in the walls. The cylinders can be removed from the wall and placed inside a container in the center of the temple. Once placed inside the container, the interior of the temple will change based on the cylinder, and people will gain the knowledge inside the cylinder. For example, if a cylinder contained knowledge of an a battle then the interior of the temple will begin to look like the battleground, and anyone inside the temple will begin to see the battle taking place. They would know various information about the battle, such as what war the battle was a part of, where the battle took place, and the names of important people who took part in the battle. This is only an example of one of the cylinders, most of them will contain knowledge about the civilization that built the temple.
Has this been done before? If it hasn't, is this a good scp idea?
Well, there's various vectors of knowledge transfer in the knowledge tag, including more than one "anomalous encyclopedia". It's not a particularly interesting concept in itself. It may serve as a background for telling a narrative, but "lost civilization" is another trope that, in my opinion, has been played so much with that you'd need to be absolutely excellent to be truly remarkable with it.
Ok, but how about an alien civilization instead of a lost civilization? I was thinking an alternative would be that its an archive of information that an alien civilization has gathered when studying earth.
Basic principle still applies (ancient aliens is also played out unless you take a great effort to make them feel truly otherworldly). I'm not saying accounts by long scattered civilizations of sapient beings can't be interesting, but it's a current you'd be swimming against. |
0.998171 | Strengthen your back and lift your chest with this upper body beginner workout for women. A set of 12 exercises to help you sculpt your body and improve your posture.
Start this back and chest workout with a beginners warm up.
2. Chest press: 30 seconds. Lie down, hold a dumbbell in each hand and keep your palms facing your feet. Raise the dumbbells up, directly above your shoulders, and breathe out.
3. Chest fly: 30 seconds. Start with your arms up and your palms facing each other. Lower your arms out to the sides and keep your elbows slightly bent.
4. Speed bag punches: 45 seconds. Raise your elbows up to shoulder level, shift your weight to the right leg and rotate your right forearm twice. Switch sides and repeat.
5. Pullover: 30 seconds. Lie down, hold one dumbbell with both hands and press your arms up. Lower the dumbbell over and beyond your head.
6. Squat curl: 30 seconds. Add the biceps curl movement to a regular bodyweight squat. Raise the dumbbells as you squat, keep your chest up and lower your hips back.
8. Reverse lunge punch: 20 seconds + 20 seconds. To keep your heart rate up and boost your metabolism, pair reverse lunges with dumbbell punches.
9. Deadlift: 30 seconds + 30 seconds. With one dumbbell in each hand, start bending at the hips and extend one leg behind you. Keep your knee slightly bent and lower your torso, until you’re almost parallel to the floor.
10. Shoulder press: 30 seconds. Keep your palms facing forward and hold the dumbbells in front of your shoulders. Press the weights up, until your elbows are fully extended.
11. Knee push ups: 30 seconds. Keep your core engaged, your spine in a neutral position and exhale as you push up.
Stretch your muscles, tendons and ligaments and finish this upper body beginners workout with a set of static stretches.
Strengthen your back & lift your chest with this upper body beginner workout for women! |
0.989143 | The United States cannot easily return to the high-profile mediating role it played before war broke out on the Falkland Islands. But experts say it can now play a key, albeit low-profile, role in the search for a lasting settlement.
President Reagan left the option of US assistance open in a three-sentence statement issued by the White House on June 15.
''For its part, the United States continues to stand ready to assist in any way it can to help resolve this conflict,'' the President said.
As some Latin America experts here see it, the problem comes down to encouraging Britain to accept a settlement which does not exclude Argentina from an eventual role in dealing with the islands. The US wants both to avoid further humiliation of the Argentines and to begin to ease the tensions which were created between the US and a number of Latin American nations as a result of American support for Britain.
For the moment, however, there are limits on how much the US can do. Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig Jr. met on June 15 to discuss the issues with Nicholas Henderson, the British ambassador here. But a State Department official said it was ''too early to say'' what the US role might be in arriving at a permanent solution to the conflict.
State Department officials are not enthusiastic about suggestions, some of them coming from Britain, that the US join a multinational peace-keeping force for the Falklands. For one thing, the US is not certain what Argentine feelings about such a move would be. And the US does not want to appear in Latin American eyes to be supporting what some Latins consider to be a perpetuation of colonial-style British rule.
Riordan Roett, director of Latin American Studies at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, thinks there are, nonetheless , a number of things which the US can do to mend relations with Argentine and facilitate a lasting settlement.
''First and foremost, I think it important that we not step back from our very firm support of the British position . . . against the use of force to settle territorial disputes,'' said Mr. Roett.
''Second, now that that issue has been ended, and Great Britain has retaken its territory and has reasserted its sovereignty, we also need to stand very firm . . . and explain to the British that the United States - and indirectly Great Britain - have long-range interests in resolving the issue of the Falklands politically.
When it come to US-Argentine relations, Roett suggests the US encourage private investment in Argentina and help to ease the burden of Argentina's massive international debts by playing a ''positive role'' on behalf of Argentina in international lending agencies.
Roett does not think that -- with the exception of Argentina -- much permanent damage has been done to Washington's relations with Latin American nations. He thinks the US should encourage nations which have been relatively neutral in the Falklands conflict -- such as Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico -- to help set up an administration and multi-national peace-keeping force for the Falklands. |
0.995867 | I realised that I should probably write an article informing you about the city which I was lucky enough to be placed in for my year abroad. There were many choices available for choosing which University to study at on your year abroad in France, and you had to pick a top three. Montpellier Université Paul Valéry was my top choice, with Lyon second and Bordeaux third. I chose Montpellier simply because it was in the South of France, near the beach, and after studying at the University of Leeds, where it always seems to rain, I figured I deserved a bit of sunshine! I have also been lucky enough to be able to travel freely across France during weekends, half terms and holidays and I have therefore visited Lyon and Bordeaux which I both really like and I could picture myself studying in those cities as well! What I particularly like about Bordeaux and Lyon is that the cities are a lot bigger, with many more sites to visit, and they both have huge town centres, with large high-streets. Bordeaux’s high-street is actually famously known for being one of the longest shopping streets in Europe; the road Saint-Catherine being 1.2km long, for pedestrians only. Additionally, Bordeaux and Lyon both have rivers running through, which I find is a great way to break up a city, and is the perfect location to relax.
However, Montpellier, which is nevertheless a large city; the 8th largest in France, has a completely different set-up. There is no typical shopping street, no huge river (apart from the river Lez which is more tucked away) and the main centre is simply a square called Place de la Comédie. Consequently, at first it was a bit tricky knowing where to visit and what there is to do, because there are no big tourist sites where you could spend the day. Having said this, I have grown to love Montpellier for its relaxing atmostphere. I could sit outside all day at the bars and restaurants people-watching, soaking up the sun! Also, its beautiful and narrow streets have bunting and lanterns hanging up, particularly in the old part of the town. Even after having nearly spent 10 months here, there are still so many streets, shops and restaurants I have not visited yet. What I love is wandering aimlessly around the streets, and it is then that you come across squares tucked away, and small boutiques you could never find anywhere else.
If I were to list the main attractions in Montpellier, they would be; the main square – Place de la Comédie, Le Parc Zoologique (a free zoo), la Porte de Peyrou (an imitation of the Arc de Triomphe), the Montpellier Cathedral, the aquarium, an ice-skating rink, the Jardin des plantes (gardens) and recently I have discovered that not far away is the Lac le Crès (a lake which you can sunbathe at or even swim in if you fancy it!).
Being the capital of the Languedoc-Roussillon region, as well as of the Hérault department, Montpellier is not a typical city, but instead you learn to love what Montpellier is all about; individual cafés, shops, bars and restaurants. You will get lost wandering the narrow cobble stone streets, and if you can picture what a typical French street looks like; with balconies, elegant designs, lanterns and beautiful architecture, you will not be disappointed. Montpellier is deifinitely a charming holiday destination! To add to this, the beach is just a short tram ride away! And you are able to sunbathe between the months of May – October! |
0.965759 | First published in 1942, Leo Stein's account of the imprisonment of Lutheran pastor Martin Niemoeller recounts face-to-face discussions with Hitler. Martin Niemoeller was ordained as a Lutheran pastor in 1924. He was a hero during World War I, a German naval lieutenant and U-boat commander. He was also one of the earliest and most vocal critics of Nazism. As the Third Reich moved toward the obliteration of the Christian Church, Niemoeller, along with other pastors, formed the Pastor's Emergency League to protect the church and its ministers from imprisonment and destruction. Pastor Niemoeller's was one of the early, stentorian calls for overseas aid, with a major manifesto appearing in an issue of Time magazine just prior to the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Niemoeller was protected until 1937, when he was found guilty of treason. He was sent for "re-education" and spent the remainder of World War II at Sachsenhausen, Mobait, and Dachau. He lived a life of distinction, serving as president of the World Council of Churches and actively speaking out against nuclear armament and military alliances until his death at age ninety-two in 1984.
Leo Stein served as a doctor of jurisprudence and church law and was teaching at the University of Berlin when he was arrested and summarily imprisoned for crimes of treason, his book on the Russian Revolution held as the sole "evidence" against him. This book was written following his emigration to the United States.
A doctor of jurisprudence and church law, Leo Stein was teaching at the University of Berlin when he was arrested for treason. His book on the Russian Revolution was viewed as proof of his treasonous ways, and Stein was thrown in jail. While in jail, he had an opportunity to observe another prisoner, Martin Niemoeller. Niemoeller, a German pastor, was an early vocal opponent of Nazism. |
0.99999 | List three examples of estimated liabilities.
1.List examples of Deferred tax liabilities. 2. List examples of Deferred tax assets. 3. List examples of Taxable temporary differences. 4. List examples of deductable temporary differences.
Define a financial instrument. Provide three examples of current liabilities that represent financial instruments.
List at least three examples of system software and five examples of utility software. |
0.964527 | Which came first—the dino or the bird?
According to the Word of One who was there, the bird came first—air and sea creatures were created on Day 5, while land creatures (which must logically include dinosaurs) were created on Day 6. However, evolutionists, who weren’t there, believe that birds evolved from land creatures, and therefore must have come after them.
One group of evolutionists believes that birds evolved from small tree-dwelling reptiles (not dinosaurs), hence it’s called the arboreal theory. Its intellectual leader is probably Dr Alan Feduccia, University of North Carolina ornithologist and author of the encyclopedic book The Origin and Evolution of Birds.1 The other, more vocal, group believes that that birds evolved from running dinosaurs, so it’s called the cursorial theory. The dinosaurs concerned are types of theropod (carnivorous dinosaur) called the Dromaeosaurs, the group to which Velociraptor of Jurassic Park fame belongs.
Bird evolution is one of the most controversial areas in evolutionary paleontology, and leaders of both groups have made extremely powerful (and sometimes acrimonious) criticisms of the other. I think they are both right in their criticisms—birds evolved from neither! For evidence against the evolution of birds from anything, see the articles in Q&A: Fossils, or chapter 4 of Refuting Evolution.
This was part of a criticism of the National Geographic article on Archaeoraptor, which turned out to be a fraud—see Archaeoraptor—Phony ‘feathered’ fossil for more information.
In early December, papers published by different groups of Chinese scientists within a day of each other in the two top secular science journals were used as support for both camps.
Xing Xu et al. reported the discovery of the smallest known theropod, the crow-sized Microraptor zhaoianus, in Nature.2 It supposedly lived 125 million years ago. The researchers believe it could have lived in trees, and its small size is supposed to help solve a big problem with the dino-to-bird idea, i.e. how to evolve small flying creatures from large dinosaurs. This would be an unusual combination of the arboreal and dino-origin theory.
Feduccia claims that Protopteryx is good evidence against the dino-bird theory. He has consistently claimed, with good reason, that ‘feathered dinosaurs’ were really nothing of the kind—in some like Sinosauropteryx, the feathers were frayed collagen fibres, and others like Caudipteryx and Protarchaeopteryx were really flightless birds. Feduccia has also consistently rejected the idea that feathers first evolved for heat insulation, favoured by the cursorial school; rather, he suggests they really did evolve for flight. He thinks that the Protopteryx feathers were somewhat transitional between scales and feathers.
The article Bird evolution flies out the window points out that feathers are far closer to mammalian hairs than reptilian scales, and illustrates this with pictures of scales and a feather under the same magnification.
What should creationists think about the latest claims?
While these are both interesting finds, there is nothing to invalidate the arguments already presented against evolution. Feduccia admits in an interesting turn of phrase: ‘The true origin of birds is still up in the air.’4 One thing that must be avoided is using that headline4 as ‘proof’ of the Genesis order of creation. The fossil order has nothing to do with the order in which they were created, but everything to do with the order in which Noah’s Flood buried different ecosystems.
Q&A Dinosaurs: Did birds really evolve from dinosaurs? |
0.986646 | World population is presently exploding. How many human beings were there before dogs became in wide use? In 35,000 BCE, it is estimated that Earth had three million human beings. Before the rise of cities, in 10,000 BCE, world population had reached 15 million. The rise of civilization was enabled by a technological explosion, the discovery, invention and intense use intense use of science, technology, writing, genetic engineering (dogs, cattle, goats, chicken, cats, wheat, rye, millet, rice, beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, etc.), irrigation, fuel, etc.
Civilizations rise when they find new technological tricks to dominate and exploit their environments, be it the human, and, or, natural, environments. Those tricks exhaust resources after a while, bringing stress, thus war (against people, and, or, nature). War activates the fascist instinct, bringing the rise of plutocracy (as observed nowadays), and complete cretinism (also known as theocracy). This makes the collapse worse. Civilization can be destroyed by fate. The most famous case is a civilization we owe so much to: Crete. It was devastated by one of the worst volcanic explosion in 25,000 years (as it tried to recover, it was hit by a “plague”, according to Greek historians).
Crete is part of our cultural inheritance. Today, the status of women depends upon the breakthrough ancient paintings (from the Knossos Palace, above), some 40 centuries old, depict. The status of women was high in Crete. Women could be in authority, for 2,000 years. Women were then to be subjugated in Greece, for 3,500 years (yes, time flies, these are big numbers: civilizational setbacks can last millennia).
Europe is named after Crete, an acknowledgment. The goddess Europa was from Crete (and one of her sons was the famous king Minos, after whom Minoan Civilization is named).
An example of self-imploding collapse is the Maya. The Maya were, for millennia, an extremely advanced civilization which seemed to be on its way to accomplish on its own something similar to the ascending superiority of Middle Earth (my term for the Mediterranean plus Egypt-Middle East-Arabia plus India area).
However, a terrible century long drought starting in the Seventh Century struck the Maya who proved unable to manage the crisis, to which they added terrible wars (the worst involving a queen, in the leading role, not just the usual demonic males). All Maya cities were destroyed. When the Spaniards landed, eight centuries later, the Maya were just shadows of their former selves (yet, they proved to be tough customers).
As Jared Diamond (2005, in his book “Collapse”) wrote, one can only be struck by “the disappearance of between 90 and 99% of the Maya population after A.D. 800 …and the disappearance of kings, Long Count calendars, and other complex political and cultural institutions.” Not just that, but much more importantly, the giant irrigation system of the Maya, with its dams and canals, was one of the world’s largest, ever: it can still be seen from space. When that centuries old irrigation system was left in disrepair, civilization became history.
In the close-by very extensive highlands of central Mexico, many powerful states also rose to high levels of power and prosperity, only to rapidly collapse. Teotihuacan (the sixth largest city in the world in the Seventh Century) and Monte Alban among those to experience dramatic collapse, with populations decline of at least 20–25% from their peak within a couple of generations (Tainter, 1988).
Civilization collapses come in many guises. Egypt cycled through more than two dozen dynasties, and a couple of century long occupations, tweaking itself every time. However, in the end it was unable to stay an independent, original civilization, undergoing thereafter 2,000 years of subjugation.
The present civilization was born from a near-collapse. And was born thanks to a philosophical reset.
Indeed, in the case of the Greco-Roman empire, full collapse was avoided. The Franks rebooted Greco-Roman civilization, with their own Germano-Christian sauce, by the early Fifth Century (defeat of Goths who were ejected from Gaul, 507 CE, thanks to the battle of Vouille’). This is completely clear, when one inspects known facts, battles, laws, and the Storia Francorum of bishop Gregory of Tours.
Differently from the Maya, the Franks centered in, or around Paris, and the Romans in Constantinople, were able to adapt to the catastrophes of the Fourth (Christianization, Gothic invasion), Fifth (Germanic invasions of 406 CE; then, the Huns), Sixth (as related above), and Seventh Centuries (dramatic war with Persia, followed by the surprise attack of the god crazed Arabs).
Both then defeated in the Eight Century those fanatics of war who had attacked like carnivorous locusts.
The official “Renovatio Imperii”, the Renovation of Rome, was made formal when Carlus Magnus (Charlemagne) was endowed with the sole “Imperator Romanorum” (Imperator of the Romans) title in 800 CE, an imperial tradition which went on with say Otton II in 962 CE, and for more than a millennium (formally, Napoleon I, as leader of Francia was entitled, the Roman way, to grab back the title for himself).
Greco-Roman civilization incorporated the Cretan, Egyptian-Sumerian, Phoenician civilizations (with more than a touch of Etruscan). Then other Middle Eastern elements were included (Mythra, Great Mother Cult, Judaism, etc.) Western civilization incorporated even more: the fierce love of freedom, and women, of the Germans, and the generalized tolerance and open mindedness of the Franks (by 600 CE all citizens were Franks, and, within a generation the slave trade was outlawed by the Imperium; that latter fact was a world’s first). Interestingly the Franco-Roman synthesis incorporated traits which Crete had, but that the Hellenes had lost (for example maximum sexual equality, in at least some respects: there were female Cretan matadors, playing with ferocious giant bulls).
Conclusion? Even in an horrendous situation (the decline of the Roman empire, under fascism, theocracy, barbarity, invasions, ecological collapse, plague, unfathomable impact of a giant explosion somewhere), fresh new ideas, arising from shock philosophy can turn things around. The Franks demonstrated this thoroughly. The Chinese also did, on a more modest scale… Until Mao came, and unleashed the Dark Side onto fossilized Chinese thought, habits, and a philosophy, Confucianism, which had ruled for 26 centuries, as the symbol of ultimate wisdom (which it was not).
The rule of warriors bound to common sense and religious tolerance (in complete contradiction with the Catholic terror, just prior). This was illustrated by Clovis’ quip that, had his Franks been there, Christ would never have been crucified. On the surface, it’s as if Clovis had understood nothing of Christianity. Indeed it looks as if Clovis had not understood that God wanted to be crucified, just to visit a guilt complex on his followers, same as with the story of the snake and the apple. Most probably, Clovis understood all too well< and made a show that he was firmly intend to violate God’s law. In any case, under the Franks, Judaism, Paganism, etc were freely practiced. Christianism with a human, even Frankish face (to the Vatican’s rage).
The outlawing of slavery (starting around 650 CE).
Nationalization of the Catholic Church, constitution of the largest professional army since Republican Rome, to face the humongous Islamist invasions of 721-745 CE. Destruction of the army of the Arab Caliphate (which thus collapsed in 750 CE, crushing Bin Laden and other Islamists forever thereafter).
All these reforms were of a philosophical nature: the Vatican discussed excommunicating Charles Martel, for expropriating the Church, but concluded it was safer not to debate with a Hammer. When the Franks formed, named, and made a bishop, within three weeks, from an illiterate Frankish warrior, they were sending a message to the Vatican about who was the boss: secularism, not superstition.
Civilization survived from smarts, not just swords.
Notice that Uber got lots of mileage from lying that they are an employer without employees. As technology and innovation advance, the law is left behind, and thus so are the punishments for violating it, or its spirit. We have seen a lot of that in the case of Greece. Lying has been supreme about how and thanks to whom, and most prominently, for whom, money is being created. Sometimes it feels as if we belong to an age where lying is the main industry. Engineering is good, lying, more profitable.
“To compete, Greece needs a strong devaluation — a relative decline of its price level. Trying to lower prices and wages in absolute terms (for example, by slashing wages) would be very difficult, as it would bankrupt many debtors and tenants.
The question of corrupt economic advice keeps coming back. Dreadful advice keeps on coming: first rescuing the private banks with state money, ruining the state, then austerity, ruining the economy. Now they want to make Greece worthless, because they say it will improve the economy.
By forcing on it a devastating devaluation, do Germans want to buy Greece on the cheap? Often it looks like it. The Greeks own more worthy property than Germans do. This property is valued in Euros. Germans cannot buy enough of it. But they could, if the currency used by Greeks became worthless, which is what many German economists advocate.
Those who want to make Greece worthless say: that would improve the Greek economy. However, the Greek economy depends upon tourism (which is roaring ahead), petroleum imports (which would become immensely expensive if Greece devalued), refined petroleum products (those contracts are in dollars, so would not profit from a devaluation) and shipping (all contracts are in dollars).
Ridiculous ideas are rolled out. Take Finland: it’s in recession, with 10% unemployment, still Finland accuses Greece. But, truly, what Finland needs is the same as what Greece needs: easy money and tons of it. Same observation for the Netherlands. That same “leftist” solution, the one the USA implemented for itself.
Hence why the nefarious advice? Because Europe has many enemies and many economists’ repute depends upon sinking the EU, while Wall Street profits from it.
The advice has been to bleed the patient, until he gets better: that’s austerity. Now the advice is to bury the patient, until it revives, raising from his ashes.
All what Greece needs is an anti-oligarchic revolution. Some in the EU will help achieve it.
And that’s why precisely the hysteria has been so great about sabotaging the EU by kicking Greece out. The powers that be don’t want a successful anti-oligarchic revolution. As all European states are supposed to be in the European Monetary Union, and Greece does not want out, this is the violence one was talking about.
Why Euro Wrecks. So Argue About It.
In Greece, some of the upper class, including conservative officers high in the army, or investors who absolutely did not vote for the leftist Syriza, plan to follow Prime Minister Tsipras’ advice to vote NO to the referendum. In other words, the country is very divided.
The case of the French Republic is special: France in more ways than one, is a mini USA. The French economy does everything, from extremely high tech and science to exporting agriculture. It is the most diversified economy in the world, with the USA. However, it has been suffering immensely from too high a currency.
In comparison, Finland is a two tricks pony: timber and Nokia. Germany does well with high quality high tech exports, but one can expect China to catch up with luxury cars.
“What all of these economies have in common, however, is that by joining the eurozone they put themselves into an economic straitjacket. Finland had a very severe economic crisis at the end of the 1980s — much worse, at the beginning, than what it’s going through now. But it was able to engineer a fairly quick recovery in large part by sharply devaluing its currency, making its exports more competitive. This time, unfortunately, it had no currency to devalue. And the same goes for Europe’s other trouble spots.
Well, no. The Euro was not a mistake. The mistake was to put Goldman-Sachs and its ilk in command (see below). Competitive devaluations are a form of war. And the idea of an Union is no more war. The USA went to war for Union, and out of it came the “greenback”, the national currency of the USA (which was created for the war, and was part of the war effort). The dollar was created to make a more perfect union. Europe wants, and needs, a more perfect union.
A characteristic of the Euro has been that, in spite of a terribly worsening economic situation, and desperately low interest rates, the Euro stayed very high, as if the situation was rosy. When the situation was bad in Germany, ten years ago, the Euro was at 86 cents on the Dollars. When several Euro countries hit unemployment of nearly 30% (as Spain did), the Euro was very strong, nearly 150 cents on the dollar. Who engineered that absurdity? The same Goldman Sachs specialists who (were paid to) hid part of the Greek debt The bankers lent inappropriately, and to whom did they lend? To their friends, their associates, the rich? 92% of the money borrowed by Greece since the crisis began went to banks. Why were the bankers not prosecuted? Differently from simple Greek retirees who saw their retirement collapse, they are culprit. The real question is, to whom did establishing this mess profit? The creditors? Are they trying to reduce everybody to misery?
“One of the great risks if the Greek public votes yes — that is, votes to accept the demands of the creditors, and hence repudiates the Greek government’s position and probably brings the government down — is that it will empower and encourage the architects of European failure. The creditors will have demonstrated their strength, their ability to humiliate anyone who challenges demands for austerity without end. And they will continue to claim that imposing mass unemployment is the only responsible course of action.
Well, it’s not that simple. In 2008, everybody was supposed to freak out because ONE BANK of the USA went bankrupt. Now we have an entire country going bankrupt. A country with twice the population of Norway, or that of the average state of the USA.
If Greece is allowed to go fully bankrupt (no, I am not contradicting myself: in the case of the IMF, there is a three month grace, or limbo, period), we will know that European countries are allowed to go bankrupt.
And why? There are many reason, but one is particularly salient: Goldman Sachs, an American bank, and high finance conspiracy outfit, deliberately engineered a misrepresentation of Greek finance. Why are these conspirators not punished?
If countries are allowed to go bankrupt, why don’t they all go bankrupt? After all, that’s the idea of devaluation Krugman likes so much.
The referendum is a good idea, allows Europeans to accuse those who torture Europe. Already the IMF is backing off, and just announced that, after all, some of the Greek debt ought to be reduced (PM Tsipras immediately asked for a 30% debt reduction).
The referendum is good, because it allows Europeans to argue about which Europe they want.
Do they want a Europe where Goldman-Sachs is free to conspire, or one where We The People rule? Let’s have referenda and arguments all over.
That’s how baboons vote (they vote with their feet). If baboons can do it, Europeans ought to be enable to emulate them.
Fundamentally, plutocrats want the monopoly of money and power, which defines them. In Europe, they have made sure to starve all what We The People want or need, and they did this by restricting how many Euros, how much currency, circulates.
By the way, it’s also how the Roman economy collapsed. By 300 CE, Rome did not have enough money, and so established a control and command economy (what the USSR became famous for).
Now the corrupt clowns who lead Europe are afraid that We The People, all over Europe, is going to start fighting against the creditors. An obvious case is “Podemos” in Spain, a party similar to Syriza. All over, We The People has to ask: how come so much borrowing was made in our name, to reimburse banksters?
The danger of an extremely violent insurrection against the established order is increasing by the day. After all, president Teddy Roosevelt took drastic measures against monopolistic capitalism. What had happened before? Well, Teddy’s predecessor, Mac Kinley, had been assassinated (1901 CE). So had been French president Sadi Carnot (1894). These assassinations were part of a general assassination campaign against political leaders of anarchist ideology. Islamist ideology may well play a similar role. Already many blond blue eyed Europeans are converting to Islam, and joining Jihad. Rage against the system is why they do. The enemies of my enemies may not be my friends, but, when violence has gone too far, only more violence can stop it. |
0.999782 | How long until Women's Day (observed)?
International Women's Day is celebrated on 8 March. For most of the countries who observe this holiday, if it falls on a weekend, it will be moved to the following Monday.
In China since 2014, women are entitled to a half day holiday for Women's Day.
2017: "Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030"
2015: "Empowering Women - Empowering Humanity: Picture It!"
27 countries (mainly former Soviet republics) have adopted International Women's Day as a national holiday; and it is widely observed in several others.
It is often said that the date chosen for International Women's Day marks a mass protest that took place in New York on 8 March 1857, when women from sewing and shoe factories demonstrated for the same rights as men. Men had recently won a 10 hour workday, but women had been overlooked in the legislation and left on a 16 hour workday. As as a result 8 March became a traditional day for regular demonstrations in the US and Europe.
However, recent reports have cast doubt on whether this event ever took place, with newspapers of the time not reporting any such march.
Given how the holiday began in Russia, a more plausible source for the date is 1917 when Russian women marched to protest for 'Bread and Peace' on the last Sunday in February (which was 8 March in the Gregorian calendar in use in the rest of Europe). This march contributed to the Czar abdicating four days later and the new government granting women the right to vote. It would be three years later, before women in the US had the same rights.
In Russia, Women's Day is a significant and popular holiday. Its source in the events of 1917 that were part of the Russian revolution meant it was a holiday that was promoted by the Soviet regime.
The day first became a national holiday in 1965.
It is traditional on this holiday to present women with gifts and flowers to express appreciation for their work, love and devotion. It can be regarded as the same as mixing up elements of Mother's Day combined with some aspects of Valentine's Day. |
0.880677 | Biblia Koshodou no Jiken Techou is a mystery series in which Shinokawa Shioriko, a young owner of a bookstore in Kamakura, unravels the mysteries of the ancient books that are taken there.
The story begins with a young man named Daisuke, who practically grew up without reading books due to his phobia, who brings the complete (and autographed) collection of works by Natsume Soseki, (Japanese writer of the Meiji era) that he inherited from his grandmother, to the mysterious bookstore. Will the shy and introverted Shioriko solve the mystery of the books?
Drama, Mystery, Romance, Seinen, Slice of Life. |
0.999997 | An excerpt: Can blockchain address the unintentionally unwieldy and opaque supply chain in ad tech? Yes. Establishing transparency and trust requires a central and secure way to record, review and execute a deal. Today, deals are typically stored in formats and locations that are disparate and nonstandard. Initially creating standards and enabling collaboration are essential steps on this path. |
0.937596 | How much water do workers need?
Drinking enough fluids is one of the most important things workers can do to prevent heat illness. Water is generally sufficient for hydration, according to the Centers for Disease and Control (CDC) (as opposed to adding electrolyte drinks).
Being hydrated when you start work makes it easier to stay hydrated through the day.
If you are dehydrated when you start work, you may not be able to drink enough to catch up with your body’s need for water.
Health officials urge workers to drink before feeling thirsty. By the time you feel thirsty, you are already behind in fluid replacement. Dehydration is a primary contributor to heat exhaustion.
When working in the heat, drink 1 cup (8 ounces) of water every 15–20 minutes. This translates to ¾–1 quart (24–32 ounces) per hour.
Drinking at shorter intervals is more effective than drinking large amounts infrequently.
Do not drink more than 48 oz (1½ quarts) per hour! Drinking too much water or other fluids (sports drinks, energy drinks, etc.) can cause a medical emergency because the concentration of salt in the blood becomes too low.
Most people need several hours to drink enough fluids to replace what they have lost through sweat. The sooner you get started, the less strain you place on your body from dehydration.
Hydrating after work is even more important if you work in the heat on a regular basis. Chronic dehydration increases the risk for a number of medical conditions, such as kidney stones.
Some energy drinks contain much more caffeine than standard servings of coffee, tea, or soft drinks.
Drinking several energy drinks per day can raise caffeine levels enough to affect the heart. When added to the strain that heat places on the body, caffeine can be risky.
Many energy drinks contain as much or more sugar as soft drinks, which adds hundreds of extra calories to the diet.
Alcohol can cause dehydration. In addition, drinking it within 24 hours of working in the heat increases the risk of heat illness.
Keep a check on your workers’ drinking habits during hot months. It can make a big difference. |
0.999937 | Please make the product description say the following: Gotta love AIRHEAD SUPER SLICE’s Cool Camo graphics! It’s one of top selling 3 rider towables of all time for good reason, it’s simply a better deck tube. We invented the tapered gusset design in 2000; thicker in front, thinner in back. |
0.940599 | Primitive endoderm (PE) and epiblast (EPI) are two lineages derived from the inner cell mass (ICM) of the E3.5 blastocyst. Recent studies showed that EPI and PE progenitors expressing the lineage-specific transcriptional factors Nanog and Gata6, respectively, arise progressively as the ICM develops. Subsequent sorting of the two progenitors during blastocyst maturation results in the ormation of morphologically distinct EPI and PE layers at E4.5. It is, however, unknown how the initial differences between the two populations become established in the E3.5 blastocyst. Because the ICM cells are derived from two distinct rounds of polarized cell divisions during cleavage, a possible role for cell lineage history in promoting EPI versus PE fate has been proposed. We followed cell lineage from the eight-cell stage by live cell tracing and could find no clear linkage between developmental history of individual ICM cells and later cell fate. However, modulating FGF signaling levels by inhibition of the receptor/MAP kinase pathway or by addition of exogenous FGF shifted the fate of ICM cells to become either EPI or PE, respectively. Nanog- or Gata6-expressing progenitors could still be shifted towards the alternative fate by modulating FGF signaling during blastocyst maturation, suggesting that the ICM progenitors are not fully committed to their final fate at the time that initial segregation of gene expression occurs. In conclusion, we propose a model in which stochastic and progressive specification of EPI and PE lineages occurs during maturation of the blastocyst in an FGF/MAP kinase signal-dependent manner.
Primitive endoderm (PE) and epiblast (EPI) lineages form two distinct layers in the E4.5 implanting mouse embryo that are both derived from the inner cell mass (ICM) of the E3.5 blastocyst. The PE is an extraembryonic cell lineage, which gives rise primarily to visceral and parietal endoderm of the yolk sacs after implantation (Gardner, 1982; Gardner, 1984; Gardner and Rossant, 1979; Plusa et al., 2008). The EPI gives rise to the fetus and some of the extraembryonic tissues, such as amnion and extraembryonic mesoderm (Gardner and Papaioannou, 1975; Gardner and Rossant, 1979). The interactions between these two lineages in early postimplantation development are important not only to supply nutrients to the embryo, but also to establish anteroposterior polarity prior to gastrulation (Rossant and Tam, 2009).
In the blastocyst at E3.5, ICM cells appear morphologically as a homogeneous cell population, suggestive of bipotential cells generating both PE and EPI. The PE only emerges as a distinct monolayer on the surface of the ICM by implantation at E4.5. PE and EPI cells at this stage are lineage restricted, as they contribute only to their respective lineages in chimeric embryos (Gardner, 1982; Gardner, 1984; Gardner and Rossant, 1979). It was proposed that cell position in the ICM controlled segregation of the two lineages (Rossant, 1975), with ICM cells directly facing the blastocoel becoming the PE and those embedded inside the ICM becoming the EPI. However, our previous study and subsequent studies by others suggested that the ICM of the fully expanded E3.5 blastocyst is not a homogeneous population but rather a mixed population of PE and EPI progenitors (Chazaud et al., 2006; Kurimoto et al., 2006; Plusa et al., 2008). Lineage tracing revealed that the fate of single E3.5 ICM cells was to form either the PE or the EPI, and rarely both. In addition, the lineage-specific markers Gata6 and Nanog were mutually exclusively expressed in the E3.5 ICM (Chazaud et al., 2006). Single cell cDNA expression analysis provided further evidence of heterogeneity in global gene expression among ICM cells (Kurimoto et al., 2006). Furthermore, live imaging analysis using the PdgfraH2B-GFP mouse line, in which the PE is specifically labeled with histone H2B-GFP, generally supported the mosaic model but revealed that separation of the two lineages during blastocoel expansion involved both apoptosis and cell migration (Plusa et al., 2008). This study also showed that there was progressive mutual exclusion of Nanog and Gata6 expression in ICM cells during this stage from initial uniform co-expression in the early blastocyst (Plusa et al., 2008).
The mosaic/cell sorting model of EPI/PE formation requires that heterogeneity be generated in an apparently homogeneous population in a position-independent manner. One attractive model to explain this relies on the understanding of the process of inner cell generation during cleavage gained from studies using isolated blastomeres in the 1980s (reviewed by Johnson et al., 1986). These studies suggested that inner cells that give rise to the ICM are generated from two rounds of asymmetric divisions at the 8-16 and 16-32 cell stage. We previously proposed a model in which the developmental origins of individual ICM cells may relate to their later cell fate: inner cells generated in the first round of divisions (primary inner cells) have a preference to become the EPI, whereas cells generated in the second round (secondary inner cells) have a preference to become the PE (Yamanaka et al., 2006) (see also Chisholm and Houliston, 1987). The idea behind this model is that the PE and the trophectoderm (TE), the outer cell layer of the blastocyst, are both extraembryonic lineages and share similar epigenetic characteristics; for example, paternal X inactivation (reviewed by Avner and Heard, 2001). Therefore, they may share a developmental origin as well. Primary inner cells would be set aside from the outer environment one cell cycle earlier than secondary inner cells and would be protected from taking up extraembryonic character, perhaps by the Hippo signaling pathway that is active in inside cells (Nishioka et al., 2009). Secondary inner cells would be predisposed by prolonged external position to become extraembryonic primitive endoderm once enclosed in the blastocyst (Yamanaka et al., 2006). This model is clearly testable by lineage tracing experiments.
Whether lineage history is important or not, there still needs to be some molecular pathway that initiates the differences between EPI and PE progenitors. A number of pieces of evidence suggest that the FGF/MAP kinase signal pathway might play this key role. Homozygous mutants of Fgf4, Fgfr2 and Grb2 all show peri-implantation lethality and complete lack of PE formation in vivo and in blastocyst outgrowths (Arman et al., 1998; Cheng et al., 1998; Feldman et al., 1995; Goldin and Papaioannou, 2003). Importantly, we have shown that the lack of the PE in the Grb2 mutant blastocyst is due to the transformation of all ICM cells to the EPI fate, rather than to selective apoptosis or overproliferation of one lineage (Chazaud et al., 2006). Overexpression of a dominant-negative FGF receptor in ES cells blocks PE formation in embryoid bodies (EBs) in vitro (Chen et al., 2000), although exogenous FGF does not enhance PE differentiation in ES cells (Hamazaki et al., 2006). Treatment with a PTPase inhibitor, sodium vanadate, enhances PE differentiation, and ectopic expression of constitutively active MAPK/ERK kinase (MEK) initiates PE differentiation without EB formation (Hamazaki et al., 2006). Exogenous FGF treatment of preimplantation embryos showed increased cell numbers during blastocyst outgrowth, but their lineage identity was undefined (Rappolee et al., 1994).
In this study, we explore further the mechanisms driving PE and EPI specification. First, we examined whether the developmental origins of ICM cells relate to later cell fate. Using a live imaging technique, we traced the lineages of the ICM from the eight-cell stage and showed that both primary and secondary inner cells could contribute to EPI or PE at the postimplantation stage, with no apparent bias related to their origin, thus showing that the process of forming a primary or secondary inner cell is not sufficient to direct cell fate. We then examined the temporal requirement for activation of the FGF/MAP kinase signal for PE formation. We showed that modulating FGF signaling levels by either inhibition of the receptor/MAP kinase pathway or addition of exogenous FGF shifts the fate of ICM cells to become either Nanog-expressing or Gata6-expressing progenitors, respectively. Furthermore, although the progenitors in the E3.5 ICM express either Nanog or Gata6, their cell fate is still controlled by FGF signaling during blastocyst maturation. We showed that cell fate can still be altered by altering FGF signaling during blastocyst maturation. Taking these results together, we propose a model in which stochastic and progressive specification of EPI and PE lineages occurs during maturation of the blastocyst in an FGF/MAP kinase signal-dependent manner.
We used the ICR outbred mice maintained in 12-hour light cycle condition. Estrous females were crossed with ICR males, Z/EG (homozygous or heterozygous) males or PdgfraH2B-GFP heterozygous males. Cleavage-stage embryos were collected by flushing oviducts with M2 media (Chemicon). Embryos were cultured in KSOM (Chemicon) at 37°C, 6% CO2. The inhibitor treatment was performed in wells of four-well dishes (Nunc) without a covering of mineral oil. The concentration of inhibitors we used were: FGF receptor inhibitor PD173074, 100 nM (Stemgent); Mek inhibitor PD0325901, 0.5 μM (Stemgent). For exogenous Fgf4 treatment, we used various doses of Fgf4 (7-1000 ng/ml, R&D Systems) with heparin (1 μg/ml) in KSOM. Embryos with/without the zona pellucida were cultured in microdrops (15 embryos/15 μl drop) covered with mineral oil. We confirmed that the presence of the zona pellucida did not change the exogenous FGF effects.
Embryos were collected from oviducts or uteri and fixed in 4% formaldehyde solution in PBS (Polysciences Inc.) for 15 minutes at room temperature. They were washed in PBT (PBS with 0.1% Tween 20) and permeabilized with 0.2% Triton in PBS for 15 minutes. The embryos were treated with primary antibodies overnight at 4°C after blocking in PBT with 5% FBS for at least 1 hour at room temperature. Primary antibodies used in this study were: Cdx2 (BioGenex, MU392-UC), Oct4 (Santa Cruz, C-10), Nanog (Cosmo Bio, REC-RCAB0002), Gata6 (R&D Systems, AF1700), Par6 (Abcam, ab45394) and Gata4 (Santa Cruz, H112). The embryos were then treated with secondary antibodies conjugated with Alexa Fluor 488, Cy3 or Alexa Fluor 633 (Jackson ImmunoResearch and Molecular Probes). The embryos were analyzed on a Zeiss LSM510 Meta laser scanning confocal microscope with Axiovision software and a Quorum spinning disc confocal microscope equipped with a Hamamatu C9100-13 EM-CCD and Volocity software. The objective lens used was 25× water, NA=0.80. Images were taken every 2.5-5 μm throughout the embryos.
pCS2 Cre-NLS (Chazaud et al., 2006), pCS2 membrane-RFP (Megason and Fraser, 2004), pCS2 H2B-RFP and pCS2 Ezrin-GFP (Batchelor et al., 2004) were used in this study. In vitro transcription was performed using the mMESSAGE mMACHINE Sp6 Kit (Ambion). Synthesized mRNAs were dissolved in water and centrifuged in small capillaries to remove small debris before microinjection. Microinjection was performed as previously described (Chazaud et al., 2006).
Time-lapse live imaging was performed on a Zeiss Axiovert inverted microscope equipped with Apotome and an environment controller. Embryos were placed on a glass-bottomed dish (MatTek) in KSOM covered with mineral oil. The objective lens used was 20× dry, NA=0.75. The camera used was an Axiocam MRm (1388×1044 pixels). For single eight-cell tracing, images were taken every 15 minutes with a 7-9 μm section interval (six z-sections/time point) for 24-30 hours. The typical experimental condition was: for DIC image acquisition, 2×2 binning, camera gain 0, exposure time 5 milliseconds and 2.4 V halogen light volume with NA=0.55 condenser setting; for RFP image acquisition, Cy3 filter, 2×2 binning, camera gain 3, exposure time 80 milliseconds and the minimum light volume (20%) of a mercury light source with further 90% of cutoff by a neutral density filter. Twelve embryos were imaged in single experiments. After image acquisition, the embryos were transferred individually to pseudo pregnant females (one embryo/single uterine horn). Embryos were recovered between embryonic day (E) 5.5 and E6.5 and the distribution of GFP expressing cells analyzed. No phototoxic effect was observed in this experimental condition as judged by a comparison of survival rates to term (control, 13 pups/24 transferred; imaged, 12 pups/25 transferred). To validate the accuracy of our positional live imaging tracing, one researcher scored cell position using live imaging of 28 embryos, which were then fixed following either the 8-16 or the 16-32 cell division. A second researcher counterstained each individual embryo with Par6 to visualize the apical membranes and independently scored cell position using the Quorum spinning disc confocal microscope with 1 μm sections (see Fig. S6 in the supplementary material). Both methods agreed with each other, confirming the accuracy of our experimental set-up. For PdgfraH2B-GFPmouse embryos, images were taken every 15-20 minutes with 6-7 μm section intervals (eight z-sections/time point) for 24-48 hours. The typical experimental condition for GFP image acquisition was: FITC filter, 2×2 binning, camera gain 3, exposure time 250 milliseconds and the half-light volume (50%) of a mercury light source with further 50% of cutoff by a neutral density filter.
We analyzed the generation of inner cells in intact embryos and examined the relationship between the developmental origins of ICM cells and their later cell fate. We combined both short- and long-term lineage analysis to trace the cleavage pattern of single eight-cell blastomeres and the cell fate of their progeny in later development. For short-term lineage analysis, we injected mRNA for histone H2B-RFP and membrane-RFP in which RFP is fused with a 2×Lyn membrane localization signal sequence (Megason and Fraser, 2003) to visualize the nuclei and cell shape, respectively. For long-term lineage analysis, we used the Z/EG mouse line (Novak et al., 2000), in which GFP expression is induced in cells after Cre excision. To label single eight-cell blastomeres, mRNAs of the two RFP reporters and Cre recombinase were co-injected into one of the blastomeres in the eight-cell embryo. Thus, all progeny of single eight-cell blastomeres were permanently labeled with GFP, in addition to the short-term RFP labeling.
Cell tracing analysis of single eight-cell blastomeres in intact mouse embryos. (A) Schematic of division patterns of single eight-cell blastomeres. A total of 112 embryos were observed from eight-cell to 32-cell stages. Numbers at the left side of arrows indicate the numbers of embryos observed in each category. Percentages in square brackets are the percentages of asymmetric/symmetric divisions in each category. (B) Asymmetric eight-cell division generated one outer and one inner cell. (t=0:00) An apical pole was observed as an enrichment of membrane-RFP (white dotted curves). (t=0:45) A dividing eight-cell blastomere. One of daughter cells (white arrows) was directly deposited inside of the embryo. (C) Symmetric eight-cell division generated two outer cells. (t=0:00) An apical enrichment of membrane-RFP was observed. (t=0:30) A dividing eight-cell blastomere. (t=1:45-7:15) Both daughter cells form outer cells. (D) Curved cell-cell contact between outer (white arrow) and inner (white arrowhead) cells. Color images show merged DIC and RFP channels. The black and white images are RFP channel only. Images were taken every 15 minutes with 6 z-sections/time point. The z-value indicates the optical section number from the bottom, as shown in the diagram in E.
From studies of isolated blastomeres (reviewed by Johnson et al., 1986), it was suggested that there are two types of division at the 8-16 cell and 16-32 cell stages, symmetric and asymmetric. In the symmetric division, both daughter cells inherit an apical pole and form two outer, prospective TE cells. In the asymmetric division, only one of daughter cells inherits the apical pole and is maintained on the outside. The other forms an inner apolar and prospective ICM cell (Johnson and Ziomek, 1981). We observed 112 intact embryos from the eight-cell to the 32-cell stages, in which one of the blastomeres in the eight-cell embryo was labeled with the RFP reporters, and analyzed the initial positions of both daughter cells directly after cell division and their final outside or inside position within each cell cycle. We classified cell divisions generating outer and inner daughter cells as asymmetric (Fig. 1B; see also Movie 1 in the supplementary material), and ones generating two outer daughter cells as symmetric (Fig. 1C; see also Movie 2 in the supplementary material), based on the final allocation of cells within each cell cycle. Interestingly, in the majority of divisions classified as asymmetric, both 16-cell daughter blastomeres were initially positioned outside before one of the daughter cells was progressively internalized by surrounding outer cells to take up the internal position (see Fig. S1 and Movie 3 in the supplementary material).
In the 8-16 cell division, we found that 60% of labeled eight-cell blastomeres generated both outer and inner cells (Fig. 1A, 67 out of 112 eight-cell blastomeres) and 40% of them generated two outer cells (45 out of 112 eight-cell blastomeres). In the subsequent 16-32 cell division, 66 out of the 67 16-cell outer blastomeres generated by the previous asymmetric division generated two outside prospective TE cells (Fig. 1A). This suggested that these cells were strongly constrained to symmetric cell division. By contrast, 36% of the 16-cell outer blastomeres generated by the previous symmetric division were able to divide asymmetrically (Fig. 1A, 32 asymmetric divisions out of 90 16-32 cell blastomeres in the category). The frequency of asymmetrical division was lower than that observed in the previous 8-16 cell division.
Our aggregated data suggest that about 60% of eight-cell blastomeres (4.8 blastomeres in the eight-cell stage embryo) generated primary inner cells but only about 25% of them (two blastomeres in the eight-cell stage embryo) generated secondary inner cells (Fig. 1A). Because primary inner cells never generate outer cells, but do continue to divide from the 16- to 32-cell stage, this suggests that the early ICM at the 32-cell stage consists of approximately 9-10 cells derived from primary inner cells and no more than 2-3 secondary inner cells.
Next, we examined whether there was any difference in cell fate between primary and secondary inner cells. After tracing the cleavage pattern of single eight-cell blastomeres using the RFP signal, embryos were scored as having primary- or secondary-derived ICM cells and transferred individually to pseudo-pregnant females (one blastocyst/single uterine horn). Care was taken to ensure that GFP expression was only detected in the RFP-labeled progeny (see Fig. S2A,B in the supplementary material). Out of 91 transferred blastocysts, 66 embryos could be recovered between E5.5 and E6.5. The distribution of GFP cells was analyzed to determine the contribution of primary and secondary inner cells to EPI and/or PE lineages (see Fig. S2C in the supplementary material).
We found that neither primary nor secondary inner cells showed strict restriction towards one lineage (Table 1). The progeny of both primary and secondary inner cells were capable of contributing to both PE and EPI lineages. Some embryos, which had carried GFP-labeled ICM cells before transfer did not have any GFP-positive cells in PE/EPI derivatives at E5.5-E6.5, suggesting that there was measurable cell death in the ICM during implantation, as reported previously (Copp, 1978; Plusa et al., 2008). Out of the surviving labeled progenies of the primary inner cells, 39% contributed to PE lineage only and 17% to EPI lineage only, whereas 25% contributed to both lineages (Table 1). The number of embryos in the secondary inner cell category is low, because of the smaller number of secondary inner cells in all embryos. However, the distribution of contributions was similar, with no restriction to either PE or EPI. We conclude that the developmental origins of the ICM cells from different cleavage divisions did not restrict the potential of the cells to generate either PE or EPI.
Previously our analysis of Grb2 mutants showed that all ICM cells take up the Nanog-positive EPI progenitor state at E3.5 and fail to turn on Gata6 expression (Chazaud et al., 2006), suggesting a role for receptor tyrosine kinase signaling in PE formation. Indirect evidence implicated the FGF signaling pathway as the upstream pathway initiating PE fate through Grb2 (Arman et al., 1998; Feldman et al., 1995; Cheng et al., 1998). Here, we used a combination of an FGF receptor inhibitor, PD173074, and a MEK inhibitor, PD0325901 (Ying et al., 2008), to test the timing of requirement of the FGF/MAP kinase signal on PE formation.
When embryos were treated with both inhibitors from the eight-cell stage to late blastocyst stages, they showed a very similar phenotype to the Grb2 mutant blastocyst (Chazaud et al., 2006). In control embryos, most ICM cells expressed either Nanog or Gata6 by the late blastocyst stage (Fig. 2C, part a; n=15). By contrast, all ICM cells strongly expressed Nanog and repressed Gata6 expression at E3.75 in the majority of inhibitor-treated embryos (seven out of 10 embryos; Fig. 2C, part b). The remaining embryos had only a few Gata6-positive cells remaining in the ICM. We counted the total number of ICM cells and found no significant difference between inhibitor-treated and control embryos (Fig. 2B). This suggested that those changes were due to neither selective proliferation nor apoptosis of one lineage, but to selective lineage choice, as we suggested in the Grb2 mutant study (Chazaud et al., 2006).
Interestingly, embryos treated with inhibitors from the 8-16 cell to the early blastocyst stage and then replaced in control media showed no effects of the initial inhibitor treatment (Fig. 2C, part d; n=11). However, embryos treated with inhibitors after the early blastocyst stage showed the same upregulation of Nanog expression and downregulation of Gata6 expression in the ICM as the embryos treated with inhibitors from the eight-cell stage onwards (Fig. 2C, part c). This result suggested that activation of the FGF/MAP kinase signal after the early blastocyst stage is important for generation of the PE progenitors.
Sustained inhibition of the FGF/MAP kinase signal is required to completely block PE formation. (A) Schematic of the time schedule of inhibitor treatment. Red and black arrows indicate the culture periods in the presence and absence of inhibitors, respectively. (B) Comparison of total ICM cell numbers at E3.75 in embryos cultured in the presence and absence of inhibitors. The number of embryos counted is shown in brackets. There was no statistically significant difference in ICM cell numbers in embryos cultured in different conditions. (C, parts a-d) E3.75 blastocysts cultured from E2.5 in the presence and absence of inhibitors. (C, part a) Control embryo. Gata6-positive PE progenitors and Nanog-positive EPI progenitors distributed randomly in the ICM. (C, part b) Embryo treated with inhibitors from E2.5-E3.75. All ICM cells became Nanog-positive EPI progenitors. (C, part c) Embryo initially cultured in control media and then treated with inhibitors. (C, part d) Embryo initially treated with inhibitors and then switched to control media. The embryo showed no difference to the control embryo. (C, parts e-h) E4.5 blastocysts cultured from E2.5 in the absence and presence of inhibitors. (C, part e) Control embryo. Nanog-positive EPI cells formed a cluster under the Gata6-positive PE layer. (C, part f) Embryo treated with inhibitors from E2.5 to E4.5. All ICM became Nanog-positive EPI. (C, part g) Embryo initially treated with inhibitors from E2.5 to E3.75 and then switched to control media. Gata6-positive PE cells were restored and forming a layer over an EPI cluster. (C, part h) Embryo initially cultured in control media from E2.5 to E3.75 and then treated with inhibitors. All E4.5 ICM cells became Nanog-positive EPI. (D) Embryos cultured with inhibitors of the FGF/MAP kinase signal from E2.5 to 3.75 then allowed to recover in the absence of the inhibitors. At E4.0, ICM cells began to co-express Nanog and Gata6 in a `salt and pepper' manner. The PE cells subsequently formed a distinct layer. Gata4 expression was first detected at E4.5. Blue, Cdx2; green, Gata6; red, Nanog; white, Gata4. Scale bars: 20 μm.
We then investigated whether Nanog-positive progenitors at E3.75 in the inhibitor-treated embryos were irreversibly restricted to the EPI state. To test this, we treated embryos with inhibitors till E3.75 and then released them from inhibitors (the time schedule of inhibitor-treatment is summarized in Fig. 2A). In embryos treated with inhibitors continuously from E2.5 to E4.5, all ICM cells became Nanog-positive EPI (Fig. 2C, part f; n=9). Surprisingly, embryos initially treated with inhibitors and then switched to control media as late as E3.75 regenerated Gata6-positive PE cells (Fig. 2C, part g; n=6). A Gata6-positive PE layer was formed on the outside of a cluster of Nanog-positive EPI similar to in untreated embryos. Similar results were obtained using a combination of FGFR/MEK/GSK3 inhibitors (see Fig. S3 in the supplementary material). This result suggested that, although all ICM cells became Nanog positive, Gata6 negative following inhibitor treatment, some of these cells were still capable of reverting to the PE phenotype.
We analyzed the time course of this reversion process (Fig. 2D) and found that Gata6 expression was restored in most ICM cells co-expressing Nanog within 6 hours of inhibitor removal, similar to the early blastocyst (Fig. 2D, E4.0). Subsequently, Nanog and Gata6 re-established the mutually exclusive expression pattern (Fig. 2D, E4.25) and the two lineages segregated to form distinct layers (Fig. 2D, E4.5). Similar to the progression of normal development (see Fig. S4 in the supplementary material), Gata4 expression was evident only subsequent to Gata6 expression (Fig. 2D).
We also examined the converse condition: the embryos were initially cultured in control media from E2.5 to E3.75, and then treated with inhibitors (Fig. 2C, part h; n=8). These embryos showed a similar phenotype to embryos treated continuously throughout this period: all ICM cells became Nanog-positive EPI and there were no Gata6-positive PE.
These results suggested that plasticity was still retained even after mutually exclusive Nanog or Gata6 expression is established. To examine when ICM cells lost this plasticity, embryos were removed from or treated with inhibitors at various time points after E3.75 and cultured for an additional 18 hours (Fig. 3A,B). In both experiments, plasticity was progressively lost after E4.0, indicating that lineage commitment to the EPI/PE lineage took place around E4.0-E4.5.
Our data suggested that sustained inhibition of the FGF/MAP kinase signal at the blastocyst stage is necessary to block PE formation completely. However, it is possible that the FGF/MAP kinase signal acts as a permissive signal but not an instructive one, with other signals being required to instruct PE fate. To address this, we investigated whether increasing the level of the FGF signal would be sufficient to produce a converse phenotype to the inhibitor-treated embryos, in which all ICM cells become Gata6-expressing PE progenitors.
We treated embryos with various doses of Fgf4 and heparin (1 μg/ml) continuously from E1.5 to E4.5 (the conditions are summarized in Fig. 4A). When embryos were treated with Fgf4 in doses higher than 250 ng/ml, we observed embryos in which all E4.5 ICM cells became Gata6-positive PE cells (Fig. 4C, part b; 500 ng/ml Fgf4 treated, n=28). The frequency of observing these embryos was clearly dose dependent (Fig. 4E). This phenotype was already apparent at E3.75 (Fig. 4B, part b). There were no statistically significant differences in the ICM cell number between control embryos and embryos treated with Fgf4 at E3.75 (Fig. 4D).
We examined whether sustained activation of the FGF/MAP kinase signal was required to block EPI and promote PE formation. When the effect of exogenous Fgf4 was interrupted with inhibitors after E3.25, Nanog-positive EPI progenitors were subsequently restored at E3.75 (Fig. 4B, part c). Although we wondered if the exogenous Fgf4 treatment could induce the precocious commitment to the PE lineage, interruption of the treatment after E3.75 was also effective in restoring Nanog-positive EPI at E4.5 (Fig. 4C, part c). Similar to the previous inhibitor-removal/treatment experiments, the timing of lineage commitment was around E4.0-E4.5 (Fig. 3C). Consistent with this, exogenous FGF treatment after E3.75 was also effective in generating embryos in which all ICM cells became Gata6-positive PE (Fig. 4C, part d). Therefore, cells expressing either Nanog or Gata6 were able to respond to the activation level of the FGF/MAP kinase signaling level at all stages of blastocyst development until their final lineage commitment around E4.0-E4.5.
Progressive loss of lineage plasticity in the ICM. (A) Embryos cultured with inhibitors from E2.5 and removed from the inhibitors at indicated time points. After an additional 18 hours culture in the control condition, the lineage conversion was examined. (B) Embryos were treated with inhibitors from the indicated time points and cultured for an additional 18 hours. (C) Embryos cultured with Fgf4 (500 ng/ml) and heparin, were treated with inhibitors from the indicated time points and cultured for additional 18 hour. Graphs on the right show the percentage of embryos with complete conversion. Blue, Cdx2; green, Gata6; red, Nanog. Scale bars: 20 μm.
In order to observe the temporal aspects of the effects of altering FGF signaling on EPI versus PE specification, we performed live imaging using a PE-specific reporter line. The PdgfraH2B-GFPmouse line is a useful PE reporter line in which to analyze the generation of heterogeneity in the E3.5 ICM and the process of sorting out of PE and EPI progenitors (Plusa et al., 2008). As a control, we first analyzed GFP expression in PdgfraH2B-GFP/+ embryos cultured in control medium (n=3). At around E3.35 (Fig. 5A, t=0:00; see also Movie 4 in the supplementary material), we could not observe GFP under our experimental conditions, probably because of the limited exposure to the excitation light used to reduce the phototoxicity to the embryos, although expression of GFP was detected in a previous study (Plusa et al., 2008). When the excitation light was enhanced, we did detect GFP (data not shown). Slightly after E3.5, weak expression was detected in the majority of ICM cells (t=6:15). Some ICM cells began to express higher GFP after around E3.75 (t=12:00 in Fig. 5A). Around E4.0 (t=18:15), a morphologically distinct GFP-positive PE layer was observed, although a few GFP-positive cells were still in the deep position. These observations were consistent with those of the previous study (Plusa et al., 2008).
Next, we treated PdgfraH2B-GFP/+ embryos with the FGFR/MEK inhibitors after E3.75 (Fig. 5B, see Movie 5 in the supplementary material). At E3.75, GFP expression was observed in some of the ICM cells, similar to in the control embryo (Fig. 5B; t=0:00). Inhibitor treatment prevented the increased intensity and expansion of GFP expression that was seen in the controls, although the initial expression in a few cells was maintained. Furthermore, instead of forming a morphologically visible PE layer, those lingering GFP-positive cells remained scattered in the ICM (Fig. 5B; t=24:00). We confirmed that Gata6 expression was not detectable and that Nanog expression was upregulated in all ICM cells in these inhibitor-treated embryos (see Fig. S5 in the supplementary material). The residual GFP expression was presumably due to the relatively long half-life of H2B-GFP. When PdgfraH2B-GFP/+ embryos were treated with high-dose Fgf4 (500 ng/ml, n=3) from the 2- to 4-cell stage, GFP expression was readily detected in the early blastocyst stage (Fig. 5C; t=0:00; see Movie 6 in the supplementary material). GFP expression consistently appeared higher than in the PdgfraH2B-GFP/+ embryos cultured in control media and the majority of ICM cells were GFP positive (Fig. 5C, t=10:00). These GFP-positive ICM cells maintained GFP expression at a high level and no GFP-negative cells were observed in the ICM (Fig. 5C; t=16:15-30:00). There was some cell death observed by the end of the observation period (Fig. 5C; t=30:00). These movies confirmed that the cell fate shift in the ICM to either EPI or PE by inhibition of FGF signaling or addition of exogenous FGF is due to the transformation of individual progenitor cells to the alternative lineage, without selective apoptosis or proliferation.
Taken together, E3.5 ICM cells are instructed towards the EPI or PE fate in a FGF/MAP kinase signal-dependent manner. The expression of Nanog and Gata6 is likely to reflect the activation level of the FGF/MAP kinase signal in individual ICM cells during maturation of the blastocyst. Those progenitors progressively commit to the EPI or PE fate but, during the transition, they are still sensitive to the balance of the FGF/MAP kinase signaling levels.
The generation of enclosed inside cells is the first important step towards forming distinct lineages in the early mouse embryo. Here, we follow these events in living embryos and provide a quantitative analysis of the likelihood of individual blastomeres at the eight- and 16-cell stage generating inner or outer cells at each division. This process was previously analyzed in the 1980s using isolated blastomeres, and two important cellular events were discovered: polarization in eight-cell blastomeres, and the two types of division at the 8-16 cell division – symmetric and asymmetric (Johnson and Ziomek, 1981) (reviewed by Johnson et al., 1986). In experiments using isolated eight-cell blastomeres, the frequency to divide asymmetrically was around 82-85 %. By contrast, when eight-cell blastomeres were paired with others, the frequency was changed to around 50% (Pickering et al., 1988). This suggested that cell-cell contact was somehow affecting the outcome of divisions. However, none of these studies were performed in intact embryos because of technical limitations at that time. Fleming counted inner and outer cells in 16-cell morulae (Fleming, 1987) and observed considerable variation among embryos (the ratio of outer:inner cells ranged from 9:7 to 14:2), but the average outer:inner cell ratio was 10.8:5.2. Merging these results suggested that 65% of eight-cell blastomeres divide asymmetrically, the intermediate frequency between isolated and paired blastomeres. This frequency is comparable to the frequency we observed in our direct lineage-tracing experiment (Fig. 1A, 60% of eight-cell blastomeres divided asymmetrically). Although Fleming hypothesized that the embryo has mechanisms in the next cell division (16-32) to compensate for the considerable variation of the outer:inner cell ratio in the 16-cell stage, our results suggest that the variation he observed might be due to the timing of scoring for cell position and asymmetric division. As we show in Fig. S1 in the supplementary material, not all of the 16-cell stage inner cells were allocated inside soon after division. Most inner cells were initially located outside (58 out of 67 inner cells) and then progressively internalized. This may cause over-representation of outer cells after the 8-16 cell division, if outer cells were counted based solely on the presence of surface label. By following individual eight-cell blastomeres from the eight-cell to the blastocyst stage, we were able to directly score the outcome of each division. A division may initially appear to be symmetric as two daughter cells localize outside, but subsequent, probably intrinsically controlled, cell movement can regulate their final functional allocation in the embryo without the compensatory mechanisms. These results suggest that revisiting classic data with modern cell tracing techniques in intact embryos is important to verify whether our current knowledge is correct in normal intact development.
High-dose Fgf4 treatment is sufficient to block EPI formation. (A) Schematic of the time schedule of FGF treatment. Black and red arrows indicate the culture periods in the absence and presence of the FGFR/MEK inhibitors, respectively. Blue arrows indicate the culture periods in the presence of Fgf4 and heparin. (B) E3.75 blastocysts treated with or without exogenous Fgf4 and heparin. (B, part a) Control embryo cultured from E1.5 in control media. (B, part b) Embryo treated with Fgf4 (500 ng/ml) and heparin. All ICM cells downregulated Nanog expression and became Gata6-positive PE progenitors. (B, part c) Embryo initially treated with Fgf4 (500 ng/ml) and heparin, and then switched to the presence of the FGFR/MEK inhibitors. The effect of exogenous Fgf4 was completely blocked and most of the ICM cells were Nanog-positive EPI progenitors. (C) E4.5 blastocysts. (C, part a) Control embryo. Nanog-positive EPI formed a cluster under a monolayer of Gata6-positive PE. (C, part b) Embryo treated with Fgf4 (500 ng/ml) and heparin. All E4.5 ICM cells became Gata6-positive PE cells. (C, part c) Embryo initially treated with Fgf4 (500 ng/ml) and heparin until E3.75 and then treated with inhibitors. The effect of exogenous Fgf4 was blocked and most E4.5 ICM cells became Nanog-positive EPI cells. (C, part d) Embryo initially treated with inhibitors until E3.75 and then switched to treatment with Fgf4 (500 ng/ml) and heparin until E4.5. Blue, Cdx2; green, Gata6; red, Nanog. Scale bars: 20 μm. (D) Comparison of total ICM cell numbers at E3.75 in embryos treated with or without Fgf4. The number of counted embryos is shown in brackets. There was no statistically significant difference in number of ICM cells in embryos cultured in different conditions. (E) Fgf4 dose-dependent generation of all PE ICM embryos at E4.5. More than 10 embryos were scored at each dose point. Embryos treated with high-dose of Fgf4 (>250 ng/ml) generated the E4.5 ICM without any EPI cells.
Interestingly, 16-cell stage outer cells generated from previous asymmetric divisions showed strong constraint towards symmetric divisions at the next division (Fig. 1A; 66 out of 67 16-32 outer cell divisions). This is similar to the 100% symmetric division of 16-cell stage polar cells paired with 16-cell stage apolar cells (Johnson and Ziomek, 1983). Conversely, 16-cell stage outer cells generated from previous symmetric divisions showed a 36% frequency of asymmetric divisions (Fig. 1A; 32 out of the 90 16-32 outer cell division in the category). This is an intermediate frequency of asymmetric divisions between those observed in isolated single 16-cell stage polar cells and two paired 16-cell stage polar cells, 48% and 14%, respectively (Johnson and Ziomek, 1983). The reason for this difference is not clear but it has major impact on the lineage tree of ICM cells (Fig. 1A). The number of cell-cell contacts, history of cell division and/or shape of cells seem to be factors in regulating the divisional orientation. Further investigation will be required to understand the molecular mechanisms that regulate divisional orientation in the preimplantation embryo.
Interestingly, inner, presumed apolar cells intrinsically take up the inner position, regardless of their initial position after cleavage division. We noticed that the cell-cell contact between inner and outer cells is often curved towards the polar side (Fig. 1D), although the contact between two outer cells or two inner cells is usually flat. This phenomenon has already been reported from experiments using isolated blastomeres: apolar cells are engulfed by polar cells and the cell-cell contact is curved towards polar cells between the two populations (Johnson and Ziomek, 1983). These results suggested that inner cells have a higher cortical tension than outer cells. It has been shown that cortical tension plays an important role in sorting out different cell populations, in addition to adhesion differences (Krieg et al., 2008). Cells having higher cortical tension occupy the inner space in cell aggregates. The configuration of polar and apolar cells matches this model. In the mouse embryo, cell adhesion, mediated by E-cadherin, is essential for compaction (De Vries et al., 2004; Larue et al., 1994; Shirayoshi et al., 1983), but there is no evidence of differential adhesion between inner and outer cells. Thus, we suggest that the difference in cortical tension between polar and apolar cells after the 8-16 cell division plays a key role in allocating cells to the outside and inside environment, respectively.
Live imaging analysis of PE formation in the PdgfraH2B-GFP mouse line. (A) PdgfraH2B-GFP/+ embryo in control culture medium. (t=0:00) The early blastocyst stage, at E3.3. (t=6:15) A weak GFP signal was detected in a majority of ICM cells. (t=12:00-14:00) Some ICM cells showed a higher GFP signal (white arrows) and GFP-negative cells were also observed (white arrowheads). (t=18:15-30:00) GFP-positive PE cells were forming a morphologically distinct layer (yellow arrows) on a cluster of EPI cells (white asterisks). (B) PdgfraH2B-GFP/+ embryo treated with inhibitors after E3.7. (t=0:00) Some ICM cells expressed GFP. (t=9:20-24:00) Instead of forming a surface PE layer, GFP-positive cells were scattered in the ICM. (C) PdgfraH2B-GFP/+ embryo in the presence of Fgf4 (500 ng/ml) and heparin. The embryo was cultured in the presence of Fgf4 from E1.5. (t=0:00) Some ICM cells already expressed a detectable level of GFP at E3.3. (t=4:30-16:15) The majority of ICM cells expressed and maintained high GFP expression. (t=16:15-30:00) ICM cells became GFP-positive PE cells. Color images show merged DIC and GFP channels. The black and white images show the GFP channel only. Images were taken every 15 minutes (A and C) or 20 minutes (B) with eight z-sections/time point. The z-value indicates the optical section number from the bottom. Each time point is shown as hours:minutes.
Our data showed that most eight-cell blastomeres generate either primary or secondary inner cells but rarely both. It is very rare for a polar cell derived from an asymmetric division of an eight-cell blastomere to undergo an asymmetric division at the next cleavage. We also clearly showed that the majority of early ICM cells are primary inner cell derived and only a few are secondary derived. We did not find any difference in postimplantation lineage contribution from progenies of primary or secondary inner cells. Thus, the process of generating a primary or secondary inner cell is not, in itself, sufficient to restrict later cell fate. Indeed, the observed ratio of approximately 9-10 cells derived from primary inner cells, and only 2-3 secondary inner cells is difficult to reconcile with the roughly equivalent numbers of Nanog-positive EPI progenitors and Gata6-positive PE progenitors observed in the ICM.
Our data do, however, indicate that regulation of the FGF/MAP kinase signal level at the blastocyst stage is essential and sufficient for segregation of these two lineages. Importantly, we show that blocking FGF/MAP kinase signaling promotes EPI cell fate and excess FGF promotes PE fate. Furthermore, the responsiveness of ICM cells to altered levels of FGF signaling continues beyond the time of first appearance of mosaic expression of EPI and PE markers at the E3.5 blastocyst stage.
So how is the apparently random `salt and pepper' distribution of Gata6 and Nanog-expressing progenitors generated in the ICM? We propose that it happens in a stochastic manner dependent on the level of the FGF/MAP kinase signal (Fig. 6). As we have shown here, complete block of this signal leads all ICM cells to become Nanog positive, whereas high levels of the signal, to the contrary, leads all ICM cells to become Gata6 positive. At intermediate levels of activation (e.g. likely endogenous levels in normal embryos), individual ICM cells would stochastically or probabilistically respond to the signal. The level of signal controls the proportion of cells able to respond but not the spatial distribution of those cells. Intrinsic and extrinsic variations (noise) in individual cells determine whether cells can respond to the signal (Nijhout, 2004; Raj and van Oudenaarden, 2008; Huang, 2009). It is still possible that the position within the ICM and/or the other signal(s) could create preference in cell fate by modulating the intra- and extra-cellular response the FGF/MAP kinase signal (Meilhac et al., 2009). It is known from single ICM cell transcriptome studies that there is intrinsic variation in the levels of expression of Fgf4 and Fgfr2 among the cells of the ICM (Kurimoto et al., 2006). The balance between Nanog and Gata6 seems to be regulated by the probabilistic response to the FGF/MAP kinase signal in individual ICM cells.
It was recently reported that combined inhibition of FGFR/ERK/GSK3 signaling also blocked PE differentiation (Nichols et al., 2009), similar to the Grb2 mutant phenotype (Chazaud et al., 2006). Our detailed analysis revealed a dynamic plasticity in ICM cells even after cells had established exclusive Nanog or Gata6 expression. This plasticity progressively declined and was ultimately lost by E4.5. Gata4 might be a key player in the restriction of PE cell fate. Gata4 expression follows Gata6 expression and rarely overlaps with Nanog expression (Plusa et al., 2008). Establishment of a positive self-reinforcing regulatory circuit between Gata6 and Gata4 would allow cells to be released from the FGF/MAP kinase signal dependency and to commit to the PE lineage (Fujikura et al., 2002; Plusa et al., 2008).
There are some interesting similarities and differences between the response of ICM and ES cells to changes in levels of FGF signaling. It has been shown that Nanog expression fluctuates in ES cells in conventional ES culture conditions (Chambers et al., 2007; Singh et al., 2007). This fluctuation has been suggested to be important for the balance between maintenance of pluripotency and priming for differentiation (Chambers et al., 2007; Kunath et al., 2007). Loss of Fgf4 arrests differentiation of ES cells (Kunath et al., 2007), and inhibition of FGF signaling with pharmacological inhibitors blocks the fluctuation and maintains stable Nanog expression in ES cells (Lanner et al., 2009). Forced activation of the MAP kinase pathway is sufficient to induce PE differentiation in ES cells without EB formation (Hamazaki et al., 2006). In contrast to our data showing that exogenous FGF induces ectopic PE in the blastocyst, exogenous FGF fails to enhance PE differentiation in EBs (Hamazaki et al., 2006). The FGF/MAP kinase signal in ES cells must be tightly controlled to prevent spontaneous PE differentiation.
Schematic model for FGF/MAP kinase signal dependent stochastic determination of PE and EPI lineages. The x-axis indicates the presumptive activation level of the FGF/MAP kinase signal. The y-axis indicates the proportion of the EPI (light blue) and PE (dark blue) in the ICM. When the signal is absent (e.g. in the ICM in Grb2 mutants or in embryos treated with the FGFR/MEK inhibitors), all ICM cells take up the EPI fate. On the contrary, when the signal is high (e.g. in the ICM in embryos treated with high-dose of Fgf4), all ICM cells take up the PE fate. At the intermediate level of activation, individual ICM cells stochastically respond to the FGF/MAP kinase signal. The proportion of the two lineages is controlled as the proportion of FGF/MAP kinase signal activated cells. However, the distribution of the two lineages is unpredictable and random.
It is interesting to note that treatment of embryos with the FGFR/MEK inhibitors did not alter cell fate in the trophectoderm: no upregulation of Nanog or loss of Cdx2 expression was observed, although it is known that FGF is required for trophoblast stem cell maintenance and proliferation (Tanaka et al., 1998). The endogenous source of FGF that promotes both PE cell fate and trophoblast stem cell proliferation is almost certainly Fgf4, which is produced by the developing ICM in direct response to Oct4/Sox2 regulation (Nichols et al., 1998; Yuan et al., 1995). Thus, the same source of FGF signal can produce different responses in outer trophectoderm or inner cell mass progenitors. The outside and inside cells of the blastocyst have experienced different levels of at least one other signaling pathway, the Hippo signaling pathway (Nishioka et al., 2009), suggesting that cell signaling history might lead to differential responses to FGF signals at the blastocyst stage. FGF signaling has multiple roles and initiates different responses in blastocyst cells depending on their history of exposure to different signaling pathways during development.
It is known that the preimplantation mouse embryo is highly plastic and resistant to various experimental perturbations. Stochastic gene regulation, evolving signaling environments and subsequent self-organization processes (positive- and negative-feedback networks) during the morula to blastocyst stage allows robust reproducibility of establishment of the three first lineages in the embryo without the necessity for any stereotypical early development.
We thank Drs S. Megason and H. Crouch for the memb-RFP and Ezrin-GFP plasmids, respectively. We also thank Jorge Cabezas (Toronto Center for Phenogenomics) for his help on animal husbandry. This work was supported by CIHR grant# FRN13426 to J.R. F.L. was supported by the Swedish Research Council.
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0.941623 | Is it possible to "lunch and learn"? The answer, according to the New York Wine and Culinary Center in Canandaigua, is a resounding "YES!" "Lunch and Learn" is their name for a food and wine pairing demonstration series they do -- in which I recently participated. In our case, the one-hour event was a demonstration by two women (hurrah) as chef and knowledgeable wine consultant. The chef was Cathy Parsons (bio available here) who I could swear I heard say she has lost 78 pounds. The wine instructor was Cheryl Pitti, a former member of the Air Force; for her bio click here and scroll down! The cost for their expertise: $30 per person. While this seems a bit price-y (and certainly did when I purchased the tickets for 8 of us), the whole shebang turned out to be quite good. The demonstration was informative -- and the lunch tasty.
Here is part of what I learned. First, though I already knew this, I was reminded that an airline chicken breast is one which still has the little drumstick bit of wing attaches. Cute. Then, the chef showed us how to make a deep pocket-like slice into the breast (and reminded us where the chicken "tender" is) into which we could slide a bit of (in this case Lively Run) goat cheese and some sliced strawberries. (Other options include a more Mediterranean idea with sun dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, and some feta -- and frankly, something with blue cheese I cannot quite recall). The chicken breast is then baked -- at 350 I think for about 45 minutes. As I recall she did sear them off -- and did this by really really heating the pan first, then adding a tiny bit of oil. The searing ensures that the baking does not dry out the chicken. The second dish was fresh peas, shelled, blanched, and shocked, combined with bacon that had been cooked til crispy, and pearl onions (yes, these were Birds' Eye frozen onions) in a white sauce made from a roux. The main point she made on roux was: make it way way thicker than you think you are supposed to and cook it so that the floury taste disappears. Also important throughout her presentation: food safety issues around the chicken and also, she pointed out a maxim that is useful -- veggies from below ground (e.g., potatoes) go into water before boiling; veggies from above ground (e.g., peas) go in after the water is boiling. And like every other chef ever, she reminded us not to fool around with things too much; when rendering bacon, for example, do not spend a lot of time with a spatula moving the bacon around.
After the meal, which was quite filling, I did indulge a bit more. Yes, there are beer tastings available in the tasting room and I had a tasting of 6 or so beers from New York State, ranging from Brooklyn to Cooperstown, to. . . well, all over the state -- and across a wide array of styles. Called the Empire Beer Tasting, I paid $5 for a taste of each of the following beers: Middle Ages Swallow Wit (Syracuse), Ommegang Hennepin (Cooperstown), Cooperstown Old Slugger (Cooperstown), Brooklyn Brown Ale (New York City), and Southern Tier IPA (Lakewood). The last was my favorite. One of my compatriots tried the juice tasting and came away with a case of Grower's Cooperative Grape Juice.
All in all, a lunch at which I learned a lot. So, yes, you can lunch and learn. Indeed.
Oh My God(dess) -- I Made Dolmades!
So, I went to the second evening of my class on hors doeuvres at the NYWCC (New York Wine and Culinary Center for those not in the know) -- and I made dolmades. The class was a little short on people, so I did one recipe more or less on my own (with a little bit of rolling done by others). I was speedy and efficient and it still took me the entire 2 hours. I asked for help from the chef, who gave me a rolling lesson (oh so brief) but mainly, it was me, all me. And they turned out beautiful, but not quite perfect. Next time?
That voice of confidence is just what I needed to reclaim -- and came from the gift of these classes and these dolmades. I recommend cooking classes for all and sundry whose work does nto have immediate and obvious products -- and whose work cannot be easily and immediately "assessed" for its failure or success.
What are dolmades? They are grape leaves wrapped around various fillings. You can find pre-made dolmades at the olive bar in Wegmans on occasion. And you can find them in various restaurants -- greek and other mediterranean types. Sometimes vegetarian and sometimes not. Often lemon-y. And always little stuffed bits -- the word, in fact, seems to come from Arabic or Turkish or. . . for "to be stuffed." For loads of details, try clicking here or even here where you can find step by step instructions for making them, even including rolling them -- which could mean skipping what I say below, but why do that when. . . .
How do you make dolmades? No, I did not go out to wineries in the area and pick leaves (nor did anyone at the NYWCC though there was some implication that it was possible). Rather, these were made from those bottles of grape leaves you see here and there and wonder what people do with them. The recipe I had called for blanching and then shocking them; 1 minute in boiling water for the first and then very briefly dropping them into ice water for the second. On the advice of the chef, I ignored that step. What was inside? White rice, toasted pine nuts, currants, lemon juice with salt dissolved in it, rosemary, a bit of olive oil. Mix it. Let it sit. Put a table spoon or so into big leaves; less in smaller ones. And, roll them up. Now, there's the difficulty -- either a) go to the site noted above and check out the pictures; b) go for trial or error; c) wrap from the end which would have attached to the vine and tuck the edges in as you go along.
The chef suggested thinking about other things to include -- cranberries at the holidays (whcih soudns odd to me), alternative spices or herbs beyond rosemary (dill, for example), and meats. Yep, dolmades are flexible and dandy.
A comment on plating and other miscellany? Our chef loved plating -- and apparently teaches a class on plating at the NYWCC. He told us a bit about making infused oils (toast some paprika; add canola oil; let it cool and sit for a bit; drain through a coffee filter; and similarly for basil and other oils) and lardons. (Ok, lardons is high falutin' for bacon.) And, he claimed to be the person who knows how to cook mushrooms -- heat the saute pan first to a very high temperature, then add mushrooms. Most crucially, he said: home cooks are missing patience. And so, I plated carefully -- using parsley for a green border and some red pepper skin to make a sort of twirly confetti in one corner. Happy Holidays.
What else was made that night? Tortellini toothpicks turned out to be wonderful but simple; tortellini, sun dried tomatoes, basil leaves, and toothpicks rendered beautiful. Blini with sour cream and chives. Not so easy it turns out to get those tiny pancakes right. (Yes, you can still buy them in little bags at Wegmans if you are having a caviar evening.) Corn cakes with mango salsa. (Rumor has it the team that made these added honey). Empanadas which turned out to be beautiful little half moons of dough and meat. I look forward to making them all. I certainly tried them all that night that I Made Dolmades!
Wine and Chocolate Pairing: This class took placein the educational theater.It cost $20 and was definitely worth it for a fun and informative hour on a cold Sunday. (Ok, especially whensomeoneelsepays forit and goes with you!) If you are very knowledgeable about wine (or chocolate), this class might be below your dignity, but not for me. The pairings are not set up so that they all work -- which means you learn about your own palate, pairings that workand don't, and possibilities. Here's how the class worked: generous samples of 4 wines (in our class's case Wolffer Reserve Chardonnay The Hamptons 2004, priced at $17.99; Pellegrini Cabernet Franc 2003 N. Fork of Long Island, priced at $17.99; Goose Watch Diamond NV Finger Lakes priced at $8.99; and Johnson Estate Cream Sherry NV Lake Erie priced at $18.99) are lined up in front of you -- and a small dish with 3 triangles of chocolate (one white, one mily, and one dark chocolate). First, we discussed wine regions in NY State, tasting guidelines and then we tasted the wines. After that, we moved to tasting the chocolates. And finally, we tasted them together.
A few things we learned: the New York State appellations are Lake Erie, Niagara Escarpment, Finger Lakes (with particular appellations also for Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake), the Hudson River, and Long Island (with particular appellations for the North Fork and The Hamptons). The youngest appellation in NY State is the Niagara Escarpment (which I know better in the Ontario province of Canada and you may too through wines from Niagara on the Lake). The Finger Lakes appellation is the largest with over 100 vineyards. The Hudson River Region has one of the oldest wineries, originating in 1832; the Brotherhood Winery made it through Prohibition because they (surprise surprise) made sacramental wine. In addition to history and appellations, we discussed six S's of wine tasting (hurrah alliteration) which turn out to be sight, swirl, smell, sip, swallow or spit, and savor. While discussing this I learned that whites get darker with age while reds may fade some. The focus on smell was a bit tough for me; turns out my schnozzer (how do you spell that?) is not all that skilled and I am really lacking in confidence in labeling what I smell. The terminology though is probably familiar -- each of the following being broken down into many others -- fruity, vegetal, floral, spicy, woody, earthy, caramelized, and nutty. Yes, I recognized the words (and their many possibilities) from descriptions of wines. And yes, I could tell the wines smelled very different from one another. Yet, could I label those smells? Not really. On the other hand, I do know how to tell whether I am likely to like a wine by how others use such words. . .
Tasting these wines along with chocolate was a real eye opener. Some of the wines tasted much more sour or much more dry alongside chocolates of all sorts while others made one or more of the chocolates taste awful (chalky even). All in all, I learned that some wines which I truly did not like on their own improved with chocolate -- and some wines made even white chocolate, which I usually do not like all that much, taste swell. Yes, chocolate and wine are very fine. . .
My assessment of the class itself? Overall: the "teacher" might have been more knowledgeable, I suspect. But I had a very nice afternoon and took away a more informed sense of the vast variety of NY State wines.
What else? What happens in this class is that the chefs set out a sign and mis en place for various recipes at stations around the room. Wherever you sit, that's what you make. (Thank goodness I figured this out quickly, because the instructor did not tell us this, and I sat where I wanted to learn about a particular thing. Those who did not get clued in -- or who came late -- had fewer options and less control over what they learned.) What did I make? Palmiers! And what are palmiers? Puff pastry rolls filled with various things --and shaped a bit like pretzels. Tasty little devils which basically involve coating puff pastry with something (the class called for sun dried tomato pesto and we also made basil pesto and added some jalapeno) and then rolling them up -- each side gets rolled up in a cigar-like fashion to meet in the middle. Cool for 20 minutes in the refrigerator, coat with a mix of egg yolk and water, cut into half inch slices, and bake for 10 minutes (or so) in a 400 degree oven. Be sure to grease the baking sheet. One thing I did learn by trial and error: the recipe from the class called for a 6 by 14 inch piece of puff pastry; when we used a smaller piece the palmiers turned out much better. They were crisper and just the right size for a two-bite hors d'oeuvre.
What else did folks make? herbed pita chips (surprisingly good), parmesan and pine nut biscotti with green olives, curry spiced yogurt, cilantro and mango chutney -- and much much more. Perhaps the most interesting thing, though, was hte chrimp mousse the instructor made at the start of the class; raw shrimp, cream, and other items went right into a food processor and emerged to be spread on various things being cooked. But what was truly interesting was what she did with the left overs: wrapped it tightly in plastic wrapped and boiled for a bit. Turned the mousse into a slice-able softish shrimp sausage or pate. Hmmm. Wish I had written down the mouse recipe; but. . . .
Overall: A great social occasion and I learned a bit. If they really want to teach classes rather than get a group together to make hors d'oeuvres, they would should cut down the list of what is made -- make fewer more complicated recipes as a group so the chefs could work with a higher percentage of the participants. But hey, I got to try puff pastry and it actually worked. And I made up a recipe which also worked ( a bit of jalapeno added to some pesto made sans recipe). And now I know what a palmier is.
Next time, who knows! When's next time? The second hors doeuvre class is coming up as I write this! |
0.912358 | The Tercentenary of the birth of James Gregory (1638-1675), Professor of Mathematics in the University of St Andrews (1668-1674) was celebrated in St Andrews in July 1938. The celebrations took place on Tuesday, 5th July 1938, at St Andrews, in the Upper Hall of the University Library in which Gregory conducted many of his experiments.
This astronomical timepiece was made for James Gregory by Joseph Knibb, the well-known London clockmaker, who had worked for a time in Oxford. At Windsor Castle is a clock made by Knibb which bears the date 1677, and on July 3rd, 1682, Charles Il ordered payment of £141 to Knibb for work on the clock. The clock made for James Gregory cannot be dated with absolute certainty but it was probably acquired with the instruments and utensils which the University commissioned him to purchase in London in 1673. Joseph Knibb is mentioned by A J S Brook (Proc. Soc. Ant. Scot. 3 ser., vol. 11, 1901) who alludes to a bracket timepiece belonging to Archbishop Sharp, and also to three timepieces in the University Library, St Andrews.
Originally the clock was a bracket wall timepiece, and no doubt when first brought to St Andrews it hung from the wall of what is now the second window on the south side of the Upper Hall. At an early date, probably before the Upper Hall was heightened and the gallery added, the clock was converted to a long-cased timepiece by the addition of a narrow-waisted trunk measuring 6 3/4 inches in width, and a base.
The hood of the clock-case is square, surmounted by a triangular pediment, and measures over all 15 inches in height. Access to the movement is obtained by sliding up the hood. The dial is of brass, the time being registered on two silverised circles. The smaller circle, enclosed within the other, is engraved with the hours in Roman numerals. The larger circle is divided into sixty seconds, each of which is sub-divided into three, as the pendulum beats thirds of seconds. There is no minute hand. The movement of the clock is of simple construction and contains only three wheels with an ordinary tick-tack escapement driven by a weight, suspended on a slender chain, which requires to be pulled up every twenty-four hours. The pendulum is supported at the back on a knife-edge.
When Gregory left St Andrews for Edinburgh in 1674 the clock must have been almost new. How long it remained in good order after his departure is not known, but it was repaired in 1850 and was then said to have been silent for upwards of a century. It seems likely that in process of being recased the mechanism was affected. It is now in good order but the extreme slenderness of the chain must always be a deterrent to its constant use. |
0.942473 | What is the Schengen area and what are its implications?
Upon its accession to the European Union in 2004, Slovenia endertook to join the Schengen area and thus enable its citizens to enter other Schengen countries without border control. The Ministry of the Interior made great efforts to make possible for Slovenia and eight new member states to integrate into the Schengen Information System as early as this year. That means that border checks at common EU land and sea borders were abolished on 21 December 2007 and at air borders they were abolished in March 2008.
This results in a number of advantages for the citizens of Slovenia and the European Union. When travelling to Italy, Austria, Hungary and across Europe, you no longer hear the the words: "Your documents, please!"; you no longer have to stop at the border. You will be able to travel within the Schengen area without stops or any border controls at state borders.
Dear readers, this brochure aims to answer your questions regarding Slovenia's accession to the Schengen area. It is worth reading since it provides useful information. The accession of the Republic of Slovenia to the Schengen area is a privilege, but it also implies great responsibility. We are facing new tasks. Slovenia has been entrusted with surveillance of a part of the EU external border.Therefore it had to implement clearly stated Schengen rules applicable to border control and border surveillance. They are aimed to provide for safety of all citizens of the European Union in line with the standards applicable to all countries involved in the external border management.
We are pleased to be able to continue the implementation of the Agreement on Local Border Traffic and Cooperation between the Republic of Slovenia and the Republic of Croatia. Its provisions allow the citizens of both countries to cross the border with identity cards, and local border population to cross the border with special permits. This is important particularly for the Slovenians living along the border with Croatia; with Slovenia's accession to the Schengen area not much changed for them in terms of border crossing.
On 21 December 2007, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia joined the Schengen area. This was yet another important historic day for our country since Slovenia is establishing even closer ties with Europe.
Countries in the Schengen area are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden (EU member states), and associated countries Iceland and Norway (members of the European Economic Area - EEA).
Countries joining the Schengen area on 21 December 2007 (new member states that joined the EU in 2004) are the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
Cyprus (EU member state since 2004), Bulgaria and Romania (EU member states since 2007) are still preparing to join the Schengen area.
Ireland and Great Britain are EU member states but not Schengen members. Closer police and judicial cooperation with the Schengen countries in criminal matters is planned for these two countries in the future.
Furthermore, Switzerland decided to join the Schengen area approximately at the end of 2008. It will have the same status of an associated country as Norway and Iceland that are also not EU member states. Liechtenstein is also interested in the implementation of the Schengen acquis.
Future EU member states will also integrate into the Schengen area when they have fulfilled the requirements.
The group of the new member states of the European Union that joined the Schengen area in 2007 (which had 15 members until then) also includes Slovenia.
With its entry into the EU on 1 May 2004 Slovenia took on all the obligations of EU membership, one of which was the establishment of the adequate Schengen regime. Already then Slovenia started partially implementing the provisions of the Schengen acquis, i.e. in the field of visa policy and prevention of illegal immigration. Slovenia was also required to establish security, customs and inspection control at its part of the external EU border with Croatia, and ensure its implementation in line with the EU standards.
The enlargement of the Schengen area to include nine new members is completed now. Slovenia has been preparing systematically to join the Schengen area for several years; the final decision on lifting controls at internal borders was taken by the Justice and Home Affairs Council in December 2007.
Thus, border checks at borders with Austria, Italy and Hungary were abolished, while the control at the Croatian border as the external Schengen border is strengthened. Border controls at internal land and sea borders were due to be abolished on 21 December 2007, and at air borders they were abolished at the end of March 2008.
While joining the Schengen area, Slovenia took a very responsible task - to protect the common external border in accordance with the Schengen standards on behalf of all member states. Efficient performance of tasks at the state border is in Slovenia's security interest: with measures both at the external border and within the country we prevent illegal migration and other forms of cross-border crime.
The basic idea of the Schengen area is to guarantee a right to free crossing of internal borders. On the other hand, strengthened border control at external Schengen borders especially with a view to stop illegal immigration, drug trafficking, trafficking in human beings and other illegal activities is set up as a counterweight to lifted border controls at internal borders.
In exceptional cases if national security interests demand such actions, a member state can reinstate controls at its internal borders for the required period of time.
In addition to common rules regulating control at external borders of the Schengen countries carried out at border crossing points and involving citizens directly, the following elements are very important in combating organised crime and ensuring safety in the entire Schengen area: cross-border police cooperation, harmonisation of members' legislation, judicial cooperation in criminal matters, common visa policy, exchange of information within the central Schengen Information System, etc.
These measures are called compensatory measures as they compensate for reduced security resulting from lifted controls at internal borders. Therefore the Slovenian Police established police stations for compensatory measures in areas with internal state border and security issues. Their core activity is law enforcement in terms of cross-border crime and illegal immigration.
The police continues to be authorised to carry out checks within the country including the border area as to whether aliens fulfil the requirements for residence in territories of member states, carry documents for border crossing and residence, etc.
The Schengen Agreement (i.e. Agreement on gradual abolition of checks at common borders) was signed in the Luxembourg town of Schengen in 1985 by five member states of the European Union (Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Germany and the Netherlands). They wanted to strengthen cooperation between their police and customs authorities and especially provide for faster movement of goods and persons, and shorter queues at border crossing points. The town's name has become a synonym for the abolition of checks at internal borders of the Schengen countries.
Ten years later the first five signatories together with Portugal and Spain established an area, known as the Schengen area, without border checks at internal borders between the parties to the agreement. Later the area was joined by other European countries: Austria, Greece and Italy in 1997, and Denmark, Finland and Sweden in 2001, plus Iceland and Norway as non-members of the EU.
The Schengen Convention (i.e. the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement) is even a more important instrument providing for the implementation of goals of the Schengen Agreement.
Travelling within the Schengen area is facilitated, while border controls on people at external borders are strengthened. Border crossing is also facilitated for the population living near the border.
The basic Schengen principle is absence of checks on persons crossing internal borders between the EU member states (regardless of their status as EU citizens or third country citizens). Internal borders can be crossed at any point. But this does not mean that citizens can travel without any documents. Police officers in the EU member states continue to be authorised to check people's identity and to exercise their powers in compliance with the national law, including in border areas.
Not much has changed for the citizens of Slovenia and Croatia living in the border area. These citizens are entitled to be issued with special documents for border crossing and can cross the border at local border crossing points. Those who are entitled to cross the border outside border crossing points (e.g. double owners) retain that right.
Control on persons is stepped up at external Schengen borders. As a rule, border crossing is allowed only at border crossing points. Sanctions are prescribed for illegal crossing of external borders outside border crossing points and/or operating hours. Control may also be carried out on vehicles and personal belongings of the persons crossing the border.
At big border crossing points and airports member states are required to provide for separate lanes for citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland if possible. It is compulsory at airports to provide for separate lanes for passengers from the Schengen area (lifted border checks) and those outside the Schengen area (crossing the external border, border control still in place).
Minimum border checks apply to the citizens of the EU, EEA (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) and Switzerland and their family members. These checks imply only checking citizens' identity and validity of documents.
These citizens need only a valid passport or an identity card in order to cross the border (depending on the country of destination). Their right to travel can be limited in exceptional cases only due to public order, public security or public health.
Thorough border checks are carried out for all third country nationals. Police officers check whether these nationals fulfil the entry requirements by means of the Schengen Information System (SIS). The system shows whether there has been an alert issued for the person subjected to a check. Document verification is carried out by a police officer checking the passport or identity card with an optical reader. The device reads the data which are verified automatically both in the national databases and in the SIS. Systematic stamping of the travel documents of third country nationals ensures the verification of the legality and of the duration of their stay in the Schengen area.
In addition to alerts issued for a particular person, police officer check other entry requirements such as the validity of passport and visa (if a visa is required), reasonable purpose of the journey, residence conditions, sufficient means of subsistence and means for returning to the country of origin. A third country national who does not meet these requirements is refused entry to the entire Schengen area.
The common visa policy applies in the entire Schengen area. This means that a person with a visa issued by a Schengen country can also travel to other Schengen countries. The Schengen members use a common visa form, a common list of third countries whose nationals need visas, and a harmonised procedure for issuing visas.
Further, Schengen countries have harmonized the entry and residence requirements for third country nationals in the Schengen area (with regard to maximum duration of stay in the entire territory of member states, right of transit, obligation of police registration, obligation to remove aliens if they do not meet residence requirements, penalties for illegal border crossing, in particular for drivers, etc.).
Identity card. Slovenian citizens can enter and reside in all EU member states, EEA (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) and Switzerland with a valid identity card or a passport. They can also enter Croatia and Montenegro with a valid identity card on the basis of a bilateral agreement with Croatia and unilateral decision by the Montenegrin government.
Passport is still required for travelling to all other countries.
... by third country nationals?
A valid passport and a valid visa (if required) in order to reside in the entire Schengen area for up to three months.
A valid passport and a national visa or residence permit in case of a longer stay.
Residence permit issued to a third country national by a Schengen country accompanied by a passport in order to enter other Schengen countries without a visa.
An identity card in case of Croatian citizens. They are allowed to enter Italy, Hungary and Slovenia with an identity card accompanied by a card containing personal data: first name, last name and identity card number. The card is stamped on each entry into and exit from those countries. Identity cards (accompanied by a special card) are allowed only for Italy, Hungary and Slovenia; a passport is required in order to enter other countries.
The Schengen Information System (SIS) is a shared digital database containing data on alerts issued for persons and objects. In order to carry out border control at external borders on behalf of all member states it is necessary to provide access to other countries' data on certain individuals and objects. These are data on persons who have been refused entry into the Schengen area, persons who are wanted for arrest or extradition, missing persons, and stolen vehicles and documents, money, weapons, marked banknotes deriving from criminal offences, etc.
These data are recorded in the SIS. Bodies with access to the SIS are the police performing border checks and procedures involving aliens, administrative units when issuing permits to aliens, consular missions when issuing visas, and administrative units and agencies authorised for registration of motor vehicles. Countries enter data into the common database or make queries in the database via their national systems.
The SIS consists of the central section in Strasbourg (C.SIS) and its national copies known as national sections (N.SIS), which are used for making queries and entering data. A specially protected communication network is used for communication. A new alert issued within the SIS comes into effect as soon as all members, that is all national systems (N.SIS), confirm its receipt.
Data on persons are considered personal data and are highly protected. Every individual has a right to access or consult their own personal data entered in the SIS. They may apply in any Schengen country since all national SIS databases are identical to the central database in Strasbourg. |
0.999991 | Why is it necessary for black to defend the e5 pawn after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3? What do you think of 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 a6 3. Nxe5 d6? Now white should move his knight to c4, d3 or f3 and black can develop more pieces.
It's not necessary; the solid Petrov's Defence continues with the counterattack 2... Nf6. There's also a less stable option in 2... f5, the Latvian Gambit but it rarely sees play at the top level.
Otherwise, the real problem for Black is not the knight on e5. It's the fact that you're giving away a center pawn without any compensation whatsoever. If you want to develop pieces, you're even better off playing 2... Bc5 than 2... a6.
The purpose of protecting e5--or counter-attacking by Nf6--is to prevent the lose of material.
After 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 a6 3. Nxe5 d6, white is up a pawn and has equal development. Black doesn't have enough compensation for the sacrificed pawn. 3... Qe7 regains the pawn, as white can't protect both e5 and e4, but the resulting position will leave black's queen exposed to attack from white's minor pieces and gives white a greater advantage.
To keep the game equal, black must protect the pawn with Nc6 or d6 or counter-attack with Nf6. Protecting e5 with f6 loses to a famous chess trap(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damiano_Defence).
The idea of offering a pawn for a lead in development is called a "gambit."
Gambits are mostly played by White, who has the advantage of the first move, and who gets the advantage of a second or even third move for the sacrificed pawn. This can make it worth doing for White.
It is not worth doing for Black, because he would have only "switched colors," gotten White's normal first move advantage, but with a pawn down.
Your proposed line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 a6? 3.Nxe5 d6 simply loses a pawn for nothing. Black gets no compensation in the form of development, because time has been lost by the pointless move 2...a6.
The two main replies to 2.Nf3, 2...Nc6 and 2...Nf6, both have the advantage of developing a piece and not losing a pawn.
Only defend the pawn because you coincidentally develop your pieces as well.
Playing 2...d6 to defend the pawn because you're SCARED it will get taken is a bad attitude.
Even 2...f5 is a super, hyper-aggressive move that I'd play instead of the timid and mediocre 2...d6.
But you see the attitude? If you decide to play 2...d6 with a solid strategy, and you REALLY know what you're doing, then it's playable. See Philidor, Hanham.
Playing 2...Nc6 develops a piece at the same time.
Even 2...Qe7 can be played, but it's a bad strategy. Good night, King's bishop. No pun intended.
P.s. please forgive the caps. I'm on my phone and don't know how to italicize.
Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged opening strategy knights or ask your own question.
Why does Black play 10…a6 in the A39 variation of the English opening?
What move is better in this position, Ke7 or g6?
What next after 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 for the White tactical player? |
0.964235 | A book that takes place in the South of France AND about wine? Yes, please! This is the perfect novel to take on vacation - you won't be able to put it down. The story is captivating, alternating between the present day when Kate returns to the family vineyard to prepare for the Master of Wine exam, and World War II, when the family was either part of the Resistance or collaborators.
The Lost Family is a saga you won't be able to put down. It begins in WWII where Peter Rashkin experiences a devastating loss, and follows him through his emigrating to New York City and becoming a chef and owner of Masha’s in 1965. The characters are so completely drawn, flawed and real, you feel that you know them. It's the story of a marriage from beginning, with a husband who can't recover from the scars of loss, and a beautiful wife who is trying to find her way. It's both funny and sad at times, and it will stay in your thoughts long after you read the last page.
This was such a clever, enjoyable mystery! Putting himself in the novel, yet keeping his personal life personal, was brilliantly done. I also loved all the references to an author's life, from writing for movies, to the relationship with agents and editors. Super fun read - I couldn't put it down, then laughed out loud at the ending!!!
This was such a sweet and wonderful novel, and the perfect book to share with everyone.
The Escape Artist is the best new thriller I've read in a long time! I'm so glad to know it's going to be a series. The two main characters, mortician Zig, and soldier Nola Brown are so richly developed, with flashbacks to the events that shaped them seamlessly woven with the current action. They are both flawed, yet believable and utterly complex. I can't wait to see what comes next!
The Woman in the Window is a twisty, Hitchcockian, thrilling mystery, and is 100% unputdownable! Anna Fox’s solitary existence in her New York brownstone is filled with watching black & white mystery movies, drinking wine, and keeping tabs on her neighbors through her windows. She’s suffering from PTSD caused by an unknown trauma, and is separated from her family for unknown reasons. She is fascinated by the new, seemingly picture perfect, family who moves in next door, and she compulsively spies on them. Then she sees a horrific event, and must figure out how to deal with trying to figure out what’s real, and what’s part of her paranoid agoraphobia. The way A.J. Flynn crafts this brilliant novel is perfection itself, both an homage to Hitchcock and fabulously original.
This is a touching novel about mothers, daughters, and the secrets we keep from each other. Clara never returned to her hometown in the Adirondacks after she went to college. Now her mother, Tamar, is ill and Clara finally returns home. Her questions build as her mother's memory fades. This is a perfect choice for book groups!
This is the most riveting and utterly gripping entry in the Inspector Gamache series, and that really says a lot! A figure in black appears in the town square, silent and unmoving. The entire town is on edge until it disappears, and a body is found. The story builds stealthily through the trial, and the parallel challenge facing Gamache at the Surete. This is the best one yet!
All parents have had those moments when something happens and you think, "This is it. The moment my life changes." This is the story of two families who face the unimaginable: they lose their children in a foreign country. The story alternates between characters, with each fully realized and fully drawn. Maile Meloy explores what happens to each marriage, the relationship between the wives, who are cousins and close since childhood, and between the siblings who are missing. The writing is incredible, and the story is such that you can't put it down until you find out what happens. It's such a satisfying read, making you really think, wondering how you would react in the same situation.
The Girls is narrated by 14-year-old Evie, an average teenager living with her recently-divorced mother in Northern California during the 60s. She is enthralled by a group of girls she sees walking through the park who catch her eye with their careless abandon. Evie ends up befriending the girls and following them to the "Ranch", which is run by a Manson-esque leader. Evie is a heartbreaking character, so desperate to be accepted, you want to grab her and shake her - or give her a huge hug. Emma Cline perfectly captures the pain of being a teenage girl who will do anything to be part of a group.
When she was eleven years old, Rose fell into a hole while walking in the woods. What she learned later was that she fell into a giant metal hand. Seventeen years later, she is a top-level physicist leading a team of people to understand exactly what that hand is, where it came from, and what it portends for humanity. Told in transcripts of interviews with an unknown questioner, this novel is an unbelievable story that is thought-provoking and thrilling!
You won't want to start this one unless you have a whole day to spend reading; it will hook you right from the start. Nora is invited to a weekend "hen party" for a childhood friend whom she hasn't seen in 10 years. They stay in an eerie glass house in the middle of the woods. Two days after arriving, she wakes up in the hospital with no idea of what has happened. You will be riveted by how the story unravels with unexpected twists. This is one of the best mysteries I've read in a long time!
Joshilyn Jackson has a way of creating characters you would swear she must have met in real life. I have read her novels since her brilliant gods of Alabama, and The Opposite of Everyone is her best yet. Joshilyn’s truest gift is her language, the way she tells her story, and how she brings you on an emotional journey right along with the characters, making you laugh out loud along the way. Paula Vauss is a no nonsense attorney in Atlanta with a sort-of boyfriend and a mother she sends checks to each month. One month the check is returned with a message that drags her back into her childhood, to trace her mother’s journey, trying to find her before it’s too late. It’s a story about family, how we choose to present ourselves when we are adults, and how the person we are as children never really goes away. It’s also about forgiveness and second chances, and it’s one of those you wish were just a little bit longer.
Fates and Furies is the story of a (perfect?) marriage, told first from the perspective of the husband, Lotto, then in the second half from the perspective of Mathilde, the wife. Lauren Groff writes like she is on fire - her language is beautiful and the story is thoroughly engaging. I love this book and didn't want it to end.
The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy is every bit as endearing as it's predecessor, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. In this story, we see things from the viewpoint of Queenie as she waits in hospice for Harold to get there. Between postcards, Queenie reminisces about her days working with Harold, filling in many of the questions about their friendship. If you loved Harold, you will quickly fall in love with Queenie as well.
This captivating historical novel by the author of The Paris Wife tells the story of the early life of Beryl Markham in 1920s Kenya. Abandoned by her mother, she grew up on her father's horse farm training racehorses; lessons weren't learned in school, but came from the native Kipsigis tribe who shared the estate. It is a fascinating story that makes me want to read her autobiography, West With the Night.
The story begins with Linz, a talented neurogeneticist researching memory and and decoding genes that help the brain make memories. She has been plagued by a vivid nightmare from her childhood, and is confronted by a perfect rendition of her dream in a painting in an artist's show. From this intriguing introduction, the story quickly gains momentum and doesn't quit. What if there was a drug that helped Alzheimer's patients regain their memory? What would happen if a healthy person took that drug? What if we could remember our previous lives and those we lived them with? What if those connections followed us throughout many incarnations? I highly recommend this smart thriller! You won't be able to put it down.
This is my favorite kind of book - well-drawn characters, a good mystery that will keep you guessing, and incredible historical details. I was not surprised to hear how long it took Ian Caldwell to write this book. Most of the story takes place in Vatican City, an unusual location that was so interesting to learn about. The main character is a Greek Catholic priest with a brother also in the priesthood, but the more traditional Roman Catholic branch. A murder, the Shroud of Turin and even the Pope play significant roles in this fabulous novel. This is one read you won't soon forget.
The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell is so amazing that I couldn't wait to get home at the end of the day and start reading. Mitchell's characters are vividly detailed, crazily diverse yet so real it feels like he is channeling them. Holly, for instance is a 15 years old sensitive teenager who is contacted by voices she calls the "radio people" and she is a magnet for psychic phenomena. When you meet up with her in later chapters, it's like meeting an old friend. Once again Mitchell deftly knocks our socks or to quote Joe Hill, "The levels of awesome in this book are off the charts." It couldn't be better put.
Sophie Hannah has captured the personality of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot so perfectly in The Monogram Murders, it's eerie. Hannah's Poirot is taking a vacation, resting the little gray cells, by staying in a lodging house in view of his home. (For Poirot travel is stimulating, but not restful). Poirot quickly takes Edward Catchpool, a fellow lodger and detective at Scotland Yard, under his wing. One evening, Catchpool comes in distressed by three murders committed in three separate rooms in a London hotel, and the partnership between the experienced, world-famous detective and his protégé takes off. The staff at the hotel, especially the general manager, Luca Lazzari, are brilliantly described. Fans of Agatha Christie will not be disappointed with this faithful yet fresh mystery starring the ever so efficient Belgian, Hercule Poirot.
Nella Oortman is a young bride, recently married to a wealthy merchant, Johannes, living in Amsterdam. Leaving her farm in the country, Nella feels uncertain with her role as wife, sharing the house with her sister-in-law, who does not welcome her warmly. Her husband is frequently away and she finds herself at a loss. Then Johannes brings home an extraordinary wedding gift - a cabinet sized exact replica of their home. Nella seeks out an enigmatic and elusive artist who creates tiny miniatures to order. As she begins to furnish the replica of their home, she also begins to understand the complexities of her situation and those in her new family, through the symbolism of the miniatures. Beautifully written, this novel will capture your imagination.
The Lobster Kings is a powerful, heartfelt family saga featuring the Kings family -- lobstermen (and women) on Loosewood Island for over three hundred years. Inspired by King Lear, The Lobster Kings is the story of Cordelia Kings' struggle to maintain her island's way of life in the face of danger from offshore, drug dealers on the island and the rich, looming, mythical legacy of her family's namesake.
Don't be daunted by the size of Natchez Burning - Greg Iles is a master storyteller and you will be eagerly awaiting the rest of the trilogy. Penn Cage is mayor of Natchez, Mississippi, and has to use all of his considerable resources to help his father, who has been accused of murder. Penn's investigating leads to racial murders in the 60s, a group that is an evil offshoot of the KKK, and the possibility that his father is not the perfect hero as he -- and everyone else in town -- believes him to be.
I read Maisie Dobbs in one sitting and I remember being so moved by it. It has a little bit of something for everyone. It's part detective novel, part historical drama with a little romance and feminist coming of age thrown in for good measure. I loved the setting, London between the wars, the author Jacqueline Winspear really gets the feeling and the tone of the time. What more can I say - the characters are wonderful, it's an easy read, and best of all it's the first book in a series (each one is better than the one before).
In The Golem and the Jinni, Helene Wecker has created an enchanting fairy tale of a novel grounded in turn-of-the-century Manhattan. Chava is a golem -- a woman made of clay -- brought to life in Poland. Ahmad is a jinni, imprisoned in his copper flask in the Syrian desert, and released in New York, yet still not entirely free. Part historical fiction, part fantastic tale, you will get lost in this delightful debut.
This book is crazy good! A mythic quest with a 15 year-old girl and her uncle, inspired by The Odyssey with plenty of whaling mythology and adventure. An epic novel that will keep you entranced.
From the author of Bel Canto, the emotionally precise story of a fateful night and day that will change everything for one Boston family. Set over a period of twenty-four hours beginning with an argument on a snowy night, Ann Patchett weaves the stories of her unforgettable characters together with a stunning ending. |
0.964604 | The German occupation of Luxembourg in World War I was the first of two military occupations of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg by Germany in the 20th century. From August 1914 until the end of World War I on 11 November 1918, Luxembourg was under full occupation by the German Empire. The German government justified the occupation by citing the need to support their armies in neighbouring France, although many Luxembourgers, contemporary and present, have interpreted German actions otherwise.
During this period, Luxembourg was allowed to retain its own government and political system, but all proceedings were overshadowed by the German army's presence. Despite the overbearing distraction of the occupation, the Luxembourgish people attempted to lead their lives as normally as possible. The political parties attempted to focus on other matters, such as the economy, education, and constitutional reform.
The domestic political environment was further complicated by the death of Paul Eyschen, who had been Prime Minister for 27 years. With his death came a string of short-lived governments, culminating in rebellion, and constitutional turmoil after the withdrawal of German soldiers.
Since the 1867 Treaty of London, Luxembourg had been an explicitly neutral state. The Luxembourg Crisis had seen Prussia thwart France's attempt to purchase the Grand Duchy from the Netherlands. Luxembourg's neutrality was accepted by Prussia's then-Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, who boasted, "In exchange for the fortress of Luxembourg, we have been compensated by the neutrality of the country, and a guarantee that it shall be maintained in perpetuity."
In June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the thrones of Austria-Hungary, was assassinated by pan-Slavic nationalists, leading to a sudden deterioration in relations between Austria-Hungary and Serbia. Austria-Hungary was supported by the German Empire, while Serbia had the backing of the Russian Empire. On 28 July, Austria-Hungary attacked Serbia, which, in turn, required the mobilisation of Russia, hence of Germany, thanks to its responsibilities under the Dual Alliance.
Under the Schlieffen Plan, Germany sought to bypass the French defences by moving through Luxembourg and Belgium.
Anticipating a retaliatory declaration of war from Russia's closest western ally, France, Germany put into action the Schlieffen Plan. Under this military strategy, formulated by Count Schlieffen in 1905, Germany would launch a lightning attack on France through the poorly defended Low Countries. This would bypass France's main defences, arranged to the south. Germany's army would be able to encircle Paris, force France to surrender, and turn its full attention to the Eastern Front.
Since the 1860s, Luxembourgers had been keenly aware of German ambition, and Luxembourg's government was well aware of the implications of the Schlieffen Plan. In 1911, Prime Minister Paul Eyschen commissioned an engineer to evaluate Germany's western railroad network, particularly the likelihood that Germany would occupy Luxembourg to suit its logistical needs for a campaign in France. Moreover, given the strong ethnic and linguistic links between Luxembourg and Germany, it was feared that Germany might seek to annex Luxembourg into its empire. The government of Luxembourg aimed to avoid this by re-affirming the country's neutrality.
On 1 August 1914, Germany declared war on Russia. On the outbreak of war with its eastern neighbour, Germany put the Schlieffen Plan into action, and Luxembourg's government's fears were realised. Initially, Luxembourg was only a transit point for Albrecht von Württemberg's Fourth Army. One of the railways from the northern Rhineland into France passed through Troisvierges, in the far north of Luxembourg, and Germany's first infringement of Luxembourg's sovereignty and neutrality was the unauthorised use of Troisvierges station. Eyschen protested, but could do nothing to prevent Germany's incursion.
The next day, while French troops were still at a distance from the German frontier, Germany launched a full invasion. German soldiers began moving through south-eastern Luxembourg, crossing the Moselle River at Remich and Wasserbillig, and headed towards the capital, Luxembourg City. Tens of thousands of German soldiers had been deployed to Luxembourg in those 24 hours (although the Grand Duchy's government disputed any precise number that was suggested). Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde ordered that the Grand Duchy's small army, which numbered under 400, not to resist. On the afternoon of 2 August she and Eyschen met the German commander Oberst Richard Karl von Tessmar on Luxembourg City's Adolphe Bridge, the symbol of Luxembourg's modernisation. They protested mildly, but both the young Grand Duchess and her aging statesman accepted German military rule as inevitable.
However, when it seemed that Germany was on the verge of victory, the Chancellor began to revise his statements. In his Septemberprogramm, Bethmann Hollweg called for Luxembourg to become a German federal state, and for that result to be forced upon the Luxembourgish people once Germany achieved victory over the Triple Entente. However, the British and French halted the German advance at the Battle of the Marne in mid-September. This resulted in the indefinite continuation of German occupation.
Just as the war was in the balance on the Western Front, so the fate of Luxembourg was see-sawing back and forth. It was clear to all that the good conduct of the Luxembourgish government, if fully receptive to the needs of the German military administrators, could guarantee Luxembourg's continued self-government, at least in the short-term. Eyschen was a familiar and overwhelmingly popular leader, and all factions put their utmost faith in his ability to steer Luxembourg through the diplomatic minefield that was occupation. On 4 August 1914, he expelled the French minister in Luxembourg at the request of the German minister, followed by the Belgian minister four days later and the Italian minister when his country entered the war. To the same end, Eyschen refused to speak ill of the German Zollverein, even though he had talked openly of exiting the customs union before the war began.
Such vexatious complaints were repeated, by both Eyschen and Victor Thorn, when a railway worker was arrested in January 1915 for allegedly working for French military intelligence, and subsequently tried and sentenced in Trier. As Minister for Justice, Thorn was incensed that the Luxembourgish legal system had been treated with such disdain. Such objections were not received well by the German authorities. Although they tired of Eyschen's stubborn ways, he remained a useful tool to unite the various Luxembourgish political factions. On 23 June 1915 a letter was sent to the Luxembourg government stating that the Germans considered Luxembourg to be a theatre of war and that the population, therefore, was subject to military law.
Eyschen was not alone in letting his principles obstruct government business. In the summer of 1915, Eyschen pushed to further reduce the role of the Catholic Church in the state school system. Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde objected. A fervently religious Catholic (as was most of the country, but not her late father, who was Protestant), she was reputed to have said, "I will not allow their most precious heritage [Roman Catholicism] to be stolen while I have the key." Marie-Adélaïde refused to budge, inviting Eyschen to resign if he could not accept her decision. Eyschen nearly did, but decided to control himself. Nevertheless, he would not be long in the job.
On 11 October 1915, Luxembourg's political system was brought to its knees by the death of Paul Eyschen. When war broke out, Eyschen had been 73 years old, but his premiership of 27 years was the only government that most Luxembourgers had known. Throughout the first year of German occupation, he had been a rock for the Luxembourgish people. He had also been of great importance to Marie-Adélaïde; the Grand Duchess had never been groomed for the position, was 53 years Eyschen's junior, and was considered both politically naïve and dangerously partisan for a constitutional monarch. The recent strains were relatively cosmetic.
Critically, Eyschen had the confidence of the Chamber of Deputies, and he had managed to hold together a government containing all major factions, seemingly by force of personality alone. To make matters worse for national unity, the strain of occupation had broken apart the pre-war anti-clericalist alliance between the socialist and the liberal factions, thus depriving both the clericalists and anti-clericalists of a legislative majority. The Catholic conservatives formed the largest bloc, but they were least likely to form a majority coalition.
The day after Eyschen's death, Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde invited Mathias Mongenast, who had been Minister for Finance since 1882, to form a minority government. Mongenast's special status as a 'caretaker' Prime Minister is underlined by his official title; he was not 'President of the Government', as all other Prime Ministers since 1857 had been, but held the lesser title of 'President of the Council'.
Mongenast's administration was never intended to be long-lived, and Marie-Adélaïde's main objective when appointing the experienced Mongenast was to steady the ship. Nevertheless, nobody expected the government to fall as soon as it did. On 4 November 1915, Mongenast nominated a new candidate for head of Luxembourg's école normale. The nomination did not meet with Grand Ducal approval, and Marie-Adélaïde rejected him. Mongenast persisted; education had been a hobby horse of his, and he imagined that the Grand Duchess would accept the advice of a minister as experienced as he was. He was wrong; the Grand Duchess had always been single-minded, and resented a minority Prime Minister, particularly one so new to the job, making demands of her. The next day, Mongenast resigned, just 25 days after being given the job.
Having fought with Mongenast, the Grand Duchess decided to appoint an all-conservative cabinet led by Hubert Loutsch. The Chamber of Deputies was steadfastly opposed; the Party of the Right held only 20 seats out of 52, but they formed the plurality. Marie-Adélaïde sought to end this deadlock by dissolving the Chamber of Deputies and by calling for the voters to grant a mandate to the conservatives. This outraged the left, which assumed that its deputies alone had the constitutional right to grant the government confidence; it was dubbed by those on the left a 'coup d'état by the Grand Duchess'. Nonetheless, on 23 December 1915, Luxembourg went to the polls. Although the position of the Party of the Right was improved, taking 25 seats, it fell a whisker short of winning an absolute majority. On 11 January 1916, the Chamber of Deputies passed a motion of no confidence, and Loutsch resigned.
After the failure of the all-conservative government, the Grand Duchess turned to the leading liberal politician, Victor Thorn, to form a new government. After Eyschen's premiership of 27 years, two governments had come and gone in three months, and the Luxembourgish people were becoming disillusioned with the failure of the politicians. Thorn's nature was to be a conciliatory leader, and he made a direct appeal to the Chamber of Deputies to support his government, no matter the deputies' individual ideological persuasions: "If you want a government that acts, and is capable of acting, it is imperative that all parties support this government." This support was forthcoming from all parties, but only on the condition that each was invited into the government; Thorn was left with no choice but to afford them this. The resulting grand coalition cabinet included every leading light in Luxembourgish politics; besides Thorn himself, there were the conservatives Léon Kauffmann and Antoine Lefort, the socialist leader Dr Michel Welter, and the liberal Léon Moutrier.
The most pressing concern of the Luxembourgish government was that of food supply. The war had made importation of food an impossibility, and the needs of the German occupiers inevitably came before those of the Luxembourgish people. To slow the food supply's diminishment, Michel Welter, the Director-General for both agriculture and commerce, banned the export of food from Luxembourg. Furthermore, the government introduced rationing and price controls to counteract the soaring demand and to make food more affordable for poorer Luxembourgers. However, the measures did not have the desired effect. Increasing numbers of Luxembourgers turned to the black market, and, to the consternation of the Luxembourgish government, the German army of occupation seemed to do little to help. Moreover, the government accused Germany of aiding the development of the black market by refusing to enforce regulations, and even of smuggling goods themselves.
Despite the avoidance of a famine, the Luxembourgish government lost much of the faith placed in it by the public and by the politicians. On 22 December 1916, Michel Welter, the minister responsible, was censured by the Chamber of Deputies, which demanded his resignation. Thorn procrastinated, seeking any option but firing the leader of one of three major parties, but could find none. On 3 January 1917, Welter was fired, and replaced by another socialist, Ernest Leclère. Even after the change and von Tessmar's promise of his soldiers' better conduct in future, Léon Kauffmann was capable of citing thirty-six instances of German soldiers caught smuggling foodstuffs between March 1917 and June 1918.
For many Luxembourgers, particularly the miners, expression of disgust at the government could not be directed through the ballot box alone. Sensing the threat of civil disobedience or worse, von Tessmar threatened any individual committing an act of violence (in which he included strike action) with the death penalty. However, on 31 May 1917, the workers sought to use their most potent weapon, by defying von Tessmar's ultimatum and downing tools. Germany was dependent upon Luxembourgish iron, as the British Royal Navy's naval blockade forced Germany to look to accessible local supplies; in 1916, Luxembourg produced over one-seventh of the Zollverein's pig iron. As such, Germany simply could not afford a strike, lest it be deprived of critical raw materials.
Although the experiment in grand coalition had failed, the need for some political unity remained. As the National Union Government was collapsing, Kauffmann arranged an alliance between his Party of the Right and Moutrier's Liberal League, seeking to achieve change that would outlive the occupation. The primary objective was to address the perennial grievances of the left by amending the constitution; in November 1917, the Chamber of Deputies launched a wide-ranging series of debates on various amendments to the constitutions. Ultimately, the constitution was amended to prohibit the government from entering into secret treaties, to improve deputies' pay (hitherto set at just 5 francs a day), to introduce universal suffrage, and to change the plurality voting system to a proportional one.
The summer of 1918 saw a dramatic decline in the fortunes of the government. On 8 July, Clausen, in central Luxembourg City, had been bombed by the British Royal Air Force, killing ten civilians. Although this did not endear the Allies to Luxembourgers, the Grand Duchess' instinct was to run to the Germans, who were even less popular amongst the people. On 16 August, German Chancellor Georg von Hertling paid a visit to Luxembourg; although Hertling asked only to see the Grand Duchess, Kauffmann asked that he also attend. To the Luxembourgish people, relations between the two countries now seemed unambiguously cordial, and all that was left of Kauffmann's credibility disappeared. This was compounded further by the news on 26 August of the engagement of the Grand Duchess' sister, Princess Antonia, to Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria, who was Generalfeldmarschall in the German army. Pressure mounted on Kauffmann; with his party still strong, but with his personal reputation shattered, he was left with no option but to resign, which he did on 28 September in favour of Émile Reuter, another conservative.
By the autumn of 1918, Germany's position in the war was becoming untenable. The massive Spring Offensive had been an unmitigated disaster, whereas the Allied counterattack, the Hundred Days Offensive, had driven the German Army back to its own borders. On 6 November, von Tessmar announced the full withdrawal of German soldiers from Luxembourg. Five days after von Tessmar's announcement, Germany signed an armistice treaty, which brought an end to the war of four years. One of the terms of the armistice involved the withdrawal of German soldiers from Luxembourg, along with the other occupied countries.
The following day, American soldiers crossed the Franco-Luxembourgish border. Everywhere, they were fêted as liberators, in the spirit that Pershing had intended to inspire, and were met by bands and civilians waving flags, and were adorned with flowers. Luc Housse, the Mayor of Luxembourg City, told the advancing American army that the Germans had, on the whole, been disciplined and well-behaved in the previous three weeks: a marked improvement upon his numerous complaints earlier in the conflict. Finally, on 22 November 1918, the German army completed its withdrawal from Luxembourg, ending its occupation.
Germany's defeat created the perfect opportunity for the Allied powers to resolve the Luxembourgish question once and for all. By removing Luxembourg from Germany's sphere of influence, they hoped to guarantee its continued independence, and thus preserve the peace they had won. On 19 December, at the instigation of the British and French governments, the Luxembourgish government announced its withdrawal from the Zollverein and an end to the railway concessions that Luxembourg had previously granted Germany.
Although the Allies were satisfied at this remedy, at the time, the Luxembourgish government was threatened by a communist insurgency. After the retreat of the German army, revolutionaries established Russian-influenced Workers' councils across Luxembourg. On 10 November, the day after Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg declared a similar 'socialist republic' in Germany, communists in Luxembourg City declared a republic, but it lasted for only a matter of hours. Another revolt took place in Esch-sur-Alzette in the early hours of 11 November, but also failed. The socialists had been fired up by the behaviour of Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde, whose interventionist and obstructive streak had stymied even Eyschen. On 12 November, socialist and liberal politicians, finding their old commonality on the issue, called for her abdication. A motion in the Chamber of Deputies demanding the abolition of the monarchy was defeated by 21 votes to 19 (with 3 abstentions), but the Chamber did demand the government hold a popular referendum on the issue.
Although the left's early attempts at founding a republic had failed, the underlying cause of the resentment had not been addressed, and, as long as Marie-Adélaïde was Grand Duchess, the liberals would ally themselves to the socialists in opposition to her. The French government also refused to cooperate with a government led by a so-called 'collaborator'; French Foreign Minister Stéphen Pichon called cooperation 'a grave compromise with the enemies of France'. More pressing than either of these troubles, on 9 January, a company of the Luxembourgish army rebelled, declaring itself to be the army of the new republic, with Émile Servais (the son of Emmanuel Servais) as 'Chairman of the Committee of Public Safety'. However, by January, the vacuum left by the German withdrawal had been filled by American and French soldiers. President of the Chamber François Altwies asked French troops to intervene. Eager to put an end to what it perceived to be pro-Belgian revolutions, the French army crushed the would-be revolutionaries.
Nonetheless, the disloyalty shown by her own armed forces was too much for Marie-Adélaïde, who abdicated in favour of her sister, Charlotte. Belgium, which had hoped to either annex Luxembourg or force it into personal union, grudgingly recognised Charlotte on 13 February. The dynasty's hold on power would be tenuous until September 1919, when a referendum on the future of the Grand Duchy found 77.8% in favour of continued rule by the House of Nassau-Weilburg.
Despite the armistice ending the war, and the end of the revolts, Luxembourg's own future was still uncertain. Belgium was one of the countries hit hardest by the war; almost the whole of the country was occupied by Germany, and over 43,000 Belgians, including 30,000 civilians, had died as a result. Belgium sought compensation, and had its eye on any and all of its neighbours; in November 1918, Lord Hardinge, the Permanent Secretary at the Foreign Office, told the Dutch ambassador in London, "The Belgians are on the make, and they want to grab whatever they can."
From early 1919, Belgium engaged in a propaganda campaign to promote its vision of annexation. At the Paris Peace Conference, the Belgian delegation argued in favour of the international community allowing Belgium to annex Luxembourg. However, fearing loss of influence over the left bank of the Rhine, France rejected Belgium's overtures out of hand, thus guaranteeing Luxembourg's continued independence.
The resulting Treaty of Versailles set aside two articles (§40 and §41) to address concerns for Luxembourg's status. The main article, §40, revoked all special privileges that Germany had acquired in Luxembourg, with Germany specifically renouncing advantages gained in the treaties of 1842, 1847, 1865, 1866, February 1867, May 1867, 1871, 1872, and 1902. The effects of these treaties' revocation were then explicitly stated; Luxembourg would withdraw from the Zollverein, Germany would lose its right to use the Luxembourgish railways, and Germany was obligated to recognise the termination of Luxembourg's neutrality, thus validating the actions of the Luxembourgish government since the armistice. Furthermore, to prevent economic embargo after the end of the customs union, the treaty allowed Luxembourg an indefinite option on German coal, and prohibited Germany from levying duty on Luxembourgish exports until 1924.
The Gëlle Fra monument commemorates the thousands of Luxembourgers that volunteered for service in the armed forces of the Allies.
Thousands of Luxembourgers overseas, unconstrained by the Luxembourgish government's need to remain neutral, signed up to serve with foreign armies. 3,700 Luxembourgish nationals served in the French Army, of whom over 2,000 died. As Luxembourg's pre-war population was only 266,000, the loss of life solely in the service of the French army amounted to almost 1 percent of the entire Luxembourgish population, relatively greater than the totals for many combatant countries (see: World War I casualties). The Luxembourgish volunteers are commemorated by the Gëlle Fra (literally 'Golden Lady' ) war memorial, which was unveiled in Luxembourg City on 27 May 1923. The original memorial was destroyed on 20 October 1940, during the Nazi occupation, as it symbolised the rejection of German identity and active resistance against Germanisation. After World War II, it was gradually rebuilt, culminating in its second unveiling, on 23 June 1985.
The Luxembourgish community in the United States found itself confronted by a crisis of identity. Traditionally, they had identified themselves as ethnically German, rather than as a separate community of their own. As such, they read German language newspapers, attended German schools, and lived amongst German Americans. Nonetheless, when it became apparent that the war would not be over quickly, the opinions of Luxembourg Americans changed; on 2 May 1915, the Luxemburger Brotherhood of America's annual convention decided to adopt English as its only official language. Other organisations were less inclined to change their ways; the Luxemburger Gazette opposed President Woodrow Wilson's supposed 'favouritism' towards the United Kingdom as late in the war as 1917. However, when the United States entered the war in April of that year, the wavering members of the community supported the Allies, changing forever the relationship between the German and Luxembourgish communities in the US.
^ (in French) Operational Intelligence Report. 24 September 1911. Retrieved on 23 July 2006.
^ Gaul, Roland. "The Luxembourg Army". Archived from the original on 22 August 2006. Retrieved 23 July 2006.
^ a b Doody, Richard. "The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg". Archived from the original on 12 July 2006. Retrieved 23 July 2006.
^ (in German) Septemberprogramm des Reichskanzlers Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg. 9 September 1914. Retrieved on 23 July 2006.
^ Mersch, Jules (1953). "Paul Eyschen". Biographie Nationale du Pays de Luxembourg. Luxembourg City: Victor Buck. p. 132.
^ a b Chambre of Commerce – Groupment des Industries Sidérurgiques Luxembourgeoises. "Graph of iron and steel production". Statec. Archived from the original (GIF) on 24 August 2006. Retrieved 23 July 2006.
^ Zollverein pig iron production. National Bureau of Economic Research. Retrieved on 23 July 2006.
^ a b (in French)/(in German) "Mémorial A, 1868, No. 23" (PDF). Service central de législation. Retrieved 23 July 2006.
^ (in French) La convention d'armistice Archived 24 December 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Article A(II). 11 November 1918. Retrieved on 20 February 2012.
^ Luxembourg country profile. WorldStatesman.org. Retrieved on 23 July 2006.
^ Treaty of Versailles Archived 17 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Article 40. 28 June 1919. Retrieved on 23 July 2006.
^ "Grand Duchy of Luxembourg". National Museum of Military History. Archived from the original on 9 June 2008. Retrieved 20 December 2008.
^ Lahmeyer, Jan. "Luxembourg: Country population". Archived from the original on 11 August 2004. Retrieved 23 July 2006.
^ a b c Fasto Gardini. "The Demise of the Luxemburger Gazette". Archived from the original on 8 February 2006. Retrieved 2 October 2013.
(in French)/(in German) German occupation of Luxembourg. GWPDA, 21 May 1998. Retrieved on 2006-07-23.
Dostert, Paul; Margue, Paul (September 2002). The Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg (PDF). Luxembourg City: Service Information et Presse. ISBN 2-87999-018-1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 June 2006. Retrieved 23 July 2006.
Thewes, Guy (July 2003). Les gouvernements du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg depuis 1848 (PDF) (in French) (Édition limitée ed.). Luxembourg City: Service Information et Presse. ISBN 2-87999-118-8. Retrieved 23 July 2006. |
0.999687 | I'm looking for a code review, optimizations and best practices. I'm also verifying space complexity to be \$O(1)\$.
* Returns the path with max sum between two leaves in the tree.
* If the tree does not have two leaves then the returned value is arbitrary.
* @return max distance between two nodes in the tree.
* For the node 1, the value of rootToLeafMaxValue will be 4.
int treeValue = leftNodeData.rootToLeafMaxValue + rightNodeData.rootToLeafMaxValue + node.item; // value including the root.
Minor comment; use List.isEmpty() instead of checking for length() == 0.
Additionally, the comment itself is wrong; "The input array is null." is not the case. The input array is EMPTY. You should make the exception message reflect that. |
0.959963 | Can you tell my dad I can play football now?
In northern Kentucky, a hotbed of high school football, adolescent boys dream of playing football. But unlike most, Heidelberg University junior Ryan Finck remembers the exact day he was told he could suit up.
In northern Kentucky, like any place in America, some parents are reluctant to let their son try out for the football team. But unlike most, Michele and David Finck could pinpoint the cause of their reluctance, down to the exact day.
Covered in grass stains and dirt, Ryan Finck was a delightfully ordinary 4-year-old. Growing up in the greater Cincinnati area, Ryan idolized the players on the Bengals and the Reds.
Early in 2004, Michele noticed that Ryan's chest was covered in petechiae, a rash-like cluster of small spots of blood under his skin. While it seemed like just an ordinary childhood illness, Michele's maternal instinct urged her to seek the advice of their family doctor.
The Fincks' doctor quickly realized that Ryan was in grave danger and he was rushed to the emergency room. Further testing revealed that nearly all of his blood was full of cancer cells. The diagnosis: acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
Ryan, Michele and David learned of the diagnosis on January 21. The doctors said that ALL, which affects around 6,000 children every year, has an 80 percent cure rate. While the odds were good, given the rough circumstances, Michele and David were devastated. Rightfully so.
January 21, 1999 would have been Tyler's eighth birthday.
Tyler Finck, the first child in the Finck family, was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. He passed away after fighting for five days.
Ryan's situation was grim. The nurses told his family that his platelet count was so low that if he had fallen off of his bike, he might have died because his blood would not clot to stop the bleeding.
He began treatment immediately. Two weeks into harsh chemotherapy, Ryan went into remission. While many of his peers were struggling to take Flintstones chewable vitamins, Ryan was busy swallowing up to 27 pills a day as he waged war with the cancer flowing through his veins.
For 13 months, Ryan's medicine was administered through a surgically implanted central line. While the line was helpful with treatment and the testing, it affected his ability to be a kid. If the line got dirty or wet, it could possibly lead to a fatal infection. Thus, swimming and most sports were out of the question.
Riding on his bike a few days before his fifth birthday, Ryan lost traction on loose gravel and fell. The impact left him with a broken leg, which took four times longer than normal to heal because of his ALL treatment.
Throughout his treatment, Ryan volunteered with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Separately and together, Michele and Ryan would tell his story in front of audiences of up to 1,000 people. By age 8, Ryan was named Boy of the Year by the LLS.
Three months after turning 10, Ryan was sitting on the examination table as he had hundreds of times over the past six years. His doctor entered the room, followed by two others. She asked David and Michele to have a seat, then delivered a bit of unexpected news.
Mr. and Mrs. Finck, do you realize your son is now considered cured of his leukemia?
It was October 14, 2004. And the first thing on Ryan's mind was whether he would be allowed to play football.
At the onset of his treatment, his doctors warned that stunted physical and mental development were potential side effects of the chemotherapy. Though it took him a few years to muster up the courage to sign up for football, Finck excelled at Conner High School, both academically and athletically.
As a 6'1" offensive lineman, several schools recruited Ryan. Former Heidelberg offensive coordinator and Kentucky native Bryan Moore called him and encouraged the family to come north for a visit.
"When I came on my visit, I got out of the car and knew this was the school for me, as cliche as that sounds" said Finck. "Coach Moore really made Tiffin feel like home."
Having already honed his public speaking skills while talking with groups about his battle, majoring in communication was an easy choice.
With teammate Tim Rigler, Finck was part of a weekly sports talk show on Heidelberg's WHEI 88.9FM. Rigler, currently doing an internship with The Mike Trivisonno Show on Cleveland's WTAM 1100, and Finck hosted "Two Dudes Talking Balls" for two years.
This year, Finck increased his role with Heidelberg's Student Athletic Advisory Committee. Having served as treasurer for more than a year, he was elected president. He has played an instrumental role in helping the group put on the first-ever Siggy Awards. Modeled after ESPN's ESPY Awards, the Siggys will highlight academic and athletic achievement at Heidelberg.
It's as if the speaking and service Ryan accomplished while battling ALL was a precursor the things he would do in college.
"The experience he is getting at Heidelberg is phenomenal," said Michele. "So far, Ryan has done everything he has put his mind to. I can't wait to see where life takes him."
When the Heidelberg football team hosts John Carroll University on September 19, 2015, Michele will see something she hasn't seen before. Ryan, who will enter his senior season, and his younger brother, Bret, will suit up for the same football team. Bret, currently a senior at Beechwood High School, has committed to Heidelberg.
There in Hoernemann Stadium, nearly 11 years after Ryan was given a clean bill of health, the Fincks will gather on the turf after the game -- David, Michele, older sister Miranda, Ryan, Bret, and Tyler's spirit. |
0.999468 | I downloaded a book to the OverDrive app, but I don't see it on my bookshelf. Where is it?
To get to the Bookshelf in your OverDrive app, tap on the three horizontal bars to open the menu. Then tap on Bookshelf.
If you don't see the book you just downloaded there, check to make sure that All Titles is selected from the drop-down menu at the top of the screen. If it's set to audiobooks, for example, and you just downloaded an e-book, you will not see the e-book. Tap on the drop-down menu and choose All Titles. You should then see the books you just downloaded. |
0.999999 | What can I do with a melon baller?
✓ The melon baller has two sides you can use. One side can be used to make balls from melons and other fruits. These balls can be used to decorate your smoothies, salads or desserts.
✓ The other side is a carving tool which you can use to carve out fruits like kiwis. Carved kiwis are also a great way to decorate your smoothiebowls.
✓ If you have a melon baller, you're healthy meals will look a lot better and you'll enjoy eating it a lot more.
✓ They are used a lot by big influencers on Instagram, so if you want to take pictures that look just as good as theirs, this melon baller is perfect for you! |
0.997124 | I don’t believe in diets. Strict rules about food, calorie counting and time consuming diets and meal plans take the joy out of eating, discourage us from trusting our bodies and damage our relationship with food. Diets address the symptoms of our eating behaviour, not the underlying cause, which is why most fail in the longterm. |
0.999228 | The author asserts more than one proposition such that the propositions cannot all be true. In such a case, the propositions may be contradictories or they may be contraries.
Montreal is about 200 km from Ottawa, while Toronto is 400 km from Ottawa. Toronto is closer to Ottawa than Montreal.
John is taller than Jake, and Jake is taller than Fred, while Fred is taller than John.
Assume that one of the statements is true, and then use it as a premise to show that one of the other statements is false. |
0.953775 | Make sure the members of your team understand the responsibilities you are asking them to take on. Encourage them to ask questions if they are uncertain what it is you want them to do. 2.... The supervisor hands you a folder of work that needs to be completed. You accept the folder and get ready to tackle the tasks at hand. In simplest terms, this is an example of effective delegation.
�Good leaders make people feel they are at the very heart of things, not on the periphery. Everyone feels he or she makes a difference to the success of the... Create a delegation plan. Use a delegation matrix that shows your people, the main task components and how you can develop your people and get the work done. This will help your people understand the expectations being set.
Guiding factors to make delegation more effective are: 1. Determine goals, 2. Clarify responsibility and authority, 3. Motivate subordinates, 4. Provide training, 5. Establish adequate control, 6. Require completed work, 7. Two-Way communication, 8. Adherence to the principle of delegation!... Having a successful, thriving company can only occur when your team flourishes. The onus is on leaders to create a business culture that focuses on helping each person grow and expand her skills, knowledge and responsibilities.
Make sure the members of your team understand the responsibilities you are asking them to take on. Encourage them to ask questions if they are uncertain what it is you want them to do. 2.
Make the Delegation The best place to make your delegation is in your one on one meeting with your employee. Because this is a controlled environment where you have your employees undivided attention.
Effective delegation is crucial for succession planning. As the person delegating tasks, it is very important for you to make sure that delegation takes place properly. Managing the way you delegate tasks is one of the key skills of a good manager. |
0.990345 | Most fertility specialists agree that the best predictor of egg quality is female age. Although the ovaries release one egg during ovulation (usually day 12-16), most people are surprised to know that these eggs are not produced during that particular menstrual cycle. Rather, these eggs were already made at the time of birth of the mother (in other words, the mother--born as a baby herself--already had all the eggs she will release in her lifetime between puberty and menopause) and these eggs lie "dormant" until they are ready to be released by the ovaries during monthly ovulation.
Because of this, female age becomes one of the most important determinants of egg quality because as age advances, the further it is from the time the eggs were produced and therefore, the eggs themselves are prone to aging and exposure to internal and external stressors that may affect their quality. Technically, egg quality can be measured by chromosomal abnormalities, DNA damage or mitochondrial DNA damage.
Are there ways to preserve or promote egg quality?
1. Nutrition can play a role in preserving egg quality. For example, Co-enzyme Q10 has been hypothesized to play a role in minimizing the senescence or aging of egg cell mitochondria. Further, CoQ10 has been found in follicular fluid surrounding the egg cell in the ovary. In theory a young body, through the liver, is able to produce enough CoQ10 to keep the body and its cells healthy. However, the production of CoQ10 may decline over time. Further, certain drugs, such as commonly prescribed statin drugs for high cholesterol greatly diminish the body's ability to produce CoQ10.
Another example of nutrients that may improve egg quality includes omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish oil, krill oil and algae based DHA-omega 3 fatty acids. Scientists have hypothesizedthat omega-3 fatty acids has the potential of prolonging maternal reproductive life-span as well as egg quality. A rich source of omega-3 fatty acids in our diets is fish--such as salmon, sardines and anchovies--and the recommendation (based on heart health studies) is to eat fish at least twice a week. However, some fishes--notably tuna and swordfish--should be avoided, specially by women of reproductive age because of concerns with heavy metals. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency, has issued a warning for pregnant women to avoid above mentioned fish when pregnant.
2. Anti-oxidants can reduce oxidative damage to egg cells, and have the potential to actually improve egg quality and fertility rates. Melatonin, a protein produced by the brain at night to promote sleep, is a very potent and effective antioxidant. This incidentally is one of the many reasons why sleep is so good for you. However, several studies have shown that melatonin taken as a supplement can actually also improve egg cell quality and fertility rates. The first study concluded, "In conclusion, oxidative stress causes toxic effects on oocyte maturation and melatonin protects oocytes from oxidative stress. Melatonin is likely to improve oocyte quality and fertilization rates." A second study showed that there was a trend towards improving both egg quality in fertility in that it found that women who took melatonin while undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF), both had higher fertilization rate as well as higher numbers of "class 1," i.e. higher quality embryos.
Some studies also used vitamin E as a potential anti-oxidant that may improve antioxidant capacity and reduce oxidative stress in the body.
At our practice, we think about this issue of improving egg quality holistically. We take into consideration not only female age, but also put a lot of inquiry and thought into dietary choices, lifestyle, stress factors--as all of these can increase (or decrease) oxidative stress. We do a very detailed diet recall with our patients and then come up with concrete recommendations on the strengths and weaknesses of their diets and lifestyle. For example, for the most part, we promote a whole foods based diet includes lots of green leafy vegetables (for folic acid, among other things) as well as healthy sources of omega-3 fatty acids. We also try to reduce foods that can increase oxidative stress such as hydrogenated fats, processed foods, excess sugar, excess carbohydrates. For many patients, because they have an urgency to improve their nutrition status to get pregnant soon, we may prescribe some supplements to speed up the process. For example, we are very picky about fish oil, using only reputable brands that are molecularly distilled (to remove heavy metals) and have the correct EPA/DHA content. |
0.891674 | An oceanarium can be either a marine mammal park, such as MarineLand, or a large-scale aquarium, such as the Lisbon Oceanarium, presenting an ocean habitat with marine animals, especially large ocean dwellers such as sharks.
Marineland of Florida, one of the first theme parks in Florida, United States, started in 1938, claims to be "the world's first oceanarium"
Marineland of Florida was developed as Marine Studios near St. Augustine in Marineland, Florida, which was followed in Florida by Miami Seaquarium, opened in 1955 and in California by Marineland of the Pacific, opened in 1954 near Los Angeles, and Marine World, Africa USA, opened in 1968 near San Francisco.
SeaWorld San Diego was opened in 1964, developed by four fraternity brothers Milt Shedd, Ken Norris, David DeMott and George Millay. SeaWorld Aurora opened in 1970 near Cleveland, Ohio. SeaWorld Orlando was opened in 1973. SeaWorld (San Diego, Aurora, Orlando) was sold to Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (a publishing company listed on the New York Stock Exchange) in 1976. They purchased Marineland of the Pacific in 1986 and closed the park. They had opened SeaWorld San Antonio in 1988. In 1989 they sold SeaWorld (San Diego, Aurora, Orlando, San Antonio) to Anheuser-Busch, the world's largest brewer and owner of the Busch Gardens Safari Parks, for US$1.1 billion. In 2001, Anheuser-Busch sold the Ohio park which finally ceased its activities in 2004.
Belugas swimming in the Abbott Oceanarium at the Shedd Aquarium. The lower level of the Oceanarium allows underwater viewing of the beluga whales and the dolphins.
When the 170,000-square-foot Oceanarium at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago opened on April 27, 1991, it debuted as the largest indoor marine mammal facility in the world. The position as world's oceanarium has since shifted repeatedly in recent years. From 2005 to 2012 it was the Georgia Aquarium in the United States with an initial total water volume of 32,000 m3 (8,500,000 US gal), later it expanded to 38,000 m3 (10,000,000 US gal), and home to 100–120,000 animals of 700 species. In 2012 it was surpassed by Marine Life Park in Singapore with a total water volume of 45,000 m3 (12,000,000 US gal) and over 100,000 animals of more than 800 species. In 2014, the Singapore park was surpassed by the Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in China, the current record holder, with a total water volume of 48,750 m3 (12,880,000 US gal).
The largest tank of the Afrykarium in Wrocław shows the depths of the Mozambique Channel, where sharks, rays, and other large pelagic fish can be viewed from this 18 meter long underwater acrylic tunnel.
Modern marine aquariums try to create natural environments. A host of marine animals swim together in the four-story cylindrical tank of the New England Aquarium in Boston, which opened in 1969. At the National Aquarium in Baltimore, which opened in 1981, a walkway spirals up through the center of two gigantic cylindrical tanks, the Atlantic Coral Reef and the Shark Alley, which display sharks, sawfish, and other sea creatures. Since then, many new aquariums have sought even greater realism, often concentrating on local environments. The richly endowed Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, which opened in 1984, is an outstanding example.
The Afrykarium is the only themed oceanarium devoted solely to exhibiting the fauna of Africa and located in Wrocław, Poland. A part of the Wrocław Zoo, the idea behind the Afrykarium is to comprehensively present selected ecosystems from the continent of Africa. Housing over 10 thousand animals, its breadth extends from housing insects such cockroaches to the large mammals like the elephants on an area of over 33 hectares .
Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan is home to the only Oceanarium in Central Asia.
^ "World's largest oceanarium opens". CNNGo Staff. CNN. 2012-11-22.
^ "China's Hengqin Ocean Kingdom confirmed as world's largest aquarium as attraction sets five world records". Guinness World Records. 31 March 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
Lou Jacobs, Wonders of an oceanarium: The story of marine life in captivity. Golden Gate Junior Books, 1965.
Joanne F. Oppenheim, Oceanarium. BBooks, 1994. ISBN 0-553-09520-X.
Patryla, Jim. (2005). A Photographic Journey Back To Marineland of the Pacific. Lulu Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4116-7130-0.
Brunner, Bernd. The Ocean at Home: An Illustrated History of the Aquarium. Reaktion Books, 2011. |
0.947375 | Review: Was Soho House's new Oxford motel diner worth the wait?
I HAD been looking forward to the opening of Mollie's Motel & Diner at Buckland like a kid waiting for Christmas.
This was largely because it was being opened by the Soho House group, which we in the Herald had been billing since 2016 as something like 'the most exclusive private members' club in the world'.
It wasn't that I wanted to be part of a club that wouldn't have me as a member anyway, but I love fine dining (see my previous review of Le Manoir, eg) and imagined that this would finally be my chance to get a taste of the kind of five-star food enjoyed by the elite.
My first surprise, therefore, was the fact that we were even able to book a table just three days after the star-studded opening.
As we parked the car and walked up to the entrance I had butterflies.
Inside we were welcomed breathlessly by several members of staff.
We gave our names - he had us on his list: he took us to our table; we were in!
Disappointingly, we were not seated in one of the nice booths with padded sofas but on hard chairs at a small table.
It was quite dark, and wearing just a shirt I was cold.
Still, I thought, I bet with these huge glass windows it would be brilliant in the summer with the sun streaming in. We're just not seeing it at it's best, I thought, and I should have brought a jacket.
The menus are single laminated sheets, just one side of food – burgers, salads, 'grill', various all-day breakfasts and desserts.
A breathless waiter came over and asked if we were ready to order.
We were, but when Katie ordered the veggie burger we were told they'd run out.
Disappointing, but not a big problem - maybe they'd been so popular since opening on Friday they had just run out of a few things. Then again, it wasn't full tonight.
We ordered some other things.
For a starter, we went for nachos with guacamole, which they call Avocado Dip Corn Chips (£5 - though Mollie's don't use pound signs, so it's just 5).
The guacamole was stodgy and didn't taste of much, the corn chips tasted cheap. I tried adding some of the smokey sauce on the table and it wasn't good. The hot sauce was ok.
For our mains, I ordered the veggie breakfast (7) and Katie went for the grilled aubergine with quinoa, rocket, tahini and chilli (9).
When our enthusiastic waiter breathlessly brought them out, he immediately explained that my hash brown was still on the way.
Less than a minute later a different waiter brought it over in its own special bowl.
I still can't work out what happened: did the kitchen tell the waiter to take the plate even though the single hash brown was going to take another 30 seconds? Did the waiter take it without the hash brown, then realise it was missing the hash brown on the way over? Or do they always serve the single, small hash brown in its own bowl?
After all, the baked beans came in their own infuriating little metal bowl.
I really don't care if some people don't like their beans touching the rest of their meal (I have a good friend who says she can't abide beans touching other things on her plate): those people need to grow up.
My breakfast was completed by two poached eggs, a pile of avocado cubes, half a huge beef tomato, one field mushroom and two thin slices of brown bread.
I personally don't really get beef tomatoes: I've never had one in this country that tasted of anything, and this one did not buck the trend. The mushroom and avocado didn't taste seasoned either.
The hash brown was nice and crunchy but to me, when I order an all-day breakfast, I want sausages; I want something greasy, salty, sweet; comfoting. I want a greasy spoon cafe pile on a plate because otherwise - why do it? This wasn't sterile – just underwhelming.
For dessert I went for the banana split (5).
This consisted of two bananas covered in Mr Whippy ice cream equivalent, drizzled in chocolate sauce and with four quarters of a strawberry stuck in it. It tasted like it sounds.
In retrospect, it was naive of me to think that the food at a roadside diner where you can get three courses for two people for 41.5 would be fine dining, no matter which private members' club happens to own the business.
On the drive home, we decided we would both rather eat at McDonalds, but thought it would probably be nicer to stay at Mollie's than at a Premier Inn. |
0.945888 | The Generalitat de Catalunya is Catalonia's current official government body but has its roots in the Diputació del General del Principat de Catalunya created by Pere the Ceremonious in 1359.
In fact, the origins of the Generalitat go back even further to the Corts Catalanes during the reign of Jaume I (1208-1276), which were meetings in which the king negotiated policy with the 'three branches' of the nobility, clergy and merchant classes in the towns.
Under Pere II the Gran (1276-1285), the Corts Reials Catalanes became institutionalised and the three branches began to meet every year under the name of the General Cort or lo General de Cathalunya.
In 1289, at the Corts held in Montsió a temporary commission known as the Diputació del General was created to collect a tax conceded to King Pere by the three branches.
This tax became known popularly as the Drets de General or generalitats and in time the term Generalitat began to used as a substitute for the official name of Diputació del General.
In fact, the term was exported to France where les Généralités were created as tax districts.
After the outbreak of the War of the Two Peters in 1356 against Pedro I of Castile, Pere the Ceremonious' military commitments became a financial problem for the Crown of Aragon as the king also had to mobilise troops to protect the crowns's possessions in the Mediterranean, especially Sardinia, as well as defend Catalonia from attacks by mercenaries from over the border in France.
The constant threat of war also meant that many towns' defensive walls either had to be strengthened or even built from scratch and, furthermore, the modern military tactics of the second half of the 14th century demanded more equipment and also the increased use of artillery was an additional expense.
This meant that the Crown of Aragon could no longer raise enough money by taxing its own possessions but had to introduce new taxes throughout the whole realm.
However, the constitutionalist system of government prevalent in the Crown of Aragon impeded Pere the Ceremonious from being able to impose new taxes without the permission of the Corts or Parlamentum that had been established in each of the territories of the Crown of Aragon by Pere the Great a century earlier.
In the case of Catalonia, the Corts Generals de Catalunya were opened in Barcelona in 1358, continued in Vilafranca del Penedès and closed in Cervera in 1359, where finally an important donation was agreed to help the king defend Aragon and Valencia from the Castilian attacks.
On November 19th 1359, twelve deputies, four from each branch, along with respective auditors, were designated to collect the taxes through the Diputació del General del Principat de Catalunya.
Given the need to collect taxes on a regular basis and also the necessity to manage the royal public debt without the intervention of the king, this commission soon became permanent under the authority of the ecclesiastic deputy, who became known as the President of the Generalitat and the first person to occupy this position was Berenguer de Cruïlles, Bishop of Girona.
During to the interregnum of 1410 to 1412 caused by the death of Martí the Humane without heir, the power of the Generalitat increasing considerably.
In 1413, the new king Ferran I was obliged to accept a reform that gave more authority to the Generalitat and allowed it to name and elect deputies without royal authorisation and consequently, the Generalitat began to acquire more political powers.
In this way, Catalonia developed a political system based on the Corts or Parlamentum, which created new legislation as a result of agreements between the king and the people, whilst the Diputació del General de Catalunya, which was designated by the Parlamentum, exercised executive power over economic and political decisions.
In addition to its economic and administrative functions, the Generalitat also enacted decisions agreed upon by the Corts Catalanes and the king, guaranteed that the Catalan Constitutions were respected by the king and his officials and made public the decisions reached by the Corts.
To avoid nepotism, in 1455, the Corts introduced a proto-democratic system known as insaculació, in which the names of the candidates to the Generalitat were put into a sack and drawn out at random.
The growing power of the Generalitat, with increased political, legal and military jurisdiction, culminated in the Catalan Civil War (1462-1472) which pitched the institution against King Joan II of Aragon of the Castilian Trastámara dynasty.
At the end of the war, the king recognised the existence of the Diputació del General and from this point onwards the Generalitat was firmly established.
In 1640, the institution's position was challenged once again by Count-Duke Olivares, who tried to impose a Union of Arms on Catalonia, which included both the conscription of soldiers and the imposition of taxes.
This led to the incumbent President of the Generalitat, Pau Claris, declaring the Republic of Catalonia and the Reapers' War ensued, during which time Catalonia became a protectorate of France.
Defeat in the war in 1652 not only led to severe restrictions in the powers of the Generalitat but also, in the Peace of the Pyrenees in 1659, the Crown of Castile gave most of North Catalonia (Rosselló and parts of Cerdanya) to France.
During the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714), the Generalitat occupied a secondary role as it was the Junta de Braços that had sided with Archduke Charles of Austria against Felipe V.
Even so, following defeat in 1714, in violation of the Catalan Constitutions, the Generalitat was abolished and the Decrees of the Nueva Planta were imposed.
During the wars against Napoleon, known in Catalonia as La Guerra del Francès, from 1808 to 1812, Catalonia was self-governed by the Junta Superior de Govern del Principat de Catalunya and the Reial Audiència de Barcelona was named the supreme legislative body.
The Junta Superior de Govern also named the Captain-General of Catalonia and imposed taxes in order to finance the war against the French and so adopted many functions of the Generalitat, abolished a century earlier.
The Junta Superior de Govern was abolished by the Corts of Cadiz in 1812 and replaced by the Diputació Provincial de Catalunya, although in practice Catalonia was still under French occupation.
In 1820, during the Liberal Triennial, there were calls for the restoration of the Diputació Provincial de Catalunya but following the death of Fernando VII in 1833, there was a restructuration of local government and the historic territory of Catalonia was divided into the four provinces of Barcelona, Tarragona, Girona and Lleida.
In 1872, the pretender to the Spanish throne, Carlos VII, led an uprising that was particularly powerful in the Basque Country and Catalonia, where he promised the restoration of the traditional charters and institutions.
The Catalan troops, under the command of General Rafael Tristany captured Vic, Manresa and Olot, giving them control of a large part of interior Catalonia.
The first symbolic act was the swearing of the Catalan charters and on October 1st 1874, the Diputació General de Catalunya was restored with Rafael Tristany sworn in as first President of the Generalitat.
The institution was based in Sant Joan de les Abadesses from where the Boletín Oficial del Principado de Cataluña was published until March 1875.
In the decree of the constitution of the Diputació General de Catalunya signed by Carlos VII at Estella-Lizarra, it was clear that the intention was to return to Catalonia, the laws, charters and institutions abolished in 1714.
According to historian Jaume Grau, "the restoration returned to Catalonia Taxes, Justice, Municipal Government, Police, Army, Education and Civil Service, a collection of powers that Catalonia still has not recovered today. Nobody can deny that one of the motivations of the Carlists was the recovery of the freedoms lost in 1714."
The restored Generalitat lasted until 1876, when after the battle of Montejurra, Carlos VI was forced into exile in France and Alfonso XII was proclaimed king.
Between 1914 and 1925, the Mancomunitat or Commonwealth of Catalonia can be seen as both a successor to the original Generalitat and a precursor to the modern one.
As I mentioned earlier, in 1833 Spain had been reorganised into provinces, which were named after their capitals so in Catalonia this led to four separate government intstitions being created, the Diputació de Barcelona, Diputació de Girona, Diputació de Tarragona and Diputació de Lleida.
This was particularly unpopular in Catalonia as the diputacions had no connection between each other so the historic region had effectively been dismembered.
In 1911, a political process began to attempt to reunite the four Catalan provinces and, without giving them more power, allow them to share resources and despite central government opposition on April 6th 1914, the Mancomunitat de Catalunya was created.
The Mancomunitat brought together the 96 Catalans provincial deputies in the Spanish Cortes along with a Council formed by 8 ministers and a President.
The first two presidents Enric Prat de la Riba (1914-1917) and Josep Puig i Cadafalch (1917-1923) were both members of the conservative Catalanist party, the Lliga Regionalista, and many important infrastractures in Roads and Ports, Hydraulic Projects, Railways, Telephones, Welfare and Health were created during their respective governments.
During this period the Biblioteca de Catalunya, Escola Industrial, Escola Superior de Belles Arts, Escola Superior d'Alts Estudis Comercials, Escola de Bibliotecàries, Escola Superior d'Agricultura and Escola del Treball were all founded and with the support of the Institut d'Estudis Catalans, Pompeu Fabra began his normalisation of the Catalan language with the publication of Normes ortogràfiques (1913), la Gramàtica catalana (1918) and Diccionari general de la llengua catalana, which didn't see the light of day until 1932.
This was due to the military dictatorship of Miguel Primo de Rivera which began in 1923 and first imposed Alfons Sala as right-wing President of the Mancomunitat before abolishing the institution completely in 1925.
By 1931, the Bourbon monarchy had lost all credibility and at the Pact of San Sebastian, the republican parties began to prepare the way for the abolition of the monarchy, the declaration of the Spanish Republic and the recognition of the autonomy of Catalonia.
After the municipal elections of April 12th 1931, which led to King Alfonso XIII leaving the country, Francesc Macià, leader of Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya and winner of the elections, declared "the Catalan Republic as a State within the Iberian Federation".
This declaration worried the provisional government of the Second Republic in Madrid, who sent ministers Fernando de los Ríos, Marcelino Domingo and Lluís Nicolau d'Olwer to Barcelona on April 18th.
After tense conversations, Macià backed down in return for the resoration of the Generalitat de Catalunya, which would be presided by Macià himself and a provisional government (1931-32) a provisional assembly of representatives from the municipalities and commissioners who would take the roles of the suppressed Diputacions of Barcelona, Girona, Tarragona and Lleida and the seat of government would be the Palau de la Generalitat in Plaça de Sant Jaume n Barcelona.
The Catalan deputies drafted a Catalan Statute of Autonomy, the Estatut de Núria, which passed by referendum on August 2nd 1931 and modified and approved by the Spanish Parliament on September 12th 1932.
On November 20th 1932, elections to the Parliament of Catalonia were held and Francesc Macià was ratified as President of the Generalitat and Lluís Companys as President of the Parliament of Catalonia.
On December 25th 1933, Francesc Macià died and the Parliament of Catalonia nominated Lluís Companys as his successor whilst Joan Casanovas i Maristany was President of the Parliament until 1938 when he was replaced by Josep Irla i Bosch.
The Estatut Interior de Catalunya of May 25th 1933 had defined the autonomic institutions and the relationship between them in terms of an Executive Council, headed by the President and formed by ministers from the respective departments.
The transfer of police powers meant that the figure of the civil governor could be replaced by a Junta de Seguretat de Catalunya and a Tribunal de Cassació with juridiction over civil and autonomic matters.
On October 6th 1934, in response to the entrance of the right-wing CEDA into Spanish government, Lluís Companys unilaterally declared "the Catalan State of the Spanish Federal Republic" but the insurrection was put down on the same day and Companys was imprisoned.
Between October 1934 and February 1936, the Catalan Statute of Autonomy was suspended by the right-wing government in Madrid and the presidency of the Generalitat was occupied by a series of civil governors.
With the victory of the Popular Front in the elections, the suspension was lifted on February 16th 1934 and Lluís Companys was released and returned as President of the Generalitat.
The Generalitat governed Catalonia under Companys throughout the Spanish Civil War, which started on July 18th 1936 but following General Franco's victory in 1939, it was abolished once again along with all Catalan institutions.
In 1940, President Lluís Companys was captured by the Gestapo in France and on his return was executed by firing squad at the castle of Montjuïc in Barcelona.
Following Companys death, Josep Irla, President of the Parliament throughout the Civil War, became President of the Generalitat in exile and was replaced by Josep Tarradellas in 1954.
On September 29th Franco's decree abolishing the Catalan institutions was repealed and a provisional government of the Generalitat was restored with Josep Tarradellas being named President on October 17th, more than a year prior to the passing of the Spanish Constitution in December 1978.
From 1977 to 1978, Tarradellas formed a government of concentration made up of twelve ministers in order to draw up the new Catalan Statute of Autonomy, which was passed by referendum in November 1979.
On March 20th 1980, elections to the Parliament of Catalonia were held and Parliament was constituted for the first time in over 40 years on April 10th 1980.
The first elected President of the contempoary Generalitat was Jordi Pujol, who occupied the position for 23 years until 2003.
Other presidents have been Pasqual Maragall (2003-2006) and José Montilla (2006-2010) and the position has been occupied by Artur Mas since 2010. |
0.993196 | Can a Beachcomber Hot Tub really improve my health? Soaking in hot water has been known for many centuries to improve health and wellness.
Good things happen when you slip into a hot tub; your circulation system adjusts to the change in temperature with a slight increase in blood pressure. Blood rushes to vessels in the skin where they are warmed by the hot water, causing them to expand. The warmed blood circulates into the tissue below the skin, bringing with it more oxygen. As the heat goes deeper, it escalates your body temperature to 103°F / 39.4°C, increasing the amounts virus and bacteria fighting white blood cells, much like what happens when you have a fever. Most cold and flu viruses can’t multiply above 101.6°F / 38.6°C.
As your body’s temperature increases, so does the heart rate and respiration, helping eliminate metabolic waste that collects in muscle tissue. This surge of heat also boosts the immune system, antibody production and endorphins, the body’s’ natural painkillers, melting away aches and pains.
The health benefits of a hot tub go well beyond relieving the common cold, hot tubs may help prevent and manage chronic health conditions by lowering blood pressure, improving circulation, opening pores, and helping rid your body of toxins. |
0.999992 | The West has been suffering from a severe drought since 2013 and, in some cases, much longer than that. Conditions are particularly acute in California, where close to 60% of the state is experiencing "exceptional" drought after three years of below average rainfall. This is the worst category according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
According to a new study published in the journal Science, the regional drought has cost the West about 240 gigatons of surface to near-surface water, or about 63 trillion gallons of water. This is equivalent to covering the entire western U.S. with a four-inch layer of water, the study found.
The study, which used GPS data, found that in response to the lack of surface water, land masses across the West have been rising, especially in California's Sierra Nevada Mountain range. In other words, the drought is actually moving mountains.
On August 26, Trinity Lake, which can hold 2.4 million acre-feet of water, had just 29% of capacity, and the Shasta reservoir on the Sacramento River had 30% of its capacity, according to the California Department of Water Resources. The Oroville reservoir, which can hold 3.5 million acre-feet of water, was at just 31% of capacity.
Lake Mead, which is North America's largest manmade reservoir, dropped below 1,082 feet above sea level in July, setting a record for the lowest it's been since the Hoover Dam was built in the 1930s. The reservoir, which helps supply water to Las Vegas, has been depleted by a drought that has lasted for more than a decade in the Southwest. Climate change is expected to continue to push that region into a hotter and drier era.
These before and after images show the startling decline in California's lakes and reservoirs during the intense drought.
In this before-and-after composite image, full water levels are visible behind the Folsom Dam at Folsom Lake on July 20, 2011 in El Folsom, California. (Photo by Paul Hames/California Department of Water Resources via Getty Images). Low water levels are visible behind the Folsom Dam at Folsom Lake on August 19, 2014. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)"
In this before-and-after composite image, the Green Bridge passes over full water levels at a section of Lake Oroville near the Bidwell Marina on July 20, 2011 in Oroville, California. (Photo by Paul Hames/California Department of Water Resources via Getty Images). The same location seen on August 19, 2014. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)"
In this before-and-after composite image, (Left) boats are moored at the Lake Mead Marina on July 25, 2007 in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images). (Right) A pair of rest rooms on pontoon floats rest on dirt in Boulder Harbor where the Lake Mead Marina was once located on July 17, 2014. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)" |
0.933946 | Not to be confused with Slugging.
Babe Ruth holds the MLB career slugging percentage record (.690).
Unlike batting average, slugging percentage gives more weight to extra-base hits such as doubles and home runs, relative to singles. Walks are specifically excluded from this calculation, as a plate appearance that ends in a walk is not counted as an at bat.
The name is a misnomer, as the statistic is not a percentage but a scale of measure whose computed value is a number from 0 to 4. The statistic gives a double twice the value of a single, a triple three times the value, and a homerun four times.
A slugging percentage is always expressed as a decimal to three decimal places, and is generally spoken as if multiplied by 1000. For example, a slugging percentage of .589 would be spoken as "five eighty nine."
In 2016, the mean average SLG among all batters in Major League Baseball was .417.
For example, in 1920, Babe Ruth played his first season for the New York Yankees. In 458 at bats, Ruth had 172 hits, comprising 73 singles, 36 doubles, 9 triples, and 54 home runs, which brings the total base count to (73 × 1) + (36 × 2) + (9 × 3) + (54 × 4) = 388. His total number of bases (388) divided by his total at-bats (458) is .847 which constitutes his slugging percentage for the season. This also set a record for Ruth which stood until 2001 when Barry Bonds achieved 411 bases in 476 at-bats bringing his slugging percentage to .863, which has been unmatched since.
Long after it was first invented, slugging percentage gained new significance when baseball analysts realized that it combined with on-base percentage (OBP) to form a very good measure of a player's overall offensive production (in fact, OBP + SLG was originally referred to as "production" by baseball writer and statistician Bill James). A predecessor metric was developed by Branch Rickey in 1954. Rickey, in Life magazine, suggested that combining OBP with what he called "extra base power" (EBP) would give a better indicator of player performance than typical Triple Crown stats. EBP was a predecessor to slugging percentage.
In 1984, Pete Palmer and John Thorn developed perhaps the most widespread means of combining slugging and on-base percentage: On-base plus slugging (OPS), which is a simple addition of the two values. Because it is easy to calculate, OPS has been used with increased frequency in recent years as a shorthand form to evaluate contributions as a batter.
In a 2015 article, Bryan Grosnick made the point that "on base" and "slugging" may not be comparable enough to be simply added together. "On base" has a theoretical maximum of 1.000 whereas "slugging" has a theoretical maximum of 4.000. The actual numbers don't show as big a difference of course, with Grosnick listing .350 as a good "on base" and .430 as a good "slugging." He goes on to say that OPS has the advantages of simplicity and availability and further states, "you'll probably get it 75% right, at least."
The maximum numerically possible slugging percentage is 4.000. A number of MLB players (117 through the end of the 2016 season) have momentarily had a 4.000 career slugging percentage by homering in their first major league at-bat. Hundreds of other players have momentarily held a 4.000 percentage for a season by hitting a home run in their first at-bat of the season.
No player has ever retired with a 4.000 slugging percentage, but four players tripled in their only MLB at-bat and therefore share the record of a career slugging percentage of 3.000 (when evaluated without regard to a minimum number of games played or plate appearances). The players are Eric Cammack (2000 Mets), Scott Munninghoff (1980 Phillies), Eduardo Rodríguez (1973 Brewers), and Charlie Lindstrom (1958 White Sox).
^ "Career Leaders & Records for Slugging %". Baseball Reference. Retrieved 2014-02-27.
^ a b Baseball Scorekeeping: A Practical Guide to the Rules, Andres Wirkmaa, Jefferson, North Carolina, London: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2003.
^ "Major League Total Stats » 2016 » Batters » Dashboard | FanGraphs Baseball". www.fangraphs.com. Retrieved 2017-04-30.
^ "Single-Season Leaders & Records for Slugging %". Baseball Reference. Retrieved 2016-12-10.
^ Lewis, Dan (2001-03-31). "Lies, Damn Lies, and RBIs". nationalreview.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-20. Retrieved 2012-07-01.
^ Barra, Allen (2001-06-20). "The best season ever?". Salon.com. Retrieved 2007-07-15.
^ Separate but not quite equal: Why OPS is a "bad" statistic, Bryan Grosnick, Beyond the Box Score, Sept. 18, 2015.
^ Spector, Jesse (2010-05-29). "Ex-Met Eric Cammack is one of only four players to post career slugging percentage of 3.000". Daily News. New York. |
0.999999 | Imagine you had a hundred words to explain a concept to someone. Now imagine you only had 10 words to explain the same concept. It's not that easy, is it? This is one of the main reasons minimalism is such an important art style. Sometimes (or mostly) less is more.
More is not always better. This lies at the core of the minimalist concept.
The general public tends to be unimpressed by minimalism, yet there are many artists who insist on introducing this style in their works. This growing sea of sculptors and painters keeps showing us that sometimes it's possible to represent the inherent intricacy and complexity of an idea with very few elements, and that this is exactly what makes the work of art so powerful. These artists show us there is still beauty in simplicity. The main idea here is that you can represent the idea without shrouding it in mystery by using many different elements. As the unattributed quote goes, "Minimalism is not subtraction for the sake of subtraction. Minimalism is subtraction for the sake of focus."
As the unattributed quote goes, "Minimalism is not subtraction for the sake of subtraction. Minimalism is subtraction for the sake of focus."
Minimalism has always been a part of art, ever since ancient times, though it's often treated as a relatively new concept today.
The art world saw a renaissance of contemporary minimalism in 1958, when Frank Stella started working on a series of art highlighted by black enamel stripe painting. In 1959, his Black Paintings started gaining popularity and were exhibited in different high-profile places, eventually gaining an inclusion in the prestigious Museum of Modern Art's "Sixteen Americans". Soon after, artists like Donald Judd and Robert Morris began crafting their own minimalist art works on sculptures and other art mediums.
Since the 60s the concept of minimalism continued to expand with several exhibitions that included works by Morris, Judd, and Carl Andre, Series such as "Shape and Structure" in the Tibor de Nagy Gallery pushed the envelope of minimalist art even further. Mainstream media quickly stepped in to cover the rebirth of the minimalist art movement, making it a conversation point for art enthusiasts across the world. It wouldn't take long before one of the country's leading art publications, Art in America coined a term for this movement -- the new "cool art".
Despite criticisms from the leading art critics of the era, the traction gained by the minimalist art movement snowballed to influence more artists and reach a wider audience, leading up to the modern day art world's sustained fascination with minimalism.
Minimal art is abstract and the subject and techniques used are kept to a minimum.
The resulting work is characterised by extreme simplicity of form and a deliberate lack of expressive content. The overall concept is to produce artworks devoid of unnecessary elements, but still produce an outcome with essential art quality.
The objective of minimalistic art is to reduce its content to rigorous clarity. It focuses on the most essential and elemental aspects of an object and not so much on the personal expression of the artist.
Artists are known to use heterogeneous objects, forms and platforms. For example, in performance art, artists use varied materials such as the human voice, body, light, music, sounds, languages and stage props. In minimalist art, all of these are simplified. This makes it tougher for the artist to accomplish the desired effect but if done successfully the audience appreciates the simplicity yet overflowing artistry of a minimalist artwork.
It focuses on the most essential and elemental aspects of an object and not so much on the personal expression of the artist.
Art critics like Michael Fried point out the simplicity of minimalism and think that it shreds the value of art. They say that art as a medium of expression should display "exorbitant visual essence, symbolism or spiritual transcendence" in order to make itself unique.
Defenders of the minimalist art suggest otherwise, arguing that creating art by mere simplified shapes and lines is by no means an easy feat and does not diminish art. In fact, it is a very challenging ordeal that brings out the best in every artist. This assumption, which is being confirmed by many artists today, makes minimalist art more appealing and compelling.
Minimalism is not about creating something complicated designed to make viewers think deeply about the artist's message. No, in minimalism the message is quite clear and because only a few elements are used, this makes this style a lot more difficult than one would initially think. Imagine you had a hundred words to explain a concept to someone. Now imagine you only had 10 words to explain the same concept. It's not that easy, is it? This is one of the main reasons minimalism is such an important art style.
Sometimes (or mostly) less is more.
To all young artists out there looking for an identity, remember you don't have to wade through the waters of grand art - the dramatic and ostentatious visuals.
Minimalism is difficult but it's very rewarding, both for the audience and the artist. Bear in mind the contributions made by minimalist artists such as Frank Stella, for they have shown that art, even in its simplest form can evoke an emotional response and interact better with audiences. Now, let your imaginations run free and start creating minimalist art that transcends barriers, knocks down obstacles and knows no limitations. |
0.999937 | UNIFOJ is a training unit of the Permanent Observatory for Justice (OPJ) of the Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbra, oriented to professional advanced training in the areas of Law and Justice. Established in 2012, the unit continued the training programme Justice XXI, developed in 2008 by OPJ, in partnership with the Association of Portuguese Judges and with the Union of Magistrates of the Public Prosecutor's Office. In 2014, e-UNIFOJ - Distance Learning Legal and Judicial Training Unit - was set up with the purpose of expanding its training offer to other professionals, therefore overcoming time and space constraints and providing training regardless of participants’ location and at the desired schedule.
In its on-site and distance training, UNIFOJ has already fostered hundreds of courses and provided training to thousands of professionals.
UNIFOJ aims at developing a suitable professional training that will significantly contribute to the trainees’ technical qualification and to the development of good practices in different fields of law and justice, as well as to further the wide-ranging debate on the administration of justice, with an emphasis on the human and fundamental rights.
The concern with the high-quality training has led to a triple commitment: rigorous selection of trainers; diversity of training methodologies; and effective support of the technical secretariat.
UNIFOJ’s training programmes are conceived as advanced training spaces, focused on the professional competences and needs of its participants, considering the complexity of the reality at issue. The training courses seek to substantiate a practical approach of the subjects by crossing expository methodologies with an interactive and dynamic learning, in order to endow trainees with technical and reflexive tools enabling a critical and sustained interpretation of the theoretical or operational solutions and dilemmas.
The training offer stems from two educational proposals: on-site and distance training. On-site training derives from a direct and immediate interaction between trainers and trainees, in various locations, both in Portugal and in other countries, in appropriate facilities for that purpose. These training courses are held with a minimum number of 12 participants.
Distance learning comprises of the e-learning and b-learning formats. This training is directed to all Portuguese-speaking countries, facilitating the course attendance, regardless of the country in which trainees are and at the most opportune time to access the training contents. B-learning training combines the on-site and distance modalities and seeks to meet the specific training demand, combining theoretical and practical contents.
Given the specificity of the distance training courses, some of their operationalization features should be underlined. UNIFOJ’s courses are conducted in Portuguese, through Moodle platform, with no established timetable for accessing the courses. The same consist of successive modules, organised in a logical way and with specific objectives. The information and discussion on the training contents isn’t generally bound to any concrete legal framework. An active and autonomous attitude is expected from trainees during their training process. The learning material (texts, e-books, videos and digital presentations) that support the training is accessible during the term of the course, being available for up to 3 weeks after the conclusion of the same. Interaction between trainers and trainees is fostered, namely with the exchange of thoughts, placing questions and response spaces, through the participation in the forums’ virtual discussion rooms and chats that work synchronously. It is the trainees’ responsibility to provide the necessary computer equipment to attend the course.
The e-learning courses are also held with a minimum of 12 participants.
Having access to a computer with internet connection and with an updated Internet browser is a requirement to attend the e-UNIFOJ courses. The courses are held exclusively online through Moodle platform, being its proper functioning, maintenance and monitoring ensured by the Centre for Social Sciences of the University of Coimbra.
UNIFOJ is an integral part of the Permanent Observatory for Justice of the Centre for Social Studies of the University of Coimbra and has its own coordination and advisory board.
The Advisory Board is coordinated by OPJ’s Scientific Director and is composed of OPJ’s Executive coordinator, of notables of renowned merit and representatives of UNIFOJ’s partner entities. The Advisory Board decides on UNIFOJ’s activity.
UNIFOJ upholds a rigorous selection of its trainers, ensuring that its training courses are given by professionals of recognised intellectual, professional and scientific merit, with an academic profile (university professors and researchers), legal professionals (Judicial Magistrates and of Public Prosecution, lawyers and court clerks), conservatives, solicitors and other professionals holding specific and relevant knowledge in the scope of the formative themes.
UNIFOJ seeks to develop an advanced Legal and Judicial training network, including national and international institutions, aiming at sharing knowledge and experiences and at broadening the principles established in the international documents on professional training in the area of justice. The partners network should establish itself as a tool capable of endowing professionals with a global, multidisciplinary and exhaustive understanding on the application of law and on the realisation of justice. In order to extend this partner network, UNIFOJ seeks to establish protocols with official entities of a professional nature for the recognition of training actions, in order to enable professionals to acquire skills in accordance with the applicable rules for career advancement. |
0.999999 | I am running it and get a real computer. To access technical support you for my speakers. 3. The usb modem issome of your specs in your thread.Or are there PCIenot open at all.
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0.999964 | What is the difference between an antenna and a booster?
An antenna is a passive device that is attached to a piece of wireless networking gear. It helps to focus and concentrate the wireless signal in certain directions which can help in reaching further distances. However, it does not put any additional energy into the broadcast - it just takes whatever energy is being put into it and concentrates that in a specific direction. For omni-directional antennas, the energy that is normally sent straight down and straight up is focused into a horizontal plane, extending the reach of the wireless device horizontally. For uni-directional antennas, the energy is all focused in one direction which allows much greater distances to be achieved.
A booster on the other hand actually pumps more energy out, extending the wireless coverage all around. Boosters requires an antenna to broadcast through. One way to think about it is that while the type of antenna determines the shape of the wireless signal field, the output power determines the size of that field. An antenna booster increases the output power. |
0.913542 | As I think most of you figured out already, Sutoraiku High was an April Fools' Day joke, and it has now been added to joke archive with some background and explanations. I will actually be adding at least a bit more to the game, though, since I am a perfectionist and I didn't actually quite manage to finish the game to my liking. The writeup has a link to the tag on my Tumblr where I'd post whenever that's ready, as well as any possible future updates.
I hope you all enjoyed the game! Next up, finally continuing the rudely interrupted work on my new eleventh movie review.
Pokémon Go, the augmented-reality mobile game where you look for Pokémon in the real world, has taken the world by storm - but are you playing it?
Are you playing Pokémon Go?
I tried it, but I didn't like it.
No, I don't have a compatible phone.
No, it's not my kind of game.
No, it's an insult to the Pokémon series and I hate it.
Let's do this again. Given these are things I want to do, which of them should I do first?
A review of Colosseum, including a mention of rabid grasshoppers on steroids. We all love to read about rabid grasshoppers on steroids, don't we? |
0.989516 | As the stranger looked out across the sea he could hear people yelling, first it was quiet but then the voices grew louder and louder.
He looked at the nearby town with washing hanging. he saw the line being chewed, but he couldn't see what was chewing it. Then two dogs ran rapidly towards him with rope tangled around them and clothes running behind that were ripped, dirty and very muddy.
The stranger could tell that the dogs were up to no good because of the clothes and the clothesline tangled around them.The stranger didn't know what to do. He walked towards the dogs to untangle them, but before he could do anything the dogs slipped ran away.
The stranger did not dare to go in the town because they would have thought that he let the dogs escape and that they would blame him. So he turned around and went away even though he wanted to know more about the town. |
0.999262 | How can I build a data-driven approach to brand health monitoring?
By analyzing large-scale consumer conversations, Crimson Hexagon helps you understand brand perception.
Go beyond positive, negative, neutral by understanding what is driving those sentiments, and how that perception is nuanced by different audiences.
Study conversation around a brand for insight such as new market opportunities, product innovation, and emerging negative sentiment.
Analyze the effectiveness of content and campaigns, as well as key trends in user conversations to inform and inspire messaging strategy. |
0.999991 | A life dominated by negativity can be stressful, and stress causes wear and tear on our bodies, minds, and relationships. Have you ever noticed the tendency in yourself or in others to pay more attention to the negative things or problems in life than to the positive things and aspects of life that are going well? This is called negativity bias, which is the notion that things of a more negative nature, such as unpleasant thoughts, emotions, experiences, or interactions with others, will have a greater effect on a person’s emotional/mental/psychological state and processes than neutral or positive things, even when events are of equal intensity.
While I am not suggesting that we ignore challenges and difficulties, we do need to pay attention to the ratio of positive to negative experiences in our lives. For example, marriage and relationship researchers have come to recommend that for relationships to survive, a couple needs to have at least five positive interactions for every negative interaction.
In many areas of our lives, negativity can overwhelm us and begin to become chronic. Sometimes we might develop symptoms such as anxiety, hyper-vigilance, and distorted patterns of thinking. If negativity dominates our conversation, we might even start to notice that others distance themselves from us because they experience us as negative. This can turn into a vicious cycle that leads us to be unhappy.
Fortunately, there are many steps we can take in order to counteract negativity bias without invalidating the concerns we may have in our lives.
What you can do in your head: Be aware of negativity bias and intentionally pay more attention to positive experiences. For example, eat a delicious meal slowly and really savor it. Pay attention to the positive sensations you get from your food, including tastes, textures, and smells that are pleasant.
What you can do with your actions: Intentionally bring more positive things into your life. Don’t wait until you feel positive to pursue positive experiences. Schedule in something positive, like a massage, a fishing trip, a movie with friends. If money is tight, there are still positive things to plan into your life, like a walk in the park, watching a sunrise, or a phone call to a family member or friend.
What you can do in your relationships: Prioritize. Avoid overloading your relationships with too many negative or difficult topics. Don’t try to fix every problem, correct every annoying behavior, or have all the hard conversations all at once. Pick the most important issues to deal with, and then work to have positive interactions in between facing challenges.
What you can do in your heart: Gratitude. Regularly think of things you normally take for granted (eg. Access to clean drinking water) and imagine your life without those things. This can often help us create an experience of appreciation for the good things in our lives, which can help us to feel more positive.
Again, I am not suggesting that it is a good idea to ignore or push away all negative experiences. Avoiding difficult conversations with a spouse, child, or other family members and friends can be harmful to our relationships. I’m also not suggesting that we need to put on our rose colored glasses and trust everyone and everything. What I am suggesting, however, is that if we make the effort to increase positive thoughts, experiences, and feelings in life, then we will be happier, healthier, and be more energized and capable of tackling challenges without getting overwhelmed by negativity.
About the Author: Andy is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist at the St. George Center and the Cedar City Center for Couples and Families. He graduated from Utah Valley University with a Bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Science with an emphasis in Family Studies. To set up an appointment call (435) 319-4582. |
0.908937 | How to make Google index users posts when there are no direct links and the posts are loaded with infinite scroll?
Note that each post also has a permanent link that points to separate page with the post and all the comments on it.
Is it good strategy to index public posts? What is the best method to achieve that?
Edit: I will accept 2 answers from Yhorian & Stephen Ostermiller.
Stephen Ostermiller delivered great point on not relying on dynamic site map for ranking in google, where he linked to The Sitemap Paradox, and his advice was great on creating links patterns between the pages.
Yhorian recommended a dynamic xml map for undiscoverable content.
I will use both solutions, a proper linking between pages and a dynamic site map to cover missing links.
Create a sitemap with links to the unique post/comment links.
Submit the sitemap to Google Search Console/Bing Webmaster Tools.
Don't worry about ranking the AJAX infinite scrolling presentation. Make it optimal for users rather than search engines.
To explain further: This strategy makes sure all your content is indexed and ranked optimally.
Google struggles with dynamically loaded content because it can't be sure what it's presenting to the user. Incosistancy means it would be unsure which queries to present your AJAX scrolling page to.
Fixed URLs are easier for it to index and rank. This content will lead people to your site to view the content they've searched for. The infinite scrolling 'front page' for this content can remain the way it is, don't touch it or try to 'noindex' it. Google will be able to understand it's a navigational page and rank it appropriately.
Other answers suggest creating an XML sitemap. That isn't sufficient to solve the problem either. Google usually chooses not to index pages found only in an XML sitemap. Even if Google does index them, they won't rank well.
Link each post to 10 other related posts. Use criteria such as subject, tags, author.
Once the posts are well linked to each other, Google will rank all of them very nicely.
See The Sitemap Paradox in which this site had pretty much the same problem. When that question was asked, the site only linked to a few questions from the front page. Jeff Atwood was hoping that XML sitemaps would work better than they do. He created the "Related" links section that appears in the right column of this page. It is a solution that works very well. StackExchange questions tend to rank very well in Google now.
If a post has a description then you can allow google to index that posts by descriptions except that private post have image or video that can't read by any site.
An infinite scroll is not a big deal you can download this type of code by just googling and in codepen or anywhere or you can do by giving load more button(thanks to JSON!).
Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged google googlebot indexing search or ask your own question.
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For SEO, are pre-rendered previous and next pages required for a single page application site with infinite scroll? |
0.999988 | After winter's poor road conditions, I have some recommendations to help ensure safe driving.
Tires: Have your vehicle's tires inspected for condition and / or possible damage for safe continued use. Remember to remove snow tires after winter is truly over, as they are made of a softer rubber compound and will wear prematurely in warmer temperatures.
Steering: Have your vehicle's steering and suspension systems inspected.
Alignment: Have your vehicle's wheel alignment checked after the abuse of winter?s potholes and / or curb collisions. It is recommended a car be aligned once a year, or every 12,000 miles. A properly aligned vehicle provides better tire wear, better handling / steering control, and increased fuel economy. It is also beneficial to have your vehicle aligned after installing new tires.
Brakes: The brake systems on all of today's vehicles are built with a variety of materials in the components, and with tight tolerances. I recommend a preventative brake maintenance service to remove the damaging effects of winter's salt corrosion. This will help to ensure the safety and integrity of the brakes; possibly increasing fuel economy.
Oil Changes, etc.: If your vehicle is due for an interval oil change, you may also want to consider new wiper blades for the rain of spring and summer. Nothing beats a good set of wipers and a clear windshield when dealing with pouring rain and annoying road spray. I would also suggest a check of all exterior lighting.
Please contact me for an appointment for your spring maintenance, so we can determine what services you may need to keep you driving safely. |
0.956438 | Lady Gaga splits from boyfriend?
LADY Gaga has reportedly split from Taylor Kinney.
The 26-year-old singer - who has been dating the 'Vampire Diaries' actor since meeting on the set of her 'You and I' music video last year - is reportedly taking a break from the hunk because she doesn't have time for a relationship during her 110-date Born This Way Ball world tour.
Although Gaga appeared smitten with Taylor, friends say the relationship wasn't destined to last.
The insider explained: ''Taylor was all about himself, a typical actor, and didn't completely get Gaga.
''She loved that she got this guy who everyone thought was hot! But it was never going to last.
Gaga won't have trouble attracting a new man, previously revealing she is a ''cheap date''. |
0.99997 | Cómics de Agents of law Hay 6 productos.
Planeta. Dark horse. Agents of law. 01.
Planeta. Dark horse. Agents of law. 02.
Planeta. Dark horse. Agents of law. 03.
Planeta. Dark horse. Agents of law. 04.
Planeta. Dark horse. Agents of law. 05.
Planeta. Dark horse. Agents of law. 06. |
0.998016 | Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio, USA on 5 August 1930. He began his NASA career in Ohio, and after serving as a naval aviator from 1949 to 1952, Armstrong joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in 1955.
Over the next 17 years, he was an engineer, test pilot, astronaut and administrator for NACA and its successor agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
As a research pilot at NASA's Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, he was a project pilot on many pioneering high speed aircraft, including the well known, 4,000-mph X-15. He has flown over 200 different models of aircraft, including jets, rockets, helicopters and gliders.
Armstrong transferred to astronaut status in 1962. He was assigned as command pilot for the Gemini 8 mission. Gemini 8 was launched on 16 March 1966, and Armstrong performed the first successful docking of two vehicles in space.
He was Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Cincinnati between 1971-1979. During the years 1982-1992, Armstrong was chairman of Computing Technologies for Aviation, Inc., Charlottesville, Virginia.
He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Purdue University and a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Southern California. He held honorary doctorates from a number of universities.
Armstrong was a Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and the Royal Aeronautical Society; Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the International Astronautics Federation.
He was a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco. He served as a member of the National Commission on Space (1985-1986), as Vice-Chairman of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident (1986), and as Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Peace Corps (1971-1973).
Armstrong was decorated by 17 countries. He was the recipient of many special honours, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom; the Congressional Gold Medal; the Congressional Space Medal of Honor; the Explorers Club Medal; the Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy; the NASA Distinguished Service Medal; the Harmon International Aviation Trophy; the Royal Geographic Society's Gold Medal; the Federation Aeronautique Internationale's Gold Space Medal; the American Astronautical Society Flight Achievement Award; the Robert J. Collier Trophy; the AIAA Astronautics Award; the Octave Chanute Award; and the John J. Montgomery Award.
Armstrong passed away on 25 August 2012 following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures. He was 82. |
0.999998 | Which Lib Dem MPs could return to Parliament at the general election?
Former Lib Dem MPs who will be standing for election on June 8 include Sir Vince Cable, Sir Simon Hughes and Sir Ed Davey. It is not yet known if Nick Clegg will be standing. |
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