text:
The Lwt library is a really nice way to write concurrent programs. A big downside, however, is that you can't use direct-style libraries with it. Suppose we're writing an XMPP server, and we want to parse XML as it arrives over a network connection, using Daniel Bünzli's nice xmlm
library. Xmlm
can read from a string
, or from a Pervasives.in_channel
, or you can give it a function of type (unit -> int)
to return the next character of input. But there is no way to have it read from an Lwt thread; that is, we can't give it a function of type (unit -> int Lwt.t)
, since it doesn't know what do with an Lwt.t
. To keep track of the parser state at the point the input blocks, the whole library would need to be rewritten in Lwt style (i.e. monadic style).
Now, Lwt does provide the Lwt_preemptive
module, which gives you a way to spin off a preemptive thread (implemented as an ordinary OCaml thread) and wait for its result in the usual Lwt way with bind
. This is useful, but has two drawbacks: preemptive threads are preemptive, so you're back to traditional locking if you want to operate on shared data; and preemptive threads are threads, so they are much heavier than Lwt threads, and (continuing the XMPP hypothetical) it may not be feasible to use one per open connection.
What we would really like is to be able spin off a cooperative, direct-style thread. The thread needs a way to block on Lwt threads, but when it blocks we need to be able to schedule another Lwt thread. As a cooperative thread it of course has exclusive access to the process state while it is running. A cooperative, direct-style thread is sometimes called a coroutine (although to me that word connotes a particular style of inter-thread communication as well, where values are yielded between coroutines), or a fiber.
Here's an API for mixing Lwt threads with fibers:
val start : (unit -> 'a) -> 'a Lwt.t
val await : 'a Lwt.t -> 'a
The start
function spins off a fiber, returning an Lwt thread which is woken with the result of the fiber once it completes. The await
function (which may be called only from within a fiber) blocks on the result of an Lwt thread, allowing another Lwt thread to be scheduled while it is waiting.
With this API we could implement our XMPP server by calling xmlm
from within a fiber, and passing it a function that await
s the next character available on the network connection. But how do we implement it?
Oleg Kiselyov's recent announcement of a native-code version of his Delimcc
library for delimited continuations in OCaml reminded me of two things:
- I should find out what delimited continuations are.
- They sound useful for implementing fibers.
The paper describing the library, Delimited Control in OCaml, Abstractly and Concretely, has a pretty good overview of delimited continuations, and section 2 of A Monadic Framework for Delimited Continuations is helpful too.
The core API is small:
type 'a prompt
type ('a,'b) subcont
val new_prompt : unit -> 'a prompt
val push_prompt : 'a prompt -> (unit -> 'a) -> 'a
val take_subcont :
'b prompt -> (('a,'b) subcont -> unit -> 'b) -> 'a
val push_subcont : ('a,'b) subcont -> (unit -> 'a) -> 'b
I find it easiest to think about these functions as operations on the stack. A prompt is an identifier used to mark a point on the stack (the stack can be marked more than once with the same prompt). The function new_prompt
makes a new prompt which is not equal to any other prompt.
The call push_prompt p f
marks the stack with p
then runs f
, so the stack, growing to the right, looks like
where ABCD
are stack frames in the continuation of the call to push_prompt
, and EFGH
are frames created while running f
. If f
returns normally (that is, without calling take_subcont
) then its return value is returned by push_prompt
, and we are back to the original stack ABCD
If take_subcont p g
is called while running f
, the stack fragment EFGH
is packaged up as an ('a,'b) subcont
and passed to g
. You can think of an ('a,'b) subcont
as a function of type 'a -> 'b
, where 'a
is the return type of the call to take_subcont
and 'b
is the return type of the call to push_prompt
. Take_subcont
removes the fragment pEFGH
from the stack, and there are some new frames IJKL
from running g
, so we have
Now g
can make use of the passed-in subcont
using push_subcont
. (Thinking of a subcont
as a function, push_subcont
is just a weird function application operator, which takes the argument as a thunk). Then the stack becomes
Of course g
can call the subcont
as many times as you like.
A common pattern is to re-mark the stack with push_prompt
before calling push_subcont
(so take_subcont
may be called again). There is an optimized version of this combination called push_delim_subcont
, which produces the stack
The idea that a subcont
is a kind of function is realized by shift0
, which is like take_subcont
except that instead of passing a subcont
to g
it passes an ordinary function. The passed function just wraps a call to push_delim_subcont
. (It is push_delim_subcont
rather than push_subcont
for historical reasons I think—see the Monadic Framework paper for a comparison of various delimited continuation primitives.)
To implement fibers, we want start f
to mark the stack, then run f
; and await t
to unwind the stack back to the mark, wait for t
to complete, then restore the stack. Here is start
let active_prompt = ref None
let start f =
let t, u = Lwt.wait () in
let p = Delimcc.new_prompt () in
active_prompt := Some p;
Delimcc.push_prompt p begin fun () ->
let r =
try Lwt.Return (f ())
with e -> Lwt.Fail e in
active_prompt := None;
match r with
| Lwt.Return v -> Lwt.wakeup u v
| Lwt.Fail e -> Lwt.wakeup_exn u e
| Lwt.Sleep -> assert false
We make a sleeping Lwt thread, and store a new prompt in a global (this is OK because we won't yield control to another Lwt thread before using it; of course this is not safe with OCaml threads). Then we mark the stack with push_prompt
and run the fiber. (The let r = ... match r with ...
is to avoid calling Lwt.wakeup{,_exn}
in the scope of the try
; we use Lwt.state
as a handy type to store either a result or an exception.) If the fiber completes without calling await
then all we do is wake up the Lwt thread with the returned value or exception.
Here is await
let await t =
let p =
match !active_prompt with
| None -> failwith "await called outside start"
| Some p -> p in
active_prompt := None;
match Lwt.poll t with
| Some v -> v
| None ->
Delimcc.shift0 p begin fun k ->
let ready _ =
active_prompt := Some p;
k ();
Lwt.return () in
ignore (Lwt.try_bind (fun () -> t) ready ready)
match Lwt.poll t with
| Some v -> v
| None -> assert false
We first check to be sure that we are in the scope of start
, and that t
isn't already completed (in which case we just return its result). If we actually need to wait for t
, we call shift0
, which capture the stack fragment back to the push_prompt
call in start
(this continuation includes the subsequent match Lwt.poll t
and everything after the call to await
), then try_bind
so we can restore the stack fragment when t
completes (whether by success or failure). When t
completes, the ready
function restores the global active_prompt
, in case the fiber calls await
again, then restores the stack by calling k
(recall that this also re-marks the stack with p
, which is needed if the fiber calls await
It's pretty difficult to follow what's going on here, so let's try it with stacks. After calling start
we have
where ABCD
is the continuation of push_prompt
in start
(just the return of t
) and EFGH
are frames created by the thunk passed to start
. Now, a call to await
(on an uncompleted thread) calls shift0
, which packs up EFGH
as k
and unwinds the stack to p
. The function passed to shift0
stores k
in ready
but doesn't call it, and control returns to start
(since the stack has been unwound).
The program continues normally until t
completes. Now control is in Lwt.run_waiters
running threads that were waiting on t
; one of them is our ready
function. When it is called, the stack is re-marked and EFGH
is restored, so we have
where QRST
is wherever we happen to be in the main program, ending in Lwt.run_waiters
. Now, EFGH
ends with the second call to match Lwt.poll
in await
, which returns the value of t
and continues the thunk passed to start
. The stack is now marked with p
inside Lwt.run_waiters
, so when await
is called again control returns there.
We have seen that we can use fibers to write Lwt threads in direct style. Should we abandon Lwt's monadic style entirely, and use Lwt only for its event handling?
First, how does each style perform? Every time a fiber blocks and resumes, we have to copy, unwind, and restore its entire stack. With Lwt threads, the "stack" is a bunch of linked closures in the heap, so we don't need to do anything to block or resume. On the other hand, building and garbage-collecting the closures is more expensive than pushing and popping the stack. We can imagine that which style performs better depends on the thread: if it blocks infrequently enough, the amortized cost of copying and restoring the stack might be lower than the cost of building and garbage-collecting the closures. (We can also imagine that a different implementation of delimited continuations might change this tradeoff.)
Second, how does the code look? The paper Cooperative Task Management without Manual Stack Management considers this question in the context of the "events vs. threads" debate. Many of its points lose their force when translated to OCaml and Lwt—closures, the >>=
operator, and Lwt's syntax extension go a long way toward making Lwt code look like direct style—but some are still germane. In favor of fibers is that existing direct-style code need not be rewritten to work with Lwt (what motivated us in the first place). In favor of monadic style is that the type of a function reflects the possibility that it might block, yield control to another thread, and disturb state invariants.
We could apply this idea, of replacing monadic style with direct style using delimited continuations, to other monads—in particular to the froc
library for functional reactive programming. (The Scala.React FRP library also uses delimited continuations to implement direct style; see Deprecating the Observer Pattern for details.)
Here's the API:
val direct : (unit -> 'a) -> 'a Froc.behavior
val read : 'a Froc.behavior -> 'a
Not surprisingly, it's just the same as for Lwt, but with a different monad and different names (I don't know if direct
is quite right but it is better than start
). There is already a function Froc.sample
with the same type as read
, but it has a different meaning: sample
takes a snapshot of a behavior but creates no dependency on it.
The implementation is very similar as well:
let active_prompt = ref None
let direct f =
let t, u = Froc_ddg.make_changeable () in
let p = Delimcc.new_prompt () in
active_prompt := Some p;
Delimcc.push_prompt p begin fun () ->
let r =
try Froc_ddg.Value (f ())
with e -> Froc_ddg.Fail e in
active_prompt := None;
Froc_ddg.write_result u r
(Obj.magic t : _ Froc.behavior)
This is essentially the same code as start
, modulo the change of monad. However, some of the functions we need aren't exported from Froc
, so we need to use the underlying Froc_ddg
module and magic the result at the end. Froc_ddg.make_changeable
is the equivalent of Lwt.wait
: it returns an "uninitialized" monadic value along with a writer for that value. We use Froc_ddg.result
instead of Lwt.state
to store a value or exception, and Froc_ddg.write_result
instead of the pattern match and Lwt.wakeup{,_exn}
let read t =
let p =
match !active_prompt with
| None -> failwith "read called outside direct"
| Some p -> p in
active_prompt := None;
Delimcc.shift0 p begin fun k ->
Froc.notify_result_b t begin fun _ ->
active_prompt := Some p;
k ()
Froc.sample t
And this is essentially the same code as await
. A Froc.behavior
always has a value, so we don't poll it as we did with Lwt.t
, but go straight to shift0
. We have Froc.try_bind
but it's a little more compact to use use notify_result_b
, which passes a result
The similarity between these implementations suggests that we could use the same code to get a direct style version of any monad; we only need a way to create an uninitialized monadic value, then set it. The call to Lwt.poll
in await
is an optimization which we would have to forgo. (In both these examples we have a monad with failure, and try_bind
, but we could do without it.)
A little googling turns up Andrzej Filinski's paper Representing Monads, which reaches the same conclusion, with a lot more rigor. In that work start
are called reify
, and await
are called reflect
. Reflect
is close to the implementations above, but in reify
the paper marks the stack inside a function passed to bind
rather than creating an uninitialized monadic value and later setting it.
This makes sense—inside bind
an uninitialized monadic value is created, then set from the result of the function passed to bind
. So we are partially duplicating bind
in the code above. If we mark the stack in the right place we should be able to use bind
directly. It is hard to see how to make the details work out, however, since Lwt.bind
and Froc.bind
each have some cases where uninitialized values are not created.
(You can find the complete code for Lwt fibers here and direct-style froc
(revised 10/22)


text:
Canning beans with Mommy
I remember being about 4 years old, sitting on the kitchen table watching my mother can green beans. It was just my mother and me in the kitchen, all alone. It was my job to put the half teaspoon of salt in the beans after she had filled the quart jars.
While we were working alongside each other, my mother sang to me. I don't really remember the songs. It could have been old gospel songs or old-timey ballads she had long ago learned from her mother. Mommy could have been singing a Marty Robbins or Johnny Horton song; she loved those singers. I just remember that to my little 4-year-old ears, she sounded like an angel singing something glorious.
Many, many years later, as she aged, I became her caregiver. One memory I have is of me filling up mason jars with beans while she sat at the table, putting the half teaspoon of salt in them. Our roles had somewhat changed. But one thing didn't change. I can still hear her older, but still beautiful voice filling the kitchen with songs of the past.
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text:
Where did the last month go? Hopefully you were spared the late winter cold that ravaged our house and prevented me from doing almost anything except laundry and the occasional spring project planning--that is when my hands weren't cuddling a sick little baby!
Speaking of baby, the time has come to finally reveal Astrid's nursery. It's a room that makes me happy and I hope that, when she's able to articulate it, it does the same for our daughter.
When we discovered we were expecting, I got to work brainstorming a nursery that combined new purchases and existing furniture for our little one. I've long been a fan of purchasing pieces that could serve several purposes, moving from room to room and proving to be worthy investments. This room was no exception to that principle: the antique pine dresser, a bamboo etagere, a delicate footstool and a mid-century modern Saarinen tulip side table all found their way into Astrid's room from other spaces elsewhere in our home.
(don't worry: all stuffed animals are taken out of the crib when our girl is sleeping!) |
Astrid's room itself has a naturally cozy feel thanks to its dormer window and slanted walls. I wanted the walls to envelop her during sleep and play, so I opted for Benjamin Moore's "Levingston Green" (Adam loved this choice as well). It played off my choice fabric for the window shades, Parlor Textiles' "Confetti Floral Stripe" in red. After splurging a bit on the fabric, I saved money by sewing the roman shades with my mom during an early-fall visit. The red and spring green color combo felt fresh and clean.
A simple crib skirt, made from Robert Allen's "Plaid Ikat," paired nicely with the Parlor Textiles print as well as a beautiful handmade gingham-print knit blanket that my mom made for the baby (pattern from this book, if you want to make one yourself!).
Books have always been an important part of my life as well as my husband's life, so we were sure to carve out a corner of the room for reading as well as nursing.Children's books are so vibrant and interesting like little pieces of artwork and, because of this, I didn't want to hide them in a bookcase. Instead, I transformed a vintage carved wooden pelmet (originally used for a window) into a book ledge that prominently displays each.
Opposite the book ledge is a matte green metal leaf mobile from a talented artist on Etsy, Comometalworks. Astrid's just started noticing the mobile and I love how it captures her ever-fleeting attention.
Finally, in the dormer window niche, Adam precisely and carefully hung 26 vintage-inspired animal alphabet cards from Martha Stewart's craft line with easy-to-find bulldog clips. Funny story about these cards: I bought these way back in 2008 while Mom and I were awaiting the news that my niece had been born. I squirreled them away ever since!
(all photos via Meet Me in Philadelphia)
I'd love to hear your thoughts! Astrid's room is a blend of new and old, pattern and solids, present and future.
If you're curious, some sources for items in Astrid's nursery are:
Wall color: "Levington Green" by Benjamin Moore
Trim color: "White Dove" by Benjamin Moore
Rug: Jute Natural Area Rug from Wayfair
Shade fabric: "Confetti Floral Stripe" in red from Parlor Textiles
Crib skirt fabric:
Crib: Union 3-to-1 convertible crib in white
Antique pine dresser: Craigslist
Linen slipcovered glider: Crescent glider in linen from Overstock
Metal floral mobile: Jungalow mobile in green from Comometalworks on Etsy
White Saarinen tulip side table: Design within Reach
Tote bags (used to hold blankets and as a diaper bag): Boat and Tote bag from LL Bean
Coat rack: vintage French hat rack from Etsy
Wall plaque (above crib): Bestmade Co.
Bunny lamp (on pine dresser): Heico rabbit lamp from Fawn Shoppe


text:
Deadline Friday: 2013 Community Watershed Stewardship Grant
Jan 29, 2013 at 4:45 PM 0 Comments
The Community Watershed Stewardship Program (CWSP) is pleased to announce that grants of up to $10,000 are available to support projects that improve neighborhoods and communities while also improving the health of Portland's watersheds.
Application deadline is March 29, 2013*. Application materials and information are at www.portlandonline.com/bes/stewardship
Projects that can be funded include:
Neighborhood safety, health and livability
Youth leadership and skills development
Community gardens
Art and education
Restoration and cleanup
Stormwater Management
Last summer, Groundwork Portland used CWSP funds to organize a leadership program for a dozen teens from underrepresented communities. These young people worked on a variety of environmentally-focused projects, including bioswales, ecoroofs and natural area restoration. They received stipends for their work and gained valuable experience in green jobs fields. PSU's Institute for Sustainable Solutions recently published a brief article about CWSP and Groundwork's project.
How to apply
Community-based organizations, businesses, student and school groups, faith communities, neighborhood associations and other groups are eligible to apply. Projects must be carried out in the City of Portland. Applications are due by Friday, March 29, 2013 at 4:00 p.m.
For help developing ideas for a project and putting together an application, and for application materials and more information: www.portlandonline.com/bes/stewardship, call 503-823-7917 or email email@example.com.
CWSP encourages applications for projects that involve the leadership and meaningful participation of people of color, immigrants, elders, youth, those with disabilities, low-income residents, and other underrepresented groups.
*Grant awards subject to approval of 2013-14 budget.
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text:
This short post is among the first to appear on this blog – dating back to October of '06. In the light of conversations about hiddenness – it seemed here timely to bring this back to our attention. I have written on the topic of the absence of God (or our sense of it) since the beginning of my work. And even though conversations with contemporary non-believers can be tedious – they are very much worth having – if for no other reason than most Christians have a great deal of non-belief in their hearts. I also believe it is the particular calling of contemporary Orthodox (in this I follow St. Silouan of Mt. Athos) is to empty ourselves and enter the abyss of the spiritual hell our world has created for itself and there preach and pray – for it is there that the contemporary Adam has confined himself – and it is there that we must also find Christ. The emptiness of the secularized world – the first floor of a two-storey universe – is a man-made hell, the place in which we have exiled ourselves from God. We will not find God by looking elsewhere for it is here that He is present and filling all things. It is the mystery of our faith. I have reposted this original article without change.
There is a strange aspect to the presence of God in the world around us. That aspect is His apparent absence. I read with fascination (because I am no philosopher, much less a scientist) the discussions surrounding "intelligent design" and the like. I gather that everybody agrees that the universe is just marvelous and wonderfully put together (I can't think of a better universe). But then begins the parting of ways as one sees God everywhere and another sees Him nowhere. Reason surely need not deny Him, though reason does not seem forced to acknowledge Him. I have spent most of my life around these arguments – one place or another. I can stand in either place and see both presence and absence.
But as the years have gone by, I have come to see something I never saw before – the Presence within the absence. I don't mean to sound too mystical here – only that I see in the hiddenness of God a revelation of His love. The Creator of us all draws us towards Himself and knowledge of Him, with hints and intimations, with seen and yet unseen signs.
The strange deniability that He leaves us is the space in which love is born. Love cannot be forced, cannot be demanded. It must come as gift, born of a willingness to give. To give God trust that what I see is indeed evidence of the wisdom in which He made all things is also a space – one which God fills with Himself and the echo, the Yes, that the universe shouts back to us.
It is where I grow weary of the arguments – not because they need not be made – but because it becomes hard to hear the silence in the noise of our own voices – a silence that invites us to hear the sound of the voice of God that rumbles all around us.
There's more to say – but not now.


text:
Chirality: In science, the property of asymmetry, or "handedness" (chirality comes from Greek kheir, "hand"), that determines that a three-dimensional form cannot be superimposed upon its mirror image. Pronounced k-rl-t.
The noun chirality and the adjective chiral were coined in 1894 by the Scottish mathematician and physicist Sir William Thomson, Lord Kelvin, for whom the absolute temperature scale is named.* "I call any geometrical figure, or group of points, chiral, and say that it has chirality, if its image in a plane mirror, ideally realized, cannot be brought to coincide with itself," Kelvin wrote.
Chirality is a running theme in "Breaking Bad," the television series about a chemistry teacher in Albuquerque, New Mexico, who becomes a methamphetamine cook and drug-empire builder, that ended its five-season run last night. In Season 1, Episode 2, protagonist Walter White, played by Bryan Cranston, describes chirality to his high-school chemistry students. Although mirror-image molecular forms "may look the same," he explains, "they don't always behave the same." He gives the example of thalidomide, a drug given to pregnant women in the 1950s: the right-handed isomer "a perfectly fine, good medicine," while the left-handed isomer can cause "horrible birth defects."
Methamphetamine also exhibits chirality. In one form (levomethamphetamine) it's an over-the-counter nasal decongestant; in another (dextromethamphetamine) it's the powerful stimulant cooked by Walt. Levo- comes from the Latin word meaning "on the left side"; dextro- means "on the right side."
Chirality operates as a metaphor throughout "Breaking Bad." In the series many characters, including Walt himself, exhibit flip sides to their personalities. White, for example, takes the nom de crime "Heisenberg" in implicit homage to the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Werner Heisenberg,** who defined the Uncertainty Principle ("The position and momentum of a particle cannot be simultaneously measured with arbitrarily high precision"). As Heisenberg, White transforms into a powerful scientist—and a monster.
Heisenberg Dark and Walt's White Lie, "Breaking Bad" tribute beers created by Marble Brewery ("Rock Solid Beer!") in Albuquerque. Image via Heisenberg Chronicles.
The science of "Breaking Bad" has been discussed with great enthusiasm in the scientific and popular media. (The series' creator, Vince Gilligan, told the science-and-entertainment blog ScriptPhD that several scientists served as consultants to the production.) For more about the concept of chirality, see "Chirality Beyond Breaking Bad" in Science 2.0 and "Handedness and the One Who Knocks" in Heisenberg's Chemistry. For more about the special effects used on the show, see "Breaking Bad" in Chemical & Engineering News. And for more about Walter White and the real Heisenberg, see "Who Is the Real Heisenberg?" in Bad Ass Digest.
For definitions of some other words used in the series—including the term "breaking bad" itself—see Wordnik's posts about Season 5: first half and second half.
Also see TV Tropes for a list of tropes used in the series, from Abandoned Area to Your Mom. Although comprehensive, the list does not include "chirality."
* Lord Kelvin also famously proclaimed, in 1900: "There is nothing new to be discovered in physics now. All that remains is more and more precise measurement." Five years later, Albert Einstein published his theory of special relativity.
** "Heisenberg" is just one of many German names used in the series. For more about them, see "The Intriguing German Connections in Breaking Bad," in Spy District, a blog of cultural criticism.


text:
Together with their system house partner MediaSec Technologies GmbH (a subsidiary of Thomson S.A.), the Pepperl+Fuchs subsidiary Omnitron AG provided a unique and future-proof security concept for the Football World Cup based on the 2D code hand-held scanner MAH200.
While "general" visitors to the World Cup received a ticket featuring RFID technology, a significantly more advanced access system was developed for accredited personnel. Approximately 150,000 in number, these persons were responsible for fulfilling different tasks in the 14 stadiums. From employees of cleaning firms to soft-drinks sellers, and of course the players and trainers of the teams, through to the high functionaries of the game. Each person was provided with an ID card which had to meet safety requirements similar to those already in place for German ID cards (photograph, perforation, hologram, lamination, etc.). In addition, an individual person-specific access legitimation was also necessary (see Fig. 1).
No access to a central database was available at the verification points. This was due to the existing infrastructure of the stadiums and costs. Despite this, it had to be verified whether the person in question had the appropriate permission to access the stadium on this date, at the respective time, or for a particular zone. This meant this data had to be encrypted in the ID and automatically scannable. It was decided to use the Data Matrix Code (see Fig. 2).
This technology was already successfully tried and tested during the Confederation Cup and the Final Draw in 2005. However, FIFA and NOK increased the hurdles for the World Cup. A technology was required which was able to ensure that copies could also be detected by the scanner.
The Copy Detection Pattern (CDP) technology which was invented by MediaSec was selected (see Fig. 1).
This is a process in which a pattern is incorporated as a primary print into the ID. Approximately 1 kByte of encrypted data is printed with a calculated degradation of 30%. This calculated printing degradation cannot be reproduced identically when copies are made. This allows the scanner to verify the integrity of the symbol.
Utilizing both Data Matrix and CDP technology is a unique and flexible way of verifying individual data and authenticity using a standard scanner. Furthermore, no additional costs arise when creating the documents because this technology makes use of existing printing processes.
The 300 scanners of type MAH200 that were used (see Fig. 3) were provided with special features. For example, part of the memory for batch operation was used to store a database. This database was updated with current data overnight. In this way, the scanners were able to verify the validity of the respective access data in a decentralized manner at the check points to decide whether the person concerned should be allowed access or rejected. In addition, the scanned ID data was logged and imported back to the central computer subsequently.
The batteries in the MAH200 coped with daily 8 hour operation without problems. For the first time, an optical head was used to verify the CDP (see Fig. 4). This improved the quality of the image and simplified handling by the security personnel.
To verify the CDP, a second decoder was installed into the MAH200. In this way, the Data Matrix Code and the CDP was evaluated in the same device. The time it took to verify both characteristics was significantly under a second.
This new method opens up exciting new possibilities in the field of authenticity verification and protection against forgery. Industries like cosmetics, pharmaceutical, tobacco products and other manufacturers of high-value products who face the problem of brand-name piracy, the black market or gray imports come into question as potential users. In the meantime, the concept has been ported to the MAH300. Stationary scanning systems are the next point on the agenda.
Wolfgang Weber
Omnitron AG
Pepperl+Fuchs Group


text:
The 31-year-old singer said Tuesday on Twitter that she and husband Brandon Blackstock are expecting their first child together.
The original "American Idol" champion says the baby is the "best early Christmas present ever" in her tweet.
Clarkson's publicist, Mika El-Baz, later confirmed the information.
Clarkson and Blackstock were married last month. Blackstock is the son of Clarkson's manager, Narvel Blackstock, and the stepson of Reba McEntire. He manages country star and close Clarkson friend Blake Shelton.
Blackstock has two children from a previous marriage. No word on when the baby is due.


text:
Can any balkan band play my favourite song?
Professional balkan bands will often take requests, but you will need to give them plenty of notice. Please also keep in mind that balkan bands may ask for an small additional fee to prepare songs that aren't already on their song list. You can view the balkan band's song list on their Encore profile.


text:
- Absolutely no CG papers at FOCS, out of a grand total of two (I am told) submitted.
- Scroll to the bottom of the list, where you will see:
One extra paper: title and authors TBA (shortly)
I smell a merge.
Update: The extra paper is "Error Correction via Linear Programming. Emmanuel J. Candes and Mark Rudelson and Terence Tao and Roman Vershynin."


text:
Brent Swift 6/14/44 - 4/18/05
Search and shop to fight outsourced production with GoodSearch
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The Film and Television Action Committee (FTAC) is a volunteer coalition of film and television industry artists, workers, technicians and small businesses all across the United States. We believe that film workers everywhere should be able to compete fairly on a level playing field without artificial forces distorting the marketplace for their services and talents. We work to raise awareness of the great economic, social and cultural harm caused our country by the subsidy-driven outsourcing of our domestic American film and television production to foreign countries— and the best ways to address it. Making our American movies and TV shows in foreign countries rather than here in the United States costs our economy billions of dollars and thousands of middle-class jobs every year. It contributes to the forces that have devalued our dollar and raised prices. It hurts every single American. For every face on screen in a movie or TV show there are hundreds of other people doing untold thousands of hours of everyday work to make what appears to be magic happen. Film workers are not only actors and writers, directors and producers. We are also carpenters, painters, welders, drivers, upholsterers, administrators, accountants, teachers, sculptors, decorators, seamstresses, cosmetologists, cooks, laborers, plumbers, electricians, photographers, paramedics, policemen, researchers, computer operators, firemen, janitors and more— literally every kind of job imaginable can have a role in film production. These are the jobs we are fighting to save. One of them could be yours. Click here to read our Position Paper.
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text:
RICHMOND, Calif. (AP) -- Chevron Corp. says it will use corrosion-resistant pipes at the San Francisco Bay area fuel refinery damaged in an August fire.
The petroleum giant says in a letter released on Wednesday that thinning and corrosion in refinery pipes apparently caused the blaze in its crude unit No. 4.
The Richmond refinery has been operating at about 60 percent capacity since the fire.
The Contra Costa Times (https://bit.ly/PYskRS ) says Chevron will replace pipes with chrome alloy to prevent corrosion.
Refinery general manager Nigel Hearne's letter to Richmond and Bay Area Air Quality Management District officials says Chevron hopes to complete repairs and restart unit No. 4 early next year.


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Delegation for Sum, Average, Min, and Max functions on SQL Server
The newest update for PowerApps (version 680) includes an important new capability: the delegation of aggregate functions!
Delegation refers to pushing a data operation to the source. PowerApps is capable of many operations on data, but first the data must be downloaded to the device or browser. Let's say you need to work with 1 million records. Downloading all that data in order to search, sort, and calculate across it would take prohibitively long, especially over a cellular network. It is far more efficient to push the work to the cloud or on-premise server that can much more easily work with all that data.
In this release you can now delegate Sum, Average, Min, and Max functions to SQL Server.
Want to see it in action? Connect to your favorite SQL Server and run the following script. Do you remember the old adage: start with a penny, double it every day, and within a month you will be a millionaire? This script does just that: repeatedly doubles a table 20 times until it contains 220 rows or 1,048,576 rows. The LongNumber column increments with each row giving us something to aggregate. This script takes about 5 minutes to run on a modest SQL Azure instance.
CREATE TABLE LongTable ( LongNumber BIGINT IDENTITY (1,1) PRIMARY KEY, ShortNumber BIGINT );
INSERT INTO LongTable ( ShortNumber ) VALUES ( 1 );
DECLARE @i INT; SET @i = 1; WHILE @i <= 20
INSERT INTO LongTable SELECT LongNumber AS ShortNumber FROM LongTable
SET @i = @i + 1
Connect to this table with PowerApps and add a Label control with a Text property set to:
Sum( '[dbo].[LongTable]', LongNumber )
After a few seconds of watching ants race across the top of the screen the answer appears in our label: 549,756,338,176. We know the sum of the numbers from 1 to n is n(n+1)/2 and sure enough that checks out.
Aggregate functions aren't limited to just whole tables. We can compose Sum with Filter to operate over a selected portion of the table. For example, let's change our app to skip the first 100,000 rows:
Sum( Filter( '[dbo].[LongTable]', LongNumber > 100000 ), LongNumber )
Based on our math formula, the sum of numbers to 100,000 is 5,000,050,000. Sure enough, if we subtract this from our previous result we match the correct answer shown in the label: 544,756,288,176. All within a few blinks of an eye.
Ok that's swell, math is always fun, but what about a practical use?
Let's take an example from the trusty Adventure Works sample database. We'll look at two tables:
- SalesOrderHeader contains all the details about an order in a single row and includes a primary key field SalesOrderID.
- SalesOrderDetail contains all the line items for a particular order. A set of these are associated with a SalesOrderHeader through a 1-many relationship, using a foreign key field SalesOrderID. For example, if an order contains an Orange, an Apple, and a Pear, then there would be 3 SalesOrderDetail rows associated with the order.
In our app, we'd like to display a list of orders and with each the total of the detail records for each order. The first part is familiar: create a new app, connect to the SQL database, add a Gallery control to a screen to display the SalesOrderID field:
This next part is new. For the Subtitle1 field of the Gallery, we will use a combination of the Filter and Sum functions. The filter will limit our summation to just the detail records for this order, by matching the foreign key of SalesOrderDetail (SalesOrderID in the formula, part of the filter's record context) with the primary key of SalesOrder (ThisItem.SalesOrderID in the formula). The filtered result is then added up and the result shown in our gallery:
And just like that we are preforming a grouped sum on a related table.
You will notice that no blue dots appeared in this article. The examples given here are only limited in scale by what SQL Server supports and that is very large. But unfortunately, that doesn't mean there aren't any blue dots left to be found. Not to worry, we are far from done, more delegation is on the way.
Al always, the What's New page chronicles what has been added with each PowerApps release. Have feedback for us? We would love to hear from you – please post in our forums! We are always actively listening, learning, and responding to your comments and questions. If there's a feature you'd like to see in an upcoming release, please submit your idea to us!
Happy delegating!
-PowerApps Team


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Wheelchair Clothing
Welcome to Able2 Wear's Wheelchair Clothing Collection.
Here at Able2 Wear, we are designing and creating wheelchair and adaptive clothing to help getting dressed easier for both the wearer and carer. Our clothes have been designed to help our customers, making adaptable, comfortable trousers and jackets for wheelchair users.
Browse our collection of drop front trousers, elasticated waist wheelchair trousers and wheelchair waterproofs from ponchos to back fastening jackets. Our wheelchair trousers do not use zips or buttons and all our products are made from quality fabrics and material for extra comfort and durability.
We also sell a selection of everyday accessories and other products, such as Extra Wide Oedema Socks, perfect for swollen legs by not being too tight on the leg.
If you have any questions, or you would like to place an order over the phone, please phone us on 0141 775 3738.


text:
Claiborne, Kodak to present brand protection solutions
ROCHESTER, N.Y. Liz Claiborne Cosmetics and Kodak will provide brand owners at the Brand-Protection Packaging Forum in April with a look at how technology from Kodak can help fight counterfeiting and diversion in the cosmetic industry.
The presentation, titled "Protecting Brand in the age of Counterfeiting and Grey Market Diversion," will be held at the forum April 8 at the Chicago Marriott in Schaumburg, Ill.
Liz Claiborne uses the Kodak Traceless System for Anticounterfeiting to authenticate its products and to track sales through authorized distribution channels. Grey market diversion involves distributors selling product into unauthorized markets and unauthorized retailers. The Kodak Traceless System markers help legitimate distributors, retailers and manufactures protect profits and overall brand value.
Cosmetics are among the estimated $700 billion of total counterfeit goods produced annually. According to a European Union report, about $1.6 million counterfeit cosmetics and personal care products were seized by officials.
In addition to its cosmetics and fragrance clients, Kodak has also implemented solutions for customers in the pharmaceutical, consumer electronics and other markets.


text:
Soon as the shades of night had fled,
Uprising from his lowly bed,
Ráma the famous, broad of chest,
His brother Lakshman thus addressed:
'Now swift upsprings the Lord of Light,
And fled, is venerable night,
That dark-winged bird the Koïl now
Is calling from the topmost bough,
And sounding from the thicket nigh
Is heard the peacock's early cry,
Come, cross the flood that seeks the sea,
The swiftly flowing Jáhnaví.' 1
King Guha heard his speech, agreed,
And called his minister with speed:
'A boat,' he cried, 'swift, strong, and fair,
With rudder, oars, and men, prepare,
And place it ready by the shore
To bear the pilgrims quickly o'er.'
Thus Guha spake: his followers all
Bestirred them at their master's call;
Then told the king that ready manned
A gay boat waited near the strand.
Then Guha, hand to hand applied.
With reverence thus to Ráma cried:
'The boat is ready by the shore:
How, tell me, can I aid thee more?
O lord of men, it waits for thee
To cross the flood that seeks the sea,
O godlike keeper of thy vow,
Embark: the boat is ready now.'
Then Ráma, lord of glory high,
Thus to King Guha. made reply:
'Thanks for thy gracious care, my lord:
Now let the gear be placed on board.'
Each bow-armed chief, in mail encased,
Bound sword and quiver to his waist,
And then with Sítá near them hied
Down the broad river's shelving side.
Then with raised palms the charioteer,
In lowly reverence drawing near,
Cried thus to Ráma good and true:
'Now what remains for me to do?'
With his right hand, while answering
The hero touched his friend:
'Go back,' he said, 'and on the king
With watchful care attend.
Thus far, Sumantra, thou wast guide;
Now to Ayodhyá turn,' he cried:
'Hence seek we leaving steeds and car,
On foot the wood that stretches far.'
Sumantra, when, with grieving heart,
He heard the hero bid him part,
Thus to the bravest of the brave,
Ikshváku's son, his answer gave:
'In all the world men tell of naught,
To match thy deed, by heroes wrought--
Thus with thy brother and thy wife
Thrall-like to lead a forest life.
No meet reward of fruit repays
Thy holy lore, thy saintlike days,
Thy tender soul, thy love of truth,
If woe like this afflicts thy youth.
Thou, roaming under forest boughs
With thy dear brother and thy spouse
Shalt richer meed of glory gain
Than if three worlds confessed thy reign.
Sad is our fate, O Ráma: we,
Abandoned and repelled by thee,
Must serve as thralls Kaikeyí's will,
Imperious, wicked, born to ill.'
Thus cried the faithful charioteer,
As Raghu's son, in rede his peer,
Was fast departing on his road,--
And long his tears of anguish flowed.
But Ráma, when those tears were dried
His lips with water purified,
And in soft accents, sweet and clear,
Again addressed the charioteer:
'I find no heart, my friend, like thine,
So faithful to Ikshváku's line.
Still first in view this object keep,
That ne'er for me my sire may weep.
For he, the world's far-ruling king,
Is old, and wild with sorrow's sting;
With love's great burthen worn and weak:
Deem this the cause that thus I speak
Whate'er the high-souled king decrees
His loved Kaikeyí's heart to please,
Yea, be his order what it may,
Without demur thou must obey,
For this alone great monarchs reign,
That ne'er a wish be formed in vain.
Then, O Sumantra, well provide
That by no check the king be tried:
Nor let his heart in sorrow pine:
This care, my faithful friend, be thine
The honoured king my father greet,
And thus for me my words repeat
To him whose senses are controlled,
Untired till now by grief, and old;
I, Sítá, Lakshman sorrow not,
O Monarch, for our altered lot:
The same to us, if here we roam,
Or if Ayodhyá be our home,
The fourteen years will quickly fly,
The happy hour will soon be nigh
When thou, my lord, again shalt see
Lakshman, the Maithlí dame, and me.
Thus having soothed, O charioteer,
My father and my mother dear,
Let all the queens my message learn.
But to Kaikeyí chiefly turn,
With loving blessings from the three,
From Lakshman, Sítá, and from me,
My mother, Queen Kausalyá, greet
With reverence to her sacred feet.
And add this prayer of mine: 'O King;
Send quickly forth and Bharat bring,
And set him on the royal throne
Which thy decree has made his own.
When he upon the throne is placed,
When thy fond arms are round him laced.
Thine aged heart will cease to ache
With bitter pangs for Ráma's sake.'
And say to Bharat: 'See thou treat
The queens with all observance meet:
What care the king receives, the same
Show thou alike to every dame.
Obedience to thy father's will
Who chooses thee the throne to fill,
Will earn for thee a store of bliss
Both in the world to come and this.'
Thus Ráma bade Sumantra go
With thoughtful care instructed so.
Sumantra all his message heard,
And spake again, by passion stirred:
'O, should deep feeling mar in aught
The speech by fond devotion taught,
Forgive whate'er I wildly speak:
My love is strong, my tongue is weak.
How shall I, if deprived of thee,
Return that mournful town to see:
Where sick at heart the people are
Because their Ráma roams afar.
Woe will be theirs too deep to brook
When on the empty car they look,
As when from hosts, whose chiefs are slain,
One charioteer comes home again.
This very day, I ween, is food
Forsworn by all the multitude,
Thinking that thou, with hosts to aid,
Art dwelling in the wild wood's shade.
The great despair, the shriek of woe
They uttered when they saw thee go.
Will, when I come with none beside,
A hundred-fold be multiplied.
How to Kaus'alyá can I say:
'O Queen, I took thy son away,
And with thy brother left him well:
Weep not for him; thy woe dispel?'
So false a tale I cannot frame,
Yet how speak truth and grieve the dame?
How shall these horses, fleet and bold,
Whom not a hand but mine can hold,
Bear others, wont to whirl the car
Wherein Ikshváku's children are!
Without thee, Prince, I cannot, no,
I cannot to Ayodhyá go.
Then deign, O Ráma, to relent,
And let me share thy banishment.
But if no prayers can move thy heart,
If thou wilt quit me and depart,
The flames shall end my car and me,
Deserted thus and reft of thee.
In the wild wood when foes are near,
When dangers check thy vows austere,
Borne in my car will I attend.
All danger and all care to end.
For thy dear sake I love the skill
That guides the steed and curbs his will:
And soon a forest life will be
As pleasant, for my love of thee.
And if these horses near thee dwell,
And serve thee in the forest well,
They, for their service, will not miss
The due reward of highest bliss.
Thine orders, as with thee I stray.
Will I with heart and head obey,
Prepared, for thee, without a sigh,
To lose Ayodhyá or the sky.
As one denied with hideous sin,
I never more can pass within
Ayodhyá, city of our king,
Unless beside me thee I bring.
One wish is mine, I ask no more,
That, when thy banishment is o'er
I in my car may bear my lord,
Triumphant, to his home restored.
The fourteen years, if spent with thee.
Will swift as light-winged moments flee;
But the same years, without thee told,
Were magnified a hundred-fold.
Do not, kind lord, thy servant leave,
Who to his master's son would cleave,
And the same path with him pursue,
Devoted, tender, just and true.'
Again, again Sumantra made
His varied plaint, and wept and prayed.
Him Raghu's son, whose tender breast
Felt for his servants, thus addressed:
O faithful servant, well my heart
Knows how attached and true thou art.
Hear thou the words I speak, and know
Why to the town I bid thee go.
Soon as Kaikeyí, youngest queen,
Thy coming to the town has seen,
No doubt will then her mind oppress
That Ráma roams the wilderness.
And so the dame, her heart content
With proof of Ráma's banishment.
Will doubt the virtuous king no more
As faithless to the oath he swore.
Chief of my cares is this, that she,
Youngest amid the queens, may see
Bharat her son securely reign
O'er rich Ayodhyá's wide domain.
For mine and for the monarch's sake
Do thou thy journey homeward take,
And, as I bade, repeat each word
That from my lips thou here hast heard.'
Thus spake the prince, and strove to cheer
The sad heart of the charioteer,
And then to royal Guha said
These words most wise and spirited:
'Guha, dear friend, it is not meet
That people throng my calm retreat:
For I must live a strict recluse,
And mould my life by hermits' use.
I now the ancient rule accept
By good ascetics gladly kept.
I go: bring fig-tree juice that I
In matted coils my hair may tie.'
Quick Guha hastened to produce,
For the king's son, that sacred juice.
Then Ráma of his long locks made,
And Lakshman's too, the hermit braid.
And the two royal brothers there
With coats of bark and matted hair,
Transformed in lovely likeness stood
To hermit saints who love the wood.
So Ráma, with his brother bold,
A pious anchorite enrolled,
Obeyed the vow which hermits take,
And to his friend, King Guha, spake:
'May people, treasure, army share,
And fenced forts, thy constant care:
Attend to all: supremely hard
The sovereign's task, to watch and guard.'
Ikshváku's son, the good and brave,
This last farewell to Guha gave,
And then, with Lakshman and his bride,
Determined, on his way he hied.
Soon as he viewed, upon the shore,
The bark prepared to waft them o'er
Impetuous Gangá's rolling tide,
To Lakshman thus the chieftain cried:
'Brother, embark; thy hand extend,
Thy gentle aid to Sítá lend:
With care her trembling footsteps guide,
And place the lady by thy side.'
When Lakshman heard, prepared to aid
His brother's words he swift obeyed.
Within the bark he placed the dame,
Then to her side the hero came.
Next Lakshman's elder brother, lord
Of brightest glory, when on board,
Breathing a prayer for blessings, meet
For priest or warrior to repeat,
Then he and car-borne Lakshman bent,
Well-pleased, their heads, most reverent,
Their hands, with Sítá, having dipped,
As Scripture bids, and water sipped,
Farewell to wise Sumantra said,
And Guha, with the train he led.
So Ráma took, on board, his stand,
And urged the vessel from the land.
Then swift by vigorous arms impelled
Her onward course the vessel held,
And guided by the helmsman through
The dashing waves of Gangá flew.
Half way across the flood they came,
When Sítá, free from spot and blame,
Her reverent hands together pressed,
The Goddess of the stream addressed:
'May the great chieftain here who springs
From Das'aratha, best of kings,
Protected by thy care, fulfil
His prudent father's royal will.
When in the forest he has spent
His fourteen years of banishment,
With his dear brother and with me
His home again my lord shall see,
Returning on that blissful day.
I will to thee mine offerings pay,
Dear Queen, whose waters gently flow,
Who canst all blessed gifts bestow.
For, three-pathed Queen, though wandering here,
Thy waves descend from Brahmá's sphere,
Spouse of the God o'er floods supreme,
Though rolling here thy glorious stream.
To thee, fair Queen, my head shall bend,
To thee shall hymns of praise ascend,
When my brave lord shall turn again,
And, joyful, o'er his kingdom reign.
To win thy grace, O Queen divine,
A hundred thousand fairest kine,
And precious robes and finest meal
Among the Bráhmans will I deal.
A hundred jars of wine shall flow,
When to my home, O Queen, I go;
With these, and flesh, and corn, and rice,
Will I, delighted, sacrifice.
Each hallowed spot, each holy shrine
That stands on these fair shores of thine,
Each fane and altar on thy banks
Shall share my offerings and thanks.
With me and Lakshman, free from harm,
May he the blameless, strong of arm,
Reseek Ayodhyá from the wild,
O blameless Lady undefiled!'
As, praying for her husband's sake,
The faultless dame to Gangá spake,
To the right bank the vessel flew
With her whose heart was right and true.
Soon as the bark had crossed the wave,
The lion leader of the brave,
Leaving the vessel on the strand,
With wife and brother leapt to land.
Then Ráma thus the prince addressed
Who filled with joy Sumitrá's breast:
'Be thine alike to guard and aid
In peopled spot, in lonely shade.
Do thou, Sumitrá's son, precede:
Let Sítá walk where thou shalt lead.
Behind you both my place shall be,
To guard the Maithil dame and thee.
For she, to woe a stranger yet,
No toil or grief till now has met;
The fair Videhan will assay
The pains of forest life to-day.
To-day her tender feet must tread
Rough rocky wilds around her spread:
No tilth is there, no gardens grow,
No crowding people come and go.'
The hero ceased: and Lakshman led
Obedient to the words he said:
And Sítá followed him, and then
Came Raghu's pride, the lord of men.
With Sítá walking o'er the sand
They sought the forest, bow in hand,
But still their lingering glances threw
Where yet Sumantra stood in view.
Sumantra, when his watchful eye
The royal youths no more could spy,
Turned from the spot whereon he stood
Homeward with Guha from the wood.
Still on the brothers forced their way
Where sweet birds sang on every spray,
Though scarce the eye a path could find
Mid flowering trees where creepers twined
Far on the princely brothers pressed,
And stayed their feet at length to rest
Beneath a fig tree's mighty shade
With countless pendent shoots displayed.
Reclining there a while at ease,
They saw, not far, beneath fair trees
A lake with many a lotus bright
That bore the name of Lovely Sight.
Ráma his wife's attention drew,
And Lakshman's, to the charming view:
'Look, brother, look how fair the flood
Glows with the lotus, flower and bud.'
They drank the water fresh and clear,
And with their shafts they slew a deer.
A fire of boughs they made in haste,
And in the flame the meat they placed.
So Raghu's sons with Sítá shared
The hunter's meal their hands prepared,
Then counselled that the spreading tree
Their shelter and their home should be.
154:1 Daughter of Jahnu, a name of the Ganges, See p. 55.


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When Good Fruitcakes Go Bad
I keep a pretty clean house.
I bath regularly.
So I wondered why there were so many little flies buzzing around me?
Up until a few weeks ago, I never had a problem with insects, save for the nightly attacks of mosquitoes (the bane of Parisian summers). So I was wondered why I had so many little visitors flitting about my kitchen.
Every year I make fruitcakes, and last year was no exception. I spend hours candying orange and grapefruit peel as well as making spicy, candied ginger, which I chop up into toothsome nuggets. I make a buttery batter packed full of brilliant-green Sicilian pistachios, and use my precious stash of rich, crunchy Macadamia nuts sent to me by friends in Hawaii.
Then batter gets divided into molds of various sizes and baked in anticipation of holiday gift-giving. (Note to future recipients: The size determines how much I feel indebted to you…so plan your gift-giving accordingly.)
Once-cooled, I soak the cakes with a heady pour of Cognac, then wrap them neatly in French linen, known as étamine. Then faithfully, each month, I brush the gauzy wrap with a fresh dose of Cognac, re-wrap them, then revisit them monthly to repeat the process.
Last week, I did my ritualistic unveiling of my lovely fruitcakes to give them their regular dose of Cognac.
As I pulled back the wrapping, something felt oddly unfamiliar, and an uneasy sense of dread spread over me. The cakes didn't feel solid.
Nor did they even feel like cakes.
Well, words can't really describe what I was feeling, so I'll simply share…
Oh la vâche!, as we say.
This was perhaps the most horrible thing I'd seen in a long, long time.
Flies buzzed, hovered and swooped around the almost-unrecognizable bricks of cake, frothy mold seeped and fizzed from every pore, and little wriggly…well…since you may be eating while you read this, I'll stop there, but you get the message (and hopefully share my pain.)
I'm certain le canicule, the heatwave of July, was responsible. It heated everything up, including my cakes, and turned them into a messy mayhem of mold and mouches (flies).
I made a beeline for the elevator to the garbage area on the ground floor of my building, praying the elevator wouldn't stop to let someone else on. If it had, I don't know how I would have explained what happened. Or the stink. Luckily I arrived tout seule, and with semi-regret, flung the whole she-bang in la poubelle, slammed down the lid, and beat a hasty retreat.


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Open Mike Eagle With eyes refocusing on the Los Angeles underground hip-hop scene, Open Mike Eagle is poised to become the latest in an illustrious line of MCs to step out of the Los Angeles underground and onto the national stage. Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Open Mike cut his teeth rapping with fellow broad shoulder underground MCs before moving to Los Angeles in 2004. He has since settled in with LA's Project Blowed, co-founding the crews Thirsty Fish and the Swim Team, while earning a rep as both an intelligent rhyme writer and a formidable battle MC. Gifted with a facile style, knack for droll wordplay, and penchant for penning memorable hooks that recalls fellow Blowed alums Mikah-9 and Abstract Rude, Open Mike Eagle presents art rap for the masses. |
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PHOENIX – An unattended campfire and a suspicious forest ranger led to the arrest of two of the most wanted fugitives in the U.S., ending a three-week nationwide manhunt that drew hundreds of false sightings, authorities said.
John McCluskey fled July 30 with two other inmates from a private prison in northwest Arizona and evaded authorities in at least six states before being caught Thursday evening just 300 miles east of the prison.
Authorities arrested McCluskey, 45, and his alleged accomplice Casslyn Welch, 44, at a campsite in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest in eastern Arizona.
Welch, who is McCluskey's fiancee and cousin, reached for a weapon but dropped it when she realized she was outgunned by a swarming SWAT team, said David Gonzales, U.S. marshal for Arizona.
Officers apprehended McCluskey without incident after finding him lying in a sleeping bag outside a tent. He told authorities he had a gun in his tent and would have shot them if he had been able to reach for it.
It was a peaceful close to a manhunt that authorities had said was likely to end in a bloody shootout between officers and desperate outlaws who fancied themselves as a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde.
"The nightmare that began July 30 is finally over," Gonzales said.
The fugitives' ruse began to crumble about 4 p.m. Thursday when a U.S. Forest Service ranger investigated what appeared to be an unattended campfire, Gonzales said. He found a silver Nissan Sentra backed suspiciously into the trees as if someone were trying to hide it.
The ranger had a brief conversation with McCluskey, who appeared nervous and fidgety. A SWAT team and surveillance unit surrounded the campsite and swarmed on the fugitives, Gonzales said.
McCluskey told officers he wishes he would have shot the forest ranger when he had the opportunity, authorities said.
McCluskey and Welch were being held in the Apache County Jail in St. Johns.
A photo released by authorities showed McCluskey wearing dirty blue jeans and no shirt with an "Arizona" tattoo across his chest.
"I hope the citizens of Arizona and the nation can rest easier this evening," said state Corrections Department Director Charles Ryan.
Authorities will spend Friday combing the campsite looking for any evidence that could link the fugitives to other crimes during their time on the lam.
Gonzales said investigators looked into 700 tips from nearly every state in a manhunt that had officers swarming into small towns from Montana to Arkansas. Authorities said the trail had gone cold since McCluskey and Welch were last seen Aug. 6 in Billings, Mont.
It's unclear how long they were in Arizona, but Gonzales said authorities suspected they might return to the state they know best.
Corrections officials have said that Welch helped McCluskey and fellow inmates Tracy Province and Daniel Renwick escape from the private prison near Kingman by cutting through a security fence.
Renwick was recaptured in Rifle, Colo., on Aug. 1, and Province was found in Meeteetse, Wyo., on Aug. 9.
Renwick and Province were serving time for murder. McCluskey was serving a 15-year prison term for attempted second-degree murder, aggravated assault and discharge of a firearm.
Province, McCluskey and Welch have been linked to the slayings of Gary and Linda Haas of Tecumseh, Okla., whose burned bodies were found in a travel trailer Aug. 4 on a remote ranch near Santa Rosa, N.M. They had been traveling to Colorado on an annual camping trip.
Officials said the stolen car found Thursday at the Arizona campsite had New Mexico license plates stolen around the time the Haases were killed.
"That's the best news we've had in 10 days. Everybody just broke down and cried for a little bit," Sheila Walker, one of the Haases' best friends, told The Associated Press late Thursday. "That was the one thing we wanted to hear."
The family was grateful that their prayers had been answered and that no one else was hurt during the hunt for the fugitive and his accomplice.
"That was one of our main fears, that they would get desperate and someone else would get hurt," Walker said. "We are just thrilled they are back behind bars."
The arrests came hours after officials discussed a report that outlined a series of embarrassing security breakdowns that allowed the escape.
The prison has a badly defective alarm system, a perimeter post was unstaffed, an outside dormitory door had been propped open with a rock and the alarms went off so often that prison personnel often just ignored them, the report said. Also, operational practices often led to a gap of 15 minutes or longer during shift changes along the perimeter fence, Ryan said.
Prison staff told a review team that the dormitory door was left open because of the heavy amount of foot traffic. That open door allowed the three inmates to reach a 10-foot chain-linked fence that hadn't been topped with razor wire. They scaled that fence and hid out for a time behind a building in an area that isn't visible to staff from the yard.
Using wire cutters, which Welch tossed into the prison yard shortly before the 9 p.m. shift change, the inmates cut a 30-by-22-inch hole and held the fence back with a dog leash.
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Trashtastic Kim Kardashian just couldn't stay out of the spotlight if she tried. Not that she ever tries, but, you know – she should! The woman whose skankiness is legendary is once again in the crossfire over her ever-changing romantic entanglements.
First up, despite the rumors that she is dating Kanye West and was recently used and excused by Reggie Bush, Kim is claiming none of that's the case! Confronting rumors directly, she sat down with E! Kardashian reality producer Ryan Seacrest on his radio show and squelched them head on. "I'm really not dating right now at all," the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star claimed. "I'm really just focusing on work. I know I always say this, but I'm trying to just get through my situation and just have fun."
So, why is she keeping such a low romantic profile? "I think I'm still married," she rebuts. Um… well yeah, the real question is was she ever really married in spirit and I think the answer to that is a no way.
And responding to the gossip that she is planning to adopt to boost her image, Kim flat-out denies it. "I don't even know where that came from, " she protests. "What's so crazy is…the magazines could easily call and ask, and we would say yes or no. But no, that's not true."
"I've heard so many ridiculous things and to be honest I used to read all the magazines and watch things. I don't even look at any of that anymore. I've taken my Google alerts off my phone!" Uhhhh… yeah to the right!
Kim was also asked about actor Jon Hamm's recent comments about her, you know, about her being a "f*cking idiot." Kimmie responded: "I just feel like, to be honest, it's all about trying to stay focused and keeping everything positive. It really takes a lot more energy and effort to be harsh than to say something nice and be positive."
And here's some negative attention for Kim to ignore! Star Magazine (via their print edition) is reporting that Kim dumped Kris Humphries over money! Audrey Hick, an old friend of Kris' who is currently in jail (I know, I know… the source is suspect) is claiming Kris wasn't rich enough for the Kardashians!
Apparently, once Kris explained that his financial situation wasn't going to increase significantly, Kim started to have doubts about the relationship. "Kris told her he wouldn't be pulling in $20 million a year and that deflated things for her," Aubrey reveals.
But the wedding had already started to commence and Kim was invested in increasing her own financial net worth. "Kim was not going to let it fail once it reached critical mass. Once the engagement happened, she was going to have that wedding and make money from it."
To enact revenge, Kim all but drained the couple's joint checking account which allegedly contained all the money they earned on the wedding related blitz. "Whatever was earned by Kim and Kris separately was going to be theirs but any money earned together such as from the wedding would go into the account," Andrey says.
Even worse, Aubrey claims Kim was a gold-digger because her own financial standing isn't as secure as she'd have the public believe! "We have Kim presenting herself as extraordinarily wealthy but she was borrowing $10,000 here and $10,000 there." Perhaps she was in Dubai to secure a rich husband!
Aubrey is alleging that Kim and Kris were worth about the same going into their nuptials. "Her net worth is only $8 million," he adds. "And $3 million of that is in furniture and clothing. This is a woman who wants at whatever cost, to support her lifestyle."
Hmmm… I'm not sure I believe much of this story, but you never know! Kim reportedly made $17M on her wedding alone.
Moving right along, Kim's plans to snag a new man aren't working out. Which may be why she's denying any whisperings that she's started dating again!
According to In Touch Weekly (via their print edition), Reggie never planned on seriously reconnecting with Kim and was just using her for sex all along. The reason? Reggie knew all about her dishonest, cheating ways. "He never really trusted her," a friend of Reggie's explains. Apparently, the NFL star considers Kim to be a "user and a fame-seeker," and he no longer respects her.
Kim's rep is, of course, denying any truth to the rumors that Reggie hooked up with Kim and then lost her number, but Kim is said to be furious. To retaliate she mosied down to Paris to cavort with fellow attention whore, Kanye! Which apparently, Reggie feels only proves his point about Kim's true intentions.
"Kanye had invited Kim to Paris, but at first she turned down the offer," a friend explains. "She wound up changing her mind after Reggie dumped her because she wanted to make him upset." The non-stop display of flirting and the "deep sexual attraction" she pretended to have with Kanye was apparently all for show.
Unfortunately, Reggie saw right through her transparent attempt to get his attention and he isn't falling for it. "Reggie thinks Kim and Kanye are two of a kind," the source adds. They "deserve each other."
[Photo Credit: WENN.com]


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Hitler as 'Enlightenment Intellectual': The Enduring Allure of Hitlerism
- Hitler as Philosophe: Remnants of the Enlightenment in National Socialism, by Lawrence Birken. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 1995. Hardcover. 120 pages. Reference notes. Bibliography. Index. $45.00.
Reviewed by Mark Weber
A specter is haunting the world — the specter of Hitlerism. That, in short, is the stern warning of this provocative book, written by an Assistant Professor of History at Ball State University (Indiana), and published by Praeger, a leading US academic publisher.
In spite of decades of vehement vilification, says author Lawrence Birken, Hitler's views have enduring and dangerous appeal — not because they are bizarre and alien, but precisely because they are rational and well grounded in Western thought. In particular, Birken stresses, Hitlerism is firmly rooted in the rationalist and scientific outlook of the 18th-century European Enlightenment. This is not meant as a compliment, however; the author is hostile to the West and its traditions. Rejecting the American and Western historical legacy, Prof. Birken openly calls for a new, racially homogenized America.
For more than half a century, Hitler and his views have been ceaselessly demonized in motion pictures, on television and in the print media. And yet, according to Birken, the appeal of Hitlerism remains so potent that it threatens the ideal of a racially "redefined" America of "higher unity." As traditional standards and long-established cultural, racial and religious values come under ever greater attack, and as this country's racial and cultural crisis becomes ever more acute, Birken fears that those who are unwilling to accept the "redefined" society that is developing in America and Europe will turn in ever greater numbers to Hitler's alternative vision of society. Hitlerism, Birken says, will loom ever larger as a dangerously seductive "siren song."
The author has no doubt made a sincere effort to provide an informed and objective look at Hitler and his views. But even if we overlook the numerous misspellings of proper names and titles, and the often polemical prose style, this is a badly flawed work. Birken's understanding of what Hitler really thought and believed is both limited and skewed.
This is due in large part to the author's exclusive reliance on English translations of Hitler's writings and speeches (apparently he cannot read German), and a naive trust in unreliable secondary studies. These include Robert Waite's The Psychopathic God: Adolf Hitler (1977), a sensationalistic psychodramatization, and Hermann Rauschning's Revolution of Nihilism (1939), a thoroughly discredited diatribe. (See "Rauschning's Phony 'Conversations With Hitler': An Update," Winter 1985 Journal, pp. 499-500.)
Birken also quotes repeatedly from The Testament of Adolf Hitler: The Hitler-Bormann Documents, supposedly a transcript of "table talk" remarks made by Hitler in February and April 1945. These "documents" are fake, says British historian David Irving, who reports that the late Swiss banker François Genoud admitted to him that he was the author.
'A Genuine Intellectual'
Reflecting the ideological perspective that prevails in the Western world today, scholars of Hitler and Third Reich Germany have tended to dismiss the German leader's intellectual outlook as simplistic and crude — or even crazy. Many play down or simply deny Hitler's place in Western culture "as a means of sanitizing that culture," says Birken. "But if we are to read Hitler neither to condemn nor to praise but merely to understand, then we come away with a very different conclusion about his place in European history."
Scholars and others have made a major mistake in failing to take Hitler seriously as a thinker, argues Birken, who believes that the German political leader "must be regarded as a genuine intellectual" on a par with Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud. Birken's assessment is not as startling as many might believe. As he notes, as early as 1953, British historian Hugh R. Trevor-Roper "evoked the image of Hitler as a kind of synthesis of Spengler and Napoleon, noting that of all world conquerors the German leader had been the most 'philosophical'…" More recently, German historian Rainer Zitelmann established in a study of impressive scholarship that Hitler's outlook was rational, self-consistent and "modern." (R. Zitelmann, Hitler: Selbtsverständnis eines Revolutionärs [second edition, 1989].)
Moreover, Hitler's outlook was very much a part of the Western intellectual tradition. In his "combination of an almost religious faith with a revolutionary secularism," writes Birken, "Hitler represented the continuation of an essentially Enlightenment style of thought… Nazism, and especially Hitler's exposition of it, represented an attenuated and popularized form of the Enlightenment style of thought."
Hitler had a gift for presenting his message in an attractive, accessible form. Writes Birken:
The most attractive feature of Hitler's ideology was thus its optimism. It was not merely his mood but his message that carried an infectious excitement. He was a secular messiah proclaiming a Germanic version of the "good news." The possibility of class reconciliation, the plans for a national revival, the identification of a universal enemy whose elimination would usher in the millennium, all stirred his audiences to the very depths. Hitler spoke the language of the [Enlightenment] philosophes, a language that had almost passed out of existence in the rarefied strata of the grand intelligentsia.
However, placing Hitler and Hitlerism in the intellectual tradition of the West, Birken continues, "should do less to raise our opinion" of Hitlerism, than to "lower our opinion" of "the intellectual history of the West."
Economic Views
Hitler's economic worldview, writes Birken, was likewise rational, self-consistent, progressive, and entirely in keeping with Western tradition. "Hitler's economic ideas were also permeated by Enlightenment notions of progress," and were "closer to Ricardo and Marx than to Machiavelli or Keynes." Birken adds:
…A careful reading of his speeches and writings suggests that he was neither a mercantilist nor a Keynesian, neither a medievalist nor a marginalist. Rather… his economic ideas fit all too well into the classical-physiocratic style of thought.
Hitler believed that social and national considerations, not economic ones, should be paramount in society. The economic and political system must serve the nation, not the other way around. Thus, Birken points out, while "political economy played an important role in his thinking," Hitler
did not restore the primacy of the state after all but, quite the contrary, subordinated the state itself to a dynamic of aggressive technological and cultural expansion. In doing this, Hitler also asserted himself against the last remnants of aristocratic civility at the same time that he opposed the emerging relativism of consumer culture.
As Birken explains, Hitler believed that "all growth could be traced to individual effort — but only at the service of the common good. He thus tempered what might be taken as a 'libertarian' definition of inventiveness with a somber collectivism." Believing that socially useful creativity was "the product of individual geniuses of high personality value," Hitler supported equal social opportunity for all, and opposed legal and social barriers to individual economic achievement and success. Governmental and social policies, he believed, should encourage merit-based social mobility.
Hitler was critical of both capitalism and Marxism — the first because it was "insufficiently democratic," and the latter because it was "too democratic" or "leveling." While supporting economic growth across national boundaries, "Hitler also took what he considered to be a conservative stand against the coming hyper-commercialism of an emerging global economy."
Views on Race and Religion
Although he is endlessly castigated as "the most notorious racist of the twentieth century," Hitler's racial views were actually quite in harmony with mainstream 19th- and early 20th-century European thinking. "It should be obvious," writes Birken, "that Hitler possessed a 'classical' theory of race which dovetailed nicely with his classical notions of political economy."
Far from being aberrant or bizarre, his views on race were consistent with those of most prominent Westerners in the decades before the Second World War. And while Birken does not specifically mention it, Hitler's racial views were comparable to those of Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and Winston Churchill.
Contrary to popular belief, Hitler never supported notions of breeding a homogenous blond "hyper-Aryan" race. Accepting the reality that the German population consisted of several distinct sub-racial groups, he stressed the German people's national and social unity. A certain degree of racial variety was desirable, he thought, and too much racial blending or homogeneity could be harmful because it would homogenize and thus eliminate superior as well as inferior genetic traits.
Hitler believed that "both conservative prudery and radical eroticism" harmed society, and he opposed birth control because it tended to lower the genetic quality of the society that practices it.
While he was critical of Christianity, Hitler was no atheist. "The religion of Hitlerism was thus essentially a kind of deism," concludes Birken. Like Thomas Jefferson and other prominent early American leaders, Hitler equated God with "the dominion of natural laws throughout the whole universe." Thus, "for Hitler, national socialism was natural socialism."
Attitude Toward Jews
It is "of course, a great mistake to see anti-Semitism as a rejection of Enlightenment values," writes Birken. "On the contrary, the Enlightenment simply secularized rather than destroyed traditional Judeophobia." (No Western thinker was more outspokenly anti-Jewish than Voltaire, the great French philosophe, who regarded the Jews as "enemies of mankind.") The Enlightenment concept of social "fraternity," Birken writes, demands social solidarity, which implies that Jews, as an alien and self-absorbed people, cannot fit in.
Hitler's hostile attitude toward Jews, Birken writes, was neither irrational nor aberrant. He saw "Jews as the personification of a great lie": that is, while they pretended to be merely a religious community, in fact they constituted a self-selected national-ethnic group with international ambitions. Because he regarded the Jews as the enemies of all peoples, Hitler held that combatting Jewish power and influence should be the common duty of all nations — a view that Birken calls an expression of "Germanic universalism."
The United States
Hitler's attitude toward the United States was mixed. He saw much to admire in 18th- and 19th-century America, and as Birken notes, he praised this country's pre-1940s pro-White racial policies, its restrictions on non-White immigration, and its pioneering adoption of eugenics measures.
But Hitler also saw ominous trends during the 1920s and 1930s. Echoing the views of American industrialist Henry Ford, he was dismayed by the spectacular growth of Jewish power and cultural influence, and regarded Franklin Roosevelt's "New Deal" administration as a virtual revolution in American life, through which Jews largely usurped the country's traditional ruling class.
A Persistent Allure
The defeat of Germany in 1945, Birken rightly notes, "clearly marked a watershed" in world history, and especially for the West:
In a real sense, Hitler's defeat implicitly became the defeat of the European nation-state and the Enlightenment values that underpinned it. Germany's heirs, the United States and the Soviet Union, were both fundamentally transnational, multiracial empires whose territories were seemingly unlimited.
As a result, for half a century we have been living in what Birken calls a "consumer capitalist" world in which "the hierarchical order of sex and race which had originally sustained bourgeois nationalism has been disintegrating" and in which "the increasing relativization of values is encouraged by the ever greater globalization of the economy and consequent emergence of a multinational business elite."
This new world order is less durable than it might appear, says Birken. The recent collapse of the multi-ethnic, multi-racial Soviet Union, he warns, portends similar problems for the American empire. Even a mere contraction of the economy could threaten "to dissolve the United States into several races." In Birken's view, racial nationalism threatens "the continued existence of the United States." He warns:
What Hitler said in the thirties is thus what our racial nationalists are saying today: namely, that a genuinely inclusive multiracial nation violates the natural order of things. The United States must either be a white-dominated state or a collection of breakaway republics made up of this or that group.
In short: if Hitler was right, America is an increasingly unnatural and artificial construct that does not deserve to survive, and will not survive.
Birken fears that Hitlerism will become ever more attractive to those who reject today's supra-national "consumer capitalism," and who resist the rapidly emerging "genuinely inclusive multiracial" order. This alternative vision has appeal beyond America and Europe, Birken believes. As he notes, Hitler's fight against the British empire — a war he actually never sought nor wanted — "won him [Hitler] the admiration of colonial peoples from Ireland to India …"
A New 'Cosmic' Nation
Birken concludes his book with a fervent call for "the gradual formation of an American race as a higher synthesis. Then the Americans will truly constitute a universal or 'cosmic' people." In Birken's view, the "race myth" and Hitlerism "will continue to tempt us" unless Americans "can be given a genuine metaphysical foundation." This "metaphysical foundation" must be to "uncreate race" through massive racial mixing. Therefore, Birken writes, "we should not be afraid of that dirty little word, 'miscegenation'." (Consistent with this vision, President Bill Clinton, in his much-discussed June 14, 1997, speech in San Diego on race relations, openly proclaimed the goal of making America "the world's first truly multiracial democracy.")
Given the reluctance of many Americans, particularly conservative Whites, to warmly embrace this new "universal" nation, Birken says "we must have an education system that is able to instill this redefinition of American culture."
"Before we try uniting the world," Birken concludes, "let us try uniting ourselves. Until we do so, the siren song of Hitlerism will call to us."
Stark Alternatives
To anyone who views the past with an open mind, history demonstrates the utterly fantastic nature of the goal laid out by Prof. Birken (and President Clinton) — a vision no less utopian than Marxian Communism. In any case, to meld the American population into a "universal" racial-cultural entity would require government repression on a scale unimaginable today.
Few Americans today are able or willing to fully grasp the enormous implications of the radical program that intellectuals such as Birken (and political leaders such as Clinton) are spelling out for our future. But once they do (and as Prof. Birken fears) many will likely turn to Hitlerism as an alternative to the official prevailing ideology. The decades-long campaign of vilification of Hitler and Third Reich Germany may actually contribute to this by convincing millions of Americans that Hitlerism is the antithesis of the Establishment's ideology, and thus the only real alternative.
In spite of its defects, Hitler as Philosophe effectively dispels some widely-held misconceptions about Hitler and Hitlerism, acknowledges the critical importance of the race issue, and boldly spells out stark alternatives for the future of America and Europe. For this the author deserves credit.


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The MTA/LIRR Reduced-Fare program for senior citizens, Medicare recipients, and people with disabilities applies to all SFCC train trips.
Acceptable forms of documentation to qualify to use Reduced-Fare tickets under MTA/LIRR policy appear below:
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To take advantage of the $3.25 South Fork Commuter Connection fare, purchase a special "South Fork Commuter Connection" ticket.
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Please see the separate FAQ for information on discounts for senior citizens and individuals with disabilities.
The ticket you purchase for travel between Speonk and Montauk is valid on any LIRR trip; however, connecting shuttle bus services are only available on the SFCC designated trips.
Yes. While the shuttle buses operate to meet connecting trains (please check posted SFCC schedules), you do not need to present a voucher or LIRR ticket to use the shuttle.
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Employers and employees all over the South Fork have varying work schedules and work out of a variety of locations. We encourage employers and employees to be open to variations in work schedules, in order to take advantage of the SFCC service, as well as other train schedules which may fit your needs. The Towns can help provide guidance on how to arrange 'flex hour' schedules for employees and discuss options on employer involved local job site transportation ideas.
Service disruptions could possibly occur under extreme weather situations such as severe snowstorms or other major events. The LIRR and the Towns will be proactive in providing advance notice of any expected changes in service through local media as well as electronic/social media.
The LIRR and the Towns will provide notice of any service changes via our websites and social media. We encourage anyone who uses, or may use, these services to sign up for information updates via these outlets: Sign up for NOTIFY ME SFCC - News and notification on the Town of Southampton website; and/or the Southampton Town Facebook page. It is also recommended that anyone using the LIRR sign up for train service alerts at: www.mymtaalerts.com
The South Fork Commuter Connection (SFCC) is a coordinated, intermodal transportation service in which transit users ride the Long Island Rail Road and then transfer to a Town-provided shuttle bus.
This service is designed to bring workers from one of three LIRR stations west of the Shinnecock Canal to one of the LIRR stations east of the canal on weekday mornings. Town-provided shuttles will take these train riders to local places of employment in the morning; and the process is reversed in the afternoon, bringing trains users back to the stations via shuttle buses to board one of two westbound return trips.
The Long Island Rail Road operates the train portion of the service. The Towns of East Hampton and Southampton will operate the connecting shuttle bus service which links to the train stations in their Town. These shuttles are for use by those who purchase a train ticket, ride the train and retain an LIRR ticket stub as a voucher for using the bus shuttle.
Those who utilize the train portion of this intermodal service, but cannot utilize the shuttle bus portion due to a disability or impairment-related condition, are eligible to receive paratransit services in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Suffolk County Transit, which operates public bus service throughout the County and is the designated transit agency for Suffolk County, can provide paratransit service through its existing Suffolk County Accessible Transportation (SCAT) program.
SFCC related paratransit service between the train stations and the local employment centers would be for train arrivals and departures linked to the local shuttle bus services available at the stations east of the Shinnecock Canal. The user's trip would originate at the train station in conjunction with the morning eastbound train arrivals; and the user's return destination would be the train station, in conjunction with an afternoon westbound departing train. (Paratransit services not related to the South Fork Commuter Connection intermodal service are also available through the Suffolk County Transit SCAT program.)
Eligibility for paratransit must be established prior to use, so enrollment in the SCAT program or comparable ADA paratransit service is required before service may be requested through the Suffolk County Accessible Transportation service system. Suffolk County Accessible Transportation (SCAT) ID cards are required for Suffolk County residents to utilize this paratransit service. Please see the link below for complete information on the SCAT application and reservations process.
Any individual who does not qualify for SCAT services, but is planning to use the SFCC train and bus service and is in need of a wheelchair lift equipped vehicle to get from or to the train station, should contact Hampton Hopper @ 631-259-7076 no later than 2PM the day before they plan to travel.
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