What is the best way to remove a stuck/rusted exhaust bolt?

Question: I'm trying to disassemble the exhaust system on a 2000-2003 Nissan Maxima and I'm having trouble removing one last bolt. It's got a 14mm head and its just plain STUCK. I've tried soaking it overnight with PB Blaster, then the next morning I tried removing it with a 2ft long breaker bar + a 2ft extension. After making absolutely positive I was trying to turn it the proper direction, I braced myself by putting both feet on a framerail and pushing with all my strength. And then, my socket shattered into a billion pieces.  Bolt: 1 Me:0.
Comment: The *socket* died before the 14mm bolt head broke off? You should really buy better tools :)
Comment: I had made the mistake of using a Craftsman thin wall socket (i was under the car and didn't feel like crawling back out).  To be fair, they did send me a new one.
Answer: My general rule for exhaust bolts/nuts is to order new ones with the part you are replacing, knowing full well that there is a good chance you'll destroy the ones you are removing. Better to be prepared ahead of time than to be stuck waiting for new parts from another country after you've disassembled everything. Personally, I have a rule of ordering every bolt and nut that is attached to the exhaust member I'll be replacing. Even if there isn't much rust, I never know when a bolt will snap.
First task is to let the exhaust completely cool. It's possible that the parts are made of different types of metal which expand and contract at different rates.
Now, how to get the rusted bolts off:

Use an impact wrench. Sometimes the vibration and hammering action works better to "knock" a bolt loose, compared to wrench/breaker bar. In my experience, this is the first tool of choice for 95% of techs working on an exhaust system.
Use a big breaker bar. 2 ft is okay, 4 ft is more like it. Use high quality, name brand tools that won't flex or shatter on you (or at least give you free replacements when they do shatter). The flexing is important. If the cheap breaker bar is flexing instead of transferring the full torque, you may as well not have it.

Sometimes there is just too much material rusted off of the bolt for either of the above to work. Or one of the above techniques may round out the bolt before it comes out. In this case, the bolt needs to be destroyed so you can move on with life. Some options are:

Die grinder with appropriate wheel.
Hacksaw / airsaw.
Air hammer with chisel bit.
In extreme cases, torch.

As always, use high temperature anti-seize when putting in the new bolts. They will go in easier, and the next person down the road will thank you.
Safety Note: All of the above methods assume you know the safety procedures for the tool. Of particular importance is having the vehicle properly raised on the car lift. Some of these methods involve violently pulling stuff around, which will cause the car to move.
Comment: S_Niles, you forgot a "nutcracker".
Comment: +1 for impact tools.  I like the planning for bolt replacement also, so you are not stuck waiting on a part while your vehicle remains in pieces.
Comment: Impact wrench is always the first thing I pull out for a stuck bolt.  I've sheared a few off using a breaker bar, which always ruins my day...
Comment: +1 for impact tools too. They provide incredible torque + the shocks are priceless. You can have some that run on battery (Facom). Regarding the remounting you can also put "Copper grease".
Comment: @S_Niles I need to add a cordless impact wrench to do exhaust work. Which one should I get a 1/2 inch or a 3/8? Are there adapter sockets to go from 1/2 to 3/8 just like for regular tools?
Comment: I've had success on exhaust bolts by PB blasting before a drive, getting it nice a hot, and blasting it again as it cools.
Answer: I find heat is far more effective at removing stubborn bolts than PB blaster or the like.
Answer: An old steam fitters trick. Heat and candle wax. Heat the bolt and push a candle against the bolt an threads. If you got the bolt hot enough it will draw the wax into the thread.
Comment: Man that's old school, paraffin will get in where petroleum cannot, amazing stuff when hot. Even if something is press fit,  paraffin will still penetrate in between.
Comment: ditto to the paraffin trick. I've removed some badly rusted bolts using this method. bonus for it being a cheap method.

my other hack is to start spraying wd40 onto any rusted/siezed bolts 24hr before I try to remove them, repeat  at 4-6 hr intervals to give the wd40 time to soak in. let time be your free helper. it took years for the rust/heat to sieze the bolt, don't rush removal.
Answer: Acetone and vegetable oil is superior to any store-bought oil of the same purpose (yes even kroil), as shown in lab experiments from Drexel University.
Drexel team's final report.pdf
Comment: Do you have a link or anything *not subjective* which may show exactly what you are talking about (like the outcome of the tests and a brief description why it's better)?
Comment: @Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 Fixed
Answer: If it's in a really tight spot, Dremels can work wonders too. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've had a bloody exhaust bolt seize on me.
Comment: This is how I got my old manifold off. After trying everything I could, I busted out the dremel and cut the thing off.
Answer: Soaking in WD-40 or equivalent will help, but the real final measure is first a blowtorch - even a cheap and not-very-powerful one will do - followed by impact wrench.
Alternatively, you can buy hydraulic tools but they will probably snap the bolt leaving you with one more problem to solve.
Answer: I have just removed a very rusted exhaust flange bolt from the bottom of the "Y" section on a Nissan 350Z.
I had already broken the joint with the center section. To do this I cut the nut/bolts  with an angle grinder, which left two useless stubs of a rusted bolts in the "Y" section. I drilled out one of the stubs which took hours of effort using a Cobalt drill bit. When I recovered the offending stub (or what was left of it) I saw that it was located into the flange using a "toothed" taper, which prevents the bolt from turning when tightening the nut on the joint. This is obviously why there's no hex' head on these bolts.
Given that the taper was short and not too shallow, I thought I'd try to press the other stud out, rather than drill it. Most other sites suggest using copious heat / bashing techniques to remove, but the following is THE BEST and QUICKEST METHOD.
Get a long - reach and sturdy Ball Joint splitter, and locate the "forks" either side of the head of the stud. The forks must be clear of the head. Tighten the bolt on the splitter, and put some metal between the actuating arm and the tip of the protruding stud. This ensures all the force is transmitted to the stud. Tighten the splitter bolt and within a few minutes, yes MINUTES, there will be a loud crack, and out from the flange will pop the offending stud !! Clean as a whistle.
This leaves a perfect hole ready for a new (this time stainless steel) bolt.
Answer: Blow torch and water.  Heat the bolt red hot and then cool it immediately with water.  Then it'll come off with your fingers.  The extreme temperature change makes the bolt shrink which makes it super easy the come off.  Done it many times,  never failed.
Answer: Doubt if my two cents is asked for but rust is oxidization. It's just burning real slow. Torch with a brazing or welding tip is best. The rust disdappears like magic when you burn it the rest of the way up. I find no need for red hottin' it. Cast iron is brittle. Get a 650 degree heat stick and warm things evenly and cool slow coveted all up in vermiculite. Manifolds crack, then we do. Be gentle
Comment: You realize vermiculite is laced with asbestos, right? Works great for heat retention and insulation, but is really, really bad for the lungs (asbestosis/mesothelioma ... CANCER). It's actually better to bring it up to red hot, then cool it quickly with beeswax to get into the threads. This will loosen it up quicker and more safely than anything.
Answer: I own a heavy equipment business. Sometimes starting the machine for a minute or two to heat up the head slightly will assist in freeing up a stuck bolt or stud.  Turn machine off then quickly attempt to remove bolt before heat transfers to it.
Answer: Heat around the bolt,especially if you are taking steel out of aluminium, otherwise heat the bolt, he's right about oxidation, but I try to heat around the bolt more-so and metal expands and use just good half in. Drive and work it a little at a time - tighten a little heat it then loosen and usually you can keep from the big nightmare, breaking it and yes I have used a candle too. It sure can help - but if I know the bolt is really rusty I'll heat and turn till it feels like it's gonna break then tighten a little then reheat and so on. There is nothing much worse than breaking a manifold bolt off then helicoil or re-tap.
It's ironic I ran into this. I've been working on an 83 ford 351w and that is just what I've been doing. I was replacing valve seals, and this motor is a mess. I happen to notice it looked like gaskets were really burnt. Heck,it didn't even have a gasket on either one. I have 3 yet to loosen and stopped at 2.00 am. Off tomorrow. I hope to get this thing running half decent. I shold have driven it more before I bought it, but it'll be ok - it has to. So real good ideas I'll keep in my box of tricks.
Answer: I have at times removed studs on car manifolds and been lucky replaced the stud and used a new copper nut, more troublesome are motorcycle exhaust manifolds on occasions the studs just break, the only option is drilling and carefully removing the shell, but if you use this method you must be careful not to over drill on some engines like BMW the oil ways run behind the stud, always measure the distance and mark the depth of the drill with masking tape to evert engine tragedy.


Female terms for Jedi/Sith

Question: Would a female Jedi be referred to as Jedi Mistress instead of Jedi Master? Likewise would a Sith female be referred to as a Sith Lady instead of a Sith Lord?
Comment: mistress of the force ;)
Comment: @SaturnsEye - if played by ANYONE other than Lucy Lawless (in "Eurotrip" getup) it would be a crime against nature.
Comment: @MishaRosnach The language that most often comes up is "Galactic Basic Standard" which is widely accepted among fans as being almost identical to English. Though if you look at the writing of Galactic Basic it's very different from English. See link for more details http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Galactic_Basic_Standard
Comment: @DVK You are so right...
Comment: You're assuming the language they spoke a long time ago in a galaxy far far away was similar to English.
Comment: Ah. Cool - thanks!
Answer: Jedi Master and Sith Lord are formal titles which are generally used by both sexes.
In current canon there are no female Sith Lords (Asajj Ventress was affiliated with the Sith as an apprentice of Darth Tyranus, but was never given a title like Sith Lord or a feminine equivalent). There were many female Jedi Masters, and they were called Jedi Masters rather than Jedi Mistresses (e.g. Shaak Ti and Adi Gallia).
Female Jedi and Sith generally use the titles Jedi Master and Sith Lord in Legends, too. The novel Dynasty of Evil includes the following explicit reference to a female Sith using "Lord" for a similar title, "Dark Lord of the Sith":

The Master will train his apprentice in the ways of the Sith, until one day she must challenge him. If she proves unworthy, the Master will destroy her and choose a new apprentice. If she proves the stronger, the Master will fall and she will become the new Dark Lord of the Sith, and choose an apprentice of her own.

There are a few exceptions among the Sith, however. For example, Lumiya used the title Dark Lady of the Sith rather than the normal Dark Lord of the Sith.
Comment: Yeah I suppose Jedi Mistress would sound sort of...dirty lol. Thanks for clearing this up! :)
Comment: @RyanJ: Just some extra information for this answer. Before the recent changes to canon by Disney, Lumiya referred to herself as the Dark **Lady** of the Sith. Whether she was even a Sith Lord or just an apprentice who was left without a master upon Palpatine and Vader's sudden deaths is, however, an open question. So it would seem that there is some precedence for the Sith, at least, using a different title for females.
Comment: @zipquincy I've never heard anything used except Knight.
Comment: What about female Jedi Knights -- are they also "Knights", or perhaps "Jedi Dame" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dame)?
Comment: @zipquincy Also, technically, wouldn't it be "damsel"?
Answer: Collins English Dictionary lists "a highly regarded teacher or leader whose religion or philosophy is accepted by followers" as a meaning of "Master," with no mention of gender, though it does specify male in other meanings. The general feeling is that "mistress" is not an acceptable feminisation of "master." "Lord" is used in a gender-neutral way in the House of Lords, if they are an authority on anything.
Answer: Jocasta Nu (the head of the Jedi archives and a former member of the Jedi council) goes by the term Madame in the second of the preview movies, as is referred to as Madame Jocasta Nu in the script. She is listed as a Jedi Master on Star Wars wiki, however. I think that the title itself is unisex, meaning that both men and women can hold the title "Jedi Master" however when addressing a female Jedi Master, one may use the term Madame to show respect or be indicative of a high rank.
Comment: Madame is feminine form of Mister. (e.g. Madame President, etc). I don't think giving her that title has anything to do with a formal designation for a female Jedi, but it's a good anecdote.
Answer: There have been instances where there was a female Sith that was referred to as a "Sith Witch." However, there were also female sith that were not. So if that helps answers at least part of your question...
I have posted a question about more details on the matter.
Is "Sith Witch" a title, or a general term for female Sith?

Female terms for Jedi/Sith


Google Sheets - Arrayformula with textjoin

Question: I'm trying to figure out how to make my arrayformula with textjoin to work, but I'm kind of lost.

What should be done is that F3 to F5 should have a formula attached, so it displays as showed. The formula need to check for the Payment in column E, date in cell E1, to match with corresponding order from column B & C.
My formula looks as following right now:
'=ARRAYFORMULA(TEXTJOIN(", ";TRUE;IF(Orders!C:C = "Visa";Orders!A:A;"")))
I don't know how to also account for the date in cell E1.
Any Google Sheets pro's out there who could help me out in a direction?
Would be thankful for any help!
Answer: You just need to include another statement in your IF:
=ARRAYFORMULA(TEXTJOIN(", ",TRUE,IF(((Orders!C:C = "Visa")*(Orders!B:B=E1)),Orders!A:A,"")))
We use the * character because we cannot have AND when using the arrayformula


Get all link id from html source code using PREG_MATCH_ALL

Question: I know i shouldn't do this that way but its just to retrieve all id of my links since i have a lot of them
Here is the patern:

Click 1
Click 2
Click 3
Click 4

I want to get all "get=" values (123456, 222222, etc.)
And also the "Click 1", "Click 2", etc values using Preg_match_all()
Any idea?
Thanks a lot guys!!!
Answer: This should work, http://rubular.com/r/B02pLhfRsq
/(.*?)<\/a>/i


WDS DHCP same server on Windows Server 2008

Question: I have been struggling with a problem on my Windows Server 2008 for the past 4 - 5 hours and cannot figure out whats wrong. I have tried pretty much everything that I found on google and all the links are purple. Hopefully you guys can help me.
I am running a Windows Server 2008 Standard edition with the latest updates as of today.
Furthermore I am running a Windows Server 2003.
Both are virtual machines on my ESXi 5 server.
My network is:
192.168.10.0/24
W2k8: 192.168.10.251 is the PDC running ADS, DHCP and WDS
W2k3: 192.168.10.253 AND 192.168.1.175 running Routing and Remote Access and ISA 2006 Enterprise
In my internal network (192.168.10.0/24) I have my client machine (192.168.10.10) that runs a VMWare Workstation.
I am trying to deploy Windows 7 Home Premium to a virtual machine on my VMWorkstation via PXE.
I have set the Workstation's VM network adapter to "bridged" so that it uses the physical network adapter and is connected to my internal network.
The DHCP pool is configured to give IP addresses from 192.168.10.10-192.168.10.15 (works for normal clients and is not used up)
When I start my VM with the PXE I get the error:
PXE-E52:proxyDHCP offers were received. No DHCP offers were received
Apperently this means "that means that WDS responded but the DHCP server did not."
People suggested to direct the traffic to both WDS and DHCP on the router, since everything is on the same subnet there is no need for that as the broadcast is seen by everyone (WDS and DHCP)
No reservation for the virtual mac addrs is made on the DHCP.
Furthermore it was suggested to configure the DHCP options:

Option 60= PXEClient
Option 66= WDS server name or IP address Option
67= Boot file name

However, this is not recommended by Microsoft, I tried it and it did not solve my problem.
The configuration on the WDS (My System is German therefore the actual naming might be different):
PXE response tab:

PXE responses is set to "ALL (known and unknown)"

DHCP Tab:

Do not listen to port 67 is NOT ticked - if I tick this I do not get
any responses and the PXE errors gets PXE-E51 that neither DHCP or
proxyDHCP were received
DHCP-Option 60 for "PXEClient" is ticked

The confusing part here is that it is advised in the tab to tick the first option since it is on the same server.
Network Configuration Tab:

Use the following IP-Address range for Multicast-IP-Address: 188.8.131.52 - 220.127.116.11

Thats not the default one, however it is in the allowed range.
The UDP port range is the default since it is not advised to change them.
I tried to change the "networkprofile" from 100mbits/1gbits and custom. I am running a 1gbit network with CAT6 cables and 1gbit netgear switch 5 ports. Everything is configured to use 1gbit.
The WDS is authorised for the DHCP server.
My ISA 2006 configuration:
For the internal networking i have configured the following policy array:
Allow protocols on internal network including the w2k3 host:

67,68,53,ICMP,
4011 UDP receive,
64001-6500 UDP send receive,
69 UDP send

Routing and Remote Access
I tried the DHCP relay agent configuration that was suggested as well, but that did not work
I would highly appreciate anykind of help because I am pretty much done here with my nerves.
Thank you very much in advance.
Comment: Option 60 is needed, but since DHCP is on the same server as WDS, you do not need 66 and 67 to be configured. Can you remove those options and let us know?
Comment: @WinOutreach4 it is configured that way. I ticked the box in the DHCP tab, it puts the option to the DHCP server. The others are not configured.
Comment: The error message "PXE-E52:proxyDHCP offers were received. No DHCP offers were received" means that the PXE responded, but DHCP did not assign an IP address. Can you check the logs on the DHCP server to see if there is anything that tells us what the problem is?
Answer: Alright. The problem is solved.
Here is what I did:
I switched off my ESX.
I started it again:
DHCP started
I tried the PXE install, got the 4011 error.
Double-checked if my WDS is running:
WDS failed to start. Why? Because port 67 wass already used.
I opened WDS and then set the "Do not use port 67" option and thats it.
Everything worked.
So at the end it was just a simple restart to recognise, that I need to start the DHCP first so it gets assigned the port 67 for sure and that WDS does not care about that.


Is there any significance to shaving the head?

Question: I have noticed when I look at Buddhists, or Buddhist monks, that they have shaved heads. Is there any significance to that?  If so, then is it an obligation for Buddhists, or at least Buddhist monks to shave their heads?
Comment: The Buddha did not keep long hair. :) actually contrary to the images of the Buddha that we see today, the Sutta seem to indicate that the Buddha had a shaven head like the other Bhikkhu.
Comment: it is interesting to note that once you become enlightened you don't worry about such small things. Although Siddhartha cut his hair, Buddha kept long hair himself.
Comment: @مجاهد May my question would help you also [What are benefits of being bald?](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/20863/what-are-benefits-of-being-bald)
Answer: First of all, lay Buddhists are not required to shave their heads, only the monks and nuns.
In most Buddhist traditions it is a custom/rule that when you become a monk or nun (a.k.a. Bhikkhu) you have to shave your head.
There are also monastic rules that say that a Bhikkhu is not allowed to grow hair beyond a certain length or time.

The hair of the head should not be worn long. It should be shaved at least every two months or when the hair has grown to a length of two fingerbreadths — whichever occurs first, says the Commentary.
The beard should not be grown long, although — unlike the hair of the head — there is no explicit maximum length, unless the two month/two fingerbreadth rule is meant to apply here as well.

(source: page 14 and 15 of the Buddhist Monastic Code II)
Several reasons have been given as to why these rules exist:

One of the first things Gautama Siddhartha (who became the Buddha) supposedly did when he left his palace and started looking for a way to defeat old age, sickness and death, was to shave off his hair and beard. Bhikkus show their commitment by doing the same.

Shaving our head symbolizes cutting off confusion, hostility, and attachment (source)

Shaving your hair removes the risk of vanity and allows you to focus on more important things than combing and fixing your hair every day.

Hygienic reasons

By looking less attractive, celibacy (another monastic rule) becomes easier (at least that's what this author claims, I'm not sure about the validity of this myself).
Comment: It also would have been a stark contrast to the ascetics of the day with their long, tangled hair; maybe meaningful or maybe not. :)
Comment: @Robin111 I settled on the same explanation. Because many ascetics of the day wore dreads, a neatly shaved head was a statement of discipline and moderation.
Answer: I believe they shave their heads because they don't want to have attachments to the body or self image. They also don't use cosmetics, perfumes and so on... This is a very old practice, including the robes they wear, since the time of the Buddha
Lay people don't have to do it, only monks.
Answer: One reason with hair is you can use it for beautification like having a hair style. Monks are not allowed to use mirrors or look at once face unless it is for medical reasons or contemplating of aging and impermanence.
Long hair was the style many people had during Buddha's time some this prevents any styling and beautification.
Answer: It is an act of renunciation of the beauty or attractiveness of the human body or human appearance (Four Foundations of Mindfulness). Once a person sees and understands the suffering caused by societies obsession towards outer perfection (whatever that is) then shaving ones head is not a big deal!!
The act of shaving ones head is very profound and liberating. It's a statement made by the individual. that they no longer wish to be part of such worldly ignorance!!
Metta.
Answer: (I can't comment on this "...it is interesting to note that once you become enlightened you don't worry about such small things. Although Siddhartha cut his hair, Buddha kept long hair himself. – TheDarkKnightRules Nov 15 '14 at 9:48..." because of some silly rules of this website. But I would like to clear up a point that 'Buddha kept long hair himself.')
In vasala sutta (story heard) in the Tipitaka, a brahman said this to the Buddha ""tatreva, muṇḍaka; tatreva, samaṇaka; tatreva, vasalaka tiṭṭhāhī"ti.
(Stop right there shaven-head, stop right there monk, stop...)
The Pali word "muṇḍaka" means "a shaveling; shaven-headed".
There we have it. The Buddha had his head shaven too. No exception for Himself!
Comment: There's [a similar answer here](http://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/13428/254) which quotes an article saying, "the core canon explicitly describes the Buddha as a bald-shaven man".
Answer: Another reason is the connection to the Divine. Hair stop energy moving, and in meditation practices they need to connect the Sahasrara as best as possible with the Divine, thus shaving the head allows for better "connection". There are also specific rituals and procedures for that part of the body that take place after death, but that's another story.
Answer: Great answer related to shaved heads, long hair, beards, etc:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkTheoMwI7c
Comment: "Why Yogis and Swamis have long hair and beards?" by Sadhguru doesn't really answer this question, or does it? About why Buddhist monks shave their heads?


Does it harm juice if I store it in sub-zero temperatures?

Question: I have several packs of juice (or multivitamin nectar, to be precise), and I can either keep them in our flat or put them outside, where it's freezing during the night. Is it going to do any harm to the juice if I do the latter?
Answer: Freezing juice will definitely not harm the juice itself, but it might harm your container if you're not careful.  The juice can expand quite a bit during the freezing process, so make sure that your container isn't completely full before you freeze it.
If the juice is already in a container (i.e. you bought it) then keep in mind that the container might not be designed for freezing and could explode at freezing temperatures due to the expanding volume.  If you're not sure, you might be better off transferring them to some large freezer bags.
I should also mention that freezing will only slow down the enzymatic activity that degrades fruit (and fruit juice) over time, not stop it completely.  Most fruit juice has been boiled to inactivate the enzymes, but if yours hasn't, then you might notice (bad) changes in the colour and taste over time.  If you plan to consume it within a few weeks, or if the juice already has various preservatives, then don't worry about it, but if it's very fresh juice and this is for long-term storage, then you might want to briefly boil it before storing if you're not sure about its history.
Keep in mind that the above will itself alter the taste, so if you plan to do it, test it on a small amount first to be sure that you can live with the "blanched" taste.
Answer: For the record, when taste is a big concern, some juices definitely suffer a big hit from freezing. Citrus fruit juices are probably among those that suffer most. So, if your multivitamin nectar is like some I've seen, then it contains partly orange juice and pineapple juice that would put it in this category.
Orange juice is concentrated before freezing. That's to preserve taste, although there's the auxiliary benefit that it's more compact. The history of developing this process goes back nearly 100 years and wasn't perfected until 1948. Before that, OJ was canned and probably tasted not great at all. (Though canning actually preserves vitamin C better.)
Additionally, for most foods, a slower freezing process is worse than a quick one. I doubt this effects nutritional value, but it could to some degree? The slower the freeze, the bigger the ice crystals get and the more they interfere with cellular structure. So, if you have to choose how to freeze something, choose the coldest place. Where I live, that's definitely in the freezer. I do this for steaks I'm storing for a month or so and want preserved as well as possible. But, hey, maybe in an Alaskan or Siberian winter, it's colder outside the front door :)
I once read advice to let frozen juice thaw completely and shake it some before drinking.


How was the Volozhin Yeshiva special?

Question: The Volozhin Yeshiva is known as the "first yeshiva".
What was the system of Torah learning in Europe before Volozhin and in what way did Volozhin change the system?
Comment: the wikipedia article says the first modern yeshiva. The footnote points to a book on google books, but I couldn't view the page.
Answer: First of all, it's worth noting that, with only certain key exceptions, there weren't really any yeshivas in Eastern Europe before Volozhin, their having been replaced by the beis midrash, and by a system known as kest. This was a phenomenon by which young, married men were supported by their fathers-in-law to learn Torah; they would typically live with him, and would learn in the local beis midrash or shul. Their ability to do so effectively was resultant of their success in the heder system - itself largely dependent upon how much money their own parents had. (Teaching in heder was not a well-paid position, and most heders had ridiculously large class sizes). You can read more about this in this YIVO article, and in Shaul Stampfer's essay on early marriage in his Families, Rabbis and Education.
As for Volozhin, Stampfer (Lithuanian Yeshivas of the Nineteenth Century) suggests that R' Hayim introduced several innovations, on the basis of which it has come to be viewed as the first yeshiva in a modern sense. The most important of these is that of fund-raising.
Before Volozhin, a yeshiva (or beis midrash) was established by the community in which it existed. They built it, they hired the rosh yeshiva, they paid any teachers and they, more or less, supplied the students. If students travelled from a distance, they slept in the beis midrash itself, and were reliant upon the hospitality of the townspeople. As such, the local community was intimately involved, and if there was anything they didn't like they could see to it that it was changed.
R' Hayim promoted Volozhin as an institute for advanced Talmudic study, and due to his reputation as the great disciple of the Gra, funding came from far and wide. So too, incidentally, did students. As a result, the local community had nothing to do with the establishment of the yeshiva, and the students (who were given a stipend by R' Hayim) could pay them for their hospitality. As such, the yeshiva of Volozhin was completely distinct from the town of Volozhin, and this became something of a precedent. In time, it would happen that the Rosh Yeshiva of a major institution would be the authority within the local community, even hiring the town's other rabbonim and effectively replacing the beis din. For the replacement of the beis din by the Rosh Yeshiva in Lithuania - see the YIVO article on Orthodoxy (the paragraph on Hatam Sofer).
Other major innovations included the fact that R' Hayim appointed a deputy - something hitherto unheard of - and hired maggidei shiur to supplement his own teaching. This provided the yeshiva with an opportunity to attract more students, and to have guest lecturers who could increase their own reputation in the process.
I don't know the extent to which it was an innovation of Volozhin, but in terms of comparing it to other yeshivas it is worth noting that the chavruta system was a distinctly Polish/Lithuanian phenomenon and that yeshivas in Hungary were quite different. They had more student/teacher interaction, formal class times and exams. Study at Volozhin was largely private, and although shiurim were given by the Rosh Yeshiva, his deputy and by other maggidei shiur, students could learn whatever they want. By the late 19th century, and perhaps as a result, Volozhin had become a beacon for young maskilim, and many of the students left it to pursue a university education.
Answer: My understanding is that until that point, if you wanted to study you'd have to pay your own way and find someplace to study. The Volozhin yeshiva raised funds, and didn't charge tuition. So it decoupled the education from paying for it. It was also more officially organized and centralized; usually you'd have to wander from town to town and unofficially study with the town rabbi.
Comment: So now we're back to the pre-volozhin days :) :(
Answer: Rabbi Berel Wein has good lectures on this. here's an article based on his lectures

First, was to have a central place of learning. Until then, the system
  of learning in Eastern Europe was that boys went to cheder (literally
  "a room," but more broadly an elementary school) from about the time
  they turned three until about bar mitzvah. Some stopped at 11 or 12.
  Most young Jewish men were working by the time they were bar mitzvah.

http://www.jewishhistory.org/the-volozhin-revolution/
Comment: Even after Volozhin most worked after Bar Mitva. Volozhin was only a few hundred students out of several million Jews in the Russsian Empire, and before Volozhin people exiled themselves to places of Torah
Comment: @ShmuelBrin and how many students before volozhin? probably  only the rabbis son or the like pursued full time learning beyond working age. and even then it was not in a yeshiva like environment
Comment: @ShmuelBrin Plenty of rabbis taught plenty of students before Valozhin. R. Yonattan Eybechutz taught thousands, some sources say tens of thousands.
Answer: Achsanios Shel Torah - published in (5650) 1890 - by Rabbi Moshe Reinas says that in the year (5563) 1803 Rabbi Chaim Volozhin laid the cornerstone for Yeshivas Volozhin. This was opened due to Rabbi Chaim Volozhin perceiving the general state of learning Torah disintegrating. Originally it was supported by Rabbi Chaim Volozhin's personal wealth, however as the Yeshiva expanded he was unable to support it on his own. The Yeshiva was the first Yeshiva that did away with the up until then "Essen Teg" system, where the Bochurim ate at different people's houses every day, and a stipend was provided for the Bochurim instead.
I found that The Haskalah Movement in Russia also says that Rabbi Chaim Volozhin's Yeshiva was the one that did away with Essen Teg.
To me this is very interesting as I was always under the impression that Rabbi Meir Shapiro was the first one to do away with Essen Teg.
Answer: The great innovation of the Volozhin yeshiva was that it was not tied to a specific community. The "super-communal" Yeshiva was totally new and created a more elite level of study.
Comment: In what was were previous _y'shivos_ community-tied that it was not? And do you have a source for this answer?

How was the Volozhin Yeshiva special?


Is it possible to unlock a geth wallet through JSON RPC?

Question: I'm currently developing an application on top of Ethereum's JSON RPC. I would like to be able to unlock and lock the wallet as needed, similar to how Bitcoin does it. However, it seems that at the moment it's only possible to unlock a geth wallet with the console through personal.unlockAccount. I'm wondering - is that the only way to unlock a geth wallet, or is there some way to do it through some other means, ideally with JSON RPC?
Answer: It is safer to use the Go Ethereum - Management APIs - personal_sendTransaction API to unlock your account AND send your transaction at the same time:

personal_sendTransaction
Validate the given passphrase and submit transaction.
The transaction is the same argument as for eth_sendTransaction and contains the from address. If the passphrase can be used to decrypt the private key belogging to tx.from the transaction is verified, signed and send onto the network. The account is not unlocked globally in the node and cannot be used in other RPC calls.
Client    Method invocation
Console   personal.signAndSendTransaction(tx, passphrase)
RPC       {"method": "personal_sendTransaction", "params": [tx, string]}

Note, prior to Geth 1.5, please use personal_signAndSendTransaction as that was the original introductory name and only later renamed to the current final version.
Examples
var tx = {from: "0x391694e7e0b0cce554cb130d723a9d27458f9298", to: "0xafa3f8684e54059998bc3a7b0d2b0da075154d66", value: web3.toWei(1.23, "ether")}
undefined
personal.sendTransaction(tx, "passphrase")
0x8474441674cdd47b35b875fd1a530b800b51a5264b9975fb21129eeb8c18582f

Your account is only unlocked for the specified transaction.
You will have to enable the personal API over the RPC interface using the geth API option:
geth --rpc --rpcapi "eth,net,web3,personal" [other option] console

You may want to read the following links about the safety of allowing the personal API over RPC:

Can I unlock an account using JSON-RPC?
How can I make new account by JSON-RPC?
How to reduce the chances of your Ethereum wallet getting hacked?

Update 21/07/2016 - Responding to comment below
I searched the geth github repository for personal_sendTransaction and could not find the text. I however found internal/web3ext/web3ext.go#L435-L440:
new web3._extend.Method({
    name: 'signAndSendTransaction',
    call: 'personal_signAndSendTransaction',
    params: 2,
    inputFormatter: [web3._extend.formatters.inputTransactionFormatter, null]
})

Like you said, the documentation seems outdated.
Comment: Just use the sendRawTransaction api call
Comment: Hmm, I tried your method and it didn't work - I got an error of `The method personal_sendTransaction does not exist/is not available`. However, I did manage to use `personal_listAccounts` and `personal_unlockAccount` - I'm not entirely sure what would cause those to work, but not the sendTransaction...
Comment: Hmm, it looks like `personal_signAndSendTransaction` is working - the Maangement APIs document seems to be outdated...
Answer: Yes, using the "personal_unlockAccount" API call
{
    'jsonrpc':'2.0',
    'method':'personal_unlockAccount',
    'params':[address, password, seconds],
    'id':1
};


How can I add post-flavoring to beer?

Question: I'm having a party and I want to add flavors to my already-brewed beer. How can I do that and have it mix?
Answer: Any time you mix things into beer you'll lose some carbonation. Any powder would nucleate bubbles very quickly, so the flavoring should be in liquid form. The liquid should be as similar to beer possible: cold, equally carbonated, and not too much alcohol if it can be avoided. Stir gently in a cold glass and serve right away.
Or, if you are brewing the beer yourself just add it at kegging or bottling time.
Comment: I would add an additional option: Dogfish Head's [Randall the Enamel Animal](http://www.dogfish.com/company/tangents/randall-the-enamel-animal.htm) and its cousin: [Randall Jr](http://www.dogfish.com/store/other-accessories/randall-jr.htm) which are infusion products for use with tap and bottle beer, respectively, that let you steep flavorings and aromatics in the beer as you serve them.  Because of the pressure Randall flavors pretty quickly but Randall Jr needs to sit for a bit, but they both attempt to save some carbonation.
Answer: There are products called Randalizers that can allow you to infuse flavors into beer as it's served. Provided that the beer is 1) on draft, and 2) the flavoring is a solid (hops, peppercorns, citrus peel, etc). An expensive option is the Blichman Hoprocket. Another option I've seen, but I'm not sure how to construct it, was an inline water filter that had been modified. That modified filter also required significantly more CO2 to maintain pressure, I don't think that was true of the purpose built devices.
These work well for fresh flavors, but would serve poorly if you were looking for anything else. I've had beers run through a couple different combinations of herbs, fruit, veggies, and hops, and it was always interesting and exciting. Even if it wasn't always that good.

How can I add post-flavoring to beer?


Should mean wages increase with inflation?

Question: Should mean wages increase with inflation?
If not, why? Has this profound consequences in the redistribution of wealth?
(not an expert in economics...I apologise is the question is too naif)
Comment: Do you mean the normative should, as in is it desirable, or do you mean to ask if mean wages and inflation are correlated?
Answer:
Should mean wages increase with inflation? If not, why?

No. Inflation is not the only factor that determines wages. Inflation has to do with the nominal value of wages, but these also entail components pertaining to the real value of work.
Here are three examples that tend to push mean wages down,
(1) technology, to the extent that it replaces human labor;
(2) foreign markets may lure high skilled workers (or, for what matters, workers with the highest salaries) to emigrate, causing -caeteris paribus- mean wages to decrease;
(3) public policy (whether it stems from unions or from policies aimed at reducing the number of unemployed) might prompt -otherwise unneeded- entry of more people in the labor market.
Other factors would have the effect of pushing mean wages up. For instance, the converse of (2) (that is, emigration only of workers earning the lowest salaries), unavailability of workers with high productivity, and so forth.

Has this profound consequences in the redistribution of wealth?

That depends on the particularities of the economy being analyzed: what fiscal policy is implemented; whether households own significant portions of capital; the sensitivity and preponderance of different sectors in the economy; etc.
Answer: Inflation should increase wages in the long run. Wages are the price for labor and all prices increase with inflation.
However, in practice wages tend to stay flat despite inflation for a variety of reasons.

Menu costs- it might take time to rework all existing wages.
Some wages are locked into long term contracts.
Wages, once increased, are difficult to decrease, so employers are reluctant to increase them.

This is not a limiting list.


Background images in Sharepoint Online

Question: I have Full control over a site, and I want to set background images to different pages, I looked for some guides on the internet, they suggest using Content Editor WebPart to add the background using CSS. The problem is I'm using Sharepoint Online and I can't find the Content Editor b Part.
Comment: you can refer https://sharepoint.stackexchange.com/questions/121115/content-editor-web-part-missing-in-office-365-dev
for not able to see content editor webpart in online
Answer: Make sure that the these features are activated in your site -

SharePoint Server Publishing Infrastructure (in Site Collection level)
SharePoint Server Publishing (in Site level)

This should provide you with content editor webpart in your site, which can then be located via -
Settings >> Add Webpart >> Media and Content >> Content Editor
Answer: Not sure about Content Editor Web Part, but Script Editor webpart would be disabled until You change these settings:

It is in "Tenant Admin Settings" -> "Settings"
It takes 24 hours to apply and then You will see 'Script Editor' webpart and some new items in "Site Settings" ('Themes', etc.)
Answer: While a Content Editor Web Part would work, it is a very tedious approach depending on the size of site you are working with. A CEWP would have to be added to every page and sub page in the area or section of the site where you want the image. If you wanted to update it in the future it would have to be modified on a page by page basis.
You can execute page by page or section by section background images using a central CSS file and attribute selectors in your CSS. For example:
form[action*="/products/"] #s4-workspace {
  background: url("https://images.pexels.com/photos/56866/garden-rose-red-pink-56866.jpeg");
  background-size: cover;
}

This code looks for /products/ in the URL and provides the image accordingly. You can create a style statement per background image needed. This approach would work for header images, colors, anything you need to be different.
If you are want changes to apply to an entire sub site, a better approach is to set the Alt CSS URL setting per sub site. That is one of the better ways to implement design variations in SharePoint.
Answer: But to address the original issue of a background image...Change the look has that option.
https://www.urtech.ca/2017/08/solved-how-to-change-the-background-wallpaper-on-sharepoint-in-office365/

Background images in Sharepoint Online


Is there online eBook authoring tool which can produce ePub and PDF formats?

Question: I would prefer an online tool so that I am not tied to a particular computer for adding content. Additionally I would expect an online collaboration tool ( distribute chapters to authors and editors) to collaborate with other authors and editors. Exporting to ePub and PDF is a must have requirement.
Comment: May be something like this?
http://ebook.online-convert.com/convert-to-epub
Comment: I search the same to write epub online, like a text processor, but online, and dedicated to books (jumping to the next chapters, etc...) with or without CSS support (showing and editing the code)
Answer: I have heard of 2epub but I have never used it nor would I believe you would get a good quality ebook.  I would suggest doing this with InDesign that will allow you to create .epub or .pdf files.
You can export as an .epub file:

Export to .pdf file:
Answer: Google Drive has live collaboration and is totally in the cloud. It can export PDF files and HTML files that can be easily converted to ePub.
This may also be possible with Microsoft Skydrive, but I am unfamiliar with that suite.
Comment: Collaboration okay, but to write epub, it's not particularly good.
Answer: I am a founder at memobuild, an online book/document editor with collaborative features and export to ePUB and PDF. It's oriented toward technical writing, so if you're writing a novel it's probably best to use something else. But for technical books, reports, manuals, etc... it's a great fit.
Note: We're currently in closed beta, but if you register I'll be happy to include you.
Answer: You can use Papyrus (http://papyruseditor.com) to create books in PDF, Epub and Mobi(Kindle) formats.
Disclosure : I am the creator of this site.
Answer: Mac OS Pages program File -> Export --> Epub...


How to open a server port outside of an OpenVPN tunnel with a pf firewall on OSX (BSD)

Question: I have a Mac mini that I use as a media server running XBMC and serves media from my NAS to my stereo and TV (which has been color calibrated with a Spyder3Express, happy). The Mac runs OSX 10.8.2 and the internet connection is tunneled for general privacy over OpenVPN through Tunnelblick. I believe my anonymous VPN provider pushes "redirect_gateway" to OpenVPN/Tunnelblick because when on it effectively tunnels all non-LAN traffic in- and outbound. As an unwanted side effect that also opens the boxes server ports unprotected to the outside world and bypasses my firewall-router (Netgear SRX5308). I have run nmap from outside the LAN on the VPN IP and the server ports on the mini are clearly visible and connectable.
The mini has the following ports open: ssh/22, ARD/5900 and 8080+9090 for the XBMC iOS client Constellation.
I also have a Synology NAS which apart from LAN file serving over AFP and WebDAV only serves up an OpenVPN/1194 and a PPTP/1732 server to WAN. When outside of the LAN I connect to this from my laptop over OpenVPN and over PPTP from my iPhone. I only want to connect through AFP/548 from the mini to the NAS.
The border firewall (SRX5308) just works excellently, stable and with a very high throughput when streaming from various VOD services. My connection is a 100/10 with a close to theoretical max throughput. The ruleset is as follows
Inbound:
PPTP/1723        Allow always to 10.0.0.40 (NAS/VPN server)
                 from a restricted IP range matching the cell phone provider range
OpenVPN/1194     Allow always to 10.0.0.40 (NAS/VPN server) from any

Outbound: Default outbound policy: Allow Always
OpenVPN/1194     TCP Allow always from 10.0.0.30 (mini) to a.b.8.1-a.b.8.254 (VPN provider)
OpenVPN/1194     UDP Allow always to 10.0.0.30 (mini) to a.b.8.1-a.b.8.254 (VPN provider)
Block always from 10.0.0.30 (mini) to any

On the Mini I have disabled the OSX Application Level Firewall because it throws popups which don't remember my choices from one time to another and that's annoying on a media server. Instead I run Little Snitch which controls outgoing connections nicely on an application level. I have configured the excellent OSX builtin firewall pf (from BSD) as follows
pf.conf (Apple app firewall tie-ins removed)
### macro names for external interface.
eth_if = "en0"
vpn_if = "tap0"
### wifi_if = "en1"
### %usb_if = "en3"

ext_if = $eth_if

LAN="{10.0.0.0/24}"

### General housekeeping rules ###
### Drop all blocked packets silently
set block-policy drop

### all incoming traffic on external interface is normalized and fragmented
### packets are reassembled.
scrub in on $ext_if all fragment reassemble
scrub in on $vpn_if all fragment reassemble

scrub out all

### exercise antispoofing on the external interface, but add the local
### loopback interface as an exception, to prevent services utilizing the
### local loop from being blocked accidentally.
### set skip on lo0
antispoof for $ext_if inet
antispoof for $vpn_if inet

### spoofing protection for all interfaces
block in quick from urpf-failed

#############################

block all

### Access to the mini server over ssh/22 and remote desktop/5900 from LAN/en0 only
pass in on $eth_if proto tcp from $LAN to any port {22, 5900, 8080, 9090}

### Allow all udp and icmp also, necessary for Constellation. Could be tightened.
pass on $eth_if proto {udp, icmp} from $LAN to any

### Allow AFP to 10.0.0.40 (NAS)
pass out on $eth_if proto tcp from any to 10.0.0.40 port 548

### Allow OpenVPN tunnel setup over unprotected link (en0) only to VPN provider IPs
### and port ranges
pass on $eth_if proto tcp from any to a.b.8.0/24 port 1194:1201

### OpenVPN Tunnel rules. All traffic allowed out, only in to ports 4100-4110 (rtorrent)
### Outgoing pings ok
pass in on $vpn_if proto {tcp, udp} from any to any port 4100:4110
pass out on $vpn_if proto {tcp, udp, icmp} from any to any

So what are my goals and what does the above setup achieve? (until you tell me otherwise :)
1) Full LAN access to the above ports on the mini/media server (including through my own VPN server)
2) All internet traffic from the mini/media server is anonymized and tunneled over VPN
3) If OpenVPN/Tunnelblick on the mini drops the connection, nothing is leaked both because of pf and the router outgoing ruleset. It can't even do a DNS lookup through the router.
So what do I have to hide with all this? Nothing much really, I just got carried away trying to stop port scans through the VPN tunnel :)
In any case this setup works perfectly and it is very stable.
The Problem at last!
I would like to run a minecraft server and I installed that on a separate user account on the mini server (user=mc) to keep things partitioned. I don't want this server accessible through the anonymized VPN tunnel because there are lots more port scans and hacking attempts through that than over my regular IP and then I don't trust java in general. So I added the following pf rule on the mini:
### Allow Minecraft public through user mc
pass in on $eth_if proto {tcp,udp} from any to any port 24983 user mc
pass out on $eth_if proto {tcp, udp} from any to any user mc

And these additions on the border firewall:
Inbound: Allow always TCP/UDP from any to 10.0.0.30 (mini with mc server)
Outbound: Allow always TCP port 80 from 10.0.0.30 to any (needed for online account checkups)

This works fine but only when the OpenVPN/Tunnelblick tunnel is down. When up no connection is possible to the minecraft server from outside of LAN, access inside LAN is always OK. Everything else functions as intended. I believe the redirect_gateway push could be close to the root of the problem, but I want to keep that specific VPN provider because of the fantastic throughput, price and service.
The Solution?
How can I open up the minecraft server port outside of the tunnel so it's only available over en0 not the VPN tunnel?
Should I usa a static route? But I don't know which WAN IPs will be connecting...stumbles
How secure would you estimate this setup to be and do you have other improvements to share?
Answer: This article
-- Appears to answer your core question. It explains how you can ignore the Redirect_Gateway Push from your ISP.
Ignoring redirect-gateway
If you are running OpenVPN as a client, and the server you use is using push "redirect-gateway" then your client redirects all internet traffic over the VPN. Sometimes clients do not want this, but they can not change the server's configuration. This page explains how to override redirect-gateway so the client does not need to redirect internet even though the server says to.
Method 1: ignore
There are 2 options that can be used to ignore routes pushed by the server:
--route-noexec

Don't add or remove routes automatically. Instead pass routes to --route-up script using environmental variables.
 --route-nopull

When used with --client or --pull, accept options pushed by server EXCEPT for routes and dhcp options like DNS servers.
 When used on the client, this option effectively bars the server from adding routes to the client's routing table, however note that this option still allows the server to set the TCP/IP properties of the client's TUN/TAP interface.
Method 2: override
Here we will simply add routes that override --redirect-gateway. This will work much like the def1 flag to --redirect-gateway works. This can be different if the server uses the def1 flag to the --redirect-gateway option or not (by checking the log while connecting). Note that net_gateway is an internal variable to openvpn and does not need to be changed to anything. If you do not know if your server uses def1 and do not want to check the logs to figure it out, just assume they DO use def1 and use the 4 routes. That will work no matter what.
def1 -- Use this flag to override the default gateway by using 0.0.0.0/1 and 22.214.171.124/1 rather than 0.0.0.0/0. This has the benefit of overriding but not wiping out the original default gateway.
If the server DOES NOT use def1 add the following options to the clients config:
route 0.0.0.0 18.104.22.168 net_gateway
route 184.108.40.206 22.214.171.124 net_gateway

If the server DOES use def1 or if you do not know, add the following options to the clients config:
route 0.0.0.0 192.0.0.0 net_gateway
route 126.96.36.199 192.0.0.0 net_gateway
route 220.127.116.11 192.0.0.0 net_gateway
route 192.0.0.0 192.0.0.0 net_gateway

Comment: Please quote and cite the information from your relevant link.  Your answer by itself does not answer the author's question.  The information within the link you submitted is vitial to the usefulness of your answer.


Connecting to the internet with ubuntu 11.10

Question: I just installed the newest ubuntu, the 11.10 version. I was using mandriva and windows 7 ultimate. I dont know how to connect the laptop with the internet in the following ways. some one please help
1. tried to connect via bluetooth in my phone. I was using internet, using the same phone and connection, and laptop in mandriva
2. I have plugged in a wired connection. The system detects it, but dosent start a connection.
Answer: 1) If you have an Android device (from 2.2 or rooted 2.1), you can enable Wifi tethering and Ubuntu recognize it instantly; then you insert the shared password and you're done; if you want to connect exclusively by bluetooth, then you should take a look to these 2 offical guides:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BluetoothSetup
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BluetoothDialup

If you have an iPhone, here is a program that lets you tether with it:
https://apps.ubuntu.com/cat/applications/natty/ipheth-utils/
2) When you plug in a network cable connected to a router, Ubuntu recognize it without problems and you can browse the internet after less than one second; so I think this should be a problem with your router or external modem.


Which evaluation methods can I use for image segmentation?

Question: I implemented an image segmentation pipeline and I trained it on the DICOM dataset. I compared the results of the model with manual segmentation to find the accuracy. Is there other methods for evaluation?
Answer: See:

Martin Thoma: A Survey of Semantic Segmentation, Section III

Subsection A is about metrics and B is about datasets.
Metrics include: accuracy, IoU, frequency weighted IoU, F-beta score, speed, ...
Answer: The paper referenced by Martin Thoma is the go-to for semantic segmentation. However I will also like to add the Panoptic Segmentation metric as an aggregated method to measure both the detection task and segmentation task of the model.
It is a very well-known and widely used metric since it is the standard metric for COCO dataset (segmentation)
This is the paper where the metric is proposed.
And here is the metric:


Is Islam a pantheistic Religion?

Question: Is Islam a pantheistic Religion? Is Allah present in everything?
Example: If I cut down a tree, do I physically cut Allah?
Comment: There are some sufis who may have a somewhat similar view but even they would reject some of your conclusions.
Comment: pantheism stipulates that the universe=God. You might also look up "panentheism". I don't see how cutting down a tree means cutting Allah by the pantheistic definition
Comment: That Allah is 'nearer than the jugular vein' does not mean He is the jugular vein.
Answer:
Is Islam a pantheistic Religion?

No, Islam is not a pantheistic religion. In Islam, "everything is Allah's" not "everything is Allah" (which is the fundamental pantheistic doctrine).

If I cut down a tree, do I physically cut Allah?

No, you don't. You cut down a creation of Allah not him.
Answer: This idea has no place in islamic theology. The godhead is said to have certain attributes which it manifests, its ontology undivided in itself and independent of creation. Your other question here (which your link doesn't actually point to) suggests you are reading this coming from a sort of Christian theology, which will not be useful in understanding islamic theology.
The central doctrine about the godhead in islam is that it has no needs, nothing and no one has even the most miniscule quantum of power over it, and it does precisely what it wishes to. Its existence is undivided. Nothing that exists does so except that the godhead sustains and creates it at any moment, even the notion that the godhead created something that it could undo, but while it does not, creation sustains itself, is considered disbelief in islam. The hawqala, which is the oft-repeated phrase "la haula wa la quwatta illa billah" (loosely translated to "there is no might nor power except god"), expresses this; only god has power, and god has power over everything, expresses these notions in a condensed form.
So no, islam is in no way pantheistic.
Answer: Pantheism has several formulations not all of which or their components are necessarily consistent with Quran. In the Islamic world, Sufis have put forward descriptions of Allah that somewhat resemble Pantheist ideas but since both Pantheistic views and Sufi doctrines are very subtle and sensitive in their implications, it is impossible to summarize the relation between the two. But here is a contemplation that can help acknowledge the valid basis for the Sufi account of the relation between God and creation that also rules out the faulty suggestions that are read into Sufi accounts of God by non-Sufis who randomly encounter their statements, such as the idea that Divine omnipresence necessitates affection of the Divine Essence by creation.

There are indeed some verses of Quran that equate Allah with creation while some other verses suggest distinction. Consider these examples:

"He is the apparent and the hidden" (57:3), verse that if literally understood, implies that God is virtually everything because all things are either apparent like the natural universe or hidden such as angels, so we can summarize the verse by saying "He is everything" or "He is the creation".
"He is with you wherever you be"(57:4) and "We are closer to him than his vein"?! (50:16) The question that these verses raise is that how God can always accompany us and be closer to us than our vein without becoming subject to time and space or becoming part of the creation? (Also see What is the concept of holool [sic] in Sufism?)

But mainstream theologians in Islam tend to ignore or explain away those verses that indicate unity of Allah and universe for being unable to properly account for its several troubling connotations such as the conclusion you made above. This is while these verses seem to be special gifts for those who strive for deeper understanding of transcendent truths. Interestingly, there's a meaningful hadith from Ali bin Hussain, al-Sajjad (the fourth in the line of Shia Imams who are believed to posses esoteric knowledge of Islam by their followers and to whom many Sufi orders trace their lineage to) who has said this about these verses:

«فَقَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ عَلِمَ أَنَّهُ يَكُونُ فِى آخِرِ الزَّمَانِ أَقْوَامٌ مُتَعَمِّقُونَ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ وَ الْآيَاتِ مِنْ سُورَه الْحَدِيدِ إِلَى قَوْلِهِ وَ هُوَ عَلِيمٌ بِذاتِ الصُّدُورِ فَمَنْ رَامَ وَرَاءَ ذَلِكَ فَقَدْ هَلَكَ»؛ (كافى، ج 1، ص 91)
Allah, the High and Majestic knew that in the End-times, there will be groups who are deep thinkers, hence Allah sent down the verses "Say, He is Allah the One," and the [first] verses of Surat al-Hadid [verses from chapter 57, two of them quoted above] until His saying "He is aware of what is in the hearts." [verse 6] And he who seeks beyond this will surely perish. (Usul al-Kafi, vol. 1, Kitab at-Tawhid, Bab an-Nisba, p. 91)

Unlike the mainstream, Sufi scholars moved by this quest for deeper knowledge of Quran tended to highlight these verses that indicate unity of God and universe under a theory know as wahdat al-wujud or unity of existence according to which all creation are only manifestations of the singular, whole and inclusive reality of the Divine essence that reveal some of Its attributes while being at the same time fully present in the Divine essence.
But this notion of unity is far removed from those versions of Pantheism in which God is nothing beyond the totality of the natural universe. According to Unity of Existence, Allah preserves His transcendence and distinction from the created worlds while being present at all levels. Therefore while God can be equated to the creation so as to suggest that existence of creation is not independent or separate from that of God, God's existence can't be reduced to any particular creation and even the entirety of creation as commonly understood. God is always beyond any perceivable or conceivable entity while being present in every entity. By the same token, every description, characterization and comparison of God is relatively true only to the extent that it reveals some of the signs of His omnipresent being but is at the same time relatively misleading for excluding some of His other attributes or for partly clouding His irreducible Holy essence.
So do you physically cut Allah when you cut a tree given that Allah is present right in the tree? No you don't, because while Allah is present in the thing, He can't be reduced to any of its properties such as divisibility which enables it to be cut!
Hence God is as mysterious as it gets but realizing this very elusive mystery is the indication of an actual faith! The reason only Sufis (in addition to Shia Imams to whom many Sufis orders trace their lineage) in the history of Islam highlighted these apparently conflicting attributes of Allah is that they were the only ones who actually had succeeded in capturing the truth of these elusive features of Allah to some (varying) degrees through spiritual exercise.
Comment: It was said "There are indeed some verses of Quran that equate Allah with creation while some other verses suggest distinction." Adding references sure would help. I like your style keep up the good work. Also as personal revelation, I believe it's Allah that cuts down the tree.
Comment: @Decrypted, You're welcome! I added some Quranic references and commentary from a previous answer. And I concur with your last statement. Allah's agency covers all occurrence.
Comment: @infatuated you didnt mention that Allah is above the Arsh? that would just summarise everything - mentioned a lot e.g. in surah sajdah
Answer: Islam is partially pantheistic religion because everything came in the  existence from Allah and everything including multiples universe are emerged from the shadow of Allah or AKS-E -ILAHI.
If we think it rationally,then there are two cases.
The first case is that Allah's creation is finite and ALLAH is infinite(widely accepts in Islam) in all dimensions.
The second case is that Allah's creation is infinite and  ALLAH is infinite in all simensions
In both cases, creation is a subset of Allah but not similar to Allah.
In both cases creations are within Allah and Allah is in the purdah(veil ) unlimited dimensions.
In the second case only one infinite object is possible because if two infinite objects are present at the same time,they will become one.
Hence, If one cut down the trees. He is not damaging Allah because the tree is only the part of Allah's creation and even if the whole universe will be destroyed. only Allah will exist because whole creation is the subset of the divine unity or Allah.
If we consider ISLAM a true religion then in surah al-ikhlas it is said that Allah es never born and never die but his creation or all the universes(around 7) will end when Allah ask Azrael or angle if god to finish everything including himself and only Allah will remain to exist.
There is a problem with the pantheism because if we say that every thing is god,Then humans are also the part of universe.Therefore,humans should be God but in islam it is clear that there is no god besides allah and if we consider human as god it will be shirk.we all know that islam is true monotheistic religion therefore it is not a pantheistic religion like hinduism but it never deny the fact that God is omnipresent.

Is Islam a pantheistic Religion?


Any tips to prevent theft while tent camping alone in a caravan park?

Question: This summer. I will be camping on my own at a coastal caravan park located between 2 towns. In terms of safety (theft) and other things, what do you advise?
Comment: Are you driving there? Car boot works for us at caravan parks :)
Comment: Knowing what you are trying to keep safe would help: keeping documents protected is different than not having your sleeping bag taken. With just the tent the main trick is to hide small stuff while for big stuff (a whole camera bag with all the accessories for example) things become a bit more difficult. And keeping a low profile and using older&cheaper electronics does help too.
Comment: @Aravona - the car boot sounds good and is the most sensible thing to store one's stuff in. That was my first choice but I didnt want come across as being too paranoid bundling everything up and packing them away when I'm ready to hit the sack.
Comment: @Erik - I wont take many valuables with me just a burner phone, watch, car keys. The stuff i had in mind when i posted the question are camping chair and table, bbq grill and utensils, cooler box, and other kitchenware.
Comment: @RedWolf321 well in my experience we use the boot for when out for the day, otherwise we just keep stuff on us :)
Comment: If you can reduce the amount of stuff it might look less conspicuous when you take everything out and pack it back in, once in the campground you will see right away what everybody is doing with their stuff, and act accordingly. Dont act like you own a camping table made of gold though, or somebody might get curious...
Comment: I suggest you buy a lockable tent and a good lock..this should deter opportunistic thieves at least
Answer: Here are a couple of tips.

Make it harder for them to steal anything, roll up your vehicle's windows and lock its doors.
Make your stuff less attractive to thieves, cover valuables with a blanket and don't flash expensive gear or jewelry.
Exude confidence, look people in the eye, walk with a confident stride, and make it clear that you are not someone to be messed with. Being able to back up that confidence with pepper spray (if legal for you to possess) will also help your confidence.
Maintain situational awareness, are the other people families with children, fellow outdoors people, or do they give you a bad vibe?
Listen to your gut, if your hair is standing on end and your muscles are tense, leave the area immediately.
Finally, remember that your life is more valuable than your stuff
Comment: Pepper spray and other such munitions are illegal in many countries.
Comment: You can't lock the door of a tent, without attracting more attention
Answer: Caravan parks often have safes for people to use (rent). That's likely your best bet. They're often a bit like the lockers you get in swiming baths.
Baring that it's either hide things (Bottom of a sleeping bag works ok but obviously your taking a risk) or take anything valuable with you.
Answer: Camping is an outdoor sport, with many opportunities for unexpected events.  Don't bring anything that can't be exposed to the weather, and don't bring anything that will cause you emotional hardship if it does not return home with you.
I have been camping for years, and have never lost anything to theft, nor has anyone I know lost  anything to theft.  I have had things destroyed by getting to close to the fire, ruined by water, worn out from over use, lost through misadventure, left behind accidentally, or otherwise made unavailable for future use by something stupid I have done.
Apply some common sense and don't leave your wallet laying in the middle of the road. But you need not be overly concerned about theft.
In the US there are two very general types of camping area, Private and Public. the private places are run for profit and almost always have people who rent (or lease) the same spot for years.  The public ones are government operated and usually have a two week stay limit.
In both cases, there are people who spend their whole time in camp. At any one time it would be unusual for there to be more then 2 out of 3 campsites having their occupants gone. Everyone tends to keep an eye on what is going on around them.  Only a few bring a television and satellite dish. Everyone knows who belongs to what campground, all of this makes for an environment that is not good for thieves to operate in.
On the other hand, a common occurrence is for someone to be away from their site and have a wind come up that is greater then the wind resistance of their tent, canopy or other item.  The neighbors don't just watch your tent blow down the road, they go get it and take it back to your camp. They may or may not put it back up and secure it better, but they will at least make sure it stays in your site.
Comment: **Moral**
If you go outside and play, expect that not everything you take is going to be available next time you go out. There are much bigger concerns then theft, use good judgement and common sense, across all issues don't just concentrate on one thing.
Answer: I just was told this last weekend: Lock your tent!
Of course thiefes can cut the tent and still steal your stuff but at least your insurance is going to pay if the tent was locked (check the conditions of your insurance and in doubt ask your insurer).
Besides that you should not leave your valuable stuff in the tent alone, also if it's just valuable for you like the knife your grandfather gave you years ago.
Answer: What I've learned in half-a-century of camping...

First, don't get too stressed out - in most developed countries theft is rare. Don't let your concerns spoil your holiday! (But be sensible - there are a few countries were camping would be risky, so do your research.)
Second, as far as you sensibly can, leave your valuables at home. In particular don't take anything irreplaceable and of great sentimental value.
Third, carry critical documents (passport, insurance, tickets etc) in some kind of hidden under-clothes security wallet and keep them on you at all times
Fourth, if you are car-camping, keep anything of value locked and unseen in the boot/trunk of your vehicle when you're away from your tent.
Alternatively, in an organised site there may be lockers available.
When I don't have a car, I prefer to carry my most expensive lightweight gear with me in my backpack when I'm off the site - my high-end sleeping quilt and mat, my camera and electronics, my down clothing etc. It doesn't really weigh much, and it gives me some piece of mind.
Before you go off-site, tidy up your pitch, tuck everything out of sight and zip up your tent. Make your site as anonymous and uninviting as possible.
If you get to know your neighbours and they seem trustworthy, ask them to keep an eye on your stuff.

It's really just a question of common-sense.
But above all - relax and have fun!


What's significant about starting the parsha at Ki Tisa?

Question: The first two aliyot of Parshat Ki Tisa are pretty long. Then the rest are all very short. I was told that the reason for this is that we want to give the Levi the aliyah that praises him, when everyone else sinned with Cheit Ha'Egel (the Golden Calf). OK, that makes sense. But why does it start from Ki Tisa, and not later (allowing it to be spread more evenly)? What's so significant about starting with Ki Tisa?
Comment: The breaks before the custom you mention caught on (see [Tikkun Yissachar](http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=21647&st=&pgnum=199)) were at 30:11, 30:30, 31:12, 32:15, 33:12, 34:1, 34:27 or [according to another custom](http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=21647&st=&pgnum=191) at 30:11, 30:22, 31:12, 33:12, 33:17, 34:9, 34:27.
Comment: Sorry, I'm not seeing the concern of the question. Where do you think this should start? Why do you think this parsha should begin elsewhere giving this any more attention than how other parshiot are arranged? The arrangement seems somewhat random. Do you want to know the rules regarding the general breakdown of ALL the parshi'ot?
Comment: I don't have an exact starting point in mind, just somewhere later. :) This could certainly be asked on other parshiot as well, but i chose to on this one. An answer explaining general rules as well as this specific case would be great.
Comment: The basic answer is just that splitting up the Aliyot to give Levi the Eigel story is a later invention. I'm guessing you're looking for something more Drush-y, though.
Comment: are you asking the connection between the half shekel and the golden calf?
Comment: @DoubleAA see http://judaism.stackexchange.com/q/81083/759
Answer: Tetzaveh, which is the preceding parsha, was designated as the parsha without Moshe's name. The first verse of Ki Tissa has Moshe's name! Ergo, Ki Tisa had to start at that verse!
Answer: I have not been able to locate anything specific to addressing the choice of the location of where Ki Tissah "should" start. However, I recommend reading pp. 81-90
of this paper.
The premise of the paper is on when and why parshiot are doubled or even "halved". The pages I mentioned discuss the general parsha length and offer several opinions from Sa'adia Ga'on and Ramba"m on how to "manage" parshiot. The overall assumption, though, seems to be theat the designation of the parshiot is Mesorah.
The paper is very long, and only a small section may apply to your question. Nonetheless, I find the whole paper fascinating, and I hope you will, too. It's comprehensive and well written, even if it may seem confusing at times.


How many GB of a USB flash drive can I use to install Xbox 360 games?

Question: I'm going to buy a USB flash drive for Xbox 360 games to install on. I saw  a 512 GB USB flash drive 2.0 and I'm going to buy it if I will be able to install Xbox 360 games on it. Can I install Xbox 360 games on more then 32GB USB flash drives?
Comment: A 512GB flash drive? Really? *really?*
Comment: @iMAGEbox - You can purchase a 512GB flash drive but the Xbox 360 will only use 32GB of it.
Comment: Seems almost guaranteed to be a scam; a half terabyte USB stick is legitimately available, but only for triple digits.  I think there's a reason SE won't allow you to share info about the site.
Comment: A 512GB flash drive for $15. Seems *totally* legit.
Comment: @tombull89 yes really. stackexchange will not allow me to share info about site. its Chinese only for today(december2) is special sale its 15$ its awesome.
Comment: @iMAGEbox What a complete load of rubbish!
Comment: Chinese site, 512GB for $15 sounds WAY too good to be true.
Answer: According to Microsoft, drives need to provide at least 1 GB of storage space and must be formatted using the FAT32 file system. You can format up to 2 TB to use on the Xbox 360. Formatting can be done on the console, so the drive doesn't need to be pre-formatted.

USB minimum requirements
To use a USB flash drive with your console, the USB flash drive must meet these requirements:
  - A minimum of 1 GB storage capacity.
  - Windows FAT32 file system format

According to the USB flash drive FAQ, you can store everything on your flash drive, excluding games for the original Xbox, which need to be stored on an Xbox 360 Hard Drive instead.
Comment: You might want to explain the reason for the 32GB limit.  Xbox 360 uses a modified filesystem based on FAT32 which limits the size of a file to around 4GB.  Xbox 360 also uses 4GB block files to store data.  The 32GB limit is basically there because Xbox 360 won't create more then 8 of these files on a USB device.  If you were to partition a larger size drive, then the limitation in theory, would exist on two seperate partitions.
Comment: Look, youd.have to.Be pretty stupid to think any 10k user didn't know how to edit. Your making a pretty big deal out of questioning my actions when "I didn't feel like it" is a perfectly legitimate reason. I LEFT you a comment to update your answer. If you hadn't made a big deal out of it, I would have reversed my downvote. The answer at least accurate as far as I can tell, there's no real reason to go on about this.
Comment: @Timelord64. I never claimed you didn't know *how* to edit, I assumed you forgot you were *allowed* to in this kind of situation. You downvoted me, which is your right, and I'm grateful for your comment, but why are you saying I'm making a big deal of this, when you're the one blowing things out of proportions? I made a mistake in my assumption, I'm sorry. Do I need to bow down before you, or can we move on?
Answer: I've been using a 1TB exteral hard disk drive as my memory unit. The system recognizes and allows me to use all of it.
The console will treat USB flash devices the same, but keep in mind that an external hard drive is still very cheap and affordable.
Comment: This is actually correct, as the accepted answer is outdated.


My father is applying for French citizenship through descent. Can I then do so?

Question: My grandmother was born in France, and moved to the US where she had my father. My father, a US citizen, is applying for French citizenship through descent as his mother did not renounce her French citizenship until after my father was born. He seems to have all of the paperwork in oder, so I'm guessing this will eventually be granted based on what I have read. When/if my father gains French citizenship through descent, does that mean I, too, as his daughter can also apply? I can't figure this out and have seen conflicting information. Lastly, I can't figure out if you need to be fluent in French in order to obtain French citizenship through descent.
Answer: Citizenship by descent isn't something that one "applies for."  Rather, it is something that one acquires at birth through the automatic operation of law.  Your father is applying to have his French citizenship recognized by the French government.  If the French government does recognize it, it will mean that the government recognizes that he has been a French citizen since he was born.  That in turn will mean that you are the child of a French citizen, and therefore also a French citizen.
You do not need to have any French skills to have French citizenship by descent.  French language skills are required for naturalization, as evidence of integration into French society, but that does not apply in your case.
Comment: @gnasher729 What wouldn't be the case? The UK is indeed unusually restrictive regarding citizenship by descent and children of citizens born abroad but most of what phoog wrote does still apply. In any case, all this is accurate regarding France (and most other countries I would think).
Comment: Is that a fact? Asking since it wouldn't be the case in the UK, where "citizen by descent" is the weaker version of citizenship, which requires the next generation to be born in the UK.
Answer: @phoog correctly explained that citizenship by birth is not something you gain but something you either already have or don't have. If you do have it, French language skills are irrelevant and you cannot lose it.
That said, there are complex rules that effectively means that French citizenship by birth can lapse after two generations if you don't use it (see e.g. Will it be possible to get French citizenship?). I believe that your father being granted a passport or certificate of citizenship would effectively reset the clock and allow you to make use of your French citizenship as well but I am not entirely sure of the details (and it would also depends on his and your age).
Unfortunately, if your grandmother lived most of her life in the US, your father is over 50 and it's the first time he is applying for a French passport, he could have trouble getting his citizenship recognized now, even if he was definitely born a French citizen and all the paperwork is in order.


How do you determine focal length/wideness of fisheye conversion lenses?

Question: I currently use a 0.7x adapter on a 28mm lens, but I want to go wider. I've seen a selection of different 0.*x lenses but with no indication to the focal length it provides. How do you determine the focal length/wideness of fisheye adapter lenses?
Answer: One thing to keep in mind about screw on lens adapters is that they base the magnification numbers on areal instead of linear measurement. This is unlike, for example, teleconverters or "crop factors" when we compare cameras with differently sized sensors that both use linear magnification ratios.
Compare this theoretical scenario:
We have a 100mm lens, a 1.4X teleconverter and a 1.4X screw-on adapter.

With the 1.4X TC, our effective focal length will be 140mm (actually it should be 141mm, since a 1.4X TC is theoretically a √2X or 1.414213562...X TC)
With the 1.4X screw-on adapter, our effective focal length will be 118mm. This is because the square root of 1.4 is 1.18. (If we use √2 instead of 1.4, it figures out to 118.9mm, or 119mm.)
The same holds true with screw-on "wide angle" adapters. A 0.7X adapter increases the areal coverage of the lens by the reciprocal of 0.7, or 1.42X. This equates to a linear increase of 1.195X. So our effective focal length with a 100mm lens would be 84mm (83.666mm), rather than the intuitively expected 70mm! (Again, if we use the reciprocal of √2 instead of 0.7, it figures out to almost exactly 84mm.)

To apply this to any screw-on adapter, take the square root of the "X" number (i.e. 0.7X) and multiply it by the focal length of the lens to which you are attaching it.
For your 28mm lens (assuming it is exactly 28mm, which may not be the case, even when focused at infinity), a 0.7X "wide angle adapter" will result in an effective focal length of 23.43mm. If we use the reciprocal of √2 instead of 0.7, it figures out to 23.55mm. Keep in mind that none of these measurements are precise enough to worry about the difference.

Your 28mm lens could be anywhere from about 26mm to 31mm in actual focal length when focused at infinity. When focused at closer distances, the actual focal length usually changes. You can test this by looking through the camera's viewfinder while changing the focus distance and observing whether the field of view gets smaller, stays the same, or gets larger. One reason "cinema" lenses cost so much is that they are designed so that the field of view does not change as the focus distance is changed.
The screw-on 0.7X "wide angle adapter" is probably not exactly either 0.7X or 1/√2X. Even if it gives that exact magnification in the center of the image field, it probably varies one way or the other on the edges. This is what we call geometric distortion - a lens magnifies by a slightly different ratio at the edges as compared to the center.
Although many screw-on "wide angle adapters" appear to give a fisheye projection, this is more than likely a result of barrel distortion than an actual fisheye projection. If you screw an adapter onto a rectilinear lens, you're getting a distorted rectilinear projection rather than an actual fisheye projection.

Rectilinear and fisheye projections are different ways in which a lens projects an image of a three dimensional world onto a flat, two-dimensional imaging plane. It's more than just the angle of view rendered by a lens. Canon, for example, makes rectilinear lenses for full frame cameras as wide as 11mm in the EF 11-24mm f/4 L ultra-wide angle zoom lens. They also make an EF 8-15mm f/4 L fisheye lens. The projection of the EF 11-24mm f/4 L set to 15mm looks very different than the projection of the EF 8-15mm f/4 L Fisheye set to 15mm when both are used on the same camera.
Comment: When you say 144mm don't you really mean 141mm. Square root of two is 1.414 not 1.44.
Comment: @EricShain Yeah, it was a slip of the fingers.
Answer: As Michael notes, screw-on wide angle adapters are usually marked as an area multiplier (unlike teleconverters which screw in behind the lens). So, you multiply your lens's focal length by the square root of the given multiplier, so for 0.7×, something like 0.84 × 28mm = (approximately) 23 or 24mm.
However, when you throw fisheye into the mix, it becomes more complicated. Our normal understanding of the relationship between field of view and focal length assumes a rectilinear projection — the regular, non-fisheye view of the world. If your add-on lens does more than make your normal lens wide angle but also converts the projection to fisheye, it's hard to say exactly what the effect will be.
Comment: You must have forgotten that you had encountered [this](https://photo.stackexchange.com/a/41670/15871) before.
Comment: @MichaelC Very likely! I learned, like, twenty years ago, to dismiss these things pretty much entirely as gimmicks.
Comment: This is incorrect. Don't forget, screw on adapters use *areal* rather that *linear* magnification factors.
Comment: @MichaelC Huh. That makes total sense but I hadn't encountered that before.
Comment: @dodds — don't be so quick to accept answers :)
Comment: I think the situation is still what I say with adapters that convert the projection, though.
Comment: Very true!!!!!!


Are there any examples in the Tanach where somebody is being cynical?

Question: Are there any examples in the Tanach where somebody is being cynical?
Comment: יד,יא וַיֹּאמְרוּ, אֶל-מֹשֶׁה, הֲמִבְּלִי אֵין-קְבָרִים בְּמִצְרַיִם, לְקַחְתָּנוּ לָמוּת בַּמִּדְבָּר:
Comment: Welcome to Mi Yodeya Yehoshua!
Comment: Lavan and Yaakov, maybe?
Comment: Kohelet?...could understand an argument that it's not cynical, too
Comment: I feel like MOshe Rabeinu was cynical a few times.
Answer: Cynical: Definition; from The Merriam-Webster dictionary:
Having or showing the attitude or temper of a cynic: such as
a :  contemptuously distrustful of human nature and motives
… those cynical men who say that democracy cannot be honest and efficient. — Franklin D. Roosevelt
b :  based on or reflecting a belief that human conduct is motivated primarily by self-interest - a cynical ploy to win votes
Example in Tanach:
Shmos 1:9-11, Shmos 5:8, Shmos 7:10-13
Pharoah is being pretty cynical towards the Jews.
1: (9) "He said to his people, "Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more numerous and stronger than we are." (10) Get ready, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they increase, and a war befall us, and they join our enemies and wage war against us and depart from the land." (11) So they appointed over them tax collectors to afflict them with their burdens, and they built store cities for Pharaoh, namely Pithom and Raamses."
5:(8) "But the number of bricks they have been making yesterday and the day before yesterday you shall impose upon them; you shall not reduce it, for they are lazy. Therefore they cry out, saying, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our G-d'."
7:(10) "Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and they did so, as the Lord had commanded; Aaron cast his staff before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. (11) Pharaoh too summoned the wise men and the magicians, and the necromancers of Egypt also did likewise with their magic. (12) Each one of them cast down his staff, and they became serpents; but Aaron's staff swallowed their staffs. (13) But Pharaoh's heart remained steadfast, and he did not hearken to them, as the L-rd had spoken."
Tehillim 117:11
King David admits to being cynical when he was suffering:
(11) "I said in my haste, "All men are liars."
Rashi: I said in my haste: to flee from Avshalom (his son).
"All men are liars": Heb. כזב, [meaning that one] betrays his friend, for I saw my son betray me and seek my life, and [I saw] all Israel repay me with evil for good; therefore, I believed Ziba and said that Mephibosheth also lies and betrays me. Every expression of כָּזָב is purely an expression of lack of trust
Job 1:8-11
The Satan is being cynical:
(8)Now the L-rd said to the Satan (adversary), "Have you paid attention to My servant Job? For there is none like him on Earth, a sincere and upright man, G-d-fearing and shunning evil."  (9) And the Satan answered the L-rd and said, "Does Job fear G-d for nothing? (10) Haven't You made a hedge around him, his household, and all that he has on all sides? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his livestock has spread out in the land. (11) But now, stretch forth Your hand and touch all that he has, will he not blaspheme You to Your face?"
Answer: As Rabbi Frand notes, there were cynics referred to in Bava Metziah 87a who would undermine the birth of Yitzchak coming from Avraham. In another article, Rabbi Frand writes,

The Baal HaTurim points out that there are only two times in all of
  Tanach that "vaYivez" [and he mocked] is written. "vaYivez Eisav the
  Bechorah" [Shmos 24:34] and "vaYivez Haman to merely send his hand
  against Mordechai alone" [Esther 3:6]. The Medrash calls Haman a
  "mocker the son of a mocker" (bozeh ben bozeh). He was a denigrator
  the son of a denigrator, a "letz" the son of a "letz", a cynic the son
  of a cynic.

Also, Rav Zivotofsky says,

One of the most popular phrases is "Eretz zavat chalav udevash," which
  appears both in Chumash and Nach.2 This phrase is first used to
  highlight the fertility of Israel as compared to Egypt (Exodus 3:8 and
  17). Subsequently, Korach refers to it cynically to describe Egypt
  (Numbers 16:13).
Comment: It should be noted that that Midrash about reports of Isaac's parentage is not exactly in Tanakh.
Comment: Isn't that sarcasm?
Comment: Thanks for pointing that out David, I didn't realize the difference between cynicism and sarcasm. The answer  is fully changed now.
Comment: This is the commentary of Baal HaTurim: בעל הטורים בראשית פרק כה ויבז. ב'. ויבז עשו. ויבז בעיניו (אסתר ג ו) גבי המן. דהיינו בוזה בן בוזה זה המן הרשע שיצא מעשו . I see nothing about cynicism. Even if it did BhT is not in Tanakh. R. Frand's derash of a derash probably isnt.
Answer: This case combines cynicism with sarcasm:
Kings I 2:22 Adonijah, King Solomon's brother, would like to have Abishag the Shunamite for himself. He requests Solomon's mother, Bat Sheva to relay this message to King Solomon. The King's response is, "Why does he ask for just Abishag? He should have the entire kingdom, too, for, after all, he is my brother!"
This case sounds cynical:
Kings II 5:7 Na'aman, the king of Aram, was leprous. He sends a note to the King of Israel saying that he will be sending a messenger to him asking for a recommendation on how to cure him from his leprosy. When the king reads the letter, he tears his clothes and says, essentially, that the only reason he is sending this letter is because he knows that I can't perform this, and they he will use this as a pretext to battle against me and my people.


High cpu usage Chrome

Question: I am in Elementary Loki 0.4 64 bit Google Chrome version 57 when I play a youtube video CPU USAGE is insane about 90, the video is only 480p. when I play through audience it's just 30 percent max and it's a 720p video, so my pc freezes when playing Youtube videos. Any thoughts?
Thank you.
Comment: Have you tried using other WebKit-based browsers such as Epiphany(Web)? Report back if CPU usage is the same.
Answer: thnks for the suggestion But Chrome is the one for me, i have Win7 also on this same Pc and i played youtube videos trough it and checked the cpu usage, was about 20 maybe less, I UPGRADED my linux kernel to 4.6 and there has been some improvement so if anyone runs to this problem upgrade the Kernel.
Answer: Maybe your kernel is outdated? I was having issues with CPU usage and freezes with Chrome, Epiphany and Files Manager.
To know your kernel version open your terminal.
$ uname -r

It will return your kernel version. If your kernel is too old like 4.7.0 or 4.8.0, you can update it and see if it solves your issue.
But how the heck do you update your kernel with simplicity and security?
Ukuu Kernel Update Utility
How to install:
sudo apt-add-repository -y ppa:teejee2008/ppa

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install ukuu

Edit: After install. You may need to run sudo ukuu-gtk to starts it

Now you can install an updated Kernel. I'm running 4.12.0 and it solved all my performance issues, even Atom Text Editor is running really good. I hope this solves your issues and that you can finally experience this amazing distro.
Comment: Be careful doing an out of distro kernel upgrade as you will not get the security updates for the kernel.
Answer: Try to turn off these in Chrome---> Settings---> System.
Answer:
Have you tried using other WebKit-based browsers such as Epiphany(Web)? Report back if CPU usage is the same. – Axel Advento 2 hours ago

You can also follow Axel Advento's suggestion or you can download OPERA. Opera is an amazing web browser.

High cpu usage Chrome


Password sync with Chrome

Question: I know about Xmarks and LastPass, but is there a free solution for password syncing between Android and Chrome?
Answer: Keepass is an option. You can set up the KeePassDroid app to use a password database that you keep synced with Dropbox (a good tutorial is available at AndroidPolice). Not very elegant, but it might be what you're looking for.
Answer: You might like to try http://phonemarks.blogspot.com/
Comment: Thanks, but that is just for bookmarks. I was asking for a tool for password sync.

Password sync with Chrome