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“Everything is off now, and Stormy is going to tell her story,” manager Gina Rodriguez told US media.
Trump’s aide and special counsel Michael Cohen has refused to say why he paid Daniels the vast sum but was not, as he claims, reimbursed by the “Trump Organization nor the Trump campaign.”
Trump declined to comment on the issue. The White House has dodged questions about whether allegations of an affair are true, claiming the matter was dealt with during the campaign.
It has also referred any questions about the payment to Cohen.
Vice President Mike Pence described suggestions of an affair as “the latest baseless allegations against the president.”
Last month, celebrity magazine In Touch published a 2011 interview with Daniels — whose real name is Stephanie Clifford — in which she details having “textbook generic” sex with Trump.
She recalled meeting Trump at a celebrity golf tournament in 2006, shortly after the president’s wife Melania Trump gave birth to their son Barron.
Since the alleged signing of a confidentiality agreement, Daniels has denied the affair took place and then appeared to deny making the denial.
The allegations bubbled away before the election but have resurfaced because of a legal case that claims Cohen’s payment may have broken campaign finance laws.
The lawyer said he did nothing wrong.
“The payment to Ms Clifford was lawful, and was not a campaign contribution or a campaign expenditure by anyone,” Cohen said.
He declined to say whether Trump was aware of the payment.
Watchdog group Common Cause launched the legal action, saying they have “reason to believe” that money was “an unreported in-kind expenditure... because the funds were paid for the purpose of influencing the 2016 presidential general.”
The alleged violation of federal campaign finance law “undermines the integrity of democracy in the United States,” a letter signed by Paul Ryan of Common Cause reads.
‘Make America Horny Again’
Daniels has been taking advantage of her newfound notoriety.
Last month, she appeared at the Trophy Club strip club in South Carolina as part of a “Make America Horny Again” tour — a tongue-in-cheek reference to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan — that will also reportedly take her to several other states over the next few months.
In a recent appearance on the late night TV talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live — right after Trump delivered his State of the Union address — Daniels deflected questions about the alleged affair and whether she had signed a non-disclosure agreement.
“You can’t say whether you have a non-disclosure agreement. But if you didn’t have a non-disclosure agreement, you most certainly could say, ‘I don’t have a non-disclosure agreement.’ Yes?” Kimmel asked.
“You’re so smart, Jimmy,” Daniels answered.
Later in the interview, Kimmel asked, “Have you ever made love to someone whose name rhymes with Lonald Lump?” | {
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Knight Riders have strong bench strength
Kolkata, April 14 (IANS) Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla may have bought the Kolkata Knight Riders for the seventh lowest price at the eight-team auction, but the Sourav Ganguly-led Indian Premier League (IPL) side has variety, all-round look and bench strength to take on any team in the Twenty20 competition. Business partners, Shah Rukh and Juhi and Jay Mehta, should be mighty pleased with the way they went about the auctions. They first bought the franchise for $75.09 million for a 10-year period and then raised a team that has some of the best batsmen and bowlers of the present era besides India’s most successful Test captain.
With hard-hitting batsmen like Chris Gayle of West Indies and Australia captain Ricky Ponting and a bowling attack that has Pakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar and Indian pace sensation Ishant Sharma, Kolkata is capable of taking on any side in the tournament.
With some of India’s most talented youngsters in the line-up, the John Buchanan-coached Kolkata has a formidable look. A glimpse of Knight Riders’ firepower will be on display when they play they play the inaugural game against Bangalore Royal Challengers in Bangalore Friday.
Shah Rukh with his charismatic persona will add to the glamour and the razzmatazz. The team’s website shows how much interest the super star is attaching to the glamour quotient and building a fan base of this high-profile team.
At the player auction, their strategy was to build a balanced team, and they have succeeded in their endeavour to a large extent.
Strengths: Knight Riders’ USP is their strong bench strength in all departments as they have young players who are capable replacing seniors in emergency. Ganguly and Buchanan have put together an extremely balanced side by intelligently spending money at the auction. Whether it is batting, bowling or wicket-keeping — they have bought three wicket-keepers — the team has a perfect all-round look. Their batting with Ponting and Ganguly, Pakistan’s Salman Butt and Mohammad Hafeez, Gayle, and Australia’s David Hussey, looks a shade stronger than their bowling attack.
Left-handed openers Gayle and Butt are capable of smashing any attack. The middle order is formidable, too, with Ponting, Ganguly, Hussey, Hafeez, Tatenda Taibu, Brendon McCullum and Services’ Yashpal Singh. If need be, the reliable Aakash Chopra though has not played a single Twenty20 match so far, can keep one end going. Then there is all-rounder Laxmi Ratan Shukla, to provide the overall balance to the team.
Wicket-keepers Taibu of Zimbabwe, New Zealander McCullum and reserve stumper Wriddhiman Saha, who smashed a century on debut for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy, will be ready to chip in if needed.
Weaknesses: Bowling could get weakened if Akhtar, suspended for five years on disciplinary grounds by the Pakistan Cricket Board, cannot play. He could make a big difference, especially given the fact that he will know that he can bowl a maximum of four overs and thus could give his all in short spells.
Ishant Sharma, who continued his brilliant bowling in Australia playing against South Africa at home, Pakistan’s Umar Gul, Ajit Agarkar and Bengal’s own Ranadeb Bose besides off-spinner Sourashish Lahiri are the other bowlers who can create an impact along with Murali Kartik, the left-arm spinner who came into Riders’ calculations after they failed to grab Harbhajan Singh.
Key players: Knight Riders’ fortunes will largely depend on how well Gayle, Ponting, Ishant and Akhtar perform along with Ganguly.
Key youngsters: There are some extremely talented youngsters in peedster Siddarth Kaul and left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdullah, both of whom bagged 10 wickets at the under-19 World Cup. Batsman Cheteshwar Pujara, the top scorer with 349 runs at the 2006 under-19 World Cup and a consistent performer in domestic tournaments, will be another key youngster to watch.
Venue: The historical Eden Gardens is the home ground of the Knight Riders. India’s biggest cricket venue with a 100,000 capacity provides can create an electrifying atmosphere what with exciting cricket and entertainment to be provided by Shah Rukh’s troupe on the sidelines. | {
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Video: Selecting artwork beneath other objects
As we know inside of Illustrator, artwork has something called a stacking order. That means that as you draw vector graphics, objects appear on top of each other or beneath each other. As you can see up here with these flowers, one flower appears on top of this flower that appears beneath. When you try to make selections however, it can sometimes be difficult to select the object that appear beneath other objects because they're currently hidden from view. For example, let's focus on this one area over here. I'm going to zoom in on just this part right here and I'm also going to use my regular Selection tool to double-click on this group to isolate it.
In Illustrator CS5 Essential Training, author Mordy Golding explains the core concepts and techniques that apply to any workflow in Illustrator, whether designing for print, the web, or assets for other applications. This course includes a detailed explanation of the elements that make up vector graphics—paths, strokes, and fills—and shows how to use each of the Illustrator drawing tools. Also demonstrated are techniques for combining and cleaning up paths, organizing paths into groups and layers, text editing, working with color, effects, and much more. Exercise files accompany the course.
Selecting artwork beneath other objects
As we know inside of Illustrator, artwork has something called a stacking order.That means that as you draw vector graphics, objects appear on top of each otheror beneath each other.As you can see up here with these flowers, one flower appears on top of thisflower that appears beneath.When you try to make selections however, it can sometimes be difficult toselect the object that appear beneath other objects because they're currently hidden from view.For example, let's focus on this one area over here. I'm going to zoom in onjust this part right here and I'm also going to use my regular Selection tool todouble-click on this group to isolate it.
Now I'm inside of a group.If I were to click right over here, I would select this object that you can seebut if I want to select a background object I would need to click over here toselect it because if I click here, this object is in front of it.However, many times when you had very complex artwork there may not be room foryou to select artwork that appears beneath other objects.Quite often designers may toggle and go into the Outline mode. I'm pressingCommand+Y on my keyboard to do that so that you can see the actual paththemselves and you might select things in this way.
For example, click on the path and then when I go back into Outline mode, I nowsee that that object is selected.However there is a way now in Illustrator CS5 to actually select objectsthrough other objects.The way that you would do that is to first use your regular Selection tool toclick on the topmost object. Then hold down the Command key on your keyboard,if you are using Windows that would be the Ctrl key, and then click again.Notice that now that I clicked again, a little arrow appears next to my white arrow.That means I'm now in this drill down mode. It lets me select otherareas beneath this object that's currently selected.
If I now click again, you can see that the background object becomes selected.Now if I go ahead and I release the Command key, I'm back to my Selection tooland I've selected the backmost object, not the topmost object.If you have many overlapping objects, each time that you click with the Commandkey pressed down, you will systematically select the next object beneath it.It's just something to keep in mind as you're working inside of Illustrator.If you find that you're having a hard time selecting a piece of art, just hold downthe Command key while you're clicking to select other objects beneath it.
Q: Despite clicking the rectangle icon on the toolbar, as shown in the video, the other tool shapes are not accessible in Illustrator. The rectangle is usable, but the star, ellipse, etc. are not, and do not appear anywhere in the toolbar. What is causing this problem?
A: These tools are grouped together, so to access them, click and hold the mouse for a second until the other tools appear. If that isn't happening, reset the Illustrator preferences file. To do so, quit Illustrator and then relaunch the application while pressing and holding the Ctrl+Alt+Shift keys. Once the Illustrator splash screen appears, release the keys and that will reset the preferences file.
Q: In the video “What are vector graphics,” the author states that if he creates a 1 inch x 1 inch Photoshop file at 300ppi image, there are 300 pixels in that image. Is that correct?
A: This statement is by the author was not totally correct. If the resolution is 300ppi, it means that there are 300 pixels across one inch, both vertically and horizontally. That would mean you'd have 90,000 pixels in a 1 inch x 1 inch image at 300 ppi.
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Battallion Chief Ray Groth said MFD responded to a report just before 3 p.m. that three people were in the water near Wisconsin Avenue and North Riverwalk Way in downtown Milwaukee. Two people were able to pull themselves from the river while the third was pulled out by a police boat.
Paramedics on scene performed CPR, and the person was taken to Froedtert in Wauwatosa where he later died.
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243 Comments
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Russia warns NATO of potentially unpleasant response
Russia has warned that it may deliver a potentially unpleasant “technical response” to NATO over the planned deployment of a NATO missile system in Europe.
"The Russian response is currently mostly virtual, political, and diplomatic in character, but under certain circumstances we would be forced to deliver a technical response, which I don't think you'll like," UPI quoted Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin as saying at a meeting with NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Moscow on Thursday.
The United States and NATO agreed to establish a missile system during a summit in Lisbon in 2010, but negotiations between Russia and the Western military alliance have foundered on NATO’s refusal to give Russia legal guarantees that the system would not target the country’s strategic nuclear deterrent.
Moscow has also called for the shared control of any missile system. Washington, however, refuses to share the system’s control with any third party.
In return, Russia has threatened to aim a new generation of missiles at military targets in Europe and to deploy its own missile interceptors in the Kaliningrad region on the Baltic Sea coast.
On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called NATO “a Cold War atavism,” saying the alliance should turn into a political organization.
"Why it (NATO) still exists in modern times, is just not clear. It is to a significant extent a throwback to the times of the Cold War," Putin said.
"I have always believed that NATO is a Cold War atavism. It was set up at a time, when there was a bipolar system in international relations. Today, that situation has changed therefore, it is hard to understand or justify why an organization such as NATO should be existing today,” the president added.
Russia has repeatedly objected to the establishment of the NATO missile system, saying the country is the main target of the system as it possesses a significant number of nuclear weapons.
MN/MHB/HN | {
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One third of the world’s population today lives under tyrannies that call themselves Marxist. No other worldview commands this many people. Yet a hundred and fifty years ago, there was no philosophy called Marxism. Karl Marx was then and undergraduate university student who specialized in pubs, taverns, cafes, and desperate letters to his family asking for more money.
Doctor Frederick Charles Schwarz (15 January 1913 – 24 January 2009) was an Australian physician and political activist who founded the Christian Anti-Communism Crusade (CACC). He made a number of speaking tours in the USA in the 1950s, and in 1960 moved his base of operations to California.[1] He was the author of the international bestseller, You Can Trust The Communists (to be Communists), Prentice Hall, 1960. Dr. Schwarz worked with his wife, Lillian Schwarz, from abroad and, in his later years, at their home in Camden, near Sydney, in the Australian state of New South Wales.
In 1940, Dr. Schwarz, in the aftermath of a debate with an Australian Communist, became compelled to study Communist ideology and was subsequently recognized as an expert on Marxist-Leninist philosophy.[2] He founded and was the chairman of the not-for-profit Christian Anti-Communism Crusade (CACC), based originally in Sydney, and subsequently in Long Beach, California, and remained in this position until the late 1990s. During his time with the CACC, Schwarz gave many lectures and seminars across America on the subject of Communism, placing an emphasis on the role of education in understanding Marxism-Leninism from the source documents of that movement, by Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, Mao Zedong, and others. Under Schwarz’s leadership, for some decades the CACC also paid for an orphanage in India, for underprivileged children.
His Southern California School of Anti-Communism filled the 16,000-capacity Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena from 28 August – 1 September 1961. According to Morrie Ryskind, writing at the time in The Los Angeles Times, “The evening sessions, featuring nationally known speakers, were televised, and those who should know tell me that some three million people listened in nightly. At any rate, I can honestly say that in my 25 years in Los Angeles I have never known a local event that so completely captured the enthusiasm of the city.”
How could such a transformation of the world take place so rapidly? Why have Communist revolutions swept the face of the earth? And why did they occur only in regions where Marx had insisted that they could not, in theory, take place until the rest of the world had already turned Communist?
The greatest myth of Marxism is that the Communist revolution is inevitable. The second greatest myth is that it is proletarian. The third greatest myth is that it is the product of industrial poverty. Nothing in the lives of either Karl Marx or Frederick Engles, his partner, suggested that any of these myths were true. Marx and Engels, the bourgeois sons of bourgeois religious families, never did a day’s manual labor in their lives. Engel’s only connection to industrial capitalism was as the son of a factory’s owner. Marx’s only connection was his lifelong subsidies from Engles.
Why, then, has Marxism been so successful in capturing the minds of men? Because it is a religion,the most powerful rival of Christianity since the rise of Islam in the seventh century.
The nature of Marxism as a religion has long been recognized by its critics. But what has not been generally recognized is Marxism’s unique fusion of both ancient and modern heresies. It revives the most ancient of religious themes-social regeneration through systematic chaos-yet it defends this view in the name of modern science. It appeals to the basest motives of mankind-autonomy from God, institutionalized envy, and bloody revolution-yet it defends itself as being simultaneously the most moral and the most scientific of systems.
Gary North has assembled the evidence to prove that Marxism has been a success because it is the most perverse imitation of Christianity ever invented. It was invented by two men who had been baptized as Christians, had affirmed an evangelical faith in their teens, and had turned in fury against God in their early twenties. Few people know that Marx wrote a satanic play and wrote satanic poetry in his youth. But anyone who has read his early writings knows that his avowed enemies were not the capitalist but the Christians and the Jews. He hated God more than he hated capitalism.
The Soviet Union was not formally created until 1923 after years of bloody civil war between the Bolshevik “Reds” and the anti-communist, pro-Czarist “Whites.” There were also the “Greens” but virtually no mainstream court historian mentions them because they do not fit in their tight little narrative.
There was no discussion of the role of Trotsky in the Revolution. It was Trotsky who was responsible for the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, ending Russian participation in WWI. And it was Trotsky who successfully led the Red Army in the civil war against the Whites.
Mussolini, before the war, was more than an “antiwar activist, a pacifist.” He was a prominent radical Marxist socialist revolutionary, editor of the leading Socialist newspaper, Avanti!
Avanti!, under Mussolini, had an anti-war stance on the war, urging neutrality for Italy when the war began in August 1914. Mussolini formed the pro-war, interventionist newspaper Il Popolo d’Italia and the Fasci Rivoluzionari d’Azione Internazionalista (“Revolutionary Fasci for International Action”) in October 1914.
This paper was 180 degrees different than his editorial stance at Avanti! Why the sudden change? He was bribed by the French who provided funds to start his publication. Mussolini was always the ultimate opportunist. He soon left to join the Italian Army.
Jones classifies Venezuela as a growth disaster between 1960 and 1997 because real income per capita grew at a rate of minus 0.13 percent (2002, 4). Of 112 countries with data for the period from 1960 to 2000, sixteen endured a negative average growth rate (Barro and Sala-i-Martin 2004, 4). Fourteen of those sixteen lie in the sub-Saharan region, and two in Latin America. Of those two, Nicaragua suffered a civil war and a socialist government, whereas the other, Venezuela—a country rich in oil, gas, coal, and iron—experienced no major internal turmoil.
Hugo Montesinos and I, using data from the World Development Indicators published by the World Bank, estimate that Venezuela’s real income per capita grew on average during the 1960s by 1.46 percent per annum, during the 1970s by minus 0.76 percent, during the 1980s by minus 1.88 percent, during the 1990s by minus 0.08 percent, and under Chávez from 1999 to 2006 by minus 0.06 percent. Owing to the great increase in oil prices recently, the growth rate has exceeded 10 percent since 2004.
Kristen Ghodsee believes women under the Soviet bloc had better sex than in today’s modern capitalist society. Is this her attempt to call all women back in time? Thanks to Bill Anderson for this article, who writes
Jacobin Magazine has revealed what the American Left believes: That life under communism in the USSR and Eastern Europe actually was a paradise, giving its citizens a high standard of living that is unmatched in today’s capitalist hell.
Funny how reality was different. When I visited East Germany in 1982, the wall that surrounds the country was not built to keep westerners out; it was built for the same reasons that authorities build walls around prisons.
A 1975 East German postcard.
Since the Left and international communism has controlled so much the narrative of historical events from slavery to WWI to WWII, race, and the different holocausts, it is a wonder that a film like Katyn (2007) ever sees the light of day. In it, the communists are indicted for the mass murder of the Polish soldiers in the Katyn Forest back in 1940.
It is amazing how slow the judicious hand of government is, for it wasn’t until 2012 that the Katyn massacre was, one, recognized as a Soviet crime, and two, that the Soviet Union included the Katyn Massacre as one of the Nazi war crimes at Nurenberg.
While in the early ’90s Gorbachev’s successor Boris Yeltsin did take Stalin’s execution order to Warsaw to formally apologize on behalf of his country, it was not until a European Court of Human Rights ruling in 2012 that Katyn was officially recognized as a Soviet war crime.
And this
The Soviet Union even went so far as to include the Katyn Massacre among the list o Nazi war crimes presented at the Nuremberg trials. | {
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Weather extremes take twin crop and disease toll
April 5, 2014 — andyextance
Using MODIS data of red and infra-red emissions from the Earth’s surface Assaf Anyamba and his colleagues can track conditions including temperature and levels of plant growth. In this shot the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for southeast Australia from September to November 2010 shows that plants were thriving after a bout of extremely cool, wet weather. Image copyright: PLOSone, used via Creative Commons license, see reference below.
The wet and dry weather extremes the world felt between 2010 and 2012 caused wild variations in farm output and encouraged serious diseases spread by insects like mosquitoes. That’s according to scientists from NASA and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) who studied severe droughts and rainfall that happened in six places during this period. Harvests in the four drought-stricken regions fell to as little as one-fifth of normal levels, but grew dramatically in the two rain-soaked areas, almost doubling in one case. But wet or dry, extreme conditions favoured certain species of mosquitoes (also known as vectors) that went on to cause outbreaks of illnesses like the potentially-fatal Rift Valley Fever. “Extreme weather events can have both negative and positive impacts,” observed NASA’s Assaf Anyamba. “For example eastern Australia and South Africa had bumper harvests of some crops but at the same time had outbreaks of vector-borne disease.”
Assaf and his coworkers help provide ways for the US government to closely monitor the whole world to see where droughts or wet periods might be happening. One way Assaf does this is with a pair of ‘eyes in the sky’ – NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites. Each carries a Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, or MODIS, which precisely records the colours of the Earth’s atmosphere and surface, including those we can see and reaching far beyond. Scientists use the infra-red data it collects to track surface temperatures, while a combination of red and infra-red can tell them how leafy places are. From these, NASA makes this awesome ‘NDVI’ map of how well vegetated crop-growing regions across the world are, while the USDA includes them in monthly Rift Valley Fever risk reports.
While it’s important to know the impacts of extreme weather, not all countries are able to measure them. But from 2010 to 2012, the MODIS records captured the most intense set of weather they had recorded since Terra’s launch in 1999. The US, Russia, east Africa and southwest Australia endured droughts, and rain drenched South Africa and southeast Australia. Assaf and his team noticed that this weather was influencing both farming and disease in these cases, and decided to look at ‘the big picture’. “We wanted to showcase this connectedness as an example of the mixed bag of impacts anomalous weather conditions impose on society at large,” he explained.
Hunger and disease
Culex pipiens, the northern house mosquito, a leading vector of West Nile virus in the US. Image copyright Penn State University, used via Flickr Creative Commons license.
In the drought-hit regions, the MODIS instruments measured up to 20°C increases in ‘cumulative seasonal temperature’, the total difference from normal daily temperatures over every day of a three month period. Plant greening was also down to three-fifths lower than normal. But the scientists’ detailed investigations helped interpret how these abstract numbers translated into real life. The US drought was the ‘most extreme rainfall deficit year in over 100 years’ to hit Texas, forcing farmers to divert water from corn to more drought-tolerant cotton. Even then, the cotton harvest was halved, causing $10 billion in losses in Texas alone, the team wrote in a paper published in PLOSone earlier this month.
In Russia, the barley harvest was also half its normal size, and wheat yields fell by around a sixth. 15,000 deaths were caused by the extreme heat, and 1.25 million hectares were burned by wildfires, causing an estimated $630 million in damages. East Africa harvested just a fifth of the normal amount of sorghum, leaving more than 13 million people needing aid. And in western Australia wheat production fell by a third, and the region suffered its worst overall harvest for 40 years.
Meanwhile, from December 2010-February 2011 South Africa was the coolest and greenest the MODIS instruments had ever seen for those months, with temperatures normally around 40°C falling to 30°C. That was reflected in its maize harvest, which was boosted by a quarter from average levels. In late 2010, southeast Australia was similarly cool but even wetter, which drove a near-doubling of its cotton harvest.
But in both countries the lush, moist and cool conditions created ideal breeding grounds for disease-spreading mosquitos. The worst outbreak of Rift Valley fever since the 1970s followed in South Africa. Though the disease often goes unnoticed it can cause haemorrhagic fevers and kills about one out of every hundred people infected, and a higher proportion of livestock. Likewise north and eastern Australia developed outbreaks of Murray Valley encephalitis, which is also caused by a virus spread by mosquitoes that kills a quarter of people who develop symptoms.
Warming warning system
Assaf Anyamba has shown how MODIS satellite data can be used to rapidly gauge extreme weather impacts. Image copyright: NASA
Other mosquito species also thrived in the extreme heat and dryness felt by the US and Africa. East Africa suffered its first known large-scale outbreak of dengue, which can also cause haemorrhagic fevers and death and is spread by mosquitoes that breed in water containers. The 2010-2011 Texas drought was also linked to the largest outbreak of West Nile virus in the US since it was first recorded there in 1999. The disease, which can be deadly to the old, the young and the already sick killed 286 people in 2012. Heat helped increase mosquito populations, virus growth in the mosquitos, and how often they bite people, Assaf’s team write.
When such events do happen, Assaf’s team has shown how MODIS measurements can track their progress in real time. That means they can warn of risks to food and water supplies, dangers of wildfires, and conditions that favour diseases breaking out and spreading globally. The fact that by 2012 weather extremes had affected food prices for three years in a row underlines how important such abilities are, they note. “As extreme weather events become more common under a more variable climate, nations will face costly adaptation,” they write. “Systematically-collected satellite data such as those we describe here can be a valuable contribution to national, regional, and global weather impact determinations.”
Total seasonal rainfall, long-term mean averages, and the anomalies, or differences from the average, for 2010–2011 for the six sites that saw extreme weather conditions in that period that Assaf’s team studied. Image copyright PLOSone, used via Creative Commons license. | {
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March 12, 2013, 12:12PM
November 03, 2012, 4:22PM
My first day in Baton Rouge was last Friday. That means today, game day at Louisiana State University, marks my sixth day in the state. So what will you find this Los Angeles native doing today? Tailgating, of course!I grew up in L.A. -- the other L.A. I've gotten used to calling it. Anyone who knows L.A. knows you grow... Full story » | {
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Description of the book "Goldilocks and the Three Bears: AND The Princess and the Pea":
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Leave a Comment Goldilocks and the Three Bears: AND The Princess and the Pea | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Thursday, 17 January 2008
I've been stripping...
...wallpaper, LOL
OK what did you think I was on about?
Have made a start on the loung/dinning room, the only trouble is I only get chance to do it if I have a whole free like today, so saw Steven onto the school bus, then came home, moved the furniture, covered what I had to with dust sheets, got changed into my decorating clothes and started that was 8.50, and carried on till 2.30, then it was the cleaning up, putting all the furniture back in it's right place, quick 2 minute shower then off to pick littlen up from after school club (finishes at 4.30, but have to leave by 4 because of traffic, as have to pick him up from school), have not got another WHOLE free day till next Thursday, so now you understand why it's on my list to finish by the end of the year.
Everything has to be packed away, room cleaned and all the furniture back in it's RIGHT place before littlen comes home, as he does not like change, as least this way he excepts the change in the decor slowly, also if anything is left lying around, it usually ends up in his mouth, being wallpaper or scraper etc.
blog awards
from Gina...
from Gill...
from Gill
from Alma
from Val
About Me
...who works part time from home and is a carer to her youngest.
I enjoy making cards and have done since my auntie introduced me to it back in 2004 by sending me and my son lovely home made cards for our Birthdays...
...Thank you Liz
I now enjoy scrap booking, especially when I realized I could not give some of my lovely stash away, lol
Oh yes and....
.....I'm a self confessed stash-aholic, lol | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
HOMEBREW Digest #614 Fri 12 April 1991
FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
Rob Gardner, Digest Coordinator
Contents:Sam Adams clone (TSAMSEL)Brewpubs/Supply Stores/Good Beer in Florida (John DeCarlo)Re: Brewpubs in Cleveland ? (YES! A really good one) (11-Apr-1991 0908)Re: Homebrew Digest #612 (April 10, 1991) (JEFF4320)Re: A Canadian Sending Beer to USA (Chris Shenton)Stuck Fermentation? (Tom Nolan)Re: Any Brewpubs in Evanston, IL??? (flowers)Beer in Denmark (GERMANI)Ireks, green bottles, dry hopping, DME priming... (Ralph L McCallister)bottles ("John E. Lenz")Sake, anyone?? (Brian D. Moore)oxidation during sparge (mcnally)dry hopping, Evanston, IL (BIOSCTH)1st attempt at lager beer (Russell L. Oertel)Coffee grinders (John Freeman)Dry hopping (John Freeman)sanitary airlocks and carboy handles (mage!lou)Re: Dry hopping / aromatics (Bob Clark - Sun Engineering)Midwest Brewpubs (C.R. Saikley)Wheat Extracts (C.R. Saikley)Grain Steeping Temps, Sulfur, Dry Hopping w/ Plugs (hersh)Sending Beer (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583)re-culturing from an iffy batch ?? (Carl West x4449)Tubing and "Psuedo" Beer (Jack Webb)Dry Hopping (C.R. Saikley)Re: Homebrew Digest #612 (April 10, 1991) (Don't ya wanna hang out with the Bleach Boys, baby)Rotokeg, carbonation (Bill Crick)
Send submissions to homebrew%hpfcmi at hplabs.hp.com
Send requests to homebrew-request%hpfcmi at hplabs.hp.com
[Please do not send me requests for back issues]
Archives are available from netlib at mthvax.cs.miami.edu
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 1991 8:07:38 EDT
From: TSAMSEL at ISDRES.ER.USGS.GOV
Subject: Sam Adams clone
Re: Just like Sam Adams, approximately.
My first 2 two batches were with Coopers Australian Lager kits. I used them
with corn sugar and a cup of M&F crystal malt. Some people claimed these were
a lot like Sam Adams lager. I assume one could procede from here bracket the
formula.
(Question: why have I seen more varieties of Sam Adams at beer stores in
Colorado than in the Richmond/DC/Baltimore area?)
Also: Stapleton airport takes a dim view of homebrew (outgoing, that is)
Ted (Tsamsel at USGSRESV.BIT)
Return to table of contents
Date: Thursday, 11 Apr 1991 09:18:06 EDT
From: m14051 at mwvm.mitre.org (John DeCarlo)
Subject: Brewpubs/Supply Stores/Good Beer in Florida
I will be traveling to the vicinity of the Kennedy Space Center
(Coco Beach, Florida). Anyone know of brewpubs, supply stores,
etc. that are fairly close (i.e., reachable by car in half hour
or so)? Thanks.
Internet: jdecarlo at mitre.org
(or John.DeCarlo at f131.n109.z1.fidonet.org)
Fidonet: 1:109/131
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 91 06:22:11 PDT
From: 11-Apr-1991 0908 <hannan at gnpike.enet.dec.com>
Subject: Re: Brewpubs in Cleveland ? (YES! A really good one)
Jeff Chambers [motcid!red!chambers at uunet.UU.NET] writes Brewpubs in Cleveland?
Yes. I recently returned from Cleveland, my 2nd trip there in less than a
year, and my 2nd visit to the Great Lakes Brewing Company confirmed that
this place has some truly great beer! Here's some details:
Great Lakes Brewing Company
2516 Market Street, Cleveland
771-4404
"Located across from the West Side Market
West 25th Street and Lorain Ave"
It's close to Cleveland Municipal Stadium (the big round stadium seen off the
Cleveland Shoreway/Rt 2). On the map look for Rt 42 and the intersections
of this road with Rt 2, Rt 90, and/or Rt 71. It's close to either of these
intersections.
The beer there is German style. 2 weeks ago I sampled the Einbeck (a 'special'
single or double type bock typical of a sweet malty German style bock beer)
and the Heisman (a regular beer there, Dortmunder style - nice and hearty
sweet finish).
I rank the GLBC either #1 or #2 for the best microbreweries in the Northeast,
in competition with the Cambridge Brewing Co for the #1 slot. I've never
been to any places on the left coast, nor anywhere south of Ohio, but this
place is a must visit. The Brewmasters Pie washed down with a Heisman made
my day *-)
For bottled beer, Erin Beer, made by the Cleveland Brewing Co, is also very
good if you can't wait till you get to the GLBC.
Ken
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 1991 09:41 EST
From: JEFF4320%SYBIL%RTI.BITNET at ncsuvm.ncsu.edu
Subject: Re: Homebrew Digest #612 (April 10, 1991)
PLEASE REMOVE ME FROM YOUR MAILING LIST:
JEFF91%SYBIL at RTI
THANKS........
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 91 09:56:58 EDT
From: Chris Shenton <chris at asylum.gsfc.nasa.gov>
Subject: Re: A Canadian Sending Beer to USA
On Wed, 10 Apr 91 12:10:42 CDT, Mike Charlton <umcharl3 at ccu.UManitoba.CA> said:
Mike> We went to UPS. Unfortunately, they demanded that they know
Mike> *exactly* what was in the package for customs. This meant that we
Mike> had to tell them it was beer. Despite our insistence that it was
Mike> alright to send it for analytical purposes, they refused to ship it.
Mike> Finally, we went to Canada Post, but apparently they can't ship
Mike> alcohol for any reason. Furthermore, the customs officials mentioned
Mike> that even if you send it by courier, you have to clear the package
Mike> with US customs before you send it.
I once sent a couple bottles of homebrew to a friend in Turkey, via the
Post Office. I wasn't expecting to ask what the contents were, so after a
moment of confusion, I said ``Vinegar'', figuring that by the time it got
to Turkey, that's what it might be.
Probably not a bright idea, if I got found out, but it did get there.
These laws are primitive, but so are the politicians who make them up.
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 91 10:07:07 -0400
From: nolan at lheavx.DNET.NASA.GOV (Tom Nolan)
Subject: Stuck Fermentation?
A friend of mine brewed his first batch of beer last week. He used
one can of Laaglander "Irish Ale" kit (3.3 lbs) and 3 lbs of
light dry malt extract. He didn't take an initial gravity reading.
As far as I can tell, he did everything right, aerated the wort
before pitching the rehydrated yeast. The fermentation peaked
at about 48 hours after pitching, at only about 1 "glub" every
3 seconds. Three days later it stopped. The final gravity is
1.028, steady for four days now. He used the yeast that came with
the kit.
So is this supposed to be a sweet beer? Or might it benefit by another
yeast addition to try to bring it down to what I would figure the
normal range should be (1.012 or so)? I guess that would mean it
should be re-oxygenated.
Any advice would keep us from worrying too much.
Thanks
Tom
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 1991 09:39:07 -0600
From: flowers at csrd.uiuc.edu
Subject: Re: Any Brewpubs in Evanston, IL???
Evanston, including Northwestern University, is dry.
-Craig Flowers (flowers at csrd.uiuc.edu)
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 91 10:52 EST
From: GERMANI%NSLVAX at Venus.YCC.Yale.Edu
Subject: Beer in Denmark
Greetings,
I find myself in the fortunate postion of having to attend a
conference in AArhus Denmark. Does anyone out there have any information
on things to do in Denmark (beer related stuff of course, but
any other helpful info will also be appreciated)? I definately will be
spending a few days in Copenhagen. I feel that a trip to the Carlsberg
Brewery is a must, especially since the Carlsberg Foundation is partially
funding me (and they didn't even know that I was a homebrewer).
Thanks,
Joe
Bitnet: GERMANI at YALEVMS
Decnet: 44421::GERMANI
P.S. I Thought some of you might enjoy this:
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Fill with mingled cream and amber,/ I will drain that glass again.
Such hilarious visions clamber/ through the chamber of my brain--
Quaintest thoughts--queerest fancies/ come to life and fade away;
What care I how time advances:
I am drinking ale today. Poe
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 91 10:14:12 -0500
From: ralph at ecn.purdue.edu (Ralph L McCallister)
Subject: Ireks, green bottles, dry hopping, DME priming...
Ireks, green bottles, dry hopping, priming with DME:
I promise to keep this short.
Ireks, Dave Miller states that when brewing a wheat beer you
should use a 2:1 ratio of wheat to malted barley. This year
I made a wheat beer using 6.6 lb. can of Ireks and 3.3 lb. can
of MF light malt extract. I also dry hopped with an ounce of
Saaz as well about 2.5 oz. of boiling hops. This turned out to
be a very pleasent surpise. I really like this beer and would
recommend using this ratio, either with grain or extract. I
would like to add about a lb. of cara pils next time and an
extra half ounce of dry hops. I would NOT add any corn sugar
to this recipe. This is a semi-sweet brew with a nice flavor
and after taste. Try it, you'll like it!!! I highly recommend
Ireks for your wheat beers.
Green bottles, I bottle in clear, green, and brown bottles. I
keep them out of the sunlight while in storage. I have
never had any problems. If you bottle in clear or green keep
them covered. If light cannot get to your bottles, they will
never know the difference!
Dry hopping, it can be a pain, you will lose a little more brew
when you rack from the secondary to bottling bucket or bottles,
but it is well worth the effort. I think that an ounce or two
depending on the alpha acid content, added to the secondary will
give that little extra spark to a beer. I add mine after I am
done racking, I don't know about adding them before racking.
They float on the top and after 5 weeks in the secondary they
did not sink to the bottom. I would be interested in knowing
how it turns out when they are added to the bottom.
Priming with DME, I thought I read that DME has about 70% of
fermentable sugars. A 1:1 swap with corn sugar should work.
I think that you could even go with about 30% more DME than
sugar and be alright. I had a friend of mine split a batch,
priming 1/2 with corn sugar and the other with DME. The one
visible difference is that the ones primed with DME are a
bit more cloudy, this may work out in time. Other than that
I could not taste any difference and the heads on both samples
seem to be about equal.
A great plus about brewing your own, is that you can try anything you want!!!
Ain't it great!!
Ralph McCallister ralph at ecn.purdue.edu
....Something going to happen..What's Going to Happen..something wonderful..
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 91 10:51:54 EDT
From: "John E. Lenz" <JELJ at CORNELLA.cit.cornell.edu>
Subject: bottles
I noticed in HB Digest #613 (today's issue) that I neglected to mention that
the 2-year-old Weizen that I mentioned was in grren bottles, perhaps the
comment will make more sense now.
>Kurt Swanson asks (in #613) about using a coffee grinder for crushing malt.
I have done so in the past, you will need to set it for the coarsest grind it
will make. Depending on the type of grinder you have this may or may not be
adequate for malt milling, be careful not to pulverize the husks too much.
You may also want to check with your local food co-op to see if they carry a
Corona grain mill, or some other brand. I got mine at the Moscow, Idaho
co-op for just over $30, as compared to the $45-50 price tag this item
typically carries in the Homebrew supply catalogs.
>Gene Schultz (also in #613) asks about West Coast suppliers of malt extract
You might want to check out Great Fermentations, there are two, one in Santa
Rosa and one in Marin, Byron Burch owns one of these. I used to order from
them and recall that they carried a bulk extract syrup, though I'm not sure
what they had in the dry category. As I recall their prices were quite good
and the service was excellent. I think that I dealt with the Santa Rosa
outfit, but am not sure, though I know that it was the one that Byron does
not run.
A general comment regarding brewpubs, breweries, etc.. Michael Jackson has
a brand new edition of the "Pocket Guide to Beer" which is an excellent
reference with very good coverage of the brewing scene in the U.S.
as well as the other major brewing nations around the world. I highly
recommend this to anyone who is travelling and needs good information on
what brews they can expect to encounter, or should be looking for, along
the way.
As to airlock contents, I have been using Wild Turkey lately, seems that a
malt-based distilled product shouldn't hurt the beer if it comes in contact
with it.
And lastly, Ted(TSAMSEL at ISDRES.ER.USGS.GOV) you have my sympathy on the demise
of your carboy and the loss of your beer. Had you ever subjected the carboy to
a physical shock of any sort? If not you probably just got a defective one. I
try to handle my carboys very carefully, I have some plastic milk crates (the
kind that half-pint cartons are delivered in) and find that these are
just the right size for both 5 gal and 25 litre carboys and provide some
protection when setting them down, especially when they are full.
Cheers,
Dr. John
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 91 10:32:47 CDT
From: Brian D. Moore <bdm at spacsun.rice.edu>
Subject: Sake, anyone??
OK, so it looks like my current batch of sake may have myco'd on me,
so now is the time to ask: as the local supply store carries rice extract,
does anyone have an all-extract recipe for sake? Or at least the
utilization percentage (a la the fabled 25% increase in dryy vs. canned
malt extract)?
Brian Moore
CEO -- Bach Us Winery -- a fugue in every bottle
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 91 08:32:44 -0700
From: mcnally at wsl.dec.com
Subject: oxidation during sparge
As I was sparging a recent mash, I started thinking about all the
pouring and splashing going on. I'm pretty careful when I sparge,
but it seems basically impossible to avoid a good deal of air contact.
Is oxidation a potential problem at this stage? Is it avoidable?
(Someday I'll build a recirculating infusion mash system, probably
about the time I build my own space shuttle.)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike McNally mcnally at wsl.dec.com
Digital Equipment Corporation
Western Software Lab
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 91 10:07:55 CDT
From: BIOSCTH at UMCVMB.MISSOURI.EDU
Subject: dry hopping, Evanston, IL
Hello Homebrewers --
On dryhopping ... I've had great success with a no-worries approach. I
just dump pellets or fresh/whole hops into the secondary and rack the
beer onto them. They settle out after 10-14 days. If the secondary
fermentation is particularly vigorous I sometimes add another dose of
hops after the bubbling slows down -- I don't want all those wonderful
aromas carried off by the CO2. I wouldn't recommend boiling the *dry*
hops at all. The aroma-causing compounds are very volatile and some of
them will be lost in even a short boil.The brew's EtOH, pH, and the hops
themselves seem to be enough to keep rogue microbes from getting
established.
Brewpubs in Evanston ... Not likely. Evanston is the home of the
Women's Temperance League -- the teetotaling biddies that were largely
responsible for swinging public sentiment in favor of Prohibition.
Although things may have changed since I lived in the Chicago area,
Evanston used to be the only *dry* town in Illinois. When I was in high
school it finally became legal to buy beer & wine in restaurants. The
only good thing I know about Evanston, beer-wise that is, is that it's
on the northern border of The City of Broad Shoulders. Get a cab and go
to the Goose Island Brewery.
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 91 09:13:28 CDT
From: russo at carlos.sps.mot.com (Russell L. Oertel)
Subject: 1st attempt at lager beer
I've learned alot reading this forum over the past two months,
and now I think it's time I make my first posting. I've been
brewing since last July, and am presently working on my 6th and
7th batches.
I decided to make my first attempt at a lager beer (an American-style
bock, actually) and I don't have any experience as to the timeframes
required to make a lager. At the moment, I don't have the resources
to keep 5 gallons of beer chilled to 45-50 degrees, so I am making
a 1-gallon "experimental" batch. What has surprised me about this
batch is the length of time it has sustained very active fermentation.
It took a couple of days for it to get started, but it has been very
active (15-20 glugs/minute, but remember, this is only 1 gallon) for
more than a week. How long can I expect this to go on? I'm not
worrying, just curious.
The other thing I was wondering about is how long should I age it? I
was planning, once the fermentation is basically done, to put the
gallon jar in the fridge with the lid on, loosening the lid every day
or so to relieve any pressure that may build up. Before I do this I
plan to make sure that the fermentation is going *very* slowly. Is
this not a smart thing to do? With my current setup, I don't think
I have many other options (not until I can get my dedicated fridge).
Maybe I should just bottle it when the fermentation slows down?
Thanks for any advice,
Russ Oertel
russo at carlos.sps.mot.com
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 91 11:15:48 CDT
From: jlf at poplar.cray.com (John Freeman)
Subject: Coffee grinders
> Subject: Re: cracking/crushing/grinding grains...
>
> Does anyone use a home coffee grinder to crush grains? If so, how effective is
> this? I have one of these things, and granted one can't grind too much at a
> time, it would be nice to use this thing for something, as I don't drink coffee.
>
I used to use a coffee grinder with my hand drill to provide power.
It was slow (about eight minutes per pound) and didn't do a good job.
I didn't know how bad it was till I bought a Corona mill. The
Corona takes a minute or two per pound and is much more uniform.
My advice - get a Corona and don't waste time with a coffee grinder.
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 91 11:12:40 CDT
From: jlf at poplar.cray.com (John Freeman)
Subject: Dry hopping
> And finally, I'd like to kick off a discussion on dry hopping. I made a
> Pale Ale on Sunday and plan to dry hop it with an ounce, or more, of Goldings
> leaf hops when I rack it into the secondary. I would be interested in hearing
> of other brewers' experiences with and procedures for dry hopping. I'm
> planning to simply put the hops, which are in compressed half-ounce plugs, into
> the carboy and rack the beer onto them. It seems to me that letting the hops
> have unrestrained contact with the beer should achieve the best result in terms
> of extracting the desired compounds. Will they eventually sink to the
> bottom? Or am I opening myself up to a racking nightmare at bottling time?
> I eagerly await your responses.
>
I tried dry hopping in exactly this way on my last batch o' pale ale.
I put 10 grams of Freshhops Mt. Hood hops into a carboy and racked
three gallons of beer onto it. I did not attempt to sterilize the hops
in any way, I just dumped them into the carboy. It all floated to the
surface and looked like swamp scum. It didn't sink in five days, at
which time I racked it and bottled. The hops rinsed out of the carboy
easier than I expected. The resulting beer is excellent.
The only complaint I have is that there is too much crud in the
yeast cake making it unsuitable for repitching.
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 91 10:48:28 MDT
From: hplabs!mage!lou
Subject: sanitary airlocks and carboy handles
In HBD #612 Dan Graham writes:
>One of the homebrew mail order catalogs I have adds a lot of advice along
>with their product listings. I have found some of the advice to be good,
>and some pretty bad. One of the things they recommend is to use a mixture
>of vodka and water in the airlock. This seems like overkill to me, since
>bacteria cannot travel up a loop anyway. Has anyone done this and noted any
>different results from just using water?
If there is anything that abounds in the world of homebrewing, it is overkill;
as the readers of this digest well know. On the other hand, advice for
overkill is not bad advice, just unnecessary.
However, using vodka in the water might be a good approach to dealing with a
problem I have from time to time - getting water sucked from the airlock into
the carboy. This will happen when there is very little fermentation going on
and the temperature drops. It happens to me under two conditions: 1) when I
rack a lager, I let it sit for an hour or two to allow the sediments stirred up
by moving it to the kitchen counter to settle. In the process it warms up and
get warm gas (potentially air but I usually charge the new carboy with CO2)
above the beer so that putting it back in the fridge cools the beer and
gas,causing a temporary lower that atmospheric pressure in the carboy for a
short time. 2) I like to bulk age my meads in the carboy for 6 months or more;
I think it speeds up the aging process and makes for a better final product.
Since I brew a lot of melomels during berry season (e.g. warm months) the
temperature in my brew storage area drops before I bottle them and after the
fermentation is complete.
In any case, I get carboys that suck water out of the airlock. This is not a
godd thing, although it's not necessarily a bad thing. I always just use
tapwater and don't worry and get excellent results. However, Byron Burch points
out in his book that not all tap water is as forgiving as mine is. Also, some
posters to this digest have complained of getting fruit flies in the water of
their airlocks. Under such conditions, you would definitely want something to
kill off anything that gets into the water of the airlock if there is a chance
that it will get into the carboy.
Also, Marc Rouleau relates a message from John DeCarlo:
>> The carboy was shipped to me via UPS, in a very nice styrofoam
>> container. This container is invaluable in storing and carrying
>> the carboy. I would hesitate to use a neck-handle on a full 7
>> gallong carboy, but find it very easy to use the handles on the
>> styrofoam container to move it about even when full.
The first thing I do when I get a new 7 gallon carboy is to put a neck handle
on it. I ferment in the crawl space under my house which is reached by a trap
door in a closet. The floor of the house is about 5 feet above the floor of
the crawl space. If not for the handles I almost certainly would have dropped
a full carboy by now. I use the handles to carry full carboys to the closet or
out to the garage where my lagering fridge is located and have never had a
problem. I did, however, mount the handles as low on the neck as I could get
them which meant stretching out the ring that goes around the neck and getting
a longer bolt to hold the handle on.
Louis Clark
reply to: lou%mage.uucp at ncar.ucar.edu
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 91 09:59:01 PDT
From: bobc at Eng.Sun.COM (Bob Clark - Sun Engineering)
Subject: Re: Dry hopping / aromatics
From: "John E. Lenz" <JELJ at CORNELLA.cit.cornell.edu>
Subject: Greetings
It seems to me that letting the hops have unrestrained contact
with the beer should achieve the best result in terms of
extracting the desired compounds. Will they eventually sink to
the bottom? Or am I opening myself up to a racking nightmare at
bottling time? I eagerly await your responses.
One time, I left the hops bag of aromatic hops (added at end of boil)
in the primary fermenter. After fermentation kicked off, the bag ended
up floating on top of the krausen - effectively minimizing any further
contact with the beer.
I'd like to found out if anyone has figured out how to get the kind
of floral aromatics which Sierra Nevada has.
Bob C.
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 91 10:40:10 PDT
From: grumpy!cr at uunet.UU.NET (C.R. Saikley)
Subject: Midwest Brewpubs
There have been some recent requests for info on brewpubs in Illinois
and Ohio. Things change quickly, and my records may be out of date,
but here's what I've found:
There are unfortunately no brewpubs in Evanston. There are five brewpubs
in Illinois, three in Chicago, one in Berwyn, and one in Champaign.
Cleveland boasts the Great Lakes Brewing Company (2516 Market St.,
216-771-4404).There are also brewpubs in Columbus, Dayton, and
Strongsville (?).
I haven't had the pleasure of visiting any of the above, so I can't say
much more about them. If you make it to any of them, please let us know
what you find.
Enjoy,
CR Saikley
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 91 11:29:50 PDT
From: grumpy!cr at uunet.UU.NET (C.R. Saikley)
Subject: Wheat Extracts
There has been alot of talk about wheat malt extract and wheat/barley
ratios etc. The consensus seems to be that Ireks is 100% wheat malt.
That raises a question............
How do they do that?
The reason that wheat beers are usually at least 1/3 barley is that the
barley is necessary. Wheat malt is low in enzymes, so tthe added barley
compensates. Also, wheat malt lacks husk material which is needed to form
the filter bed. Anchor Brewing has gotten their wheat content up to
something like 72-73% in Anchor Wheat, but they don't think they can go
higher.
Now maybe Ireks is able to get away with more since they are making malt
extract and not beer. I suppose that they could add lots of gibberellic
acid to get the starch->sugar conversion. They would also probably have
to develop a specialized lautering system. This is conjecture; does
anyone out there really know ??
Eagerly Awaiting,
CR
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 91 14:37:52 EDT
From: hersh at expo.lcs.mit.edu
Subject: Grain Steeping Temps, Sulfur, Dry Hopping w/ Plugs
>I suggest that you consider steeping the grains at 168 degrees for
Well actually I would suggest using a slightly lower temperature, say 145-155F
as the higher temps can also result in greater extraction of tannins and
astringency.
>have the smell of rotten eggs (hydrogen sulfide) coming from my beer! The
What kind of yeast are you using?? I have brewed Lager beers in the past and
had H2S odors come off the carbouy. I found however that the smell and flavor
did not remain in the beer. Depending upon the yeast strain and brewing process
a lot of sulfur compounds can be produced. Depending upon the amount produced
the yeast will reduce them . This chemical reduction can result in the release
of H2S. It is actually a good sign that H2S is being produced as this means the
sulfur is being eliminate from the beer. Of course at some point the release of
this should cease. If it persists past say 10 days, then it is likely your
beer has so much Sulfur in it that the yeast simply can not reduce it all,
otherwise the smell should wane as the level of Sulfur in the wort drops
> I'm planning to simply put the hops, which are in compressed half-ounce plugs,
> into the carboy and rack the beer onto them.
Yeah this works real well, some people rig up devices to prevent the hops from
cloggin up the racking tube. I did sort of the opposite, I chopped the hops up
and put them in one of those mesh boiling bags, put it in the carbouy first
then racked the beer onto it in the secondary.
JaH
(was Jay Hersh, been promoted)
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 91 13:16:48 mdt
From: hplabs!hp-lsd.cos.hp.com!ihlpl!korz (Algis R Korzonas +1 708 979 8583)
Subject: Sending Beer
Mike writes:
>the problems we were having. We went to UPS. Unfortunately, they demanded
>that they know *exactly* what was in the package for customs. This meant
>that we had to tell them it was beer. Despite our insistence that it was
I sent mine via U.S.mail, and following the suggestion of someone at the
AHA, I marked the box as "Non-perishable food."
Al.
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 91 15:00:03 EDT
From: eisen at kopf.HQ.Ileaf.COM (Carl West x4449)
Subject: re-culturing from an iffy batch ??
My second and most recent batch was aerated while hot,
and pitched too hot, and ended up having some off flavors
which I believe came entirely from those two causes.
My question:
Am I being foolish to think that if I culture from a bottle
of this stuff the yeast itself will be OK? Or is it clear to
those who know better, that the yeast is `damaged' and will
continue to produce off flavors even if it is treated well
in the future?
Carl
Return to table of contents
Date: 11 Apr 91 15:30:49 EST
From: Jack Webb <JACK.L.WEBB at OFFICE.WANG.COM>
Subject: Tubing and "Psuedo" Beer
Two rather disparate items:
A friend showed me an ad for "Tygon" beverage/food tubing. According to him,
this stuff was originally designed for the ice cream industry, and won't
promote bacterial growth. He made the obvious connection to homebrewing.
According to the ad, "Tygon B-44-3 tubing is odorless and taste-free, so it
won't alter your formula for success." Tygon (a registered trademark) is made
by Norton Performance Plastics. The ad concluded "For details, call
216-798-9240." At this point, I haven't called them, tho my friend did send
in one of those circle-the-numbers-for-more-info type cards. Anybody out
there familiar with this stuff?
A few HBDs ago, there was some discussion of non-alcoholic beers. I happened
across a case (empty - I haven't tried any of it - I like alcohol :-) of
"Marke Clausthaler Non-Alcoholic Malt Beverage", and couldn't resist writing
down the info on the case - thought it might contribute (late, I realize) to
the previous thread. For the record, this stuff is brewed by Binding-Brauerei
A.G., Frankfurt, West Germany. Per the box (direct quote) "Brewed from pure
water, barley malt, hops and yeast in accordance with the German Beer Purity
Law of 1516". Hmmm, no doubt, tho I'll bet the law doesn't cover removing the
alcohol you tried so hard to create. Unfortunately, the blurb on the box made
no mention of how they removed the alcohol. For what it's worth...
Jack
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 91 15:02:59 CDT
From: bliss at csrd.uiuc.edu (Brian Bliss)
troby at carl.org (Thorn Roby) writes:
> I've brewed something like 20 batches over five years in three Rotokegs
> and I think only two have gotten through the keg without needing
> additional carbonation.
shit! I just brewed my 11th batch last night, and I've only been in
business for 2 months. Do you still drink a lot of commercial beer,
or are you just a lightweight? The only problem is that I have to
keep drinking all these cases of Old Milwaukee just to get the bottles.
For the first couple batches I left the labels on, and when I gave a
bottle to a guest, he drank it and thought it was Old Mill :-)
I'm planning on cutting down on volume, though. This stuff takes
up too much time (almost as much time a reading notesfiles and
newsgroups).
bb
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 91 13:30:50 PDT
From: grumpy!cr at uunet.UU.NET (C.R. Saikley)
Subject: Dry Hopping
<From: Doug Dreger <dreger at seismo.gps.caltech.edu>
<The lager that I am making is in the primary in the fridge. I want to
<dry hop it and was planning to add about 0.75 oz hops to boiling H2O in
<my erlynmeyer (sp?) flask, quickly cool it in an ice bath and add this
<to my secondary before I rack in the beer. Is all of this necessary ?
<Do I take a risk with infection if I simply add the hops directly with
<out the boiling H2O?
Dry hopping is certainly the way to get hop aroma into your beers, but
there is the nagging question regarding infection. Unfortunately, boiling
the hops long enough to ensure sterility also ensures that the hop aroma
has dissipated. The shorter the boiling time, the more hop volatiles remain,
and the more critters survive. Fortunately, the critters typically found
on hops don't like a yeasty, anaerobic, low pH environment, which allows
dry hopping to be successful. I've dry hopped many beers, and this has
not caused any infection problems.
Last February, I took a homebrewing class from Dr. Lewis at UC Davis. He
said they had studied the problem, and concluded that tossing in hops 2-3
days into fermentation is basically safe, and that no added precautions
were called for. (Correct me if I'm wrong Russ.)
<From: "John E. Lenz" <JELJ at CORNELLA.cit.cornell.edu>
<And finally, I'd like to kick off a discussion on dry hopping. I made a
<Pale Ale on Sunday and plan to dry hop it with an ounce, or more, of Goldings
<leaf hops when I rack it into the secondary. I would be interested in hearing
<of other brewers' experiences with and procedures for dry hopping. I'm
<planning to simply put the hops, which are in compressed half-ounce plugs, into
<the carboy and rack the beer onto them. It seems to me that letting the hops
<have unrestrained contact with the beer should achieve the best result in terms
<of extracting the desired compounds. Will they eventually sink to the
<bottom? Or am I opening myself up to a racking nightmare at bottling time?
<I eagerly await your responses.
I've found that pellets generally work better than whole hops. The half
ounce plugs will separate into whole hops in the carboy. They do sink for
the most part, but are easily disturbed and tend to clog the racking tube.
Pelletized hops break up into very small pieces that are less easily
disturbed. If you do pick them up, they will pass through the tube into
your priming vessel painlessly, where they have another opportunity to
settle.
Hope this helps,
CR
Return to table of contents
Date: Wed, 10 Apr 91 14:04:55 PDT
From: metaware!sol!rickh at uunet.UU.NET (Don't ya wanna hang out with the Bleach Boys, baby)
Subject: Re: Homebrew Digest #612 (April 10, 1991)
I've tried to get mail to the request address, and it keeps bouncing. Please
take me off this list.
Thanx,
// ---<-- at -Echo
\X/ The Potato-Salad-Eatin' Fool.
INTERNET: rickh at metaware.com AT&T: (408) 427-9814 home
UUCP: uunet!ucscc!metaware!rickh (408) 429-6382 x3086 work
Return to table of contents
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 1991 17:40:06 -0400
From: hplabs!bnr-vpa!bnr-rsc!crick (Bill Crick)
Subject: Rotokeg, carbonation
I had a Safron Superkeg, plastic keg for about 4.88 years, which split, and the
store that sold it replaced it with a Rotokeg on the 5 yr warantee, as
they no longer sold the superkeg. I've had the Rotokeg for about three years.
I have found that one has to be very careful to clean and lubricate all
the seal joints if you don't want them to leak, and yield flat beer. Even
if you are careful, sometimes a beer will suddenly go flat. On the other hand
I've had some batches in these kegs for 8 months with no problems.
If you put a five gallon batch into the keg, you will most likely have to
add CO2 cardtridges to get the last half out of the keg.
What I have been doing lately with good succes is the following:
I take a five gallon batch, and add two cups of sugar. I then bottle 24
bottles of this, and put the rest (3.5Gallons) into the Rotokeg, and
seal it up. This is way more sugar than they recommend. You must have a
relief valve of some type. My Brewcraft injector has one. The keg pressure
increases to the relief valve pressure, and then starts venting quite
a bit of gas. This gas that is vented purges a fair amount of the air that
was in the large headspace in the keg, which helps reduce oxidation problems.
Because there is a large headspace filled to maximum pressure, there is
enough gas in there to dispense most or all of the beer without any cartridges
SOmetimes it takes a cartridge to get the last 1/2 gallon or so out.
Note that I have often served the bottled version, and kegged version of the
same batch to friends one after the other, and most like the bottled version
better. Some won't even believe they are the same beer!!!!
The Rotokeg has the tap at the top of the keg with a pickup tube.
The superkeg had the tap at the bottom. I found the Superkeg hard to get beer
out of. You either get a glass of foam if you crack the tap, or 90MPH
beer flying around if you open it wide. With the small diameter pickup tube
in the Rotokeg, there is enough restriction in this tube, to open the tap wide,
and still get beer coming out slow enough that you can keep it in the glass.
Even so there is lots of ofam. I'm thinking of making the pickup tube either
smaller diameter, or longer so the pressure drop is spread out more gradually,
so the flow is lower, and the tendancy to foam less.
I once had someone who works for a beer company tell me that in there
draft setups, if the keg was less than a certain distance from the tap, they
added a small coil of small pipe between the tap and keg to reduce foaming.
He called this coil a "restrictor coil".
Bill Crick Brewius, Ergo Sumfoam!
Return to table of contents
End of HOMEBREW Digest #614, 04/12/91
*************************************
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WANTED: One Million Nurses
In 1991, Jennifer Mosier quit her job as a hairdresser and
enrolled in nursing school. Later this year, the 37-year-old from
Cleveland, Ohio, plans to quit her job as an acute care nurse and
open up a beauty salon. Mosier says she turned to nursing 11 years
ago to follow a childhood dream of “taking care of
people.� Today, fed up with what she calls unrealistic
nurse-to-patient workloads, she's ready to give up the eight years
and $20,000 of educational investment for work that's not as
high-pressured. “I'm burnt out,� she says. “I
can't stand it. There are too many patients and not enough
support.�
Demographic trends, cultural shifts and image problems are
eroding the ranks of the nursing profession. Despite a slight
post-Sept. 11 rise, enrollment in nursing programs has been
declining at an average rate of 4.2 percent a year since 1993, when
it peaked at 270,000. As of 2000, enrollments were down 33 percent,
to 181,000, according to the National League for Nursing. If the
trend continues, nursing will face more staff vacancies by 2010
than any other professional category, according to projections from
the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The agency pegs the number at
a staggering 1 million job openings due to more demand and net
replacement needs between 2000 and 2010. The dwindling interest in
nursing comes at a critical juncture: A chunk of the country's 78
million Baby Boomers are poised to retire by 2010 — creating
a surge in demand for the health-care services associated with an
older population at the very time that there will be fewer nurses
in the work force. “We've got a real problem ahead,�
says Peter Buerhaus, professor of nursing and senior associate dean
for research at Vanderbilt University. “The magnitude of
these shortages would be big enough to severely hamper health
care.�
Formerly prized as one of only a handful of professions open to
women, nursing has fallen out of favor with a new generation.
Thanks to a wider range of career opportunities, young girls today
seldom dream of growing up to be Florence Nightingale. According to
the BLS, the median age in nursing in 2001 was 43, compared with 39
in 1989, the earliest age data available for RNs. The share of
working RNs under age 35 dropped to 24 percent in 2001, from 37
percent in 1989, reports the BLS. The share of young registered
nurses under age 25 sank to 3 percent in 2001, from 5 percent in
1989. Says Angela McBride, dean of Indiana University's School of
Nursing: “Women used to become a grammar school teacher, a
nurse or a nun.� The women's movement helped expand the range
of career options open to women; at the same time, the jobs women
historically gravitated to were spurned in favor of the more
lucrative, formerly male-dominated professions.
Forget attracting new candidates, nursing is having trouble
holding on to its own due to irregular hours, heavy patient loads
and stressful working conditions. A 2001 American Nurses
Association study found that nearly 55 percent of the 7,300 nurses
surveyed would not recommend the profession to others. Another 23
percent said they would actively discourage someone close to them
from entering the field. In addition, nurses display among the
lowest “engagement� levels of any category of workers,
according to the Gallup Organization. Nearly 24 percent of the
22,000 nurses surveyed between 1999 and 2001 say they are
“disengaged� from their work, defined as physically
present but psychologically absent, compared with 16 percent of
workers nationally who feel the same.
The number of those exiting the field is rising: The 135,696 RNs
who were employed in non-nursing occupations in March 2000
represented a 15 percent increase over the 117,820 such nurses in
1996 and a 36 percent increase over the estimated 99,955 in 1992,
according to the National Sample Survey of Nurses, conducted by the
Health Resources and Services Administration. The exodus is likely
to continue. One of every five nurses plans to leave the profession
within the next five years, according to a survey of 700 current
direct-care nurses and 207 former direct-care nurses, conducted for
the Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals in 2001. And half
of current nurses say that within the past two years, they have
considered leaving the patient-care field for reasons other than
retirement. What's more, the number of nursing school grads who sat
for the national licensing exam for registered nurses has declined
29 percent since 1995, figures from the National Council of State
Boards of Nursing reveal.
The No. 1 problem nurses cite is staffing. According to the
Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals' survey, nurses say
they are fed up with working conditions. In addition to working too
many hours and performing thankless tasks, nurses also complain
about conditions that may adversely affect patient care. For
Mosier, the final straw came last March, when she worked as a temp
nurse at an assisted living facility where the ratio of nurses to
patients was an astounding 1 to 84. “I never thought it would
be like this,� she says.
Then there's Karla Monroe, 46, of Terre Haute, Ind. After 27
years of working nights, weekends and holidays, and being required
to float to other departments (such as obstetrics, where she had no
expertise), Monroe enrolled in a business school program in
February 2001. After she gets her master's degree in management
this year, she hopes to find administrative work at a university.
“I like what I do. I'm good at what I do,� she says.
“But I don't like how I have to do it anymore.�
Currently, hospitals are short an estimated 126,000 nurses,
according to the American Hospital Association. The national
vacancy rate for registered nurses ranged from 14.6 percent in
critical care to 6.5 percent for nurse managers, according to a
survey of 700 nurse executives commissioned in 2000 by the American
Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE). The direct impact of the
staffing shortage is substantial: 51 percent of those surveyed
cited emergency department overcrowding, 69 percent reported higher
costs to deliver care and 25 percent said beds had to be closed,
AONE found.
To address the shortage, some hospitals are employing traveling
nurses, offering sign-on bonuses, overhauling their recruiting
approaches and recruiting out-of-state. The nursing profession may
also benefit from casting a wider net to include a more diverse
pool of workers: Compared with the national work force, which was
47 percent female and 83 percent white in 2000, the registered
nurse population was 93 percent female and 87 percent white,
according to the BLS. Blacks made up only 5 percent of the
registered nurse population in 2000 and Hispanics only 2 percent,
though each group constitutes 11 percent of the national work
force, according to the National Sample Survey. Asians were 4
percent of the working registered nurse population and make up 5
percent of the work force.
It's therefore no surprise that marketing campaigns are underway
to counter nurses' own bad PR about their profession and to
influence the next generation's career choices. Johnson &
Johnson launched a $20 million national television advertising
campaign in February 2002 to stimulate interest in nursing.
“By using images of more male and ethnically diverse nurses
in our marketing materials, we hope to recruit from a broader group
of people than nursing has historically attracted,� says John
McKeegan, spokesman for the New Brunswick, N.J.-based health-care
products manufacturer. “If we can lure a more diverse group
of people into nursing, we may well be on our way to addressing the
shortage.�
The Johnson & Johnson campaign created recruitment materials
for distribution by school guidance counselors, a Web site that
profiles a range of nursing specialties and scholarships for
nursing students and prospective nursing faculty. A campaign has
also recently been launched by the Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow,
a not-for-profit coalition of 37 nursing and health care
organizations. The group's $1.5 million campaign of print and TV
public service announcements aims to promote nursing as a career to
Gen X and Gen Y. In May 2002, promos began to run in 436 movie
theaters before such movies as Spiderman and Star
Wars. The ads were expected to reach some 2.5 million people in
13 major markets. “It's a good way to reach young people who
haven't considered nursing before, as well as older career
changers,� says Kathy Bennison, the coalition's manager of
marketing.
Suggestions abound for ways to stem the nursing shortage; among
them is the notion that the field may appeal to second-career
seekers as well as to more diverse recruits, especially young men.
Recruitment and retainment policies must appeal to different
generations' particular needs and values, says Will Ruch, CEO and
managing partner of Milwaukee-based marketing/recruitment
consultancy Versant Solutions, which counts the Visiting Nurses
Association among its clients. He says it's important to help
nurses develop their talent, because once they stop learning on the
job, they're apt to look elsewhere. Indeed, because the parents of
Gen X and Gen Y lost jobs during recessions, these generations may
be less likely to be loyal to companies and more interested in
learning what they can get out of a job, says Bruce Tulgan, CEO of
New Haven, Conn.-based RainmakerThinking, a workplace research and
management training firm. He recommends recruiters make a point of
framing messages in terms of what the workplace has to offer new
hires.
Meanwhile, Susan Mitchell, author of American Generations
(New Strategist Publications, 2000), suggests employers play up the
job security in nursing. The stability of the profession would
appeal to Gen X, she says, due to its experience with a rocky
economy.
A benefit that few realize the profession has to offer is
competitive salaries, says Dani Eveloff, recruitment coordinator
for the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) College of
Nursing. Traditionally, nursing has been seen as a
“calling� that many assume doesn't pay, Eveloff says.
However, she adds that compensation varies considerably. While
staff or general duty nurses averaged $42,133 in earnings in 2000,
nurse practitioners averaged $60,534 and certified nurse
anesthetists averaged $93,787. The UNMC's new brochures emphasize
the potential for high salaries, including bonuses, loan repayment
options and career flexibility. They also feature more male and
minority students. The new brochures for UNMC's nursing school
debuted in 2000; a year later, its applicant pool had increased by
29 percent and the number of minority applicants grew by 225
percent.
Health-care experts say it's never too early to start
recruiting. The UNMC College of Nursing plants the seed for a
nursing career by discussing the profession with preschool and
elementary school children. The school has developed a coloring
book that features males and minorities in varied nursing roles.
Children in kindergarten and the first grade are invited to tour
the medical center. For many, it's the first time they encounter
nurses. Says Eveloff: “We start small.�
While the forces eroding the ranks of nurses may not be easy to
reverse, there are some small glimmers of hope. A majority of
nursing schools report that applications are up after years of
decline, according to the American Association of Colleges of
Nursing. For example, Georgetown University's School of Nursing saw
applications rise 10 percent over last year. And applications to
Saint Louis University's School of Nursing increased by 53 percent
over 2001, reversing a steady decline that began in the
mid-1990s.
Educators attribute the swell in applications to a shift in
values post-Sept. 11, in which nursing and healing professions in
general gained stature in the public eye. “Is this fleeting
or will it last?� asks Margie Edel, director of the
baccalaureate and master's programs at Saint Louis. “I'm
hopeful.�
SLOW TO DIVERSIFY
Registered nurses are far less likely to be black or Hispanic
than the national labor force.
*An index of 100 is the national
average. For example, in 2000, whites (non-Hispanic) are 18 percent
more likely than the average American to be registered nurses.
African Americans are 57 percent less likely than average to be
registered nurses. | {
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} |
Posts Tagged bruce wayne
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A61B90/50—Supports for surgical instruments, e.g. articulated arms
A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
A63F—CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
A63F13/00—Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions
A63F13/25—Output arrangements for video game devices
A63F13/28—Output arrangements for video game devices responding to control signals received from the game device for affecting ambient conditions, e.g. for vibrating players' seats, activating scent dispensers or affecting temperature or light
A63F—CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
A63F2300/00—Features of games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions, e.g. on a television screen, showing representations related to the game
A63F2300/10—Features of games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions, e.g. on a television screen, showing representations related to the game characterized by input arrangements for converting player-generated signals into game device control signals
A63F2300/1037—Features of games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions, e.g. on a television screen, showing representations related to the game characterized by input arrangements for converting player-generated signals into game device control signals being specially adapted for converting control signals received from the game device into a haptic signal, e.g. using force feedback
G—PHYSICS
G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
G05G—CONTROL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS INSOFAR AS CHARACTERISED BY MECHANICAL FEATURES ONLY
G05G9/00—Manually-actuated control mechanisms provided with one single controlling member co-operating with two or more controlled members, e.g. selectively, simultaneously
G05G9/02—Manually-actuated control mechanisms provided with one single controlling member co-operating with two or more controlled members, e.g. selectively, simultaneously the controlling member being movable in different independent ways, movement in each individual way actuating one controlled member only
G05G9/04—Manually-actuated control mechanisms provided with one single controlling member co-operating with two or more controlled members, e.g. selectively, simultaneously the controlling member being movable in different independent ways, movement in each individual way actuating one controlled member only in which movement in two or more ways can occur simultaneously
G05G9/047—Manually-actuated control mechanisms provided with one single controlling member co-operating with two or more controlled members, e.g. selectively, simultaneously the controlling member being movable in different independent ways, movement in each individual way actuating one controlled member only in which movement in two or more ways can occur simultaneously the controlling member being movable by hand about orthogonal axes, e.g. joysticks
G05G2009/0474—Manually-actuated control mechanisms provided with one single controlling member co-operating with two or more controlled members, e.g. selectively, simultaneously the controlling member being movable in different independent ways, movement in each individual way actuating one controlled member only in which movement in two or more ways can occur simultaneously the controlling member being movable by hand about orthogonal axes, e.g. joysticks characterised by means converting mechanical movement into electric signals
G—PHYSICS
G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
G05G—CONTROL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS INSOFAR AS CHARACTERISED BY MECHANICAL FEATURES ONLY
G05G9/00—Manually-actuated control mechanisms provided with one single controlling member co-operating with two or more controlled members, e.g. selectively, simultaneously
G05G9/02—Manually-actuated control mechanisms provided with one single controlling member co-operating with two or more controlled members, e.g. selectively, simultaneously the controlling member being movable in different independent ways, movement in each individual way actuating one controlled member only
G05G9/04—Manually-actuated control mechanisms provided with one single controlling member co-operating with two or more controlled members, e.g. selectively, simultaneously the controlling member being movable in different independent ways, movement in each individual way actuating one controlled member only in which movement in two or more ways can occur simultaneously
G05G9/047—Manually-actuated control mechanisms provided with one single controlling member co-operating with two or more controlled members, e.g. selectively, simultaneously the controlling member being movable in different independent ways, movement in each individual way actuating one controlled member only in which movement in two or more ways can occur simultaneously the controlling member being movable by hand about orthogonal axes, e.g. joysticks
G05G2009/04766—Manually-actuated control mechanisms provided with one single controlling member co-operating with two or more controlled members, e.g. selectively, simultaneously the controlling member being movable in different independent ways, movement in each individual way actuating one controlled member only in which movement in two or more ways can occur simultaneously the controlling member being movable by hand about orthogonal axes, e.g. joysticks providing feel, e.g. indexing means, means to create counterforce
G—PHYSICS
G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
G05G—CONTROL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS INSOFAR AS CHARACTERISED BY MECHANICAL FEATURES ONLY
G05G9/00—Manually-actuated control mechanisms provided with one single controlling member co-operating with two or more controlled members, e.g. selectively, simultaneously
G05G9/02—Manually-actuated control mechanisms provided with one single controlling member co-operating with two or more controlled members, e.g. selectively, simultaneously the controlling member being movable in different independent ways, movement in each individual way actuating one controlled member only
G05G9/04—Manually-actuated control mechanisms provided with one single controlling member co-operating with two or more controlled members, e.g. selectively, simultaneously the controlling member being movable in different independent ways, movement in each individual way actuating one controlled member only in which movement in two or more ways can occur simultaneously
G05G9/047—Manually-actuated control mechanisms provided with one single controlling member co-operating with two or more controlled members, e.g. selectively, simultaneously the controlling member being movable in different independent ways, movement in each individual way actuating one controlled member only in which movement in two or more ways can occur simultaneously the controlling member being movable by hand about orthogonal axes, e.g. joysticks
G05G9/04737—Manually-actuated control mechanisms provided with one single controlling member co-operating with two or more controlled members, e.g. selectively, simultaneously the controlling member being movable in different independent ways, movement in each individual way actuating one controlled member only in which movement in two or more ways can occur simultaneously the controlling member being movable by hand about orthogonal axes, e.g. joysticks with six degrees of freedom
G—PHYSICS
G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING; COUNTING
G06F—ELECTRICAL DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
G06F2203/00—Indexing scheme relating to G06F3/00 - G06F3/048
G06F2203/01—Indexing scheme relating to G06F3/01
G06F2203/015—Force feedback applied to a joystick
Abstract
A force feedback interface device includes improvements in a mechanical linkage and drive mechanism. The force feedback device is coupled to a host computer and includes a user manipulatable object graspable by a user, at least one actuator that outputs a force on the user object, and a sensor for sensing motion of the user object. A linkage mechanism provides the user object with degrees of freedom and includes five members rotatably coupled to each other. The linkage mechanism supports the bearings of the device with protrusions rotatably coupled to central members of the linkage. The drive mechanism is preferably a belt drive that includes an idler positioned adjacent to a drive pulley and which impedes radial displacement of a belt away from the drive pulley, and thus impedes losing positive engagement of the belt, without preloading the belt. The idler can be a passive idler that does not contact the belt during operation and/or an active idler that continuously contacts the belt. Some or all portions of the linkage mechanism and the drive mechanism are preferably symmetrical, allowing low cost manufacture of the device.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part of parent patent application Ser. No. 08/870,956, filed Jun. 6, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,246,390 entitled, “Method and Apparatus for Providing High Bandwidth, Low Noise Mechanical I/O for Computer Systems”, which is a continuation of patent application Ser. No. 08/374,288, filed Jan. 18, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,731,804, assigned to the assignee of the present application, and which is incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to interface devices between humans and computers, and more particularly to computer interface devices that provide force feedback to the user.
Interface devices are used extensively with computer systems in the implementation of computer-controlled games, simulations, and other applications very popular with the mass market of home consumers. In a typical implementation, a computer system displays a visual environment to a user on a display device. Users can interact with the displayed environment by inputting commands or data from the interface device. Popular interface devices include joysticks, “joypad” button controllers, mice, trackballs, styluses, tablets, pressure spheres, foot or hand pedals, or the like, that are connected to the computer system controlling the displayed environment. The computer updates the environment in response to the user's manipulation of a moved manipulandum such as a joystick handle or mouse, and provides visual feedback to the user using the display screen.
In some interface devices, haptic (e.g., tactile) feedback is also provided to the user, more generally known as “force feedback.” These types of interface devices can provide physical sensations to the user manipulating the physical object of the interface device. Typically, motors or other actuators of the interface device are coupled to the manipulandum and are connected to the controlling computer system. The computer system receives sensor signals from the interface device and sends appropriate force feedback control signals to the actuators in conjunction with host events. The actuators then provide forces on the manipulandum. A local microprocessor can be used to offload some computational burden on the host. The computer system can thus convey physical sensations to the user in conjunction with other visual and auditory feedback as the user is contacting the manipulandum. Commercially available force feedback devices include the ForceFX joystick from CH Products, Inc. and Immersion Corporation, and the Sidewinder Force Feedback Pro from Microsoft Corporation.
One problem occurring in the commercially available force feedback devices is that the motion transmission mechanisms in these devices are typically not ideal for transmitting forces. Well known motion transmission mechanisms such as a slotted bail tend to induce more friction and backlash than is desirable for conveying realistic and subtle force sensations. This limits the degree of sensitivity conveyed to the user through the actuators of the device, and as a result the user feels force sensations on such devices as less precise, immersive, and meaningful.
A different problem occurring in providing commercially available force feedback devices with realistic forces is providing a low cost device. Force feedback components, such as the transmission, tend to incur a large portion of the cost of manufacturing the device. For example, cable drives or capstan drives can offer high-bandwidth, amplified forces but are typically difficult to assemble, thus causing higher expense. Belt drives, in contrast, are typically easier to assemble and thus can provide amplified forces at a lower cost of production. However, belt drives that use tension or preload in the belt to transmit forces typically introduce a significant amount of friction and thus can be unsuitable for use in a force feedback device.
Non-tensioned belt drives do not use tension but instead engage the belt with pulleys using teeth or other positive grip elements, and thus have much less friction and are much more suitable for use in a force feedback device than tensioned belt drives. However, one problem occurring with the non-tensioned type of belt drives is that an amount of compliance is typically inherent in the system caused by slack in the belts. This slack can sometimes cause the belts to slip off or jump radially away from the drive pulleys or other pulleys in the drive system, causing loss of positive engagement and a concomitant loss in quality of force sensations. It can be a problem to prevent this movement and slippage without increasing the friction in the system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a force feedback interface device which includes several improvements to the mechanical and force transmission system. One feature is the linkage mechanism disclosed herein that provides minimal backlash, friction, and compliance and allows the actuators of the system to be grounded. Other features include a belt drive mechanism including features to reduce the probability of the belt jumping off the drive mechanism.
More particularly, in one embodiment, a force feedback device of the present invention is coupled to a host computer and includes a user manipulatable object graspable by a user, two actuators operative to output a force in provided degrees of freedom, and at least one sensor operative to sense motion of the user manipulatable object in the degrees of freedom and which can be coupled to the actuators. A linkage mechanism is coupled between the actuators and the user object and provides the user object with first and second rotary degrees of freedom. The linkage mechanism includes a grounded member, a first extension member and a second extension member rotatably coupled to the grounded member, and a first central member rotatably coupled to the first extension member and a second central member rotatably coupled to the second extension member. The first and second central members are rotatably coupled to each other, and the first extension member and first central member are substantially identical to and positioned symmetrically to the second extension member and second central member.
The first and second extension members each preferably include two protrusions, where each of the protrusions is rotatably coupled to the first and second central members, respectively. Portions of the first and second extension members extend out of a plane formed by axes of rotation for the first and second degrees of freedom, where the portions that extend out of the plane are preferably a middle portion of at least one of the protrusions. At least one protrusion of the first extension member extends out of the plane on a first side of the plane, and at least one protrusion of the second extension member extends out of the plane on a second side of the plane opposite to the first side. The protrusions of the first extension member are rotatably coupled to the first central member such that the first central member is positioned between the protrusions, and a similar arrangement is provided for the second extension and central members. Some or all portions of the linkage mechanism and the drive mechanism, such as a belt drive, are preferably symmetrical and thus allows low cost manufacture of the device.
In a different aspect of the present invention, a force feedback device is coupled to a host computer and includes a user manipulatable object graspable by a user and moveable in at least one degree of freedom, at least one sensor operative to sense motion of the user object, and an actuator for outputting a force on the user object. A belt drive transmission is coupled between the actuator and the user object, and the belt drive transmission includes a drive pulley coupled to the actuator, an amplification pulley coupled to the drive pulley by a preferably synchronous belt, and an idler positioned adjacent to the drive pulley. The idler impedes radial displacement of the belt away from the drive pulley during normal operation without preloading the belt. The idler preferably is provided as two different types, a passive idler and an active idler. The passive idler does not contact the belt during operation, thus providing no friction, and prevents the belt from moving a significant amount radially off the drive pulley and losing engagement when the belt is so influenced due to slack or compliance in the belt. The active idler continually contacts the belt during normal operation and increases the wrap angle of the belt on the drive pulley to prevent the jumping of the belt as well as slippage. In a two-stage embodiment, one or more passive idlers can be included in the first stage of the belt drive transmission, and one or more active idlers can be included in the second stage. Both stages can include amplification pulleys to amplify the forces output by the actuator, where the first stage is provided between the actuator and the second stage.
The improvements of the present invention provide a more precise and quality force feedback device, yet also allow the device to be manufactured at a significantly lower cost for competitive consumer markets. Both the linkage mechanism and belt drive transmission provide high bandwidth, low friction, and low compliance and permit force sensations to be transmitted with high fidelity from grounded actuators. The linkage mechanism provides enhanced support of couplings moved during use of the device. The belt drive improvements also allow for a belt drive transmission that is more easily manufactured without introducing problems occurring with the belt drive due to slack in the belt. Furthermore, the device has many symmetrical components that can be duplicated and reused to create a functional device at a much lower cost.
These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following specification of the invention and a study of the several figures of the drawing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a force feedback system which includes a host computer and a force feedback interface device;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the force feedback system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the force feedback interface device of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the embodiment of the force feedback interface device of FIG. 3 detailing the linkage mechanism of the device;
FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the linkage mechanism of the present invention shown in FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a partially exploded perspective view of the linkage mechanism of FIG. 6;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a the belt transmission system of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the force feedback device of FIG. 3;
FIGS. 9a and 9b are side plan views of the belt transmission system of FIG. 7; and
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an example of a synchronous belt and drive pulley engaged with the belt for use in the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In FIG. 1, a force feedback system 10 includes a force feedback interface device 12 and a host computer 18. The illustrated system 10 can be used for a virtual reality simulation, computer/video game, training procedure or simulation, computer application program, or other application. In one preferred embodiment, a user manipulatable object 14 is grasped by a user and manipulated in one or more degrees of freedom of motion. Images are displayed on a display apparatus, such as screen 20, of the computer 18 in response to such manipulations.
The computer 18 can be a personal computer or workstation, such as an IBM-PC compatible computer, Macintosh personal computer, or a SUN or Silicon Graphics workstation. Most commonly, the digital processing system is a personal or portable computer which operates under the Windows™, Unix, MacOS, or other operating system and may include a host microprocessor such as a Pentium class microprocessor, PowerPC, DEC Alpha, or other type of microprocessor. Alternatively, host computer system 18 can be one of a variety of home video game systems commonly connected to a television set, such as systems available from Nintendo, Sega, or Sony. In other embodiments, host computer system 18 can be a “set top box” which can be used, for example, to provide interactive television functions to users, or a “network-” or “internet-computer” which allows users to interact with a local or global network using standard connections and protocols such as used for the Internet and World Wide Web.
Host computer 18 preferably implements a host application program with which a user is interacting via user object 14 and other peripherals, if appropriate, and which can include force feedback functionality. The software running on the host computer 18 may be of a wide variety. For example, the host application program can be a simulation, video game, Web page or browser that implements HTML or VRML instructions, scientific analysis program, virtual reality training program or application, or other application program that utilizes input of user object 14 and outputs force feedback commands to the user object 14. For example, many game application programs include force feedback functionality and may communicate with the force feedback interface device 12 using a standard protocol/drivers such as I-Force available from Immersion Corporation. Herein, computer 18 may be referred as displaying “graphical objects” or “computer objects.” These objects are not physical objects, but are logical software unit collections of data and/or procedures that may be displayed as images by computer 18 on display screen 20, as is well known to those skilled in the art. A displayed cursor or a simulated cockpit of an aircraft might be considered a graphical object.
Display device 20 can be included in host computer 18 and can be a standard display screen (LCD, CRT, etc.), 3-D goggles, or any other visual output device. Typically, the host application provides images to be displayed on display device 20 and/or other feedback, such as auditory signals. For example, display screen 20 can display images from a game program.
The interface device 12 as illustrated in FIG. 1 is used to provide an interface to the application running on host computer 18. For example, a user manipulatable object (or “manipulandum”) 14 grasped by the user in operating the device 12 may be a joystick handle 16 movable in one or more degrees of freedom, as described in greater detail subsequently. It will be appreciated that a great number of other types of user objects can be used with the method and apparatus of the present invention. In fact, the present invention can be used with any mechanical object where it is desirable to provide a human/computer interface with two to six degrees of freedom. Such objects may include joysticks, styluses, surgical tools used in medical procedures, catheters, hypodermic needles, wires, fiber optic bundles, screw drivers, pool cues, etc.
A housing 22 of the interface device 12 holds a mechanical apparatus for interfacing mechanical input and output. The mechanical apparatus mechanically provides the degrees of freedom available to the user object 16 and allows sensors to sense movement in those degrees of freedom and actuators to provide forces in those degrees of freedom. The mechanical apparatus is described in greater detail below. The mechanical apparatus is adapted to provide data from which a computer or other computing device such as a microprocessor (see FIG. 2) can ascertain the position and/or orientation of the user object as it moves in space. This information is then translated to an image on a computer display apparatus such as screen 20. The mechanical apparatus may be used, for example, by a user to change the position of a user controlled graphical object on display screen 20 by changing the position and/or orientation of the user object 14, the computer 18 being programmed to change the position of the graphical object in proportion to the change in position and/or orientation of the user object (or according to some other relationship). In other words, the user object is moved through space by the user which indicates to the computer how to update the implemented program.
An electronic interface is also included in housing 22 of interface device 12. The electronic interface couples the device 12 to the computer 18. More particularly, the electronic interface is used in preferred embodiments to couple the various actuators and sensors contained in device 12 (which actuators and sensors are described in detail below) to computer 18. A suitable electronic interface is described in detail with reference to FIG. 2. The electronic interface is coupled to a mechanical apparatus within the interface device 12 and to the computer 18 by a cable 24. In other embodiments, signals can be transmitted between interface device 12 and computer 18 by wireless transmission and reception.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating interface device 12 and host computer 18 suitable for use with the present invention. Interface device 12 includes an electronic interface 30, mechanical apparatus 32, and user object 14. A similar system is described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,734,373 which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
As explained with reference to FIG. 1, computer 18 is preferably a personal computer, workstation, video game console, or other computing or display device. Host computer system 18 commonly includes a host microprocessor 34, random access memory (RAM) 36, read-only memory (ROM) 38, input/output (I/O) electronics 40, a clock 42, a display device 20, and an audio output device 44. Host microprocessor 34 can include a variety of available microprocessors from Intel, AMD, Motorola, or other manufacturers. Microprocessor 34 can be single microprocessor chip, or can include multiple primary and/or co-processors and preferably retrieves and stores instructions and other necessary data from RAM 36 and ROM 38 as is well known to those skilled in the art. In the described embodiment, host computer system 18 can receive sensor data or a sensor signal via a bus 46 from sensors of device 12 and other information. Microprocessor 34 can receive data from bus 46 using I/O electronics 40, and can use I/O electronics to control other peripheral devices. Host computer system 18 can also output commands to interface device 12 via bus 46 to cause force feedback for the interface system 10.
Clock 42 is a standard clock crystal or equivalent component used by host computer 18 to provide timing to electrical signals used by host microprocessor 34 and other components of the computer system 18 and can be used to provide timing information that may be necessary in determining force or position values. Display device 20 is described with reference to FIG. 1. Audio output device 44, such as speakers, can be coupled to host microprocessor 34 via amplifiers, filters, and other circuitry well known to those skilled in the art. Other types of peripherals can also be coupled to host processor 34, such as storage devices (hard disk drive, CD ROM drive, floppy disk drive, etc.), printers, and other input and output devices.
Electronic interface 30 is coupled to host computer system 18 by a bi-directional bus 46. The bi-directional bus sends signals in either direction between host computer system 18 and the interface device 12. Bus 46 can be a serial interface bus, such as USB, RS-232, or Firewire (IEEE 1394), providing data according to a serial communication protocol, a parallel bus using a parallel protocol, or other types of buses. An interface port of host computer system 18, such as a USB or RS232 serial interface port, connects bus 46 to host computer system 18.
Electronic interface 30 includes a local microprocessor 50, local clock 52, local memory 54, sensor interface 56, and actuator interface 58. Interface 30 may also include additional electronic components for communicating via standard protocols on bus 46. In various embodiments, electronic interface 30 can be included in mechanical apparatus 32, in host computer 18, or in its own separate housing. Different components of interface 30 can be included in device 12 or host computer 18 if desired.
Local microprocessor 50 is preferably coupled to bus 46 and may be closely linked to mechanical apparatus 14 to allow quick communication with other components of the interface device. Processor 50 is considered “local” to interface device 12, where “local” herein refers to processor 50 being a separate microprocessor from any processors 34 in host computer 18. “Local” also preferably refers to processor 50 being dedicated to force feedback and sensor I/O of the interface system 10, and being closely coupled to sensors and actuators of the device 12, such as within the housing of or in a housing coupled closely to device 12. Microprocessor 50 can be provided with software instructions to wait for commands or requests from computer host 18, parse/decode the command or request, and handle/control input and output signals according to the command or request. In addition, processor 50 preferably operates independently of host computer 18 by reading sensor signals and calculating appropriate forces from those sensor signals, time signals, and force processes selected in accordance with a host command, and output appropriate control signals to the actuators. Suitable microprocessors for use as local microprocessor 50 include the 8X930AX by Intel, the MC68HC711E9 by Motorola or the PIC16C74 by Microchip, for example. Microprocessor 50 can include one microprocessor chip, or multiple processors and/or co-processor chips. In other embodiments, microprocessor 50 can include digital signal processor (DSP) functionality.
For example, in one host-controlled embodiment that utilizes microprocessor 50, host computer 18 can provide low-level force commands over bus 46, which microprocessor 50 directly transmits to the actuators. In a different local control embodiment, host computer system 18 provides high level supervisory commands to microprocessor 50 over bus 46, and microprocessor 50 manages low level force control loops to sensors and actuators in accordance with the high level commands and independently of the host computer 18. In the local control embodiment, the microprocessor 50 can process inputted sensor signals to determine appropriate output actuator signals by following the instructions of a “force process” that may be stored in local memory 54 and includes calculation instructions, formulas, force magnitudes, or other data. The force process can command distinct force sensations, such as vibrations, textures, jolts, or even simulated interactions between displayed objects. For instance, the host can send the local processor 50 a spatial layout of objects in the graphical environment so that the microprocessor has a mapping of locations of graphical objects and can determine force interactions locally. Force feedback used in such embodiments is described in greater detail in co-pending patent application Ser. No. 08/879,296 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,734,373, both of which are incorporated by reference herein.
A local clock 52 can be coupled to the microprocessor 50 to provide timing data, similar to system clock 42 of host computer 18; the timing data might be required, for example, to compute forces output by actuators 30. Local memory 54, such as RAM and/or ROM, is preferably coupled to microprocessor 50 in interface 30 to store instructions for microprocessor 50 and store temporary and other data. Microprocessor 50 may also store calibration parameters and the state of the force feedback device in a local memory 54.
Sensor interface 56 may optionally be included in electronic interface 30 to convert sensor signals to signals that can be interpreted by the microprocessor 50 and/or host computer system 18. For example, sensor interface 56 can receive and convert signals from a digital sensor such as an encoder or from an analog sensor using an analog to digital converter (ADC). Such circuits, or equivalent circuits, are well known to those skilled in the art. Alternately, microprocessor 50 can perform these interface functions or sensor signals from the sensors can be provided directly to host computer system 18. Actuator interface 58 can be optionally connected between the actuators of device 12 and microprocessor 50 to convert signals from microprocessor 50 into signals appropriate to drive the actuators. Interface 58 can include power amplifiers, switches, digital to analog controllers (DACs), and other components well known to those skilled in the art.
Power supply 59 can optionally be coupled to actuator interface 58 and/or actuators 62 to provide electrical power. Active actuators typically require a separate power source to be driven. Power supply 59 can be included within the housing of interface device 12, or can be provided as a separate component, for example, connected by an electrical power cord. Alternatively, if the USB or a similar communication protocol is used, actuators and other components can draw power from the USB from the host computer. Alternatively, power can be stored and regulated by interface device 12 and thus used when needed to drive actuators 62.
Mechanical apparatus 32 is coupled to electronic interface 30 and preferably includes sensors 60, actuators 62, and mechanism 64. Sensors 60 sense the position, motion, and/or other characteristics of a user object 14 along one or more degrees of freedom and provide signals to sensor interface 56 or microprocessor 50 including information representative of those characteristics. Typically, a sensor 60 is provided for each degree of freedom along which object 14 can be moved, or, a single compound sensor can be used for multiple degrees of freedom. Example of sensors suitable for embodiments described herein are digital rotary optical encoders, which sense the change in position of an object about a rotational axis and provide digital signals indicative of the change in position. Linear optical encoders may similarly sense the change in position of object 14 along a linear degree of freedom. A suitable optical encoder is the “Softpot” from U.S. Digital of Vancouver, Washington. Alternatively, analog sensors such as potentiometers can be used. It is also possible to use non-contact sensors at different positions relative to mechanical apparatus 32, such as Polhemus (magnetic) sensors for detecting magnetic fields from objects, or an optical sensor such as a lateral effect photo diode having an emitter/detector pair. In addition, velocity sensors (e.g., tachometers) and/or acceleration sensors (e.g., accelerometers) can be used. Furthermore, either relative or absolute sensors can be employed.
Actuators 62 transmit forces to user object 14 in one or more directions along one or more degrees of freedom in response to signals output by microprocessor 50 and/or host computer 18, i.e., they are “computer controlled.” Typically, an actuator 62 is provided for each degree of freedom along which forces are desired to be transmitted. Actuators 62 can include two types: active actuators and passive actuators. Active actuators include linear current control motors, stepper motors, pneumatic/hydraulic active actuators, a torquer (motor with limited angular range), a voice coil actuator, and other types of actuators that transmit a force to an object. Passive actuators can also be used for actuators 62, such as magnetic particle brakes, friction brakes, or pneumatic/hydraulic passive actuators, and generate a damping resistance or friction in a degree of motion. In some embodiments, all or some of sensors 60 and actuators 62 can be included together as a sensor/actuator pair transducer.
Mechanism 64 can be one of several types of mechanisms. A preferred mechanism is shown in FIGS. 3-4. Other mechanisms may also be used (e.g. with the belt drive of the present invention), such as mechanisms and related features disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,576,727; 5,731,804; 5,721,566; 5,691,898, and 5,767,839 and co-pending patent applications Ser. Nos. 08/560,091, 08/664,086, 08/709,012, 08/736,161, 08/881,691, 08/961,790, 08/965,720, and 09/058,259, all hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. User object 14 can be a joystick, or other device or article coupled to mechanism 64, as described above.
Other input devices 68 can optionally be included in interface system 10 and send input signals to microprocessor 50 and/or host computer 18. Such input devices can include buttons, such as buttons on joystick handle 16, used to supplement the input from the user to a game, simulation, GUI, etc. Also, dials, switches, voice recognition hardware (with software implemented by host 18), or other input mechanisms can be used.
Safety or “deadman” switch 70 is preferably included in the interface device to provide a mechanism to allow a user to override and deactivate actuators 62, or require a user to activate actuators 62, for safety reasons. For example, the user must continually activate or close safety switch 70 during manipulation of user object 14 to activate the actuators 62. If, at any time, the safety switch is deactivated (opened), power from power supply 59 is cut to actuators 62 (or the actuators are otherwise deactivated) as long as the safety switch is deactivated. Embodiments of safety switch 70 include an optical safety switch, electrostatic contact switch, hand weight safety switch, etc. The safety switch can also be implemented in firmware or software for microprocessor 50.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the mechanical portion 32 and user object 14 of interface device 12 and including the features of the present invention. The described embodiment is a joystick apparatus including two rotary degrees of freedom, where a joystick handle 16 can be moved forward and back in one degree of freedom, and left and right in the other degree of freedom.
Mechanism 64 is provided as a gimbal mechanism 100 which couples the user object 14 to a grounded or reference surface 102. Gimbal mechanism 100 is preferably a five-member, closed-loop parallel linkage and is described in greater detail below with reference to FIG. 4. Gimbal mechanism 100 provides two degrees of freedom to handle 16. Joystick handle 16 is coupled to one of the members of gimbal mechanism 100 such that it extends out of the sphere defined by the rotational degrees of freedom of the handle 16.
Mechanical apparatus also includes belt drive mechanisms 114a and 114b. Belt drive mechanisms 114 are included in mechanical portion 32 to provide mechanical advantage to the output of actuators 62 without introducing as much backlash into the system as other types of transmission systems. The belt drive mechanisms 114 are described in greater detail with respect to FIG. 7. The gimbal mechanism 100 can alternatively be used with other types of drive amplification transmissions, such as a gear system or a capstan drive mechanism as described in parent U.S. Pat. No. 5,731,804.
Also preferably coupled to mechanical portion 32 are sensors 60 and actuators 62 and provide input to and output from the electrical system. Such transducers, in the described embodiment, are coupled such that the belt drive is positioned between the sensor/actuator and the gimbal mechanism 100; the transducers can be coupled elsewhere in other embodiments. Transducers that can be used with the present invention are described in greater detail with respect to FIG. 2. In the described embodiment, actuators 62 include two grounded actuators 62a and 62b. The housing of grounded actuator 62a is preferably coupled to ground member 104. A rotational shaft (rotor) of actuator 62a is coupled to the belt drive mechanism 114a to apply forces to the joystick handle 16 in a first revolute degree of freedom (linear actuators can be provided in alternate embodiments). The belt drive mechanisms 114 are described in greater detail with respect to FIG. 7. Grounded actuator 62b preferably corresponds to grounded transducer 62a in function and operation, where actuator 62b is coupled to the grounded member 104 and applies forces to the joystick handle 16 in the second revolute degree of freedom.
Actuators 62, in the described embodiment, are preferably linear current control motors, such as DC servo motors. These motors preferably receive current signals to control the direction and torque (force output) that is produced on a rotor; the control signals for the motor are produced by microprocessor 50 as explained above. Such motors typically operate at stall in a force feedback device to transmit the forces to the user object grasped by the user. The motors may include brakes which allow the rotation of the rotor to be halted in a short span of time. A suitable motor to be used as actuators 62 is the 600LG series manufactured by Johnson Electric. In alternate embodiments, other types of motors or actuators can be used, such as a stepper motor controlled with pulse width modulation of an applied voltage, pneumatic/hydraulic motors, voice coil actuators, or passive actuators (magnetic particle brakes, pneumatic/hydraulic passive brakes, etc).
The actuators 62 of the described embodiment are advantageously positioned to provide a very low amount of inertia to the joystick handle 16. Actuators 62 are decoupled, meaning that the transducers are both directly coupled to ground member 104 which is coupled to ground surface 102, i.e. the ground surface carries the weight of the actuators, not the joystick handle 16. The weights and inertia of the actuators 62 are thus substantially negligible to a user handling and moving handle 16. This allows more realistic forces to be transmitted to user object 14.
It should be noted that the rotatable components of the mechanical portion 32 will only actually rotate in space if the user is not applying the same amount of rotational force to handle 16 in the opposite direction to cancel the rotational force of the actuator. In this case, either the force of the user or the force from the actuators 62 will move the user object and coupled components in their respective degrees of freedom. In any event, the user will feel the rotational force from the actuators 62 along the associated degree of freedom on handle 16 as force feedback.
Sensors 60 are, in the described embodiment, coupled to the actuators 62a and 62b. One portion of the sensor is grounded by being coupled to the housing of the actuator 62, which is itself grounded. A rotary shaft or encoder wheel of each sensor is rigidly coupled to the rotor of the corresponding actuator 62, such that the sensor detects any motion caused by the output force of the actuator. The sensors 60 also detect any rotary motion of the rotor caused by the user moving the joystick 16. For example, in the described embodiment, sensors 60 are relative optical encoders which provide signals to measure the angular rotation of a shaft of the sensor. An encoder wheel 61 can be provided on the shaft with a number of slots. A beam emitter and a detector are positioned on opposing sides of the encoder wheel to detect the number of slots that have rotated past the detector, so that the rotation of the wheel is detected. The operation of such encoders are well known to those skilled in the art. The electrical outputs of the encoders are routed to microprocessor 50 (or host computer 18) as detailed above. Other types of sensors can also be used, such as potentiometers or other analog or digital sensors as described above. It should be noted that the present invention can utilize both absolute and relative sensors.
In the described embodiment of the present invention, the sensors 60 are preferably coupled directly to the rotors of actuators 62 such that the belt drive is positioned between the sensor/actuator and the gimbal mechanism 100. This allows the sensor to detect an amplified rotation of the user object 14 caused by the belt drive and effectively provide a higher sensing resolution, e.g. the belt drive amplifies the rotation of the user object 14, enabling a higher resolution reading with the same number of slots in an encoder wheel of the sensor. Other advantages of providing a sensor coupled to the actuator include the opportunity to use a smaller housing 22 and a convenient layout of components to allow efficient placement of the sensors. For example, the two sensors 60 can be placed close to each other at the ends of actuators 62 on a printed circuit board positioned between the actuators 62. In addition, the mechanism of the present invention is suitable for use with compliance compensation and accurate position sensing features disclosed in copending patent application Ser. No. 09/138,309, entitled, “Improvements in Position Sensing for Force Feedback Devices”,” by Braun et al., filed concurrently herewith, and incorporated herein by reference.
In an alternate embodiment, each sensor can be coupled to a pulley of the belt drive mechanism 114 to measure the rotation of the pulley. If the sensor is coupled to an intermediate pulley (not an output pulley), such an embodiment will also have the advantage of increasing sensor resolution since the intermediate pulley rotates more than one rotation for each rotation of the extension member. However, the resolution in such an embodiment tends to be inferior to that of the preferred embodiment. The sensors 60 can also be directly coupled to a moving member of the gimbal mechanism to directly measure motion of the user object 14, e.g. when using potentiometers that do not improve sensing with amplified motion.
A distinct feature of the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3 is that the device is substantially symmetrical in many of its components, i.e., one half of the device is substantially identical to the other half of the device. For example, the extension member 106a the grounded member 104a, the belt drive mechanism 114a, actuator 62a, and the sensor 60a are all preferably identical to their corresponding components 106b, 104b, 114b, 62b, and 60b. The grounded member 104a is shaped so that when it is duplicated as grounded member 104b and rotated/positioned appropriately, ground member 104b attaches at the ends 107a of ground member 104a at its own ends 107b (as more clearly shown in FIG. 7) and provides coupling locations for extension member 106b and actuator 62b at the appropriate locations symmetrical to the locations on ground member 104a. Thus, one half of the device, including extension member 106a, grounded member 104a, belt drive assembly 114a, actuator 62a, and sensor 60a, can be duplicated exactly and the resulting components can be joined together as shown in FIG. 3 to complete the device. This can provide substantial savings in the manufacturing process since there are substantially less unique parts required in manufacturing with their own molds, part numbers, stock locations, etc.
A plate 115 is also shown in FIG. 3 which is shown in an exploded view above its normal connected position to grounded member 104 and a grounded post 105. Plate 115 includes an aperture 117 through which the joystick handle 16 normally extends. The limits of aperture 117 acts as hard stops to the motion of the joystick 16 and members 108a and 108b in the two rotary degrees of freedom. A second similar plate (not shown) to plate 115 or fence (or other obstruction) can also be provided at the bottom of the device for providing hard stops for a portion of joystick 16 which extends to the bottom of the device. Hard stops can be located in other areas of the device in other embodiments, such as on or near the gimbal mechanism 100.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the mechanical portion 32 of interface device 12 detailing the gimbal mechanism 100. Gimbal mechanism 100 couples the user object 14 to a grounded or reference surface 102. All or some of the components of gimbal mechanism 100 (and other components) can be made of metal, or, in a preferred low-cost embodiment, rigid plastic. Gimbal mechanism 100 is preferably a five-member, closed-loop parallel linkage that includes a ground member 104, extension members 106a and 106b, and central members 108a and 108b. Ground member 104 is provided as a base member which provides stability for device 12 on a grounded surface 102, such as a table top, floor, desk top, or other reference surface (grounded member 104 is shown as members 104a and 104b, which are both directly coupled to ground 102). The members of gimbal mechanism 100 are rotatably coupled to one another through the use of bearings or pivots, wherein extension member 106a is rotatably coupled to ground member 104 and can rotate about an axis A, central member 108a is rotatably coupled to extension member 106a and can rotate about a floating axis D, extension member 106b is rotatably coupled to ground member 104 and can rotate about axis B, central member 108b is rotatably coupled to extension member 106b and can rotate about floating axis E, and central member 108a is rotatably coupled to central member 108b at or near a center point P at the intersection of axes D and E. A bearing (see FIG. 6) connects the two central members 108a and 108b together near the intersection point P of axes D and E. Central drive member 108a is rotatably coupled between two protrusions 109a and 109b of extension member 106a. Similarly, central link member 108b is rotatably coupled between two protrusions 112a and 112b of extension member 106b. The axes D and E are “floating” in the sense that they are not fixed in one position as are axes A and B. Axes A and B are substantially mutually perpendicular. The connection and relative position of the members of gimbal mechanism 100 is also shown in the top plan view of FIG. 5.
Gimbal mechanism 100 is formed as a five-member (“five-bar”) closed chain. Each end of one member is coupled to the end of another member. The five-bar linkage is arranged such that extension member 106a, central member 108a, and central member 108b can be rotated about axis A in a first degree of freedom. The linkage is also arranged such that extension member 106b, central member 108b, and central member 108a can be rotated about axis B in a second degree of freedom. A similar structure is also disclosed in parent U.S. Pat. No. 5,731,804, which is incorporated by reference herein.
The protrusions 109 and 112 of the present invention are advantageous in that they allow more stability for the user object 14. Since each extension member 106 supports a central member 108 positioned between the protrusions of the extension member, there are two bearing supports for each extension member. Thus, there is less load and therefore less wear on these bearings and less deflection of extension member 106 since any weight is more evenly distributed over the two protrusions/bearings than when the extension member 106 is coupled with only one bearing on one side of the central member 108. In addition, the dual bearing supports allow for substantially larger manufacturing tolerances, as would be expected with plastics, without sacrificing stability and ultimately force and motion fidelity.
The protrusions 109 and 112 of the extension members 106 are also preferably bent in shape as shown in FIG. 4. The extension members 106 are preferably bent out of the plane formed by the axes of rotation A and B, where one extension member 106a is bent in one direction out of the plane and the other extension member 106b is bent in the opposite direction. Thus, extension member 106a includes protrusions 109a and 109b which first bend away from the AB plane and point P and then extend back toward center point P. Protrusions 112a and 112b bend away from and then toward the AB plane of center point P on the opposite side of the horizontal plane of point P from the protrusions 109. This bent configuration allows the central members 108 to be positioned between the two sets of protrusions 109 and 112 of each extension member without the protrusions of different members interfering with each other in physical space, and thus allows the dual bearing supports to be implemented with the associated advantages.
In an alternate embodiment, one of the protrusions of each of the extension members bends in the opposite direction to the other protrusion of that extension member; for example, the inner protrusion 109b bends in one direction out of plane AB and the outer protrusion 109a bends in the opposite direction out of plane AB. In such an embodiment, the inner protrusion 112b should bend in the opposite direction from inner protrusion 109b. In other embodiments, only the inner protrusions 109b and 112b of each extension member bends out of the plane AB in opposite directions to each other, while outer protrusions 109a and 112a of each extension member can be oriented in any shape or direction, such as substantially linearly. This can be accomplished because only the inner protrusions 109b and 112b can potentially interfere with each other (if these inner protrusions are both made straight, both curve in the same direction, etc.). In yet a different embodiment, only one extension member 106a or 106b includes two protrusions 109a and 109b or 112a and 112b, respectively, while the other extension member is coupled to its associated central member at only one pivot point, e.g. only the outer protrusion 109a or 112a is provided. This embodiment can be used, for example, if only one axis or degree of freedom of the device bears most of the force load of the device, so that the extra support of dual protrusions is only needed on one axis of the device. However, such an embodiment has a disadvantage in that the extension members are not symmetrical.
Joystick handle 16 (not shown) is coupled to one of the central members 108a or 108b (member 108a in FIG. 4) of gimbal mechanism 100 such that it extends out of the plane defined by axes D and E. An extension 119 can be coupled to or be part of central member 108a to which the joystick handle 16 is attached; alternatively, the extension 119 (or a longer similar member) of the central member 108a can itself be the user object 14, such as joystick handle 16. Gimbal mechanism 100 provides two rotary degrees of freedom to extension 119. The extension 119 can be rotated about axis A and B or have a combination of rotational movement about these axes. Extension 119 can be rotated about axis A by rotating extension member 106a, central member 108a, and central member 108b in a first revolute degree of freedom. Extension 119 can also be rotated about axis B by rotating extension member 106b and the two central members about axis B in a second revolute degree of freedom. As extension 119 (and joystick handle 16) is moved about axis A, floating axis D varies its position, and as extension 119 is moved about axis B, floating axis E varies its position.
In alternate embodiments, additional degrees of freedom can be provided. For example, the joystick handle 16/extension 119 can be rotated about axis C extending perpendicularly from the plane formed by floating axes D and E. This rotational degree of freedom can be provided with a sensor and/or an actuator to sense motion and apply forces in that degree of freedom. Additionally, a different degree of freedom can be added such that handle 16 can be linearly translated along floating axis C. This degree of freedom can also be sensed and actuated, if desired.
Extension members 106 of gimbal mechanism 100 are also coupled to belt drive mechanisms 114a and 114b. Mechanisms 114 are described in greater detail with respect to FIG. 7.
FIG. 6 is a partially exploded perspective view of gimbal mechanism 100. Central member 108a is shown decoupled from central member 108b to show the bearing 120 that connects the two members 108a and 108b. Bearing 120 includes a boss 122 that is coupled to extension member 108b as shown in FIG. 6, and which fits into a recess (not shown) in central member 108a. This bearing allows the two central members 108a and 108b to rotate with respect to each other about axis C. This rotation enables the range of motion in the two degrees of freedom about axes A and B as permitted by aperture 117 in plate 115, which in the described embodiment is about 15-25° of motion about either axis, but can be other ranges in other embodiments. Also, in other embodiments, the central members 108a and 108b can be shaped in alternate ways to allow greater or less rotation, depending on the desired range of motion in the two degrees of freedom.
Also shown in FIG. 6 is a preferred form of connection between the central members 108 and the extension members 106. Central member 108a includes bosses 124 which rotatably sit within apertures 126 of extension member 106b. In other embodiments, the bosses 124, for example, can be keyed, with slots provided in the protrusions 109 and 112 to allow the member 108 to slide into position between the protrusions without having to substantially flex the protrusions. Other types of bearings may be used in alternate embodiments.
FIG. 7 is a partially exploded perspective view of the mechanical apparatus 32 showing belt drive mechanisms 114a and 114b. FIG. 8 shows a top plan view of the mechanical apparatus 32. The belt drive mechanisms 114 are provided between the actuators 62 and the extension members 106 of the gimbal mechanism 100. Each belt drive mechanism 114 includes a first stage and a second stage, where the first stage includes drive pulley 140, passive idlers 142, first amplification pulley 144, and first belt 146, and where the second stage includes driven pulley 148, active idlers 150, second amplification pulley 152, and second belt 154.
The first stage includes drive pulley 140, which is coupled to the rotor of actuator 62. Drive pulley 140 may rotate freely when the actuator 62 is unpowered and may be driven in either rotational direction when the actuator is powered. First belt 146 is wrapped around drive pulley 140 and is also wrapped around first amplification pulley 144. First amplification pulley 144 is preferably about 4 to 4.5 times the diameter of drive pulley 140; other sizes may also be used in other embodiments. Belt 146 preferably includes teeth on the inner side of the belt or other gripping features that engage drive pulley 140 and amplification pulley 144, as described in greater detail with respect to FIG. 10. Passive idlers 142 of the present invention are positioned “adjacent” to drive pulley 140, preferably not contacting the drive pulley or belt 146 but being a close distance away. The passive idlers are provided to prevent the belt 146 from jumping off or moving radially away from drive pulley 140 when slack or compliance is present in first belt 146. The operation of passive idlers 142 is described in greater detail subsequently. Passive idlers 142 preferably have smooth outer surfaces and no teeth, since they are facing and can only contact a flat outer surface of belt 146. Two passive idlers 142 are preferably used as shown to effectively impede radial belt jumping in both directions of the associated degree of freedom of user object 14; in other embodiments, one passive idler or more than two passive idlers can be provided.
The second stage includes driven pulley 148, which is rigidly coupled to first amplification pulley 144 and is positioned such that second belt 154 is wrapped around pulley 148, as indicated by dashed line 149. The assembly of pulley 144/pulley 148 is rotatably coupled to ground member 104 and other ground member 105. Second amplification pulley 152 is rigidly coupled to extension member 106 of the gimbal mechanism 100. Second belt 152 is wrapped around transmission pulley 148 and second amplification pulley 152, and is routed around the active idlers 150 which are located at intermediate positions between pulleys 148 and 152 as shown. Active idlers 150 are positioned such that the belt 152 is routed between the driven pulley 148 and the active idlers 150, and the belt 152 is preferably routed around a portion of the circumference of each active idler. Active idlers 150 preferably have smooth cylindrical surfaces since they engage a flat outer surface of second belt 154. Unlike passive idlers 142, which are not in constant contact with first belt 146, the active idlers 150 are in constant rolling action with the second belt 154. This constant contact, and the position of the active idlers, increases the belt wrap angle of the belt around the pulley (i.e. to increase the number of belt teeth engaged with the pulley). This reduces the tendency of second belt 154 to slip and/or move or jump radially away from the driven pulley without adding tension to the belt. Two active idlers 150 are preferably provided as shown, where each active idler is most effective in one direction of motion of the associated degree of freedom of user object 14. In other embodiments, one active idler can be used, especially if only one direction to a degree of freedom is used, or more than two active idlers may also be used. Second amplification pulley 152 is preferably about 4 to 4.5 times the diameter of driven pulley 148, but other size ratios may be used in other embodiments. Belt 154 preferably includes teeth on an inner side or other gripping features that engage driven pulley 148 and amplification pulley 152, as described in greater detail with respect to FIG. 10.
The belt drive mechanisms 114 operate as follows. Actuator 62 outputs a rotational force on drive pulley 140, which rotates the pulley 140. This rotation causes first belt 146 to move and rotate pulley 144, which amplifies the force of rotation of pulley 140 based on the ratio between the radial sizes of pulley 144 and pulley 140. Pulley 148 rotates with pulley 144 and drives second belt 154, which in turn rotates pulley 152. Pulley 152 amplifies the force of rotation of pulley 148 based on the ratio between the diameters of pulley 148 and pulley 152.
The belt drive mechanism 114 provides a mechanical advantage to the output forces of actuators 62 so that the force output of the actuators is increased. The ratio of the diameter of pulley 144 to the diameter of pulley 140, and the ratio of the diameter of pulley 152 to pulley 148, dictates the amount of mechanical advantage, similar to a gear system. Since there are two stages, each providing amplification to the forces output by actuator 62, the total amplification to the forces is the product of the amplification provided by each stage. Thus, in the described embodiment, a total of 20:1 mechanical advantage is provided by both stages. Other ratios can be used in other embodiments depending on the desired amplification and space constraints. It should be noted that driven pulley 148 can also generically be considered a “drive pulley” since it drives the belt 154, and in other embodiments the driven pulley 148 can be directly coupled to an actuator 62.
Belt drive mechanisms 114 of the present invention are used in a force feedback interface device, in which friction is desired to be minimized to allow greater fidelity force sensations to be transmitted to the user. Since tensioned belt drives typically introduce a large amount of friction, the belt drive mechanisms described herein engage the belts with the pulleys using a positive gripping feature, such as interlocking teeth (or the equivalent), rather than tensioning the belts tightly around pulleys. With little tension in the system, little friction is introduced. In addition, since belts are used rather than directly interlocking gears, backlash problems are minimized. Higher quality force sensations thus can be provided with all the advantages of an amplification transmission system.
However, since there is little tension in the belt system, the belt can have the tendency to ride up or move radially away from the pulley around which it is routed since temporary slack in the belt can be introduced. To minimize this problem, passive idlers 142 and active idlers 150 of the present invention are used. Passive idlers 142 are used to prevent any slack in the first belt 146 from causing the belt 146 to jump up and away from the pulley 140 or cause other disturbances in the transmission of forces from actuator 62 to gimbal mechanism 100. For example, actuator 62 may suddenly rotate in an opposite direction, which can cause the belt 146 tension to change significantly. This change is tension often causes the belt to try to move away from pulley 140 or ride up toward either of idlers 142. Idlers 142 are therefore positioned to stop any such movement of the belt and to keep the belt smoothly moving about pulley 140 after such a disturbance. The passive idlers 142 are preferably rotatably coupled to grounded member 104 and thus only a small amount of rotary friction is introduced when the belt contacts the passive idler, allowing the belt to continue moving and transmitting motion and forces after impacting the idlers during such sudden motions or other disturbances in the operation of the belt drive. Alternatively, passive idlers 142 can be rigidly coupled to grounded member 104, which may cause more friction when the idlers contact the belt.
Active idlers 150 are also provided to prevent unwanted movement of a belt with respect to a drive pulley such as driven pulley 148. The active idlers 150 are positioned to cause a greater portion of belt 154 to engage with driven pulley 148, e.g. a greater number of teeth of the belt 154 are engaged with teeth of pulley 148 than if no active idlers were used. This is also known as increasing the “wrap angle” of the belt on the pulley, or increasing the “teeth in mesh” between pulley and belt. This provides driven pulley 148 with a greater grip on belt 154, which is needed since driven pulley 148 rotates with amplified torques. Without the active idlers 150, the belt 154 can slip with respect to the pulley 148 and also ride up or move radially away from pulley 148. However, it is also important to note that active idlers 150 do not add significant tension to the belt drive mechanisms 114. The active idlers are positioned to guide or influence the path of the belt 154 around pulley 148 but not to significantly stretch the belt, preload the belt, or otherwise cause tension in the belt, which could occur if the active idlers were positioned closer to each other between the driven pulley 148 and the second amplification pulley 152. Thus, the active idlers 150 are preferably positioned as close as possible to each other to increase the wrap angle of the belt without introducing preload in the belt 154, i.e. with just enough distance between them so that no preload is introduced in the belt. This allows the force sensations to not be corrupted by friction caused by tension in the belt.
In other embodiments, passive idlers and/or active idlers can be positioned at other locations in the belt drive mechanism, such as at different pulleys than in the described embodiment. In addition, only one stage can be provided in the belt drive mechanism. In such an embodiment, active idlers are preferably used adjacent to the drive pulley instead of the passive idlers to achieve more effective belt engagement. In other embodiments, more than two stages can be provided; preferably, the stages further from the actuator that receive greater amplification use active idlers similar to idlers 150.
FIGS. 9a and 9b are side elevation views of the belt drive mechanism 114 of the present invention. FIG. 9a shows the first stage of the belt drive, in which drive pulley 140 is connected to amplification pulley 144 by first belt 146. The passive idlers 142 are shown positioned just adjacent to the belt 146 on either side of drive pulley 140 with sufficient offset to insure a non-contact relationship during typical operation. The idlers 142, however, are in close enough proximity to prevent any significant radial movement of the belt 146 away from drive pulley 140 due to slack or compliance in the belt during rotation of the belt and pulleys. Such radial movement that is reduced or prevented by the passive idlers is shown by arrows 143. FIG. 9b shows the second stage of the belt drive after the first stage amplification pulley 144 and belt 146 have been removed, where the driven pulley 148 is coupled to the second amplification pulley 152 by a belt 154, and where active rollers 150 contact the belt 154 without adding tension or preload to the belt. First amplification pulley 144 and transmission pulley 148 are rigidly coupled together and both rotate about axis D.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an example of a belt 153, which can be belt 146 or 154, engaged with a pulley 155, which can be any of pulleys 140, 144, 148, or 152, for example. It should be noted that since the belt in the example of FIG. 10 has a wrap angle greater than 180 degrees around the pulley, FIG. 10 most accurately represents driven pulley 148 and belt 154 of the described embodiment without showing active idlers 150. The actual relative size of the pulley and belt and number of teeth used on belt and pulley can vary depending on the particular pulley, belt, and/or embodiment. Belt 153 is a flexible member formed in a loop, with a flat surface on an outer side 160. Belt 153 is preferably a positive grip belt, i.e. a belt having gripping features, such as teeth on an inner side of the belt, that engage the pulley 155, e.g. the teeth of the belt mate with other gripping features (e.g. teeth) of the pulley 155 (a “synchronous belt”). Belt 153 thus preferably includes evenly-spaced teeth 164 on an inner side 162 that engage teeth 166 of the pulley as shown. Belt 153 is preferably made of a material having high strength and abrasion resistance, such as urethane reinforced with polyester cords. As used herein, a “belt drive” or “belt drive transmission” refers to a transmission including such flat, toothed types of belts or V-belts, as distinguished from cables or other flexible members.
While this invention has been described in terms of several preferred embodiments, it is contemplated that alterations, modifications and permutations thereof will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the specification and study of the drawings. For example, the user manipulatable object, sensors and actuators used can be a variety of types. Furthermore, certain terminology has been used for the purposes of descriptive clarity, and not to limit the present invention. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims include all such alterations, modifications and permutations as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.
Claims (35)
a linkage mechanism coupled to said user manipulatable object and providing said user manipulatable object with first and second rotary degrees of freedom, said linkage mechanism including:
a grounded member coupled to a ground;
a first extension member and a second extension member rotatably coupled to said grounded member; and
a first central member rotatably coupled to said first extension member and a second central member rotatably coupled to said second extension member, wherein said first and second central members are rotatably coupled to each other, and wherein said first extension member and said first central member are substantially identical to and positioned symmetrically to said second extension member and said second central member;
first and second actuators coupled to said linkage mechanism, said first actuator operative to output a force in said first degree of freedom and said second actuator operative to output a force in said second degree of freedom;
at least one sensor operative to sense motion of said user manipulatable object in said first and second degrees of freedom; and
a belt drive transmission coupled between said first actuator and said linkage mechanism, said belt drive transmission including a synchronous belt.
2. A force feedback device as recited in claim 1 wherein said first and second extension members each include two protrusions, each of said protrusions rotatably coupled to said first and second central members, respectively.
3. A force feedback device as recited in claim 2 wherein portions of said first and second extension members extend out of a plane formed by axes of rotation for said first and second degrees of freedom.
4. A force feedback device as recited in claim 3 wherein said portions that extend out of said plane are a middle portion of at least one of said protrusions of each of said extension members.
5. A force feedback device as recited in claim 4 wherein one of said protrusions of said first extension member extend out of said plane on a first side of said plane, and wherein one of said protrusions of said second extension member extend out of said plane on a second side of said plane opposite to said first side.
6. A force feedback device as recited in claim 5 wherein both of said protrusions of said first extension member extend out of said plane on said first side, and wherein both of said protrusions of said second extension member extend out of said plane on said second side.
7. A force feedback device as recited in claim 4 wherein said protrusions of said first extension member are rotatably coupled to first central member such that said first central member is positioned between said protrusions of said first extension member, and wherein said protrusions of said second extension member are rotatably coupled to second central member such that said second central member is positioned between said protrusions of said second extension member.
8. A force feedback device as recited in claim 1 wherein said belt drive transmission is a first belt drive transmission coupled to said first actuator, and further comprising a second belt drive transmission coupled between said second actuator and said linkage mechanism.
9. A force feedback device as recited in claim 8 wherein said first belt drive transmission is symmetrical to said second belt drive transmission.
10. A force feedback device as recited in claim 9 wherein said at least one sensor includes a first sensor coupled to said first actuator and a second sensor coupled to said second actuator.
a linkage mechanism coupled to said user manipulatable object and providing said user manipulatable object with first and second rotary degrees of freedom, said linkage mechanism including:
a ground member;
a first extension member coupled to said ground member and rotatable about a first fixed axis of rotation, and a second extension member rotatably coupled to said ground member and rotatable about a second fixed axis of rotation, wherein said first and second extension members each include two protrusions; and
a first central member rotatably coupled to said two protrusions of said first extension member between said two protrusions of said first extension member such that said first central member is supported on two of its sides by said first extension member, and a second central member rotatably coupled to said two protrusions of said second extension member between said two protrusions of said second extension member such that said second central member is supported on two of its sides by said second extension member, and wherein said first and second central members are rotatably coupled to each other and are rotatable about first and second floating axes, respectively, wherein when said user manipulatable object is positioned in a origin position, couplings between said first central member and said protrusions of said first extension member intersect said second fixed axis of rotation, and couplings between said second central member and said protrusion of said second extension member intersect said first fixed axis of rotation, wherein said floating axes are movable with respect to said ground, and said floating axes are coincident with said fixed axes of rotation when said user manipulatable object is positioned in said origin position;
first and second actuators coupled to said linkage mechanism, said first actuator operative to output a force in said first degree of freedom and said second actuator operative to output a force in said second degree of freedom; and
at least one sensor operative to sense motion of said user manipulatable object in said first and second degrees of freedom.
12. A force feedback device as recited in claim 11 wherein portions of said first and second extension members extend out of a plane formed by said floating axes of rotation for said first and second degrees of freedom.
13. A force feedback device as recited in claim 12 wherein said portions that extend out of said plane are a middle portion of at least one of said protrusions of each of said extension members.
14. A force feedback device as recited in claim 13 wherein at least one of said protrusions of said first extension member extend out of said plane on a first side of said plane, and wherein at least one of said protrusions of said second extension member extend out of said plane on a second side of said plane opposite to said first side.
15. A force feedback device as recited in claim 11 wherein said first extension member and said first central member are substantially identical to and positioned symmetrically to said second extension member and said second central member.
16. A force feedback device as recited in claim 11 further comprising a belt drive transmission coupled between said first actuator and said linkage mechanism, said belt drive transmission including a synchronous belt.
17. A force feedback device as recited in claim 11 wherein said protrusions of said first extension member extend in planes parallel to said fixed axis of rotation, and wherein said two protrusions of said second extension member extend on planes parallel to said second fixed axis of rotation.
18. A force feedback interface device capable of communicating with a host computer and providing forces to a user manipulating said interface device, the interface device comprising:
a user manipulandum for physical contact by a user and moveable in two degrees of freedom;
a sensor for detecting a position of said user manipulandum in said degrees of freedom; and
a linkage mechanism coupled between said user manipulandum and a physical ground, said linkage mechanism providing said two degrees of freedom to said user manipulandum, wherein said linkage mechanism includes a serially-linked chain of rotatable members coupled to ground at both ends of said chain, said chain including:
a first member including two protrusions;
a second member rotatably coupled to said first member between said two protrusions of said first member;
a third member rotatably coupled to said second member, and
a fourth member including two protrusions and rotatably coupled to said third member, wherein said third member is coupled between said protrusions of said fourth member,
wherein when said user manipulatable object is in an origin position, a first coupling between said first member and said physical ground and a third coupling between said third member and said fourth member are aligned on one of said fixed axes of rotation, and a second coupling between said first member and said second member and a fourth coupling between said fourth member and said ground are aligned on a different one of said fixed axes of rotation, said first member and said fourth member being rotatable about said two fixed axes of rotation, and wherein said second member and said third member are rotatable about first and second floating axes, said floating axes being movable with respect to said ground.
19. A force feedback interface device as recited in claim 18 wherein middle portions of at least one of said protrusions of said first and fourth members extend out of a plane formed by axes of rotation for said two degrees of freedom.
20. A force feedback interface device as recited in claim 19 wherein said protrusions of said first and fourth members include an inner protrusion and an outer protrusion, wherein said inner protrusion of said first member extends out of said plane on a first side of said plane, and wherein said inner protrusion of said fourth member extends out of said plane on a second side of said plane opposite to said first side.
21. A force feedback interface device as recited in claim 18 further comprising an actuator coupled to said user manipulandum for applying a force to said user manipulandum, wherein at least part of said linkage mechanism is coupled between said actuator and said user manipulandum.
22. A force feedback interface device as recited in claim 21 further comprising a belt drive transmission coupled between said actuator and said user manipulatable object, said belt drive transmission including a drive pulley coupled to said actuator, a belt coupling said drive pulley to an amplification pulley, and an idler positioned adjacent to said drive pulley, said idler being positioned to impede radial displacement of a belt away from said drive pulley and thus loss of positive engagement during normal operation without preloading said belt.
23. A force feedback device as recited in claim 22 wherein said idler is an a passive idler positioned adjacent to said drive pulley, said passive idler not contacting said belt wrapped around said drive pulley normal operation and preventing said belt from moving off said drive pulley when slack is introduced in said belt.
24. A force feedback device as recited in claim 22 wherein said idler is an active idler positioned adjacent to said drive pulley and is continually contacting said second belt during normal operation of said belt drive transmission, wherein said active idler increases a wrap angle of said belt on said drive pulley.
25. A force feedback interface device as recited in claim 23 wherein said drive pulley, said amplification pulley and said passive idlers are included in a first stage of said belt drive transmission, and wherein said belt drive transmission further comprises a second stage including a second belt.
26. A force feedback interface device as recited in claim 25 wherein said second stage includes a driven pulley rigidly coupled to said amplification pulley, and a second amplification pulley coupled to said driven pulley by said second belt.
27. A force feedback device as recited in claim 21 wherein said belt drive transmission is a first belt drive transmission coupled to said first actuator, and further comprising a second belt drive transmission coupled between said second actuator and said linkage mechanism.
28. A force feedback device as recited in claim 27, wherein said at least one sensor includes a first sensor coupled to said first actuator and a second sensor coupled to said second actuator.
29. A force feedback device capable of communicating with a host computer, the interface device comprising:
a user manipulatable object physically contactable by a user;
a linkage mechanism coupled to said user manipulatable object and providing said user manipulatable object with first and second rotary degrees of freedom, said linkage mechanism including:
a ground member;
a first extension member and a second extension member rotatably coupled to said ground member; and
a first central member rotatably coupled to said first extension member, and a second central member rotatably coupled to said second extension member, and wherein said first and second central members are rotatably coupled to each other;
first and second actuators coupled to said linkage mechanism, said first actuator operative to output a force in said first degree of freedom and said second actuator operative to output a force in said second degree of freedom;
at least one sensor operative to sense motion of said user manipulatable object in said first and second degrees of freedom; and
a belt drive transmission coupled between said first actuator and said linkage mechanism, said belt drive transmission including a synchronous belt.
30. A force feedback device as recited in claim 29 wherein said first belt drive transmission is symmetrical to said second belt drive transmission.
31. A force feedback interface device capable of communicating with a host computer and providing forces to a user manipulating said interface device, the interface device comprising:
a user manipulandum for physical contact by a user and moveable in two degrees of freedom;
a sensor for detecting a position of said user manipulandum in said degrees of freedom;
an actuator coupled to said user manipulandum for applying a force to said user manipulandum;
a belt drive transmission coupled between said actuator and said user manipulatable object, said belt drive transmission including a drive pulley coupled to said actuator, a belt coupling said drive pulley to an amplification pulley, and an idler positioned adjacent to said drive pulley, said idler being positioned to impede radial displacement of a belt away from said drive pulley and thus loss of positive engagement during normal operation without preloading said belt; and
a linkage mechanism coupled between said actuator and said user manipulandum and coupled to a physical ground, said linkage mechanism providing said two degrees of freedom to said user manipulandum and transmitting said force from said actuator to said user manipulandum, wherein said linkage mechanism includes a serially-linked chain of rotatable members coupled to ground at both ends of said chain, said chain including:
a first member;
a second member rotatably coupled to said first member;
a third member rotatably coupled to said second member, and
a fourth member rotatably coupled to said third member.
32. A force feedback device as recited in claims 31 wherein said idler is a passive idler positioned adjacent to said drive pulley, said passive idler not contacting said belt wrapped around said drive pulley during normal operation and preventing said belt from moving off said drive pulley when slack is introduced in said belt.
33. A force feedback interface device as recited in claim 32 wherein said drive pulley, said amplification pulley and said passive idlers are included in a first stage of said belt drive transmission, and wherein said belt drive transmission further comprises a second stage including a second belt.
34. A force feedback interface device as recited in claim 33 wherein said second stage includes a driven pulley rigidly coupled to said amplification pulley, and a second amplification pulley coupled to said driven pulley by said second belt.
35. A force feedback device as recited in claim 31 wherein said idler is an active idler positioned adjacent to said drive pulley and is continually contacting said second belt during normal operation of said belt drive transmission, wherein said active idler increases a wrap angle of said belt on said drive pulley. | {
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Camper Fire - Gerber Rd E, South Windsor, CT - 11/27/16
South Windsor, Ct had this camper fire on Gerber Rd E. on 11/27/16. Being close to I84 it brought the highway to a 15mph parking lot. Slowed me down. http://www.squadfirephotos.com/…/South-Windsor-Ct…/i-Hn8P4R6 | {
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The Week[end]: July 6-8, 2007
The revel in the town south of Madison continues with a carnival and exhibits, plus the Great Plains Rodeo Thursday and Friday nights. On Saturday and Sunday nights, it's demolition derby, wherein cars smash one another to bits in a way that's weirdly satisfying.
Joy Kills Sorrow
UW Memorial Union Terrace, 5 pm
How many acoustic acts include a national flat-picking guitar champ, a conservatory-trained mandolin player and a multi-instrumentalist who's recorded with jazz bass great Dave Holland? Suffice it to say that Joy Kills Sorrow's chops are displayed to excellent effect on their ringing takes on back-porch music.
First Fridays
Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, 5:30-8 pm
The downtown institution once again throws open its rooftop sculpture garden for shmoozing, spectacular views and, in this instance, the music of Sparetime Bluegrass.
The Cash Box Kings
Capital Brewery, Middleton, 6 pm
Madison Music Project Charter Club Tour heads outdoors this week, and both blues and beer lovers couldn't be happier. No doubt the Cash Box Kings' rough-and-tumble salutes to the heyday of Chicago 12-bars will keep the festivities suitably loose. Free!
Pat Hidson
Grace Chosy Gallery, through July 28. Reception: 6-8 pm
Canadian-born, Milwaukee-based Hidson works in bright acrylics, and in her new paintings she layers cartoonish imagery over dramatic squares and rectangles of color. In the vibrant "Anne's Florida Home" she draws on a visit to the Sunshine State, where New Orleanians were celebrating Mardi Gras in the aftermath of Katrina.
The MadKings
A Room of One's Own, 6:30 pm
Madison's own troupe of drag kings present what they are touting as a political show. Whatever the politics, we hope they do their version of "Gee, Officer Krupke."
Four Seasons Youth Theatre stages the acclaimed 1990 musical fantasy by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime, Seussical), about a French Antilles peasant girl who rescues a rich boy from a car crash. The show stars students ages 9-20 from all over Dane County.
A straight woman and a lesbian meet at a bar in Megan McGlone's episodic, dialogue-driven comedy. Actresses Laura Collins Peterson and Laura Wineland are both likable, and their characters' comments are at times cleverly incisive.
In George Bernard Shaw's satire, the life of a free-spirited young woman changes abruptly when an airplane crash brings a new man into her life.
The Spy in the MEs/Plök
Annex, 9:30 pm
Both of these energetic Danish indie acts defy expectations. The keyboard-friendly Plök are more playful and anarchic, but chart-topping the Spy in the MEs (that's the Danish chart, of course) have plenty of fun stuffing twisted pop melodies, oblique rock and, yes, polka into their musical Cuisinart. Dirty Little Rabbits and Czarbles open.
Hometown Sweethearts
High Noon Saloon, 10 pm
The city's most lovable cover band know something like 1,000 tunes, so that Captain and Tennille fave you've been dying to hear again definitely isn't out of the question. The Low Czars are also on hand to celebrate the Sweethearts' fifth anniversary.
The Midwest Beat
King Club, 10 pm
The Midwest Beat explore the tuneful side of '60s psychedelia and a little twang in celebration of a new, period-correct CD that contains the same. Garage-rock fans won't be disappointed. Whitney Mann and Cribshitter open.
Saturday 7.7
The Hall of Self-Reliance
Through Aug. 26, Chazen Museum of Art
This show features roughly 30 samples of Chinese painting and calligraphy. They're selections from the museum's recently acquired Simon and Rosemary Chen Collection of Chinese works, dating from the 17th through the 20th century.
Madison Early Music Festival
Mills Hall in the UW Humanities Bldg.; all concerts 7:30 pm, with pre-concert lectures at 6:30 pm in the Chazen Museum of Art
This year's celebration of medieval, Renaissance and Baroque music offers classes, lectures and concerts emphasizing 15th- and 16th-century music from the Low Countries. Piffaro plays the music of Flemish composers (Saturday, July 7); Marion Verbruggen plays recorder music by Johkheer Jacob van Eyck (Sunday, July 8); Fortune's Wheel showcases the music of Burgundy court musicians (Tuesday, July 10); and festival faculty bring to life "The Age of the Netherlanders" (Thursday, July 12).
Martin Zellar
Club Tavern, Middleton, 9 pm
Zellar's old band the Geardaddies were alt-country long before folks had a name for it. He remains a poignant writer and singer. Griff Vittone opens.
Capitol City Tattoo Anniversary Party
High Noon Saloon, 9 pm
Veteran atom-smashers Zeke head up a punky, appropriately in-your-face shindig in celebration of Capitol City Tattoo's first seven years of inking up bare flesh. The Suit, Dead End Rejects and St. Hell Brothers are also part of the festivities.
Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash
Harmony Bar, 10 pm
With the Fourth falling in the middle of the week, it's okay to consider the hard-touring Bastard Sons' polished tributes to the Bakersfield sound and other classic twang part of the holiday weekend. Grab a few cold ones and let 'em go all Americana on your ass.
The Super Eights
King Club, 10 pm
The Super Eights get together for one final set of joyous, careening pop-rock. They'll be missed. They top the Wisconsin Pop Implosion, so this also marks the end of cooperative gigs by some of the city's best garage and indie acts. The Nervous System and Vid Libert also appear.
Sunday 7.8
Marques Bovre & SoDangYang
High Noon Saloon, 7 pm
During his long career as a singer-songwriter, local treasure Bovre has ping-ponged from dance floor-filling country-rock to well-considered acoustic material. Tonight he debuts a new CD with his latest band, which includes blues-rock pioneer Jim Schwall. The release party benefits the construction of a new outreach facility in rural Haiti. | {
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I knew I was going to be in NYC for my birthday this year and that my family wasn't having a big celebration for me so I didn't see the need to go out and buy a new dress. With that said, my parents, sister and nieces took me out for a little surprise/impromptu birthday dinner at an amazing local Italian restaurant. While I was getting ready I was left standing naked. with nothing new to wear so I turned to a new skirt I had snagged at a BCBGMaxAzria outlet store for my first day at my new job and threw it on. I love how soft and comfortable this skirt is and how bright and bold the color is. Lately, I find myself turning to brighter colors and steering away from the muted quiet colors. Maybe I'm getting to be more confident and bold? Who knows. What I do know is that I loved this outfit and this color. Did you know yellow stands for optimism, enlightenment, and happiness?
FYI- this is not my house. My sister and I swung by a haunted mansion in our area for a quick little photo shoot. | {
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Darkstalkers Coming To PS3 And PSP?
The ESRB seems to have leaked news of yet another PSN remake. They recently rated the Capcom fighting game Darkstalkers for the PSP and PS3, an indication that the game is about to be resurrected as a PSOne Classic.
Darkstalkers is a series of 2D fighting games that first started in the nineties. The original game was very similar to Street Fighter II, though it also introduced a couple new features like air blocking and chain combos. The cast of ten playable characters included a vampire, unnaturally busty succubus, werewolf and unnaturally busty cat-girl.
There were only three Darkstalkers games, the last released in 1997. Still, the characters from these games have endured. Several cast members gone on to appear in Capcom cross-over games, most recently Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. The series' cult following has been demanding a contemporary sequel to Darkstalkers for awhile now so perhaps a PSN re-release of the first game is the initial step toward such a dream.
Capcom has yet to announce Darkstalkers is coming to PSN but official announcements tend to follow close behind ESRB listings. Plus, Monday is Halloween so that seems like a good time to release news about a monster-themed fighting game. | {
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Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Stained Glass
The
other day when I was walking to my car in a shopping mall parking lot I
noticed a license plate on a parked car. It was "STNGLAS," stained
glass.
I thought it was a little unusual and wondered if it was a
message for me. I am having a very special stained glass fireplace
screen made with my son's face on it. It's not yet complete, but is getting
there.
I used a line from one of my poems on the bottom, Shining in
God's Holy Grace. I think it's going to be an amazing piece. There will be Celtic Eternity
knots on the border. We have a Celtic roots ancestry and I love the
symbolism of these knots.
A few hours after coming home a picture of the same kind of Celtic
knot we chose was on a post that appeared on my facebook news feed!
I feel that this validated that the license plate was a message.
About Me
For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a mother. I was so happy to have a daughter and a son. They were the focus of my life. Two years ago my 22 year old college senior son died in a tragic accident. The shock and trauma has sent me into a search for meaning. Eight months ago poetry started flowing through me. I believe that the poems are meant to be shared. They are helping me to heal. I hope that they might help others also.
October 2009 | {
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Unformatted text preview: 3.1 Chapter Three Vector Functions 3.1 Relations and Functions We begin with a review of the idea of a function. Suppose A and B are sets. The Cartesian product A B × of these sets is the collection of all ordered pairs ( , ) a b such that a A ∈ and b B ∈ . A relation R is simply a subset of A B × . The domain of R is the set dom R = { :( , ) } a A a b R ∈ ∈ . In case A = B and the domain of R is all of A , we call R a relation on A . A relation R A B ⊂ × such that ( , ) a b R ∈ and ( , ) a c R ∈ only if b = c is called a function . In other words, if R is a function, and a dom R ∈ , there is exactly one ordered pair ( , ) a b R ∈ . The second “coordinate” b is thus uniquely determined by a . It is usually denoted R a ( ) . If R A B ⊂ × is a relation, the inverse of R is the relation R B A- ⊂ × 1 defined by R b a a b R- = ∈ 1 {( , ):( , ) } . Example Let A be the set of all people who have ever lived and let S A A ⊂ × be the relation defined by S a b b a = {( , ): } is the mother of . The S is a relation on A , and is, in fact, a function. The relation S- 1 is not a function, and domS A- ≠ 1 . The fact that f A B ⊂ × is a function with dom f = A is frequently indicated by writing f A B : → , and we say f is a function from A to B . Very often a function f is defined by specifying the domain, and giving a recipe for finding f(a) . Thus we may define the function f from the interval [0,1] to the real numbers by f x x ( ) = 2 . This says that f is the collection of all ordered pairs ( , ) x x 2 in which x ∈ [ , ] 01 . Exercises 3.2 1 . Let A be the set of all Georgia Tech students, and let B be the set of real numbers. Define the relation W A B ⊂ × by W a b b a = {( , ): } is the weight (in pounds) of . Is W a function? Is W- 1 a function? Explain. 2 . Let X be set of all states of the U. S., and let Y be the set of all U. S. municipalities. Define the relation c X Y ⊂ × by c x y y x = {( , ): } is the capital of . Explain why c is a function, and find c (Nevada), c (Missouri), and c (Kentucky). 3 . With X , Y as in Exercise 2 , let b be the function b x y y x = {( , ): } is the largest city in . a)What is b (South Carolina)? b)What is b (California)? c)Let f c b = ∩ , where c is the function defined in Exercise 2 . Find dom f ....
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Evolution of the Lotus Labyrinth
Evolution of the Lotus Labyrinth Image by pyramis The creation of a geodesic dome. The Lotus Labyrinth, first assembly. Salmon River, California. A week later it will be re-assembled at the Burning Man festival in Nevada — Home Free Dome, Black Rock City. | {
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The No Disconnect Strategy (NDS) was launched in December 2011 by European Commission for the Digital Agenda. The strategy aims to provide citizens living in countries framed as non democratic with the technological tools to communicate freely.
Major challenges of such strategy will be to ensure privacy and safety for those citizens and to develop a security framework that exploits the true potential of an open and safe Internet for all. S.T.U.P.ID is a framework that we developed time ago to evaluate the security and safety of circumvention tools. We hope that the S.T.U.P.ID methodology can help to evaluate "technologies for social change" and the need of privacy in and outside of the Internet.
We are very happy to announce that the Freedom Fone is the winner of the Innovation Award of the Index on Censorship 2012 for its contribution to the area of Freedom of Expression.
The Index of Censorship's price recognises innovation and original use of new technology to circumvent censorship and foster debate, argument or dissent.
Our congratulations to the Kubatana Trust of Zimbabwe to conceptualize Freedom Fone and to all those developers that spent sleepless nights with us writing and debugging code. Special thanks to Giovanni and Areski for your patience with us and the Freeswitch, Cake PHP and Ubuntu communities for being always there. Thanks for the freedoms of open source software to allow us to make an idea a reality.
IT46 has been invited to Africa Gathering 2010 held in Nairobi, to present the Freedom Fone project. We took the opportunity to combine our most recent large development projects, Freedom Fone and the Village Telco, and demonstrate an integrated solution combining both technologies.
The demonstrator consisted of three Mesh Potatoes equipped with analogue phones. One of the MP's acted as super node and was connected to the Freedom Fone server. The Mesh Potatoes offered a way to communicate with Freedom Fone free of charge.
Freedom Fone 1.6.5 OR LTS was installed on a laptop with an OfficeRoute (GSM-SIP gateway) connected via Ethernet. The OfficeRoute hosted three local SIM cards which allowed us to call in to Freedom Fone via the GSM network.
During the course of the day, the Freedom Fone/Village Telco demonstrator was tried out by the participants of the event, which served as a great example of the maturity and reliability of the two products and their interoperability.
Africa Gathering is an initiative about sharing ideas for positive change. To do so, Africa Gathering provides a space to bring technophiles, thinkers, entrepreneurs, innovators and everybody else together to talk about positive change in
sustainable development, technology, social networking, health, education, environment and good governance in Africa.
The first mesh network in Bokaap now has over 20 nodes. The geographical situation of Bokaap (in a slope) makes the mesh very alive! In the screenshoot you can see a screenshoot of Afrimesh and the top part of the network with several nodes with redundant voice links
It has been two weeks of hard work in the Village Telco Camp and all the pieces of the Village Telco architecture start to fit into place. As part of the validation of the platform, fifteen wireless nodes have been installed in Bo-Kaap and we expect a total of 100 nodes in the network before the end the year.
Two major milestones of the integration are now completed:
Scalabity: The server includes support for Asterisk Realtime and our Installation wizard install a server in less than 5 minutes.
Autoprovisioning: First round of real testing of SIP auto-provisioning is giving good results. We are getting closer to a scenario where a mesh potato can be put into the network and auto-configures without intervention.
It is a very special feeling to see a system that starts to behave in the way I always dreamed about!
We are happy to announce the public release of our development version of the Village Telco Entrepreneur (VTE) Server. The Village Telco is an initiative to build low-cost community telephone network hardware and software that can be set up in minutes anywhere in the world. No mobile phone towers or land lines are required. The Village Telco uses the latest Open Source telephony software and low cost wireless mesh networking technology to deliver affordable telephony anywhere.
The VTE combines in one single software package a specially customized version of a2billing, a simple wizard to set-up your customers and create vouchers and a monitoring/provisioning component that interacts with the Mesh Potatoes and the Afrimesh monitoring software
The Afrigen team is proud to announce that 54 African locales have been submitted to Unicode, and included in the CLDR 1.8 release. Out of the 54 locales, 41 was completely new to CLDR, while 13 was improvements of existing locales.
This bulk submission of locales has greatly improved the footprint of African languages in CLDR, that hosted only 10+ in the previous release (most of them created by LocaleGEN, the predecessor of Afrigen). The next step for these African locales is submission to OpenOffice.org.
If you want to see a beautiful script that finally has made it to CLDR, have a look at Tachelhit, a Berber language spoken by 300,000 people in Morocco written in Tifinagh. The Tifinagh script is used by around 20 million people in Morocco for writing Berber languages including Tarifite, Tamazighe, and Tachelhite [source: www.unicode.org].
If your local language is not included in CLDR and you are willing to spend a few hours creating a locale, please contact us!
What started as a small programming project it has now became the reference software to create locales for OpenOffice.org and Unicode. Our first tool (localegen) has generated 170 locales in four years. Around 25% of them has made them all the way into OpenOffice.org and Unicode's Locale Repository.
Locales come from all other the world, latest additions include: Uyghur, Maithili, Urdu, Maltese, Sardinian, Asturian and an Arabic-based locale for Oman.
During 2009, we rewrote localegen to facilitate the creation of 100 African locales. Today, Afrigen is the major effort in the world to submit African locales to Unicode!.
As you can imagine, tools need to be adapted with time and managing so many languages, scripts and features still takes considerable time of our research and development. In 2010, we are looking for a sponsor to continue our work, we plan to include more advance features in our tools (support for collation, community grading of locales, discussion forums, etc). Interested? Drop us a line!
We want to thank the IDRC for supporting us and our partner in the 100 African Locales Initiative, Kamusi Project International , as part of ANLoc. Thanks to the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden for hosting our development platform. Specially, we want to thank all contributors that have made Localegen and Afrigen a success!. We love to see (our) software used! | {
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B-Greek: The Biblical Greek Forum
A place to write your solutions to exercises, ask questions, etc, so that teachers can answer. Unlike most of the forum, threads here are automatically pruned if they are not active, so beginner's mistakes do not live permanently.
Forum permissions
You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot post attachments in this forum | {
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AUSTIN, Texas — UT Remembers, a day of remembrance honoring 174 members of the university community — students and current and retired faculty and staff members — who died during the previous year, will be observed Friday, May 4, at The University of Texas at Austin.
In honor of those being remembered, the university Tower lights will be darkened from dusk to dawn. As the sun sets, the only areas of the Tower that will be glowing with white light will be the cap and observation deck. No other areas of the Tower will be illuminated.
The university event, which began in 1998, brings together families, friends, colleagues and co-workers to remember those who died and to reflect upon who they were, what they gave to the institution and what they meant to the people whose lives they touched.
Flags on the Main Mall will be lowered to half-staff at 8:45 a.m. as the first event of the day. In the event of rain, seating for the ceremony will be moved to the loggia of the Main Building.
Families and friends participating in ceremonies during the day will be provided a hospitality room, the Lee Jamail Academic Room, Main Building (Room 212), while they are on campus. An information session on grief will be held in the hospitality room from 10 to 11 a.m.
The UT Remembers service will be held at 2 p.m. in the Tower Garden, north of the Tower and Main Building. Names of people being remembered will be read aloud, and a Tower bell will toll in tribute. In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will be relocated to Hogg Auditorium.
Complimentary parking for event participants is available in the San Antonio Parking Garage at 2420 San Antonio St. Shuttle service will be provided from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. between the San Antonio Parking Garage and UT Remembers activities. | {
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Technology giant Apple is known for its near-obsession with quality, so when it picked North Carolina for a new data center in mid-2009, it was quite a feather in the Tar Heel State's cap. The vote of confidence was not lost on Governor Bev Perdue when she announced the development that's due to be worth more than a billion dollars over the next decade. Luring Apple, she says, proves that "North Carolina continues to be a prime location for growing and expanding global technology companies."
Google is pretty picky, too, given how critical speed and reliability are for ongoing success when you're in the Internet business. The cyber giant needs lots of data crunching power, so it builds data centers all over the world, including several across the South. Google tends to be secretive about its data center operations, announcing some publicly but keeping many of them relatively under wraps. The company is upfront about its multimillion-dollar center in Lenoir, North Carolina, and a couple of years ago announced development of a center in Berkeley County, South Carolina. Independent followers list several others with southern addresses, including Georgia, Virginia, Texas, Florida, and Oklahoma.
The bottom line is that data centers have blossomed in the South for the same kinds of reasons they have sprouted elsewhere, says Pitt Turner, president and managing principal of Uptime Institute Professional Services, which consults with data center designers and engineers. Developers may be looking for cheap power, access to great Internet connections, and proximity to customers so as to maximize data delivery speeds. They may also simply want to be close to home. "One of the hot spots is always close to the corporate headquarters," he says. "Often the clients want to put their data center within quick access."
That desire for proximity would explain why northern Virginia developed into a major data center hub in the 1990s - it was the place where Internet giant America Online reached maturity, spawning nearby data center operations and attracting likeminded operations. "Everything clustered around northern Virginia, starting with AOL, and it went from there," says Hamilton Southworth, a corporate managing director for the commercial real estate services firm Studley Inc.
There are data centers in virtually all southern states, with especially strong concentrations in Texas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. For the most part, the data center map in the South confirms a somewhat offbeat truth that Southworth cites about data center development: Many of the most successful clusters sprout in or near cities that have professional football franchises. Strange but true: Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas are all places to find NFL tailgating on Sundays and healthy data center development during the week.
There are exceptions to every rule, of course. You've got football in New Orleans, Louisiana, but the Big Easy is not as popular when it comes to data center development for yet another common reason influencing data center site selection: steering clear of the risk of natural disaster. For example, Data Protection Services impressed many in the business when it kept its New Orleans operations up and running as Hurricane Katrina blasted through and left much of the city underwater, but the company has since picked up and moved farther inland.
"People may prefer a location farther in from the coast, to reflect the fact that in Gulf Coast states there is hurricane exposure," says Turner. That's tough luck for a place like New Orleans, and to some extent Houston, Texas, but it's a positive for such locations as Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, which, according to Turner is appealing because it's "a major airport hub and is perceived to be inland far enough to eliminate some of the risk."
Factors Influencing Site DecisionsFor a data center, Turner says, the two most important interactions would be with network presence and power. Because data centers put hundreds or thousands of computer servers under one roof and run the heck out of them, they tend to use a lot of power. They're drawing large quantities of electricity not only to feed the servers, but also to keep them cool. And to be sure their power never quits, data centers need redundant power supplies, often including onsite backup generation capability. "The amount of power consumed over a number of years will cost more than the center itself," says Turner. "Because of the amount of power consumed, the rate for that power becomes one of the largest economic differentiators."
Data centers also need outstanding links to the Internet, with diverse fiber networks nearby to ensure that there are no problems with latency, which refers to the time it takes for data to get from origin to destination. "Latency issues can be very significant," says Southworth. "A microsecond may be a big problem."
Avoiding risk is highly important, too. Hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes are obvious concerns, but so are manmade perils. "They want to be more than a mile from an interstate commerce path," says Turner, noting that highways and rail right-of-ways haul all kinds of hazardous chemicals. Think about news reports involving toxic spills - they often talk about evacuation of the surrounding area, and that area, according to Turner, is often a mile radius. No wonder data center developers want to put at least a mile between data centers and highways.
Climate also plays a role in site selection. "One of the things that goes against the Southeast is that it's hot and humid," says Southworth. "That necessitates a lot more money going into cooling, so operating costs may be higher." But he points out that a look at the map shows that plenty of data center developers apparently can stand the heat.
What Makes a Data CenterSouthworth describes three distinct types of data center developments: the large centers from Google, Apple and other big names that serve massive audiences; smaller centers that companies set up onsite at headquarters or another major facility; and centers established by third-party operators that he says aggregate the demand from small users and build large data centers.
According to Turner, those developing data centers follow local building codes because they have to, but they're really paying greater notice to a different set of rules. "Building codes really are life safety codes and have nothing to do with the economic viability of the site," he says. In other words, codes are all about helping the people inside the buildings survive a catastrophe. Saving people is important to data center developers, of course, but so is safeguarding the equipment and the data it stores, and that means following protocols that are a lot more stringent than what local codes require. "With a data center it's common to see the site built to stricter standards."
For the most part, Turner says, a data center is likely to be built in a new structure rather than an existing building, and it's not likely to be more than a story or two tall. "Clients that have a larger data center requirement typically will go to a new site for a number of reasons," he says. "The data center is really a form-follows-function type of facility. It's really driven around the computer room, and then you wrap a building around that. It's awkward to fit into an existing building."
Hot PropertiesAcross the South and elsewhere, data center development is going strong, even in difficult economic times. "The data center business is as hot as it was during the dot-com buildup - hopefully we won't see any bubbles bursting," says Turner. "More and more companies are in a position where they need to augment or supplement, or take a giant step forward, in their IT capabilities."
It's hot, says Southworth, even though a typical data center doesn't employ all that many people, at least not compared with a big factory. "It's not a job-intensive industry, but there are jobs. They will be mostly in excess of the average income in a given area." What's more, he says, they generate a fair amount of taxes: "When you have a fully built-out data center, you could easily put in computer equipment and servers worth $100 million. That's going to be personal property and subject to local taxes."
Data centers are also in demand because they don't drastically change a location's qualities. A data center adds a lot more to the tax base than a warehouse with the same square footage would, but because of the comparatively small work force, it doesn't put much strain on city services. "That increase in the property tax base comes with very few demands," says Southworth. "Parks, schools, traffic will all have very minimal impact." | {
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Porter was born and raised in Connellsville, Pennsylvania to Thomas Richard Porter, a merchant, and Mary (Clark) Porter; he was the fourth of seven children with four brothers (Charles W., Frank, John and Everett Melbourne) and two sisters (Mary and Ada). Named Edward at birth, he later changed his name to Edwin Stanton, after the Democratic politician from Ohio who had served as Abraham Lincoln's Secretary of War. [3] After attending public schools in Connellsville, Porter worked, among other odd jobs, as an exhibition skater, a sign painter, and a telegraph operator. He developed an interest in electricity at a young age, and shared a patent at age 21 for a lamp regulator. [4] Eventually becoming a merchant tailor, Porter was battered by the 1893 financial panic. He filed for bankruptcy on June 15th and enlisted in the United States Navy four days later on June 19th. [5]
He was employed initially in the electrical department of William Cramp & Sons, a Philadelphia ship and engine building company. During his three years' service he showed aptitude as an inventor of electrical devices to improve communications.[6]
Porter entered motion picture work in 1896, the first year movies were commercially projected on large screens in the United States. He was briefly employed in New York City by Raff & Gammon, agents for the films and viewing equipment made by Thomas Edison, and then left to become a touring projectionist with a competing machine, Kuhn & Webster's Projectorscope. He traveled through the West Indies and South America, showing films at fairgrounds and in open fields, and later made a second tour through Canada and the United States.
Returning to New York in early 1898, Porter found work at the Eden Musée, a Manhattan wax museum and amusement hall[7] which had become a center for motion picture exhibition and production and licensee of the Edison Manufacturing Company. While at Eden Musée, Porter worked assembling programs of Edison films, most particularly exhibitions of films of the Spanish American War, Edison productions which helped stir an outbreak of patriotic fever in New York City. As an exhibitor, Porter had tremendous creative control over these programs, presenting a slate of films accompanied by a selection of music and live narration.[8]
In 1899 Porter joined the Edison Manufacturing Company. Soon afterward he took charge of motion picture production at Edison's New York studios, operating the camera, directing the actors, and assembling the final print. He collaborated with several other filmmakers, including George S. Fleming. During the next decade Porter became the most influential filmmaker in the United States. From his experience as a touring projectionist Porter knew what pleased crowds, and he began by making trick films and comedies for Edison. One of his early films was Terrible Teddy, the Grizzly King, a satire made in February 1901 about the then Vice President-elect, Theodore Roosevelt. Like all early filmmakers, he took ideas from others, but rather than simply copying films he tried to improve on what he borrowed. In his Jack and the Beanstalk (1902) and Life of an American Fireman (1903) he followed earlier films by France's Georges Méliès and members of England's Brighton School, such as James Williamson. Instead of using abrupt splices or cuts between shots, however, Porter created dissolves, gradual transitions from one image to another. In Life of an American Fireman particularly, the technique helped audiences follow complex outdoor movement.
Porter's next film, The Great Train Robbery (1903) took the archetypal American Western story, already familiar to audiences from dime novels and stage melodrama, and made it an entirely new visual experience. The one-reel film, with a running time of twelve minutes, was assembled in twenty separate shots, along with a startling close-up of a bandit firing at the camera. It used as many as ten different indoor and outdoor locations and was groundbreaking in its use of "cross-cutting" in editing to show simultaneous action in different places. No earlier film had created such swift movement or variety of scene. The Great Train Robbery was enormously popular. For several years it toured throughout the United States, and in 1905 it was the premier attraction at the first nickelodeon. Its success firmly established motion pictures as commercial entertainment in the United States.
After The Great Train Robbery Porter continued to try out new techniques. He presented two parallel stories in The Kleptomaniac (1905), a film of social commentary like his technically more conventional film of 1904, The Ex-Convict. In The Seven Ages (1905) he used side lighting, close-ups, and changed shots within a scene, one of the earliest examples of a filmmaker departing from the theatrical analogy of a single shot for each scene. He also directed trick films such as Dream of a Rarebit Fiend (1906), based on the comic strip by Winsor McCay. Between 1903 and 1905 he successfully demonstrated most of the techniques that were to become the basic modes of visual communication through film. For instance, he helped to develop the modern concept of continuity editing, and is often credited with discovering that the basic unit of structure in film was the "shot" rather than the scene (the basic unit on the stage), paving the way for D.W. Griffith's advances in editing and screen storytelling. Yet he seemed to regard them only as separate experiments and never brought them together in a unified filmmaking style. Porter directed future filmmaker Griffith in "Rescued from an Eagle's Nest" (1908) and rising star Mary Pickford in "Tess of the Storm Country" (1914).
In 1909 after tiring of the industrial system set up to feed the booming nickelodeon business, Porter left Edison and founded a company to manufacture Simplex motion picture projectors. In 1910 he founded Defender Film Company,[9] which folded after one year. In 1911 he joined with others in organizing the Rex Motion Picture Company.[10] In 1912 he sold out and accepted an offer from Adolph Zukor to become chief director of the new Famous Players Film Company, the first U.S. company that regularly produced feature-length films, directing stage actor James K. Hackett in their first feature film, The Prisoner of Zenda (1913), and also directing Mary Pickford in her first feature film, A Good Little Devil (1913), also directing Pauline Frederick and John Barrymore.
But his directorial skills had not kept pace with rapid changes in motion picture art, although his technical skills were piqued by 3D. Porter's last film premiered on June 10, 1915, Niagara Falls,[11] the first anaglyph 3D movie. In 1916 he left Famous Players during a reorganization.
From 1917 to 1925 Porter served as president of the Precision Machine Company, manufacturers of the Simplex projectors.[1] After his retirement in 1925 he continued to work on his own as an inventor and designer, securing several patents for still cameras and projector devices. During the 1930s he was employed by an appliance corporation.
Aged 71, he died in 1941 at the Hotel Taft in New York City[1] and was buried in Husband Cemetery, Somerset, Pennsylvania. He was survived by his wife, Caroline Ridinger, whom he had married on June 5, 1893; they had no children.
Porter remains an enigmatic figure in motion picture history. Though his significance as director of The Great Train Robbery and other innovative early films is undeniable, he rarely repeated an innovation after he had used it successfully, never developed a consistent directorial style, and in later years never protested when others rediscovered his techniques and claimed them as their own. He was a modest, quiet, cautious man who felt uncomfortable working with the famous stars he directed starting in 1912. Zukor said of Porter that he was more an artistic mechanic than a dramatic artist, a man who liked to deal with machines better than with people.[12] | {
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Knowing and I Don’t Knowing
As the coordinator for the Detroit Future Schools program, I get to visit 12 classrooms all over the Metro-Detroit area every month. Grades range from third grade up through twelfth. School focuses range from the basics to aeronautics. Class sizes ranging from ten to thirty-five students. I’m learning more right now about schooling and learning (the two are not synonymous) than I did as an undergrad earning my teaching certificate. Every class has a unique personality–a unique pulse–but one thing remains the same…
In every classroom I’ve visited, I hear the phrase “I don’t know.” It is most commonly used in response to a teacher asking a student a question and the student passive-aggressively responding by mumbling, “I don’t know,” shrugging his/her shoulders and at all costs, avoiding eye contact with the teacher.
I eliminated this option for all students in my classroom. In bold letters on hot neon-colored paper, I taped this slogan for all to see:
“What you don’t know today, you will know tomorrow.”
This slogan, from the start of the school year until about mid-year became the bane of my students’ (and their parents’) existence. Why? Because it meant that when students asked me questions that required just a wee bit of research, my response was THE slogan: “What you don’t know today, you will know tomorrow.” This eventually became decoded by the students. It meant, “Hey–you’ve all got cell phones, books, other people in your lives who can serve as resources–and you’ve got your own experiences to pull from–figure it out and get back to us with what you’ve found.” So, yes, we all don’t know SOME THINGS, but when we really want to know anything, we go out in search of it.
This helped move students in my classroom from seeing themselves as passive receptors of information to co-creators and pursuers of information/knowledge. They started asking genuine questions quietly to themselves and their peers. I modeled this for them by genuinely asking questions that, most of the time, I didn’t have an answer for. Like, “Should the government censor the internet?” Or, “How do we overcome mental oppression for ourselves and for oppressed communities?”
Sidenote: When a student would respond to a question with “I don’t know,” the whole class, in unison would sing-song THE slogan and I would end it with, “And you’re about to know in a minute…when we all think together.” Then we’d all work really hard to answer the question with our “best collective guess.” Because, as we learned as soon as Pluto was downgraded to a rock, knowledge is fluid.
What we DO know today, we may need to UNKNOW tomorrow.
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9 thoughts on “Knowing and I Don’t Knowing”
The classroom community response to “IDK” is beautiful. This is both a conceptual and practical post that suggests what we could all do tomorrow to make learning more authentic and communal in our schools.
That’s a great question. I actually had to think real hard trying to remember when this idea got “incepted.”
I remember it was my second semester in a Dearborn Public School and I was teaching an English intervention class–I had students who had either failed or were at risk of failing an English class. There was this general attitude of calling one another idiots or laughing at someone if he/she answered a question incorrectly. The students who got it the worst were the immigrant students who struggled with not only the mores of being a teenager in the US but with the English language altogether. It got to a point in class when students just didn’t want to answer anything. I remember out of frustration saying that line, “What you don’t know today, you will know tomorrow,” and a student just looked up from his notebook and said, “That’s so true. I love that!” And I think that’s when it became a thing in my classroom.
The fluidity of knowledge and need for an egalitarian learning community I learned from a collection of authors including Paolo Freire, Eleanor Duckworth, and Jeff Duncan-Andrade to name a few.
Thank you for asking me this and allowing me to document my own learning process.
Thank you for sharing – I think the “you’re an idiot” culture you describe is encoded in many places in the day-to-day operation of schools. I’m very glad you and your students have persevered in challenging and countering it.
Thank you for your insights. I suspect a fair number of the students you deal with ‘know’ a lot more than they are willing to admit and use IDK as a way to hide from the gaze of the teacher and their fellow students in what we call “school”. From what little I know about the project(s) you are involved in, perhaps those students will develop the ability to speak of what they truly know.
Having lived in the Detroit area for 31 years, I would perceive your work to be much more difficult than your post suggests, particularly with regard to language and idiom, culture, religion, the sexes and color. I will say what many are afraid to say out of fear the “PC Police” will descend upon them – this area is segregated. Decades ago, I was a cop in an Eight Mile ‘border town’ and I see little that has changed except for the language used to describe the situation.
“Color” no longer divides – it is “culture”. The greatest “cultural divide” has been named a “multi-generational culture of poverty”. With its genesis in this nation state’s rather unsavory history of color divisions, the origin of this “culture of poverty” lies beneath clever and “fluid” use of language.
How do you and yours go about helping students come to understand that ‘fluidity of knowledge’ stems first from having the ‘authority’ to determine what knowledge is fluid, and that gaining ‘authority’ is not at all egalitarian in nature?
You sound like a gentleman I totally must have a cup of coffee with–especially if you’re still in the Detroit area.
I’m not sure I totally understand your question but it seems that it’s more of an unpacking of my process in my classroom–how do I get the students to understand/own these concepts/practices? Please correct me if I’m wrong. But the way I’d answer the question as I understand it is I talk about the societal hierarchy of knowledge. I believe it was Lisa Delpit’s book, Other People’s Children (http://www.amazon.com/Other-Peoples-Children-Cultural-Classroom/dp/1595580743) that got me thinking about outright, telling my students that because of their race, history and zip codes, they were at a disadvantage. They would have to fight to get others to value the knowledge and experiences they’ve had and learned.
One explicit lesson was around grammar. We didn’t call it proper and improper grammar–we called it dominant and non-dominant grammar. We had long conversations on what it means to “speak white” as the students called it. We looked at quotes and analysis of self-hate in minority communities around the world (texts by Malcolm X, Stephen Biko, Martin Luther King, experiments of Clark on black children choosing white dolls, etc).
I guess to simply answer your question I’d say it was an explicit and unapologetic approach to talking about the world as it is and as it could be (how do we want it to be?).
My name is Devon Weaver and I am currently enrolled in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama. I couldn’t agree more with this blog post. I see to many students answer i don’t know and the teacher never thinks twice about it. I love the slogan ” What you don’t know today, You will know tomorrow”. I have had a few professors in the past that would research my fellow classmates question and have the answer for them the very next day. I really admire a teacher or professor that does that. I enjoyed reading your blog post and thank you for the opportunity to do so.
Thank you so much for reading and commenting. Although I appreciated professors who took the time to answer my questions, I also appreciated the professors who made me push through my own confusions. They would scaffold me through my cognitive process but refused to give me the answer until I’ve given it my all and failed to see the flaw in my thinking (if I arrived at the wrong answer). One professor was my undergrad linguistics professor. He was flat out one of the toughest professors I ever had but I can’t say I learned more in any other class that year than I did in his. And sure enough, he was terminated a year or two later because students did not appreciate the challenges he laid in front of his students to take ownership of their learning. Students would literally ask him, and funny that I’ve heard this same request in high school classrooms from students–students would ask him to “Just give us the answer. Tell us what you want.”
I remember loving the authentic learning experiences in his class. Sincerely feeling myself looking straight into my Zone of Proximal Development–the chasm between what I knew and what I wanted to know. So awesome!
Love the post. It reminded to check back in my notebook from this summer because I remember scribbling down a few thoughts on “I don’t know.” Here’s what I found,
*Don’t allow I don’t knows! If they don’t know something investigate why! Was the question poorly phrased? Was the student not paying attention? Was there a vocab word within the question they didn’t know? Respond to I don’t knows with questions to figure out why the student does not know. What is the concept that you are struggling with? What are you thinking?
-Turn to class, does anyone else feel the same way or have the same issue? If multiple people raise their hands then this is a productive response, it has identified a class-wide issue that we can backtrack to and tackle.
-First step is to seek specificity, locating exactly what they don’t know, then game plan about what WE are going to do about it
What I really love is that you created a tradition that the students internalized. It’s one thing to know an attitude and drive you want your kids to take on, it’s a whole nother thing to translate that into a digestible and repeatable action that works in the classroom. Well done, I might steal it for my own classroom next year! | {
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www.washingtontimes.com Topics: Obama Dramahttp://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/obama-drama/?utm_medium=RSS2012-02-01T20:41:08-05:00Inside the Beltway2012-02-01T20:41:08-05:00Jennifer Harperhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/feb/1/inside-the-beltway-288948244/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p><strong>OBAMA DRAMA</strong></p> <p>The days of "no-drama Obama" are waning, and hopeful Republicans who entertain the notion that Hollywood has lost its love for President Obama, take heed. There's a new script afoot. First lady Michelle Obama raised nearly a cool $1 million for her spouse's re-election campaign with a single ... | {
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MAVIN Technology Inc. Is a professional manufacturer on Bluetooth and GPS products. The headquarter is located in HsinChu of Taiwan with in-house production factory for design/manufacturing/QC whole process. We are the Associate member of SIG and proud to be the first one among Taiwanese companies t.. | {
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and stress on a rural communities. He recently at Cynthia CesarChavez community the White House going to be successful we have ..... patience it requires persistence and courage. And I think CesarChavez certainly displayed that to humiliate someone who has right
would change because I had a hero -- CesarChavez . An activist who co-founded the united ..... simple changes. And a new movie -- " CesarChavez " -- chronicles the hunger strikes ..... these farmworkers don't even know who CesarChavez was. Both: No, no. Reporter: America's
♪ I just came ♪ " CesarChavez " is the first ever movie chronicling ..... rights activist and labor organizer CesarChavez and ordinary family man who embraced ..... before three hours he would say I'm CesarChavez and this is what I'd like to contribute
ws/NuMxgZ OBAMA ADMITS HE'S 'TECHNOLOGICALLY CHALLENGED'. Speaking at a White House screening of the new movie " CesarChavez " yesterday, President Obama told the audience he couldn't stay to watch, but that he would get a copy on a "CD
Credit: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo Speaking at a White House screening of the new movie " CesarChavez " today, President Obama told the audience he couldn't stay to watch, but that he would get a copy on a "CD." "I cannot
http://es.pn/OuwyAO TODAY AT THE WHITE HOUSE: This afternoon President Obama hosts a screening of the new film " CesarChavez " at the White House. The film stars America Ferrera, Rosario Dawson and Michael Peña. He also does a series of interviews
part of that's been underway with benefit concerts and help from different foundations like Woody Guthrie foundation that CesarChavez foundation. When my students heard that Tim wanted to raise money for any plaque or the memorial site my stance get involved
Hispanics exercised powerful political muscle during the 2012 presidential election, helping send President Barack Obama back to the White House and catapulting immigration reform to the forefront of the national agenda. Now, the community is using the hundreds of thousands of dollars generated
For a significant period of his storied career as a labor organizer, CesarChavez opposed illegal immigration. He encouraged union members to join "wet lines" along the Arizona-Mexico border to prevent undocumented
The Republican Party and the National Park Service have something in common: They want to attract Latinos and they face a bleak future if they can't figure out how to woo this powerful demographic. Just as the GOP faces a shrinking pool of white males, so too does the park service. There aren't
the Times' pages, Mónica Novoa, the director of Define American, and Fernando Chavez, the eldest son of labor leader CesarChavez , who died exactly 20 years ago to the day. For Fernando Chavez , the action was a way of commemorating his father. "It's
let's move forward and let's let them know that we're ready." Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers with CesarChavez in the 1960s, said supporters must point out to the masses that a pathway to citizenship "has always been the policy
Today, Google chose to honor legendary labor leader CesarChavez with one of their Google Doodles – the temporary homepage ..... logo art to mark the birth of left-wing labor leader CesarChavez ," reads a post on the site . But First Things, a
Sr. supporters believe it's his turn. "You and President Clinton have bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom on CesarChavez , Dolores Huerta and Justice Cruz Reynoso - three of Fred Ross Sr.'s students," wrote former Labor Secretaries Robert
Heller joked he wasn't aware April Fool's Day was a holiday, Dabney informed him that in California, April 1 is CesarChavezDay , in honor of the late labor leader and civil rights activist. In denying Heller's request to delay the trial
Huerta is a labor leader who co-founded the United Farm Workers (formerly known as National Farmworkers Association) with CesarChavez . A Human Right Melanie Cervantes of Dignidad Rebelde is the creator of "Migration is a Human Right" According to Cervantes
Where I live, Chicanismo/Xicansimo is everywhere. It's on the murals defaced with graffiti on CesarChavez Avenue. It's on the names of taco trucks and 99 cent stores. As I took the bus through downtown on the Day of la Virgin de
For decades, the traditional logic has held that unions and migrant labor don't mix. CesarChavez , the Mexican American labor hero, opposed the use of undocumented immigrants as "scabs" and even had union members form a
Univision. On Saturday, the group has scheduled take the rally "to the heart of our community" at Atlantic Boulevard and CesarChavez Avenue in East L.A., Tezcatlipoca said. McAdam said she is honored by the outpouring of support from Latinos and other
is overseeing the music for Luna's next project, the biopic Chavez , starring Michael Peña as the iconic labor activist CesarChavez and arriving in theaters in 2013. But Fainchtein's work transcends Mexico – Hollywood directors such as Lee Daniels
address the AIDS crisis. Actress Whoopi Goldberg, then presidential candidate Jesse Jackson, and Latino civil rights leader CesarChavez were among the estimated 500,000 people who descended on the capital. "National Coming Out Day really happened because
OBAMA DEDICATES CHAVEZ NATIONAL MONUMENT. ABC's Mary Bruce reports from Keene, Calif.: Four years after borrowing CesarChavez 's "si, se puede" motto for his "yes, we can" campaign slogan, President Obama today dedicated a new national monument
KEENE, Calif. - Four years after borrowing CesarChavez 's "si, se puede" motto for his "yes, we can ..... workers themselves. "Our world is a better place because CesarChavez decided to change it. Let us honor his memory. But
President Obama on Monday declared the California home of renowned labor leader César Chávez a national monument. Chávez is known as the father of the farm labor movement in the 1960s, and fought for better working conditions, especially for Latino farm workers and their families. "Our world is a
Hirabayashi died on January 2, 2012. Dolores Huerta Huerta is a civil rights, workers, and women's advocate. With CesarChavez , she co-founded the National Farmworkers Association in 1962, which later became the United Farm Workers of America
against him in the past. As for the protestors, the group consider themselves “the 99%,” and have been camped out in CesarChavez Square in downtown Phoenix since Saturday in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street protesters. While their numbers do not
We want our government to be free of such influence," Hudson said. In Sacramento, Calif., as protesters gathered at CesarChavez Park, among those speaking was well known war protester and California native Cindy Sheehan. "Economic and social equality
currently a freshman at South Mountain Community College in Phoenix, Arizona, was a member of the 12 person team from CesarChavez High School in Laveen, Arizona that won a grant through the Lemelson-MIT Program’s InvenTeams initiative for their
in beds in poor condition. But CesarChavez has always been a fighter not ..... fire to get up. And so we choose CesarChavez in the past some of his critics ..... course today will be officially CesarChavezday when President Obama signs that
president will meet with the family of civil rights legend CesarChavez on what would have been his 83rd birthday. Chavez ..... sign a proclamation designating March 31, 2010 as CesarChavezDay . In the afternoon the president and first lady Michelle
want." • By Judy Keen Oxnard, Calif. "Hang in there and work hard" In this city where United Farm Workers organizer CesarChavez once lived, migrant workers from Mexico have toiled for decades, and Hispanics make up 66% of the nearly 200,000 population
played a role in the life of Americans. Also, they're talking about reducing how much attention is paid to the likes of CesarChavez (big force for labor unions). The Wall Street Journal covered the story this morning and quoted one of the curriculum
shops located in a one-mile stretch of CesarChavez Street in Austin, Texas , each pinata ..... Mexico to various small businesses along CesarChavez , Lee recalls. No one was interested ..... look-a-likes swinging in the wind on any given CesarChavez corner. But business isn't what it | {
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Fighting oppression and discrimination for all
Animal Abuse at San Francisco Live Animal Markets
Live turtles and fish at M.P. Seafood Market in San Francisco. The turtles were frantically attempting to right themselves, and a fish's fins were flapping.
Butchering animals
while alive and conscious is a common practice for many live markets,
but turtles are especially prone to such cruelty as
their retractable heads make them difficult to kill. See this video of a still-alive turtle with its shell removed, on display for sale at 99 Ranch Market in Milpitas, CA.
District Attorney George Gascón is claiming that poultry became exempt from
all state animal cruelty laws in 2000.
Our attorneys disagree. Read one attorney's response
here.
Click
here for information about chickens, including the lives of
egg-laying chickens such as these.
Live animal vendors at San Francisco's farmers markets
stuff factory-farmed animals upside-down in paper bags inside plastic bags, overcrowd
animals in direct sunlight with no water, and set aside injured birds for
later sale or eventual dispatch. Customers then transport them (often
on public transit or in their car trunks, after carrying them around
shopping) to their restaurants, apartments or houses and kill them when and
how they wish (usually for food, sometimes for ritual sacrifice, and
possibly for training hunting dogs), unsupervised and unregulated
— these hens and "small game
birds" are exempt from California's
poultry slaughter laws, and birds (along with rabbits)
are exempt from
federal slaughter laws.
We also witnessed them handling the live animals in violent and abusive ways: tossing them (in the bags) onto the ground from high on the truck,
packing them into cages so tightly they crush each other and can't
move or get stuck, forcibly pulling them out of cages from their feet while they
cry out in pain and fear, tying their feet and leaving them on the
ground, and carrying them by their wings or legs. Some animals escape,
possibly to die a prolonged and agonizing death through starvation
or exposure, or becoming the responsibility of overburdened animal
rescue organizations (including Animal Care and Control).
These markets also sell live
"balut," (unhatched bird eggs)
— which are cruelly
boiled alive.
Cruelty to all animals is prohibited by California Penal Code
sections 597(a), 597(b), 597a, and 597t —
yet authorities currently
refuse to fully enforce these laws when it comes to farm animals - even
though no animals are exempt (except to the extent
necessary for slaughter for food, for
hunting and for research). Additionally, California Food and
Agriculture Code section 26602 requires that all persons
transporting poultry carry appropriate written records or they may
be arrested without warrant.
The Humane Society of the U.S. has a good article discussing the
San Francisco live market problems
here.
Most of these chickens are "spent" hens
from egg factories and breeding facilities, purchased by the markets very inexpensively (as
they are not "broiler" breeds worth little for meat). Most
have had their beak ends painfully cut off, standard practice for
intensely-confined egg-laying hens. Such birds' bodies wear out
prematurely — their bones depleted of calcium - after just a couple
of years, due to unnatural egg production levels, stress and overall
poor health. Click
here for more information about commercial egg production and
animal welfare.
Felony arrest warrants issued for
managers of VA live market
In the Fairfax County case, the store managers have been charged under a Virginia law that aims to protect native species by stemming poaching of wild animals for valuable meat, pelts and antlers.
Read more
here.
Live poultry sales cease
at Stockton, CA Farmers' Market!
The Animal Services division of the Stockton
Police Department instructed the Stockton Farmers' Market to
cease live poultry sales effective January 1, 2012, in compliance
with California Penal Code section 597.4. See this
Stockton Record article for more details.
VICTORY! Live bird
sales banned at Richmond, CA Farmers' Market!
On September 27, 2011, the Richmond City
Council voted to end live bird sales at its farmers' market, effective
November 1, 2011. There are no longer any live bird sales allowed at
any Bay Area farmers' market. See this
Contra Costa Times article for more details.
The Councilmember who was most vocally
opposed to the ban posted about it on
his web site. We sincerely appreciate that he acknowledges our findings
that these birds are factory-farmed "spent hens" and that public
health risks and cruelty were valid concerns, and that he links to
our website's information, but we believe he's missing the point on some
issues:
He feels that since California's
Proposition 2 (not effective until 2015) will ban "battery
cages" — one of the many
extremely cruel but standard egg
production practices - this potential small reduction of suffering on
huge corporate factory-farms
will somehow justify the inhumane treatment of these birds in
public at farmers' markets, subsidized by taxpayer money.
He acknowledges that these may be "spent
hens" from factory farms and that opponents have concerns with
the public being exposed to pathogen-ridden feces, but doesn't
state an opinion on the public health risks or the public's
expectation (and the market's requirement) that products sold
there are personally grown by small, local farmers (instead of
simply disposing of "useless" birds unwanted by
factory egg farms).
He claims that there is no evidence that
these chickens were any worse-treated or less-healthy than
grocery store chickens. In fact, "spent hens'" bodies are worn
out and bruised from unnatural egg production levels, making
them unhealthy and susceptible to infections and injury than
young broiler chickens. San Francisco's Animal Care and Control
cited this vendor for 795 cruelty violations in 2009. They also
seized two sick and injured birds in San Francisco — one had to
be euthanized. We have video documentation of others with open
wounds/infections at their tails from severe picking (due to
overcrowding), and one at Richmond with a huge, round, shiny
abscess under her beak. We've documented blood on eggs and in
cages. Much of the cruelty can be viewed at
our YouTube channel. Even if they weren't treated worse, such cruelty should
not subsidized and supported by Bay Area cities.
He feels that any problems such as public
health risks and cruelty are outweighed by the benefits of
people learning that their meat comes from live animals. In
fact, these vendors are tucked away out of sight of most
customers, and the birds carefully hidden by tarps and inside
bags. The only people who are usually aware of them are
customers who have always killed their own animals. Most people
know that their meat comes from animals who have likely been
abused, and they don't have to see the abuse to know it's wrong
— just like we don't need a public display of women being beaten
for people to understand that spousal abuse is wrong.
He (and the other Councilmembers) have
not acknowledged or expressed concern over the violence and
anti-gay/HIV comments this particular vendor has inflicted on
protesters (resulting in a lawsuit against the Heart of the City
Farmers' Market and the vendor, Raymond Young). Both Heart of the City and Richmond farmers' markets
allowed him to continue operations as usual, even after his
daughter and worker
punched one in the face and stole his camera while he was simply
trying to film the conditions in exposed cages.
Finally, he and others claim that the
vendor was selling 700 birds a day, to Richmond residents. In
fact, that number has been reduced to 100-150 a day by our
protests, and many customers are not Richmond Residents. The ban
will actually have little impact on Richmond, and the
inconvenience to a few who prefer live chickens doesn't justify
the problems created by their sales and this violent vendor.
VICTORY! Live bird sales banned at Heart of the City Farmers'
Market — market now plans to expand with new vendors!
On May 1, 2011, Heart of the City Farmers’ Market
announced on
its website that live bird sales will no longer be allowed effective May
27, 2011. This will impact well over 100,000 animals each year. The
market’s manager says Raymond Young Poultry used to sell over 1,000
factory-farmed birds twice weekly, and we estimate
that Bullfeathers Quail bred and sold at least 350 birds each week.
On its Facebook page, the market announced
plans to add more vendors to expand 25% beginning in June, taking
advantage of the space previously used up by the live animal
vendors.
Unfortunately, it took over two years of
investigations, working with market management, working with various
city, country state and federal officials, and peaceful public
protests, leafleting and video display in order to accomplish this
obviously necessary result. The repeated enforcement
attempts by Animal Care and Control, the Department of Public
Health, and the Police Department were a senseless waste of city
resources and taxpayer money, all because government agencies and
market management inexplicably long refused to enforce laws and the
market's permit.
Most shocking was the complete lack of
response or interest by the Board of Supervisors, who control the
market's permit, and have previously passed resolutions
against factory farmed chickens and
promoting vegetarianism. Of particularly concern was
Jane Kim
whose campaign promises included cleaning up the Tenderloin and
making it safer, yet she outright refused to meet with us to discuss
the many problems the live animal sales were creating in her
district, even after a violent attack on one activist.
Our lawsuit against the farmers' market and
Raymond Young Poultry is still in progress.
Our campaign has also stopped live bird
sales near the Alemeny Blvd. market, and at the Old Oakland Farmers'
Market. It now appears that Richmond and Stockton Farmers' Market
are the
only remaining northern California farmers' market allowing live
animal sales, but changes are happening at Richmond as a result of our
investigations there.
We are very grateful to nonprofit organizations United
Poultry Concerns, In Defense of Animals, Bay Area Vegetarians, Farm
Sanctuary, and other organizations and activists who provided
important support to the campaign. We also thank Harvest Home
Animal Sanctuary, San Francisco Animal Care and Control, MickaCoo
Pigeon & Dove Rescue and Palo Alto Animal Services for re-homing
birds rescued from these and other live animal markets.
We thank Heart of the City Farmers' Market for properly reviewing
the issues with live animal sales, and deciding to ban them (as all
other San Francisco markets already do). Please contact Operations
Manager Kate Creps with your thanks, at
(415)
558-9455 or [email protected].
What YOU can do...
Watch for animals being mistreated or abused at live markets and
report them to local Animal Control departments and/or the police.
Switch to a Plant-Based Diet.
Of course, the single most powerful thing you can easily do to help
birds like these is to stop purchasing eggs and poultry! Visit
http://www.chooseveg.com/ or search "Vegetarian Starter Kit" for
more information on transitioning to a healthier and more
compassionate lifestyle. Visit
http://www.bayareaveg.org/finder.htm to find Bay Area
restaurants and other businesses supporting plant-based diets.
San Francisco Animal Care and Control has long had difficulties
with live poultry vendor Raymond Young, who — along with Heart of
the City Farmers' Market manager Christine Adams — remain smug in
their knowledge that San Francisco's District Attorney's office
continues to refuse to
prosecute them for their animal cruelty violations, even after
receiving letters from four attorneys asking them to enforce the
laws.
Please review this
recent correspondence between our attorney Matt Gonzalez and Jeffrey Ross
from the District Attorney's office, followed by Animal Care and
Control records showing that Mr. Young was cited on May 21, 2009 for
795
counts of animal cruelty under California Penal Code § 597(b).
To date, the District Attorney has refused to prosecute Mr. Young
for these violations.
Please contact the District Attorney's office to insist that they
enforce state animal cruelty laws at Heart of the City Farmers'
Market, and prosecute Raymond Young and market management for past
and future citations
The market's own city-issued operational permit's animal welfare
and public health rules are also continuously blatantly violated.
However, Heart of
the City Farmers' Market refuses to enforce the permit, the City
Attorney has blocked an enforcement attempt by County Agricultural
Commissioner Miguel Monroy, and the Board of Supervisors ignores our
requests for enforcement. We have been unable to obtain any
explanation from Virginia Dario Elizondo from the City attorney's
office, who is in charge of U.N. Plaza.
Please contact the following city officials
and request that they enforce the city-issued permit and encourage
the the District Attorney to enforce state animal cruelty laws:
District 6 Supervisor Jane Kim:
(415) 554-7970,
[email protected]. If you
repeatedly get her voicemail or the mailbox is full, please call
the Clerk at (415) 554-5184 and ask for her or one of her aides.
Update January 25, 2011: LGBT Compassion activists sue live poultry vendor Raymond Young and Heart of the City Farmers' Market - but violence continues.
(Updated February 7, 2011.) After a violent December 29, 2010 attack on an LGBT Compassion volunteer by a Raymond Young employee - and theft of his camera by Raymond Young's daughter - activists found it necessary to protect themselves from the escalating violence by filing a suit in The Superior Court of California-San Francisco alleging assault, battery, theft, negligent supervision, and civil rights violations. Civil rights attorney Matt Gonzalez is representing them.
We hope this will soon bring an end to the violence and other illegal and unethical activities involving Heart of the City Farmers' market and its live bird vendors, and make the market safer and cleaner for all its customers.
Shockingly, the market's Board of Directors is allowing Raymond Young and market manager Christine Adams to continue business at U.N. Plaza as usual - including continued violent actions and threats toward LGBT Compassion volunteers. How long will the City of San Francisco allow these reprehensible acts of violence to continue?
Raymond Young (the live chicken vendor) is trucking in birds from three huge factory farms in the Central Valley. These birds appear to be "spent" former egg-laying hens and breeders from egg factories and hatcheries. One is owned by Gemperle Farms, which was fired by a grocery store chain as the supplier of their house brand eggs after undercover investigations of two of their farms revealed extreme cruelty and filth. Learn more about these farms
here, and watch an undercover investigation of Gemperle Farms here.
Also, note that live game bird vendor Jayce and Karye Benton of Bullfeathers Quail owns a huge factory farm north of Sacramento consisting of two enormous enclosed buildings. His commercial operation is so large that the farmers' market represents only about 5% of his sales. Sick birds such as these pheasants we recently videotaped being sold by him at the farmers' market are common with factory-farm practices.
Anti-gay statement by vendor!
Raymond Young's daughter says, "They're gay
anyways... They probably have the HVI [sic]."
The Human Rights Commission is investigating. Watch
the video
here and read the Bay Area Reporter's news story here.
Update August 1, 2010:
The Heart of the City Farmers Market has AGAIN been caught violating the federal Food Stamp Program, after
officials instructed them to cease.
Watch the video here. Also, on August 27, 2010, we confirmed that Raymond Young's Poultry was still accepting food stamps at the Richmond, CA farmers' market. The purchase of live animals with food stamp
benefits is prohibited by the USDA. The USDA can
impose severe potential penalties for Food Stamp fraud, including prison time.
The USDA is currently investigating.
Video of chicken feces left behind by poultry vendor on public property
at farmers market.
View the video from Jun 11, 2010 here. The San Francisco Department of Public Health has cited the vendor and the farmers market for issues such as this, and allowing live animals within 20 feet of food for sale, but violations continue.
View the video from May 23, 2010 here. There is absolutely no question that this is animal torture, and should not be tolerated by the City of San Francisco. Please see below for information on how you can help these animals.
Update May 17, 2010: Live poultry vendor Raymond Young and Heart of the City Farmers market have been documented violating multiple City permit and California Retail Food Code rules and regulations, confirmed by City officials.
Manager Christine Adams refuses to comply,
putting the market at risk of having its permits
revoked. View some details of the City-issued permit violations
here.
Update May 6, 2010: Live poultry vendor Raymond Young's employees physically assault us at the Civic Center and commit perjury to obtain a fraudulent restraining order
request (denied by the judge); market management and police interfere with our free speech rights.
Update September 24, 2009: New Longs Live Poultry shut down by City for zoning law violations.
New Longs Live Poultry has long been operating from Good Hope Baptist Church's
parking lot, which is in a residential zone, where
commercial activities are prohibited. The City has instructed
the church to "cease and desist" its unlawful activities.
Afterward, New Longs attempted to illegally sell from public parking
lots and sidewalks, again demonstrating a blatant disregard for laws
(click here for photos from September 26, 2009).
Photos from U.N. Plaza (Civic Center)
Click here
to view our photos of the live poultry/game bird market, with
vendors Raymond Young and Jayce Benton.
What YOU can do...
Contact the
San Francisco District Attorney's office (email
[email protected],
[email protected] and
[email protected])
and politely ask that
Geoge Gascón pursue prosecution of live animal vendors who violate state laws, and act as accomplices to their customers' violations,
as well as management & property owners who knowingly allow these
violations. To date, the
office has refused to prosecute vendors cited for violations of state animal cruelty laws,
taking an position that the exemption of poultry from one specific
law passed in 2000 caused them to lose prior protection under all
cruelty laws - clearly not the
intent of the law. Click here
for a rebuttal letter from The Animal Law Office.
Contact Miguel Monroy, the
Agricultural Commissioner at
(415) 252-3939 or [email protected]
and ask him to enforce the live poultry sales provisions of the 1993
permit issued to the market's management organization.
Contact
District 6 Supervisor Jane Kim,
(415) 554-7970 or
email her aide April Veneracion at [email protected]
and ask them to enforce the live poultry sales provisions of the 1993
permit issued to the market's management organization. Learn more about Jane Kim's complacency on this issue in this video.
Contact the
Commission of Animal Control and Welfare and politely ask that
they instruct Animal Care and Control and the District Attorney to properly enforce the California Penal Code and the California Food and Agriculture Code,
and work with the Board of Supervisors to introduce anti-cruelty
legislation.
Contact market management/property owners and politely explain that they may be
personally liable for laws violated by their vendors, and ask that they ensure that
their vendors act ethically and abide by the laws, or be banned from the markets:
Report Animal Abuse. If you witness animal abuse at a market,
contact Animal Care and Control at (415) 554-6364 and file a
complaint, and ask for an "Activity Report Number."
Don't allow them to attempt to cite cruelty to chickens under
California Penal Code section 597.3
(as they have been doing in San Francisco), as poultry are exempt
and the charges will simply later be dismissed. Instead, insist that
they apply
other valid sections under 597. If you can, carry a print-out of
the laws with you to show to officers.
Switch to a Plant-Based Diet.
Of course, the single most powerful thing you can easily do to help
birds like these is to stop purchasing eggs and poultry! Visit
http://www.chooseveg.com/ or search "Vegetarian Starter Kit" for
more information on transitioning to a healthier and more
compassionate lifestyle. Visit
http://www.bayareaveg.org/finder.htm to find Bay Area
restaurants and other businesses supporting plant-based diets.
City of Richmond, CA (Fridays)(Civic Center
Plaza Drive and McDonald Avenue, near the public library)
The same vendor from the U.N. Plaza farmers market in San
Francisco (Raymond Young) also violates state animal cruelty laws at
the Richmond, CA farmers market. Please contact the following: | {
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Krebs on Security
In-depth security news and investigation
May, 2010
Not long ago, most companies whose brands were being abused in phishing scams focused their efforts mainly on shuttering the counterfeit sites as quickly as possible. These days, an increasing number of phished brands are not only disabling the sites, but also seizing on the opportunity to teach would-be victims how to spot future scams.
Instead of simply dismantling a phishing site and leaving the potential phishing victims with a “Site not found” error, some frequent targets of phishing sites are setting up redirects to phishing education pages.
For the past 20 months, Jason Hong, assistant professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University‘s Human Computer Interaction Institute, has been measuring referrals from phishing sites to an education page set up by the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG), an industry consortium. Hong said the site now receives close to 25,000 referrals per month from phishing sites that brand owners have modified.
The redirect process works like this: The brand owner or company whose customers are targeted by the phishing site verifies it as a scam site, and then the site’s ISP, hosting provider or domain registrar will redirect the phishing site to the APWG education page.
Microsoft Corp. and Adobe Systems each released security updates on Tuesday. Microsoft issued two “critical” patches that address one security flaw apiece, while Adobe’s patches fix a whole mess of serious vulnerabilities in its software.
One of the critical updates pushed by Microsoft fixes a flaw in Outlook Express, Windows Mail and Windows Live Mail. On older versions of Windows (Windows XP for example) Outlook Express is installed by default, while Windows Mail and Windows Live Mail generally require users to affirmatively download and install the program.
The other MS patch addresses a vulnerability in Microsoft Office, but the problem may turn out to be more complex down the road for some users. The trouble is that the vulnerable component, Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications is used not only by Microsoft Office products, but it’s also a component that is potentially installed by many third-party software apps built to work with Windows.
The FBI’s top anti-cyber crime official today said the agency is planning a law enforcement action against so-called “money mules,” individuals willingly or unwittingly roped into helping organized computer crooks launder money stolen through online banking fraud.
Patrick Carney, acting chief of the FBI’s cyber criminal section, said mules are an integral component of an international crime wave that is costing U.S. banks and companies hundreds of millions of dollars. He said the agency hopes the enforcement action will help spread awareness that money mules are helping to perpetrate crimes.
“We want to make sure that public understands this is illegal activity and one of the best ways we can think of to give that message is to have some prosecutions,” Carney said at a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) symposium in Arlington, Va. today on combating commercial payments fraud. “We realize it’s not going to make the problem go away, but it should help raise awareness and send a signal.”
Last week I traveled to Cooperstown, N.Y. to deliver a keynote address about the scourge of online banking fraud that I’ve written about so frequently this past year. I flew into Albany, and in the short, 60 minute drive west to Cooperstown, I passed through tiny Duanesburg, a town whose middle school district is still out a half million dollars from e-banking fraud. On my way to Cooperstown, I also passed within a few minutes of several other recent victims — including a wrecking firm based on Schenectady that lost $70,000 last month when organized thieves raided its online bank account.
Alexander “Sandy” Jackson‘s world started crashing down on Apr. 20, the day he learned that more than $70,000 of company’s cash had been transferred to 10 complete strangers scattered about the United States. Since then, the owner of Jackson Demolition Service has spent a good deal of time trying to retrieve that money. So far, he and his bank have recovered about one-third of the amount stolen.
Oddly enough, Jackson first learned of the fraud after being contacted by an individual who received close to $5,000 of the firm’s money.
That individual was Montgomery, Ala. resident April Overton. In March, Overton responded to an e-mail from a company that said it found her resume on Careerbuilder.com, and would she be interested in a work-at-home job entering tax information on behalf of American tax filers? Overton said she accepted the job, and for more than a month worked several hours each day completing various tax forms with personal tax information sent to her via e-mail, forms that she then had to fax back to her employers, who claimed to be Tax World LLC, at www.taxreturnsworld.com.
“I was basically processing tax returns, and they’d have me log in to a site every morning between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., and would send me information, have me filing out [IRS Form] 1040 tax returns,” Overton said.
Visa is warning financial institutions that it has received reliable intelligence that an organized criminal group plans to attempt to move large amounts of fraudulent payments through a merchant account in Eastern Europe, possibly as soon as this weekend.
In an alert sent to banks, card issuers and processors this week, Visa said it “has received intelligence from a third-party entity indicating that a criminal group has plans to execute “a large batch settlement fraud scheme.”
ATM skimmers, or devices that thieves secretly attach to cash machines in order to capture and ultimately clone ATM cards, have captured the imagination of many readers. Pastposts on this blog about ATM skimmers have focused on their prevalence and stealth in attacking cash machines in the United States, but these devices also are a major problem in Europe as well.
According to the European ATM Security Team (EAST), a not-for-profit payment security organization, ATM crimes in Europe jumped 149 percent form 2007 to 2008, and most of that increase has been linked to a dramatic increase in ATM skimming attacks. During 2008, a total of 10,302 skimming incidents were reported in Europe. Below is a short video authorities in Germany released recently showing two men caught on camera there installing a skimmer and a pinhole camera panel above to record PINs.
EAST estimates that European ATM fraud losses in 2008 were nearly 500 million Euros, although roughly 80 percent of those losses resulted from fraud committed outside Europe by criminals using stolen card details. EAST believes this is because some 90 percent of European ATMs now are compliant with the so-called “chip and pin” or EMV (an initialism for Europay, Mastercard and VISA) standard.
ATM cards store account data on magnetic strips on the backs of the cards, and thieves have focused their attention on lifting the data from customer cards — either through handheld skimmers — or via magnetic strip readers on ATM skimmers. The data can then be re-encoded onto blank ATM cards, and used at ATM along with the victim’s PIN to withdraw cash. The EMV approach uses a secret algorithm embedded in the chip planted into each ATM card. The chip encodes the card data, making it harder (but certainly not impossible) for fraudsters to read information from them or clone them. RSA‘s Idan Aharoni wrote an informative post about this technology earlier this year.
Needless to say, U.S. based financial institutions do not require chip-and-PIN, and that may be a contributor to the high fraud rates in the United States. The U.S. Secret Service estimates that annual losses from ATM fraud totaled about $1 billion in 2008, or about $350,000 each day.
While many of the images below are not new, they showcase some of the actual ATM skimmers deployed against European cash machines (click any of the images to view a slideshow).
Image courtesy IBM. Hidden camera in false panel above PIN pad.
Courtsey ENISA: A type of fraud device called a cashtrap siphons off bills as they exit the machine.
Image courtesy IBM: False ATM front-mount that includes card skimmer.
Image courtesy IBM: The back of the false ATM front-mount w/ skimmer.
Image courtesy ENSA: Bogus PIN pad overlay + ATM card skimmer
Image courtesy ENISA: False ATM top with camera + ATM card skimmer
Have you seen:
All-in-one Skimmers…ATM skimmers come in all shapes and sizes, and most include several components — such as a tiny spy cam hidden in a brochure rack, or fraudulent PIN pad overlay. The problem from the thief’s perspective is that the more components included in the skimmer kit, the greater the chance that he will get busted attaching or removing the devices from ATMs. Thus, the appeal of the all-in-one ATM skimmer: It stores card data using an integrated magnetic stripe reader, and it has a built-in hidden camera designed to record the PIN sequence after an unsuspecting customer slides his bank card into the compromised machine.
A new commercial software program marketed to employers, parents and suspicious spouses lets customers surreptitiously monitor their Apple iPads remotely and view a record of all e-mail and Web use on the devices.
The software-as-a-service is the latest offering from Jacksonville, Fla. based Retina-X Studios, a company whose Mobile Spy products have long allowed people to remotely spy on iPhones, Blackberries and other smartphones. For $99.97 a year, customers get access to a Web interface that allows them to view a list of every Web site visited, every e-mail sent and received, as well as any contacts added to the iPad.
Mobile Spy pitches the product thusly:
Are your kids viewing pornography while you are alseep? [sic] Are your employees sending company secrets through their personal email? You will have the answers to all these questions answered. Logs are instantly uploaded and viewable inside your control panel.
The company said in a press release that it plans to roll out even more capabilities for its iPadspy product, such as the ability to record the target’s location (by tapping the built-in GPS), and rifle through photos and notes stored on the device.
I haven’t used the service (I don’t even own an iPad, sadly). But these kinds of services are a good reminder about the importance of physical security for your computers and gadgets: In most cases, once an attacker has physical access to a device, it’s game over.
The software only works on jailbroken iPads, as the iPad is not able to run more than one program at a time unless it’s jailbroken.
The makers of the Opera Web browser are urging users to apply an update that fixes what the company described as an “extremely severe” security flaw in Windows and Mac versions of the software. The vulnerability is fixed in the latest version, v. 10.53, available from this link. Alternatively, Opera users can click “Help” then “Check for Updates” from within the browser.
Luis Corrons spent much of the last year helping Spanish police with an investigation that led to the arrest of three local men suspected of operating and renting access to a massive and global network of hacked computers. Then, roughly 60 days after their arrest, something strange happened: Two of them unexpectedly turned up at Corrons’ office and asked to be hired as security researchers.
Corrons, a technical director and blogger for Spanish security firm Panda Security, said he received a visit from the hackers on the morning of March 22. The two men, known by the online nicknames “Netkairo” and “Ostiator,” were arrested in February by Spanish police for their alleged role in running the “Mariposa” botnet, a malware distribution platform that spread malicious software to more than 12 million Internet addresses from 190 countries (mariposa is Spanish for “butterfly”).
Now, here the two Mariposa curators were at Panda’s headquarters in Bilbao, their resumes in hand, practically begging for a job, Corrons said.
“At first, I couldn’t believe it, and I thought someone in the office was playing a practical joke on me,” Corrons said. “But these guys were the real guys, and they were serious.
“Ostiator told me, ‘The thing is, with everything that’s been happening, we’re not earning any money at the moment,” Corrons recalled. “He said, ‘We thought we could look for some kind of agreement in which both sides would benefit. We think we have knowledge [that] could be useful to Panda and thought we could have some kind of agreement with Panda.'”
Spanish police do not typically release the names of individuals who have been arrested, and Netkairo and Ostiator haven’t yet been charged with any crime. But Corrons recognized that the names and addresses on the resumes matched those that police had identified as residences belonging to Netkairo and Ostiator.
Corrons said Panda’s lawyers were unwilling to release the full names of the two men that visited Panda Labs, but said Ostiator’s first name is Juan Jose, and that he is a 25-year-old male from Santiago de Compostela. Corrons said Netkairo is a 31-year-old from Balmaseda named Florencio.
Shortly after the arrests were announced, local Spanish media said the third individual arrested by Spanish authorities in connection with Mariposa — a 30-year-old identified by his initials “JPR” — used the hacker nickname “Johny Loleante” and lived in Molina de Segura, Murcia.
On Mar. 3, I had the opportunity to interview Captain Cesar Lorenzana, deputy head technology crime division of the Spanish Civil Guard. Lorenzana told Krebsonsecurity.com that Netkairo and his associate were earning about 3,000 Euros each month renting out the Mariposa botnet to other hackers.
Interviewing the same hackers less than three weeks later, Corrons asked them how they got started creating Mariposa.
“Basically, they said they started it as kind of a hobby, and that they weren’t working at the time,” Corrons said. “Suddenly, they started to earn money, a few hundred Euros a week to start, and then discovered they couldn’t stop. And the whole time, their network kept growing.” | {
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John Szabo’s Vintages Preview for August 6th 2011: Good things come in pairs and Three-star values from Chile
Thoughts of Work Recede Like Early Morning Dreams: Deep in the heart of another hot and languid southern Ontario summer, when most are sitting by the lake, or dreaming that they were, it’s tough to get excited about anything that doesn’t involve afternoon naps, backyard BBQs or just soaking up the sun. The thought of 100+ wines lined up for tasting in a window-less laboratory on a gloriously sunny day was starting to seem like work, an alarming thought. Yet against all odds, tasting through the new releases for August 6th, I was impressed, even excited, by wine after wine: there is a fine collection of top quality and value stuff on offer this week. Evil thoughts of work quickly receded like early morning dreams, and it was back to business as usual, sniffing, sipping and marveling at the remarkable variations on a theme of fermented grape juice. So if you can drag yourself momentarily away from mid-summer nights’ musings, check out a few of these selections – it’s worth it.
Good Things Come in Pairs
A fine way to get familiar with a grape is to taste a few examples side by side – this way you can directly compare and contrast variations in terroir and winemaking techniques, and learn more about the range of possibilities within the category – context is key. This week there are a few pairs of wines worth tasting for educational purposes (maybe you can write it off as “cultural development”?), and more than a little pleasure.
1. 2007 SIGNORELLO ESTATE CABERNET SAUVIGNON Napa Valley, Unfiltered $59.95 & 2006 CHALK HILL ESTATE CABERNET SAUVIGNONSonoma County $44.95. Ray Signorello is a guy who gets it. He has one of the most extraordinary personal wine collections I have ever come across (and, err, plundered on one happy occasion), without a single average quality bottle – every wine is a reference point for its region/appellation/grape, so he clearly understands what fine wine is all about. His also understands international markets, and prices his wines to sell, not to finance another sports car. His full range of Napa wines favors finesse and elegance over sheer power and heft, so unsurprisingly his 2007 Napa cabernet has more than a nod back to the old world. This is about structure, complexity and elegance, with superb architecture and depth, and a finish that lingers on endlessly.
In 1972, the natural amphitheatre carved into the hills of eastern Sonoma that would become the Chalk Hill Estate was discovered by Fred Furth, while piloting his plane over the Russian River. He had a hunch that those slopes could produce fine quality grapes, and it seems he was right. Despite Sonoma’s reputation for producing more restrained wines than Napa, the 2006 Chalk Hill Estate cabernet is more forward, plush, ripe and immediately pleasing than Signorello’s version. It too offers a fine blend of fruit, earth, spice, herb, floral and oak notes, but with a bit more new world-style palate density. Both, in any case, are classy, and within the high-flying context of premium California cabernet, pretty fair value.2. 2009 DOMAINE PIRON-LAMELOISE QUARTZ CHENAS AC $22.95 & 2009 JEAN-PAUL BRUN CÔTE DE BROUILLY AC $18.95 . We’ve been spoiled of late with several releases of excellent Beaujolais from the memorable 2009 vintage, and though I’ve already mentioned a couple in recent reports, I can’t resist pointing out this opportunity to compare two of the top ‘crus’ of the region from a pair of fine producers. In 2004, an 8.5-hectare property was taken over by a pair of well-known winegrower-restaurateurs, and Domaine Piron-Lameloise was launched. The property has seams of quartz running through it, hence the name of this cuvee, and the evident minerality right off the top. The Chenas cru in general, with it’s steep granitic soils, is reputed for its structured and sturdy examples of gamay, similar to Moulin-à-Vent next door, and this wine from Piron-Lameloise should age well for a half-dozen years thanks to its uncommon depth and richness and light but firm, grippy tannins.
“This is the best quality I’ve ever seen… nearly perfect,” said Jean-Paul Brun of the 2009 vintage. It’s been compared to the legendary vintages of ’47, ’49 and ’76. Brun is at the forefront of the natural wine movement that is sweeping through Beaujolais, and the world. Though he’s hailed in serious wine drinking circles as a genius, known for making particularly pure, fruity and delicate wines, he has had on-going difficulties with the French appellation authorities. Several of his wines have been denied Beaujolais appellation status in the past for their ‘atypical’ character. Well, if you consider the typically, insipid, mass-market Beaujolais “typical”, then I suppose they are right. Try this beguilingly floral, fresh yet fleshy Côte de Brouilly with the inimitable lightness and depth that epitomizes fine gamay, and decide for yourself.3. 2005 SALCHETO VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO DOCG $23.95 & 2006 MONTARO ROSSO DI MONTALCINO DOC $17.95 . This pair of Tuscan sangiovese shares more similarities than differences. Both are farmed using organic/biodynamic methods with a strong commitment to the environment. Salcheto in fact is launching a carbon-neutral winery this year using the latest water and energy conservation technology. The Montaro is the wine to try first; made from vineyards within the Brunello di Montalcino appellation but aged for a shorter period than required by law to quality for the designation, it’s released as the lighter and fruitier Rosso di Montalcino. The ’06 is absolutely delicious, juicy, and energetic, with light dusty tannins and fruit flavours solidly in the red berry spectrum, complemented by resinous herbs and dried flowers. It’s a wine I could happily drink any day (or every day) of the week.
Salcheto’s ’05 Vino Nobile from the nearby hilltop town of Montepulciano is a slightly more evolved, serious and complex example, with the integrated vestiges of new wood evident alongside some lovely floral notes, ripe berry fruit, spice, earth, savoury herbs. The palate is silky smooth yet firm and taught, with juicy acidity and exceptional length/depth at this price. This wine I’ll save for Sunday afternoons.
Other top smart buys this week include an unlikely but lovely blend of half-a-dozen mostly aromatic white grapes from Niagara’s 13th Street, a superior Spanish bubbly at just $13.95, and aMediterranean white (Adriatic, technically) tailor-made for grilled fish drizzled in extra-virgin oil with lemon and herbs. See them all here.
Chile is in the spotlight on August 6th, and not surprisingly there’s a whole shopping cart full of three-star values ranging from $13 to $30/bottle and from a half-dozen different grapes and different regions. The most exiting development in Chile in the last decade has been its growing diversity; it’s no longer just Maipo Valley cabernet that’s winning fans worldwide, but an expanding collection of grapes intelligently matched to varying terroirs spanning a thousand kilometers north to south. And there is so much to discover. Start with my Top Ten Smart Buys. | {
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During the housing bubble, some banks issued loans without even checking applicants' income or assets.
Under the new rules, lenders must carefully determine that borrowers have the ability to repay their loans. That means, for example, that the "low-documentation" and "exploding" adjustable-rate mortgages that were common before the financial crisis will no longer be allowed and that lenders will generally require that total debt payments of borrowers not exceed 43% of their income. Lenders must carefully examine and double check pay statements, bank records, tax returns and other paperwork provided by borrowers.
Banks will have to make three main changes, according to Anthony Hsieh, CEO of loanDepot, an online mortgage bank.
They will have to update their underwriting policies and procedures, change their technology and retrain staff.
Banks large and small are hiring outside companies to handle a share of their mortgage underwriting to ensure the quality, according to Jeff Taylor, co-founder of Digital Risk, a provider of risk, compliance and transaction management services.
Big banks can handle the cost, but small lenders may not be able to afford all the extra manpower.
The changes are coming at an already challenging time. Fewer homeowners have been refinancing their old, high interest mortgages. "Now that the refi boom is over, we'll see a lot of small banks fading away," said Taylor.
It's possible that bankers, never receptive to regulation, may be overstating the impact of the new rules, according to Ellen Schloemer, spokeswoman for the Center for Responsible Lending, a consumer advocacy group.
She points to an October report from CoreLogic that asserted that lenders should be able to meet the requirements. The report was written by Margarita Brose, a consultant on lender risks, and Faith Schwartz, who ran Hope Now, a coalition of lenders, consumer groups and government organizations that fights foreclosure.
Lenders will "figure out a way to deliver . . . mortgages in a way that meets all the regulatory requirements, incorporates sound lending and consumer protections -- and makes a profit," according to the report's authors. | {
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9 Signs You’re Overstressed (and Don’t Know It)
Due to the hectic lifestyle, we are under constant pressure and stress. Over time, the stress can trigger various health issues. One of the most common ailments caused by too much stress is a weak immune system. When the immune system is weak, you may be susceptible to getting skin and experiencing pain and infections.
However, it is often the case that we aren’t even aware that we are overstressed. Hence, we decided to show you some of the most common symptoms which indicate that you are overstressed.
Troubles Falling Asleep
In case you are experiencing troubles falling asleep or have irregular sleeping patterns, it may mean that you are overstressed. This is the first thing to be affected when there is too much stress in your life.
Having Weight Fluctuations
When people are stressed, it is likely they forget to eat, which slows don’t the metabolism. Hence, the result is either weight gain or weight loss. Moreover, when we are overstressed, cells do not get enough oxygen.
Overthinking
If you can’t stop thinking about your job, finances, and other issues, it probably means that you are overstressed. Other associated symptoms that show that you overstressed are constantly checking your phone, emails, and other forms of communication from work.
Experiencing Pain
If you start experiencing pain and other ailments, such as stomach issues, diarrhoea, ulcers, tense muscles, chest pains and palpitations. Moreover, constant headaches are another sign that you are overstressed.
Inability to Sit Still
If you can’t stay calm and in one place, it is likely that you are overstressed. So, if anxiety is constant and you can’t relax, it is definitely time to do something to reduce the stress.
No Patience
If you’re impatient and you cannot tolerate other people, it means that you are under a stress.
Mood Swings
Stress directly attacks the brain health. Hence, when over stressed it is likely to have mood swings. Additionally, this may lead to anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders, and addictions.
Hair Loss
Stress is one of the culprits for hair loss. Thus, if you experience this issue, it probably means that you need to slow down and relax.
Loss of Libido
This is another potent symptom of being overstressed. The stress hormone secretions responsible for sexual response get affected and it may lead to inability to experience any kind of intimacy. | {
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Originally known as N.A. Jørgensen, Danish furniture manufacturer Bramin was founded in Bramming, a region on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula. Throughout the 1950s, '60s, and '70s, the company produced seating, tables, and casegoods in a style representative of the Danish mid-century modern era.
From Bramin’s catalogues and advertisements, we can ascertain that N.A. Jørgensen launched the Bramin brand around 1957 or 1958. In the early 1960s, Bramin's ad campaigns promised "Deres garanti for kvalitet form og function" or “Quality, form, and function: guaranteed,” using strong, modern imagery. From then on, the more traditionally-oriented N.A. Jørgensens Møbelfabrik took a back seat. It was not until the mid-1960s, however, that the striking Bramin logo was created, with the rounded, lowercase central “a” standing out from the remaining block letters.
In its heydey, Bramin collaborated with many well respected Danish designers, such as Johannes Andersen, Hans Olsen, Kurt Østervig, and Frank Reenskaug. However, Bramin’s most successful relationship was undoubtedly with H.W Klein, a Norwegian-born designer who moved to Denmark in 1960 to work for the company. Klein's most notable design is the Ønskestolen (mid-1960s), a padded leather lounge chair on a five-star swivel base, but he was also known for wide range of living room suites, dining suites, and storage options. Other memorable Bramin pieces include the classic Rocking Chair No. 182 by Reenskaug (circa 1958) and the idiosyncratically asymmetrical Chair No. 168 by Olsen (circa 1956).
For decades, the region of Bramming was a major hub for the Danish furniture industry, boasting 20 factories at its peak. Particularly hard hit by the global recession in the early-1980s, many Bramming-based businesses closed, Bramin included. After the closure, Klein moved to San Francisco. Though much of Bramin's history has been lost over time, the company's prolific furniture output has found a vibrant place in today's vintage market. | {
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About Us
Established in March 2015, by two Christian educators, The GateWay Second Chance Foundation invests into the lives of at-risk youth to break their cycle of failure and empower them to become productive community partners.
Who We Are
We, in the GateWay Second Chance Foundation, are committed to securing necessary funding to enable us to provide the secure, stable, community-based environment so critical for underserved youth in need of a second chance to modify behaviors and become contributing members of our community. Our mission is to fund a college-preparatory boarding school, other education related opportunities and life services essential to the success of male adolescents from the Foster Care and Juvenile Justice systems.
What We Do
Access Funds
The GateWay Second Chance Foundation, Inc. [The Foundation] is a non-profit 501 (C) (3) organization and contributions made to the organization are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Funds are solicited in a respectful manner and without pressure. All third parties not directly affiliated with the foundation who wish to solicit funds on behalf of the organization must acquire written permission from The Foundation. Such permission shall be consistent with The Foundation bylaws. Donor designated restrictions on contributions shall be honored.
The Foundation provides all donors with specific acknowledgements of charitable contributions, where applicable, in accordance with legal requirements for proper donor substantiation and the organization’s disclosures. Written tax receipts shall be issued for all donations of at least $25.00 or as requested. If the donor receives anything in exchange for their donation, the tax receipt shall clearly state what portion of the donation is tax deductible. All donations solicited on behalf of the organization shall be used to further the foundation’s mission.
The principal source of The Foundation funding is private. Our charitable contributions derive from corporations, foundations, independent philanthropists, and individual donors. We accept cash, checks, money orders, and on-line credit card contributions. Competitive governmental grants are our secondary source for program funding. Other governmental sources and special events make up the remainder of The Foundation funding.
Gifts to The Foundation may take a variety of forms. Outright gifts may be made by living donors or entities. Bequests or testamentary gifts that take effect upon the donor’s death are acceptable. Deferred or split-interest gifts, upon approval by The Foundation, are acceptable.
The Foundation reserves the right to refuse any proposed gift. Gifts to The Foundation may not be directly or indirectly subjected by a donor to any material restriction or condition that would prevent the organization from freely and effectively using such gifts or the income derived therefrom, in furtherance of its exempt purposes or values.
Any information supplied to The Foundation by a donor will be used solely to fulfill the donation and shall not be shared for any reason unless permission is granted by the donor to share such information. All requests to remain anonymous shall be honored.
Engage Family and Social Agencies
GateWay Second Chance Foundation, Inc. partners with families and social agencies [including faith-based organizations] for the purpose of student identification and referrals of at-risk students. The Foundation identifies the appropriate agencies to deliver services required to meet the needs of the identified at-risk youth. The Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals.
Target Investment
All funds from the GateWay Second Chance Foundation target evidenced based programming for at-risk male adolescents and in so doing, foster long-term public safety.
The at-risk population is generally characterized by:
high school suspension rates [between 15% and 20% in MD]
below grade level proficiency in reading and math
past or current involvement with the foster care and/or juvenile justice system
families living below the poverty levels and/or homelessness
Breaking the cycle of failure and equipping at-risk youth to become productive members of their communities is paramount for The Foundation. Effective programming is provided within a boarding school framework and includes but is not limited to:
Assessing Outcomes
The GateWay Second Chance Foundation, Inc. requires an annual evaluation of all program services for which funds have been awarded. Projected service outcomes are compared with actual outcomes as a basis for repeat funding decisions. Agencies receiving funds from The Foundation are required to submit an annual independent audit. | {
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The Art Of Recruiting Software Developers In A Tough Market
Hiring software development talent – real talent – is a multi-faceted skill that lies at the crossroads of social networking, technical acumen, process management, and intuition. Anyone who has ever had hiring responsibility understands all-too-well the extent and depth of the hiring challenge.
Particularly, the most challenging fact is that the hallmark qualities of exceptional software engineering candidate are extremely difficult to evaluate. How do you explore a candidate’s ability to innovate and think creatively? How do you determine if he’s a team player? How do you diagnose her ability to take constructive feedback?
Beginning: Filling the Pipeline with the Best
The process of finding and hiring the elite few begins long before the interview itself. In fact, a systematic approach to properly identifying potentially qualified candidates can streamline and increase the efficiency of your entire recruiting process significantly.
Assessing Software Developers’ Technical Acumen
An effective determination of technical proficiency goes far beyond the nuances of a specific programming language or technology. While these technical details should certainly not be ignored, they typically are not the most important element of the evaluation process.
At CodeGround, our recruitment philosophy is simple. Make the recruitment test as closely aligned with actual job as possible.
The best way to filter candidates for a software development role is by asking candidates to write code to understand their programming skills. As a company, you should only be chasing next customer, not chasing next employee.
For example:Consider the following coding question that serves as an assessment of basic coding ability:
Write a program to return true if an input string is a palindrome and false otherwise.
If a candidate cannot write code to meet the basic coding requirements of the question above, that candidate is not fit for a role in software development.
For more advanced assessment of coding ability, we encourage recruiters to test the candidate’s understanding of Data Structures.
A cache of capacity N, N > 0, supports the following operations:
PUT (K, V), where K and V are integers - The value V is added corresponding to the key K. If Key K is already present in the cache, the old value is replaced by the new value. If the capacity of the cache N, is exceeded, the Least Recently Used element (from a time perspective) is discarded from the cache.
GET(K) - Returns V if key K is present in the cache. Else, it returns null.
Both, PUT and GET operations count as usage. Therefore, whenever an element is added using PUT or fetched using GET, that element immediately becomes the most recently used element (used latest from a time perspective).
Consider the question above. It is part of our DEMO Online Assessment Tests, specifically this Programming Test.
It tests the candidate’s ability to instinctively figure out that the best data structure to track usage by maintaining a doubly-linked list of key values, ordered such that the Most Recently Used element on one end and the Least Recently Used element at the other. | {
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$2.5m Mansory Bugatti Veyron Ride, Rev and Accelerations!
I jump onboard Emilia Motors’ incredible Mansory Vivere, a custom built Bugatti Veyron made by Mansory with price tag of about $2.5m! Based on the Bugatti Veyron, the Vivere is completely bespoke and limited to 2 units in the world. Aside the aesthetic modifications, the Vivere now produces 1100hp thanks to an ECU modification and finally the W16 engine sounds much better with a full titanium exhaust! In the video you will get to see and hear the car with a series of revs and onboard footages! | {
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This season: it’s not just the devil wearing Prada
Pope Benedict XVI, who earlier this year became the first pontiff to feature in his own official calendar, may just be the world’s most unlikely fashion icon.
The pontiff has recently been pegged as something of a “clotheshorse” as these fabulous red Prada loafers demonstrate.
But the fashion doesn’t stop at his feet. The Pope’s watch is believed to be a Cartier, as are his reading glasses. He’s even been seen wearing Gucci Sunglasses. The Vatican says all the designer items the Pope has worn were presents and don’t conflict with the church’s doctrine.
But now the Pope’s penchant for designer clothing is reportedly causing tensions in the Vatican with plans to fire the tailors who have been making papal clothing since 1792.
In what is being called the “cassock wars,” Benedict is said to be favouring his tailor from his days as cardinal, Alessandro Cattaneo, and the 20-year-old religious-fashion house of RanieroMancinelli, which has provided the pope with some lavish and intricate vestments to date.
Last December, Benedict showed up at his weekly public audience in St. Peter’s Square wearing a fur-trimmed stocking cap and red velvet cape trimmed in ermine, his Christmas message urging people to denounce the materialistic nature of the holiday season. He said:
“In today’s consumer society, this time of the year unfortunately suffers from a
sort of commercial ‘pollution’ that threatens to alter its real spirit,”
Robe-maker AnnibaleGammarelli has angrily denied that his services were no longer being used.
“This is an ungracious falsehood,” he said. “We are always in contact with the
apartment of the Holy Father. Perhaps there was only an occasional gift by some
friend of the Pontiff.”
The company’s first papal client was Pius VI, a man renowned for his vanity and frequently lampooned for his narcissism. This interesting coincidence has led me to question: Are we facing a return to the excessive and fantastic Popes that line the history books? We all knew that there’s something slightly less wholesome and charismatic about Pope Benedict XVI (compared to the delightfully pious John Paul II) when we first laid eyes on him…Much like how we all know that 10 minutes of witty gibes and a cocktail with Bill Clinton would be enough to reduce us to mush (regardless of sexual orientation), while a date with Bush Junior would be plagued by at least seventeen bouts of nervous laughter and accidental touchings of the forearm before his successor had even pulled out our chair.
After all, can you imagine Pope John Paul II stepping delicately down the steps of St.Peter’s in anything other than his preferred Polish-made faded brown loafers?
Legend has it (and we all know that all historically sound sentences begin with that beautiful cliché) that three popes have died during sex, two have been Jewish and one was discovered, post-coronation, to be a woman.* Are a pair of Prada slip-ons merely first step towards a life of sex, Judaism and eh, transvestism for Pope Benedict?? Most certainly not.
Surely the Pope is entitled to a nice ceremonial robe here and there but for some reason, I’m finding it difficult to remove visions of Pope Leo X, gorging himself in a pile of jewels and naked wives from my mind.
(*The since dismissed myth of “Pope Joan” tells of an English woman who disguised her gender to gain entry into the priesthood. Her identity is said to have been revealed when she bore a child during a procession through Rome.)
What better way to spend the sabbath than googling the words “pope facts”, eh?
If, like me, you’ve resigned yourself to the fact that, due to circumstances both beyond and well encompassed within your control, you probably never will lay claim to the Holy See, use your Sunday to enjoy such non-pope approved activities as publishing racy photos of yourself on the Internet or taking the Good Lord’s name in vain.
If, unlike me, you think you could still be in with a chance, start choosing your papal name now. Once they approach you, you’ll only have a few seconds to think about it… calling yourself Pope Ubiquitous Clipart could mean a Papal career of shame and embarrassment. This website should help: | {
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One Of The Most Disgusting Hockey Injuries You’ll Ever See
Hockey players are notoriously tough, but some injuries will make the even the most rugged player wince. Sébastien Courcelles, the captain of Thetford-Mines Isothermic of Quebec’s Ligue Nord-Americaine de Hockey, experienced one of those injuries over the weekend when a skate caught his left cheek and caused a 13-centimeter gash.
According to the LNAH website, the wound required 50 stitches and over two hours of surgery to close. The image below is of Sébastien’s brother Simon helping him off the ice. It is extremely graphic. You’ve been warned. | {
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Ebbony began the step in the field of rap since the year 2005. Slowly trying to be a barometer of music and style trends that are different from other Hiphop from choosing the themes, concepts, instruments, up to packaging and image.
Order a fresh concept, a unique and different, make a decent ebbony enter into ranks of quality indie musicians. Read more | {
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Controversy erupts over V'land High valedictorian
May 8, 2012
Blake Pescatore / Craig Matthews
Written by
VINELAND — With the valedictorian and salutatorian set to be announced officially at the traditional Moving Up ceremony next week, a tug-of-war is under way for Vineland High School’s top two academic spots.
Senior Blake Pescatore was acknowledged publicly as the Class of 2012 valedictorian at a recent gathering of school’s top students, said her father, Richard Pescatore.
But some — including the current salutatorian Ivonna Dumanyan — question the methodology used to calculate critical grade point averages that determine class ranks.
They say it doesn’t add up.
If she had been bested in the classroom, Dumanyan said, she could accept it. But she feels “politics” may have been an influence.
On Monday, Dumanyan sent a letter to Board of Education members notifying them she is filing a grievance. Dumanyan, who celebrated her 18th birthday a month ago, is representing her own interests as a legal adult.
She told board members “my right to compete academically in class rank has been violated by the actions of Vineland Public Schools staff members.”
It isn’t bitterness motivating her battle, Dumanyan said, but a quest for a level and fair playing field for herself and students in future VHS graduating classes.
But Richard Pescatore called his daughter “the real deal — the best of the best” and suggested her challengers are “disgruntled.”
School district Superintendent Mary Gruccio confirmed she has called a meeting for today with the top three students. She said she could not comment on the matter until she spoke with the district’s legal counsel, who was returning to town today.
This year’s class rankings have been the subject of legal challenges.
Wendi Carlon Wolfe, mother of now third-ranked student Matthew Wolfe, has questioned the school board repeatedly about how she believes courses taken off-campus unfairly affect VHS grade point averages.
Her input helped shape the district’s Option 2 policy, which permits students to pursue off-campus educational opportunities, and tightened what were seen as loopholes that offer opportunities for some students to boost their grade point averages over those who completed their studies exclusively at VHS.
(Page 2 of 3)
But even as that policy was approved in February, parent Jane Jannarone called for an administrative review of courses and acquired credits of the top 10 VHS students to ensure none was benefiting at the expense of other students. Her daughter, Sarah, and classmate Stephanie Dzuziako, also were part of a legal challenge of grade point average calculations that later was withdrawn.
The same issue has resurfaced in the latest valedictorian spat.
Earlier this year, Carlon Wolfe had filed a petition with the state Department of Education that was set to be heard at an Office of Administrative Law hearing April 4.
“On the eve of our hearing, our attorney provided us with class rank calculations provided to him by the district that reflected a recalculation for Blake Pescatore. Initially it appeared that there would be no change in our son’s class rank so we reluctantly withdrew our petition,” she wrote in an April 26 letter to school board members.
But after closer review, Carlon Wolfe said, she believes the methodology “was flawed and designed to continue to give (Pescatore) an unfair academic advantage.”
Pescatore took an art class at Cumberland County College one summer during her high school years. That opened up a slot in her VHS schedule that was filled with an Advanced Placement course, which is called a “weighted” course. Because the AP class is more academically challenging, it carries more credit than a traditional college prep course.
Both Dumanyan and Carlon Wolfe suggest it would be “mathematically impossible” for Pescatore to be valedictorian if her grade point average were calculated based on current board policy.
Dumanyan, as the top student at VHS since her sophomore year, said her class rank dropped to No. 2 after the second marking period.
“It was a shock,” she said, explaining she tried to consider any possibilities where her 4.5079 grade point average was not good enough to be the best. “I was confused thinking, ‘Did I get a B in one of my classes?’”
Now she believes Pescatore’s off-campus studies contributed to the higher grade point average calculation. That’s an option closed to many financially strapped VHS students, she said.
(Page 3 of 3)
Richard Pescatore noted there’s been “misstatements of fact” about his daughter’s academic achievements. She had “specific written approval” from school administrators before she enrolled in the CCC art course, he said. She even was required to bring the class syllabus to VHS before it was authorized, he said.
Pursuing off-campus college courses was an option available to all students who had the initiative to request it, Richard Pescatore noted.
“Did they ask?” he said. “Everyone had that opportunity.”
Dumanyan noted she was awarded a grant and studied abroad for two months during the summer. She could have applied for academic credits for those studies, but the VHS Course Selection Handbook specifically spelled out that was not permitted.
Richard Pescatore noted that course book is a guide, and students could have asked about the policies.
Fierce competition among the top academic students at VHS isn’t new.
Richard Pescatore pointed to the common practice for top-achieving students to skip lunch period to add courses to their daily schedule. He did not permit his daughter to do that in her freshman and sophomore years because he wanted her to eat lunch.
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Infiniti QX80 Oxygen Sensor
Keeping your QX80 in top shape is your top priority.
Your Infiniti dealership isn't the only place to buy trusted replacement parts for your QX80. Make no mistake, you didn't buy your QX80 unless you wanted to buy long-lasting quality and a trusted brand both impeccably combined into one car, truck, or SUV. It's not all the time that you realize that you have to buy a replacement Oxygen Sensor to fix your vehicle. You picked your QX80 because its a reputation for safety and Japanese engineering appealed to your senses; so why would you settle for second rate when it comes to superior quality auto parts?
The function and purpose of Oxygen Sensor.
Achieving maximum power and fuel efficiency with your car or truck depends on how well you maintain your engine and exhaust parts. The fuel-injection system on your Infiniti QX80 is runs on signals sent by your ECU which relies on input from the oxygen sensors. Your Infiniti QX80 oxygen sensors sit in the exhaust manifold, exhaust pipes, and catalytic converter and analyze the quality of the exhaust gases to determine how well your fuel delivery and emissions reduction parts are working. When oxygen sensors fail your car will not get the best fuel economy or produce enough horsepower, and emissions from your tailpipe may be in excess of legal levels.
You've tried the rest, now try the best.
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Bridal
Frills by Scott is delighted to bring to Georgia top designers in couture bridal fashion. Frills offers exquisite gowns from the following designers: Allure Bridals, Allure Romance, Maggie Sottero, Ashley & Justin, Christian Wu, Adrianna Papell, and two exclusive lines you will only find at Frills! We also offer a large number of bridesmaids dresses from Allure Bridesmaids, Christina Wu, Jasmine Bridals, and Lulla Kate. Along with bridal and bridesmaids, we offer the same personalized experience to our mother's. | {
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An energy-starved world has been saved by the discovery of a remarkable new invention: the water cell. A spoilt teenager - a little-too fond of mind-altering medicines - must evade amputee assassins, water-worshipping cultists, and a widow whose seven previous husbands have met questionable ends in order to save his fugitive father and uncover the dark truth behind this mysterious new power. | {
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California’s new housing bills are about to become law — but not everyone in real estate is happy about it
Contents
Drug war hits home for Gwinnett residents California’s new housing bills are about to become law – but not everyone in real estate is happy about it barbie doll: catty florida mortgage lender including actions against for-profit colleges and unscrupulous student lenders. Rules the agency put in place under Cordray affect nearly every American who deals with banks or a credit card company.
The L.A. Times noted that while S.B. 828 isn’t getting nearly the same attention as Wiener’s other major housing bill, it has the potential to have just as dramatic an impact on housing production is California. S.B. 828 will go before the Senate Housing and Transportation Committee on April 24.
golf5239: Vacations Made Easy: Buying a Florida Investment Property Zillow helps you find the newest florida real estate listings. By analyzing information on thousands of single family homes for sale in Florida and across the United States , we calculate home values (Zestimates) and the Zillow Home Value Price Index for Florida proper, its neighborhoods and surrounding areas .
· As long as the focus is on a single neighborhood, this seems eminently plausible. Real estate is more valuable when expensive properties are nearby. But in California’s coastal cities, rents are rising everywhere, not just in hot neighborhoods. The YIMBYs, joined by many left-of-center city officials, pin the blame on insufficient housing supply.
· Second, contrary to your statement about wealth accumulation through real estate, one of the big real estate booms was in the post-WWII 1950s, especially in California. That price escalation flattened in the 1960s until the late 1970s, but those whites who owned homes in the 1950s had accumulated much of their wealth.
“New-housing market analyst Sharon Hanley reported 193 sales at 1,090 projects in the county in July, off substantially from the July 2007 count of 639.. I’m about ready to become the Cindy Sheehan of real estate; this is just making me so angry.'”. chairman of the University of California’s Fisher Center for Real Estate and.
· Can California put cars in the rear-view mirror? Passenger vehicles make up about 40% of the state’s greenhouse-gas emissions
More and more Californians are ready to ditch their cars, and more and more policy experts would like to help them do that. This story from @CalMatters is part of a series on California’s quest to. | {
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Xtc — Scissor Man bass tabs
order PART 1, PART 2,PART 1, PART 2, PART 1, PART 2, PART 3PART 1G——————————————————4——7(let ring)—————————————4——7(letring)————————————7—7D—————4—5——(4—4)—5——————0(let ring)———(4—4)—5——————0(letring)——————————5—5A—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————E—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
PART 3Riff A Riff BG——————————7——5————————————————————————|—————7——5————————9——7————————————|D————————————————7——5——————————————————|———————————7——5——————————9———————|A————————————————————————7——5——————————|—————————————————————————————————|E———————————————————————————————7——————|—————————————————————————————————| | {
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Price search results for MSR Freelite 1
The Freelite 1 is MSR's lightest freestanding, full featured solo backpacking tent. This double wall tent features a full coverage 15D Nylon Ripstop w1200mm coated fly with a 7 sq. ft. vestibule. The bathtub shaped floor is 15D Nylon Ripstop w1500mm coating. Both fly and floor are factory seam sealed for exceptional weather protection. The tent's roof is 10D Nylon Micromesh for enhanced ventilation and stargazing capabilities on clear nights. It has one Stay Dry door that is designed to keep the interior of the tent dry as you enter or exit even in pouring rain. The hubbed one piece aluminum frame is extremely fast and easy to set up. It is Fast Light capable meaning you can set up the poles and fly only for super light shelter at a weight of 1 lb. no bug protection. You can also add the optional fitted fabric footprint for a floor in this configuration. 1 lb. 6 oz. Stakes, guylines and storage bag included. Flame Retardant. Import MSR's lightest freestanding, full featured solo backpacking tent Full coverage fly with one 7 sq. ft. vestibule 1 Large Stay Dry door is designed to keep the interior of the tent dry even in heavy rain Micromesh roof for enhanced ventilation and stargazing Hubbed one piece 7000 series aluminum frame Freestanding design is very simple to set up All clip assembly is fast to set up or take down Color Coded set up is fast Straighter walls than most tents for more usable space in the tent Fast Light capable set up the poles and fly only for super light shelter Stakes, guylines and storage bag included Flame Retardant Import | {
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ASX, the company behind Australia’s stock market, is said to have put $10 million of their own cash into the funding round.
In an in-depth interview with Bloomberg, Masters described the plan going forward with their investors:
“[Our investors in this round] represent a balanced mix of the entire financial ecosystem, so balanced in terms of geographic representation and in terms of the nature of the services that they provide. That was a mixture that was very carefully designed for a reason, and that reason is to ensure the greatest chances of adoption, to ensure the ability of Digital Asset [Holdings] to work with its various investors, and for the work that we do to benefit multiple investors simultaneously.”
In other words, the investors in this fundraising round were chosen because they offer Digital Asset Holdings (DAH) the ability to build out many different use cases of their technology. During the interview with Bloomberg, Masters also noted additional investors could be added to this round in the next week or so.
When asked about Bitcoin’s ultimate promise of removing many of the middlemen found on Wall Street, Masters was quick to point out that her company is more interested in generalized blockchain technology than Bitcoin’s open, permissionless network.
She explained:
“There’s a distinction between the ultimate promise of Bitcoin as a opposed to the potential application of the technology that was invented for the creation of Bitcoin – hence the blockchain technology. If you think about blockchain technology in layman’s terms, which makes it a lot easier to understand, really you can think of it as a form of database technology because people know what a database is and know it’s used to store important information you need to refer back to, basically.”
The use of permissioned, distributed ledgers instead of Bitcoin has been a major theme in the industry over the past year, with startups, such as DAH and R3, attempting to bring better security and more efficient settlement to financial institutions around the world. Having said that, the likes of Digital Currency Group Founder Barry Silbert, Xapo CEO Wences Casares, and other Bitcoin icons stillbelieve the banking industry will eventually abandon these permissioned blockchains and find their way back to the Bitcoin blockchain.
What Benefits Can DAH Offer Financial Institutions?
When it comes to the specific advantages of distributed ledgers for financial institutions, Masters mainly focused on three key areas: security, settlement, and data replication. She discussed the power of a shared, distributed ledger during her interview with Bloomberg:
“You can think of a blockchain or distributed ledger as a shared, replicated source of the same information that stays the same at all points in time and uses sophisticated technology to ensure that it’s not possible to hack into or falsify that record. More importantly, once information is submitted to that ledger or record, it can never be edited.”
One possible use case mentioned by Masters during the interview could affect the average person on the street. She said individuals who sell assets on an exchange will be able to have access to those funds from that sale on the same day if this technology is widely implemented.
It appears that Australia’s stock market may be the first major test for the use of blockchain technology by a traditional stock exchange. ASX’s infrastructure was scheduled for an update of its core technology, and DAH was able to win a deal as its provider of choice. Masters’ startup is said to have beat out some 400 other technology companies for the opportunity to re-engineer how the Australian market operates.
During her interview with Bloomberg, Masters pointed out two reasons why Australia makes sense as a test ground for this technology:
“The Australian market has some unique features to it. First of all, it’s a fully dematerialized market. What that means is that they moved away some time ago from the notion of stocks having to have physical certificates that have to reside somewhere, so it’s a market which inherently involves electronic or digital records of ownership of securities. Second of all, ASX operates a central securities record-keeping or ledger-keeping service and is responsible for the totality of the settlement and clearing process.”
ASX is one of the top 15 equity markets in the world. Although Bitcoin’s mainstream moment has yet to come, it’s clear that blockchain technology is about to take center stage. | {
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The Unlikely Effects of USD Depreciation
Even if the dollar depreciates sharply in the near term, adverse effects are
unlikely—primarily because inflation will stay low.
Pundits and policymakers around the world are wringing their hands over the
possibility of further declines in the foreign exchange value of the dollar.
Predicting exchange rates is notoriously difficult; there is almost as much
chance of the dollar rising next year as of it declining. But if the dollar were
to fall further, should we be concerned?
A lower dollar is good news for US exporters and foreign importers and bad
news for foreign exporters and US importers. However, if policymakers respond
appropriately, there is no reason to fear overall harm either to the US economy
or to foreign economies.
Indeed, a lower dollar could jumpstart the long-overdue rebalancing of the
global economy away from excessive US trade deficits and foreign reliance on
export-led growth, putting the world on track for a more sustainable
expansion.
The fear in economies that are appreciating against the United States is that
a falling dollar will choke off exports and hobble economic recoveries. The
correct response is to ease monetary policy and temporarily delay fiscal
contraction. As I explain here, even in economies with short-term interest rates
near zero, there is plenty of scope for central banks to stimulate aggregate
demand, and doing so will help to limit the extent to which the dollar
falls.
For the United States, the benefits of a falling dollar are obvious: Stronger
exports and a faster recovery. The fear is that a falling dollar would be
inflationary. However, as I have shown in two recent papers, even very large
currency depreciations in developed economies have no effect on inflation unless
they are caused by policies that attempt to hold an economy's unemployment rate
below its equilibrium level.
With US unemployment currently at 10%, there is no chance that inflation will
rise in the near term. Whether inflation rises in the longer run will depend on
whether US monetary and fiscal policy stimulus is withdrawn appropriately as the
economy recovers (and tighter macroeconomic policies would tend to support the
dollar). Many believe that US policymakers erred in not withdrawing
stimulus soon enough in 2003-2005, but policymakers now seem to be keenly aware
of this mistake and have expressed their determination not to repeat it.
Only time will tell, but my own view is that the Federal Reserve, at least, will
not allow runaway inflation.
For economies that peg their currencies to the dollar (notably China), the
costs and benefits of a falling dollar are the same as those facing the United
States, and so is the policy dilemma: How fast to tighten macroeconomic policy
as the economy recovers? These economies differ on several dimensions, including
financial market development and capital controls, strength of economic ties to
the United States, and prospects for economic slack and inflation. These
differences will determine the appropriate policy stance. To some extent, these
economies have forfeited the freedom to adjust monetary policy, but they retain
the option of adjusting the levels of their dollar pegs. In some cases, a
further decline in the dollar may represent an opportune moment to move to a
floating exchange rate.
By Joe Gagnon, Peterson Institute for International
Economics
Joe Gagnon is a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International
Economics. Joe is an expert on international economics has spent a great deal of
time studying the effects of exchange rate depreciation. | {
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Journey of the Iron Elite Part III: Daytona [w/Video]
The Iron Elite have finally reached Daytona Bike Week, but that doesn’t mean their journey is over. At Daytona, the crew has the chance to commune with other bikers and find inspiration—for their bikes and for themselves. It’s all part of a long history that stretches back around a century, and continues to this very day—and should keep on rollin’ for years to come. | {
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The Fact About property investment advisors That No One Is Suggesting
The Fact About property investment advisors That No One Is Suggesting
Established to span 10 ranges earlier mentioned a three level basement, eleven-15 Brunswick Street finds alone in an ever more well known condominium pocket using a host of tasks both concluded or less than design in the vicinity. An individual Place of work Room and 116 apartments represent the Interlandi Mantesso-created composition.
The great thing about undertaking that is definitely you can begin small and increase for your investment as your knowledge and self confidence develop. You don’t really need to go out on limb and borrow hundreds of Countless dollars as you would need to do if you obtain investment property.
Normally, the Slice defines an irrational number which, loosely Talking, fills the gap among A and B, as during the definition with the square root of 2 above.
From this standpoint, Dedekind’s 1872 axiom of continuity and his definition of genuine quantities as specific infinite subsets of rational quantities instructed to Cantor and afterwards to a number of other mathematicians that arbitrarily significant sets of rational figures are most Obviously found to generally be subsets of the basically
Broad appeal - Locate a property that should attract more than one segment of your rental sector such as singles, partners, young people or retirees.
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A constructive indication for the industry was the return of very first-residence potential buyers, which made up 20 to 25 per cent of Villa World’s customers Mr Treasure extra.
Achilles, whom we could believe is definitely the swiftest runner of antiquity, is racing to capture the tortoise that's slowly but surely crawling here clear of him. Each are shifting alongside a linear path at constant speeds. So as to catch the tortoise, Achilles will have to get to the spot in which the tortoise presently is. Even so, by the point Achilles gets there, the tortoise can have crawled to a fresh location.
L. E. J. Brouwer’s intuitionism was the major constructivist principle with the early twentieth century. In response to suspicions lifted by the discovery of Russell’s Paradox as well as the introduction into established concept of the controversial non-constructive axiom of option, Brouwer attempted to put arithmetic on what he believed for being a firmer epistemological foundation by arguing that mathematical principles are admissible only if they may be manufactured from, and therefore grounded in, an excellent mathematician’s vivid temporal intuitions, their a priori intuitions of time.
Calculus was invented within the late 1600's by Newton and Leibniz. Their calculus is a way for dealing with steady movement as becoming made up of an infinite number of infinitesimal steps. Following the acceptance of calculus, most all mathematicians and physicists thought that constant motion ought to be modeled by a functionality which will take serious numbers representing time as its argument and which provides authentic figures symbolizing spatial place as its benefit.
Keep tuned for many thrilling new shots as a result of our new drone! Vital that you increase element to real-estate shots! pic.twitter.com/Vhr4PddeRE
This sweet Cape is a house run! Boasting light and brilliant living Areas, open sight strains, vaulted living room with magnificent stone fireplace, mahogany deck and cedar outside shower.
Aristotle experienced quite a few criticisms of Zeno. Regarding the paradoxes of movement, he complained that Zeno mustn't suppose the runner's path is depending on its sections; instead, The trail is there to start with, and also the components are built via the analyst. His 2nd grievance was that Zeno should not suppose that traces contain indivisible factors. | {
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This is my homage to a game that made my childhood a great place to be. I'm a huge fan of the Zelda series and always wanted to make a fan art about it. After a lot of research and some bad night sleeping days this is where I came up to. I hope you like it as much as I had fun doing it!
If you want to see a better resolution image, please follow the link bellow: | {
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China: A Keynesian Monster, by Per Bylund
China may have pushed the absurd body of primarily political doctrine known as Keynesian economics to its absurd limit. From Per Bylund at mises.org:
I recently spent two weeks traveling in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), a vast country with many contrasts: old vs. new, poor vs. rich, traditional vs. modern, East vs. West. While it is a strange experience with many impressions, what’s most striking is the obvious and contradictory economic contrast between wealth and waste.
Chinese city skylines in the economic development zones consist of business district skyscrapers mixed high-rise apartment complexes at least 30 stories high. The latter exist in groups of a dozen or so buildings of identical designs shooting far up into the sky, sometimes placed in the outskirts to facilitate the city’s expansion or change travel patterns according to some (central) master plan for the city.
The boxy skylines are interrupted by vast numbers of tower cranes in the many construction projects that produce more high-rises and skyscrapers at impressive speeds. The city is conquering the countryside and devouring the surroundings much like a swarm of locusts.
This image is one of production, a society experiencing enormous economic growth and wealth creation.
But traveling as the day gives in to night shows a very different picture of these sprawling Chinese cities. While the setting sun makes the tower cranes stand out even more, what is obviously missing is the sign of civilization: artificial lighting. Many of these newly constructed buildings become silhouettes against the sunset that are as dark as a dead tree trunk.
One can stand in the middle of the city watching the glass-and-metal skyscrapers wrapped in neon lighting, as one would expect. Yet among them see many dark shapes of buildings that are empty – if not dead. These buildings are not necessarily new and move-in ready, they are simply uninhabited and unused.
This image is one of wasteful spending and immense economic errors. The contrast is as puzzling as it is scary. It tells us something important about the nature of the recent Chinese economic miracle: that it is fundamentally fake.
TRADE, NOT AID!
Unlike many websites, Straight Line Logic does not solicit donations. If you're going to lay out your hard-earned money, you should get something in exchange. If you like the site and want to support it, buy The Golden Pinnacle or The Gordian Knot, either as a book or download. The links are on the right-hand side of the page, in the Blogroll section. You'll be supporting the site, and getting a great book and hours of enjoyable reading. | {
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More than 3,400 developers are already innovating with Visualforce User
Interface-as-a-Service
SAN FRANCISCO - December 5, 2007 - Salesforce.com [NYSE:
CRM], the market and technology leader in on-demand business services, today announced it will
reach its next major milestone this month, surpassing one million paying subscriptions on its
award-winning service. Salesforce.com will achieve this milestone due to the industry momentum and
customer adoption of the Force.com Platform and Salesforce CRM application suite, which has
expanded from four to six applications with the addition of Salesforce Content and Salesforce
Ideas. Additionally, there has been rapid adoption of the developer preview of Visualforce as more
than 3,400 developers already have created more than 5,800 custom interfaces with the new
User-Interface-as-a-Service component of the Force.com platform.
"Our strategy of delivering both the Force.com Platform-as-a-Service and Salesforce core
Software-as-a-Service applications has driven a remarkable shift in the industry over the last
eight years," said Marc Benioff, chairman and CEO, salesforce.com. "It took seven years to reach
the first 500,000 paying subscribers and only another 16 months for the second 500,000. That's
incredible global momentum and adoption for businesses of all sizes. For a million subscribers
around the world, it's truly The End of Software."
Force.com and Salesforce Applications Deliver Customer
SuccessWith 38,100 customers and nearly 1 million subscriptions, salesforce.com is driving success
on demand for customers worldwide. Just as customers have adopted Salesforce first for
SFA, and then the full
suite of
CRM applications, they are now adopting the
Force.com platform to extend the benefits of on-demand applications throughout their entire
enterprises.
The Force.com Platform-as-a-Service offers the most comprehensive set of capabilities for
building any application on demand. Force.com PaaS provides the building blocks necessary to create
and deploy any business application and lets companies and developers focus on what their
applications do, rather than the software and infrastructure to run them. By replacing the
complexity of software platforms with a complete, scalable service, Force.com provides developers
the fastest path to turn ideas into business impact. The multi-tenant Force.com platform
encompasses a complete feature set for the creation of business applications, including the ability
to create any database on demand, a workflow engine for managing collaboration between users, the
Apex Code programming language for building complex logic, the Force.com Web Services API for
programmatic access, mash-ups, and integration with other applications and data, and Visualforce
for a framework to build any user interface.
Achieving Major Milestones in On DemandIn addition to reaching the one million subscription mark during the month of December,
salesforce.com has achieved several major milestones that speak to the growth of its service and
breadth of its offerings:
Force.com Platform-as-a-Service Momentum
More than 62,000 developers in the Apex Developer Network using the Force.com
platform
More than 750 AppExchange applications
Approximately 280,000 test drives on the AppExchange
Approximately 38,000 installations from the AppExchange
More than 3,400 developers have built more than 5,800 custom interfaces with
Visualforce
Approximately 39 AppExchange companies have raised more than $400 million in
venture funding
More than 8 billion transactions in Q3
First 130-million transaction day (November, 2007)
Released 24th edition of salesforce.com's service to all customers (November,
2007)
Average Q3 page-delivery times of less than one-third of a second (about the
time it takes to blink)
Integrated Philanthropy
2,800 nonprofits now using the company's on-demand service free of charge
More than 70,000 employee hours donated across the globe
More than $10 million in grants distributed
About Salesforce
Salesforce, the Customer Success Platform and world's #1 CRM, empowers companies to connect with their customers in a whole new way. For more information about Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), visit: www.salesforce.com.
Any unreleased services or features referenced in this or other press releases or public statements are not currently available and may not be delivered on time or at all. Customers who purchase Salesforce applications should make their purchase decisions based upon features that are currently available. Salesforce has headquarters in San Francisco, with offices in Europe and Asia, and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “CRM.” For more information please visit http://www.salesforce.com, or call 1-800-NO-SOFTWARE. | {
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Abstract
IMPORTANCE
The increasing intensity of diabetes mellitus management over the past decade may have resulted in lower rates of hyperglycemic emergencies but higher rates of hospital admissions for hypoglycemia among older adults. Trends in these hospitalizations and subsequent outcomes are not known.
OBJECTIVE
To characterize changes in hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia hospitalization rates and subsequent mortality and readmission rates among older adults in the United States over a 12-year period, and to compare these results according to age, sex, and race.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS
Retrospective observational study using data from 33 952 331 Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries 65 years or older from 1999 to 2011.
A total of 279 937 patients experienced 302 095 hospitalizations for hyperglycemia, and 404 467 patients experienced 429 850 hospitalizations for hypoglycemia between 1999 and 2011. During this time, rates of admissions for hyperglycemia declined by 38.6% (from 114 to 70 admissions per 100 000 person-years), while admissions for hypoglycemia increased by 11.7% (from 94 to 105 admissions per 100 000 person-years). In analyses designed to account for changing diabetes mellitus prevalence, admissions for hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia declined by 55.2% and 9.5%, respectively. Trends were similar across age, sex, and racial subgroups, but hypoglycemia rates were 2-fold higher for older patients (≥75 years) when compared with younger patients (65-74 years), and admission rates for both hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia were 4-fold higher for black patients compared with white patients. The 30-day and 1-year mortality and 30-day readmission rates improved during the study period and were similar after an index hospitalization for either hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia (5.4%, 17.1%, and 15.3%, respectively, after hyperglycemia hospitalizations in 2010; 4.4%, 19.9%, and 16.3% after hypoglycemia hospitalizations).
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
Hospital admission rates for hypoglycemia now exceed those for hyperglycemia among older adults. Although admissions for hypoglycemia have declined modestly since 2007, rates among black Medicare beneficiaries and those older than 75 years remain high. Hospital admissions for severe hypoglycemia seem to pose a greater health threat than those for hyperglycemia, suggesting new opportunities for improvement in care of persons with diabetes mellitus. | {
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These lenses are very similar in performance, more then I expected it to be.
The Nikon 18-200 VR II or VR I is a well known lens in the photography world so at first, I expected it to perform better then the Sony lens. I prefer the Nikon lens over the Sony to work with, because of the focus ring with true stops and markings. With the Novoflex adapter you can adjust the iris manual and easier then with the small dial on the camera. Also zooming in with the Nikon lens goes a lot smoother. The Sony lens on the other hand has image stabilization and auto iris / focus for fast shooting when you need it. So unfortunately there is no simple answer to the question "Which lens is better?". They both have things going for it!
In short: I prefer working with the Nikon lens over the Sony lens, when there's more time to setup my shots. And I prefer the Sony lens over the Nikon lens when there's less shooting time (for Run and Gun work). Further more, I would have no problem editing shots of both lenses together in a single project. Actually, it would be rather difficult to tell them apart. | {
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One dead in Egypt clashes
March 31 - A student dies in clashes with police in Cairo on the day authorities announced dates for presidential elections. Paul Chapman reports.
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Protests by pro-Muslim Brotherhood students in Cairo continued into a second week on Sunday.
Police opened fire with tear gas and buckshot as the protesters hurled stones.
One student was killed in the clashes, the second to die in as many weeks.
Egypt's security forces have mounted a crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood since ousting Islamist President Mohamed Mursi last July.
The demonstrations have intensified over the past week after a court handed down death sentences to more than 500 alleged Brotherhood members in Minya city.
The students are demanding reinstatement of those expelled for membership of the Muslim Brotherhood, or for taking part in the protests.
The violence coincided with the announcement of voting dates for presidential elections.
The polls are due to take place in late May for a contest former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is expected to win easily.
Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest international multimedia news provider reaching more than one billion people every day. Reuters provides trusted business, financial, national, and international news to professionals via Thomson Reuters desktops, the world's media organizations, and directly to consumers at Reuters.com and via Reuters TV. Learn more about Thomson Reuters products: | {
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Click on product images or description for pricing and purchase options
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Something’s Wrong at the Village Voice
Something's Wrong at the Village Voice
For those who grew up loving (or still love) the Village Voice — its liberal fire, passionate criticism and witty turn-of-phrase — get ready to be disappointed. Once again, corporate evil has struck, and the merger of the Village Voice with New Times, the other alt-weekly juggernaut, is finally having an impact on my beloved left-wing weekly.
This week, cinephiles will notice two new bylines in the Voice’s famed film section — once the domain of critic-legends like Andrew Sarris and Jonas Mekas. These two new critics are Texas-based Robert Wilonsky and Hollywood-based Luke Y. Thompson, whose names may be familiar to readers of New Times pubs like the Cleveland Scene, Dallas Observer and Miami New Times. Their reviews are tiny and Hoberman still reigns, but I fear for what’s next: No disrespect to Wilonsky and Thompson, who I’m sure are fine gentlemen and cinema-lovers, but writers filing reviews for the Village Voice should be based in New York, should breathe New York.
Film culture is different in Gotham; and there’s a reason that people live here and think here and digest movies here, and it’s unique and distinct from other parts of the country. Call me elitist or pretentious, but if you live outside of New York, you shouldn’t be regularly reviewing for a New York paper (Manohla Dargis, honorary New Yorker, gets a pass, I guess). While cineastes can lament the whittling away of the Voice’s edge and the coherence of its cultural coverage, there is also a very real and dangerous impact of this merger on indie film: When Wilonsky or Thompson pan a movie, these reviews will appear in every market. Their strangehold on alternative film criticism is unprecedented.
And I must pick on Thompson for a moment, because I think his taste decidely contradicts everything the Village Voice’s criticsm has stood for over the last 50 years. His 2005 top ten list, which appears here, for example, features a top three of 1.) “Star Wars: Episode III,” 2.) “The Devil’s Rejects” and 3.) “Oldboy“. And 6, 7, 8 and 10 aren’t so promising either: “Shopgirl,” “Sin City,” “The Jacket,” and “The Chronicles of Narnia.” Recently, he has bashed such art and indie films as “Mysterious Skin“, “Mean Creek,” “Maria Full of Grace,” “Red Lights,” “Bright Leaves,” “Strayed,” and get this, he even disses “Annie Hall” on his website:
“Fundamentally, my problem is this: why should I care about a whiny nerd who doesn’t have the balls to take any chances, yet somehow manages to date women way out of his league, only to totally screw up his relationships with them?” he writes. “And why is it funny when he digs up hoary old jokes like the Groucho Marx one about joining a club? Nowadays we call that “re-gifting.” Or “postmodernism.” I want to slap the guy and take the chicks he’s driving away with his B.S.”
I’m sorry, Luke, but you don’t belong in the Village Voice. Film culture is already suffering enough as it is; we don’t need your help.
I also noticed Ward Harkavy’s Bush Beat blog “has been canceled by new management,” Toni Schlesinger’s “Shelter” column seems to be AWOL, and Press Clips is also missing, along with venerable reporter Sydney Schanberg who resigned because it was clear to him that Village Voice Media executive editor Michael Lacey “didn’t want a press column,” according to this Boston Phoenix story, which also suggests legendary lefty Nat Hentoff’s column may be next on the chopping block. I’m afraid this is only the beginning.
AN UPDATE:
If anyone is still reading this thread, I need to clarify. (It’s my own damn fault for getting all gushy about New York up above, but people in the comments section below have misconstrued what I was trying to say.) I don’t care what Luke or anyone else writes about in other papers. And I back off my contention that only New Yorkers can write for New York papers (it’s true, there are some writers not based in New York that I’d be happy to read in a New York paper.) This isn’t the main point. The main point is that the Village Voice has been a bastion of a particular type of film criticism (and political point of view) for 50 years. What’s happening at the paper has far more to do with my beef with a particular critic. I probably shouldn’t have focused so much on Luke above, because that’s what most people have latched onto (everyone loves a fight and he was an easy target), instead of the larger, more important issue: This is about the gutting of an institution’s soul, corporatizing it, homogenizing it, nullifying it. | {
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Susan Wilkie
What stunning gardens!! Phil and I visited them a few weeks ago and were amazed at their diversity!! Will try and go along next month, would be very interesting to see the transformation in such a short time!! Plant sale, even better than clothes!! Oohh?? | {
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Anger at Ripon City Council's 'culture of secrecy'
Furious residents have called on Ripon City Council to stamp out what they have described as a “culture of secrecy”.
Fed-up of being excluded from meetings when councillors go into private session, Ripon and Littlethorpe residents have had enough - taking to Ripon Facebook forums and contacting the ‘Gazette to say it is happening all too often.
In November’s full council meeting, members debated the future of Ripon’s £20,000 railway feasibility study in private, and members of the public were frustrated to hear the verdict without the full context as to why it had been dropped.
And on December 4, the council went into private session for what residents said was more than one hour. A statement on Ripon City Council’s website regarding the item debated in private has created concerns among residents.
It reads: “Having received legal advice, Ripon City Council have agreed to pay an invoice relating to a contract that has been formed outside of its financial regulations. The council have resolved to self refer to the External Auditor. No further statements will be made until the External Auditor’s response is received.”
John Edmonstone, who was among those waiting outside, said: “There is a continuing culture of secrecy and of the council going into private session. It’s disheartening and disappointing, it could be so much better. There’s a growing disappointment, and certainly on forums like the Blow Your Horn Ripon Facebook page, you can detect that.
“You look at places like Boroughbridge and Knaresborough, and they seem to flourish in ways which Ripon does not. They have a policy of cooperating with Harrogate, whereas Ripon is still existing pre-1974 before the local government re-organisation, which I think they see as a golden age where they felt they could control their own destiny, but times have moved on. You have to work with people to get the best deal.”
Speaking on behalf of Ripon City Council, Coun Andrew Williams said: “We conduct as much of our business as is legally possible in open session and members of the public are welcome and indeed encouraged to come to our meetings and see debate and decision making for themselves.
“In respect of the current issue surrounding payment of an invoice we have attempted to be as open as we can currently be whilst having to follow due process which will enable Ripon City Council to issue a full statement when they have concluded.
"That is why we took the decision to self refer to our external auditors to ensure that in the fullness of time there can and indeed will be full transparency on the matter.” | {
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Implement Azure security Training
In this course students will gain the knowledge and skills needed to include Azure authentication and authorization services in their development solutions. Students will learn how identity is managed and utilized in Azure solutions by using the Microsoft identity platform. Students will also learn about access control (claims-based authorization and role-based access control) and how to implement secure data solutions. Throughout the course students learn how to create and integrate these resources by using the Azure CLI, REST, and application code.
Audience
Students in this course are interested in Azure development or in passing the Microsoft Azure Developer Associate certification exam.
Students should have 1-2 years experience as a developer. This course assumes students know how to code and have a fundamental knowledge of Azure.
Prerequisites
Students should have 1-2 years experience as a developer. This course assumes students know how to code and have a fundamental knowledge of Azure.
It is recommended that students have some experience with PowerShell or Azure CLI, working in the Azure portal, and with at least one Azure-supported programming language. Most of the examples in this course are presented in C\# .NET.
Duration
1 day
Outline of Implement Azure security Training
Module 1: Implement authentication
Microsoft identity platform is an evolution of the Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) identity service and developer platform. It allows developers to build applications that sign in all Microsoft identities, get tokens to call Microsoft Graph, other Microsoft APIs, or APIs that developers have built.
Lessons
Microsoft identity platform
Implement OAuth2 authentication
Implement managed identities for Azure resources
Implement authentication by using certificates, forms-based authentication, or tokens
Implement multi-factor authentication
After completing this module, students will be able to:
Understand the architecture of the Microsoft identity platform
Be able to implement OAuth2 authentication in their solutions
Be able to use Azure Key Vault to store and retrieve authentication information
Module 2: Implement access control
This module covers claims-based and role-based access control.
Lessons
Claims-based authorization
Role-based access control (RBAC) authorization
After completing this module, students will be able to:
Learn how to use claims-based authorization in their development solutions | {
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Saturday, January 26, 2019
Book Giveaway: DIRTY LITTLE SECRET by JENNIFER RYAN
Blurb...
Meet the women from Wild Rose Ranch—and the men who want them—in New York TimesBestselling Author Jennifer Ryan’s breathtaking series of romance and scandal . . .
Noah Cordero is a modern-day cowboy who loves three things: ranching, his younger sister, and his step-father. John Cordero groomed Noah to take over the Montana spread where he learned to ride and work the land. But when John unexpectedly dies, he leaves half the ranch to a woman Noah doesn’t even know.
Roxy shares Noah’s last name, but not his blood. Estranged from her father, haunted by regrets, and eager to escape her notorious mother’s past, she is forced to fulfill her father’s last wishes. Inheriting means sharing a home with infuriating, challenging, and oh-so-tempting Noah. But John didn’t just make her owner of his ranch and guardian to her sister, his hidden sideline is her worst nightmare—she’s the new owner of the notorious Nevada brothel called Wild Rose Ranch where she grew up.
As their strictly business relationship starts to turn to true love, Roxy begins to wonder, what will happen when Noah discovers her dirty little secret? | {
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Building Blocks @ LV 2150
11:20 a.m.
—
11:59 a.m.
Blockchain will change the world - visibly and invisibly. But what the heck is it? Come hear fascinating predictions and hard realities about the most important innovation in transactions of the last millenia. Maybe you could learn enough to be entertaining at parties? | {
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Hebi was able to access this technique through the use of his Snake DNA. This allows Hebi to stretch his any body part far from what they should ever go. Any body part that he want can stretch out on command of Hebi himself. The speed of how fast his body parts can stretch are quite fast, but can be dodge by those with above average reflexives. The speed on how fast the retract to their normal position is much faster than stretching.
The chakra usage of this technique is very minimal, to a point that Hebi is able to stretch out his body through an entire fight without using bare minimal chakra. Each body part can be stretched out at once with ease. Each body part has a different length that they can reach, which can be improved through Role Playing.
Right and Left Arms: 10-Feet
Right and Left Legs: 3-Feet
Torso: 5-Feet
Neck: 5-Feet | {
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Luther and Lutheranism
Martin Luther was eight years old when Christopher Columbus set sail from Europe and landed in the Western Hemisphere. Luther was a young monk and priest when Michaelangelo was painting the Sistine Chapel in Rome...
ELCA Good Gifts Catalog
Assignment Process
Assignment completes candidacy for all people, including those ordained in another Lutheran church or Christian tradition, moving them toward first call and admittance to the appropriate roster in the ELCA...
Joint Observance
The ELCA Conference of Bishops' Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Liaison Committee and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs Committee commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation by signing a joint statement during a Lutheran-Catholic service of Common Prayer.
Reformation 500
Martin Luther posted his “Ninety-Five Theses” in Wittenberg on Oct. 31, 1517, and the resulting debate about Christian teaching and practice led to changes that have shaped the course of Western Christianity for almost 500 years.
Young Lutheran Women Are Leaders
12/13/1996 12:00:00 AM
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- A three-year experience in international leadership ended recently for Julie Ann Winder, Boston, and Harolyn Light Coffer, Jefferson City, Mo. The two young women are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. They were part of the International Leadership Conference for Young Women, a program of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Geneva, Switzerland.
"The program was one of the most wonderful training opportunities I have participated in during my life," said Coffer. "I appreciate and praise the program for its diversity of women. We are a `rainbow people,'" she said.
Winder said it was valuable to "meet female leaders from all over the world. It was interesting to learn that we have similar struggles and joys within the church."
The conference gathered 44 Lutheran women between ages 20 and 40 from Lutheran churches around the world at the end of October to build and strengthen their leadership qualities, preparing them for international work with the LWF and its member churches.
"The program allowed young women to fine-tune the gift of leadership to serve the world to the Glory of God," said Sandra Holloway, who designed the program while on the staff of the LWF. Holloway is currently director for global mission education and stewardship in the ELCA's Division for Global Mission.
The young women were matched with international and regional mentors. They learned about the global church, became acquainted with female church leaders and attended LWF events.
Sue Edison-Swift, managing editor of Lutheran Woman Today, the periodical of Women of the ELCA, served as a mentor and regional coordinator. "In many ways the LWF program was a credentialing more than a training program," she said. "The participants in the program are already leaders in their churches, professions and communities. Their participation helps church leaders recognize the women as leaders," she said.
The women undertook hands-on experience -- short internships, service opportunities, participation in LWF meetings at an international, regional or churchwide level. "The program has broadened my perspective on many global issues," said Coffer.
"These young women went through a personal life metamorphosis. They matured into leaders with the opportunity to serve as international delegates," Holloway explained.
Three years ago, LWF made a commitment to equal participation of women and men in leadership responsibilities, Holloway said. Despite strategies and plans for leadership training and participation of women, LWF recognized that young women are a neglected group in its programs, meetings and events. This could be attributed to "the lack of required skills and the under-utilization of women's capacities in a competitive system," she said.
The young women's program will provide LWF and its member churches with a group of leaders who have an integrated international awareness, said Holloway.
LWF is a communion of 56 million Lutherans in 122 member church bodies in 68 countries. The 5.2-million-member ELCA is the second largest LWF member.
ELCA News
You can receive up-to-date
ELCA news releases by email.
This is Christ's church.
There is a place for you here.
We are the church that shares a living, daring confidence in God's grace. Liberated by our faith, we embrace you as a whole person--questions, complexities and all. Join us as we do God's work in Christ's name for the life of the world. | {
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OTHER MATERIALS NEEDED
STEP-BY-STEP How-TO INSTRUCTIONS
Spray paint canvas & allow to completely dry. Cut vinyl, peel excess slowly taking time to cut excess frequently. Once canvas is dry and vinyl has been weeded, use transfer tape to apply entire word collage to canvas being careful to make sure wording is centered. I used painter's tape around entire edge to make sure the collage was centered on the canvas.
Spray paint canvas & allow to completely dry. Cut vinyl, peel excess slowly taking time to cut excess frequently. Once canvas is dry and vinyl has been weeded, use transfer tape to apply entire word collage to canvas being careful to make sure wording is centered. I used painter's tape around entire edge to make sure the collage was centered on the canvas.
COMMENTS
The project should only be flagged if it violates or infringes upon trademarks, copyrights or contractual rights, or otherwise violates the Agreement or the Terms of Use, the Privacy Policy, or the Angel Policy. Flagging a project as inappropriate removes the project from circulation and requires the project to be reviewed by a site administrator.
Explanationsubmitcancel | {
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Benefits of Cauliflower
Some Other Tips to Cook Cauliflower
There are several other ways to cook cauliflower and make it into a delicious meal. The health benefits of consuming cauliflower as a vegetable are just unlimited. And, whenever cooking cauliflower, do not overcook it as this will cause it to break apart, reduce its taste and color and decrease its nutritional value. Cauliflower contains chemicals and whenever it is cooked, it releases an unpleasant odor. In order to minimize the odor, add a few drops of lemon juice or vinegar. It will also give a tangy taste to your dish. Also, never cook cauliflower in aluminium or iron pots because the chemicals present in the vegetable can react with metals. This could damage the color and taste of the vegetable. | {
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Phase Eight Dresses
Phase Eight are at the forefront of womens fashion. Phase Eight produces party dresses, occasion dresses, wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses, workwear and casualwear. Phase Eight is a British womenwear designer clothing brand. There are Phase 8 stores and concessions in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, Australia, UAE, and other countries. | {
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} |
Book talk: *Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress,* by Susan Jane Gilman
Disclosure: This book was purchased for my personal collection. *Purchasing links in this review are connected to my Amazon Associates account; I will earn a small percentage of any sales these links generate.
Opening lines (from the Introduction): “This is a book about growing up ambitious and engaging in some spectacularly imbecilic behavior.”
Book Description: From the author of Kiss My Tiara comes a funny and poignant collection of true stories about women coming of age that for once isn’t about finding a date. In Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress, she describes what it’s like to grow up a woman in the contemporary world. In sharp, observant essays, she writes about the awkwardness of adolescence; the constant, dull pain of peer pressure; the serfdom of entry-level employment. The ring of truth; a dash of laughter.
Comments: It seems that I struck gold in the book section at Target one day a couple of years ago, browsing while waiting for a prescription; I came home with Susan Jane Gilman’s Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress and But Enough About Me by Jancee Dunn. I read – and loved – Dunn’s memoir a while ago, but didn’t get to Gilman’s until I put on my reading list for the Women Unbound Challenge…and now I’m kicking myself for not reading it sooner. There are similarities in topic and tone between the two books; they’re both about women who grew up in the Northeast during the 1970’s and later became writers. My reaction to Gilman’s book was also similar to my response to Dunn’s; I identified with it strongly, laughed out loud frequently, enjoyed it tremendously, and would love to spend an afternoon just hanging out and talking with the author.
Susan Gilman grew up in a “transitional” (pre-gentrified), mixed-race neighborhood on the Upper West Side of New York City during the 1970’s which reminded me of the transitional neighborhood about an hour’s drive away where I did some of my own growing up during the same time period. But Susan was quite a bit more adventurous than I was, and her upbringing was more influenced by the experimental culture of the time – family transcendental-meditation classes, for example. As she moved into her teens, drugs and sex became the most frequent areas of experimentation, as she became consumed with terror that she’d be the only girl in her high-school class still burdened with virginity at graduation. (No spoiler, but her fear was unfounded. However, it did ring a bell with me. I was in high school around the same time, before HIV and treatment-resistant STDs, and there was a sense among at least some of my classmates that they’d “get it over with” sooner rather than later – possibly at a party like any of the ones Gilman describes and that I was too much of a “straight” to be invited to.) College was more of the same, but as she developed her writing career through a mix of freelancing and offbeat staff positions – writer/reporter for a Jewish weekly newspaper, communications director for a freshman Congresswoman – she became obsessed with different things.
Despite what I’ve mentioned in the previous paragraph, though, this is not a party-girl memoir. Gilman consistently places her experiences within the social and cultural framework of their times, reflects on them with insight and affection, and doesn’t spare the embarrassing details. But Gilman’s “cultural framework” includes a feminist consciousness which the reader can see emerging as her story builds, culminating in the essay that lends its title to the book. She’s not the first woman who’s fought to reconcile her feminism and intention to be the “Anti-Bride” with the longing to feel “like a bride” upon meeting the wedding-industrial complex, she’s not likely to be the last, and her efforts to come to terms with the trappings of gender roles and The Big Day definitely struck a chord.
Susan Jane Gilman has some great stories to tell, and an engaging and humorous way of telling them. I think women of our generation – the same generation I addressed in reviewing Gail Collins’ history of the modern women’s movement, When Everything Changed – will encounter a lot in Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress that resonates, from pop-culture references to adolescent feelings and fears to perceptions of the world around us, but I don’t think the appeal of this book is by any means limited to my own age group. This is memoir of our times as much as the times of one particular woman, and I’m glad that the Women Unbound Challenge finally gave me the nudge to free it from TBR Purgatory. | {
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Today in Pictures
Today in Pictures: April 12, 2003
Guilford County Animal Control officer E. Afari carries a loose pig to his truck after catching it in Greensboro, N.C., April 11, 2013. Citizens in the area called police after seeing the animal roaming around the area.
Nelson Kepley/News & Record/AP Photo
Today in Pictures: April 12, 2003
Guilford County Animal Control officer E. Afari carries a loose pig to his truck after catching it in Greensboro, N.C., April 11, 2013. Citizens in the area called police after seeing the animal roaming around the area.
Nelson Kepley/News & Record/AP Photo
Today in Pictures: April 12, 2003
A girl sits by Buddhist monks during a public meeting of the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, after he was awarded the Minority Award by province of Bolzano, April 11, 2013, in Trento, Italy.
Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty Images
Today in Pictures: April 12, 2003
Residents stand by burning houses after a fire engulfed a township in Mandalay, central Myanmar, April 12, 2013. Some 200 houses were destroyed in the fire as the regional government was investigating the cause of the disaster.
Kyaw Zay Win/AFP/Getty Images
Today in Pictures: April 12, 2003
Coralie Dobral competes in the 200m breaststroke series, April 12, 2013, during the French swimming championships in Rennes, France.
Damien Meyer/AFP/Getty Images
Today in Pictures: April 12, 2003
A man paddles on a boat with his wife in a flooded street during spring flood in a village of Vereshitsa near Pripyat River, April 12, 2013.
Viktor Drachev//AFP/Getty Images
Today in Pictures: April 12, 2003
Indian slum residents weep as they stand near their burnt shanty in Bawana on the outskirts of New Delhi, April 12, 2013. A fire broke out in a slum on the outskirts of New Delhi, a local report said, with one person reported dead and another five injured.
Manan Vatsyayana/AFP/Getty Images
Today in Pictures: April 12, 2003
A car lies upside down in an art installation by German artist Hans-Peter Feldmann, April 12, 2013, near the Deichtorhallen museum in Hamburg, Germany. Until June 2, 2013, the museum presents sculptures, installations and paintings by the artist.
Christian Charisius/AFP/Getty Images
Today in Pictures: April 12, 2003
A Pakistani woman cooks for her family using a fire, outside her makeshift home in a slum in Islamabad, Pakistan, April 12, 2013. Slums, which are built on illegal lands, have neither running water or sewage disposal.
Muhammed Muheisen/AP Photo
Today in Pictures: April 12, 2003
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, right, greets officials upon his arrival at Seoul military airport in Seongnam, South Korea, April 12, 2013.
Lee Jin-man/AP Photo
Today in Pictures: April 12, 2003
Supporters hold a toddler wearing a Maduro-style mustache at the closing campaign rally for Venezuela's acting President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, April 11, 2013.
Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo
Today in Pictures: April 12, 2003
This photo shows the Kennecott Utah Copper Bingham Canyon Mine after a landslide, April 11, 2013, in Bingham Canyon, Utah. Kennecott Utah Copper has suspended mining inside one of the world's deepest open pits as geologists assess a landslide the company says it anticipated for months.
Ravell Call/The Deseret News/AP Photo
Today in Pictures: April 12, 2003
Volunteers place grave markers on the National Mall as over 3,300 crosses, stars of David, and other religious symbols are placed to remember those affected by gun violence, April 11, 2013, in Washington, DC. | {
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How To Master Your Casio Calculator - Total Calculator Skills
The full course on how to master all the key features and functions of your Casio Calculator
The coupon code you entered is expired or invalid, but the course is still available!
Master you Casio Calculator and make sure you have the complete skills required for your mathematics course or your mathematics exam.
This is course is part of The Calculator Guide series. Updating Currently.
For the typical price of an hour's private teaching, the course will take you through many of the impressive functions of the calculator, step-by-step, telling you which buttons to press and how they can be used to help you with questions.
In this course you are going to gain mastery over your calculator. Maybe you are curious as to how the features and functions can help you with your mathematical learning, build you confidence and succeed in your mathematics exam.
With this course you get 1080p HD videos and a full demonstration with a calculator emulator of the buttons you need to press.
You also get updates and bonus extras, which will be added to the course.
You also get access to ask me questions regarding the course or anything you are stuck on.
In buying this course you are helping support me to continue to make more courses to help you and future students feel confident about using their calculator.
So if you are currently using a Casio calculator, then what are you waiting for. Make the most out of your calculator and achieve the qualification you want.
About the calculator.
This course starts at the beginning and assumes that you have a Casio calculator or have regular access to one.
It is primarily designed for the FX-83GT Plus / FX-85GT Plus available in the UK. Similar textbook display or Natural V.P.A.M calculators are known by different codes around the world.
Below is a list of other Casio calculators for which the majority, if not all, of the described functions are available. The list is not exclusive.
FX-300ES Plus ,FX-350ES Plus, FX-82ES Plus, FX-85ES Plus
FX-85ES Plus, FX-95ES Plus, FX-500VN Plus, FX-82AU PLUS II
FX-991ES Plus, FX-115ES Plus, FX-570ES Plus, FX-100AU PLUS
FX-991DE
Your Instructor
Steven Gardiner
I have been teaching mathematics for over eight years and am excited about teaching students how to get more out of using technology for learning, specifically their calculator. I started The Calculator Guide, a growing collection of videos and resources in February 2015 and am happy to be developing courses online and on Teachable.com
I have an MSc in Mathematics Education where my dissertation examined students perceptions and knowledge of a Natural Display Calculator and explored new ways of using the calculator to help students and teachers. | {
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} |
At first, I thought it was because of how Scala resolves implicits. Somehow, I thought this implicit in Int.scala was getting prioritized. The rules for priority are usually intuitive, but for edge cases like this, we refer to 6.26.3 Overloading Resolution. The thing that confused me though was that the call to int2double isn't there - it is already inlined to .toDouble!!
Having dug a bit more, it appears that there is an edge case concerning value types which applies to the conversion from Int to Double. Something called weak conformance dictates how we convert Byte -> Short -> Int -> Long -> Float -> Double. So, all in all, I don't think you can overrule this builtin conversion...
Numeric Widening
If e has a primitive number type which weakly conforms to the expected type, it is widened to the expected type
using one of the numeric conversion methods toShort, toChar,
toInt, toLong, toFloat, toDouble...
EDIT
Also, in case anyone is wondering why this is a thing, from Martin Odersky (this is an old link - don't trust what is being said here in general), we run into common problems if we don't have these extra special conversions:
scala-hypothetical> val x = List(1, 2.0)
x: List[AnyVal]
Not very intuitive...
Email codedump link for Implicit conversion from Int to Double in scala doesn't work | {
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} |
Top 11 First-class Cartoon Bird Images Clip Art Inspirations
Top 12 Divine Color Blanks Animals Ingenuity
12 Most Fabulous Animal Pictures Coloring Pages Insight
Virginia English Coloring Pages March 26, 2020
People who are considering art or find that they have a potential or interest in learning how to draw and color find that this new hobby interest is helping and building their confidence to advance their art training. The first book we purchased had 39 pictures of mandala drawings. A small box of basic coloring pencils started our adventure. We worked with the primary colors of red, orange, blue, green, violet. black, white, and a few other tints which were in the small box. The initial starting stage began with the techniques of our elementary school years. The instructions included the color wheel which we started paying attention to after getting bored with the basic colors.
12 Most Fine Bull Coloring Pages Design
Top 14 Out Of This World Figures For Coloring Creativity
Leyla Saunders Coloring Pages March 26, 2020
If you want to purchase such apps to your children, you definitely should take into account some aspects. It's possible to buy such games without any difficulties on the web. However, prior to getting make sure you analyze the market to get color by number games your daughter or son will certainly love. While you are performing analysis online, you must ensure that the company gives you trial version of the application to look at its pros and cons.
Top 13 Supreme Crayola Animal Coloring Pages Insight
12 Most Brilliant Printable Farm Animals Coloring Pages Imagination
Kara Hall Coloring Pages March 26, 2020
People who are considering art or find that they have a potential or interest in learning how to draw and color find that this new hobby interest is helping and building their confidence to advance their art training. The first book we purchased had 39 pictures of mandala drawings. A small box of basic coloring pencils started our adventure. We worked with the primary colors of red, orange, blue, green, violet. black, white, and a few other tints which were in the small box. The initial starting stage began with the techniques of our elementary school years. The instructions included the color wheel which we started paying attention to after getting bored with the basic colors. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Did anybody see this recent claim that it was more dangerous in its cholesterol risk than beef drippings? I always was under the impression that MCTs meant the saturated fat of coconut oil was not as much a danger factor as that of other types.
Did anybody see this recent claim that it was more dangerous in its cholesterol risk than beef drippings? I always was under the impression that MCTs meant the saturated fat of coconut oil was not as much a danger factor as that of other types. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Resources
There are plenty of ways to be a part of the expanding MartinLogan community.
Publish your system online and submit reviews, or participate
in online discussions with other MartinLogan owners through a social network. Join the family and get
access to new product announcements, news and specials.
Social Networks
Find a Dealer
Don't just read about them, speakers are all about the listening experience—especially MartinLogan speakers! That's why we've made it easy to find a local authorized dealer in your area. Don't be shy, demand a demo and let your ears be the judge. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
The bug is now fixed with 1.2.0beta3. This release also includes a new Creative Commons block type, thanks to Francois Marier. The dev site at http://dev.mahara.org will be updated soon with this release, for anyone who wants to try out these features. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
The Scholastic Book Fair will be set up in the Ella Dolhonde Library from January 28th to February 1st. Students will be able to purchase books during their Library period or during their PE period. The Book Fair will also be open during Family Night on Thursday, January 31st from 6:00pm to 7:30pm.
Pumpkin Palooza is Tuesday, October 31st from 12:30pm-2:30 pm. The best deal for Pumpkin Palooza is to purchase a $13.oo all-inclusive bracelet. The bracelet allows unlimited game play and $3.oo worth of food tickets. Tickets are$.25 each or 24 tickets for $5.00 You may purchase tickets/bracelets early by sending money with your child in an […]
Pumpkin Palooza will be held on Tuesday, October 30th form 12:30 pm gto 2:30 pm. Help is needed for set up, monitoring gate, serving food, leading games, and take down of all games and tables. There are various things you can do. Shifts are no more than 1 hour and 15 minutes. Please see below: […]
Planning for our fall festival, Pumpkin Palooza 2018 is well under way. Pumpkin Palooza will be held on October 30th from 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm. There will be 16 games, inflatable football toss, inflatable fast pitch, inflatable soccer kick, 9 hole putt putt, basketball toss, face and nail painting tattoo time, make a bracelet/necklace, […]
Ella Dolhonde is looking for volunteers for Snack Days. The first snack day will be on Friday, September 14th from 10:45 am- 2:15 pm (shifts available). Please contact Brianne Portillo at 722-3218 if you are able to volunteer.
We are celebrating reading and Dr. Seuss’ birthday from March 2nd- 9th. This week will include dress up days, and read-ins. Friday: March 2nd- Guest Readers are invited to come share with all grade levels. Monday: March 5th- Cat in the hat Day: Wear you favorite hat! Tuesday: March 6th- Fox in Socks Day: Wear […]
Hello Community Partner, The Jefferson Parish Public School System is pleased to announce the launch of our reading initiative, I Read! You Read! Together we all READ! We know that early literacy is critical to the development of our students’ academic, emotional, and social growth. We invite you to partner with our schools as we […]
We Need Your Help!!! Tuesday, October 31st, 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm It’s time for our annual fall festival and we need volunteers. Help is needed for set up, monitoring gate, serving food, leading games, and take down of all games and tables. There are various things you can do. Shifts are no more than […]
Pumpkin Palooza is Tuesday, October 31st from 12:30pm-2:30 pm. The best deal for Pumpkin Palooza is to purchase a $13.oo all-inclusive bracelet. The bracelet allows unlimited game play and $3.oo worth of food tickets. Tickets are$.25 each or 24 tickets for $5.00 You may purchase tickets/bracelets early by sending money with your child in an […]
Please join the PTO for their first meeting on September 13th at 6:30 pm in the auditorium. The meeting will be a potluck please bring a delicious dish to share. If you have not joined already PTO membership dues are $10 per family. The PTO is an excellent way for you to get involved with […] | {
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The scratch and pop of the needle hitting the record on an old turntable
accompanies the introduction to “Old Hammer.” This track is an easygoing
groove conjures the image of a country spread, where a working man isn’t
laboring so much as he’s taking in the scenery around him while doing a
little bit of work. He and his colleagues might break out into song to
pass the time. Ballantine runs through his middle solo, mixing single
notes with chords, throwing in some twang in key moments. His bandmates
crank up the heat underneath. Then, just when you think the sound will
draw the attention of the foreman, Espinoza hushes them. Relaxed, they
continue to groove at will. But even the organist can’t contain himself.
Before long, he’s just as intense as the guitarist before him. But when
the boss looks over, they revert to what they were doing, working
steadily while continuing to enjoy their song.
“Eyes Closed” has a brooding, bluesy vibe. It’s a cinematic love scene
for the ears. Gardier’s soprano sax leads the melody, with each bar
punctuated by a rim shot. The guitar acts as a backing vocalist during
this stage of the song. Ballantine’s solo begins softly, but slowly
builds with emotion and power until he hands off to Gardier. Roberts’
tom rolls aid the transition. The soprano also begins modestly, but the
phrasing becomes more intense, more passionate as the climax builds.
Ballantine, 26, turned toward guitar at age 15. Inspired by his father’s
finger picking, Ballantine adopted a Merle Travis-Chet Atkins approach.
Drawn by the music of Indianapolis native Wes Montgomery, Ballantine
became hooked on jazz. He played solo gigs at country club events around
North Webster, and at weddings and other affairs. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
The following code example demonstrates many of the properties and methods of
CollectionT. The code example creates a collection of strings, uses the
Add method to add several strings, displays the
Count, and lists the strings. The example uses the
IndexOf method to find the index of a string and the
Contains method to determine whether a string is in the collection. The example inserts a string using the
Insert method and retrieves and sets strings using the default
Item property (the indexer in C#). The example removes strings by string identity using the
Remove method and by index using the
RemoveAt method. Finally, the Clear method is used to clear all strings from the collection. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
1.No comment spam.2.No profanity.3.No RIAA trolls masquerading as something else (if RIAA PR flacks present themselves for who they are, they are welcome to participate).4.No unsupported accusations.5.No defamation.6.No threats.7.No unsupported anti-lawyer or anti-judge insults (if you know of something specific that a lawyer or judge did, with which you disagree, and you want to comment fairly upon it fine, but I don't want people here denigrating the legal profession with undocumented insults. I think that is a tactic used by RIAA trolls and some other big corporations who are trying to discourage ordinary people from talking to lawyers and learning about their legal rights, or from going to court to fight for their rights, thinking the system is stacked against them. Lawyers and judges are the cornerstone of the rule of law, which is the cornerstone of our democracy, and they are the closest thing we have to an equalizer in our society).8. No legal advice, pseudo-legal advice, or misleading statements of law, or false statements of fact.9. Comments must be related to topic of the post.10. Nothing to detract from the dignity of "Recording Industry vs. The People" as a forum for the discussion of very important issues.Thanks.-R.B.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
In Bridgeport Music v. WB Music, the Sixth Circuit has pointed out that the "Fogerty factors" were never intended by the Supreme Court to be exclusive, and that the key to "Fogerty" was evenhandedness.
The Court held that even where none of those factors are present, the Court should routinely award attorneys fees to a prevailing defendant.
In Bridgeport the Court sustained an award of attorneys fees to the defendant even though specifically finding that the plaintiff's claim was "objectively reasonable".
Saturday, March 29, 2008
I participated in 3 panels. I wasn't in a position to take detailed notes, so I'll just mention some of the highlights.
Panel #1- "Making available". The heading was: "What is the effect in the U.S. of the “making available” right? Comparative approaches in Asia, interpreting the making available right, and also the intersection with secondary liability.
The title alone gives away the bias of its author. It assumes there is a "making available" right in the United States, which even the RIAA knows is not so -- as evidenced by its removal of that theory from its complaints once Judge Brewster held that its complaint fails to state a claim in Interscope v. Rodriguez.
The keynote speaker, Michael Scheslinger, from the Washington, D.C., office of Greenberg Traurig LLP, gave an extremely misleading, and I think insincere, talk in which he stated that the existence of a "making available" right is settled law in the United States. The only authorities he had for this statement were: (1) a pro se case in which the issue was never briefed (DePietro), (2) a very weakly defended case in which the issue was never briefed (the Texas case "Atlantic v. Anderson", not to be confused with the Oregon "Atlantic v. Andersen"), (3) the jury instruction in the Thomas case (which is NOT a judicial precedent), and (4) the Hotaling case which -- if you have read the case, or even if you have only read the quotations in this blog's sidebar -- you know does not stand for the proposition that merely "making available" is a distribution. He of course omitted to mention the decision of the District of Connecticut, Atlantic v. Brennan, specifically holding that there is no such thing as "making available".
Of course when I was called on, I corrected him. And not delicately. I advised the audience that what they had heard from Mr. Schlesinger was highly misleading, and that it was clear that Mr. Schlesinger derives his revenue from content owners. I went into a more accurate description of the actual caselaw and of the important pending cases, Elektra v. Barker, Warner v. Cassin, and Atlantic v. Howell. It seemed that everyone, even including Mr. Schlesinger, was very familiar with Elektra v. Barker, and awaiting Judge Karas's decision.
Panel #2-"Statutory damages". The heading was "Should new limits be placed upon statutory damages? Did the supporters of P2P software and the individual defendants miscalculate the reaction of juries? A review of case law, e. g., Capitol Records v. Thomas, (D. Minn. 2007).
Here again the heading gives away the bias of its author.
The keynote speaker, Kenneth Doroshow, Senior Vice President of Litigation and Legal Affairs of the RIAA, chose to speak almost exclusively about the Jammie Thomas case, going into detail with his spin on the facts. He also gave his opinion as to why statutory damages should not be subject to due process scrutiny as jury trial punitive damages awards are. The host and moderator, Prof. Hugh Hansen, implied that constitutionality of statutory damages is not a serious issue.
When I spoke I tried to address the primary topic, statutory damages, rather than the facts of the Thomas case. I pointed out that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, did think constitutionality of disproportionate statutory damages was indeed a serious issue; that several excellent law review articles had taken the position that it was a serious issue; and that there was not a single authority anywhere to the effect that it was not. I also pointed out that the verdict was about 23,000 times the actual damage in the Thomas case, and that the RIAA had been seeking from 2,000 times to 450,000 times the actual damage.
I then went on to point out that I would not even be able to have a conversation with anyone who thinks a $220,000 verdict -- against $8 in actual damages -- is fair, because their values are too far removed from mine. And I pointed out that the verdict had made our country a laughingstock throughout the world.
Prof. Pamela Samuelson, of the University of California Law School, in Berkeley, said that when the statutory damages were written into the statute, Congress did not contemplate the type of infringements that are being sued for today, with 99 cent song files on p2p file sharing; that statutory damages were meant to be primarily compensatory where it is too hard to prove damage, and were not intended to be "punitive" and to make examples of people; she felt that the situation has gotten out of hand and that the RIAA's arguments as to why statutory damages exist, are wrong.
Prof. Peter Black, of the Queensland University of Technology, in Brisbane, Australia, said that he would like to confirm the accuracy of my statement that the Jammie Thomas verdict has made the United States a laughingstock in other countries.
Panel #3- "Privacy in Disclosure of Identities" The topic was "What role should privacy play in learning the identities of downloaders? A look at recent case law in the U.S. and EU (e.g. Promusicae in ECJ)
Here the title was not inflammatory, nor was the speech given by the keynote speaker, Dr. Volker Kitz, of the Max Planck Institute for Intellectual Property, Munich / HOECKER attorneys, Cologne. The speech was informative, and basically the speaker and all of the panelists each told a bit of what he or she had to say about the balance between subscribers right to privacy, and the rights of copyright owners to find out the identity of infringers.
My discussion mentioned the Canadian BMG v. Does and the Netherlands Foundation v. UPC Nederland, cases, which stopped the RIAA's counterparts in those countries, not based upon an absolute refusal to disclose the information, but based upon those Courts' recognition of the paucity of the RIAA's "evidence", and contrasted them with the United States, where the RIAA -- by its tactic of using ex parte proceedings, and the unfortunate signing of those orders by many judges -- has managed to avoid judicial scrutiny of the privacy issue. I mentioned that there are numerous statutes respecting privacy of subscribers, covering the 3 basic types of ISP's: (a) colleges and universities, (b) commercial telephone companies, and (c) commercial cable companies. I also mentioned Interscope v. Does 1-7, where the judge on his own realized that the disclosure application was incorrect, Arista v. Does 1-17 where the Oregon Attorney General has brought to the Court's attention the privacy statutes that the ex parte discovery order is asking the University to violate, and Capitol v. Does 1-16 and Arista v. Does 1-22, where the judges recognized that these proceedings should not be ex parte.
###
Many readers have asked whether transcripts, videos, or audio recordings are available. I would imagine that Fordham Law School will be preparing audio and video materials, but that they will be sold at fairly high prices, and will not be available for broadcast. I would also imagine that a transcript might appear in one of the Law School's journals. In any event, I will pass along your inquiries and get answers to them.
Friday, March 28, 2008
In Lava v. Amurao, Rolando Amurao has fought back, filing papers (a) in further support of his motion to exclude the MediaSentry evidence for having been procured illegally and to compel the deposition of Matthew Oppenheim, and (b) in opposition to the RIAA's motions for voluntary dismissal, for summary judgment on the copyright misuse counterclaim, and for discovery sanctions.
Excuse me folks, this is one of my off-topic posts, but I just had to get this off my chest. -R.B.
We have read, on Conde Naste Portfolio.com, that the Big 4 -- Warner Bros. Records, SONY BMG, EMI, and Vivendi/Universal -- are finally trying to get on board with selling music online on a subscription model, and that the person heading up this effort at Warner Brothers now says "I don't think we should be suing students and I don't think we should be suing people in their homes".
Well it's very nice to hear him say that, now, while his employer continues to bring new lawsuits, and to wreck the lives of innocent people, on a daily basis.
But I hope that when these idiots finally do open their subscription services, none of my readers will patronize them.
The lawsuit campaign is a campaign launched and managed by idiots, who have accomplished nothing except to hurt the lives of others while destroying their own companies.
We, the public, should remember what they have done, and not do business with them when they finally cave and beg the public to come back to them.
If you consider any subscription service, please be sure it's not one affiliated with, or even peddling the music of, any of those 4 companies or their labels (if you want to identify the labels to stay away from, that's real easy... go to the Index of Litigation Documents table of cases and look at the names of the record company plaintiffs. Here's a list: Arista, Atlantic, BMG, Capitol, Elektra, Fonovisa, Interscope, LaFace, Lava, Loud, Maverick, Motown, Priority, SONY, UMG, Virgin, and Warner. As a matter of principle, we should never buy music from any of those companies.)
Please stick to independent music. Here's my partial list of places to get independent music online.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
On Friday, March 28, 2008, at the 16th Annual "Intellectual Property Law & Policy" conference, a 2-day conference hosted by Fordham University School of Law in New York City, Kenneth Doroshow, the RIAA's Senior Vice President of Litigation and Legal Affairs, will speak on the subject of copyright statutory damages. Ray Beckerman, the author of this blog, will be a member of the panel for that discussion.
Other members of that panel will be Prof. Peter Black, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Prof. Pamela Samuelson, University of California, Berkeley, and Ted Shapiro, Deputy Managing Director, VP & General Counsel – Europe, MPA, European Office, Brussels.
In addition, Beckerman will be participating in panels discussing the "making available" concept and the role privacy rights should play in proceedings to obtain disclosure of subscriber identities from ISP's for p2p cases.
CLE credit is available for the conference.
A full description of the March 28th panels in which Beckerman will be participating is as follows:
2. Should new limits be placed upon statutory damages? Did the supporters of P2P software and the individual defendants miscalculate the reaction of juries? A review of case law, e. g., Capitol Records v. Thomas, (D. Minn. 2007).
3. What role should privacy play in learning the identities of downloaders? A look at recent case law in the U.S. and EU (e.g. Promusicae in ECJ)
Speaker:Dr. Volker Kitz, Max Planck Institute for Intellectual Property, Munich / HOECKER attorneys, Cologne Private Peers – What Role Should Privacy Law Play in Learning the Identities of P2P Users? The European Case
The “Data Retention Directive” obliges access providers throughout Europe to store dynamic IP addresses. The ECJ, however, decided that privacy law might prevent right holders from obtaining this data. Where is the right balance between IP enforcement and privacy?
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
In Atlantic v. Andersen, where the Magistrate Judge and the District Court Judge have ruled that Tanya Andersen is entitled to her attorneys fees, after 3 years of defending herself from the RIAA, the parties have now filed their papers staking out their positions on how much the attorneys fees should be.
The Massachusetts State police have banned the company, it’s been accused of operating without a licence in Oregon, Florida, Texas and New York, and similar charges have been levelled at it in Michigan, we said in Is RIAA’s MediaSentry illegal in YOUR state?
I am a business lawyer in New York City, practicing at Ray Beckerman, P.C.. The purpose of this site is to collect and share information about the wave of sham "copyright infringement" lawsuits started by four large record companies, and other areas of concern to digital online copyright law, and to internet law in general. -Ray Beckermanbeckermanlegal.com(Attorney Advertising)
"[T]he Court is concerned about the lack of facts establishing that Defendant was using that IP address at that particular time. Indeed, the [complaint] does not explain what link, if any, there is between Defendant and the IP address. It is possible that Plaintiff sued Defendant because he is the subscriber to IP address .... As recognized by many courts, just because an IP address is registered to an individual does not mean that he or she is guilty of infringement when that IP address is used to commit infringing activity." -Hon. Barry Ted Moskowitz, Chief Judge, S.D. California. January 29, 2013, AF Holdings v. Rogers"The complaints assert that the defendants – identified only by IP address – were the individuals who downloaded the subject “work” and participated in the BitTorrent swarm. However, the assumption that the person who pays for Internet access at a given location is the same individual who allegedly downloaded a single sexually explicit film is tenuous, and one that has grown more so over time." - Hon. Gary R. Brown, Magistrate Judge, E.D.N.Y. May 1, 2012, K-Beech v. Does 1-37"The concern of this Court is that in these lawsuits, potentially meritorious legal and factual defenses are not being litigated, and instead, the federal judiciary is being used as a hammer by a small group of plaintiffs to pound settlements out of unrepresented defendants."-Hon. S. James Otero, Dist. Judge, Central Dist. California, March 2, 2007, Elektra v. O'Brien, 2007 ILRWeb (P&F) 1555"The University has adequately demonstrated that it is not able to identify the alleged infringers with a reasonable degree of technical certainty...[C]ompliance with the subpoena as to the IP addresses represented by these Defendants would expose innocent parties to intrusive discovery....[T]he Court declines to authorize discovery and quashes the subpoena as to Does # 8, 9, and 14" -Hon. Nancy Gertner, Dist. Judge, Dist. Massachusetts, November 24, 2008, London-Sire Records v. Does 1-4"[C]ounsel representing the record companies have an ethical obligation to fully understand that they are fighting people without lawyers... that the formalities of this are basically bankrupting people, and it's terribly critical that you stop it...." -Hon. Nancy Gertner, Dist. Judge, Dist. Massachusetts, June 17, 2008, London-Sire v. Does 1-4"Rule 11(b)(3) requires that a representation in a pleading have evidentiary support and one wonders if the Plaintiffs are intentionally flouting that requirement in order to make their discovery efforts more convenient or to avoid paying the proper filing fees. In my view, the Court would be well within its power to direct the Plaintiffs to show cause why they have not violated Rule 11(b) with their allegations respecting joinder. [I]t is difficult to ignore the kind of gamesmanship that is going on here.....These plaintiffs have devised a clever scheme... to obtain court-authorized discovery prior to the service of complaints, but it troubles me that they do so with impunity and at the expense of the requirements of Rule 11(b)(3) because they have no good faith evidentiary basis to believe the cases should be joined." -Hon. Margaret J. Kravchuk, Magistrate Judge, District of Maine, January 25, 2008, Arista v. Does 1-27, 2008 WL 222283, modified Oct. 29, 2008"[N]either the parties' submissions nor the Court's own research has revealed any case holding the mere owner of an internet account contributorily or vicariously liable for the infringing activities of third persons.....In addition to the weakness of the secondary copyright infringement claims against Ms. Foster, there is a question of the plaintiffs' motivations in pursuing them..... [T]here is an appearance that the plaintiffs initiated the secondary infringement claims to press Ms. Foster into settlement after they had ceased to believe she was a direct or "primary" infringer." -Hon. Lee R. West, District Judge, Western District of Oklahoma, February 6, 2007, Capitol v. Foster, 2007 WL 1028532"[A]n overwhelming majority of cases brought by recording companies against individuals are resolved without so much as an appearance by the defendant, usually through default judgment or stipulated dismissal.....The Defendant Does cannot question the propriety of joinder if they do not set foot in the courthouse." -Hon. S. James Otero, Central District of California, August 29, 2007, SONY BMG v. Does 1-5, 2007 ILRWeb (P&F) 2535"Plaintiffs are ordered to file any future cases of this nature against one defendant at a time, and may not join defendants for their convenience."-Hon. Sam Sparks and Hon. Lee Yeakel, District Judges, Western District of Texas, November 17, 2004, Fonovisa v. Does 1-41, 2004 ILRWeb (P&F) 3053"The Court is unaware of any other authority that authorizes the ex parte subpoena requested by plaintiffs."-Hon. Walter D. Kelley, Jr., District Judge, Eastern District of Virginia, July 12, 2007, Interscope v. Does 1-7, 494 F. Supp. 2d 388, vacated on reconsideration 6/20/08"Plaintiffs contend that unless the Court allows ex parte immediate discovery, they will be irreparably harmed. While the Court does not dispute that infringement of a copyright results in harm, it requires a Coleridgian "suspension of disbelief" to accept that the harm is irreparable, especially when monetary damages can cure any alleged violation. On the other hand, the harm related to disclosure of confidential information in a student or faculty member's Internet files can be equally harmful.....Moreover, ex parte proceedings should be the exception, not the rule."-Hon. Lorenzo F. Garcia, Magistrate Judge, District of New Mexico, May 24, 2007, Capitol v. Does 1-16, 2007 WL 1893603"'Statutory damages must still bear some relation to actual damages." Hon. Michael J. Davis, Dist. Judge, U.S.District Court, Dist. Minnesota, January 22, 2010, Capitol Records v. Thomas-Rasset"[T]his court finds that defendants' use of the same ISP and P2P networks to allegedly commit copyright infringement is, without more, insufficient for permissive joinder under Rule 20. This court will sever not only the moving defendants from this action, but all other Doe defendants except Doe 2." -Hon. W. Earl Britt, District Judge, Eastern District of North Carolina, February 27, 2008, LaFace v. Does 1-38, 2008 WL 544992"[L]arge awards of statutory damages can raise due process concerns. Extending the reasoning of Gore and its progeny, a number of courts have recognized that an award of statutory damages may violate due process if the amount of the award is "out of all reasonable proportion" to the actual harm caused by a defendant's conduct.[T]hese cases are doubtlessly correct to note that a punitive and grossly excessive statutory damages award violates the Due Process Clause....."Hon. Marilyn Hall Patel, Dist. Judge, N.D. California, June 1, 2005, In re Napster, 2005 US DIST Lexis 11498, 2005 WL 1287611"[P]laintiffs can cite to no case foreclosing the applicability of the due process clause to the aggregation of minimum statutory damages proscribed under the Copyright Act. On the other hand, Lindor cites to case law and to law review articles suggesting that, in a proper case, a court may extend its current due process jurisprudence prohibiting grossly excessive punitive jury awards to prohibit the award of statutory damages mandated under the Copyright Act if they are grossly in excess of the actual damages suffered....."-Hon. David G. Trager, Senior District Judge, Eastern Dist. New York, November 9, 2006, UMG v. Lindor, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 83486, 2006 WL 3335048"'[S]tatutory damages should bear some relation to actual damages suffered'....(citations omitted) and 'cannot be divorced entirely from economic reality'". -Hon. Shira A. Scheindlin, Dist. Judge, Southern Dist. New York, August 19, 2008, Yurman v. Castaneda"The Court would be remiss if it did not take this opportunity to implore Congress to amend the Copyright Act to address liability and damages in peer to peer network cases.... The defendant is an individual, a consumer. She is not a business. She sought no profit from her acts..... [T]he damages awarded in this case are wholly disproportionate to the damages suffered by Plaintiffs." -Hon. Michael J. Davis, District Judge, Dist. Minnesota, September 24, 2008, Capitol v. Thomas"If there is an asymmetry in copyright, it is one that actually favors defendants. The successful assertion of a copyright confirms the plaintiff's possession of an exclusive, and sometimes very valuable, right, and thus gives it an incentive to spend heavily on litigation. In contrast, a successful defense against a copyright claim, when it throws the copyrighted work into the public domain, benefits all users of the public domain, not just the defendant; he obtains no exclusive right and so his incentive to spend on defense is reduced and he may be forced into an unfavorable settlement." US Court of Appeals, 7th Cir., July 9, 2008, Eagle Services Corp. v. H20 Industrial Services, Inc., 532 F.3d 620"Customers who download music and movies for free would not necessarily spend money to acquire the same product.....RIAA’s request problematically assumes that every illegal download resulted in a lost sale."-Hon. James P. Jones, Dist. Judge, Western Dist. Virginia, November 7, 2008, USA v. Dove | {
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We're committed to providing "fitness for everyBODY"—people of all ages and physical abilities—in a friendly and approachable environment. From indoor cycling to Pilates, Nia to yoga, MELT® to boxercise, the JCC Health Club offers unparalleled classes for all ages. The JCC Health Club offers both Registered Programs and Drop-In Fitness Classes. Unlike any other club in the city, registered programs—led by innovators in the fitness and wellness industry—are available to both members and nonmembers, with a discounted rate for members. Drop-In Classes are FREE for members, and are available to nonmembers with the purchase of a class pass. The JCC is also the only health club on the Upper West Side to offer free fitness and wellness classes to both members and nonmembers.
Try out the JCC for free
Help us continue to ensure accessible programming for everyone. Please support the Center for Health and Wellness at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. | {
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Even while you're an undergraduate student, expanding your network of contacts within your target career field will help you make your way after graduation. A few ideas on how to build a professional network:
Get to know your professors. With their years of experience, they know many people in their fields that may be able to help establish your career.
Attend extracurricular lectures and seminars and introduce yourself to speakers. Department seminars are a good place to start, but watch for college-wide lectures like those offered in The January Series | {
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Posts Tagged ‘Compassion’
This Sunday November 7th will be the 101st Anniversary of The Chapel at The Bowery Mission. We prepared this coffee table booklet for the Anniversary Celebration and thought that you would like an exclusive peak.
What church would get rid of its pews to make more room for feeding the poor? Surely, wouldn’t the pastor resign, the elders stomp out in exasperation, and the members hastily decamp for a properly pewed church? All that didn’t happen at a Lower East Side church ten years ago when it did just […]
Jacob Riis became the most famous reporter in early 20th century America. His journalism led the way to abolishing unlivable tenement housing and police force corruption and brutality. His photographs and writing caused the enforcement or creation of housing codes requiring fire escapes, windows, toilets and running water. His expose of the likely transmission of […]
In 2009 churches and ministries provided over $2 billion worth of social services in New York City. The investments of NYC Christian churches are helping thousands of personal turnarounds which in turn help to transform our communities. The dollar value of NYC Christian congregations’ provision for our city’s social welfare is much greater than the amount […]
Last, November the Bowery Mission celebrated its 130 Anniversary and the 100th Anniversary of its Chapel. The Lower East Side mission demonstrates that evangelicals have always put compassion and evangelism together. In our 2007 survey conducted with NYC Leadership Center the number one agenda item for NYC metropolitan area evangelical church and ministry leaders are […]
I don’t often write book reviews, because it’s not often that this sociologist digests a readable academic book that begs wider discussion. Some books have compelling ideas that deserve promotion, but require too much slogging along the way to commend. Others seem too parochial to promote a wider reading. Still others deal too much in […]
Well, the influence of religion on political life has pretty much disappeared from the world in the past couple of decades. At least that’s what you would have assumed if you relied on an important scholarly work released in 1993 by Blackwell, a distinguished Oxford-based publisher. The book in question bore the title A Companion […] | {
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Did U.S. Special Forces kill a giant in Kandahar (Kandahar Giant)?
I have tried to find every little grain of info about this insident called Kandahar giant. It’s absolutely fascinating. Story is simple that back in 2002 or 2003, depends on the source, U.S. special forces killed a giant. There is a lots of evidence of giants for example in the bible and everywhere in the World so that is why I find this very interesting story. Here is the story and then I add another article, which is related, because the guy who tells this story on this video says that the giants’s nails were gnarly and like claws. On this another article they have found the finger of the giant and it kind of fits this whole thing. So it’s up to you to decide is it true or a hoax…
In the summer of 2016, several personalities and web sites dedicated to discussing supernatural myths and conspiracy theories began claiming that an American Special Forces soldier serving in Kandahar, Afghanistan, was killed in 2002 by a 1,100-pound, blade-wielding, 12-foot-tall giant from Old Testament times before the giant himself was taken down by the military.
A Department of Defense spokesman told us they have no record of such an incident:
We do not have any record or information about a special forces member killed by a giant in Kandahar.
Current interest in the story appears to have been generated from a video created by L.A. Marzulli, an author, blogger and filmmaker determined to link modern times with biblical creatures and prophecies. On 13 August 2016, he posted an episode on YouTube of his series, Watchers, in which he claims to interview a military contractor or soldier who witnessed the blade-wielding “Giant of Kandahar” kill another soldier before being downed by troops, whisked away by a transport aircraft and hidden away from public view.
Marzulli makes the case that the giant was a Nephilim, which were described in the Book of Genesis as offspring of gods and human women who inhabited Canaan at the time of Israelite conquest. But when it comes down to details, he’s vague, saying he interviewed the unnamed man at an “undisclosed location” on an unknown date. The interviewee who he claims shot and killed the giant, doesn’t give any details on the location of the alleged incident, other than to say it was a “remote” location in Afghanistan in 2002. He claims he and others were sent in to look for a missing patrol when they saw a scarlet-haired giant emerge from a cave and skewer his friend, who he called “Dan,” with a large blade.
If the Army’s statement isn’t sufficient, the only service member with the first name Dan or Daniel who died in Kandahar in 2002 was killed — along with three others — in an accident involving the clearing and disposal of explosives. There are no incidents on the Department of Defense press release page, in which all military casualties were listed, involving a giant. Likewise, there are no reports of an entire patrol disappearing in Afghanistan.
Marzulli’s video about the alleged giant incident, replete with a growling animation, can be seen here:
A 38-centimeter long finger found in Egypt: Evidence of the Nephilim?
Genesis 6:1–6Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God (bene Elohim) saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.
The images of a giant finger, 38 centimeter long has researchers clueless as they state that something like this is impossible. According to science, it is impossible, yet, the finger found in Egypt seems to be the real deal, as the finger even has a certificate of authenticity and X-Ray images.
The images displayed were taken in 1988 and were published by one of Europe’s leading newspaper, BILD.de
Could this be evidence that points towards the existence of giant beings that walked on Earth in the distant past?
“The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God (bene Elohim) came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
The remains of this finger are impressive, it is a huge mummified humanoid finger that hast 38 centimeters in length. Researchers from Egypt believe it had to belong to a creäture that was over 5 meters height. Only a few people got to take images of this incredible artifact in 1988.
The owner of the giant finger was, according to Gregor Spörri, a grave robber that acquired the piece while searching through an undisclosed thumb” in Egypt. When Gregor Spörri, a 56-year-old entrepreneur offered to by the finger, the owner responded: NEVER.
“Number 13:30–33
Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it.” But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us.” So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size. There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
In an interview with BILD.de, Spörri stated: “It was an oblong package, smelled musty,” Spörri said when he told his story to the public in 2012. “I was totally flabbergasted when I saw the dark brown giant finger. I was allowed to take it in hand and also to take pictures. A bill was put next to it to get a size comparison. The bent finger was split open and covered with dried mold.”
According to Gregor Spörri, the grave robber who found the finger also had a certificate of Authenticity and an X-ray image, both of which are from the 1960’s.
Certificate of authenticity and X-Ray images of the giant finger
After Spörri left Egypt he wanted to know more about this incredible relic, he wanted to find out where the rest of this giant creäture was located. He returned to Egypt in 2009 compelled to learn more about it. Unfortunately, by then, the old man who allowed Spörri to take pictures of the giant finger had vanished, and with him all traces of the mysterious finger that has scientists and researchers scratching their heads. Now, all that is left are these few images that are mind-blowing and stories and myth of creatures that once, in the distant past, walked among human beings.
Researchers have had mixed feelings when it comes to this mysterious ancient relic. The biggest problem is that, the finger does not fit into any conventional theories presented by archaeologists or historians, it simply put, impossible.
Is this enough evidence to finally conclude that giants did in fact walk on Earth in the distant past? And that the mysterious gigantic footprints found in different places on Earth are real?(Source and images)
10 thoughts on “Did U.S. Special Forces kill a giant in Kandahar (Kandahar Giant)?”
Hi and thanks for your reply. We may be a soldiers on the chessboard, but we can make a difference as long as we are telling the truth and spread the postive energy and thoughts. We will win and they the “elite” know it. Now they try their last tricks before this game is over for them. We will win.
The world is control by religion and governments who would in turn run the media . We will never learn the truth about anything anymore all thou we pay there paychecks . We are only pawn in their game of chest .
Thank you for your reply. I know that many museums hide these artifacts, relics and remains. It is crucial that all these are shown to the public. It’s the time that Mankind awakes from it’s dark slumber…
Thank you for your comment. I think the main reason why the world is so fucked up is, because people are afraid to tell the Truth. If this happened, the soldiers involved must stand out and tell the Truth how it happened. Only when we have the Truth we can grow as a mankind. The Truth Shall Set Us Free.
Do you really think that his relatives know what happened? The government is known for hiding facts that they believe we can’t handle. Being killed in a crossfire incident is way more understandable to the human mind than by a giant. Fact is we will most likely never know what actually happened. Do aliens exist? Is god real? Is the bible a matter of fact? What else???
I suppose that’s why its by faith that believers stand strong. If this story is real and i emphasize “If” then we will never know until the people that saw it happen aren’t afraid of retribution by their own government and don’t have to hide behind distortion so as not to be discovered.
Well, the first video is serious talk.
They reconstructed the incident in the first video. If one soldier died it should not be very complicated to ask his relatives and friends what has really happened there. The world is smaller as we think. Just think of the Internet, phone, media in general. | {
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Cat's Out Of The Bag On New Film
Paws Down For Feline Flick
Myers Disappoints Locals
The question was put to teens outside the movie theater late Saturday: Did you see "Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat" because it was Dr. Seuss or because it was Mike Myers?
The answer, in unison: "Mike Myers."
And their consensus on the movie itself was almost as unanimous: They didn't like it.
"It was too childish," said Nobel Reeves, 15, of Suffolk, who'd seen the movie with friends at the Harbour View Grande 16. "I thought it had an interesting look in the TV commercials -- it looked like it might be funny. But I don't see anyone over the age of about 5 really liking this movie."
If local teens reflect national opinion, it could be bad news for Universal Studios and Dreamworks' much-hyped, heavily cross-promoted Seuss flick. The image of Myers in feline makeup and stovepipe hat has been inescapable in recent weeks -- in movie trailers, television ads for fast food and soft drinks, and even in a citywide parade in Hampton on Saturday, when the YRC Cinemas chain had a "Cat in the Hat" float.
By casting Myers -- the "Saturday Night Live" alum who had box-office smashes with the randy "Austin Powers" series -- the studio was clearly trying to draw the high school and college crowd to a movie whose primary demographic would appear to be parents and small children.
The formula worked three years ago, when manic comedian Jim Carrey propelled "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" to a $260 million take at the U.S. box office, despite terrible reviews. Critics have been equally harsh with "The Cat in the Hat," but the weekend box-office figures showed good and bad news for the movie.
The good news: "Cat" was the nation's top movie, and at $40.1 million for the weekend, it took in more money than the second- and third-place films combined. The bad news: It still took in 27 percent less than "The Grinch" did in its opening weekend. Exit surveys nationwide suggested that half the audience was younger than 15 and that most of the over-15 crowd were parents.
"I was hoping it would be more clever than that," said Robert Smith, 20, of Hampton, who saw the movie Sunday afternoon at the YRC Riverdale Coliseum 12. "With Mike Myers, I thought they might be able to make it into something for a lot of different ages, but it didn't really turn out that way."
Two years ago, Myers did the voice for the title character in the animated movie "Shrek," and his performance was one of the keys to that film's cross-generational appeal. It became a runaway hit with children, teens and adults, taking in $270 million in theaters and becoming a sensation on video and DVD.
"The Cat in the Hat" doesn't seem to be connecting with as broad an audience. The key, it appears, might be the expectations that viewers bring to the movie. Those who come because they're fans of Dr. Seuss are more likely to enjoy the movie than those who come because they're fans of Mike Myers.
"It was about what I expected -- it was OK," said Chris Clinton, 20, of Portsmouth, who said he saw the movie more for the Seuss angle. "It's not entirely aimed at the little kids. It has some humor and some jokes in it for the adults, so I think it could find a pretty decent audience."
But the Myers fans -- those who know every "Schwing!" in "Wayne's World" and every "Oh, behave!" in the "Austin Powers" movies -- were less convinced.
"There were some chuckles," admitted Leah Fontenot, 15, of Suffolk, "but I think it was more laughing at the movie, instead of laughing with it." | {
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IRS issues annual inflation adjustments for 2016
10.22.15
In 2016, Some Tax Benefits Increase Slightly Due to Inflation Adjustments, Others Are Unchanged
WASHINGTON — For tax year 2016, the Internal Revenue Service today announced annual inflation adjustments for more than 50 tax provisions, including the tax rate schedules, and other tax changes. Revenue Procedure 2015-53 provides details about these annual adjustments. The tax items for tax year 2016 of greatest interest to most taxpayers include the following dollar amounts:
For tax year 2016, the 39.6 percent tax rate affects single taxpayers whose income exceeds $415,050 ($466,950 for married taxpayers filing jointly), up from $413,200 and $464,850, respectively. The other marginal rates – 10, 15, 25, 28, 33 and 35 percent – and the related income tax thresholds for tax year 2016 are described in the revenue procedure.
The standard deduction for heads of household rises to $9,300 for tax year 2016, up from $9,250, for tax year 2015.The other standard deduction amounts for 2016 remain as they were for 2015: $6,300 for singles and married persons filing separate returns and $12,600 for married couples filing jointly
The limitation for itemized deductions to be claimed on tax year 2016 returns of individuals begins with incomes of $259,400 or more ($311,300 for married couples filing jointly).
The personal exemption for tax year 2016 rises $50 to $4,050, up from the 2015 exemption of $4,000. However, the exemption is subject to a phase-out that begins with adjusted gross incomes of $259,400 ($311,300 for married couples filing jointly). It phases out completely at $381,900 ($433,800 for married couples filing jointly.)
The Alternative Minimum Tax exemption amount for tax year 2016 is $53,900 and begins to phase out at $119,700 ($83,800, for married couples filing jointly for whom the exemption begins to phase out at $159,700). The 2015 exemption amount was $53,600 ($83,400 for married couples filing jointly). For tax year 2016, the 28 percent tax rate applies to taxpayers with taxable incomes above $186,300 ($93,150 for married individuals filing separately).
The tax year 2016 maximum Earned Income Credit amount is $6,269 for taxpayers filing jointly who have 3 or more qualifying children, up from a total of $6,242 for tax year 2015. The revenue procedure has a table providing maximum credit amounts for other categories, income thresholds and phase-outs.
For tax year 2016, the monthly limitation for the qualified transportation fringe benefit remains at $130 for transportation, but rises to $255 for qualified parking, up from $250 for tax year 2015.
For tax year 2016 participants who have self-only coverage in a Medical Savings Account, the plan must have an annual deductible that is not less than $2,250, up from $2,200 for tax year 2015; but not more than $3,350, up from $3,300 for tax year 2015. For self-only coverage the maximum out of pocket expense amount remains at $4,450. For tax year 2016 participants with family coverage, the floor for the annual deductible remains as it was in 2015 -- $4,450, however the deductible cannot be more than $6,700, up $50 from the limit for tax year 2015. For family coverage, the out of pocket expense limit remains at $8,150 for tax year 2016 as it was for tax year 2015.
For tax year 2016, the adjusted gross income amount used by joint filers to determine the reduction in the Lifetime Learning Credit is $111,000, up from $110,000 for tax year 2015.
For tax year 2016, the foreign earned income exclusion is $101,300, up from $100,800 for tax year 2015.
Estates of decedents who die during 2016 have a basic exclusion amount of $5,450,000, up from a total of $5,430,000 for estates of decedents who died in 2015. | {
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This Comedy is a Murder Mystery
A shocking scene during the Murder Mystery Dinner Theater production of "Murder 101" at the APG North (Aberdeen) Recreation Center March 11. More than 200 guests put their sleuthing skills to the test during the interactive high school reunion whodunit presented by the Family, and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command. "Barney Fife" was played by Ken Freehill, who co-wrote and co-directed the production with Darryl Allara, both of the FMWR Command. "Amber Price Ford" was played by Amanda Dipasqua Curtis. Her real-life husband played the part of "Red Ford." | {
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In a stunner, Country House wins Kentucky Derby via DQ
Flavien Prat celebrates after riding Country House to victory during the 145th running of the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs Saturday, May 4, 2019, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
By Associated Press | 
Posted: Sat 11:03 PM, May 04, 2019
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Maximum Security led all the way in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, only to become the first winner disqualified for interference in the race's 145-year history. After a long wait, Long shot Country House was declared the winner Country House, a 65-1 shot, finished second in the slop before an objection was raised, causing a lengthy delay while stewards repeatedly reviewed several angles of video footage, before he was elevated into the winner's circle. The stunning outcome gave Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott his first Derby victory at age 65. Jockey Flavien Prat, who originated the claim of foul, also won his first Derby. Country House paid $132.40 to win -- the second-highest payout in Derby history. It was a crushing turn of events for trainer Jason Servis and jockey Luis Saez, who already had begun celebrating what they thought were their first Derby victories. Instead, Maximum Security was dropped to 17th of 19 horses. The colt was the 9-2 second choice in the wagering. Prat claimed that Maximum Security ducked out in the final turn and forced several horses to steady. War of Will came perilously close to clipping heels with Maximum Security, which could have caused a chain-reaction accident. The stewards reviewed race footage for nearly 20 minutes while keeping the crowd of 150,729 in suspense, clutching their betting tickets. Trainers and jockeys involved stared at the closest video screen waiting for a result. Code of Honor was moved up to second and Tacitus was third. Improbable was fourth and Game Winner fifth, two of trainer Bob Baffert's trio of entries. ------ More AP sports: https://apnews.com/tag/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP--Sports
Online Public Information File
Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or [email protected]. | {
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UFC 195: Stipe Miocic vs. Andrei Arlovski (Video Highlights)
Andrei Arlovski’s fairytale comeback story came to a screeching halt Satruday at UFC 195 thanks to Stipe Miocic (pictured). And it didn’t take too long.
Miocic rocked Arlovski early with a right hand to the dome and finished him off shortly after with several followup bombs.
The finish came just 54 seconds into their tango.
Immediately after his impressive finish of the former UFC heavyweight champ, Miocic made a beeline for UFC president Dana White, who was sitting just inches from the live action, and yelled at him for a title shot. White obliged at the post-fight press conference, saying he’s too scared of Miocic to not grant him next crack at the crown.
Miocic also pocketed an extra $50,000 for “Performance of the Night” honors. | {
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