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Seven months after the deadly terrorist attack on the US mission in Benghazi, Libya, the State Department is proposing hundreds of millions of dollars in new security spending – tacit acknowledgment that some of the most effective security enhancements for America's overseas diplomats are still months or years away.
Secretary of State John Kerry told the House Foreign Affairs Committee Wednesday that the department's proposed fiscal 2014 budget calls for $4.4 billion "to fortify our worldwide security protection and improve our overseas infrastructure."
In his first congressional testimony as secretary of State, Mr. Kerry also underscored his commitment to pressing forward in the decades-old quest for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Unlike his predecessor, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Kerry has made reaching a peace accord a top goal of his tenure. "We have some period of time – a year to year-and-a-half to two years – or it's over," he said, underscoring the urgency of his Middle East effort.
On the proposed budget, about half of the amount set aside for security is earmarked for construction of more secure facilities. The goal? That diplomats might no longer find themselves trapped in exposed, poorly guarded facilities like the Benghazi mission, where Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans lost their lives in a missile and fire-bombing attack last September.
While the State Department's schedule of overseas construction projects has been revamped since Benghazi to give priority to what are deemed to be the most vulnerable facilities, construction still takes time.
In addition to construction, the State Department is also moving to add more Marine guards to at-risk embassies and to step up the training and vetting of locally hired security guards.
But all of those measures take time, too. For example, the State Department can request but can't order the deployment of additional Marine guards – it can only make a request with the Pentagon.
In January, Mrs. Clinton said in her last congressional testimony as secretary of State that Benghazi had prompted her to ask the Defense Department "to dispatch hundreds of additional Marine guards" to "high-risk" embassies. The Pentagon says it is evaluating the request.
Kerry's appearance on Capitol Hill Wednesday provided House Republicans, in particular, the opportunity to renew their criticism of the Obama administration's handling of the Benghazi attack and its aftermath.
Coming two days after the Boston Marathon bombing, which President Obama has called an "act of terror" while pledging to find whoever carried out the attack, Kerry's testimony was also an opportunity for critics to allude to Mr. Obama's almost identical pledge in September concerning the Benghazi attackers.
"Seven months after Benghazi, the terrorists are still alive and free," said House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R) of California in his opening statement.
In his statement, Kerry said it had been a "hard year for the State Department family," noting the loss of foreign service officer Anne Smedinghoff in a bombing in Afghanistan earlier this month.
Saying diplomats like Ms. Smedinghoff and Ambassador Stevens "understand how risky the work we signed up for can be," he added that the two were "cut from the same cloth" and that their qualities "made them such outstanding Americans as well as members of the State Department family."
Smedinghoff was walking to deliver books to an Afghan school when she and four other Americans were killed by two bomb blasts. Stevens had been scheduled to open an American cultural center in Benghazi the day after the mission attack.
Kerry said the proposed State Department budget takes into account federal budget realities – the 2014 budget would actually be a 6 percent drop from current spending – as well as shifting diplomatic priorities.
In addition to stepped-up security spending, the budget sets aside $580 million for a "Middle East and North Africa Incentive Fund" to encourage countries in the region to move forward on economic and political reforms.
The fund would tell the leaders of countries like Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya that, "If you're willing to take on the deep-rooted challenges and make the tough choices, we are here for you," Kerry said.
The budget also includes some shifting of resources to allow for new diplomatic posts in the Asia-Pacific region, according to State Department officials, reflecting an effort to make good on Obama's commitment to a "rebalancing" of resources to the Asia-Pacific region.
On Israeli-Palestinian peace, Kerry said his three trips to the region in less than three months have convinced him that "the window for a two-state solution is shutting."
Kerry signaled a determination to keep the ball moving downfield despite difficult and mounting obstacles, saying the world is looking to the US to pursue an accord.
"Everybody I talk to in the region and all of the supporters globally who care," he said, "want us to move forward on a peace effort."


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Rice should have been wary of a White House staff with a tendency to gild the lily, with her pal Valerie Jarrett and other staffers zealous about casting the president in a more flattering light, like national security officials filigreeing the story of the raid on Osama to say Bin Laden fought back. Did administration officials foolishly assume that if affiliates of Al Qaeda were to blame, it would dilute the credit the president got for decimating Al Qaeda? Were aides overeager to keep Mitt Romney, who had stumbled after the Benghazi attack by accusing the president of appeasing Islamic extremists, on the defensive?
Writing in a 2002 book about President Clinton's failure to intervene in the genocide in Rwanda, Samantha Power, now a National Security Council official, suggested that Rice was swayed by domestic politics when, as a rising star at the N.S.C. who would soon become Clinton's director for African affairs, she mused about the '94 midterms, "If we use the word 'genocide' and are seen as doing nothing, what will be the effect on the November election?"
An Africa expert, Rice should have realized that when a gang showed up with R.P.G.'s and mortars in a place known as a hotbed of Qaeda sympathizers and Islamic extremist training camps, it was not anger over a movie. She should have been savvy enough to wonder why the wily Hillary was avoiding the talk shows.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
ASU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This collection includes most of the ASU Theses and Dissertations from 2011 to present. ASU Theses and Dissertations are available in downloadable PDF format; however, a small percentage of items are under embargo. Information about the dissertations/theses includes degree information, committee members, an abstract, supporting data or media.
In addition to the electronic theses found in the ASU Digital Repository, ASU Theses and Dissertations can be found in the ASU Library Catalog.
Dissertations and Theses granted by Arizona State University are archived and made available through a joint effort of the ASU Graduate College and the ASU Libraries. For more information or questions about this collection contact or visit the Digital Repository ETD Library Guide or contact the ASU Graduate College at firstname.lastname@example.com.
- Arizona State University
- Jung, Ranu
- Gardner, Carl L
- Jackiewicz, Zdzislaw
- Bilinsky, Lydia
- 1 Baer, Steven M
- 1 Crook, Sharon M
- 1 English
- 1 Public
- excitable systems
- Hopf bifurcation
- 1 Applied mathematics
- 1 Neurosciences
- 1 dendritic spines
- 1 membrane accommodation
- Reverse Fountain Cytoplasmic Streaming in Rhizopus Oryzae
- Diné Research Practices and Protocols: An Intersectional Paradigm Incorporating Indigenous Feminism, Critical Indigenous Research Methodologies and Diné Knowledge Systems
- Developing an Augmented Reality Solution for Mapping Underground Infrastructure
- Characterization of 2D Human Ankle Stiffness during Postural Balance and Walking for Robot-aided Ankle Rehabilitation
- Using Molecular, Cellular and Bioengineering Approaches Towards Understanding Muscle Stem Cell Biology
One explanation for membrane accommodation in response to a slowly rising current, and the phenomenon underlying the dynamics of elliptic bursting in nerves, is the mathematical problem of dynamic Hopf bifurcation. This problem has been studied extensively for linear (deterministic and stochastic) current ramps, nonlinear ramps, and elliptic bursting. These studies primarily investigated dynamic Hopf bifurcation in space-clamped excitable cells. In this study we introduce a new phenomenon associated with dynamic Hopf bifurcation. We show that for excitable spiny cables injected at one end with a slow current ramp, the generation of oscillations may occur an order one distance away …
- Contributors
- Bilinsky, Lydia, Baer, Steven M, Crook, Sharon M, et al.
- Created Date
- 2012


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A's lose Parker early in blowout defeat against Cards
Oakland starter exits in fourth due to right hamstring injury
OAKLAND -- Saturday was shaping up to be quite the pitchers' duel before Jarrod Parker was forced to exit early in Saturday's 7-1 loss to the Cardinals.
Oakland's right-hander cruised through the first 3 2/3 innings, challenging hitters with fastballs peaking at 95 mph that repeatedly missed bats. He didn't allow a runner until the third inning and had struck out three.
But Parker's 48th pitch of the day turned out to be his last. He fell in a heap in the midst of his attempt at retiring Allen Craig to end the inning, climbing to his knees for a few seconds before clutching his right hamstring.
The A's second-year starter tried to stay in the game, tossing a handful of warm-up pitches with manager Bob Melvin observing feet away. Oakland's skipper turned to Jesse Chavez in relief for what can either be interpreted as a best-case scenario due to precautionary measures or, through a more dire reading, Parker's inability to regain his form.
The report from Melvin after the game pegged "right hamstring tightness" as the cause of his early exit.
"It's semantics, to an extent," Melvin said. "Every cramp is a slight strain, based on hydration. We're hoping that's what it is."
Parker said he hadn't felt any discomfort prior to the incident and that he's never experienced anything comparable in his career. His preparation before the game mirrored that of every game this season.
"It was just something where I threw the pitch and it got tight on me," Parker said. "It happened so fast, I can't really tell you what happened. It's something we'll figure out in the next few days."
Parker offered little protest to remain in the game, adding later in the locker room that "it probably wouldn't have been the smartest thing to try to gut through and stay there.
"We made a good decision."
Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright lived up to his end of the bargain as he went the distance for his 11th victory, but the potential loss of Parker is a dispiriting blow to an Oakland starting rotation that entered the game 20-6 with a 2.98 ERA and .224 opponents' batting average over the last 39 games after a rocky start to the season.
Parker, a microcosm of Oakland's starting pitching success, was 4-0 with a 2.34 ERA and .176 opponents' batting average over his last six starts after beginning the year 1-5 with a 7.34 ERA and .345 opponents' batting average.
"It sucks, you know," Parker said. "I've just been building on outings prior and today everything was working good early and I was able to establish my fastball in and out. It's unfortunate."
Parker's outing followed A.J. Griffin's first shutout and Bartolo Colon's eighth straight win, a trend Chavez couldn't continue. Chavez allowed four earned runs in the subsequent 1 1/3 innings before Jerry Blevins replaced him in the sixth and promptly allowed a three-run home run to Matt Adams to break open the game, 6-0. Oakland's bullpen pitched 5 1/3 innings Saturday after accounting for just one inning in the two games prior.
"I'd like to say it was just one of those days," Chavez said. "I still have to do my job and I got to go deeper and save the bullpen so we don't have to use as many arms as we did today."
Wainwright, meanwhile, continued his dominance despite Parker's absence. Like Parker, Wainwright didn't allow a hit until late in the third inning. St. Louis' right-hander responded with his fourth complete game of the season to avoid losing a third straight start for just the fourth time in his career.
Oakland's lone run came on an RBI single by Josh Reddick in the eighth that scored Josh Donaldson from second. Donaldson was the A's first runner in scoring position all game.
"Every time, it seemed, we got a guy on first base, we hit into a double play," Donaldson said. "He's not going to be a guy to overpower you, but he's a very intelligent pitcher."
Of the five hits Wainwright allowed, two were off the bat of Derek Norris, who entered the game wallowing in a 4-for-39 slump over his previous 13 games. His single into left field in the third inning was his first hit since June 11.
Though the A's found productivity through an unfamiliar source, the team's more reliable staple -- bases on balls -- was nonexistent Saturday, in large part due to Wainwright.
Oakland, the most walked team in baseball, struck out eight times and reached base just twice via walks all game against Wainwright, whose 9.5 strikeout-to-walk ratio is the best in the Majors by a wide margin. Wainwright has walked just 12 batters through 125 2/3 innings this season.
"I read something today that the A's had swept five out of the last six home series," Wainwright said. "I text Yadier [Molina] and said, 'They're not sweeping us.' That's a great team over there. The lineup is very deep with a lot of guys that can hurt you and a quality pitching staff. We knew we had our work cut out for us."
Both starting pitchers brought it Sunday. Parker's early exit changed the course of the game completely.
"If he could've stayed in the entire game, we could still be playing 0-0," Donaldson said. "He really looked sharp early on. That's probably the best I've seen him all year."


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In a blog entry posted earlier this week, Linux kernel developer and Novell employee Greg Kroah-Hartman announced that he will be working full time on the Linux Driver Project.
Announced in January, the Linux Driver Project aims to make companies more aware of the free driver development services provided by the Linux kernel community. The project was created in collaboration with the Linux Foundation, which assisted by providing a legal framework for companies that require kernel developers to sign nondisclosure agreements.
According to Kroah-Hartman, the kernel community received a tremendous response to the January announcement from companies interested in driver development and developers willing to contribute their time and effort. Now that Novell is permitting Kroah-Hartman to work on the project full time, we expect to see a lot of new drivers entering the mainline kernel tree in the near future.
"I never expected the response to be as large as it was," wrote Kroah-Hartman. "[T]he number of companies expressing interest in this has exceeded all of my wildest expectations. Already this announcement has caused a number of drivers to end up in the main Linux kernel source tree, with more in the pipeline."
For more information, check out the frequently asked questions page of the Linux Driver Project wiki.


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I received some moolah in my Paypal this morning for a year of "service". Of course it made my day! And guess what came to my mind after I have confirmed the transfer?!!? Shopping!!! Not for me but for Baby Dot. Since learning of her gender, I was itching to shop for cutie stuff for her already. So I went online and browsed some stores:
Anyway, we are going to the mall this Thursday so I'll probably be able to ease the shopping itch! For now, I need to stop browsing. Hubby is on his way home and I don't want him giving me "the look". Hehe. Ciao!


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Jason Momoa has signed on for 'Guardians of the Galaxy'.
The 'Conan' actor gave such a convincing screen test as Drax the Destroyer for Marvel's upcoming adaptation of the superhero comic book series that producers decided to offer him the part immediately, according to Latino Review.
Jason reportedly beat off stiff competition from Isiah Mustafa, Dave Bautista and Brian Patrick during the audition last Wednesday (13.02.13).
The 33-year-old star will play key Guardians member Drax, a human whose family was slaughtered by villain Thanos, the evil being introduced at the end of 2012's 'Avengers Assemble'. He was given a chance at revenge by the Titans, who put his spirit into a powerful new body in order to oppose and eventually destroy Thanos.
Jason will join 'Zero Dark Thirty' actor Chris Pratt in the sci-fi flick. Chris was recently cast as lead character Peter Quill, also known as Star-Lord, an astronaut who returns from space as a galactic warrior.
The vocal casting for lead female Gamora, as well as for Rocket Raccoon and Groot have not yet been announced, but Adam Sandler and Jim Carrey are reportedly in talks to pick up the latter roles.
'Guardians of the Galaxy' is scheduled for release in August 2014.
tagged in Jason Momoa Guardians of the Galaxy


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Last summer, in a conversation with the lovely Lois and Roberta of KosherEye, they mentioned that they pluck all their summer produce right from their backyards. What does it take to enjoy garden-fresh veggies every day? We invited them to share the tales from their garden with CookKosher members - CookKosher
I have made many delcious recipes from the Kosher Eye website! It's a pleasure to see your beautiful gardens. Most of us northerners have a much shorter growing season, but my tomatoes are coming in nicely. And I've harvested basil a couple of times already. I adore being able to cut a Shabbos bouquet from the yard, also. Thanks for sharing your tips.


text:
Professional Community for Car Dealers, Marketing, Advertising and Sales Leaders
ADM Professional Community Members who are associated with a Nissan Dealership; please list your Nissan Dealership information using the comment field below...
You should include the Name, address, phone, website URL, email, point of contact and any other relevant information that would assist a consumer in learning more about your store. HTML, images and embedded video are welcome.
Boulder Nissan
2285 28th St, Boulder, CO 80301
Visit our dealership in Boulder, CO for a great selection on new and used Nissan vehicles, parts and services at competitive prices.
Hudson Nissan
2159 Lexington Rd
Nicholasville, KY 40356
New, Used, and Certified Nissan sales serving Lexington, Nicholasville, Richmond, and Central KY. All new and select used come with a Lifetime Powertrain Warranty.
Nissan of Paducah
3164 Park Ave.
Paducah, Ky 42001
New,Used,Preowned Nissan Dealership Serving Western Ky,Southern Ill and South East Mo.
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814 Memorial Blvd.
Murfreesboro, TN 37129
New, Used, Preowned Nissan Dealership in Murfreesboro, Smyrna, Shelbyville & Nashville.
Serafini Nissan Volvo
Vestal, NY 13850
2400 Seymour Road
Jackson, MI 49201
Sales: (866) 980-6673
Service: (517)788-8300
Serving South Central Michigan (Jackson - Lansing - Battle Creek - Ann Arbor - Adrian - Jonesville - Hillsdale)
Cole Nissan
3003 Stadium Drive
Kalamazoo, MI 49008
Serving Southwest Michigan (Kalamazoo-Grand Rapids-Battle Creek)
Nissan of State College
3280 W College Ave
State College, PA 16801
Serving Central PA with New & Certified Pre-Owned Nissan Sales, Parts & Service
Morrey Infiniti Nissan
2710 Lougheed Highway
Port Coquitlam, BC V3B 6P2
(604) 464-9291
John Lee Nissan
120 E. 23rd St.
Panama City, FL 32405
(850) 763-6575
Panama City Beach, Ft. Walton Beach, Destin, Tallahassee, Dothan AL
Nissan and Kia of Santa Rosa
1275 Santa Rosa Ave.
Santa Rosa CA 95404
Comment by Joe Gordon
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4815 S Us Highway 1
Fort Pierce Fl 34982
Bob Bell Nissan of Baltimore
7900 Eastern Ave
Baltimore Md 21224
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7701 Wisconsin Avenue Bethesda Maryland
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Servicing Washington DC, Potomac, Rockville, Gaithersburg, Silver Spring.
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text:
Fentanyl Addiction Treatment, Side Effects and Signs Fentanyl is a potent opioid and schedule II controlled substance.
Fentanyl Addiction Treatment, Side Effects and Signs
Fentanyl is a potent opioid and schedule II controlled substance.
Fentanyl is a potent opioid painkiller that comes in a variety of different formats. The available variety might be responsible, in part, for the high rates of addiction associated with this drug. Fentanyl users have many ways to abuse or become addicted that will lead to negative side effects. Detox can treat withdrawal and therapy programs can help in a long-term recovery. Treatment lasting for a year or longer could help people to build resistance to the urge to abuse this powerful drug.
Find Fast
Prescription opioid pain relievers are one of the most common drugs of abuse in America. In 2012 alone, over 2 million people reported abusing them, per the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Only 169,868 of those people sought treatment, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports.
What Is Fentanyl?
- Transdermal patches
- Sublingual dissolving tablets
- Nasal spray
- Lozenges
- Injectable liquid
- Dissolvable film strips
Put addiction behind you. Begin Your Future. Call 800-980-3927
Consultants available 24/7
The Road to Recovery
There is no quick fix for fentanyl addiction. Bouncing back won't happen overnight. In fact, treatment for opioid dependency generally takes at least a year. In that time, most recovering individuals opt for medical maintenance programs, such as those that use methadone and buprenorphine.
Therapy can help individuals to work well with others and improve communication skills " practices that come in handy for recovering addicts who are trying to repair broken relationships with family members and other loved ones.
Holistic treatment is always an option, too. Most addicts are not strangers to stress and anxiety " two issues that practices such as meditation and yoga can help to improve. According to one study, 300 people who took part in a two-hour session of yoga reported a 14.7 percent decrease in anxiety.
These therapeutic practices can also aid people with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders. One study that compared the effectiveness of varying relapse prevention tools noted 17 percent of people who participated in a traditional program had relapsed within the following year, while 14 percent in a 12-step program did. Only 9 percent who practiced mindfulness returned to substance abuse, Reutersstates. In general, comprehensive care that incorporates various treatment approaches can best address complex cases.


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Recently I needed a Silverlight menu. I found the following implementations:
But none behave like an ordinary HeaderedItemsControl and all did impose some constraint which make using databinding, templating or MVVM more awkward than it should be. So here is my take on this control.
Below I'm going to quickly explain the salient point of the implementation and then show some usage samples.
The main class is MenuItem. Inspired by WinForm, WPF, I did create a Menu class but it's just an optional container with a different layout (and it also hide the arrow on the side).
The UI, at its most basic is defined as follows (non necessary styling element removed)
There is a Transparent Grid background grid for hit testing, a border at lowest Z order for highlight, the content presenter for the header and an ItemsPresenter in a Popup for children.
Now the most basic implementation of an ItemsControl just setup children. I also copy the style in PrepareContainerForItemOverride, as MenuItem's children item are whole new MenuItem with the default style. This code make sure all children and children's children and so on looks the same as the top level MenuItem, in case it has been styled.
To manage the popup by code I added an IsOpen property
Now all is needed is to overrides OnMouseEnter, OnMouseLeave, OnMouseLeftButtonDown, OnMouseLeftButtonUp.
Most of them do little and delegate the thinking to the class MenuPopupManager. This class maintains a list of all open popup, position the Popup appropriately, hide those Popup that need be hidden and close all MenuItem after a timeout.
Ideally it should close all menu when the user click outside the MenuItem but I could not get it to work reliably.
A skeleton implementation looks like that
Obviously MenuItem implement Click and triggering an ICommand and hiding itself after that. If no Click event handler or Command is defined it will do nothing (including not closing the menu), making it easy to embed advanced control in popup menu.
And lastly I added a bit of Styling. I downloaded the Silverlight toolkit and took the SystemBrushes class from the SystemColor theme's source code. Used various SystemBrushes's Brush for styling the Menu and MenuItem.
The nice silverish background brush of the Menu is SystemBrushes.ButtonGradient
For the mouse hover effect where an highlight color (quickly but progressively) appears I finally took the time to use animation and view state. It proved to be real easy!
First I setup 2 states. One which progressively increased the opacity of the background control (PART_HighlightBg). The second state does nothing, in effect reverting the opacity change instantly. I could have used an animation too but I liked the shorter template and result is good too.
Then I simply setup the state in mouse handler
And now some example on how to use this control.
First I'll define a data model used for my MVVM usage
Then I can do some simple binding
Remark to setup the Command on the MenuItem I should use the ItemContainerStyle property.
I can also add a single parentless MenuItem anywhere. And I can style it too, setup the background brush for instance (whether it's parentless or not) and the value will flow down.


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Biliary fascioliasis – an uncommon cause of recurrent biliary colics: Report of a case and brief review
Biliäre Fasciolose – eine ungewöhnliche Ursache für wiederholte Gallenkoliken: Bericht eines Falles mit einer kurzen Übersicht
Search Medline for
|February 22, 2012
|April 11, 2012
|May 2, 2012
Biliary parasitosis is one of the important causes of biliary obstruction in endemic areas, however due to migration and travel the disease is known to occur in non endemic zones as well. The spectrum of biliary fascioliasis ranges from recurrent biliary colics to acute cholangitis. The long term complications are gall stones, sclerosing cholangitis and biliary cirrhosis. We describe fascioliasis as a cause of recurrent biliary colics in a young male necessitating multiple hospitalizations over a period of four years. Investigative profile had been non-contributory every time he was hospitalized for his abdominal pain prior to the current presentation. He never had cholangitis due to the worm in the common bile duct. It was only at endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) biliary fascioliasis was discovered to be the cause of his recurrent biliary colics. After removal of the live Fasciola hepatica from the common bile duct he became symptom free and is attending our clinic for last 11 months now. Clinical spectrum of biliary fascioliasis is discussed in this report.
In endemischen Gebieten ist der Parasitenbefall von Gallengängen eine häufige Ursache für Gallenkoliken. Aufgrund von Migration und Reisetätigkeiten kommen derartige Erkrankungen auch außerhalb endemischer Gebiete vor. Das Spektrum der Symptome bei Gallengangsfasciolose erstreckt sich von wiederholten Gallenkoliken bis zur akuten Cholangitis. Als Langzeitkomplikationen werden Gallensteine, sklerosierende Cholangitis und biliäre Zirrhose beschrieben. Wir berichten über eine Fasciolose als Ursache für Gallenkoliken bei einem jungen Mann, der über vier Jahre mehrfach wegen Gallenkoliken stationär behandelt wurde. Das Untersuchungsprofil brachte bisher jedes Mal keinen Erfolg, wenn er stationär wegen Bauchschmerzen aufgenommen wurde. Er hatte vorher niemals eine Cholangitis auf der Basis eines Befalls mit dem Leberegel. Nur durch endoskopisch retrograde Cholangiopankreatikographie (ERCP) wurde die biliäre Fasciolose als Ursache für die wiederholten Gallenkoliken entdeckt. Nach Entfernen der lebenden Fasciola hepatica aus dem Gallengang wurde der Patient, nunmehr seit 11 Monaten, symptomfrei. Das klinische Spektrum der biliären Fasciolose wird in diesem Bericht diskutiert.
Fascioliasis is endemic in sheep raising and cattle breeding countries but reports from non-endemic areas have been described in the literature. In a recent meta analysis by Thomas Furst et al. [1] it has been estimated that more than 2.6 million people are infected by the Fasciola hepatica globally with highest infestations being in Latin America, Andean, followed by North Africa, middle east, Asia and Europe. In the same meta analysis authors reported an increase of 11% for fascioliasis over the last decade. These estimates are 35% higher than previous World Health Organization (WHO) figures [2]. The life cycle of Fasciola hepatica is complex and human beings are the accidental hosts. Humans get infected by eating raw vegetables especially watercress grown in sheep raising areas. Other fresh water plants like lettuce, mint, alfalfa are known to transmit the infection. Occasionally drinking unboiled water contaminated by metacercariae may cause the infection [3]. The eggs hatch into larvae and penetrate the gut lumen, finally migrate to the liver where they lodge into the biliary system. Adult worm is large, flat, brownish and leaf-shaped. Its size is about 2.5 × 1 cm. It is estimated to live for 9–13 years in the human biliary system [4]. There are three phases in the life cycle of the parasite in human beings. First phase is the hepatic phase which reflects an acute phase of infection. Second phase is the biliary phase reflecting the chronic phase and the third is the pharyngeal phase which is considered to be an ectopic phase in its life cycle. Damage to the liver is proportional to the parasitic load during hepatic phase. Endoscopic ultrasound has emerged as an important investigational tool in the biliary phase of the parasite but endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) has the advantage of therapeutic potential in the management of fascioliasis. Biliary phase requires ERCP for management as the drugs are effective only in the hepatic phase of the parasite. Reports of cholangitis, hemobilia [5] even death caused by fascioliasis have been described in the literature [6].
Case report
A 27-year-old Egyptian male with no significant comorbidities presented with history of episodic, recurrent abdominal pain of 4 years duration to our clinic at King Abdul Aziz specialist hospital Taif, a tertiary care centre in the western region of Saudi Arabia. Patient described pain as colicky, remaining for 1–2 hours necessitating intravenous analgesics predominantly in the upper abdomen. His abdominal pain had no reference or radiation and there was no jaundice associated with it. Patient had been admitted four times in various hospitals during this period and every time basic laboratory evaluation including liver function tests and serum amylase were within normal limits. His ultrasound examination had been within normal limits on each occasion he was hospitalized for his abdominal pain. Patient denied any high risk behavior or drug abuse. Over this period he had stable appetite and constant weight. On examination he was conscious oriented and he had stable vitals. There was no icterus, or lymphadenopathy. His systemic examination was unremarkable. Laboratory data revealed normal hemogram, normal liver function tests and his abdominal ultrasound was also within normal limits. There were no eggs or ova in his stool examination. Keeping in view recurrent biliary colics magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) was done which showed a doubtful filling defect in the common bile duct but intra-hepatic biliary radicals were not dilated. There were no gall stones and the rest of the viscera were within normal limits. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) was undertaken which revealed normal papilla. Selective common bile duct (CBD) canulation was done and cholangiogram revealed a filling defect in the lower end of common bile duct. There was mild dilatation of the common bile duct (Figure 1 [Fig. 1]) however, biliary radicals were not dilated. Sphincterotmy was done and CBD was sweeped with biliary balloon and a live Fasciola hepatica was seen coming out of the common bile duct (Figure 2 [Fig. 2], Figure 3 [Fig. 3]). Later using biopsy forceps the worm was taken out of duodenum and confirmation of the species, Fasciola hepatica, was made by the microbiology department of the hospital. Patient was given two tablets of triclabendazole 250 mg (manufactured by Novartis) after the procedure. Following therapeutic ERCP patient became symptom free and is attending our clinic for last 11 months now.
The index case had recurrent biliary colics without having cholangitis due to Fasciola hepatica. Although hailing from an endemic area (Egypt) he has been living in non-endemic zone (Saudi Arabia) for the last 8 years now implying that even brief exposure to an endemic zone can lead to infestation of the parasite. Various cases of biliary fascioliasis described in the literature [4], [7] have demonstrated obstructive jaundice to be the commonest presentation, however, the index case had no jaundice or cholangitis during four years of his intermittent illness. It is possible that there was a low worm load in the biliary system of the index case which allowed free flow of bile. There has to be high degree of suspicion to diagnose biliary fascioliasis as a cause of recurrent biliary colics especially in non-endemic areas. Although painful cholestasis associated with eosionphilia should make high suspicion of parasitosis as a case of biliary obstruction, the index case had no eosinophilia. Eosionphilia is striking in the hepatic phase and may not be observed in the biliary phase of the life cycle of the parasite as in the index case. During the first 3–4 months of acute infection, immunologic techniques play an important role in the diagnosis of fascioliasis. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 97.8% [2], [4]. During the early larval stage of infection, eggs are not found in the stool. The diagnosis can be made by finding characteristic ova in feces, duodenal aspirates, or bile specimens in the biliary phase of the parasite. Eggs are non-embryonated, ovoid, and large (130–150 × 60–90 µm), with a small operculum. Eggs being released sporadically it may be necessary to examine number of concentrated stool specimens to reach the diagnosis. The stool analysis in the index case was negative for ova and parasites, possibly we didn't repeat the analysis multiple times. We had low presumption of fascioliasis before ERCP and no serology was done in the index case. In the biliary phase of the parasite CT scan may demonstrate hypodense nodules or tortuous tracks resulting from migration of the parasite, in addition to dilatation of biliary radicals [8]. Endoscopic ultrasound and ERCP may demonstrate irregular thickening of the common bile duct and ERCP having therapeutic potential has been preferred by most of the workers in the management of biliary fascioliasis [3], [4], [7]. The radiological picture of fascioliasis may even mimic other biliary disorders. For example Mohammad et al. [9] reported a 34-year-old male with obstructive jaundice having features of cholangiocarcinoma on magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP). Their patient proved to have fascioliasis on ERCP. The adult parasite mainly inhabits the biliary system and causes biliary complication but there are reports of pancreatitis caused by Fasciola hepatica [10], [11]. Maryo et al. [11] postulated that the eggs laid by the adult parasite cause obstruction at the papilla leading to pancreatitis and hence risk of pancreatitis is proportional to the worm load in a given case. Biliary phase of the parasite mimicking sphincter of Oddi dysfunction was reported by Keshishian et al. [12]. Thus biliary phase of the parasite has a complex clinical spectrum. It may present as biliary colics, cholangitis or pancreatitis and requires ERCP for removal of the parasite. In contrast the hepatic phase usually presents as abdominal pain, fever and jaundice. The hepatic phase is treated with triclabendazole which can be given as a single oral dose of 10 mg/kg or, in cases of severe infection, in two doses (10 mg/kg) given 12 h apart. Tablet triclabendazole 250 mg (manufactured by Novartis) is related to the benzimidazole–2–carbamate anthelmintics and has been approved for human biliary fascioliasis. This drug is shown to penetrate liver flukes by transtegumentary absorption followed by inhibition of the parasite's motility by causing the destruction of the microtubular structure, resulting in the death of the parasite [13].
Fascioliasis is one of the unusual causes of recurrent biliary colics and it warrants a high degree of clinical suspicion especially in non-endemic areas. The current report emphasizes that ERCP may be considered for management of recurrent biliary colics even though classical features of biliary obstruction may not be present.
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
The authors thank Mr. Mohammad Alkotob Zohairy of the Department of Radiology, King Abdul Aziz Specialist Hospital Taif, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for his contribution to the preparation of this manuscript.
- 1.
- Fürst T, Keiser J, Utzinger J. Global burden of human food-borne trematodiasis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Infect Dis. 2012 Mar;12(3):210-21. DOI: 10.1016/S1473-3099(11)70294-8
- 2.
- Mas-Coma MS, Esteban JG, Bargues MD. Epidemiology of human fascioliasis: a review and proposed new classification. Bull World Health Organ. 1999;77(4):340-6.
- 3.
- Kaya M, Beştaş R, Cetin S. Clinical presentation and management of Fasciola hepatica infection: single-center experience. World J Gastroenterol. 2011 Nov 28;17(44):4899-904. DOI:Â 10.3748/wjg.v17.i44.4899
- 4.
- Gulsen MT, Savas MC, Koruk M, Kadayifci A, Demirci F. Fascioliasis: a report of five cases presenting with common bile duct obstruction. Neth J Med. 2006 Jan;64(1):17-9.
- 5.
- Wong RK, Peura DA, Mutter ML, Heit HA, Birns MT, Johnson LF. Hemobilia and liver flukes in a patient from Thailand. Gastroenterology. 1985 Jun;88(6):1958-63.
- 6.
- Goodman MA, Henderson JI, Cullity GJ. Fascioliasis causing jaundice and intestinal bleeding. Med J Aust. 1973 Sep 15;2(11):547-50.
- 7.
- Moghadami M, Mardani M. Fasciola hepatica: a cause of obstructive jaundice in an elderly man from Iran. Saudi J Gastroenterol. 2008 Oct;14(4):208-10. DOI: 10.4103/1319-3767.43279
- 8.
- Jones EA, Kay JM, Milligan HP, Owens D. Massive infection with Fasciola hepatica in man. Am J Med. 1977 Nov;63(5):836-42. DOI: 10.1016/0002-9343(77)90171-1
- 9.
- Mohammad Alizadeh AH, Roshani M, Lahmi F, Davoodi NA, Rostami Nejad M, Seyyedmajidi MR, Zali MR. Cholangiocarcinoma in magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography and fascioliasis in endoscopic ultrasonography. Case Rep Gastroenterol. 2011 Sep;5(3):569-77. DOI: 10.1159/000333229
- 10.
- Sezgın O, Altintaş E, Tombak A, Uçbılek E. Fasciola hepatica-induced acute pancreatitis: report of two cases and review of the literature. Turk J Gastroenterol. 2010 Jun;21(2):183-7.
- 11.
- Maroy B, Moullot P, Daloubeix H, Mathey JC. Pancreatite aigue compliquant une distomatose biliaire a Fasciola hepatica chez un patient porteur d'un diverticule choledocien [Acute pancreatitis complicating biliary distomatosis caused by Fasciola hepatica in a patient with a choledochal diverticulum]. Ann Gastroenterol Hepatol (Paris). 1987 Mar-Apr;23(2):67-70.
- 12.
- Keshishian J, Brantley SG, Brady PG. Biliary fascioliasis mimicking sphincter of Oddi dysfunction. South Med J. 2010 Apr;103(4):366-8. DOI: 10.1097/SMJ.0b013e3181d413d8
- 13.
- Millán JC, Mull R, Freise S, Richter J; Triclabendazole Study Group. The efficacy and tolerability of triclabendazole in Cuban patients with latent and chronic Fasciola hepatica infection. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2000 Nov-Dec;63(5-6):264-9.


text:
The following are various web pages that might be of use to Teenage Lawn Mower players. If you can think of another page that should be on the list, even if its just your page with a link to your mod, post a reply and I'll probably add it.
TLMod Central: A site with a few minor maps/mods.


text:
Alcoholic beverage price competition, proposed by Governor Malloy, is dead in the current session of the General Assembly. Since Sunday openings of liquor stores were legalized last year, most legislators are said to feel that liquor retailers have sacrificed enough already. The sacrifice of Connecticut's public, which pays the highest beer, wine, and liquor prices in the country on account of the state's minimum-pricing law, is, as usual, taken for granted. The policy here is that government should drive up alcohol prices to subsidize small stores in the name of preserving jobs there, a sort of tax whose proceeds go not to the government itself but to a special interest. Of course no one would dare apply this principle anywhere else in the state's economy. Just think of the jobs that could be created if Connecticut outlawed price competition in everything -- food, gasoline, clothing -- jobs created, that is, in other states. Maybe the small liquor stores can't be blamed for defending their historic privilege; most would be out of business otherwise. And maybe Democratic legislators can't be blamed too much either, their party being the parasitic party, the party of the government and welfare classes and everyone else with his hand out, the party determined to turn every aspect of life into political patronage. But strangely the most ardent defenders of forbidding liquor price competition seem to be Republican legislators, making a mockery of their party's supposed belief in free markets. Here is an issue where 10,000 people are exploited for every person who benefits, an issue of enormous political potential, and still most Republican legislators are terrified of articulating the public interest. Connecticut is full of issues like that -- and full of silent Republicans or Republicans whose contribution to debate is only to complain that state government spends too much before they go silent about exactly where to reduce spending and about identifying the policies that drive up costs to taxpayers only to subsidize special interests that support Democratic campaigns. This lack of intelligent opposition doesn't just leave the Republicans as an irrelevant minority in Connecticut. It leaves Connecticut with the impression that there is no alternative to its decline -- and thus it makes the Republicans most responsible for that decline. While Governor Malloy is the first Connecticut governor to champion competition in alcohol pricing, he has become the biggest opponent of the public's right to know since the state adopted its Freedom of Information Act in 1975. The governor has weakened state government's three watchdog agencies -- the freedom of information, ethics, and elections commissions -- reducing their staffs and putting them under direct control by his office. He has withheld the identities of state employees caught misappropriating food stamps. He seeks to exempt the parole board from disclosure requirements even as two prisoners given parole during his administration have been charged with murder. He opposes state Comptroller Kevin Lembo's legislation to disclose most information relating to state financial grants and loans to corporations, grants and loans that under the Malloy administration have become a vast program of corporate welfare. The governor says reducing the staffs of the watchdog agencies is a matter of efficiency. But the financial savings here are tiny -- and laughable amid the wild abandon with the corporate welfare the governor wants to conceal. Besides, the best efficiency is completely open government. It diminishes fraud and costly mistakes, and with completely open government Connecticut would not need its Freedom of Information Commission at all, since most of the commission's work is just adjudicating complaints about information withheld in the name of the many exemptions from disclosure that have been put into the law by special interests and their tools in government. Chris Powell is managing editor of the Journal Inquirer in Manchester.
CHRIS POWELL: Terrified, inept Republicans, and Governor Malloy intent on secrecy
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text:
- 1 Overview
- 2 How formulas get called
- 3 Formula Basics
- 4 Data Types
- 5 AI Formula Language
- 6 Keywords
- 7 Files and formulas
- 8 Tool Support
The Wesnoth Formula AI is an attempt to develop an AI framework for Wesnoth that allows easy and fun development and modification of AIs for Wesnoth. In addition to the technical information on this page, a tutorial-style guide is also available at Formula AI Howto.
Wesnoth already has support for AIs written in Python, but writing AIs in Python has a couple of problems:
- it's still rather difficult, especially for a non-programmer, to develop an AI, even in Python
- Python is insecure; a malicious trojan horse Python script masquerading as an AI could do untold damage
The Wesnoth Formula AI aims to create a fairly simple, pure functional language which allows one to implement an AI. It also aims to allow AIs to be tweaked and modified by people with relatively little technical programming experience; anyone who can use WML should also be able to use the Formula AI to tweak an AI to make the AI in a scenario behave how they want.
How formulas get called
Formulas Command Line
To attempt to make it convenient to debug formulas, one can run formulas from within Wesnoth, and see the results. To run a formula, just start game and type 'f'. A command textbox will appear, where you can type a formula, and the results will be printed. For instance, typing
8 + 4
will result in "12" appearing on the screen. You can now use Wesnoth like a calculator. :-)
Side-wide formulas
The first way to get a formula called is to assign it to a [side] in a WML map. This formula will be called every turn, so it is best used for very simple sides (a couple of special units which should have semi-scripted moves, or a simple handling followed by calls to the standard C++ AI)
To use the Formula AI, one should put an [ai] tag inside the [side] tag. Inside this [ai] tag, one should set up the side_formulas stage and specify the 'move' attribute to be a formula for the movement the AI will make. Each time it's the AI's move, this formula will be run, and the move it results in will be executed. Then the formula will be run again; it'll continue to be run until it stops producing a valid move, at which point the AI will end its turn. Alternatively there is a command that the formula may return which will make it end its turn immediately.
A sample AI which does nothing but recruit Wolf Riders is as follows:
[side] ... [ai] version=10710 [stage] engine=fai name=side_formulas move="recruit('Wolf Rider')" [/stage] [/ai] [/side]
Unit Formulas
You can specify a formula for any kind of unit. This is a simple way of doing it:
[unit] ... [ai] formula="move(me.loc, loc(me.loc.x, me.loc.y - 1))" [/ai] [/unit]
Above formula will simply move unit one hex to the north every turn. Note how "me" keyword allows access to unit itself. In addition, the unit_formulas stage also needs to be set up in the side definition:
[side] ... [ai] version=10710 [stage] engine=fai name=unit_formulas [/stage] [/ai] [/side]
If you need to execute unit formulas in a specific order, you can set a priority:
[unit] ... [ai] formula="move(me.loc, loc(me.loc.x, me.loc.y - 1))" priority=10 [/ai] [/unit]
Units with highest priority get their formula executed first.
You can also define AI unit-specific variables and use them in you formulas:
[unit] ... [ai] formula="if(attack, attack, move(me.loc, me.vars.guard_loc) ) where attack = choose(filter(attacks, units = [me.loc] and distance_between(me.vars.guard_loc, target) <= me.vars.guard_radius and unit_at(target).side=me.vars.hostile_side-1 ), avg_damage_inflicted)" [vars] guard_radius=3 guard_loc="loc(8,5)" hostile_side=1 [/vars] [/ai] [/unit]
This formula will get location position from variable guard_loc and make sure that unit attacks only opponent from side 1 (value specified by hostile_side variable) which is 3 hexes (guard_radius) or less from guard_loc.
Types of variables that are supported:
- number:
- text (important: note the ' ' within " "):
name="'I am variable'"
- list:
number_list=[ 1, 2, 3]
- map:
map=[ 'Elvish Archer' -> 70, 'Elvish Shaman' -> 60 ]
- location:
Candidate move evaluation
Units in wesnoth have all sort of special abilities, special powers and special usages. Thus, it was needed to have an easy way to describe special behaviour for special units. Adding an formula to a unit only partially solves the problem. It allows easily to have special units (like ennemy heroes) have special behaviour but not normal units with special powers to to behave smartly.
Candidate moves are a way to have formula that will
- evaluate a given situation
- see if they are able to provide "special moves" for the case they know how to handle
- give a move to do if the situation match their condition
Evaluation Algorithm
Each side will have some candidate move blocks made of
- a name for the move
- a type (see below for description of the different types and how they are called)
- a formula returning a score for the move
- a formula executing the move to do
The engine will run the following pseudo-code
while (a formula returned a score greatern than 0) { foreach (registered candidate move) { foreach (set of parameters for that candidate move's type) { call the evaluation formula, note the score returned } } if (the highest score returned was greater than 0) { call the candidate move that returned the highest score with the corresponding set of parameters } }
in other word, we evaluate all candidate moves, then run the candidate move with the highest score, then re-evaluate everything, until no candidate move wants to play anymore
To add a new candidate move to the RCA AI main_loop stage, use the following syntax:
[ai] version=10710 [stage] id=main_loop name=testing_ai_default::candidate_action_evaluation_loop {AI_CA_GOTO} {AI_CA_RECRUITMENT} {AI_CA_MOVE_LEADER_TO_GOALS} {AI_CA_MOVE_LEADER_TO_KEEP} {AI_CA_COMBAT} {AI_CA_HEALING} {AI_CA_VILLAGES} {AI_CA_RETREAT} {AI_CA_MOVE_TO_TARGETS} {AI_CA_PASSIVE_LEADER_SHARES_KEEP} [candidate_action] engine=fai name=go_south type=movement evaluation="if((me.hitpoints < me.max_hitpoints), 60010, 0)" action="move(me.loc, loc(me.loc.x, me.loc.y + 1))" [/candidate_action] [/stage] [/ai]
This is an example of a candidate action that gets added to all the standard RCA AI candidate actions and moves each unit with movement points left one hex south. It is also possible to use
inside the [side] tag to set up the standard RCA AI candidate actions, and then add the customized candidate actions later using [modify_ai] or one of the available macros.
Each [candidate_action] block describes a candidate move and must have the following fields
- name : the name of this candidate block
- type : see the paragraph about types below, this describe the implicite variables that the formulas will be called with
- evaluation : a formula returning an integer. This number reflects how good the move is compared to other moves. Values of zero will mean the move is not a good idea and should be skipped
- action : A formula that will be called if that candidate move is the best one
Candidate move types
there are two types of candidate moves
- attack : these are called once for every pair <me,target> where me is a variable set to a unit on the AI side, and target is a variable set to an ennemy unit that "me" can reach
- movement : these are called once for every unit on the AI side, the "me" variable is set to the corresponding unit
Summary : a typical AI turn
An AI turn will run the following formulas. Any formula returning an "end turn" move will (of course) finish the turn. But assuming this doesn't happen :
- All unit formulas are called once
- All candidate moves are evaluated and played
- All move= formulas are called until they don't return valid moves
- If no move= formula is provided, we drop automatically to C++
- Turn is ended.
Note that this means that you have to explicitely call "fallback" or set up the RCA AI main_loop stage specifically, if you want the C++ AI to finish your moves after a side-wide formula. Also note that the stages are executed in the order in which they are put into the [ai] tag, not in the order of the above list.
Formula Basics
- The Formula language supports basic arithmetic operations, such as: +, -, *, /, % and ^. It supports integers and decimal/floating point numbers, but operations will default to integer math unless operands are specified as floating point. For example:
4 + 8*7 #evaluates to 60 (4 + 8)*7 #evaluates to 84 8 % 6 #evaluates to 2 5 / 2 #evaluates to 2 5.0 / 2 #evaluates to 2.5 5 / 2.0 #evaluates to 2.5 3 ^ 2 #evaluates to 9
- It also supports equality, = and !=, and comparison operators, <, >, <=, and >=. 'false' values are 0 (integer) and null. Other values are true. It also supports common operators such as and, or, and not:
2 = 4 #evaluates to 0 2 <= 3 #evaluates to 1 0 != 1 #evaluates to 1 not 4 #evaluates to 0 not 0 #evaluates to 1 (2 < 4) and (3 > 6) #evaluates to 1 and 0 which evaluates to 0 (2 < 4) or (3 > 6) #evaluates to 1 or 0 which evaluates to 1
- Formula language supports also 'dice' operator 'd'. Example usage is:
Which will give you one of results of rolling three five-sided dice (so random number between 3 and 15). NOTE: We encourage you to use this operator only when it is really needed. In most cases, you should not base the AI decisions on random results except for scenario replayability purposes.
Data Types
Formula System supports different types of data, which can be stored as a variables and are used in evaluations:
- Numbers: like 0, 1, 2 etc. Floating-point numbers are not supported. 0 is equal to logical 'false', any other number is 'true'.
- Text strings:
'this is a text string'
- Lists: A list is a sequence of values. For example, ai.my_units is a list of unit objects. A list is represented as square brackets, [], surrounding a comma-seperated list. For instance:
[4, 8, 7]
is a list of three numbers, and
is a empty list. Various functions can operate on lists.
To acces one particular element of a list we can use operator [], for example:
Returns first element from the my_list, so:
[ 10, 20, 30, 40][2]
- Maps: A map is a sequence of pairs, each pair is a key and assigned to it value. For example:
[ 'Elvish Fighter' -> 50, 'Elvish Archer' -> 60 ]
Is a map which consist of two pairs, first one assigns to the text string 'Elvish Fighter' the value 50, second one assigns 60 to the 'Elvish Archer' string.
To access value assigned to the key, we can use operator []:
[ 'Elvish Fighter' -> 50, 'Elvish Archer' -> 60 ][ 'Elvish Fighter' ]
Above example returns
AI Formula Language
The formula language must be able to access information about the scenario being played to make intelligent decisions. Thus there are various 'inputs' that one may access. A simple example of an input is the turn number one is on, given by the input, 'turn'. Try bringing up the formula command line using 'f' and then type in
The AI will print out the current turn number the game is on.
The 'turn' input is a simple integer. However, some inputs are complex types which contain other inputs, or which may be lists of inputs. For instance, the input 'my_units' contains a list of all the AI's units.
A complex input such as a unit will contain a variety of inputs inside it. If one has a unit input, called 'u' for instance, one can access the 'x' co-ordinate of that unit by using u.loc.x -- u.loc accesses the 'location' object inside the 'unit' object, and the 'location' object contains 'x' and 'y' inputs inside it, which are the x and y co-ordinate of the unit.
Available variables
these are variables that you can call in an AI formula or from the command line.
Some of these variables are complicated data structues, calling their name from the formula command line will allow you to easily see their content
use the dir and debug_print to inspect the variables
to get a coplete list, use the
- attacks a list of all possible attacks
NOTE: this variable returns a list of all possible attacks (including attack combinations - attacking a single enemy unit with several units) , which is immediately treated as list of attack orders, which is evaluated (so, evaluation of this variable results in attacks being made). If you want to get the list without such evaluation, wrap it inside the array, "[attacks]". If you want to get the first attack, wrap it inside the array twice, "[[attacks[0]]]"
- my_attacks a list of all possible attacks. It returns slightly different list then attacks. I.e. when only two units (attacker and dedenter) are on the board attacks return one attack, from the position with the highest defence and my_attacks returns all 6 attacks from all adjacent tiles.
- my_side global variables describing your own side
- teams all the data about all the teams
- turn the current turn number
- time_of_day the current time of day
- keeps all keep locations
- vars all localy set varables using the set_var function
- allies a list of all sides that are friendly
- ennemies a list of all sides that are enemy
- my_moves a list of all my moves
- enemy_moves a list of all enemy moves
- my_leader our leader unit
- my_recruits the list of units that can be recruited by us
- recruits_of_side foreach side the list of units that can be recruited
- units the complete list of all units
- units_of_side foreach side, a list of all owned units
- my_units the complete list of all units owned by the current player
- enemy_units all units that are enemy to the current player
- villages all the villages on the map
- my_villages all the villages owned by the current player
- villages_of_side for each side, the list of villages owned
- enemy_and_unowned_villages all villages that you don't own
- map all the data about the map
Built-in functions
The formula language contains a large number of built-in functions which allow you to carry out all kinds of complex tasks. List of these functions, usage and simple examples can be found here.
Custom Functions
- You can define your own functions. A function is a formula which takes some inputs as parameters. Suppose we wanted to define a function that puts some value on a unit, we might add the following to the [ai] tag:
[function] name=value_unit inputs="unit" formula="unit.hitpoints + unit.level*4" [/function]
This has defined a new function which takes a 'unit' as an input, and runs the given calculation over it.
- We can have multiple inputs in our functions, to define them, just create comma-separated inputs list:
This has defined a new function which takes both 'attacker' and 'defender' as an inputs.
- Sometimes, we use one of our inputs really often in our function - to make our life easier we can make its members (inputs) directly accessible from within the formula. This is improved version of function from above:
[function] name=value_unit inputs="unit*" formula="hitpoints + level*4" [/function]
As you can see, if we define input with a * char at the end, we make it a 'default input' for a formula. Note, that you can define only one default input per function.
- It is important to know difference between formulas defined in custom functions, and formula defined by a 'move=' in a [ai] tag. For example, if we want to get info about leader, we write in formula 'my_leader' - which acces member of the AI. To be able to use 'my_leader' in custom functions we have to add 'ai' as an input for our function:
allows us to access leader info by writing 'ai.my_leader', or:
allows us to access leader info by simply writing 'my_leader'
- You can also use 'def' keyword to define custom functions
Comments in Formula AI scripts are enclosed by # #:
#Define opening move# def opening(ai*) if(turn = 1, move(loc(11,23), loc(14,22)), [])
Comments may also be included at the end of a line:
def opening(ai*) if(turn = 1, move(loc(11,23), loc(14,22)), #capture village# []) #do nothing#
and they may also be used inline:
def opening(ai*) if(turn = 1, move(loc(11,23) #my_leader#, loc(14,24) #closest village#), [] #do nothing# )
The formula language has some reserved keywords to provide primitive functionality. Currently the following keywords are defined:
- where: This keyword is used to defining statements in formulas. You can define multiple comma-separated statements. Syntax:
<formula> where <comma-separated list of statements>
For example formula:
a + b where a = 2, b = 4
will give as result 6.
- functions: Returns a list of all built-in and custom functions available to the AI
- def: This keyword creates functions using the syntax:
def function_name(arg1, arg2, ....) function_body
For example,
def sum(x,y) x + y
creates a function sum taking two arguments and returns their sum.
Files and formulas
You can easily split your formulas between different files and include them when necessary. For example:
[unit] ... formula={my_unit_formula.fai} [/unit]
Will look for unit formula in the my_unit_formula.fai file.
Although it is not mandatory, we advocate to use following syntax in your fai files:
faifile '<filename>' ... faiend
This makes formula system know which file it is working with now, and gives you improved error reporting, which is often really helpful. Valid syntax for my_unit_formula.fai would be:
faifile 'my_unit_formula.fai' ... faiend
Tool Support
For some rudimentary support for exuberant ctags, add the following to .ctags (or create the file if it doesn't exist):
--langdef=formulaai --langmap=formulaai:.fai --regex-formulaai=/^def[ \t]*([a-zA-Z0-9_]+)/\1/d,definition/
This is especially nice when used with an editor or plugin with ctags support, such as Taglist for Vim.
Syntax Highlighting
Follow these steps to enjoy vim syntax highlighting support for Formula AI.
- Grab the Formula AI vim syntax file, formulaai.vim.
- Copy formulaai.vim to .vim/syntax
- Add the following to .vimrc :
autocmd! BufRead,BufNewFile *.fai setfiletype formulaai
Taglist Support
First you will need the very nice taglist plugin. Follow the link for downloads and install directions if you don't already have it installed.
Next, you'll need Formula AI support for exuberant ctags, follow the instructions in the ctags section.
Once you have all that, simply add the following line to your .vimrc:
let tlist_formulaai_settings = 'formulaai;d:definition'
To test it all out, open a Formula AI script file and enter the command
You should now have some nice highlighting and be able to easily navigate through formula, enjoy!


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Curry Beef Short Ribs With Horseradish Sauce
This is one of my main stand ins during winter months when I crave slow cooked flavors of beef. Horseradish and hint of curry may sound strange, but these...
beef, +curry powder, +flour, +ginger, +horseradish, +molasses, +olive oil, +onions, +black pepper, +salt, +sour cream, +water, +worcestershire sauce
Braised Beef Short Ribs
"After not being able to find a recipe for beef short ribs on the internet, I thought I might share this one that I came across many years ago. I have...
beef, +black pepper, +carrot, +flour, +garlic, +onions, +potato, +salt, +tomato, +vegetable oil, +water
Smothered Beef Short Ribs
"Here's a great stove top recipe for cooking beef short ribs. They are cooked in beef stock with mixed vegetables. This dish is great served over mashed...
beef, +bay leaves, +beef broth, +carrot, +celery, +thyme, +flour, +garlic, +olive oil, +onions, +red wine, +salt
Easy Sweet & Savory Korean BBQ Grilled Beef Short Ribs (Kal
This is probably the best homemade Korean grilled beef dish EVER, no exaggeration. I guess you can think of it as a Korean-style beef teriyaki. It is my...
beef, +garlic, +lettuce, +red pepper flakes, +green onion, +vegetable oil, +soy sauce, +sugar, +sesame seeds, +water, +yellow onions
Simple Beef Short Ribs
"The basics of this recipe came from my mom, and it was passed down to her from her mother and Oma. I changed it a little, and you can too. You can braise...
beef, +beef broth, +black pepper, +butter, +flour, +garlic, +olive oil, +onions, +salt
Braised Beef Short Ribs Recipe
The cherry blossoms in our nation's capital are in full bloom. But there still is time to include one more hearty, comforting recipe for those evenings...
www.grouprecipes.com - Similiar recipes
Vanessas Braised Beef Short Ribs Recipe
The beefiest, most succulent, tender chunks of beef on the planet served with a delicious, perfect sauce. Simple and oh so good. Prep:20m
beef, +garlic, +red wine, +roma tomato, +salt, +thyme, +yellow onions
www.grouprecipes.com - Similiar recipes
Slow Baked Beef Short Ribs Recipe
beef, +barbecue sauce, +beer, +onions
cookeatshare.com - Similiar recipes
Fall off the Bone Beef Short Ribs
Short ribs cooked like this are nothing short of amazing!!! One of my most favorite recipes!
beef, +cabbage, +carrot, +celery, +garlic, +horseradish, +ketchup, +lemon, +onions, +red potatoes
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Marketing Service Manager at the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC), Janine Taylor.
Gift And Craft Entrepreneurs Encouraged To Make Use Of Case Studies
Read more
Jump to navigation
Welcome to the official website of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries.
The Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries (MICAF) has been charged with the responsibility of driving the integration of the production of primary agricultural produce along all the stages of the supply chain through to value added and facilitating full commercialization of outputs of the agriculture, manufacturing, and service sectors.
We have, therefore, placed much energy and enthusiasm into the development of this website to provide timely information on the Ministry, our agencies and programmes.
4 St. Lucia Avenue, Kingston 5, Jamaica
Telephone: (876) 968-7116
Fax: (876) 960-7422
Hope Gardens, Kingston 6, Jamaica
Telephone: (876) 927-1731-50 / (876) 619-1731
Fax: (876) 927-1904
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Bottom Shelf Books is a blog that looks at picture books "from a somewhat grown-up perspective." Why would an adult read picture books? Here's Minh's (from Bottom Shelf Books) thoughts:
Why Picture Books?
As the old saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words... and weighs significantly less." I love reading as much as the next person, but there are only so many hours in the day. For example, why spend weeks (or months) reading David Foster Wallace's indulgently long Infinite Jest when you could spend minutes reading Crockett Johnson's Harold and the Purple Crayon which is basically the same story? (minus the prescription drug addiction.) It's really just a matter of efficient time management.
Efficient time management... hmm... This will be a good point to bring up with my husband. He believes watching the movie adaptation of a novel is efficient time management. Imagine how much more he could be getting done in a day with the help of picture books!


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Customer Fit Report
Personalize with Jibbitz™ Charms
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Shopping for a ½ size? Order up to the next largest whole size.
Crocband™ Platform ClogItem #205434
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The incredibly popular line of Crocband™ styles reaches new heights in this Platform edition. With all of the comfort and style attributes you love about the regular Crocband™ Clog plus a 1.5-inch platform sole all the way around, they're a playful way to elevate any look.
Crocband™ Platform Clog Details:
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Legendary Croslite™ foam cushioning offers all-day comfort and support.
A little room; feels more secure on your foot.
Tag @Crocs and #ComeAsYouAre
Help others find true comfort bysharing your selfie, shoefie or favorite Crocs photo!


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Review: Songket Restaurant, Kuala Lumpur
>> Sunday, March 23, 2014
Overall comment: Comfortable ambiance with pretty good traditional & modern Malay cuisine. Guests will certainly enjoy the traditional performances as well! Great place for those who are foreign to Malaysian culture :)
Halal: Yes
It's one of those very rare nights that I actually brave through traffic in the city center to attend a food review. More often than not, I'll decline invitations to reviews where the restaurant is located in the heart of the city center, solely because 1) it's usually too congested & stressful to drive there from PJ & 2) I'm not familiar with the roads in town. Thank God that this particular weekday night, at that "right" time, the traffic flow was surprisingly smooth & I didn't get lost! Woohoo!! *exited*
The restaurant's kitchen is headed by Chef Umar, the executive chef with 17 years of working experience as chef & have been around with Songket for the past 2 years. Chef Umar & his team of passionate kitchen crew are constantly improving & serving guests at Songket with new/improved dishes, reviewing their menu once every 6 months.
Songket Restaurant usually serves ala carte dishes, but buffets can be arranged for groups with a minimum of 30 persons. Their dishes are richly infused with local/Asian herbs & spices plus fresh ingredients from their suppliers.
We were invited not just for the launch of Songket Restaurant's new & improved menu but to celebrate their 4th Anniversary together with the rest of the media & business partners as well :D There were approximately 100 persons at the event, so the restaurant served their dishes in a buffet spread.
Some of the latest dishes on their new menu (there are more than 10 new dishes on the menu, focusing a lot more on presentation of the dishes as compared to their previous menu) are:
I did say that this place offers 'entertainment' as well, right? :D Some of us experienced watching certain traditional dances for the 1st time. How exciting! Haha...
It was indeed an enjoyable night at Songket Restaurant. I enjoyed the food, the ambiance (although I was sitting outside at the non air-conditioned area with the rest of the gang), & certainly the friendship that we share over the same passion for good food. Looking forward to the next food review gathering! Thanks Nomsterad & Songket Restaurant for the opportunity to review the food here :)
Songket Restaurant
29, Jalan Yap Kwan Seng
50450 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: (+603) 2161 3331/ (+6016) 3717 594 (Roslan)/ (+6012) 2607 769 (Firdaus)/ (+6012) 3945 004 (Umar)
Fax: (+603) 2161 3062
URL: http://www.songketrestaurant.com
Email: email@example.com
For media and PR related inquiry: firstname.lastname@example.com
Business hours: Mon - Fri 12:00p.m. - 3:00p.m., 6:00p.m. - 11:00p.m.;
Sat/Sun/Public Holidays 5:00p.m. - 11:00p.m.
Presentation: * * *
Price: * * 1/2
Environment: * * *
Taste: * * *
Service: * * *
Enjoyed the experience at Songket Restaurant,
Read more...


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Take me away to Provence with the aroma of lavender and oranges.
Place our Lavender Orange Organic Liquid Soap next to the sink in the kitchen or bath. A luxurious clean for the whole family. The use of Organic Lavender and Orange Essential Oils provides relaxing aromatherapy benefits and transports your mind to the sunny environs of Southern France.
Natural and organic castile blend liquid soaps can be used in a variety of ways. See our Blog for non-toxic hair care, body and household cleaning recipes.
Size: 8 oz.
Ingredients: Organic oils of sunflower* and/or safflower*, and coconut*, vegetable glycerin*, essential oils of orange, lavandin, and tangerine, rosemary extract. *USDA Certified Organic Ingredient
Directions: Wet hands then add soap to wash hands and then rinse. Inhale our beautiful essential oils and feel how soft your skin is after use.
CAUTION: Avoid eye contact. For external use only.
Our Organic Liquid Soaps leave your skin naturally clean and fresh with no synthetic residues or harsh chemical dryness. Our naturally foaming pump ensures you experience the fun and feel of lots of suds and aren't exposed to unnatural foaming agents that can dry your skin. That's why you will love this product.
More than that, we use plant-derived and organic essential oils that give you topical and aromatherapy benefits. Intentionally inhaling the aroma of our soaps, activates certain areas of the brain to provide therapeutic relief.
Our Ingredient Watch provides full ingredient transparency and to help you understand why our Lavender Orange Organic Liquid Soap is so amazing, we provide summaries and links here:
Coconut Oil is loaded with antioxidants, vitamins A & E, and healthy fats. These are great for your skin and can keep you looking youthful. Read more HERE.
Lavender (lavadin) Essential Oil is a potent anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-septic with topical and aromatherapy applications as well as a perfume. Read more about this miraculous ingredient HERE.
Rosemary Essential Oil and Extract is a natural preservative. Read more HERE.
Safflower Oil is an effective emollient and a favorite base oil for soap as a natural alternative to petroleum-based ingredients. Read more HERE.
Sunflower Oil is high in Vitamins A, C, D and E, which protect and strengthen your skin. Read more HERE.
We know how important it is to you that the products you put on your skin are safe and free from harmful chemicals. For this reason we promise we are Always Non-Toxic.
We ban all synthetic chemicals from our formulas and we promise you will never find the following Big Bad Chemicals in our Organic Products:
Our ingredients are all carefully curated and of the highest quality available. Our products are made simply and always with Organic Plant Oils, never ever synthetic ingredients. But don't just take our word for it, we are totally transparent and disclose every ingredient in our formulas. Take a look in our Ingredients and Directions and compare.
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This recipe is a classic Mother's Day recipe straight from bread heaven. There will not be a morsel left. Its great for company because it needs to be done the day before to chill in the fridge.
Serves 6-8 people, Dairy
- Challah bread cut into 1 inch thick slices, trimming crust
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons corn syrup
- 5 large eggs
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- Powdered Sugar for garnish
- Large Pyrex or oven to table baking dish
In a small saucepan melt butter with brown sugar and corn syrup over moderate heat, stirring, until smooth, and pour into a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish.
Arrange bread slices in one layer in baking dish, squeezing them slightly to fit.
In a bowl whisk together eggs, heavy cream, milk, vanilla, and salt until combined well and pour evenly over bread. Tightly cover the dish and chill bread mixture in refrigerator at least 8 hours and up to 1 day.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bring bread mixture to room temperature. Bake uncovered, in middle of oven until puffed and edges are golden, 30 to 40 minutes.
Recipe adapted from The Food Network
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Friendship Centre
July 3, 2019 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
A morning to come and enjoy the company of others and share your craft secrets and expertise.
Meetings are held Wednesday mornings from 10am till midday. Our year begins the 1st Wednesday in February and concludes the 1st Wednesday in December excluding school holidays. Please come and join us, we would love to see you – and bring your friends along with you too!
For more information please follow this link, contact the church office on 82611844 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.


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1. What is Bella weeping for during that long night of mourning? Is Jake at the forefront of her mind or is she grieving for the humanity she is giving up? Do you think Edward knows what she is mourning over? What are the "adjustments" Bella has made which allow her to move on in the morning?
I just finished reading this chapter and this is my take on this. I think Bella is grieving for losing the life she could have had with Jacob. She loves Jacob too. As a really close friend and in some way also as a lover. Her choice to live with Edward and become a vampire takes her away from that loving friendship. She wants both and she doesn't see any possibility for this to happen. There is no other choice but Edward for her. This choice does hurt her best friend and that's even more reason for her intense grief and sense of (coming) loss. I don't think Edward completely understands this. He understands she's crying over Jacob, but I think he might be a bit shocked by her intense reaction. Maybe he thinks bella loves Jacob more than him? Well, he should have seen her reaction in New Moon when he left. The next morning Bella has had enough time to come to terms with her decision. She needed that night so she can focus on her future with Edward.
2. Why does Edward suddenly change his mind in the meadow? Is his about-face a response to what Bella has been saying about their wedding plans? What does it have to do with Bella's grief the night before? Is his reaction disproportionate?
I think there are two sides to this sudden change of heart. At one side there's Edward's shock at Bella's strong feelings for Jake. Stronger that he might have realized. Why not rush into all the things Bella wants, so she won't change her mind..? The other side is Edward's more noble nature I think. He honestly wants to please Bella and feels like he has hurt her by making her give up her old life, with family and friends. "You can have happiness your way. My way is always wrong." And the last side that might also play a part in Edward's behaviour is reversed psychology. Bella always tries to please everybody, so by (pretending?) to give in to her demands and counting on her to stop him and wait for the wedding. She can look forward to the wedding a bit more now and grumble less about it.
3. Why does Bella insist on waiting and doing everything as they planned? Does she feel differently about marrying Edward now? Or is she just determined to do things correctly? Which considerations do you think weigh most heavily on her: eg. saying her goodbyes, giving Edward the wedding he dreams of, having a care for his soul, committing herself publicly to him before becoming a vampire....or any others you can think of?
I think there are several things that go through her head and most of them are selfless. She would never hurt Alice by saying no to her. Charlie and Renée deserve a goodbye and she knows perfectly well that Edward wants a real wedding, eventhoug (spelling?) he would never admit that to her. I don't think one consideration weighs more than another, they all matter a lot to her.
4. Who do you think is actually right about what would be best for them here, Edward or Bella?
Bella. She's much more practical about it all. She may not like the big production, but she knows it's needed for the sake of their friends and family. About the sex thing, I think it's right to wait til after they're married. They've waited for this long, Edward is a hopeless romantic (and so is Bella I believe, she just has less patience) and it wouldn't hurt their souls either. I think they'd be sorry if they made love in the meadow before they got married.
5. The last chapter of Eclipse doesn't leave us with the upbeat feeling you might expect when a book ends with its hero and heroine planning their wedding. Does the faintly elegiac note on which it closes make sense? Did it bother you? Did it make you worry whether Bella had made the right choice?
I was VERY happy that I had Breaking Dawn right next to me, ready to immediately read the rest of the story! I felt so bad for Jacob. He was in such pain. I felt all proud of Edward that he did sent a wedding invation and a very sensitive, honest note with it. He isn't trying to make it any more difficult for Jacob, it just is tearing Jacob up from the inside. I didn't feel Bella made any wrong choices, I just hoped Jacob would be allright and would come back and be friends with Bella again.
Chapter 27 ~ Needs
Chapter by Chapter Eclipse Discussion
Moderators: December, Bronze Haired Girl
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For me, the best thing of 2013 was, hands down, a good result from a horrible health scare in the family. Everything else pales in comparison.
So, I asked people on Twitter to give me their best of 2013. Here's what they said.
@buffalopundit Late to the party, but hoping your wife is continuing her fight. Best of Buffalo to me. Happy New Year.
— Michael Kracker (@makracker) December 30, 2013
@buffalopundit 2013 is year revitalization wave hit the neglected old industrial section of Niagara St: https://t.co/mJ3Esf3nDF @artvoice
— Ra Cha Cha (@HeyRaChaCha) December 30, 2013
@buffalopundit @Artvoice Hucklebuckets closed.
— Dave Kelly (@davekellywny) December 30, 2013
@buffalopundit Fred Jackson. No better sportsman role model than him in Buffalo.
— Calvin (@Mr_Faded_Glory) December 30, 2013
@buffalopundit firing Darcy, food truck regulation compromises (eff Tucker), Horsefeathers.
— Christinapedia (@reigningfrog) December 30, 2013
@buffalopundit Larkin Square food truck happy hour
— James Goller (@JamesGoller) December 30, 2013
#BUTTGOAL MT @buffalopundit Hey, #Buffalo, looking to do a top-10 happy things 2013 post. What do you nominate?
— Matt Johnson (@twoeightnine) December 30, 2013
No one died at a Bills game this year. MT @buffalopundit Hey, #Buffalo, looking to do a top-10 happy things 2013 post. What do you nominate?
— Ryan Nagelhout (@goosesroost) December 30, 2013
Except hopes. Hopes died. RT @goosesroost No one died at a Bills game this year. MT @buffalopundit top-10 happy things 2013 post.
— Dan (@danlancedan) December 30, 2013
A protected user suggested: "BCAT opened, Start-UP NY announced, Harbor Center development, Riverbend project, and BNE made a Buffalo video people liked!"
@buffalopundit I finished 2 books! (Published zero, but Rome weren't built in a day)
— Kelly Sedinger (@Jaquandor) December 30, 2013
@buffalopundit obviously biased but for Buffalo: @coworkbuffalo turned 1 year, moved to Main, running a Kickstarter?
— Nick Quaranto (@qrush) December 30, 2013
@buffalopundit @artvoice Shamelessly…. A little story, with a big heart that few will probably see. http://t.co/8agZlCgVp8
— SkewedAtBirth (@skewedatbirth) December 30, 2013
@buffalopundit @Artvoice Matthew Rizzacchi's dreamworld of art museums in national parks and a Bills stadium made of rainbows
— Darrell (@3WolfNight) December 30, 2013
Last – minute entries:
– Bills stay (for a time). Yeah, they lose, but we'd miss them if they were gone.
– Sabres change leadership. No place to go but up
– Dinosaur Barbeque comes to Buffalo. 2014 will taste better than 2013
– Trader Joes comes to Amherst. Ditto
– Unemployment rate in WNY dropping. Good. "nuff said.
– The Stock Market is UP. Not bad for a Kenya – born socialist.
– The Tea Party is DOWN. Only took the near-bankruptcy of the US Government to do this, but hey – count your blessings.
Long Live TOY – Defending Children's Theatre in the Nickel City is one of the most positive stories to come out of this region in years- which is why we decided to try and tell it in Documentary form.
Meg Quinn, TOY's Creative Director and Co-founder along with others from the arts community fight the Collin's 2010-2011 Cultural funding cuts in the midst of their 40th season. The community rallied against Collins to help remove him from office and restore the funding.
Through the prism of a unique non-profit children's theatre we see the impact and importance of cultural assets.
The film won two audience awards at Buffalo International Film Festival, and many were moved to tears at Sunday's screening at the Dipson Market Arcade.
A positive story that few will probably see because it's "just children's theatre".
Austin McLoughlin
Mary Beth Murray
Long Live TOY Producers
Long Live TOY – Defending Children's Theatre in the Nickel City – (Preview Trailer) from AP McLoughlin on Vimeo.
I wish you all a happy, healthy, peaceful, and prosperous 2014. If you're going to be outside tonight for the festivities, please stay warm and safe.
(The slideshow above displays photographs that talented WNYers have added to the AV Daily Flickr Group.)


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Our feather headband, Liin, features a feather side detail on a felt band.
The design sits on a small felt headband, shown here in Burgundy. Other base colours are available on request.
Feather colours: Black, Pale Pink, Burgundy or Red.
Collections: AW19
We make all our hats to order and to measure, fitting all shapes and head sizes.
Take a tape measure around the widest part of your head; from the forehead around the widest part of your head and back to meet the forehead. Don't pull too tight on the tape or your hat will be too tight. It is useful to insert your pinky under the tape to allow for a little room when measuring.
Hats should be worn; however a headpiece which has a solid base of 4 inches (10cm) or more in diameter covering a sufficient area of the head is acceptable as an alternative to a hat.
Fascinators are not permitted
A hat, headpiece or fascinator should be worn at all times.


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Disappointed Mac users confirmed that Apple's latest Leopard update does not let them back up with Time Machine to drives plugged into an Airport Extreme router.
"On 10.5.2, my [AirPort] Disk is NOT available to Time Machine," reported a user named Jespes on an Apple support forum. "I can access the [disk] from the Finder, but Time Machine doesn't see it." Others on that thread, and elsewhere on Apple's forums, echoed Jespes' findings.
Last month, some users had held out hope that Apple would make Leopard's Time Machine backup application compatible with the AirPort Extreme's AirPort Disk, a feature that lets users attach an external USB drive to the router and access that disk via the wireless network. The hope had been fueled by rumors on several Apple enthusiast sites that a fix was among the scores slated for the 10.5.2 upgrade.
People who bought AirPort Extreme Base Stations before Leopard's October 2007 release were particularly incensed when CEO Steve Jobs introduced the Time Capsule backup appliance at Macworld Expo last month. Before Leopard's launch, Apple had said that Time Machine would work with AirPort drives.
Time Capsule, essentially an AirPort Extreme wedded to a 500GB or 1TB drive, fills the niche that Apple originally said would be served by the Time Machine-AirPort Extreme combination. Time Capsule is scheduled to ship this month in two models, priced at $299 and $499.
After Time Capsule's introduction, users rued their purchases of AirPort Extreme, calling themselves "one of the suckers" and saying "I feel like I been had."
Some still hope for an eventual fix that would make their AirPort Extreme-USB drive setups the equivalent of Time Capsule, and noted that a patch might come in the form of a firmware update to the router. On a different support thread, for example, someone using the alias "dchao99" said, "10.5.2 OS X update is not going to fix all the bugs between the Mac and AEBS [AirPort Extreme Base Station]. Because the 7.2.1 firmware on AEBS is also buggy. And we are still waiting for the AEBS update."
The Leopard update did, however, include several other improvements to Time Machine, the most visible of which added a menu bar option for the backup program. Apple's list of 10.5.2 enhancements also spelled out multiple changes to the AirPort wireless technology, including improved connection reliability.


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9 sp abundant affinities allied animals Antilles Arctic Asia Australian region AUSTRALIAN SUB-REGIONS belong birds Bolivia Borneo Brazil Brazil and Bolivia California Canada Celebes Central America Ceylon characteristic Chili coast Columbia confined Cosmopolite Costa Rica Cuba DISTRIBUTION.—The East Eastern Ecuador Eocene Ethiopian region ETHIOPIAN SUB-REGIONS extending fauna forests Fresh-water fishes genera genus globe Guatemala Guiana Guinea Hayti Hemisphere Himalayas India inhabits insects Jamaica Japan Java Madagascar Malay Mammalia Marine fishes Mexico Mexico and Guatemala Miocene Moluccas Nearctic region NEARCTIC SUB-REGIONS Neotropical region NEOTROPICAL SUB-REGIONS northern number of species occur Ocean Old World Oriental region ORIENTAL SUB-REGIONS Pacific Palaearctic region PALAEARCTIC SUB-REGIONS Papuan Islands Paraguay Patagonia peculiar genera Peru Plata Plate Pliocene possesses range remarkable seas single species South America South Europe South Temperate Southern Sub-family Sumatra Tasmania Tropical America Tropical and South tropical regions universally distributed Venezuela West Africa West Indian islands Zealand
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Page 159 - regions, not only now but as far back as we can clearly trace them in the past; and, secondly, of the existing radical diversity of the Australian region from the rest of the Eastern Hemisphere. Owing to the much greater extent of the old
Page 61 - to the great Central American isthmus; yet instead of exhibiting an intermixture of the productions of Florida and Venezuela, they differ widely from both these countries, possessing in some groups a degree of speciality only to be found elsewhere in islands far removed from any continent. They consist of two very large islands, Cuba and
Page 552 - catalogued on a uniform plan, and with a uniform nomenclature, a thoroughly satisfactory account of the Geographical Distribution of Animals will not be possible. But more than this is wanted. Many of the most curious relations between animal forms and their habitats, are entirely unnoticed, owing to the productions of the same locality
Page 553 - harmony of nature, and to a fuller comprehension of the complex relations and mutual interdependence, which link together every animal and vegetable form, with the ever-changing earth which supports them, into one grand organic whole.
Page 9 - the South American continent, its long isolation from the rest of the land surface of the globe, and the persistence through countless ages of all the conditions requisite for the development and increase of varied forms of animal life.
Page 81 - probably formed part of Central America, and may have been united with Yucatan and Honduras in one extensive tropical land. But their separation from the continent ; took place at a remote period, and they have since been broken up into numerous islands, which have probably undergone much submergence in recent times. This has led to that poverty of the higher forms of life, combined
Page 5 - combined with isolation is the predominant feature of Neotropical zoology, and no other region can approach it in the number of its peculiar family and generic types.
Page 342 - islands and sand-banks, and can evidently pass over a few miles of sea with ease; but the Nicobar bird is a very different case, because none of the numerous intervening islands offer a single example of the family. Instead of being a well-marked


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|Encontrar los mejores spots
So you think that your local surf spot is worthy of its own page in the illustrious Wannasurf data-base of surf spots from around the world? To achieve a homogeneous look to the surf spot data sheets, we have developed the interactive form with which anyone can submit details of their local diev sites. Before adding details of a surf spot, please check carefully three things.
A step by step guide to completing the Add A Surf Spot form.
This rubric is NOT necessary; we would like to know the identity of, and a contact email for, our correspondents simply so that we can contact you if we have any difficulties understanding the data which you send in, whether it be in the text or in the attached photos, or whatever. As noted on the Form, we will not use addresses for Spam or unsolicited advertising of any kind. This site is run by surfers for surfers, and we dislike the abuse of the net for this kind of advertising as much as you do. If you feel uncomfortable with providing this information, then simply leave these sections blank, there is no obligation!
Lastly, if this idea of creating an 'open-format' guide to the worlds surf spots works, we will use this 'contact' information to offer recognition (and maybe prizes if we are feeling really generous) to those who contribute the most over a year.
This section is the most important to get right.
If after carefully checking the lists, including alternative spellings, you cannot find either the country or the zone you require, then you have the option of creating a new country or zone. We hope that this will be necessary only very rarely. It is our aim to have a list which is as close to being complete as possible. Any submission of surf spots with new Countries or Zones will be reviewed by 'The_Management' before lists are updated.
This blank section is designed for practical details of how to access the surf spot. Assume that the person reading this section does not know the area! Be clear with descriptions, road numbers etc. If you are gifted with a software drawing package, then include a sketch of the area as a .gif or .jpg file.
If you used to locate the surf spot with marks (landmarks, seamarks), then explain them here, or better, send a drawing using attachment (photo) upload form.
This section compliments the previous general description, giving a quick look description of how far the surf spot is from the nearest major harbor by boat, or how far you must walk from the car to access the surf spot if it is accessible by walk. Equally, indicate how easy the surf spot is to find, once you are in the local area.
To avoid lists and lists of boring data you can add up to three files (Photo, map or landmarks/seamarks) of the surf spot. These are attached to the form as you would to a mail, using the 'Browse' button. Please note that we are looking for photos which are particularly descriptive of the surf spot. However, such photos can be added to the zone Photo Gallery Section - pages of photos which can be used to show the surf spot!
When you add the photo please add a short line of text describing the photo "View of the South point of the Gabiniere, where the main wall is located"
Any additional information about the surf spot can be added here. Various examples have been noted in the above text, but really anything can be added here, whether it be details of some of the aspects mentioned in the rubrics above, or something unique to the surf spot.
Signing as the author of the surf spot is a choice. Signatures will only be accepted after verification of a valid email address. We wouldn't want you signing a surf spot with someone else's name now would we? If you add your email, expect to be contacted by surfers looking for local information!!
OK, I've read the help... Let's add a surf spot now !
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text:
Bernard Ewell
I am the Dalí Detective who, through developing more information than anyone else, stands as the basis of truth and a model of ethics. After all, I am the only fully independent, disinterested and uncompromised Dalí expert.
As a Senior Appraiser with a 45 year international practice and reputation, I make my home in Santa Fe and travel a great deal. On my Blog I'll share the story of my first involvement with artworks attributed to Dalí in 1980 (they were fakes) and many other stories about my expert court testimony in numerous Federal and state fraud cases, my appraisal of the collection of The Salvador Dalí Museum, my visits to the Fundacio Gala-Salvador Dalí and the Dalí properties in Spain, my battles with the bad guys and much, much more.
I'll always be upfront and unflinching in my evaluations of the players and their actions. This site should serve as your reality check; your truth touch-stone and your ethics filter. My job is to be the voice you can trust (as I already am for thousands). I'll answer your questions, provide the most dependable and complete authentication and appraisal services, and direct you to other professionals whom you can trust. I'll also steer you away from some very bad characters and hopefully save you pain and money.
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