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Madonna is taking her humanitarian work in Malawi to the next level.
The music icon is planning to open four more schools in the southeast African nation of Malawi.
via Page Six:
"Let's start 2018 off right!" Madonna, 59, captioned an Instagram post Wednesday. "I'm challenging you to all to stand up, come together and be the change you want to see in the world."
She continued, "This year we'll begin by building 4 brand new schools in the Kasungu District of #Malawi with @RaisingMalawi and @buildOn!!"
The new construction makes 14 schools in the region that will help thousands of kids, she added.
Madonna co-founded the Raising Malawi foundation in 2006. She's been dubbed a "daughter" of the nation as she's adopted four children from the region: daughter Mercy James, 11, son David Banda, 12, and 5-year-old twin girls Estere and Stella.
In July, Madonna opened The Mercy James Institute for Pediatric Surgery and Intensive Care at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in the small country.
"When you look into the eyes of children in need, wherever they may be, a human being wants to do anything and everything they can to help, and on my first visit to Malawi, I made a commitment that I would do just that," Madonna said at the time.
This is beautiful. Kudos to Madonna for making sure her legacy in this world extends beyond entertainment.
Let's start 2018 off right! ????????????! I'm challenging you all to stand up, come together and BE the CHANGE you want to SEE in the World! ???? ??????! This year we'll begin by building 4 brand new schools in the Kasungu District of #Malawi ????????. with @RaisingMalawi and @buildOn!! That's 14 schools in total that will help thousands of kids get the education they so rightfully deserve! ????????????Now is the time! Join the #revolutionoflove! ???????????? #RaisingMalawi ??????????????????????#knowlege #power #education children #life #love ??


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Actually, there was one glitch. I saw them walking by and waved, but they were not looking my way and went past, so I concluded that it was not them.
When I was just beginning to think that they had not come on the flight, Machiko came up behind me.
I took them by taxi to my house. They both went to sleep in the cab. I paid $30 for the taxi.
On the way to the subway station here in Brooklyn, they were absolutely shaking with fright. They kept asking me why there were only black people on the street and no Whites at all (except for me).
I told them that it is a safe neighborhood (which it is) and not to worry because these black people are from Haiti, Jamaica and Trinidad and such people are not dangerous. It is the American black people who are dangerous!
They were very excited and thrilled to be in Times Square, which was jam-packed with people on a Saturday night. They spent about $200 buying tourist items. Machiko bought a baby size baseball bat for her four-year-old son.
Finally, they wanted to eat, so I took them to a street known as "Restaurant Row" which is 46th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues. Coincidentally, the Manhattan Chess Club is also located in that block.
They found a restaurant where they were allowed to smoke. This was of vital importance to them, because they are both chain smokers.
In the restaurant, the conversation seemed to get interesting. Machiko wanted to know how many children I have. I told her the truth (7). They seemed to think this was great. "Every man in Japan will envy you," Monoko said.
The conversation even turned a bit ribald. They asked me if I wanted more children. I said "Okay". Machiko said (pointing), "You can have a child with Monoko."
Monoko said, "I am too old. You can have a child with Machiko."
Machiko said, "I already have two sons. You can have a child with Monoko."
They went back and forth on this for a while. When the restaurant bill came, they apparently expected me to pay it, even though I had not ordered anything and it had been their idea to go to a restaurant.
I had to tell them that I was out of money. (I had already spend about $100 on them, including buying bedding and even ashtrays for them, plus a taxi to and from the airport.)
They paid the bill, which was only $31.
They said that they wanted to go to a Broadway musical. We were just one block from the most famous Broadway theaters. I told them that it would be expensive (I wonder they were expecting me to pay for this. I have never been to one, but my impression is that the tickets run to about $75 each.)
We went home. We did not arrive home until at about 1:00 A.M.
It was then that Monoko revealed to me that she is a lesbian. (At least that is how I interpret her remarks). We had the following dialogue:
Sam (commenting on the New York sweatshirt she was wearing, which she had just purchased on Times Square): You look cute in that (which she did).
Monoko: In Japan, no man would say that. No man would want an old woman like me. (She is 41).
Sam: You mean to say that you can't get a man in Japan.
Monoko: I don't like man. Machiko likes man. I like woman.
Sam: Are you joking?
Monoko: No. I am serious.
I feel confident that she was telling me that she is a lesbian. Earlier, at the restaurant, she had said that she had never been married. She had said that, 16 years ago, she had wanted to marry, but her parents had refused.
After Monoko made the statement indicating that she is a lesbian, I went to sleep. I was very tired and it was already 2:30 AM. I made no effort to try to sleep with Machiko, figuring that they were scheduled to spend six nights at my house anyway.
The next morning, I saw that they had slept together. They had only used the new blanket and mattress padding which I had just purchased, which was still in its original containers. They had not used any of the other blankets. Therefore, they must have been cold at night.
I apologized. Monoko said that it was okay, but then she started calling hotels asking for a room.
Two Japanese girls they had met on the subway on the way home the previous night had suggested the New York Pennsylvania Hotel. I told them that I had never heard of it. Monoko asked me to find the number. It turned out to be the new name for the old Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The Waldorf Astoria changed its name around 15 years ago to the New York Penta Hotel and had, I believe, several other name changes until it arrived at its present name of the Pennsylvania Hotel.
Monoko called and found out that it costs $150 per night to stay there. They then told me that they do not have money and asked me to loan them $300 (three hundred dollars) so they could stay there for two nights.
As I am sure you can imagine, I was all to happy to loan $300 to two ladies so that they could sleep at the Waldorf instead of at my house!
When I said no, they asked, in that case, how much could I loan them. I never answered that question.
They also called other hotels, but they were all sold out (as New York City hotels normally are.)
They asked me if I knew a cheaper hotel. I told them the truth, which is that I was surprised that the Waldorf only costs $150 per night (for two) and that anything cheaper than that would be a homeless shelter, which it would be.
I am not up to date on the latest figures, but I know that the City of New York rents hotel rooms to house homeless people. These so-called welfare hotels charge $70 or $80 per night and are always full, as there is always more demand for these rooms than there are rooms available.
Machiko asked me to return all the pictures of herself she had mailed me, plus even the picture of her two sons which you had mailed me. I did so, except that I secretly kept back one photo of her.
At their request, I took them by subway to the Waldorf. It is really run down, compared to what it used to be. The carpet is dirty and shabby and appeared to be at least ten years old.
They again asked me to loan them money so that they could stay there. When I said that I could not, they started making phone calls to Japan asking for a loan.
Monoko ordered a beer in the bar at the Waldorf (they drink too) and then asked me to leave because they wanted to go sightseeing by themselves.
I gave them a key to the house (which I had just made for them) and came home. I left them at the hotel at 3:00 PM.
At 7:00 PM, they arrived here with a car service waiting down the block so that I could not see it, took their suitcases and left.
But little do they realize that I talk Jap. In addition, I have this photogenic memory for telephone numbers. Monoko called someone and gave in Japanese the telephone number of the hotel where they were going. I memorized the number and called it after they left. It was (212) 268-2900.
I found out that they went to the Walcott Hotel at 4 West 35th Street. When I called, an Indian man answered. He said that the cheapest room they have is $125 per night.
The Walcott Hotel is not listed in the telephone book.
I hope they don't mind creepy, crawly things coming into their bed while they are sleeping at night, because any hotel in New York City, especially in Midtown Manhattan, that only charges $125 per night is a real flea bag.
I am not mad about this. The entire episode cost me a bit over $100, not counting all the telephone calls I made to Japland.
Indeed, if you know any more Japbroads like that, please send them my way. Perhaps I will eventually get lucky and one of them will give it up.
PS My house still smells smoky from all the smoking they did while they were here. I hope the building maintenance man does not notice. Of course, they asked me if they could smoke and I readily agreed, in the hope of some reciprocity, of course.
PPS Besides which, now I have one photograph left, so I can post Machiko's picture on the World Wide Web!

subset: commoncrawl


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Vasudev V Nori, Shirish Patel and Associates Consultants Private Limited (India)
Concrete bridges are often simply supported structures with bearings and expansion joints. Like elsewhere in the world much of the observed distress in these bridges emanates from expansion joints and bearings. This paper deals with evolution of precast concrete bridges with monolithic piers which need very little maintenance. The structures described have proved to be both elegant, efficient and maintenance free compared to traditional cast-in-situ structures.
Simply supported girders resting on bearings are still very popular. The main reason for their popularity is that these structures are simple to design and to execute. The substructure design is also greatly simplified because of determinate nature of the structure. On the other hand most of the distress observed in bridges constructed during the last fifty years emanates from the expansion joints and bearings. Unsatisfactory performance of expansion joints results in ingress of rain water through the joints and causing damage both to the structure and to the bearings. It became necessary to detail these joints so that adequate space is available for maintenance and replacement. During earthquakes it has been found that spans get dislodged from bearings at times. Indian Road Congress Codes require that positive measures such as restrainers be provided for bridge structures in Zone IV and Zone V so that the deck does not get dislodged during earthquakes.
It is true that there are situations where bearings and expansion joints cannot be altogether avoided. On the other hand monolithic construction and redundancy of the structural system do result in savings in the cost of construction and maintenance. Elimination of bearings improves the structural performance during earthquakes. Finally integral form of construction will require much lesser inspection and maintenance efforts.
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As the 2019 World Cup campaign is approaching its peak, perhaps, it is the right time to bring some more spice to it and push for a debate on an all-time Cricket-World-Cup Dream Team.
First up, the rules – only World Cup performances are considered and also a minimum of 15 matches ensuring long-term consistency. Given the World-Cup's rich legacy, picking the all-time best across eras is a challenging, interesting and controversial task.
For the other opening slot, the following are considered:
The very first pick was not a very difficult choice to make. A class above all and consistently special with the most number of runs, centuries, Sachin Tendulkar redefined opening batting in One-Day Internationals.
The other choice becomes difficult.
Sourav Ganguly's individual brilliance, as well as record at World Cups, is beyond reproach. Scored 3 centuries in 2003 WC alone. But Dada's real ability was that as a soft-spoken and often outspoken captain, he turned his country into the fighting unit that they are today. Jayasuriya will forever be a pioneer. His daring and power in 1996 revolutionized opening batting, shocked opponents and drove Sri Lanka to their only World Cup triumph. He was the first top batsman to achieve a strike-rate above 90 and was a valuable, flat, containing left-arm spinner too.
However, my pick for the other opening slot would be imposing Mathew Hayden for his consistency, high strike rate, and above all the winning habit. Not too many sights in cricket were as intimidating as that of Hayden who exemplified a batting style that treated bowlers with utmost disdain.
One of the most difficult decisions to pick from among these stalwarts who lit the game at the world stage with their cricketing genius.
The charming and endlessly fascinating Brian Lara could play pace and spin with equal ease. Rahul Dravid was full of grace, grit, and poise, whose aggression was in his eyes, his determination. A class bat. Michael Clarke has been one of the most fearless batsmen, and numbers tell how fantastic he was. But without discounting the abilities of these greats, my three picks for the middle-order slot are:
Ricky Ponting, an exceptionally destructive batsman, his attacking nature, positive intent, always looking to dominate, were some his typical traits. What made Ponting super special, was his ability to keep the team together especially coming in at No. 3 and the outstanding achievement of winning three Cricket World Cups, leading the team in two of them.
The original 'Master Blaster' was perhaps the most devastating batsman of all. When the gum-chewing gunslinger, King Richards walked in to bat in his maroon cap on his head, he would own the stadium as his kingdom. A two-time World Cup winner, including a man-of-the-match performance in 1979. The final saw Richard's heroics left the English side demoralized scoring an unbeaten 138. Even in the 1983 finals, it was only when he got out that India realized they could win.
My third pick for the middle-order slot is AB de Villiers both for the x-factor that he brings to the side with his mesmerizing fielding as well as 360-degree batting skill. Nobody else, who has scored 1,000 runs in the World Cups has averaged 60, except for King Richards. AB's tremendous record in World Cup both for his consistency as well as impressively high strike rate is second to none.
Now, this is going to be seriously controversial.
India's World Cup winning captain MS Dhoni, is a certified modern great of cricket. Endowed with unorthodox gifts, Dhoni has honed the mind to deliver when needed most, both with the bat as well as the glove-work.
Australian legend Adam Gilchrist is considered to be one of, if not, the most destructive batsmen of all time. Gilchrist played in three World Cups, being victorious all three times. He powered Australia with his breath-taking hitting with the bat and skillful mastery behind the wickets.
One of the highest run-getters in World Cup history, Kumar Sangakkara, has the highest dismissals as Wicket-Keeper also to his name. The stylish left-hander also holds the most consecutive centuries in a single World Cup). No guesses, no arguments for the slot. This one belongs to one of the most sophisticated and classy keeper-batsman of his era, Sangakkara, who, batting at No. 4 gives the middle order both solidity and flamboyance.
One of the key positions in any limited over tournament is of an all-rounder who brings the right balance to a team.
Imran Khan was a brilliant all-rounder who at the age of 39, led his men to the World-Cup glory in 1992 with sheer grit. Jacques Kallis was arguably the best all-rounder of his generation. Kallis with a brilliant batting technique was a genuine pace bowler too. Steve Waugh is a cricketing role model. Waugh will always be remembered for his ice-man image and his steely century against South Africa and led his team to glory in the 1999 World Cup. Yuvraj Singh, the man of the series in India's 2011 World Cup triumph, one of the most elegant, effortless hitter of the cricket ball, a very intelligent bowler and one of the best fielders of all time.
However, my pick for the slot would be Kapil Dev. One of the finest right arm swing bowlers, Kapil was one of the best natural hitters of the cricket. In World Cups, Kapil has one of the best economy rates with the ball and one of the best strike rates with the bat. Against all odds, he led India to glory in the 1983 Cricket World Cup against the mighty West Indies. Kapil's magical 175* against Zimbabwe after India were down at 17/5 and his 40-yards-sprint catch of Richards, single-handedly turned the 1983 World Cup in India's favor.
The two names come to mind instantly.
Shane Warne, the genius, whose triumph is of the rarest kind. With substance, style, and drama he was a surgeon with the ball. The fact that he was sent home from the 2007 World-Cup cup in embarrassing circumstances, after a positive drug test, he won't be remembered for his WC triumphs.
M Muralitharan is the natural pick for the slot. Deadly Murali in his 40 match stint took a whopping 68 wickets (second highest in WC) with an economy of 3.9 and four 4-wicket hauls.
Another difficult task to pick from an array of devastating fast bowlers:
Chaminda Vaas was Sri Lanka's most successful fast bowler. He was penetrative and has excelled especially in the World Cups with a fantastic strike rate. Allan Donald was a classical action and top-drawer pace, that would have won him a place in any side in his prime, who could shape the ball away with lethal pace. Zaheer Khan is the most successful Indian fast bowler at the World Cups with all the traits that made left-arm fast bowlers a phenomenon. He could swing the new ball and reversed the old.
But my pick for the available slot of 3 pacers would be filled by the following three:
Glen McGrath is the highest World Cup wicket-taker of all time. Bowling with the utmost parsimony, finding movement and bounce, he racked up his most in 2007 when he took 26 wickets. This pick needs no explaining really.
At his best Wasim Akram played like most of us would wish to. England had such depth of batting in 1992 finals they would have won against good bowlers, but Akram was extraordinary. Once again Akram led Pakistan to the World Cup final in 1999. Without doubts the best left-arm fast bowler ever.
Andy Roberts is my final pick for being deadpan and deadly. Roberts was an intelligent cricketer with a fertile brain who varied his pace, often setting batsmen up with a slower one and then knock them down when they were late on the quickie. Roberts was one of the most crucial components of the Clive Lloyds World Cup-winning team in 1975, 1979 and 1983.
S Tendulkar, M Hayden, R Ponting (C), Sangakkara (WK), V Richards, AB de Villiers, Kapil Dev, W Akram, A Roberts, G McGrath, M Muralitharan.
RESERVES: S Jayasuriya, A Gilchrist, J Kallis, and Yuvraj Singh


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Directed by Woody Allen, Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese
Screenplay by Richard Price, Woody Allen, Francis Ford Coppola and Sofia Coppola
This may just be me, but when I think of anthology movies I generally think of scary story collections like Creepshow or Trilogy of Terror, so the concept behind New York Stories immediately seemed unusual and intriguing: Three of America's most respected directors (Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and Woody Allen) each contribute an approximately 40-minute short film set against the backdrop of New York City in its 1980s heyday of decadence and crime. One rarely gets to see filmmakers of this caliber working in the medium of shorts, so this whole project had a lot of potential even apart from the fact that Scorsese's segment, "Life Lessons," reunited him with his screenwriter collaborator from The Color of Money and "Bad," Richard Price.
Despite the singular nature of New York Stories as a whole, I'm going to focus on "Life Lessons" for most of this post and not talk much about Coppola's segment, "Life Without Zoe," or Allen's, "Oedipus Wrecks," since neither of those two had anything to do with Price's contributions. (The only connection between the three shorts, apart from the NYC setting, is actor Paul Herman, who plays a different supporting role in each.) Long story short, I thought "Life Without Zoe" was insufferably precious but found "Oedipus Wrecks" to be an enjoyable, funny example of Allen's standard comedic style.
Anyway, "Life Lessons" focuses on a successful but gruffly neurotic painter, Lionel (Nick Nolte), and his obsession with his beautiful young assistant, Paulette (Rosanna Arquette). Paulette's decided to cut off the affair they've been having but continues to live in Lionel's cavernous studio space after he assures her that he'll respect her choice. ("I'm your ally against horse dung and fraud," he says. "That's as far as it goes from now on.") Despite his promises, he can't help continually falling over himself in desperate attempts to get her back.
Like The Color of Money, this short doesn't deal in the subject matter you might expect from Scorsese and Price, i.e. gritty gang/crime stories. It's got less in common with The Wanderers or Taxi Driver than it does with Price's work on the short film "Arena Brains," which featured Ray Liotta as an artist character who now seems like a prototype for Lionel. But on a less obvious level, Lionel's hangdog mentality and compulsive joking betray him as kin to many other Price protagonists. Nolte's a real treat in the role, as the contrast between his imposing, bear-ish figure and the character's emotional neediness allows Lionel to come off as comical instead of just pathetic and off-putting.
And if "Life Lessons" isn't quintessential Price, it does zero in on a theme that often comes up glancingly in his work: Romantic jealousy. "There ain't nothin' like jealousy to get the ol' juices flowin'," as Chubby says in Bloodbrothers, and Price's characters provide frequent illustrations of this rule, from Richie jerking off to a fantasy of his girlfriend being ravaged by racial caricatures in The Wanderers to Peter's fixation on his girlfriend's former relationship with her professor in The Breaks to the artistic inspiration Lionel derives from his anxiety about the men Paulette is free to hook up with now that she's liberated herself from him.
In fact, one of those men, Gregory Stark (Steve Buscemi, who also appeared in "Arena Brains"), illustrates another common Price motif: Stand-up comedy! Actually, Stark, an ex-boyfriend of Paulette's, is a "performance artist," but his act just seems to be stand-up of the fourth-wall one-man-show variety; as Lionel says, "What the hell is a performance artist? …Do you call the guy that picks up your garbage a sanitary engineer?" We can't put Stark's material alongside Peter Keller's as another example of Price performing vicariously through his characters, though, as Buscemi apparently wrote his own monologue for the film.
Regardless, Price still wrote the dialogue, and it's sharp as ever, especially in the form of Lionel's diversionary ramblings and self-serving advice. Paulette's not as verbose, but she still gets in some good lines: When Lionel, picking her up from the airport, demands to know who she's been seeing, she responds "Why, you wanna give him a lift home?" (Paulette's a decently developed character in story terms, too; Lionel's definitely the protagonist, but we're also led to sympathize with the ordeal she's being put through by her own ambitions and Lionel's Mephistophelean efforts to keep her around.)
And Scorsese's direction keeps the story from ever feeling too talky. The film is filled with energetic stylistic touches, like colorful paint-splatter opening credits, a cartoonish opening camera iris and so much use of Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale" that you'll be humming it for days after watching. But it all feels vibrant and appropriate rather than exhausting or show-offy. Price and Scorsese made a damn good pair, and it's a shame this ended up being their last collaboration as writer and director. (Though Scorsese did produce some later Price projects, including the film adaptation of Clockers, which he was originally supposed to direct before handing the project off to Spike Lee). I know an adaptation of Price's new book is in the works; whaddya say, Marty? Got any room in your schedule?
A few other notes:
• New York Stories offers another example of the Obligatory Richard Price Cameo, this time in the form of an artist who geeks out about Lionel's work at a gallery opening.
• One more "Arena Brains" connection: Actor Mark Boone Junior, who had a supporting role in that film, shows up very briefly here as well.
• And in non-New York Stories-related Richard Price news, the Amazon page for Price's upcoming novel The Whites now features a blurb from Stephen King, who calls the book "the crime novel of the year."
Next week: Richard Price's fascination with cops and their "backstage pass to the greatest show on earth" begins with the 1989 Al Pacino romantic thriller Sea of Love.


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The last chapter examined human nature and argued, through reasoning and experience, that we, at core, are thought-energy-will. That is how we animate our bodies and how we move through the field of matter.
Thought-energy-will in the form of "I" is an individual, a little spark that woke up within the infinity of intelligent potential that some physicists like to call "the unified field." We are each pieces of the Infinite, totally connected with the Infinite, yet independent as doers and experiencers. As individualized expressions of thought-energy-will, we are the way the Infinite expresses itself, the way it creates. We are the reason for creation. Our individuality is precious to the Infinite, and if we ever dissolved that, we would defeat the purpose of life.
The part of my being that makes me individual is my unique thought and will. The will is the impulse within me to do and to choose and to create. What I do, choose, and create is unique in all the universe. No other impulse of the Infinite (no other individual) will ever or can ever observe life from quite my perspective, nor will they ever do or allow or create exactly as I choose to.
Our choices and inspirations are based on our positions where we stand as an individualized sparks of infinity. When all the sparks know their nature as the Infinite and at the same time fully engage their individuality, the world will become like a symphony, with every note sounded full and sweet, harmonizing with and adding to every other note. It will become a colorful flower field, every blossom vibrant in its distinct and separate uniqueness, yet each contributing to the perfume and beauty that is all the flower field together.
Religion works against this. It tells us to surrender our will to something greater, but the Infinite actually delights in our will and its expression. Religion tells us to dissolve our ego – the author of our doing, creating, and choosing – into the cosmic ego of the whole. This is completely counter to the purpose of the Infinite. It would be like every flower in a garden surrendering itself to the garden, wilting in its self-hood instead of being the best flower it can be. The entire garden would die.
Each person is an individualized expression of thought-energy-will – like a car and driver, moving across the universe. Mind is the automobile, energy is the fuel, and will is the driver. Telling me to surrender my will is a way of taking over my thought and my energy.
The car goes nowhere without a will to drive it. If I step out of the driver's seat of my life, merely reacting to the world instead of initiating things in it, someone else will climb behind the wheel and direct where I go. This is especially true if I invite such an arrangement through self-deprecating prayer or by prostrating myself before the gods in mantra meditation.
When we dissolve our will or ego, "I" no longer exists. All that remains is the shell of what was once a person. We are left with body (energy) and mind (thoughts). The lights are on, but no one's at home. Or rather, someone new has taken up residence, the entity to whom one has surrendered one's ego or will. Some call this enlightenment. It's actually possession. The will has been abdicated, that which makes us uniquely human. One becomes a vessel for the will of that to whom one has given oneself.
Decades back, when I was a girl, religion outright asked for surrender of the will. That's back when will was talked about still in common parlance. Now, religion has evolved and asks instead for surrender of our ego. But will and ego are the same thing. By demonizing our desires, by telling us ego is arrogant and selfish, religion has made the will seem like something that must be relinquished for perfection or goodness to be attained.
In fact, when we surrender that spark, through "namah-ing"our way through years of mantras or asking Jesus to save us, the very reason for our existence is defeated. We become empty shells, sounding to the noise of that which blows through us and possesses us. That entity is not God, for True God is the Infinite which never wants to take over anything. God desires its children's freedom, their will unfettered, so they may dance wherever and however they like, and in so doing, delight their creator.
When we truly get that we are thought-energy-will in our essential nature, that this impulse is our spirit, the eternal and infinite personhood that animates our body, then it becomes possible to command the body and control it. We understand that every physical limitation is a limitation of thought, and that thought can reverse it. If all matter, including our bodies, is made of nothing but energy, then by thinking our physical energy patterns different, they must change. We've accepted that we must age and die, and so we do. But if we decide to reject that thought and supplant it with a better one, we can order the body to thrive and to live forever.
This is why I went into such detail in my last article examining what we are at our core. Because unless we intuitively get that, unless it's something we've reasoned to ourselves, so thoroughly and deeply that it becomes our essential reality, then the idea that we are thought-energy-will pulsing in an infinite field of potential is only a pretty concept. It must become our most fundamental experience. When our true nature becomes as clear and real to us as the ground we walk on, we can start to live from that reality, with the authority that understanding grants us. We can ordain things and they happen. We can tell the body to do what we will. We can infuse the body with the infinite energy of the unified field and never need to eat (take life from others) in order to survive. We can survive on our essential, infinite nature.
And if all beings learned to do this, if all egos understood their essential power and immortality, no one would need to feed on anyone else. We all would exist in our own self-empowerment. The basic premise on which this universe is founded would dissolve, and that premise is the need to take life from others in order to live. The universe would start to operate on a different principle, the principle of its essential unlimited potential.
Let's look at this from another perspective. Jewish mystical texts, as well as other esoteric manuscripts, describe the shape of the universe as a torus. A torus looks like a doughnut, a doughnut capable of turning in on itself. Think of it like a piece of vacuum cleaner tubing, taped to itself to form a circle, a doughnut shape. Imagine rotating the tubing, so the part that is the top moves toward the center, then down to the bottom, then back up to the top again. That is the description of a torus.
In this model, the universe is a black hole on one of the sides of the torus, a white hole at the other side. The white hole is constantly spitting out new creations – new worlds – that live, thrive, then decline as they move around the outside to the reverse side of the torus, where they are absorbed by the black hole there. (Astronomy now actually postulates that there is a black hole in the center of the universe, toward which all galaxies are constantly moving.) As they move through the center of the doughnut, worlds are destroyed then recycled, emerging on the other side of the torus – through the white hole – as new forms. Individual forms have been consumed; new forms have been created. And so the cycle of creation and destruction continues.
This torus is the physical shape of the universe, according to mystic sources, and the shape resembles that of someone eating, digesting, and defecating. Food in (at the black hole end), food processed (interior of the doughnut hole), food out (at the white hole end). In this way, the torus that is the universe resembles the interior shape of human and animal bodies: mouth at one end, digestion and transmutation of food in the center, anus at the other end. And just as animals defecate, their feces fertilizing the earth and becoming new plants, that which was defecated gets consumed again in the form of a new dinner. This torus system is the pattern or shape of the universe we live in. And it is our essential shape as organic beings, as long as we are eaters, dependent on taking life to survive.
The torus also appears to be the shape of Brahman, the Vedic/ East Indian name for the entity or consciousness that is or upholds the universe. Brahman is another name, in India, for the cosmic Self. It is that consciousness which those pursuing the traditional concept of "enlightenment" are striving to attain. Brahman functions in a self-destructive feedback loop. "Curving back onto myself, I create again and again," says Krishna in the Bhagavad-Gita, speaking for the consciousness of the universe. Energy in, energy out. Galaxies dissolved, galaxies created. An endless cycle of creation and destruction. The universe is like a dog forever chasing its tail.
The ancient mystery schools depicted the reality of the universe another way: through the symbol of a snake swallowing its tail. (Picture a dot on the torus, and the path it takes as it moves from the top inner side down the outer side, across the bottom, up the inner side and back to its position on the top. It makes a perfect circle, which is the shape of a snake swallowing its tail.) The symbol is one of self-destruction, because a snake that devours itself will die. The universe will also someday die, because it cannot go on eating itself endlessly. In time its energy will wear out, from the endless recycling project. The universe will implode.
Brahman (the consciousness whose outer form is our universe) knows this, and it is terrified. That's why all its children are terrified. All beings are afraid of death, and are subject to death. Because the great entity we are part of, the universe, is subject to death. Like Brahman, the great torus, we little toruses must eat to continue our existence. Or so we think. But in fact, we are no more in need of consuming others to continue existing than a dog needs to chase its tail in order to stay alive. It's a thought we had that became a belief. It's a thought Brahman had, that became a belief. And what we think, we manifest as reality.
The universe is self-destructive because it thinks that way. Brahman eats its children because it thinks it has to, to survive. Brahman is an insane parent, pursuing a course that is madness, knowing no other. But healing is only a thought away. Brahman only needs to conceive of another possibility, and it can change its pattern of existence.
In fact, Brahman, like us, is an individualized expression of the unified field: pure and infinite intelligent energy. If Brahman could but remember its nature as infinite, it would stop trying to eat itself. It eats itself in an effort to consume energy, because it thinks it will run out. But its very nature is thought-energy-will, and the energy it expresses from is infinite. By remembering that, Brahman would no longer need to consume itself to stay alive. It can simply shine in its own self-effulgence. It can bask in its own infinity of energy, and dance an endless dance in the forms of its immortal children. The insanity can end, when the insane thinking ends.
We are children of Brahman, and we also ARE Brahman, as a leaf is an individual but is also the plant it is part of, as a cell is an individual, but also the body it is part of. If the leaves change their minds, the plant changes its mind. If we, as children of the universe, wake up to our essential nature as unlimited and undying, then Brahman, our parent, must wake up to the same. If we stop needing to consume and stop agreeing to be consumed, consumption stops – not only for us, but for that which we are a part of. The universe starts to change its mind with every one of us that changes our mind.
When enough people wake up to our limitless nature, Brahman will wake up, and the torus that is the universe will morph into a new shape. The insanity will end, and the dog will stop chasing its tail. The need for anyone to devour anyone else will cease, and the lion will lie down with the lamb. It all starts with remembering what we really are, then using our wills to ordain change from that infinite, powerful place.
The definition of religion is from the root "religio," which means "to bind back." Think of the torus that is Brahman as a great firework explosion, where the sparks reach outward, then curve back to their source. Religion gives us the thinking that binds us back to the hole in the doughnut, where we must be destroyed and recycled.
By seeing through the lies of religion, by refusing to surrender our wills / egos to Brahman or to any other limited entity that religions may call God, we free ourselves from the need to cycle around from birth to ultimate death. We identify with something much greater than Brahman – the infinite intelligence from which Brahman and all universes sprang.
In so doing, we immortalize ourselves, body and spirit. We save ourselves, and we also save the universe. For being its unit members, we are the universe.
Keep in mind that Brahman is not the Ultimate Reality (although people in the Eastern religious traditions will tell you that it is). If Brahman is the cosmic consciousness of this universe, and as such is a limited consciousness (as we have seen), then the Ultimate Reality is beyond Brahman. The Ultimate Reality must be the pure ground of Being, from which all universes emerge, ours being but one of them. Brahman, the entity, thinks it is all there is – the ultimate of the ultimate – but that is not the case. Other universes exist, each with its own overmind or consciousness . Brahman is only one of these, only one of myriad universes.
Surely not every universe – not every cosmic child of God – is insane the way Brahman is. Surely not all of them are ignorant of how to live off the infinite energy they were conceived from. Surely there must be some creations that already exist in a state of eternal paradise. Because all possibilities exist in the Infinite Field that gave birth to all the worlds, and not all of God's cosmic children can be that dumb!
If living a life free of birth and death is possible – and reason tells us it must be – then we can transform our universe into its own unique paradise. It's only a matter of stepping out of the rut of old, engrained ideas – the dogmas we hold as unquestionable absolutes – and moving to a new way of perceiving, willing, and being. What a grand challenge and adventure!


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Old Worthington Library's Teen Room contains a large collection of teen fiction, graphic novels, non-fiction as well as books on CD. The teen room has several computers which all have access to the internet and Microsoft Office products.
There is lounge seating as well as two large semi-circle booths with tables for studying or hanging with friends. The doors to the teen area can be closed for teen programming or so teens can talk and have fun without disturbing nearby library patrons.
The teen room also includes a study room just for teens accessible only from the teen room.
The room is reserved for teens in 7th grade through 12th grade from 3-6pm, Monday through Friday, during the school year.


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I have been interested in photography for about 5 years now, although only in the last year I have started taking it seriously. Until then, my idea of photography was related to my background as a designer and the photographs I considered interesting were only those with a graphic feeling to them. Over time my interpretation of photography has changed. Now I feel captivated by the presence of people in the urban environment and thus I need to wander around the city.
What photography brought back to me, is an interest in the nature of things; from photography itself to the subjects I'm interested in and from that to how our world is changing.
Images are powerful, but more than ever, they've become ephemeral. On the other hand, the experience of taking photographs sticks with me and despite that photography is going through a cultural change and may not last, or at least not in its original form, the outcome of the experience I have as a photographer will be part of myself for the years to come. After all, the essence of a photograph is the experience I have by taking it; a photograph by its very nature is an illusion which is what it makes so contemporary.
Los Angeles, November 2016


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Writing Workshop 2/3
I had another amazing day at the workshop, it was really enjoyable, great people and talented writers. We had a few more breaks today, my brain doesn't hurt as much, looking forward to the email exercises this week.
You can't beat a good practitioners workshop, we all learnt so much today!
It was lovely getting to know each other better today and collaborating our ideas and exchanging stories. It is the last workshop next weekend and although I won't miss the hour+ trek across to the Theatre/ Arts Centre, I WILL definitely miss these people. If I was closer I would attend their Mon night writing group – there are some more local though.
Definitely got a packed (can't take anything else on right now) schedule though; with work, the house, the monthly submissions, these Saturday workshops, Writing classes on Wednesday nights, and the online course – which was booked as 6 weeks and is now 10?! weeks long with the Ohio University. There isn't time for anything else. July is fairly clear.
I came home full of adrenalin and writing passion and a hope that this dream will meet full fruition.
I would really encourage workshops, whatever stage of your career you're at!


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Protesters who oppose the implementation of the World Cup clashed with military police in Sao Paulo, within hours of the start of the event, scheduled for 17 in this Brazilian city.
The troops fired tear gas and rubber bullets against protesters identified with the "anti-glass" movement and initially two detainees were counted, Folha appropriated in its online edition.
The riots, which continued past 1030, occurred in the vicinity of Carrao subway station, on the east side of São Paulo.
In addition, a group of demonstrators today blocked the main access route from Rio de Janeiro airport as part of the strike by employees of the terminal, but flights operated smoothly.
The demonstrations at the airport in Rio were promoted by an organization identified as Internationalist Front of the Homeless and supported by some strikers, causing a huge bottleneck that affected hundreds of passengers on their way to the terminal.
Unionists picketed at 7.30 against the entry Tom Jobim airport, which affected passenger traffic, some of whom said they had lost their flights, while a strike was recorded in Rio station Santos Dumond, of domestic flights, reported and the ANSA news agency EFE.
Workers in St. Paul metro rescinded the strike had been announced for today, when the inaugural match of the Cup will be played in the stadium of the city Itaquerao between selected Brazil and Croatia.
Subway employees conducted a crackdown that lasted from Thursday to Monday, which resulted in traffic chaos the country's most populous city.


text:
Hello there,
So I was reading about inline functions and I came up with a doubt.
If function calls tends to be slower than loops in C, what are the advantages of using recursive functions? I mean, if I have the option to choose between using a recursive function and loops, shouldn't I always prefer loops?
Also, what is your criteria when deciding to split a function? Is it just a question of keeping different things in different functions or are there some "rules"? Or is it just "this function is too big, let me split it"?
I really appreciate any advice.


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Strong finish sends Hanna past Easley
EASLEY — Sophomore quarterback Alex Meredith's 274 yards total offense helped lead T.L. Hanna to a 37-26 win at Easley on Friday night.
Hanna struck first. Meredith's 25-yard pass to Braylon Peterson carried the Jackets deep into Green Wave territory. Jaydon McKinney, who led Hanna with 98 yards rushing, scored the first of his three rushing touchdowns on a 4-yard run with 4:54 to play in the opening quarter. A bad extra point snap left Hanna holding a 6-0 lead.
Easley struck back early in the second quarter. A seven-play drive ended with Will Drawdy taking a handoff 25 yards for a touchdown. The extra point was missed, knotting the score at 6-6.
The teams traded short possessions until Easley's Weston Black was tackled in his own end zone by Stephon Wynn, Jr. to increase the Jackets' lead to 8-6.
Hanna took advantage of another Wave miscue when Tyler Callaham forced a Black fumble and recovered it at the Easley 3. Darius Blanding took a handoff into the end zone to put Hanna ahead 15-6 with 3:14 remaining in the opening half.
Momentum was with the Green Wave early in the second half. Sean-Thomas Faulkner returned a punt 52 yards for a touchdown, cutting the Hanna lead to 15-13 only 1:35 into the half.
Hanna found its running game on the next few possessions but couldn't sustain drives. Easley took its only lead when Tyrese Bradley caught a pass from Black on the right sideline and raced 58 yards for the score to give the Wave a 20-15 lead.
The Yellow Jackets regained the lead when McKinney scored on a 5-yard run to complete an 11-play drive with 10:44 left, making the score 23-20.
The Green Wave drove to the Jackets' 20 in only five plays, but Cam'Ron Boseman intercepted a Black pass at the 12. The Jackets extended their lead to 30-20 nine plays later when Blanding scored on a 1-yard run.
Two plays later, Drawdy took a Black pass 80 yards to cut the Hanna lead back to 30-26. A bad snapped foiled the extra-point try.
Hanna's offense sealed the win with a quick five-play drive that ended with McKinney's third score, this one from 26 yards out to put Hanna ahead 37-26 with 2:08 remaining.
Drawdy led Easley with 96 yards rushing.


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TRENTON — A double-dipping pension practice that stoked outrage earlier this year may become a thing of the past.
The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee unanimously approved two bills today to prevent elected officials from collecting their pensions without actually stepping down from their jobs.
The bills would only affect elected officials who have not yet taken advantage of the loophole, which has been broadened since its inception in 1985.
Many elected officials and public employees retire, start collecting a pension, then get a different government job. But the law targeted by the committee today allows elected officials like lawmakers and sheriffs to start collecting a pension while still holding the same job and collecting a paycheck, as long as they are eligible to retire and once had a different public job.
Five lawmakers, some sheriffs and county surrogates — little-known elected workers who handle legal tasks — have used the loophole.
Although the overall dollar figure involved is small, state Sen. Steve Oroho (R-Sussex), the bill's sponsor, said it's important to eliminate lucrative exceptions for elected officials.
"The perception and appearance is what really matters," he said. "It's an issue of the public trust."
The bills had been stalled for years until news reports in April said Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. had been using the loophole since August. He had "retired" three months before winning his unprecedented third term in office. State records peg his monthly pension at almost $5,740, while his salary was $153,207 last year.
The bills now goes to the full Senate for a vote. Similar bills in the Assembly have not yet advanced.
"It was one of the first bills I put in," Oroho said. "I'm glad to see it move forward."
DiVincenzo has defended his pension as legal and in the best interests of his family.
In a statement today, he said the committee's decision "represents a noteworthy shift" in the Legislature.
"Pension costs contribute to financial challenges being faced by state, county and municipal governments," DiVincenzo said. "I hope today's vote enables us to continue the discussion and find additional ways to provide relief."
• N.J. officials launch investigation into possible double-dipping by sheriff's officers
• Gov. Christie criticizes N.J. Sen. Weinberg for simultaneously collecting pension, paycheck
• Gov. Christie criticizes N.J. Sen. Weinberg for simultaneously collecting pension, paycheck
• Loophole allows Essex County Executive DiVincenzo to collect full salary, pension
• N.J. lawmakers push to end loophole allowing Essex County executive to simultaneously collect pension, salary
• Christie says Essex County executive is wrong to collect pension, full salary
• Only select few in N.J. can use loophole allowing Essex County executive to collect pension while still working
• State's largest police union calls for Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo to resign
• Loophole allows Essex County Executive DiVincenzo to collect full salary, pension


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Chilling Audio of Hillary Laughing At How She Got a Child Rapist Off With a Plea Bargain, and Discredited His 12-Year-Old Victim
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Hillary likes to champion herself as an ultra-feminist defender of women, but anyone who has paid even the slightest attention to the Clinton legacy knows that isn't true — she actually has no problem at all defending men like her husband when they're accused of sexual harassment and rape over and over and over again. It's a trait she apparently learned from her time as a public defender, when she helped child rapists avoid justice and laughed about how she discredited their young victims.
Hillary Clinton got an accused child rapist off — and laughed about it.
A Washington Free Beacon report posted Sunday night unearths decades-old recordings of the potential presidential candidate discussing her career as a public defender in Arkansas.
In one case, she cavalierly talks about how she exploited a literal hole in the prosecution's evidence to win the release of a man accused of raping a drunk 12-year-old — blowing a different kind of hole in the carefully cultivated image of a tireless defender of women and children's issues Clinton has built up over the years.
… Instead of a hefty prison sentence, the accused rapist got off with time served — which Clinton recalled was about two months in the county jail.
She and her husband continued on in that same vein, viciously attacking, slandering, and smearing the women who dared come forward with accusations of rape and sexual harassment against Bill Clinton. Perhaps the most despicable thing, though, is the complicity and defense of the so-called "feminists", who even now are defending Hillary and this tape, something they wouldn't do for literally anyone else. Evidently, "rape culture" and "victim-blaming" is only an issue when the wrong people do it — if it's a Democrat who can get a vagina into the Oval Office, then the attitude becomes, hey, keep that rape culture coming.
Also see: The 25 Best Quotes About Liberals
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State laws regarding sexual assault matters are often a real help to victims and survivors. But why is it sometimes a real struggle to pass them?
Available through the archive at www.blogtalkradio.com/
Washington State just ended its annual legislative session, and two State Representatives who proposed legislation to alleviate aspects of sexual assault found that despite their best efforts and lots of support, their bills went nowhere.
Rep. Dan Griffey was trying to eliminate the statute of limitations on criminal rape and assault, so perpetrators could always be held accountable no matter how long ago the crime was committed.
Rep Michelle Caldier proposed a bill that would require notification about sexual assault kits for victims who went to the police or the hospital. Both bills didn't get passed into law despite the representatives' good intentions and hard work and major support from the public as well as other politicians.
Join us as the representatives talk about how bills get passed (or not), why sexual assault bills just were not a priority for this state's legislative body, and what's down the road for such laws.


text:
This section contains 440 words
(approx. 2 pages at 400 words per page)
Point of View
Author Attenberg employs techniques traditional in oral storytelling, or "spoken word." The narrative is a mosaic of Mazie's diary entries, interspersed occasionally with accounts from those who either knew her or, through others, heard about her life.
In her journaling, Mazie chronicles events in first-person—often shifting between past- and present-tense. The characters writing and/or discussing Mazie for the most part use these same viewpoints. Mazie does not open and close remembered dialogue with quotation marks, which takes an effort to get used to.
Present-day film-maker Nadine's questions to interviewees are never see, only the responses, rendered in first-person past tense.
As a whole, Attenberg's epistolary/historical format effectively brings alive Mazie's world. Had the novel been written from a third-person, past-tense perspective, there would be an undercutting of effect.
Language and Meaning
Author Attenberg deftly employs authentic speech patterns and period jargon in...
This section contains 440 words
(approx. 2 pages at 400 words per page)


text:
Watch this amazing video on TED Talks of Rick Steves who is a well-traveled American (!!) on the Value of Traveling.
He has some great stories, here are some quotes out of the video to give you an idea what he is like and why you should watch it.
"I learned once again that fear – and there's a lot of it in our society – fear is to me for people who don't get out very much."
"Travel wallops my ethnocentricity and I'm very grateful for that."
"A third of the people on this planet eat with spoons and forks like you do, a third of the people eat with chopsticks and a third of the people eat with their fingers like I do and we're all civilized just the same."
"I'm going here because I think it's good character to know people before you bomb them." (on why he traveled to Iran)
Rick Steves.


text:
Hi all!
We've got a new set of emoticons!
Let us know what you think!
They look like Galaxy phones ones
Where is face surprised ??
See you soon!
I didn't recognize it as face surprised
I meant this as Face Surprised in Samsung Experience 9.0 I was looking for:
LOL. I got "Keanu" vibes from that one, danitudi971.
Might be demand for a few more but looking good 😃
I do not work for Samsung or make Samsung Products but provide independent advice and valuable contributions.
My Device- S21 Ultra 5G ( SM-998B/DS ) CSC= BTU , 12GB/256GB
One Ui 5.0,Android 13 .
Hi I have all them on my phone I will have a ask around for the community for more developed Emoticons from my colleagues on the Github developers webpage see if I can get even more for you guys 😎


text:
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Functional Programming is Like Unix Pipelines
The primary goal of this lesson is to show that you can think of writing functional programs as being like writing Unix pipeline commands. Stated another way, if you've written Unix pipeline commands before, you have probably written code in a functional style, whether you knew it or not.
As a second, smaller goal, I want to demonstrate a few ways that you can look at your code visually to help you "Think in FP."
Note: This section is written for Unix and Linux users. If you don't know Unix, (a) I highly recommend learning it, and (b) you may want to (sadly) skip this section, as it may not make much sense unless you know the Unix commands that I show.
One way to think about FP is that it's like writing Unix/Linux pipeline commands, i.e., a series of two or more commands that you combine at the Unix command line to get a desired result.
For example, imagine that your boss comes to you and says, "I need a script that will tell me how many unique users are logged into a Unix system at any given time." How would you solve this problem?
Knowing Unix, you know that the
who command shows the users that are currently logged in. So you know that you want to start with
who — that's your data source. To make things interesting, let's assume that
who doesn't support any command-line arguments, so all you can do is run
who without arguments to generate a list of users logged into your system, like this:
$ who
al console Oct 10 10:01
joe ttys000 Oct 10 10:44
tallman ttys001 Oct 10 11:05
joe ttys002 Oct 10 11:47
who's output is well structured and consistent. It shows the username in the first column, the "console" they're logged in on in the second column, and the date and time they logged in on in the last columns.
Some Unix systems may show the IP address the user is logged in from. I left that column off of these examples to keep things simple.
If you didn't have to automate this solution, you could solve the problem by looking at the unique usernames in the first column. In this case there are four lines of output, but only three of the usernames are unique —
joe, and
tallman — so the current answer to your boss's question is that there are three unique users logged into the system at the moment.
Now that you know how to solve the problem manually, the question becomes, how do you automate this solution?
The solution's algorithm appears to be:
Run the
Create a list of usernames from the first column
Get only the unique usernames from that list
Count the size of that list
In Unix that algorithm translates to chaining these commands together:
Start with
whoas the data source
Use a command like
cutto create the list of usernames
uniqto get only the unique usernames from that list
wc -lto count those unique usernames
A good solution for the first two steps is to create this simple Unix pipeline:
who | cut -d' ' -f1
cut command can be read as, "Using a blank space as the field separator (
-d), print the first field (
-f1) of every row of the data stream from STDIN to STDOUT." That pipeline command results in this output:
Notice what I did here: I combined two Unix commands to get a desired result. If you think of the
who command as providing a list of strings, you can think of the
cut command as being a pure function: it takes a list of strings as an input parameter, runs a transformation algorithm on that incoming data, and produces an output list of strings. It doesn't use anything but the incoming data and its algorithm to produce its result.
As a quick aside, the signature for a Scala
cut function that works like the Unix
cut command might be written like this:
def cut(strings: Seq[String],
delimiter: String,
field: Int): Seq[String] = ???
Getting back to the problem at hand, my current pipeline command generates this output:
and I need to transform that data into a "number of unique users."
To finish solving the problem, all I need to do is to keep combining more pure functions — er, Unix commands — to get the desired answer. That is, I need to keep transforming the data to get it into the format I want.
The next thing I need to do is reduce that list of all users down to a list of unique users. I do that by adding the
uniq command to the end of the current pipeline:
who | cut -d' ' -f1 | uniq
uniq transforms its STDIN to this STDOUT:
Now all I have to do to get the number of unique users is count the number of lines that are in the stream with
wc -l:
who | cut -d' ' -f1 | uniq | wc -l
That produces this output:
Whoops. What's that
3 doing way over there to the right? I want to think of my result as being an
Int value, but this is more like a
String with a bunch of leading spaces. What to do?
Well, it's Unix, so all I have to do is add another command to the pipeline to transform this string-ish result to something that works more like an integer.
There are many ways to handle this, but I know that the Unix
tr command is a nice way to remove blank spaces, so I add it to the end of the current pipeline:
who | cut -d' ' -f1 | uniq | wc -l | tr -d ' '
That gives me the final, desired answer:
That looks more like an integer, and it won't cause any problem if I want to use this result as an input to some other command that expects an integer value (with no leading blank spaces).
If you've never used the
trcommand before, it stands for translate, and I wrote a few
trcommand examples many years ago.
Now that I have a solution as a Unix pipeline, I can convert it into a little shell script. For the purposes of this lesson, I'll write it in a verbose manner rather than as a pipeline:
RES1=`echo $WHO | cut -d' ' -f1`
RES2=`echo $RES1 | uniq`
RES3=`echo $RES2 | wc -l`
RES4=`echo $RES3 | tr -d ' '`
echo $RES4
Hmm, that looks suspiciously like a series of expressions, followed by a print statement, doesn't it? Some equivalent Scala code might look like this:
val who: Seq[String] = getUsers // an impure function
val res1 = cut(who, " ", 1)
val res2 = uniq(res1)
val res3 = countLines(res2)
val res4 = trim(res3)
println(res4) // a statement
I usually write "one expression at a time" code like this when I first start solving a problem, and eventually see that I can combine the expressions. For example, because the first and last lines of code are impure functions I might want to leave them alone, but what about these remaining lines:
val res1 = cut(who, " ", 1)
val res2 = uniq(res1)
val res3 = countLines(res2)
val res4 = trim(res3)
In the first line, because
cut is a pure function,
res1 and
cut(who, , 1) will always be equivalent, so I can eliminate
res1 as an intermediate value:
val res2 = uniq(cut(who, " ", 1))
val res3 = countLines(res2)
val res4 = trim(res3)
Next, because
res2 is always equivalent to the right side of its expression, I can eliminate
res2 as an intermediate value:
val res3 = countLines(uniq(cut(who, " ", 1)))
val res4 = trim(res3)
Then I eliminate
res3 for the same reason:
val res4 = trim(countLines(uniq(cut(who, " ", 1))))
Because there are no more intermediate values, it makes sense to rename
val result = trim(countLines(uniq(cut(who, " ", 1))))
If you want, you can write the entire original series of expressions and statements — including
getUsers and the
println statement — like this:
println(trim(countLines(uniq(cut(getUsers, " ", 1)))))
As a recap, I started with this:
val who: Seq[String] = getUsers
val res1 = cut(who, " ", 1)
val res2 = uniq(res1)
val res3 = countLines(res2)
val res4 = trim(res3)
and ended up with this:
println(trim(countLines(uniq(cut(getUsers, " ", 1)))))
The thing that enables this transformation is that all of those expressions in the middle of the original code are pure function calls.
This is the Scala equivalent of the Unix pipeline solution:
who | cut -d' ' -f1 | uniq | wc -l | tr -d ' '
I always find solutions like this amusing, because if you have ever seen Lisp code, condensed Scala/FP code tends to look like this, where you read the solution starting at the inside (with
getUsers), and work your way out (to
cut, then
uniq, etc.).
Note: You don't have to use this condensed style. Use whatever you're comfortable with.
"That's great," you say, "but how is this like functional programming?"
Well, if you think of the
who command as generating a list of strings (
Seq[String]), you can then think of
wc, and
tr as being a series of transformer functions, because they transform the input they're given into a different type of output, as shown in Figure [fig:unixPipelines1].
Looking at just the
wc command — and thinking of it as a pure function — you can think of it as taking a
Seq[String] as its first input parameter, and when it's given the
-l argument, it returns the number of lines that it counts in that
In these ways the
wc command is a pure function:
It takes a
Seq[String]as input
It does not rely on any other state or hidden values
It does not read or write to any files
It does not alter the state of anything else in the universe
Its output depends only on its input
Given the same input at various points in time, it always returns the same value
The one thing that
wc did that I didn't like is that it left-pads its output with blank spaces, so I used the
tr command just like the
wc command to fix that problem: as a pure function.
A nice way to think of this code is like this:
Input -> Transformer -> Transformer ... Transformer-> Output
With that thought, this example looks as shown in Figure [fig:unixPipelines2].
Note a few key properties in all of this. First, data flows in only one direction, as shown in Figure [fig:unixPipelinesDataFlow].
Second, Figure [fig:unixPipelineDataNotModified] shows that the input data a function is given is never modified.
Finally, as shown in Figure [fig:unixFunctionsEntranceExit], you can think of functions as having an entrance and an exit, but there are no side doors or windows for data to slip in or out.
These are all important properties of pure functions (and Unix commands).
There's another interesting point about this example in regards to FP. When I combine these commands together like this:
who | cut -d' ' -f1 | uniq | wc -l | tr -d ' '
I create what's called in Unix a pipeline or command pipeline. In FP we call that same thing a combinator. That is, I combined the three commands — pure functions — together to get the data I wanted.
If I had structured my Scala code differently I could have made it look like this:
who.cut(delimiter=" ", field=1)
.wc(lines = true)
.tr(find=" ", replace="")
I'll add a more formal definition of "combinator" later in this book, but in general, when you see code like this — a chain of functions applied to some initial data — this is what most people think when they use the term "combinator." This is another case where an FP term sounds scary, but remember that whenever you hear the term "combinator" you can think "Unix pipeline."
At this point it's worth taking a moment to think about the thought process involved in solving this problem. If you look back at how it was solved, our thinking followed these steps:
We started with the problem statement: wanting to know how many users are logged into the system.
We thought about what data source had the information we needed, in this case the output of the
At this point should note that implicit in my own thinking is that I knew the structure of the data I'd get from the
whocommand. That is, as an experienced Unix user I knew that
whoreturns a list of users, with each user login session printed on a new line.
Depending on your thought process you may have thought of the
whooutput as a multiline
Stringor as a
List(or more generally as a
Seqin Scala). Either thought is fine.
Because you knew the structure of the
whodata, and you know your Unix commands, you knew that you could apply a sequence of standard commands to the
whodata to get the number of unique users.
You may or may not have known beforehand that the
wc -loutput is padded with blank spaces. I did not.
The reason I mention this thought process is because that's what the functional programming thought process is like:
You start with a problem to solve.
You either know where the data source is, or you figure it out.
Likewise, the data is either in a known format, or in a format you need to learn.
You clearly define the output you want in the problem statement.
You apply a series of pure functions to the input data source(s) to transform the data into a new structure.
If all of the functions that you need already exist, you use them; otherwise you write new pure functions to transform the data as needed.
Note the use of the word apply in this discussion. Functional programmers like to say that they apply functions to input data to get a desired output. As you saw, using the word "apply" in the previous discussion was quite natural.
As a second example of both "Unix pipelines as FP," and "The FP thought process," imagine that you want a sorted list of all users who are currently logged in. How would you get the desired answer?
Let's follow that thought process again. I'll give you the problem statement, and everything after that is up to you.
Problem statement: I want a sorted list of all users who are currently logged in.
The data source is:
The data format looks like this:
The desired output format is:
The command pipeline needed to get the output data from the input data is:
Do you need to create any new functions to solve this problem? If so, define them here:
Here's my solution:
who | cut -f1 -d' ' | uniq | sort
That exercise was intentionally a relatively simple variation of the original exercise. Here are a few more advanced exercises you can work to get the hang of this sort of problem solving:
Write a pipeline to show the number of processes owned by the root user.
Write a pipeline to show the number of open network connections. (Tip: I use
netstatas the data source.)
Use the
lsofcommand to show what computers your computer is currently connected to.
Write a pipeline command to show which processes are consuming the most RAM on your computer.
Write a command to find the most recent .gitignore file on your computer.
Besides demonstrating how writing Unix pipeline commands are like writing FP code (and vice-versa), I'm also trying to demonstrate "The FP Thought Process." Because "output depends only on input," FP lends itself to something that used to be called "Data Flow Diagrams" — or DFDs — back in the old days.
There's a formal notation for DFDs, but I don't care for it. (There are actually several formal notations.) If I was going to sketch out the solution to the last problem, I'd draw it like the image in Figure [fig:unixDfdSketch].
Because I'm using my own graphical drawing language here, I'll note that at the moment:
I prefer to draw data flows as streams (simple tables).
I like to annotate streams with their data types.
I like to draw functions as rectangles (because of the whole front-door/back-door, entrance/exit concept).
I'm not suggesting that you have to draw out every problem and solution like this, but if you're working on a hard problem, this can be helpful.
If I'm working on a difficutl problem, or trying to explain a solution to other people, I like to draw visual diagrams like that. The book, Complete Systems Analysis, by Robertson and Robertson, defines something else that they call a "Rule of Data Conservation," which they state like this:
"Each process (function) in the data flow diagram must be able to produce the output data flows from its input."
Using their diagramming process, the data that flows from the
who command would be described like this:
Who = Username + Terminal + Date + Time
If you take the time to draw the data flows like this, it's possible to make sure that the "Rule of Data Conservation" is satisfied — at least assuming that you know each function's algorithm.
A set of Power Point slides at DePaul.edu (that is hard to link to because of the whole "PPT" thing) makes the following observations about data flows:
Data stays at rest unless moved by a process
Processes cannot consume or create data
Must have at least 1 input data flow (to avoid miracles)
Must have at least 1 output data flow (to avoid black holes)
Just substitute "function" for "process" in their statements, and I really like those last two lines — avoiding black holes and miracles — as they apply to writing pure functions.
In this lesson I tried to show how writing Unix pipeline commands is like writing FP code. This is true in that combining Unix commands to solve a problem is like combining pure functions to solve a problem.
One part I didn't show is a program that runs continuously until the user selects a "Quit" option. But fear not, I will show this in an upcoming lesson, I just need to provide a little more background information, including covering topics like recursive programming.
As I mentioned at the beginning, my main goal for this lesson is to demonstrate that writing Unix pipeline commands is like writing functional code. Just like functional programming, when you write Unix pipeline commands:
You have data sources, or inputs, that bring external data into your application.
Unix commands such as
uniq, etc., are like pure functions. They take in immutable inputs, and generate output based only on those inputs and their algorithms.
You combine Unix commands with pipelines in the same way that you use FP functions as "combinators."


text:
This little girl turned a recycling project into helping other kids. As Earth Day approaches and we think about ways to be kind to Mother Earth, why not think about being Kind to ALL in the process! Choose Kind and spread it all over the Earth!
Click the link below to meet Sammie.


text:
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text:
Found in more than a thousand places
Hope takes on so many faces.
Will I pass my science test?
Does my father think I'm best?
Will this baby stay alive to
Live nine months and always thrive?
Will the judge be kind to me
Even I when I try to flee?
Will this flower bloom in red
Or only bloom inside my head?
Will I find sweet Allie dog
Lost today amidst the fog?
Will I finish this long race
And, win or lose, accept my place?
Will my love be always there
Even when I need his care?
Will Mom live another day
To smile with me, to laugh and play?
I hope for this, I hope for that
I hope I look good in this new hat.
Hope takes on another face
Hope I keep up this grueling pace.
—Victoria Emmons © 2015


text:
Nick Berg - 911 -
OKC Bombing Connection
Berg's encounter with 'terrorist' revealed
WEST CHESTER, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- When Nicholas Berg took an Oklahoma bus to a remote college campus a few years ago, the American recently beheaded by ... Government sources told CNN that the encounter involved an acquaintance of Zacarias Moussaoui -- the only person publicly charged in the United States in connection with the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/Northeast/05/13/berg.encounter/
WEST CHESTER, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- When Nicholas Berg took an Oklahoma bus to a remote college campus a few years ago, the American recently beheaded by terrorists allowed a man with terrorist connections to use his laptop computer, according to his father.
Michael Berg said the FBI investigated the matter more than a year ago. He stressed that his son was in no way connected to the terrorists who captured and killed him.
Government sources told CNN that the encounter involved an acquaintance of Zacarias Moussaoui -- the only person publicly charged in the United States in connection with the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.
According to Berg, his son was taking a course a few years ago at a remote campus of the University of Oklahoma near an airport. He described how on one particular day, his son met "some terrorist people -- who no one knew were terrorists at the time."
At one point during the bus ride, Berg said, the man sitting next to his son asked if he could use Nick's laptop computer.
"It turned out this guy was a terrorist and that he, you know, used my son's e-mail, amongst many other people's e-mail who he did the same thing to," Berg said.
Government sources said Berg gave the man his password, which was later used by Moussaoui, the sources said.
The sources said the man who used Berg's e-mail knew Moussaoui, now awaiting trial on federal charges that could bring a death sentence. But the sources would not disclose details of how the men were connected.
Moussaoui, 36, was arrested in August 2001 after he aroused suspicion at a Minnesota flight school when he arrived for 747 simulator training without holding a pilot's license. A French national of Moroccan descent, Moussaoui has admitted in open court that he belonged to al Qaeda, the radical Islamic group behind the September 11 attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people.
But Moussaoui has fiercely denied being involved in the September 11 plot, and the prosecutors' theory of his role has shifted from being a possible 20th hijacker that day to possibly piloting a fifth hijacked jetliner targeting the White House.
Berg said his son cooperated fully with an FBI investigation into the matter.
"He was happy to cooperate, and that was never an issue," he said. He emphasized that the individual was not a friend of his son's or even an acquaintance -- "just a guy sitting next to him on the bus."
"Whoever was next to my son was treated with great respect and friendship. Like I said, he knew no dangers from people. The FBI were satisfied with that."
CNN Justice correspondent Kelli Arena contributed to this report.
[SNIP} The Terror Watch A chronology of events leading up to 9/11 by Jim Crogan
* 1999: Ihab Mahammed Ali, an al Qaeda member arrested in Orlando, Florida, and later named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings in Africa, is called before a grand jury. He denies participation in bin Laden's network and is charged with perjury. The FBI learns that Ali had obtained flight training at the Airman Flight School in Norman, Oklahoma. Ali became al Qaeda's first pilot. Accused September 11 terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui also took flight lessons at the Airman school.
FULL STORY: http://www.laweekly.com/ink/02/27/news-crogan.php
BOTH BERG AND MOUSSAOUI ATTENDED AIRMAN FLIGHT SCHOOL: The Airman Flight School is centrally located in Norman, Oklahoma, and only minutes away from Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City. Norman is the home to the University of Oklahoma; its residents enjoy all the conveniences of a major metropolitan area. Norman averages more than 300 days of VFR weather per year, for year-round flight training. On IFR days, students in advanced courses continue training on instruments. http://www.airmanflightschool.com/#lodge
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text:
Finding its way into the greenness
Of spring
Oh how I long for the creeping of spring
Red Raven Retreat, MN | July 2012
It seems as if the ferns have gathered my tears
Pooled with the reflection of the sky
Let these tears nourish all things living
Let these tears inter all things that have passed
Red Raven Retreat | Willow River, MN 2012
"In some mysterious way woods have never seemed to me to be static things.
In physical terms, I move through them; yet in metaphysical ones, they seem to move through me."
~ John Fowles
New Life
Red Raven Retreat | Willow River, MN 2012
Ferns are sprouting new life in the woods.
Uncurling from their tight buds of soft downy fur.
A first leaf born from a newly sprouted stalk ~ expands.
Birth of a Fern 2010
Banning State Park | Sandstone, MN 2010
The birth of a newly formed fern
can be heard as it
rolls from its downy cocoon
tossing up its arms wide
to break free
FinePix S8000fd | focal 9.8 | f-stop 3.5 | exposure 1/240


text:
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text:
How does The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey compare to The Lord of the Rings trilogy? It's "a lesser son of greater sires," a disappointment based on the lofty expectations set by its predecessors.
Sixty years prior to The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, wizard Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) visits hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) in the Shire, and tricks him into hosting a company of dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), who are under the mistaken belief that Bilbo is an expert burglar who will join them on their expedition to reclaim their home from the dragon Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch). Meanwhile, rumors of a dark threat called the Necromancer (also Cumberbatch) worry Gandalf.
Director Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings, The Lovely Bones) returns to the fictional world of his greatest cinematic success, but he just can't recreate the same cinematic magic and poetry. I very rarely give any film a full five stars, but every one of the LOTR films earned it and then some. I'm convinced that it will be difficult for another high fantasy film or series of films to reach that level of greatness. J.R.R. Tolkien's novel The Hobbit was never cut from quite the same epic scale of cloth as his Lord of the Rings, so perhaps the problem here is Jackson trying to make it into something it isn't, and as a result, it falls short of the mark. On the positive side, Jackson's eye for visual sweep is intact, even if there are a few surprisingly clumsy sequences.
Jackson and his principal LOTR writing collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens had to figure out how to compress the massive text that was LOTR into three films of three to four hours in length. They face the opposite task here, to turn a much shorter text into three films of three hours in length each, which strikes me as a commercial rather than a creative move. It transpires that they're better at compressing than expanding. Every scene in the LOTR films, even in the extended editions, had a purpose that moved the story forward in a compelling manner. In contrast, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey drags along. After nearly three hours, the characters haven't even reached their destination of the Lonely Mountain.
An additional writer was involved here, Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth). After Jackson initially dropped out of directing the film after delays resulting from a legal dispute with New Line Cinema, del Toro was brought in to co-write and direct. After numerous production delays resulting from MGM's financial woes caused del Toro to also drop out, Jackson returned to direct. Del Toro is credited as a co-writer and a creative consultant. It's not easy to discern an obvious del Toro influence, although the scenes with the Great Goblin strike me as having some, so it's hard to say if his presence helped or hindered this adaptation.
Along the way, the writers make some rather dubious choices. Wizard Radagast the Brown, who was mentioned but never seen in The Hobbit novel, has been turned into an eccentric with bird poop caked in his hair, travelling around on a sled pulled by rabbits. Oh, and his pet hedgehog is as sugary cute as any animated Disney animal, and one almost expects it to speak like one. Thankfully, the writers spared us that horror. But, oh, they didn't spare us a terrible one liner from the Great Goblin that is cringe inducing.
Jackson chose to shoot the film in the experimental High Frame Rate 3D digital video format. I say experimental because this is the first film to be made using this process. While it does result in impressively sharp, clear, and deep images on screen, it also has a live video look that uncomfortably reminds one of a daytime soap or a live television broadcast. Also, the images are so sharp and clear that sets look like sets, props look like props, special effects makeup looks like special effects makeup, and CG visual effects look like a video game. The format also has the odd effect of exaggerating character movements, including gestures and facial expressions. It's just another burden keeping the film from being engaging. For a fantasy film, calling attention to its fakery is a serious flaw.
Cinematographer Andrew Lesnie also worked on The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and he does his best here to re-create that look, but those films were actually shot on film. While I think digital video can look very good, especially with the current generation of cameras, it's easier to match the look of film with film. With the use of the High Frame Rate format, the final result looks very different, less painterly and more video gamey. That said, the use of 3D itself in the film is quite good, and there's one scene where myself and several other audience members flinched in our seats because the 3D effect of fire being thrown in our faces was so convincing.
Production designer Dan Hennah (the supervising art director for the LOTR films) recreates the Shire and Rivendell, and creates several spectacular new environments. Unfortunately, the quality of his work is overshadowed by the High Frame Rate format making his sets look like sets rather than real structures. The work of costume designers Richard Taylor (LOTR), Bob Buck (the LOTR extras coordinator), and Ann Maskrey (The Mumbo Jumbo, Thunderpants) is also affected by the format but not to the same degree.
The visual effects by Weta Digital seem to rely too much on CG, and not always rendered convincingly (example: some of the goblins in Goblin Town look more like Muppets), which is surprising considering how the same effects studio revolutionized CG with their work on Avatar.
LOTR veteran Howard Shore returns to score the film, and his work this time is good but not great. The best music, one song aside, seems to be cues from LOTR.
In general, the most solid aspect of the film is its cast. Martin Freeman is well-cast as the young Bilbo Baggins, living a comfortable life in the Shire before he's whisked away on an adventure into the wider, and wilder, world of Middle Earth. Ian Holm also returns as the older Bilbo, in framing scenes set on the same day as his eleventy-first birthday (as seen in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring), and Elijah Wood makes a brief appearance as Frodo.
Among other returning LOTR cast members, Ian McKellen is Ian McKellen, meaning he demonstrates once again why he was born to play the pivotal role of Gandalf. Christopher Lee, Cate Blanchett and Hugo Weaving also return as wizard Saruman the White, and the elves Galadriel and Elrond, but don't quite recapture the effortless perfection of their previous performances.
One returning actor, however, completely steals the film. Andy Serkis, once again playing the motion capture Gollum to perfection. It's a more humorous performance this time, but he shines. The scene between Freeman's Bilbo and Serkis' Gollum represents the film at its absolute best.
Among the new cast members, Richard Armitage is a heroic and proud Thorin Oakenshield, former Doctor Who star Sylvester McCoy does what he can with the role of Radagast but can't salvage the mess the writers made of his character, Benedict Cumberbatch's two motion capture characters Smaug and the Necromancer are only very briefly seen so no real judgment can be rendered, and Ken Stott stands out from the rest of the dwarves as Balin. The problem is there's too many dwarves, and the film doesn't give most of them much to do to really have a chance to stand out.
The acting was harder to judge than usual, because High Frame Rate's tendency to exaggerate character movements, including gestures and facial expressions, also makes the performances seem exaggerated. If this format continues to be used, actors will have to learn to underact.
After seeing the LOTR films well over a dozen times each, I still remain emotionally invested in the story from the first scene to the last. I never really felt that while watching this film. I really think part of it is the High Frame Rate, which was more distraction then benefit. Any time a film's format serves to point out that it's all fakery, it's not good, unless the filmmaker's intent is to point out that it's all fakery, which isn't the intent here.
Now if you get the impression that I'm calling The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey the worst film ever, that's really not the case. It's just disappointing based on the expectations I had. Some people will no doubt find it entertaining. It just didn't have the same magic for me, and I'm saddened by that. I first read the The Hobbit as a child in the late 1970s, and it's where my love of the fantasy genre began. I expected the film version to be better.
Disclaimer: I found the High Frame Rate format to be so fake looking and distracting, that it no doubt made it even harder for me to get into the film. Which means that my review is biased by how I experienced the film. So if you are going to see this film, I would suggest seeing it in 2D or standard 3D. If you like the film enough to want to see it a second time, maybe then you could see it in HFR 3D if you're really curious.
[2.5 out of 5 stars]