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For three decades, Tamara Loyer wrestled with the regular demons that haunt so many in the Downtown Eastside: Sex work, drugs, violence, poor health, poverty and homelessness.
All the while, an even bigger battle waged inside her; she was a woman trapped in a man's body, an imbalance that shaped her life from a young boy growing up on a Quebec military reserve to a tormented transsexual on Vancouver's streets.
Stalked by real and perceived bigotry, she sought refuge in an anonymous world where sex was sold to strangers and pain was numbed with dope.
Loyer's goal to complete her physical transition to female was unobtainable. She had no stability to pursue surgery and no home in which to recover.
"It was always in the bottom of my soul that I wanted this to happen. I'm 52, and it seemed fleeting at times," she said in a recent series of interviews.
"I needed to get off the street. But I was having a hard time finding housing."
That changed on a cold and rainy October night in 2011, when an outreach worker plucked an injured and despondent Loyer out of an alley and took her to the first social housing building in which she felt safe: one for women only run by Atira Women's Resource Society.
Although she looked female, she had the body parts of a man, which was challenging at times in an old, modest SRO where residents shared bathrooms.
With support from her nurse practitioner and Atira staff, Loyer waded into the quagmire of government paperwork and assessments to apply for funding for a sex change operation.
Last month, she emerged from a Montreal gender reassignment hospital with a body finally in sync with her brain: in place of a penis and testicles is now a vagina and clitoris.
Loyer's agony over her birth gender led her descent from a well-educated computer programmer to a homeless person. She now hopes the surgery will give her the confidence to find a home, a job, and a healthier lifestyle.
"My surgery was the end to an ambiguous gender. I couldn't go forward when I was both," she said. "If not for surgery, I'd still be in an alley doing nasty things. I didn't believe I could get there. I wanted to, but I didn't believe it."
Eight of 10 Canadian provinces now fund sex reassignment surgery, which is performed in Canada only at a private Montreal hospital.
Dr. Maud Belanger, who operated on Loyer, said as more provinces have started paying for the operation, the number of homeless patients has increased.
"People who are transgender live (with) more rejection, have more problems with drug abuse ... Patients will tell us, if you didn't do that surgery, they would probably kill themselves. We hear that at least two to three times a week," Belanger said in a telephone interview.
"When they get surgery they are more functioning in the society and can get better jobs ... because they feel as they should have since they were a kid."
Loyer's 30-year slide into homelessness is not uncommon for people grappling with their sexual or gender identities, according to national studies.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and transsexual young people make up 25 to 40 per cent of the national youth homeless population, even though they comprise only five to 10 per cent of the general population, says a report by York University professor Stephen Gaetz and other homelessness researchers.
"Sexual minorities (are) over-represented in street youth populations, a result of tension between the youth and his or her family, friends and community," says the report, The State of Homelessness in Canada 2013.
A second 2013 report penned by Gaetz, Youth Homelessness in Canada, noted: "discrimination against transgender youth on the streets and in the shelter system is rampant: transgender youth face more discrimination than any other youth group."
A sex change operation may help alleviate this imbalance, but it isn't easy to obtain for a marginalized person with no permanent address, no regular access to phones or email, no disposable income and no support network.
Nurse practitioner Jennifer Beaveridge, who has expertise in transgender medicine, helped Loyer overcome some of these obstacles.
"When she moved into (housing) she really got settled, and had a permanent address. I think her self esteem increased," Beaveridge said.
"Everything started to really pull together for her, to start thinking she was ready for this next step."
Confused and alone
Loyer was born into a traditional French Canadian military family in 1961. Her father was in the air force. Her mother stayed home to raise Loyer and younger sister Paige.
By age nine, she can remember not identifying with her genitals or her male name.
It wasn't that Loyer wanted to be a girl. She just never related to being a boy — so becoming female was the only other option.
"You need to be able to be something, and female is better than male to me."
There were few options to explore this taboo subject on a 1960s military base. At age 14, Loyer ran away from home after a relationship-ending fight with her father.
She lived on her own throughout troubled teen years, yet graduated from high school and completed a three-year diploma in computer programming.
In 1984 she moved west to Vancouver where she assumed the name Tamara.
She pursued four more years of post-secondary education, in areas such as accounting, nautical engineering and commercial design, but keeping an office job was difficult, either because she faced discrimination at work or feared she would.
Loyer treated the pain with drugs, eventually becoming a blur of high heels, glittery jewelry and heavy makeup working the streets.
She tried relationships with both men and women, but was never what her partners were looking for: a gay man or a kinky oddity.
Vancouver was emerging at the time as a supportive city to gay and lesbians, but Loyer did not feel connected to that community.
"I don't identify as being gay. Gay is about who you want to f**k and gender is who I identify as when I look in the mirror."
Society's limited view of transsexuals, Loyer recalled, was of drag queens in big wigs and poofy outfits — which seemed to her a parody of the conflict brewing inside her.
By 1989, she was diagnosed with gender dysphoria — a crippling unhappiness with one's biological gender.
A supportive doctor prescribed her large doses of estrogen, which has resulted in more feminine features: vastly reduced face, chest, arm and leg hair, subtle curves and hips, less body fat and small breasts.
Also in 1989, she inquired about funding for a sex change operation. But her life was too chaotic to pursue this dream.
"I knew the way things were then I would not be able to lead a normal life," said Loyer.
She contracted hepatitis C, her mental health deteriorated, and she racked up a few drug and soliciting convictions.
Enraged johns often beat her, she added, when they discovered the prostitute they'd hired had the wrong sexual organs.
She encountered strife daily. Although she presented as female, she had to check into rooming houses with the male name on her B.C. disability cheque, and had to show her male ID to police and hospitals.
One of her biggest challenges was public washrooms and change rooms — she wanted use the ones for women, but was occasionally kicked out for having the wrong body parts.
It is common for trans people to face harassment, according to Vancouver Coastal Health's transgender health program. Studies found 62 per cent experience depression, and 32 per cent have attempted suicide.
Loyer has made a number of suicide attempts despite taking anti-depressants for 25 years. Many friends, she said, have killed themselves.
She continued to research sex reassignment surgery on free computers at the Carnegie Centre, but her focus on the street had to be finding food and making money.
In recent years she has been a regular fixture panhandling downtown, sitting against a parking metre in gender-neutral clothes, hat extended but never asking for "spare change" as she smiled at passersby. Her repeat clients are kind to her, but others are not.
In October 2011, Loyer was attacked while sleeping on a Coal Harbour sidewalk, and was left with a leg in a cast and very little hope.
"I had my house on my back like a turtle. I was working to try to buy my dope to medicate myself out of existence," she recalled.
A Carnegie Centre outreach worker found her and insisted she seek shelter in an all-women Atira social housing building. "I was really skeptical of it when I went in there, but the staff made a good effort and the residents did too."
Atira executive director Janice Abbott said her agency supports all women — and has helped about 20 trans women over the years.
There are obvious challenges to a trans woman sharing a bathroom with other female tenants, Abbott added, noting Atira's clients are merely a microcosm of society with the same range of biases. "So part of our job is to do education and support, and help women build empathy for each other."
After moving inside, Loyer stopped her sex work and drug use. She reduced her smoking, ate well, lowered her stress levels, and took her estrogen more regularly — all necessary steps to get ready for the onerous gender reassignment operation.
Atira staff and Beaveridge, her nurse practitioner, helped Loyer navigate the complicated sex-change system.
Beaveridge, who works in a community health clinic where most of her patients have links to drug use, sex work, and HIV or Hep C, travelled several years ago to the Montreal hospital where Loyer had her surgery to learn more about treating transgender patients.
Beaveridge helped Loyer get physically and emotionally ready for the surgery, and in mid-2013 wrote a required letter to the Ministry of Health indicating her patient was ready. Then came the final step, a meeting with a ministry assessor to ensure Loyer was psychologically prepared for this irreversible operation.
The charity Hope Air paid for Loyer's airfare and Beaveridge arranged for the government to cover the $2,000 fee for her post-surgery care in Montreal — additional costs above the $20,000 MSP pays for the procedure.
The operation took place March 26. Doctors removed her male organs and created a vagina (complete with sensation) in a cavity that naturally exists in male bodies.
Loyer woke up ecstatic.
"I thought, 'I don't have any of this baggage any more,'" she said. "Everything fits. Everything works."
She is still in constant pain, which is muted slightly by strong medication, but remains giddy about the results of the operation.
"I feel like a rebirth," she said. "I just want to be like everybody else and not worry about the unconventional."
She will now officially change her name and gender on her identification, and finally hopes to forge healthy relationships with friends and lovers.
"I'd like to venture forth. I don't want to return to what I'm trying to move away from, which is getting off the street."
First she faces a six-month recovery from this major, invasive surgery and then Loyer hopes to chart a new path for her future.
She has modest goals.
For now, she may return to panhandling to supplement her disability cheques, but hopes once she fully heals to find her own apartment and return to school or find a job such as walking dogs.
"I feel like I got a second chance. It would be a shame to abuse that, after all the time and effort for something I've wanted for so long," she said.
"This is the start line. This is the first chapter of my new story."


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Discover the coastal beauty of Bissau, the capital city of Guinea-Bissau, with its friendly and vibrant population, colonial history and impressive architecture. The city's colonial past survives in the ruins of colonial forts and squares. To experience this energetic city and the nearby islands of natural beauty, book your flights to Bissau with TAP Air Portugal. Our service, in-flight comfort, and prices can't be beat!
Take in the beautiful beaches and fun city streets of Bissau with these top sights:
The city is warm year round, with rainy and dry seasons. Walking is best within the old town. To explore beyond the old town, use the local toca-toca minibuses and regular taxis. Portuguese is the official language, but most of the locals speak Upper Guinea Creole, French, or other native languages. Uncover this unique culture when you fly to Bissau with TAP Air Portugal.

subset: commoncrawl


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Wellness and work-life balance are becoming more and more important for financial advisors. Constant dealing with agitated markets (and scarcely less agitated clients) has increased the need for stress management. When I spoke several months ago at a women advisors' summit, I heard psychologist Heidi Hanna give a speech on brain fitness. I was impressed by her focus on holistic wellness for advisors and the way the appreciative audience seemed hungry for more.
During the conference, I learned that Hanna is a consultant to Janus Capital Management (a pioneer in wellness education and support) and other organizations that want to help their sales force and business partners learn to live better balanced, more energized lives. It struck me that some of the programs and ideas she has developed can benefit financial advisors who aren't necessarily affiliated with these client organizations.
For independent advisors, there's another choice: affiliating with a firm that provides wellness training and support in addition to more traditional services such as business management and marketing consulting. Research in this area led me to Stuart Silverman, CEO of Fusion Advisor Network, which has been expanding a successful wellness program in order to help advisors achieve better quality of life. When I interviewed Hanna and Silverman for Investment Advisor, they both had interesting things to say about how to slow down, find more satisfaction, improve the quality of your relationships and maximize your own potential.
To Take Care of Your Business, First Take Care of Yourself
"My biggest passion is getting people to understand that taking care of themselves is taking care of their business," Hanna told me. "Managing your own personal energy is critical to business success. It's not selfish: It's an investment in the people you're supposed to take care of, at home and at work."
A performance and wellness coach, Hanna recently authored "Sharp: Simple Strategies to Boost Your Brainpower." After gaining a master's degree in counseling psychology, she became a certified personal trainer, then earned a Ph.D. in holistic nutrition. She now consults with businesses about how to run effective wellness programs.
Olivia Mellan: What do advisors need to know or do to make their businesses and lives more successful?
Heidi Hanna: You need to realize that there's no separation between work life and home life: It's all one life. The key is finding the right balance.
We often get overwhelmed because there are so many things we want to do better. But if we focus on a few simple but powerful changes, like changing what we eat and when, and changing when we take breaks, it can make a tremendous difference in our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual energy levels.
In fact, the idea that "managing energy is the key to extraordinary results" is at the heart of the Energy for Performance program, which I've helped Janus bring to thousands of financial advisors since 2006.
OM: I've heard about the importance of taking breaks. Why? How many breaks and how often?
HH: People think taking breaks means you're lazy, whereas it's actually a strategic investment in the energy you have. I recommend a couple of three- to five-minute breaks a day, one in midmorning and one in midafternoon. Try to work up to three breaks a day. When I started taking three breaks for three minutes each—that's less than 10 minutes a day—I found my mental clarity, creativity and energy improving.
OM: What other suggestions do you have to help people recover energy they've lost?
HH: Because our attention is being pulled in so many different directions, we need to invest energy back into our brains to maintain focus. That's why I recommend reprioritizing your tasks every day. Don't spend your energy constantly putting out fires or dealing with nonessentials that crop up.
Try chunking your day into 50-minute blocks, leaving five minutes before to focus and five minutes after to recharge.
The recharging process I use is like a short meditation. I call it "Brain Recharge." The idea is just to change your focus to something that's calming or positive to allow the brain to go through the relaxation process. When your body is stressed it produces cortisol, which is toxic to the brain. When you're relaxed, it produces positive endorphins.
OM: "Recharging" is a great image! Especially since we so often feel drained, as if we'd depleted all our vitality.
HH: Mental and physical energy often go together. Another of my suggestions is don't sit for longer than 90 minutes. Try standing meetings with your team or walking meetings with your clients.
As a financial advisor, you may only have five minutes with a client or prospect, but if you manage your energy well, those five minutes can be more impactful than if you'd spent an hour with that person.
OM: How are you using ideas like these to educate advisors about wellness issues?
HH: For six years now, I've been an independent consultant helping Janus develop health and wellness training for their Janus Labs programs. There are three modules to my work with Janus: Energy for Performance focuses on physical energy; Stress for Success, on emotional energy; and BrainWorks, on mental energy.
To me, any wellness program should discuss all these dimensions and how they work together. For example, if you aren't eating frequently enough, this has a negative impact on your emotions and your ability to focus. On the flip side, if you are mentally exhausted because you haven't taken breaks, your body will crave high-fat, high-calorie foods that will drain your physical energy.
OM: How have your programs been received?
HH: Financial planners are getting more and more interested in this field. Our database currently includes more than 10,000 advisors who have participated in talks, workshops or calls. Last year Janus started a new LinkedIn group called Balanced Advisor for anyone who wants to know more about these issues. (See sidebar, below.)
When I did a conference call for advisors about brain health and cognitive fitness, there were 4,000 financial advisors on the call. They really want to know more and more about this whole area.
A Practical Way for Advisors to Find Life Balance: Fusion
Stuart Silverman is the founder and CEO of Fusion Advisor Network in Elmsford, N.Y., which provides business management consulting to some 260 independent financial advisors with more than $3 billion in assets under management. Positioned as an alternative to a traditional broker-dealer relationship (working through BD NFP Securities), Fusion works to provide support for its affiliated advisor firms' growth in areas such as marketing, technology, human capital and business operations—and now, quality of life.
OM: What prompted your concern about wellness as an issue for advisors?
Stuart Silverman: We used to work with our advisors informally, one on one, to relieve their feelings of being stressed and overwhelmed. But in 2008, we saw them going through a lot of challenges: market turmoil, worrying about clients and their families, trying to be a business owner as well as a good father or mother at home. We realized we needed to ratchet up our support on a more formal basis.
So we created a program called Thrive. Thrive has absolutely nothing to do with financial planning, equities or the stock market. Instead, it focuses on quality of life issues and how we can find more balance and contentment in our lives.
OM: How does the program work?
SS: We live in a high-tech world, bombarded by too much information. So we teach advisors how to slow down and put things in perspective.
Last year, for example, we held a four-day Mindful Leadership and Wellness Retreat in conjunction with the Institute for Mindful Leadership. We took a group of 25 advisors up to the Catskills to learn meditation, yoga, mindfulness training and mindful leadership.
OM: It's hard to imagine logical, numbers-oriented advisors doing yogic asanas! How did it go?
SS: They had never seen anything like it. It was not a business retreat, it was a chance to find life balance. How do I become a better parent, a better advisor, a better person?
And it really worked. I've seen Type A advisors who now meditate or do yoga, who've learned to slow down. (See sidebar, right.)
OM: What's next?
SS: After everyone came back and shared their comments, there was overwhelming demand for others to experience this. So Fusion is now embarking on a new initiative focused entirely on quality of life. Our program will feature key speakers and retreats dedicated to everything from meditation to diet, exercise, balance, sleep and mindfulness. It's a work in progress, but will certainly be valuable to those of us striving for that happy medium where we find true satisfaction in all we do.
OM: It sounds as though you've already helped independent advisors to move toward greater wellness.
SS: I founded the Fusion Advisor Network on the principle of sharing: "fusing" advisors together while developing a culture where member firms can flourish and grow. These past few years have certainly validated this business model.
As leaders in our families and in our businesses, we're all responsible for creating environments where people around us can flourish through nurturing, innovation, creativity and positive energy. While this sounds straightforward, it can be incredibly challenging. Our hopes are that this program will help expose us to many tools, speakers and resources that can make a difference in our everyday living, while enabling us to be mindful of ourselves and everyone around us.
How You Can Benefit
Silverman, Hanna and other financial industry pioneers are opening new windows to greater satisfaction, productivity and client value for advisors. As an independent practitioner for whom work-life balance has always been a central—and sometimes elusive—goal, I'm a strong supporter of their efforts. (In fact, I've already joined Balanced Advisor on LinkedIn.)
With so many people counting on you, it's easy to feel that you're the only one dealing with so much responsibility and the stress that comes from it. But incorporating more wellness techniques into your daily routine, you can learn how to take better care of yourself, your business and your family—and face the future with better health and balance in your life.


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Interception return helps 49ers clinch playoff berth
Bowman's interception return clinches game, playoff berth for S.F.
Candlestick Park, a 53-year-old stadium that has been home to some of the most memorable game-winning catches in NFL history, might well have gone out with one more Monday night.
Unlike those other grabs, authored by Dwight Clark, Terrell Owens and Vernon Davis, this one came courtesy of a defensive player: Credit NaVorro Bowman with The Catch IV.
In the final regular-season game at Candlestick Park on Monday night, the 49ers' All-Pro inside linebacker returned a deflected pass 89 yards for a touchdown with 1:10 left to seal a 34-24 win over the Falcons, clinch a playoff berth and send 69,732 nostalgic fans home happy.
The 49ers (11-4), who were facing the specter of missing the postseason if they lost their final two games, now have a slim chance of winning their third straight NFC West title. They can claim the division if they win at Arizona (10-5) on Sunday and St. Louis (7-8) beats the Seahawks (12-3) in Seattle.
On Monday, it was Bowman who changed their fortunes.
"That's the best thing I've ever seen happen in a football game," 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh said. "It might have been close to The Catch."
Said a smiling Bowman, whose first interception of the season came at an opportune time and matched his 2012 pick total: "I'm good for one of those a year."
This one, however, will go down as one of the most memorable in Candlestick history given the moment.
The Falcons (4-11), who trailed by 10 points with 5:04 remaining, were down 27-24 and, thanks to a recovered onside kick, were improbably driving for a game-winning touchdown.
On 2nd-and-1 at San Francisco's 10-yard line, however, quarterback Matt Ryan's slant pass to wideout Harry Douglas was batted in the air by cornerback Tramaine Brock. Bowman snagged the deflection and, followed by a caravan of teammates, sprinted untouched into the end zone, where he landed with a celebratory leap as Candlestick rocked.
"I thought I was going to come down with it, but then Bo took it and got out of there," Brock said. "... At first, I was just playing football. Then I realized either they could have won or tied the game. That's when I realized it was a very big play."
It was the latest big play for Bowman, whose batted pass in the waning moments of last season's NFC Championship Game against the Falcons sent the 49ers to the Super Bowl. On Monday night, though, it appeared he could be the goat when he whiffed on Atlanta's onside kick and it was recovered by running back Jason Snelling at San Francisco's 30-yard line with 2:09 left.
"He made up for what happened before that," wide receiver Michael Crabtree said. "It was a big play."
Said safety Donte Whitner: "God was on his side today. ... He caught the ball and ran it in and now we're going to the playoffs. ... (As he was running) I'm just thinking, 'We won the football game.' We're going to the playoffs and thank goodness we made this play because it was starting to look a little dim for a minute."
Before the 49ers' offense awoke in the second half, it was looking dim at halftime. The Falcons led 10-3 and the Niners had managed five first downs and 113 yards against the NFL's 29th-ranked defense.
Fittingly, on a nostalgic night that brought out two of the best all-time players in their respective sports - Willie Mays and Jerry Rice - the 49ers forcefully responded in the second half with some serious star power.
In the final two quarters, quarterback Colin Kaepernick threw a 10-yard touchdown to Anquan Bolin and had a 4-yard scoring run, wide receiver Michael Crabtree had 99 of his 102 receiving yards and running back Frank Gore had 61 of his 97 rushing yards. Gore gave the 49ers a 27-17 lead on a 1-yard run with 5:04 left.
In the second half, the 49ers had 15 first downs, 266 yards and 24 offensive points.
"We made some adjustments at halftime and I thought our guys really came out smoking in the second half, offensively and defensively," Harbaugh said.
For his part, Harbaugh was on the sideline sprinting toward the south end zone as Bowman took off with his game-sealing interception. Harbaugh eventually met Bowman as he came off the field and thanked the linebacker for a memorable gift on his 50th birthday.
"That's the best birthday present I've ever gotten," Harbaugh said. "Second only to being born. That was awesome."
Playoff scenarios
What has to happen for the 49ers to be ...
NFC West champs, top seed: Beat Cardinals AND Rams beat Seahawks AND Falcons beat or tie Panthers.
NFC West champs, second seed: Beat Cardinals AND Rams beat Seahawks.
The 49ers are at worst a wild-card team. They could be either the fifth or sixth seed.
Eric Branch is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: email@example.com Twitter: @Eric_Branch


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Per Kristy Robinson of Pirates Prospects:
Huntington said Charlie Morton will start season on 15 day DL. "It's a tremendous progress to be where he is."
To me, this looks like a procedural move, since Morton wasn't scheduled to be in the opening week rotation anyway. This also sets Charlie up well to make the start on April 14, when a 5th starter will first be needed. Rob Biertempfel has some other quotes from Huntington which echo much of what he told me last weekend.
Other news: Four players were assigned to the minor league camp today but none of them surprising: Eric Fryer, Ryota Igarashi, Jake Fox and Nick Evans.
Filed under: baseball, Pirates | Tagged: baseball, Charlie Morton, Eric Fryer, Jake Fox, Kristy Robinson, Neal Huntington, Nick Evans, Pirates, Rob Biertempfel, Ryota Igarashi | Leave a comment »


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In August 2016 a Syrian named Mustafa Mousab Alowemer, now 21, entered the U.S. under President Obama's refugee program. Today he was arrested in an ISIS plot to bomb a Christian church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
(Via DOJ) Mustafa Mousab Alowemer, 21, a resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was arrested today based on a federal complaint charging him with one count of attempting to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization, and two counts of distributing information relating to an explosive, destructive device, or weapon of mass destruction in relation to his plan to attack a church in Pittsburgh.
The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Assistant Director Michael McGarrity of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division and Special Agent in Charge Robert Jones of the FBI's Pittsburgh Division.
"Targeting places of worship is beyond the pale, no matter what the motivation," said Assistant Attorney General Demers. "The defendant is alleged to have plotted just such an attack of a church in Pittsburgh in the name of ISIS. The National Security Division and our partners will continue our efforts to identify and bring to justice individuals in our country who seek to commit violence on behalf of ISIS and other terrorist organizations. I want to thank the agents, analysts, and prosecutors who are responsible for this investigation."
"Court documents show Mustafa Alowemer planned to attack a church in the name of ISIS, which could have killed or injured many people. Fortunately, his plans were foiled by the full force of the FBI Pittsburgh Joint Terrorism Task Force," said Assistant Director McGarrity. "The FBI takes threats to churches and other religious institutions extremely seriously and will use all our resources to stop potential terrorist attacks against them." (read more)


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Constructed to meet LEED Silver standards, the approximately 18,000 square foot, $4.2 million hall will house about 70 students and is expected to be ready for occupancy during the fall semester. Designed by SMRT Inc. of Portland, Maine, it will be located just within the tree line adjacent to the soccer field.
"As with all of our campus improvement projects, we listened to the needs and preferences of students," noted President Stephen Mulkey. "This comfortable residence hall will have the amenities that our students have told us they want, and it will also provide features like wireless technology throughout that support study and experiential learning."
Daniel LaForge, Director of Facilities and Public Safety, and Stephen Nason, Director of Residence Life and Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, have been involved in the planning process since its inception. Student comfort was a priority.
"This residence hall will provide more square footage per student than any other residence hall on campus," noted LaForge.
Nason is pleased that the hall will lessen pressure throughout the housing system, and its focus on the needs of upperclassmen is ideal.
"Suite style housing is ideal for juniors and seniors," Nason said. "It provides the amenities they want." Nason says that the goal of residence life is to eventually have 80 percent of the student body living on campus.
Green features have been integrated into every aspect of the design. The suite style residence hall will house five students to a suite. There is also one double suite. Low flow water devices will control showers, faucets, and toilets throughout the building. Higher than average insulation levels in the exterior walls are expected to provide R-30 value and R-50 value for the roof, both superior levels by even stringent green standards. The south facing roof will have a solar array and the building will be the third on campus heated by wood pellets.
Each suite will have a kitchenette consisting of a counter with space for a microwave and a sink for washing dishes. An efficiency apartment will have a full kitchen with connections for an additional kitchen in the common space.
Leading-edge technology will be integrated into the hall. A fiber optic line will be run to the residence hall and the building will have wireless connectivity throughout.
In 2013, Unity College was able to increase its incoming class by 16 percent over 2012. Growth of the student body is expected to continue. With 70 percent of the entire student body choosing to live on campus, the College placed a priority on expanding its campus residential facilities.
The mix of "green" living options and full slate of campus activities have made living on campus the most desirable option for a majority of students. The living preferences and environmentally focused values of Unity College students have informed projects.
"A campus at residential capacity is an indication of student satisfaction and strength of Unity's social community," says Dr. Melik Peter Khoury, Senior Vice President for External Affairs.
Students began the 2013-14 academic year on a campus that well serves both academic and community needs. Thirty facility improvement projects were completed over the summer alone, including the renovation of three science laboratories. Khoury says that other projects to enhance the campus beyond the building of this residence hall in service to Unity College's mission are anticipated in the coming years.
In recent years Unity College has gained national attention for a variety of achievements including for its focus on sustainability science, the leading-edge of 21st century ecological problem solving and the vanguard in the fight for the mitigation of global climate change; its ground-breaking green innovations such as the award-winning TerraHaus, the first student residence on a college or university campus built to the Passive House standard, the most energy efficient building standard in the world; and being the first college in the United States to divest from investments in fossil fuels, igniting a growing national movement in higher education. In 2013 the College received 10 year accreditation by The New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), the highest level of accreditation given by that organization.
Through the framework of sustainability science, Unity College provides a liberal arts education that emphasizes the environment and natural resources. Through experiential and collaborative learning, our graduates emerge as responsible citizens, environmental stewards, and visionary leaders.
Thursday, January 09, 2014


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The movement began just two years ago by environmental activist Bill McKibben and Unity College, an environmental college in Maine with the tag line America's Environmental College, seems unstoppable.
In early May, as President Barack Obama crisscrossed the United States revealing details of a dire National Climate Assessment, Stanford University joined the movement that began on November 13, 2012, at a 350.org event during which Unity College President Stephen Mulkey announced that his institution had divested from investments in fossil fuels.
Stanford will now comb through its $18.7 billion endowment, divesting from its shares in coal-mining companies. The move comes just weeks after Pitzer College of Claremont, California, announced its intention to divest from investments in fossil fuels and improve campus sustainability efforts.
If the immediate goal of the divestment movement is to strip fossil fuel companies of their social contract to pursue a business model that is inconsistent with the long-term sustainability of human habitation on earth, then the objective of education reform as proposed by Mulkey is to reframe higher education to produce graduates with the real-world skills necessary to save humanity.
Sustainability Science and Education Reform
"Now that Stanford University has taken this important step, it is not improbable to think that Harvard University will seriously reconsider its continued resistance to calls by its faculty and students to divest," noted Mulkey, an internationally regarded scientist.
Mulkey and McKibben have been among the most recognizable and ardent champions of the growing divestment movement, speaking at events across the United States and advising college Presidents who are considering following their lead.
For Mulkey, climate leadership includes both divestment and proposing broad changes that will make higher education more efficient, relevant to real-world problems, and collaborative. Just as Microsoft Corporation began with a series of ideas worked through on a garage work bench, so too is Unity College. Unity is a college of fewer than 1,000 students located in Maine's mid-coastal farm country, that is modeling the most transformative initiative since the G.I. Bill opened higher education to the masses.
When Mulkey announced Unity's divestment to cheers ringing from the audience at the State Theater in Portland, Maine, what he did not mention is sustainability science, the second part of an equation to reframe higher education. Sustainability science is the second of the one-two punch in President Mulkey's philosophy and passionate call to action. Mulkey says that sustainability science has the capability to comprehensively address a plethora of issues related to the survivability of the planet. It challenges silos between the disciplines, threatens outdated modes of thinking, and requires faculty to learn new, collaborative ways of thinking and teaching.
While the Board of Trustees unanimously supported Unity College's divestment, its faculty adopted Mulkey's broad vision for education reform. The faculty voted to adopt sustainability science, the leading-edge of 21st century transdisciplinary (collaborative) environmental problem solving, including the mitigation of climate change, as its framework for teaching and learning.
There are two planks in Mulkey's platform: sustainability and education reform.
Essentially, the growing divestment movement that Stanford University joined is one part of a multi-layered strategy. Mulkey's comprehensive vision includes reframing of higher education for greater real world relevance. He is now holding up the college he leads as a template for others to follow and a call to action for radical change.
Prophet at the Dawn of a New Movement
Like the recent National Climate Assessment, Mulkey's message to educators is stark and pulls no punches about the threat of global climate change. What he has done is take the next step in a comprehensive strategy for sustainability and offer a pro-active vision action. It is a vision that has the potential to transform higher education in ways that offer humanity its best chance for long-term viability.
Mulkey first presented his vision for the reframing of higher education in light of global climate change on October 7, 2013, as a featured speaker at the American Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) conference in Nashville, Tennessee. Many in the capacity crowd of environmental professionals blogged about the presentation and quality of his ideas. He has since offered versions of his AASHE presentation, entitled "Crisis and Opportunity in the Environmental Century: Inspiring a Generation to Greatness," to groups across the United States.
In June, Mulkey will release a 10 minute video that is the distillation of his core messages about the threat of climate change, need for broad action, and role of sustainability science in giving humanity a fighting chance to ensure its long-term viability.
His uplifting call to change is not only the remedy for an antiquated higher education system in need of a post-industrial retrofit, but serves as a vision for new prosperity and economic innovation through the expansion of the "green" economy.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014


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Used M-Audio
About M-Audio:
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Founded in 1998, M-Audio's reputation for crystal dynamics and rugged durability has been growing ever since. In fact, renowned artists like Depeche Mode, Los Lobos, Junkie XL and countless others have all praised M-Audio for their superbly crafted sound gear. Throughout M-Audios vast catalog of equipment, you'll find everything from studio monitors and MIDI controllers to keyboards, sustain pedals and even complete audio packages.
Amongst M-Audios top selling family of products is the StudioPro 3 desktop monitors. Offering powerful amplification and advanced crossover technology, these exceptional monitors are compact, lightweight and highly versatile. Another popular item is the M-Audio Axiom AIR 25 MIDI controller. Easy to use and solidly built, this MIDI controller consists of 25 keys, exclusive Hypercontrol automatic-mapping, and overall come greatly recommended for both live performances and composing in the studio.
Even the most creative sound technician's on the planet still need the best audio equipment if they wish to bring their greatest skills to the forefront. These days there is no shortage of top quality audio gear to choose from. But for a project you can be truly proud to share with the rest of the world, you can save yourself plenty of time and money by decking out your studio with incredibly constructed sound gear courtesy of M-Audio.


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AEM desktop app v1.x release notes
For desktop app v1.x release, the following are the download links and AEM compatibility information.
Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) desktop app
1.10 (22.214.171.124 on Mac and 22.214.171.124 on Windows)
Minor release
18.104.22.168 (Mac): April 15, 2020; 184.108.40.206 (Win): August 31, 2018
Download URLs
AEM 6.5.x; AEM 6.4.x; AEM 6.3 SP2; AEM 6.2 SP1 CFP2+; AEM 6.1 SP2 CFP7+
Cache size limit is not enforced. When the desktop app starts, the cache size is calculated once, and a notification is shown if the size is close to the predefined limit.
System requirements and prerequisites
Adobe Experience Manager desktop app is compatible with the following operating systems:
- Mac OS X 10.10 or newer, with latest bug fixes.
- Windows 10 with the latest service packs and bug fixes.
Windows 7 is no longer supported by the vendor (https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4057281/windows-7-support-ended-on-january-14-2020).
Adobe strongly recommends using the latest version of AEM desktop app to avail the latest functionality, the most recent bug fixes, and the best possible performance.
The version of AEM desktop app you are planning to install on your local machine requires a specific AEM server version/additional server-side components (service packs, hot fixes or feature packs). Ensure that the AEM server is properly configured before you connect to it for the first time. If you require help, contact your AEM administrator.
See the detailed compatibility matrix at the end of this document to evaluate the prerequisites for your setup.
What's New in AEM desktop app 1.10
AEM desktop app 1.10 focuses on improving user experience around large uploads, information about the background operations, and optimized experience when opening assets with linked files (like InDesign).
If you are using macOS 10.15.4 or newer, use at least version 18.104.22.168 of the app. This patch release complies with Apple notarization requirements .
Local Editing / Check-Out : Automatic uploads of changes saved to assets can be disabled in the status window. That way the user can continue working on files and saving changes and then, when they are ready, decide to upload all changes.
Simplified Asset Status Window . The status window was simplified. The Uploads tab now shows both individual assets, as well as folder or bulk uploads. The previous Bulk Uploads tab was removed.
Application Icon to Indicate Bulk Uploads . The application icon indicates that a bulk upload is in progress by showing a "transfer" overlay.
Notifications for Update Conflicts . When the application detects a conflict when trying to update an asset, it will show a notification, so that the user can review that without the need to monitor the status window. When the application starts, it will check for all the conflicts, so that the user can resolve them.
Better Handling of Connection Losses . Bulk uploads will be paused if there is a connection loss, and the user will be able to resume later. A Retry button is available to retry a failed upload of an individual file.
Installation instructions
For detailed instructions, see Install and configure AEM desktop app .
Enhancements in the previous versions
This release extends and replaces the previous versions of the Experience Manager desktop app, which provided the following key enhancements:
- Version 1.9/1.9.1 : resumable uploads, improved status window, application icons indicating status of application / connection, pre-fetching of linked assets for InDesign files.
- Version 1.8 : better control of cache size for the user, improved login experience for SAML/SSO on Windows, supporting .pac network proxy on Mac, and customer-reported issues.
- Version 1.7 : improvements in stability and caching logic, better support for network proxy, and ability to clean up internal files after uninstallation.
- Version 1.6 : improvements in the login process for various AEM security configurations and application stability and performance.
- Version 1.5 : application stability and resilience against various networking problems, better supportability.
- Version 1.4 : the ability to upload hierarchical folders in the background with the progress monitoring.
- Version 1.3 : performance enhancements and stability of accessing files and saving changes to AEM, especially from Creative Cloud desktop applications, such as InDesign, Illustrator, or Photoshop. It aimed to provide users with a more local desktop-like experience when working with files, while simultaneously handling network data transfer operations in the background.
Enhancements available since AEM desktop app 1.9
Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) desktop app 1.9.1 was a patch release to addresses a few key customer issues around asset checkout and copying files from network share to a local directory.
- Assets checked out by one users should not be available for modification for other users (CQ-4246009)
- Support copy from mapped folder to a local folder when user folder is on a separate disk partition (CQ-4243978)
AEM desktop app 1.9 focused on improving user experience around large uploads, information about the background operations, and optimized experience when opening assets with linked files (like InDesign).
Resumable Uploads For uploads, especially around large files, there is an option to pause/resume them in the new Asset Status window.
Improved Asset Status Window An improved asset status window provides the following information about assets.
- Displays currently queued changes.
- Shows in-progress uploads, including a progress bar, transfer rate, total file size, and size transferred so far.
- Completed uploads shown with total transferred and final rate.
- Failed uploads display along with an error message and transfer information, if available.
- Uploads that have failed 3 times will show an error message.
- Conflicting files shown with an icon that the user can click. Clicking the icon shows a dialog with an explanation and two options:
- Keep Mine immediately uploads the file to the server.
- Overwrite Mine immediately deletes the local file and downloads a new copy from the server.
- Displays in-progress downloads, including a transfer rate and size transferred so far.
- Completed downloads shown with total transferred, final rate, and an icon that will open the file when clicked (only available for single files).
- Failed downloads displayed with an error message and transfer information, if available.
- Footer shows total number of files downloaded and average transfer rate.
- If a user chooses to open or edit multiple files from the Experience Manager Assets Web UI, they will be grouped together. For example, myasset.jpeg and 4 more files.
- When downloading InDesign Documents including linked assets that are stored in AEM Assets, the desktop app will download all of the linked Assets first, before opening the Adobe InDesign document and indicate the download of linked assets. For example, 5 of 24.
Bulk Uploads
Uploading large folder hierarchies via Create > Upload Folder in AEM web UI or copying and selecting "Paste Assets" in Finder or Explorer in the desktop app context menu will trigger usage of this dialog.
- Displays in-progress uploads, including a progress bar and the name of the file currently being transferred.
- In-progress uploads include an icon that will cancel the upload when clicked. The transfer will stop after the currently transferring file completes.
- Failed transfer processes are displayed with an error message (only if the entire transfer fails).
- If an individual file fails to transfer, it will show up on the tab as an error. Otherwise, individual files will not show on the tab * only a single entry for the entire upload.
Icons to Indicate Status of Background Operations
The application icon will indicate the state of background operations to provide better visual cue to the users. For example, when the application is not connected to AEM the icon will be grayed out, when there is an active upload it will show a "sync" overlay, etc.
Pre-fetching of Linked Assets
To improve user experience when working with InDesign documents which include linked assets stored in AEM, desktop app will try and pre-fetch these linked files to local cache before it downloads and opens the InDesign document. That way the user will have the linked files available locally, and won't have to wait longer when accessing these in InDesign (in the Links panel). Please note that pre-fetching only works if AEM recognizes the links on the server side. An asset with recognized links will have a list of "References" listed in the Properties view of the InDesign asset.
Enhancements Available Since AEM desktop app 1.8.x
AEM desktop app 1.8.1 fast-follow release added improvements when opening multiple files at once from AEM UI to the 1.8 release (CQ-4237747, CQ-4238780). Enhancements in AEM desktop app 1.8 are:
- Caching: new UI for managing AEM desktop app cache (CQ-4208690), including,
- view current cache size
- define maximum cache size before a notification is sent
- Cache size is checked on desktop app start only, and a notification is shown if it is reaching the configured limit
- clearing cache button is now available in the new UI
- Login: (Win) Fixed login to AEM instance configured to use SAML and SSL (CQ-4216353)
- Network:
- when an AEM session expires, user is now notified and can click on the notification to log in again (CQ-4202028).
- (Mac) Add support for connecting to AEM via using .pac proxy configuration (CQ-4233430).
- (Win) fix issues with Advanced - Login URL dialog (CQ-4236061).
- Bug fixes:
- More Asset Info dialog: sometimes action bar was not visible (CQ-4208540).
- (Win) File can now be synchronized after reverting to a previous version from AEM Assets UI (CQ-4216411).
Enhancements Available Since AEM desktop app 1.7
- Stability:
- Improved stability when AEM desktop app connects to an overloaded AEM server (CQ-4224803).
- Improved stability when many files are requested (CQ-4224212).
- Improved asset update with additional check (CQ-4228291).
- Caching:
- Fix disk errors and opening problems when opening files in Photoshop, InDesign, Finder (CQ-4223993, CQ-4217603, CQ-4223717).
- Improved caching to avoid zero-size binaries (CQ-4216599).
- Login: Allow for connecting with strictSSL disabled for special configurations (like locally-issued certificates) (CQ-4223949).
- Networking: Improved support for connecting over network proxy (CQ-4223477, CQ-4221280, CQ-4206854).
- Installation and uninstallation:
- (Win) Cleaner uninstallation (CQ-4220906).
- # Installer fails attempting to install Microsoft .NET Framework v. 4.5 (CQ-4218084).
- (Mac) Manual script for removing desktop app files completely (CQ-4216489).
Issues found in AEM desktop app 1.7 beta loads (that weren't present in the 1.6 release are not reported in the release notes).
Enhancements Available Since AEM desktop app 1.6
- Documentation: New Best practices for v1.x app documentation.
- Improved login process to AEM:
- Improve SAML handling * relax rules (CQ-4202781).
- Add capability to configure separate login URL in Preferences (CQ-4214052, CQ-4214051).
- Usability: Notify user when asset is still downloading for larger assets (CQ-4216284).
- Networking:
- DNS caching (CQ-4210176).
- Support connection via proxy on Windows (CQ-4206854).
- Caching & access to network share in Finder / Explorer:
- Lock icon now visible for checked out assets on Windows 10 (CQ-90957).
- Folder content might disappear/reappear in network share (CQ-4209160, CQ-4210180).
- Error on file upload due to a conflict reported in the Upload Queue Status (CQ-4215727).
- While opening multiple files from desktop app folder in PS, file truncated or incomplete messages might be shown (CQ-4216276).
- Fixes in stability & performance:
- Improved performance while browsing folders with many assets (CQ-4214933).
- desktop app 1.5 can slow down desktop machine over time (CQ-4209159).
- Show queue status feature only work for the user who installed the app (CQ-4212199).
- (Windows) Ensure that 32-bit installer does not contain 64-bit code (CQ-4217406).
- Selected issues found & fixed in 1.6 Beta:
- High CPU usage (CQ-4218070).
- Drag and Drop files yielding error when uploading to AEM (CQ-4217006).
Enhancements Available Since AEM desktop app 1.5
Version 126.96.36.199 for Mac OS X: The 188.8.131.52 release provides the following benefits:
- New features and enhancement: Add Copy/Paste functionality to Finder integration to allow for direct transfer from Desktop to AEM (CQ-4208158).
- Bugfixes:
- Fixed error 43 issue that occurred sometimes during asset renaming (CQ-4207900).
- Reverting to an older version from the timeline in AEM does not update the asset in Finder (CQ-4205194).
- desktop app crashes when browsing large nested directories (CQ-4208539).
- desktop app mount point is now /Volumes/DAM so it's consistent for all users (CQ-4208159).
- Placing file into InDesign for the first time initiates an update warning (CQ-4207454).
Note on Link Warnings: Creative Cloud applications (such as InDesign) take a "snapshot" of the item's last-modified time at the time it is placed. If that date changes at a later point, the Adobe Creative Cloud app will report that the links are out-of-date. This is reported in a couple of ways:
- When the Adobe Creative Cloud app is launched, it will display a dialog informing the user that the linked assets are out of date, and prompt the user to take action.
- If the Adobe Creative Cloud app is already running, it will show a yellow triangle warning icon on the linked asset.
This behavior is the same for assets on local disk and assets in an AEM Desktop mounted directory, with the following exceptions:
- If a placed asset is modified by a different user, then the warning icon will show up the first time that other users open a document containing the placed asset. This will only happen if the placed asset has already been locally cached.
- If a user modifies a placed asset through AEM desktop's mounted directory and then clears their local cache, then the placed asset will be reported as out-of-date.
Both of these cases are expected and are side effects of the "delayed sync" architecture of AEM Desktop.
Version 1.5.0.x for Mac OS X and Windows: This release of AEM desktop app provides the following benefits:
- Better stability and resilience against networking issues.
- More stable mapping of AEM Assets folders (CQ-103276, CQ-4204669, CQ-4203957).
- Better handling of cached files (CQ-4204336, CQ-4206263).
- Improved handling of downloading/uploading of large files more than 2 GB in size (CQ-4206438).
- Fixed "Error 36" when moving or renaming a larger number of files in Finder (CQ-4204640).
- Optimizations in network communication with AEM Server (CQ-4204974, CQ-100903).
- Improved reliability of opening, placing, and saving AEM assets in Creative Cloud apps (CQ-4203968, CQ-4205511, CQ-103543, CQ-4207141, CQ-90980).
- Improved supportability: option to clear cache (CQ-4202541), easy access to logs (CQ-4202340, CQ-4204673).
- Other fixes:
- Better support for assets and folders having Japanese characters in name / non-English language settings (CQ-4195433, CQ-4205793, CQ-4199446).
- Better handling of login with SSL (CQ-4200217).
- More reliable share mounting (CQ-4200793).
- Various improvements in stability (CQ-4207539, CQ-4200378).
- Better handling of AEM Assets URL in Preferences (CQ-97388).
Enhancements Available Since AEM desktop app 1.4
- Simplified upload of hierarchical folders through the new Create > Upload Folder action in Touch UI.
- Action initiates a folder upload operation carried out by the desktop app
- Desktop app traverses the given folder hierarchy on desktop in the background and uploads the files to AEM Assets
- User can monitor progress in the new Upload Queue Status window with progress bar for ongoing operations
- The Upload Queue Status also provides better troubleshooting information (e.g., no connection to server)
- New Edit action in Touch UI, that combines Check out and Open operations into one
- Optimized grouping of desktop-related actions in Touch UI (AEM 6.3)
- Improved compatibility with the latest OS releases
- Customer reported fixes
Enhancements Available Since AEM desktop app 1.3
- Increased efficiency. Users spend less time waiting for network operations to complete.
- Improved Finder integration, which provides more stability and access to features, such as thumbnails.
- Caching and performance improvements.
- Better support for saving directly from desktop apps (PS, ID, AI, and so on).
- Improved integration with Mac OS (local network drive protocol changed from WebDAV to more stable SMB1).
- Desktop app connects with the AEM server using AEM native HTTP RESTful protocol.
- Files are saved locally first and then uploaded back to AEM in the background after a predefined time (30 sec). This reduces the time to save files.
- Better handling of desktop applications that use intermediate file operations to save a file (partial saves and temporary files), which enables the AEM Asset timeline to display correct version and asset upload information.
- Dialog provided to track the status of background upload tasks.
List of changes
Mount point on Mac
Since MacOS 10.12 (Sierra), Apple has changed the permissions on the /Volumes folder used to mount network drives and devices to more restrictive. Creating a new mount point there required administrative rights. This issue was fixed in MacOS 10.12.5.
As AEM desktop app should run for users who do not have admin rights on the local machine, the mount point for AEM Assets repository was changed in 1.4 and 1.5 to a DAM sub-folder in user's local folder on MacOS (CQ-104183).
Since the /Volumes folder no longer requires administrative rights, this change was reverted in 1.5.1. This also makes it possible to share InDesign documents that have placed AEM assets between MacOS users.
Protocol change (since v1.3)
- Mac OS X:
- The local network drive protocol for OS X desktop integration changed to SMB1 from WebDAV.
- The AEM repository mounted with desktop app will be visible as an " smb " network drive in Finder, instead of a WebDAV drive.
- Windows:
- The local network drive protocol for Windows desktop integrations stays; AEM will be mounted as a WebDAV share.
- For both platforms (Windows and Mac):
- The protocol to access/download assets and to upload changes to AEM has been changed to the native AEM protocol, which is an HTTP-based RESTful protocol. It provides greater control over network operations and is more compatible with the network infrastructure.
On Mac OS X, the change of local network drive protocol from WebDAV to SMB1 results in a different local path to the same asset in the repository. This might impact links to files placed in Adobe Creative Cloud applications via "Place" command. See the Use AEM Desktop app for more information.
File handling (since 1.3)
- Folders are updated automatically after a predefined delay (currently 30s).
- Files checked out by other users are marked as read-only.
- Files are saved to a network drive location mounted via desktop app in two phases.
- In the first phase, a file is saved locally. This way, the user saving the file need not wait until the file is fully transferred to AEM, and can resume work as soon as the file is saved.
- In the second phase, desktop app uploads an updated file to AEM server after a predefined delay (for example, 30s ). This operation occurs in the background. Use the Show Background File Sync Status option to view the status of the upload operation.
Important Notices
Folder Upload. It is recommended to use the new Folder Upload capability to upload larger, hierarchical folders into AEM as opposed to using a copy / drag and drop into a mounted AEM repository from Finder / Explorer level. When using the folder upload feature, desktop app communicates with AEM directly and thus has much better control over the overall process.
Keep AEM session available. AEM desktop app depends on a session open to AEM Assets server to ensure proper operation. For users working with desktop app every day, it is recommended to Unmount AEM Assets at the end of their day to force log out, and then "Mount AEM Assets" in the morning to ensure they're logged in and the network share is operational.
Turn off "Icon Preview" in Finder. For performant browsing of large folders with Finder, especially with poor network connectivity, make sure that both "Icon" and "Icon Preview" is turned off. Otherwise, Finder will start downloading each asset in a folder to generate a small preview, which can lead to poor performance and high bandwidth utilization (CQ-4219779)
- In finder, go to AEM Assets shared network folder
- Right click on the DAM mount point
- Select Show View Options
- Unselect "Show icon preview"
- Click "Use as Defaults"
Clean cache when connecting to a new AEM server. If desktop app connects to another AEM server with the same URL, cache is not cleared automatically. Clear cache manually to ensure proper operations. Note this would typically happen in testing, when AEM installations can be replaced while running on the same URL (CQ-4216982)
Use CA-signed SSL certificates. Please note that AEM desktop app doesn't support self-signed SSL certificates when connecting to AEM via a HTTPS secure connection. A CA-signed certificate is required on the server for such connections. (CQ-87941)
Known issues
- General:
- Server URLs are required to point to the server without a path (e.g. http://server , https://server , http://server:port , or https://server:port ). Context paths and sub-folders other than /content/dam are not supported (CQ-89343, CQ-87272)
- File names / localization:
- File and folder names with reserved characters are not properly handled. Make sure to use file and folder names that fit AEM requirements (CQ-93361, CQ-93308, CQ-89276, CQ-4217183)
- Some applications like Adobe Illustrator might create files with names not supported in AEM. For example, adding Converted after converting a file, which stops it from being uploaded (CQ-4216985)
- Assets with international names may appear and disappear every few seconds
- Check-in and Check-out:
- An asset checked out by one user is not possible to open for another user, either by Open action from Touch UI, or directly on the desktop. Some applications might report it as locked, but also corrupted or even hang while trying to open. (CQ-4199234)
- Changing files simultaneously by multiple users may cause some modifications to get lost. The workaround is to use the check-in and check-out functionality to prevent multiple users from changing the same file (CQ-97035)
- Certain applications don't support the read-only flag properly which allows a user to save a file that's checked out by another user. The modified file is not transferred until the other user checks in the file. Both modifications are available in AEM as different versions of the asset (CQ-89551, CQ-87572, CQ-89615)
- The checked-out and read-only status are reported independently in Finder. This results in 2 lock icons when a user checks out an asset (CQ-89507)
- Finder integration:
- When dragging/dropping large files, Finder might time out while files are being transferred in the background. This results in an Error - 36 . The workaround is to drag/drop or open the asset again (CQ-4219628)
- Manual folder reload does not always work. Workaround: wait 30s for the folder to be automatically updated. (CQ-97389)
- More Asset Info... is limited to single file selections (CQ-89542, CQ-87656)
- Open in AEM Assets... is limited to single file and folder selections (CQ-83382)
- Error when renaming assets that have no extension (CQ-4218971)
- Copy/Paste functionality: Paste is available when no asset has been copied to the clipboard
- Windows:
- Files with Alternate Data Streams (ADS) are only fully supported on NTFS. Copying such files to the WebDAV share provided by the desktop app will result in a caution dialog warning the user that the file has properties that can't be copied to the new location. This is usually fine since the properties are only relevant to a particular application on the user's desktop and have nothing to do with the actual file contents (CQ-103770) (Win)
- desktop app on Windows needs to be installed by the user that will be using it (CQ-4216389) (win)
- The app can crash when clicking the Retry button on a failed upload under certain circumstances after having resumed batch upload when disconnected (CQ-4251884) (Win)
Helpful resources
Compatibility matrix and prerequisites
AEM desktop app works with various versions of AEM. See the compatibility matrix for the supported versions.
Release Date
220.127.116.11 (Mac and Win)
Aug 31, 2018
126.96.36.199 (Mac and Win)
Jun 21, 2018
220.127.116.11 (Mac and Win)
Mar 28, 2018
184.108.40.206 (Mac and Win)
Jan 10, 2018


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UFC light heavyweight Thiago Silva (15-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) hopes to see a quick resolution to his run-in with the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
The UFC light heavyweight goes before the NSAC on April 7 in Las Vegas to address his failed drug test at UFC 125.
Silva on Wednesday admitted to using a urine adulterant to conceal his use of banned substances prior to his fight with Brandon Vera at the Jan. 1 event.
"This was a terrible decision on my part for which I will be punished," he said in a statement released to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "I am prepared to accept this punishment, learn from it and move on. I apologize to the commission, the UFC, Brandon Vera and the MMA fans."
NSAC executive director Keith Kizer on Thursday told MMAjunkie.com that Silva's appearance at the meeting will constitute a formal hearing on the matter. The commission will decide whether to levy suspensions and/or fines against the fighter.
Prior to Silva's request to appear at the April 7 meeting, Kizer had planned to request a temporary suspension of the fighter pending a formal hearing on the matter.
On Wednesday, Silva was served with a formal NSAC complaint after a second urinalysis revealed a substance that was "inconsistent with human urine," which indicated that he "submitted an adulterated and/or substituted specimen for testing for the urinalysis." Silva's first test was flagged, which prompted further testing by the Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory, which is accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Kizer on Wednesday said Silva's case may prompt changes to the NSAC's drug-testing protocol.
"It might be a situation where inspectors have to go really close and look," Kizer said.
Silva likely faces a fine and suspension, and the result of his win over Vera will likely be changed to a no-contest.
Silva's case is the first involving an MMA athlete using fake urine since late 2006, when Kevin Randleman attempted to conceal his use of prescription medication in a test administered for his fight against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at PRIDE 32.
For complete coverage of UFC 125, check out the UFC Events section of MMAjunkie.com.


text:
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Spurned by the U.S. Supreme Court and facing a looming deadline to pay up after losing a decade-long battle over defaulted debt, Argentine officials are finally coming to the table, agreeing to negotiations next week with U.S. hedge funds who are owed a total of $1.5 billion.
Attorney Carmine Boccuzzi told Judge Thomas P. Griesa in Manhattan federal court Wednesday that Argentina wants "to have a dialogue" with bondholders who refused to exchange their bonds for new bonds at a much lower value in the years after Argentina's economy collapsed in 2001.
"We're trying to resolve this," Boccuzzi said. "There is that willingness to negotiate. ... Everyone is saying they want a negotiation. So Argentina is prepared to negotiate with the holdouts."
Boccuzzi warned, though, that "payment in full to all the holdouts and to the restructured debt is something that cannot be done."
Boccuzzi said Argentine authorities who were before Congress on Wednesday planned to be in New York next week before the judge, ready for negotiations.
His counterpart, attorney Robert A. Cohen for the bondholders, asked the judge for protection in the event Argentina follows through on threats to dodge the U.S. obligations.
"Your honour, we have been prepared to negotiate with Argentina since this began," he said. "They know where we have been, and we would be happy to talk to them."
Griesa reacted to Boccuzzi's remarks cautiously, saying: "You can talk about negotiating. Negotiation is fine. But, as a judge, what I want is a legal mechanism to prevent another situation where the republic can simply laugh off a judgment."
Boccuzzi's comments reflecting the dire financial condition of the country came after remarks this week by Argentina President Cristina Fernandez and her economy minister, Axel Kiciloff.
They defiantly announced after a final appeal by Argentina was turned away by the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday that rather than comply with Griesa's orders, they will try to engineer yet another bond swap beyond the reach of U.S. law.
The judge read aloud in court parts of Fernandez's speech, calling it "unfortunate."
In her speech, Fernandez vowed to defy what she called extortion by the holdout bondholders led by New York billionaire Paul Singer's NML Capital Ltd. But she said her government "will not default on those who believed in Argentina" by accepting the debt swaps, and she also expressed hope that 100 per cent of the holders of Argentine debt will agree to new payment plans, opening the door to negotiations.
"The president's speech is a problem," Griesa said. "It was more than a political speech. It made a very strong commitment to pay the exchanges."
He added: "That does not really give me confidence in a good faith commitment to pay all the obligations of the republic."
Fernandez and Kiciloff said they can't possibly pay the plaintiffs cash in full plus interest, as the U.S. courts have required. The plaintiffs in the New York litigation represent about 1 per cent of the $100 billion in debt that went into default more than a decade ago. Giving them the complete satisfaction the judge has ordered would end any hopes Argentina might have of reducing the $15 billion they say is owed to all the others whose pre-2002 bonds remain unpaid.
Adding to the pressure on Argentina, the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted its stay on Wednesday, putting into effect the judge's order obligating U.S. banks to stop Argentina's payments to other bondholders unless it complies.
That means Argentina has until June 30 to pay a group of U.S. hedge funds an initial down payment of $907 million on the $1.5 billion they're owed.
If instead Argentina makes good on its repeated vows not to pay these plaintiffs, it won't be able to pay an equal amount to a much larger group of bondholders, provoking a disorderly default on $24 billion in debt. This larger group exchanged 92 per cent of the paper made worthless by the 2002 default for new bonds at much lower face value in 2005 and 2010, providing the country with debt relief that allowed its economy to rebound.
Kiciloff said Tuesday that the government is "starting to take steps to begin a debt swap" to service the country's restructured debt in "Argentina and under Argentine law."
Griesa said such a plan would violate his court orders, and warned that financial institutions also will be in violation if they allow Argentina to send money to those who renegotiated their bonds without also paying the plaintiffs.
But he rejected a request by lawyers for the U.S. bondholders that he order Argentina to turn over much more information about its plans to deal with its financial troubles.
"We've got a lot of orders," he said. "I'm not interested in further orders."
Warren reported from Buenos Aires, Argentina


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Monoprice certainly knows how to stir things up. Its MHD Action Camera is one of the least expensive POV cameras available that records in 1080p, coming in at less than $100.
Now, resolution isn't everything, especially in this case because the output isn't exactly great. Otherwise, Monoprice put together (or should I say chose) a nice camera here.
From its compact, lightweight body to its point-and-shoot simplicity and its multiple mounting options, the Monoprice MHD is a very good value. If video quality is your top priority, you're going to want to spend a little more cash for something like the Contour ContourRoam2 or the Liquid Image Ego. Aside from that, though, its a decent camera from a company that stands behind its products.
In the box
With less expensive action cams you're likely to get a couple of adhesive mounts, but that's about it. Monoprice skips the adhesive mounts altogether, and instead includes a sturdy handlebar/pole mount.
The camera itself has a standard quarter-inch tripod mount, so there are plenty of mounting options available. On top of that, the MHD comes with a clip that screws into the tripod mount, so it can be quickly snapped into the handlebar mount and removed just as fast. The included mount uses a ball joint, too, which could be used with third-party mounts like those from RAM. Monoprice also sells suction cup, helmet, and board mounts that use the same quick-connect clip.
Along with the handlebar mount, you'll find a carrying pouch; a Mini-USB cable for charging and transfers; a screw key for the clip mount; and a small security strap that loops into the various mounts.
Design and features
If you've done a lot of shopping for action cams, you may have noticed that the MHD bears a resemblance to the Ion Air Pro. They have similar bullet-style waterproof camera bodies (down to about 30 feet); use the same clip-mounting system; and have nearly identical controls.
The similarities don't end there, though. Like the Ion camera, the body of the MHD vibrates to let you know when you've started and stopped recordings or taken a photo. Also, all of the MHD's ports and its microSDHC card slot are located at the back under a locking twist-on waterproof cap. While the Ion uses the same cap design, what's underneath is slightly different.
On the MHD you'll find a Micro-HDMI and a Mini-USB port, a microSDHC card slot, a switch for changing video resolution (1080p or 720p, each at 30 frames per second), and a reset button. You get essentially the same things on the Ion with one big exception: a cavity for Ion's Podz system, which lets you add things like Wi-Fi or a wireless remote control.
There's a bit of a difference on the front, too. The Ion has a field of view of up to 170 degrees depending on your recording resolution. The MHD's lens is 120 degrees, which is still plenty wide, and is actually about the same as the Ion's when recording in 1080p.


text: Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums :: View topic - I want make friends Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!" FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Register Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in I want make friends Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Making Friends View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message youn-jungJoined: 10 Jul 2003Posts: 1 Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2003 8:56 pm Post subject: I want make friends Hi^^ My name is Yoon Jung Jung nice to meet you I'm 17years old I'm from korea I'm interested in fashion I like talk with friends on the phone I want make friend I will wait for your later My E-mail address is [email protected] Thank you~ Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Making Friends All times are GMT - 8 Hours Page 1 of 1 Jump to: Select a forum Student Forums----------------ComputersCurrent NewsCultureEnglish SchoolsFamilyFilm and CinemaFoodHealth and FitnessHelp CenterHobbiesHolidaysLearning EnglishLiteratureMaking FriendsMusicOpinionsPetsScienceSportsThe Strange and MysteriousTOEFL and Other English ExamsTravel You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum Dave's ESL Cafe is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling. Banner Advertising | Bookstore / Alta Books | FAQs | Articles | Interview with Dave Copyright © 2018 Dave's ESL Cafe | All Rights Reserved | Contact Dave's ESL Cafe | Site Map Teachers College, Columbia University: Train to Teach English Here or Abroad Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group


text:
When Danielle was diagnosed HIV-positive in 1989, doctors gave her three years to live. Sean found out he was HIV-positive last year, and worried at first that he wouldn't live to see his next birthday.
But Danielle, now 22, and Sean, 21, are both alive and well, and getting support from Health and Education Alternatives for Teens (HEAT), a community-based program run by SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn. The program provides medical and mental health services and case management to youth ages 13-24 who are living with or at high risk for HIV/AIDS.
We talked to them about what it means to live as a young person with the virus today, and what all teens should know about HIV.
NYC: When did you first discover that you were HIV-positive? What helped you through?
Sean: I discovered I was HIV-positive on March 8, 2008. I was crying, depressed. I didn't go out with friends, because I was scared that I would just walk out the door and drop dead.
My mother died of cancer, and she was living with it for about 18 years. I think the fact that she was fighting just to see her kids grow up reminded me that even though I have HIV, I can't let it beat me. My goal is to live to my 90th birthday. So you could say my mother was my strength.
Danielle: My family found out when I was 3 years old.* I was about 7 or 8 when my guardian started seeing me get upset. I said, "Why am I the only one in my class who has to take medicine every day?" She finally sat me down and explained to me that I'm going to be sick, and I could get worse if I don't keep taking my medicine.
* About 80% of HEAT program participants got HIV through sexual activity, unlike Danielle.
At about 17, I finally understood what HIV was and what it was doing to me. For a while I closed myself off to a lot of people. But I had friends my age who were dealing with the same thing I was dealing with, and that helped pull me through.
NYC: How have people reacted when you've told them you're HIV-positive?
Danielle: For years, I never told anybody. In May 2007, they were having a health fair at my church, and they invited a group of my friends from the clinic to come tell their stories. I went up to the podium and words started coming out. After that, I really didn't care. By this time I was 20 and I said, "I'm too old to be holding secrets."
Everybody was cool with it because we were already family. Later I wrote this long email to my high school Yahoo! groups, explaining everything. When I clicked "send," I was very nervous.
I got a flood of emails, like, "Oh, my God, you're my she-ro," and, "I can't believe you're so strong…" I loved the support. But honestly, if I'd told them while I was in high school, I don't think it would have been the same.
NYC: How did you contract HIV?
Sean: I was messing with a guy for about a year and a half, and he was married, older. I always used a condom. And this particular night, I was a little drunk, and as I'm having sex with him, I'm realizing that he's not wearing a condom. The back of my mind was telling him to stop, but the words weren't coming out. I told myself, "He's the only guy I've been messing with for the past year, so if I had something, by now I guess it would have shown up."
Within about five months, I noticed I felt more tired. I got tested, and I was negative. I kept on sleeping with him, and then I stopped, because he was getting on my nerves. Then I went to Job Corps, and they required HIV testing. They told me I was actually positive.
Through it all, I blame myself. I keep picturing when we were doing it: the condom was right there in front of my face, to the left hand side. Something in my heart was telling me to stop him, but I was just so caught up in the moment.
Danielle: I got it from my mom; she got it from her husband. When my diagnosis came, they told my family that 6 years old was the oldest that I would live to be, and my mom had six more months to live.
With my mom, they actually were right on the money. So I didn't have a chance to go back and ask questions about how or why. My father died a year after my mom, and I didn't know him regardless. So I'm the lone ranger in my family as far as having HIV, with no one to relate to, no one to ask questions.
NYC: Do teens know enough about protecting themselves?
Sean: Kids are starting to have sex at 13, and I was one of them. When you're 13, HIV doesn't cross your mind. As you get older, in high school, you think, "OK, he may have HIV—but I highly doubt it, 'cause he's on the basketball team; he looks real good." And you go out there and you take that chance without using a condom.
Danielle: I've seen the curriculum in this state and it's mandated; kids are supposed to learn about HIV. Here's the problem: you can teach through textbooks all you want to, but it's not real to them so it doesn't sink in. That's why I don't have a problem telling my status to young people, because that's the only way they're actually going to learn. I tell my story and they see a young face who has it, they start paying attention.
NYC: How has HIV impacted your life, including your dating life?
Sean: I've gone on dates. Oral sex, yes, with a condom. Anal sex, no, scared to death.
I told one guy I was messing with that I was HIV-positive, and I spit that out because I was drunk. I was like, "Look, before you get any ideas, I'm HIV-positive." He said, "Oh, that's cool with me." I put a condom on him and just performed oral sex. I wasn't going that far because I was scared the condom might pop and I might be too drunk to notice it.
Honestly, I'm more nervous about what they can give me, because I don't think my body can handle anything else. I'm not trying to catch no STD, or another strain of HIV.
Danielle: I don't even remember that I'm HIV-positive most of the time. Taking my medicine during the day is the only time I remember. Or I might get sick one day and I'm like, "Oh my gosh, I hope it's not because of this."
I'll see somebody at the club and if I see that they like me and I like them, I'll be like, "Hi, my name is so-and-so. I have HIV." Straight up, right after my name. Then I leave it up to them, because I've done my job.
NYC: What would you tell teens who are not HIV-positive?
Danielle: I would tell teens, I'm living with this 22 years. I'm 22. And I'm expecting that I will never see a cure.
There is absolutely no escape after getting HIV. Whatever you can do—use a condom, a dental dam, whatever they've got out there. Saran wrap it, I don't care what you've gotta do, use some type of protection.
For more information on the HEAT program, call (718) 467-4446, email email@example.com or check out www.heatprogram.org


text:
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text:
In top form with Hansgrohe
Sports centres and fitness clubs (as well as the exclusive member lounges within such leisure facilities) are the ideal locations for Hansgrohe products. Sports facilities around the world are truly enhanced by the quality mixers and showers from the Black Forest. After all, a location in which water meets design, products provide greater environmental protection and comfort enhances life is one where people will enjoy getting fit.


text:
Classical Studies
Kauke Hall
400 E. University Street
Wooster, OH 44691
Phone: 330-263-2575
Hours: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
The Department of Classical Studies provides students with opportunities to explore the ancient Mediterranean world with a special focus on the period from the eighth century BCE through the fourth century CE. Through the comparative study of ancient languages and cultures, Classics students acquire additional cultural literacy, becoming better critical thinkers and more engaged global citizens. Our primary goal is for students to understand and examine critically the ancient beliefs, values, and traditions that have shaped modern cultures.
The study of the Ancient Mediterranean is inherently interdisciplinary and intercultural. Students are encouraged to learn Ancient Greek, Latin, and Hebrew. They will study the ancient literature, archaeology, history, religion, philosophy, and art produced in the Near East and Mediterranean basin, including ancient Mesopotamia, Israel, Egypt, Greece, and Rome.
The Department accommodates and encourages a semester's study abroad in the Mediterranean region.


text:
Apple could be planning to begin mass production of the iPad 5 as soon as July in preparation for a third quarter launch, but may have pushed production of its iPad mini 2 to November, according to reports.
DigiTimes cites sources from Apple's supply chain in Taiwan in its report, which claims that the fifth-generation 10in iPad will enter mass production in July and August, with five million units of the new tablet expected to be shipped during the third quarter of the year.
However, the iPad mini 2, which could have a Retina display, has reportedly been delayed, pushing the production back from September to November. A possible reason for the delay, according to DigiTimes' sources, is to prevent cannibalisation between the iPad mini and the full size iPad. However, others believe that the delay could be a supply chain issue.
The report highlights the widespread rumour that the iPad 5 will have a thinner, lighter design akin to the current iPad mini, with slimmer bezels and a thin-film touch panel.
In total, with the addition of the iPad 5, the sources expect Apple to ship eight million 9.7in iPads in the third quarter of the year, with that figure predicted to rise towards the holiday period as people purchase new iPads for Christmas.
For more speculation about the new iPad 5, check out our rumour round up here.
See also:
iOS 7 release date, rumours and leaked images
Apple clears out iPad and MacBook stock - new hardware on way?
Five Apple products that time forgot until now
Don't expect new iPhone or iPad at WWDC, but look out for new Macs, iOS 7 and OS X 10.9


text:
QCad 184.108.40.206 has been released today.
Probably the most valuable addition of this release is the property editor that can be used to change the properties of a single entity or many selected entities at once. This way is is possible to change the text height of a number of text entities or change the radius of a couple of circles in one step.
Another handy feature is that you can now display the key codes for each command in the menu. Almost every command in QCad has now a two letter key code. This will increase your productivity quite significantly.
Finally, the new possibility to rotate, scale or flip entities while they are pasted from the clipboard might be worth mentioning. Try this the next time you need to create a rotated, scaled or flipped copy of your selection.
Other improvements have been made in the following areas: drag and drop or reference points, support for international texts with "standard" font, auto snap feature.
QCad 220.127.116.11 released
Announcements of new QCAD Versions, Updates, new Documentation, ... Please refer also to the RibbonSoft web site.
Moderator: andrew
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text: We also offer some of the best Upland Bird Hunting / Tower Shoots in the Northeast, and can handle groups from 1-2 to corporate groups of 20 to 50+. Also available are the following: Sporting Clays (2 courses), 5-Stand, Skeet, Rifle Range (100 yards), and Horseback Riding. Accomodations are available also either in our spacious Lodge (sleeps 20) or in one of our five Luxury Cabins (Sleeps 5 each in 2 bedrooms).


text:
Click Stars To Rate
TITLE: Jennie Yeamans "Our Jennie" CALL NUMBER: POS - TH - 1887 .O8, no. 8 (C size) <P&P>[P&P] REPRODUCTION NUMBER: _ _ _ _ _ RIGHTS INFORMATION: No known restrictions on publication. MEDIUM: 1 print (poster) : lithograph, color ; 72 x 52 cm. CREATED/PUBLISHED: Boston ; N.Y. : Forbes Co., c1887. CREATOR: Forbes Co. RELATED NAMES: Yeamans, Jennie, 1862-1906. NOTES: Created by "Forbes Co., Boston & N.Y." "Copyright 1887 by Jennie Yeamans." SUBJECTS: Yeamans, Jennie,--1862-1906--Performances. Plants. Musical revues & comedies. FORMAT: Theatrical posters American.Lithographs Color. OTHER TITLE: Our Jennie. PART OF: Theatrical Poster Collection (Library of Congress) REPOSITORY: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA DIGITAL ID: (digital file from intermediary roll copy film) var 0701 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/var.0701 CONTROL #: var1994000734/PP
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text:
It is a truism that first impressions really count. So you would think that a paper entitled "Superfluid motion of light" that had me running off to discuss a potential experimental demonstration with colleagues would have me raving. Unfortunately, on second, third, and now fourth reading, I find myself slightly at a loss. It seems very interesting, but what is it that we are actually interested in?
The paper, published in Physical Review Letters, plays on the idea that the mathematics of some very different physical phenomena are often very similar. This means that if you find a property in one system, then you can try and figure out what the analogous property would be in the other from the mathematics. In this case, scientists have compared superfluidity with light propagation to try and figure out what superfluid motion in light might look like.
Let's start with describing what a superfluid is. A superfluid is generally a liquid that flows without dissipation. That means that when it encounters an obstacle in its path, it will flow around the obstacle without slowing or experiencing turbulence—turbulence being a source of dissipation. The explanation for this behavior lies in the quantum nature of matter, but we can boil it down to one essential ingredient: sound waves. As the atoms move and encounter obstacles, their motions set up sound waves that propagate through the liquid. In a sense, these sound waves tell the atoms where the obstacles are, so the atoms don't simply collide with them.
This tells us that a superfluid can't flow faster than the speed of sound in said fluid. And, indeed, experiments bear this out, with superfluidity shown to appear and vanish as flow speed drops below and rises above the speed of sound. So what has this got to do with light?
The interesting thing about superfluids is that the mathematics used to describe their flow are very similar to those that describe the flow of light in particular types of media, specifically, those that are nonlinear—the brightness of the light modifies the optical properties of the media. If the mathematics are the same, then it should be possible to work backwards and figure out what superfluid light would look like and how that superfluidity could be observed.
This is pretty much what Patricio Leboeuf and Simon Moulieras of France have attempted to do. So, the first question would be what would constitute a superfluid light flow. The key property of superfluid light is that it shouldn't exhibit the equivalent of dissipation. In the case of light, dissipation can be thought of as scattering.
Imagine you have a fiber optic cable, where light pulses flow down the cable. Even when the cable is bent, light remains in the cable. However, if I put a small air bubble in the center of the cable, when a light pulse encounters that, some of the light will be reflected back down the cable, but still more will scatter out of the cable entirely. Although the total amount of light remains the same, the light propagating in the direction we intended is reduced. This is dissipation and, if it's a superfluid, light must be immune to it. In the superfluid case, light would flow around the air bubble and continue down the cable.
But wait, there's more. Superfluids have a critical flow speed as well. This is where things will get a little complicated later, so suffice it to say that such a speed does exist, but it isn't the speed of light in the medium.
Now that we've got these predicted behaviors, how do we make it happen? The idea presented by the authors is to create an array of closely spaced waveguides made from material that is nonlinear in its response to light.
When light is confined in a waveguide, part of it hangs outside the waveguide. If two waveguides are closely spaced, then the part of the light outside of the first waveguide will be inside the second waveguide. This allows light to tunnel from one waveguide to another. So, in this array of waveguides, light hops back and forth across the different waveguides as it propagates along. Furthermore, because the brightness of the light modifies the optical properties of the waveguides, the rate of hopping depends on how much light is hanging around in a particular waveguide.
The end result is that light zig-zags its way along the waveguide array with its forward speed reduced. There is now a transverse speed as well—how fast the most intense part of the light pulse jumps from waveguide to waveguide. This transverse speed is determined by how intense the light pulse is: brighter pulses hop faster.
Leboeuf and Moulieras show that if an obstacle is placed in the array, then, provided the transverse speed of the light pulse is less than about one-hundredth of its speed along the waveguide, the light pulse is not scattered and continues along the array. As the light intensity increases, the transverse speed increases and the zig-zag motion becomes disrupted as light flies off in all directions. Well, actually, since this is a 2D simulation, it can only fly in two directions, but you get the picture, I hope.
This paper has me quite excited, because it probably isn't that difficult an experiment to perform. We just have to decide if we want to do it. As for what it might be good for, or mean for light transport, I really have no idea yet. It just seems interesting.
Physical Review Letters, 2010, DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.163904