How can I clean only a partial area of a RenderTarget2D?
Hello, how can I clean only a partial area of a RenderTarget2D?
Is that partial area a rectangle or a more complicated shape? Do you also need to clear the depth buffer, or do you just want to paint that area in a solid color?
The partial area is a rectangle, I need to draw a sprite in that area, but keeping the rest of the rendertarget. I do not want to draw all the sprites (rectangle cells) within the rendertarget in each cycle, because they are many.
You can render to textures.
Divide your screen into rectangles (or even a quadtree). Then draw each rectangle to a texture and draw those textures.
So you have some sort of a static background image, and by cleaning you mean putting that back on the screen in a rectangular area. Did I get this right?
Just make sure that background image is in a separate texture/rendertarget. Then use SpriteBatch.Draw to draw your little rectangle using that background texture. Just make sure to use the correct overload of Draw() that let's you specify a texture region, so you are not drawing the entire texture, but only the portion you are interested in.
Finnhax, I can not redraw only the part that changes on the screen, since at the beginning of each cycle I have to clean the screen. The alternative I do is put everything in a rendertarget and redraw it (using a single draw and without having to go through all the textures that go inside and draw them) when necessary, but I would like to only draw the part that changes and not everything. That is why I ask if it is possible to clean only part of the rendertarget.
I do not have a static background image. Imagine a chess board, but with a lot more squares (7000). I need to draw them all in each frame (because it is possible to zoom the board and it is possible that in small zooms all the squares are visible in the interface). The player can click on the squares and modify them, so I need to re-render the entire board so that the rendertarget can update the changes. What I want is just to update that piece of rendertarget.
If you want to update just one piece of the RenderTarget, you can draw something onto the portion of the RenderTarget you want. There is a SpriteBatch overload that takes in a sourceRectangle. You can use your RenderTarget as the texture and the sourceRectangle as the region on the RenderTarget you wish to draw over.
If you want to clear the portion of the RenderTarget, you can either use Get/Set Data (not recommended) or a shader that makes all pixels in a designated region of the RenderTarget transparent.
This may also be relevant to your needs.
I don't understand why you need to clear anything before drawing your changes to the rendertarget. Why can't you just draw over the region you want to change? This is purely 2D, right?
If you want to keep your rendered scene between frames, just draw everything to a rendertarget, and at the end of the frame copy this rendertarget to the backbuffer. If you rendertarget doesn't need to change next frame, you just copy to the backbuffer again, otherwise you first draw over the portion you want to change, and then copy.
Am I misunderstanding something, or are you overcomplicating things?
Yeah, if you're drawing over a solid background (you said a chessboard) then you can set a clipping rectangle in the SpriteBatch call and use that.
If you actually want to clear the area (ie make it transparent) before drawing then I'm not sure that's possible but, if it is, I'd also be interested to know!
Realistically you should just re-render the whole rendertarget when you need to update it.
Doing incremental updates is going to have erratic performance characteristics if you ever have to update more than 1 region at a time. In effect, you're just doing immediate mode rendering without clearing as you have to setup a scissor -> draw into that (or worse, as you describe, set a viewport, clear, and draw into that).
If you have to update 6 tiles it's going to be 5x worse than drawing a well-atlased collection of tiles.
Clearing then drawing isn't a good choice unless you can 100% guarantee that your draw will cover EVERY single row and column in the cleared area (ie. floor all lowerbound and ceil all upperbound floats), or that cleared status is okay (like a SNES sprite layer). Scissor is much safer, you'll at least have something there in the case of a substrate.
I'd just do it exactly like modern virtual-textures for terrain: subdivide to a reasonable scope and invalidate whole rendertarget tiles, completely rerender the rendertarget, and be done with it. Then I'd tweak for project specific needs, terrain for instance never needs instant feed back so tiles can be late a few frames - but other things might not be able to wait.


Often, I hear questions coming from skinny guys all around the world. Is it possible for them to gain weight? Gaining weight is not an impossible task. The best way to gaining weight would be to build muscles. As you should know, muscles are much heavier than fats. As a result, they look much nicer and require much more knowledge to build as compared to fats.
In this article, I will give you some tips to gaining muscle to answer the following question. How can skinny guys gain weight?
-Being Skinny Maybe Be An Advantage.
Being skinny can be an advantage. The reason is because, fats can not be converted into muscles. Firstly, do not be disheartened just because you are skinny. I assure you that if you start building muscles effectively, you will end up looking much better than someone who began with a fat body. What you can finally own is a body that is full of lean muscle mass, and little fats to mention about.
-Building Muscles By Weight Lifting.
The best way to gain muscle mass would be to do weight lifting which means training with weights in the gym. Firstly, you will need to build a foundation if you have not begun weight training. The foundation can be built by strength training. Strength training prepares your muscles for muscle growth through high intensity trainings. To begin with strength training, pick 2 exercises for each muscle group in your body and start hitting the gym. In a days session, you will need to perform all the exercises for your full body workout.
You are what you eat. To gain weight and muscle, you will need to eat more of the correct foods, at the correct times. Food that are high in protein like eggs, salmon, tuna and chicken breasts should be taken often. If you want to build a body that girls stare at, put in some commitment! Next, carbohydrates should only be taken during the correct times. They serve to boost your insulin levels and contribute to your muscle gains. As for fats, stay off the harmful fats and start taking healthy fats. An example of healthy fats would be omega 3 fatty acids. Some food are naturally high in them so remember to take them more often.
Do not procrastinate. The solution to the question, how can skinny guys gain weight, is simple. Build muscles in the correct way and you will be skinny no more.


Google TV or Chromecast? Which One Is Better?
I reviewed the Vizio Co-Star Google TV back in May, the TL;DR summary: I loved it. I also tried to order the new Google Chromecast the minute that Google made the announcement official, but what appeared at first to be a successful order of two new Google sticks turned into an out-of-stock backorder. I finally got my chance to buy the Chromecast last Thursday, and here's how the new Google hottie compares to the Google TV.
The Chromecast is a tiny little streaming stick, not at all unlike the previously released Roku Streaming Stick: it streams audio and video content from the Internet. But unlike other options, Chromecast is a dumb client, meaning the brains of its operation are controlled by your phone, tablet or laptop computer. Unlike Google TV with its overlay layer of apps, features and options, the Chromecast has no UI of its own.
Chromecast is a plug it in and forget method to make your dumb TV smart, and your Smart TV smarter. Using the YouTube, Netflix, Google Play Movies & TV or Google Play Music apps you push Internet content to the Chromecast from whatever device you happen to have in your hand. The big selling point? You aren't streaming the content that Chromecast plays from your device, the content is streamed from the net directly to the Chromecast.
The differences are obvious, but here are some of the highlights of what the Chromecast isn't. With Google TV, you can install apps from the Google Play Store. With Chromecast, there are no apps to install. You interact with the Google TV using a remote, either the physical one that ships with your device or the Google TV remote app for your phone or tablet. With Chromecast, your phone apps are your remote control.
With Google TV, you can pull up the handy Prime app to discover what's on TV or Netflix. With Chromecast, you can't. With Google TV, you get Chrome for web browsing or to stream content directly to your TV from sites that don't block it. With Chromecast you get none of that.
Chromecast is a controlled environment where the only content available is the content approved by the owners or distributors who go through the process of adding official Chromecast support to their apps or websites.
The Chromecast owning portion of the Internet collectively lost its mind over the weekend when the 12980 Chromecast update broke Koush's AllCast app, the app that allowed you to stream nearly any audio or video from your Android device to Chromecast. Google's timely disabling of unsupported methods of streaming to Chromecast can only mean one thing: Chromecast isn't "open".
Yes, I know. Google and Android are "open". Chrome OS is more "open" than some other OS options. Everything that Google does is supposed to be "open". Chromecast should be "open".
Here's the thing: open doesn't sell to the corporations that own content or its distribution. Google TV was an attempt to sidestep the block that the cable and satellite companies put on Google gaining a foothold in the livingroom. Google wanted to bring content discovery and enhanced features to the DVR, and in the process gain valuable information about users to better target advertising. The big pay TV operators wanted no part of Google having insights into their customers habits that they didn't have access to themselves.
Chromecast is Google's new attempt to play by the rules. Instead of going all wild-wild-west, black flag style unauthorized streaming of content, Google wants to play by the rules and have access to the premium content that has eluded them all this time.
If you anticipate being able to customize the Chromecast or to modify the firmware, it doesn't appear that Google is going to allow that to happen. Google doesn't talk about rooting Android devices in their product reveals, but they are awful fond of the word "open". If you watch the Chromecast reveal party, open never comes up in the context of the end user being able to do what they want with the Chromecast.
Shut up already and tell me, should I buy one?
I bought my first Android phone, not because of what it was, but because of the promise of what it could become. That bet paid off big-time for me. The same for my first Android tablet and Chromebook. They weren't much to speak of when I bought in, but they've become more than I had hoped they could be.
Google TV? Yeah, that one was a lost bet. I bought the Logitech Revue for what I had hoped it could be. Same for the Vizio Co-Star, it appeared that Google TV could be ready to break-out, and I wanted to be there to see it. I'm still waiting.
I didn't buy the Chromecast for what I wanted it to become, I bought the Chromecast for what it currently is: the best YouTube, Netflix and Google Play Music experience on my TV. Do I want more from it? Yes, I absolutely do. There are rumors that Hulu+, HBO Go, Redbox Instant and other premium content options are coming, but don't let those rumors influence your decision.
Buy now for what the Chromecast is, or wait to see if the Chromecast becomes more of what you want it to be. At $35 (plus 3 months of free Netflix if you get it at Best Buy) the Chromecast is a modest expense compared to other streaming options. It doesn't (yet) offer premium content from any of the pay-TV networks, but it does offer content from the two most popular video streaming sites.


QUESTION TYPE: Argument type essay.
TOPIC: Old buildings. History. Progress.
YES-NO QUESTION: Should we knock down old buildings to make way for new ones?
In any rapidly growing city there are old and unnecessary buildings taking up valuable spaces. There is no doubt that these old buildings should be knocked down in order to make room for new buildings that meet the needs of an expanding urban population.
To begin with, we need more space for houses. Old buildings are often in prime real estate locations, which could rather be utilised to create new urban villages and community hubs. For example, the riverside precinct in West End, Brisbane used to be old run-down factories and it has now been transformed into beautiful modern apartments.
We also need more space for offices. Some old buildings take up vast amounts of land in the CBD. These buildings are only one or two stories high and can only host a small number of offices or shops. If these buildings were knocked down, we could build bigger and better office blocks. Attracting more workers to our city would in turn boost our economy.
Some people may say that we can create housing and office space by refurbishing the existing old buildings, rather than knocking them down. However, this is a costly and time-consuming process and does not address the need for more floorspace. In addition, modern buildings can be built to be more energy efficient, they are better for the environment.
The answer to the housing and office space shortage is to get rid of old buildings and construct modern, efficient buildings in their place. This kind of progress is the only way a city can move forward.
In any rapidly growing city there are many old and unnecessary buildings taking up valuable spaces. There is no doubt that these old buildings should be knocked down in order to make room for new buildings that meet the needs of an expanding urban population.
To begin with, we need more space for houses housing. Old buildings are often in prime real estate locations, which could rather instead be utilised to create new urban villages and community hubs. For example, the riverside precinct in West End, Brisbane used to be old run-down factories and it has now been transformed into beautiful modern apartments.
We also need more space for offices. Some old buildings take up vast amounts of land in the CBD. These buildings are only one or two stories high and can only host a small number of offices or shops. If these buildings were knocked down, we could build bigger and better office blocks. Attracting This would attract more workers to our city would and in turn boost our economy.
Some people may say that we can create housing and office space by refurbishing the existing old buildings, rather than knocking them down. However, this is a costly and time-consuming process and does not address the need for more floorspace. In addition, modern buildings can be built to be more energy efficient, they are which is better for the environment.
The answer to the problem of housing and office space shortage is to get rid of old buildings and construct modern, efficient buildings in their place. This kind of progress is the only way a city can move forward.
In any rapidly growing city there are many old and unnecessary buildings taking up valuable space. There is no doubt that these old buildings should be knocked down in order to make room for new buildings that meet the needs of an expanding urban population.
To begin with, we need more space for housing. Old buildings are often in prime real estate locations, which could instead be utilised to create new urban villages and community hubs. For example, the riverside precinct in West End, Brisbane used to be old run-down factories and it has now been transformed into beautiful modern apartments.
We also need more space for offices. Some old buildings take up vast amounts of land in the CBD. These buildings are only one or two stories high and can only host a small number of offices or shops. If these buildings were knocked down, we could build bigger and better office blocks. This would attract more workers to our city and in turn boost our economy.
Some people may say that we can create housing and office space by refurbishing the existing old buildings, rather than knocking them down. However, this is a costly and time-consuming process and does not address the need for more floorspace. In addition, modern buildings can be built to be more energy efficient, which is better for the environment.


Buildings account for 20-40% of total energy use in developed countries. Window shades (or blinds) can help to reduce building energy use and improve visual comfort (i.e., reducing glare and increasing daylighting). A recent study showed that occupants are fairly inactive when operating manual roller shades (O’Brien et al. 2013) which could lead to increased visual discomfort and increased heating and cooling energy use. With aspirations to address issues associated with human inactivity I created an automatic motorized roller shade.
The motor moves the shade position depending on the of the location of the sun and the illuminance (i.e., amount of light) hitting a workplane (e.g., your office desk or kitchen table).
One of the best parts of this instructable is that you do not need to purchase a brand new roller shade to make this work. I will demonstrate how to retrofit an existing manual roller shade into an automatic motorized one using Arduino. The project used Arduino with the Adafruit motor shield to control the interaction between a stepper motor and a digital luminosity sensor.
Introduction: What is 'good' shade position?
Step 1: What Is 'good' Shade Position?
As the sun moves across the sky during the day, where should the shade be positioned? What if it is a very sunny day and there is too much light entering a space causing glare? What if it is an overcast day? This step tries to answer these questions by asking: What is 'good' shade position?
In general, we want the shade position to let in as much light as possible without cause any visual discomfort (i.e., maximize daylighting and minimize glare).
The picture above was taken sitting down at my office desk. It was an example of 'good' shade position because the shade was positioned so it was blocking direct sunlight yet was still allowing maximum diffuse sunlight to enter into my workspace.
Sunlight can be broken into essentially two components: direct and diffuse. The direct component comes straight from the sun whereas the diffuse component is created when a portion of direct sunlight scatters due to molecules in the atmosphere.
This project aims to control shade position to always block direct sunlight when present and maximize the diffuse component entering the workspace.
Some notes on the stepper motor. You do not need to use this stepper motor and it may be possible to find a cheaper one. But you must consider torque and speed. This stepper motor easily produced enough torque to raise and lower the shade. It moved at a slow, yet smooth (stepping angle of 0.067°), speed because it had a gearbox. You can control the speed of the stepper motor via the code provided but up to a certain point; however, this could create discontinuous motion which could potentially cause the ball chain to skip some gears. High torque and low speed motors work well for this project.
Lets discuss the design of the ball chain gear. I searched online to see if I could just the gear that comes with a generic roller shade but I could not find one anywhere. It seems to get one you must buy an entire roller shade.
Luckily John Abella created a parametric CAD file of a ball chain gear. The file should be opened with OpenSCAD software.
John Abella has also added code so that different shaft options can be used. The code outputs total height and diameter. Shapeways has limits to the size of the printed piece. I used shaft type #3 to match the stepper motor shaft. I designed the flat spot diameter so that force fit was required to fit the gear onto the shaft. It was difficult to fit the ball chain to the gear correctly even with precise measurements using a calliper. I suggest making the gear diameter large so that you maximize the number of grooves in contact with the ball chain.
Attaching a rubber band around the gear increased friction between the ball chain and gear. This should help reduce slippage. Once you are happy with the design 'compile and render' the file to type .stl and upload it to shapeways.com or use your own 3D printer for manufacturing. I used the default white nylon material - Strong & Flexible.
The wiring schematic and wire colour placement in the above two figures should serve as a reference point to connect your motor.
The pictures show the fully connected motor and luminosity sensor.
The control strategy used a very similar strategy to Tzempelikos et al. (2013; SC-III) where the shade height was controlled based on the calculated position of the sun and the measured workplane illuminance. Their algorithm was based on open loop procedures which moved shade height to the position where it just blocks direct sunlight from falling on the workplane. The code in this project adopted their open loop aspects and added closed loop control during certain conditions.
The position of the sun is known in terms of its solar altitude (α) and solar surface azimuth (γ). The solar altitude is the angle between the horizon and the sun. The solar surface azimuth is the angle between the outward normal of a surface (e.g., vertical window) and the sun.
If the sun is incident on the window surface the first mode of operation is to follow open-loop control to position the shade height calculated using α and γ. If the day has high sky illuminance the workplane illuminance may be greater greater than 2000 lx (lumens/area) when following open loop control. If the workplane illuminance exceeds 2000 lx the roller shade position will enter into closed loop control and overshoot mode will be initiated. This will first cause the shade to lower 2 cm until the workplane illuminance is less than 2000 lx. If the day is overcast, during this scenario, and the workplane illuminance is less than 250 lx and the time is after 9 am the shades will enter into overshoot mode. First the shade will move up 2 cm until the shade height overshoots 2000 lx, then will lower 2 cm so the workplane illuminance is below 200 lx. This is a primitive way to estimate if the day is overcast. Model predictive control could create a smarter control strategy in the future. Once overshoot is triggered the shade will be in closed loop mode for the rest of the day.
In this mode the sun is not incident on the window surface so all the light entering the space is diffuse horizontal and ground reflected. The occupants are no longer concerned with blocking direct sunlight and the daylight entering the space should be maximized without causing visual discomfort. The control algorithm adjusts the shade height up or down so that the light level entering the space is always less than 2000 lx.
In this scenario the sun has gone below the horizontal. The blind will fully close for two main reasons: (1) to slightly increase the thermal resistance of the windows and (2) to increase the workplane illuminance when the lights are on because the blinds have a higher reflectivity than the window.
The control strategy program iterated every 10 minutes. This was intended to reduce distractions caused by constantly having the blinds move. The same strategy was adopted by Tzempelikos (2012).
Developing prototypes using Arduino specific to building technology has large potential to substantially reduce energy use in buildings. This project focused on reducing energy in buildings for the lighting and heating/cooling aspect using automatic motorized shades. A manual roller shade was retrofitted into an automatic motorized one that adjusted the shade height based on the position of the sun and/or on the workplane illuminance using open and closed loop control.
The project could be easily integrated with a lighting system. In the future the system could also be integrated with an HVAC system in order to minimize cooling and heating loads.
If you enjoyed this instructable please share it with your friends and improve upon it if you wish.
If you have any constructive comments, questions, or suggestions feel free to comment.
O’Brien, W., K. Kapsis, & A. K. Athienitis. 2013. Manually-operated window shade patterns in office buildings: a critical review. Building and Environment 60:319-38.
Tzempelikos, A & A. K. Athienitis, 2007. The impact of shading design and control on building cooling and lighting demand. Solar Energy, 81:369-82.
Tzempelikos, A., & H. Shen. 2013. Comparative control strategies for roller shades with respect to daylighting and energy performance. Building and Environment, 60:179-92.
I think this is the most science oriented automatic blind implementation.
But what if its winter and you need sunlight to enter the building to heat it up?
During summer night you might want the blinds to be fully up so the building loses some of the heat absorbed during daytime, and close them right before the sunrise.
Also a manual override would be handy.
Would these additions be possible in the code?
Nice project - I'm doing something similar with my own (venetian) blinds. Instead of using a Luminosirty Sensor I'm using a cheap LDR sensor. Infact, "cheap" is one of my main concerns as I want to do all my windows. Right now my setup cost me roughly eight dollars per window (not including the motor - scavenged from an old printer) - it checks outdoor light levels, indoor temp and adjusts blinds according to predefined thresholds. It has a handy IR remote to override the blinds too! :) I'm currently testing the setup running on solar, but it has increased the costs significantly - roughly $20 for battery and panel. Anyway, would it be possible to take a peak at your code and see if I can borrow a few ideas from it? Looks like it works wonderfully!
Scroll down to bottom of Step 4 and you can download the code there. I hope it helps and good luck with your project.
This article reads just like some robotics papers I've read, except it's even more clear. Good job!
Nicely done! Do you know: if you want the heat of the sun out by using blinds, the blinds should be reflective and outside of the building. with these black ones inside the room what will happen is this: the solar irradiation is absorbed by the black material and is then sent out from the blind in the form of infrared radiation, causing the room to heat up.
You are right, the thermal aspects of blinds are also important but this was outside of this projects scope. An ideal placement for a window blind is actually outside the window (as opposed to inside the window in this project). This reduces the solar heat gain entering the room but there are design aspects that cause issues with placing blinds outside of windows (e.g., weather effects such as wind etc.).
I have always wanted to get a system like this up and running! I have tried on one occasion before but I could not find a motor that had enough torque that could lift my blinds. My blinds are about 7 foot long and using a baggage scales requires about 2-3kg of force to pull up from completely drawn. Any advice on the size/torque required? How did you figure out the torque needed?
I would suggest having a motor torque of 1.5 Nm based on really rough calculations. The motor I used had a torque of 3 Nm and could easily lift the roller shade. This spread sheet provided by Somfy could help in your calculations: (https://www.somfypro.com/documents/531668/3408119/Roller+Shade) Note: this link will download an excel spreadsheet.
This is a very impressive solution to natural lighting control . You have made a great project that I am sure will be utilized in smart buildings in the very near future.
Very kind words. Thank you.
i wanted to make a project like yours but i was wondering of a method to control the shade, now i got one! thank you.
Probably something like this? : wood cylinder, drill shallow holes for balls, file between holes?


"Crowd lending" as an investment?
You've probably heard of crowd funding web sites like Kickstarter that function as online forums for well wishers to support new business enterprises or community projects. People fund these ventures because they believe a given solicitor's work has intellectual merit, serves some worthy ideal, or includes a compelling new technology. Contributors do not receive any equity or financial return in exchange for their "investment".
You might be less familiar with online forums created for "Debt Crowdfunding" which can indeed reward investors with a financial return on invested capital. The concept itself is not exactly new. The leader in this space is the Lending Club Corporation which was incorporated in 2007, trades on the NYSE under ticker LC and is registered with the SEC. A competing company is called Prosper Funding LLC.
Lending Club touts itself as "the world’s largest online marketplace connecting borrowers and investors" and it has made a palpable impact on the future of consumer lending (and probably commercial lending) by facilitating over $6.2B in loans since its platform launch, according to the company website. If this business doesn't qualify as one with a "disruptive technology"; I don't know one that would.
Individual or institutional investors that use Lending Club's exchange can invest in hundreds or even thousands of individual notes with consumer loan repayment periods of 36 months or 60 months -- or small business notes -- with loan repayment periods of 12 months to 60 months. (The majority of consumer loans are issued for debt consolidation or to pay off credit card debt).
Lending Club partners with WebBank who issues the loans and charges interest rates pegged to each borrower's credit profile. Less credit worthy borrowers pay comparatively higher interest rates on loans. Investors in these notes are compensated for the added risk of default, with comparatively higher ROI. That transparency, or at least that built-in linkage between risk and reward, is one thing that attracted me to Lending Club. Disclosure: I don't give investment advice, make paid endorsements or financial recommendations, but I've invested in Lending Club notes.
The investor web site is impressively simple to navigate with powerful views, charts and calculations. One can see individual consolidated returns and returns for Lending Club investors, in the aggregate. The site also gives investors an ability to see loan level detail (without personal identifiers of borrowers) and repayment performance on individual notes.
As loans are paid back (some loans of course do not perform and get charged off with investors absorbing 100% of the loss) investor cash is credited, less a 1% management fee to Lending Club. Investor cash -- which is the portion of one's Lending Club investment not committed to credit issuance -- is pooled in a trust account at Wells Fargo Bank. Lending Club does not take custody of investor cash remitted to this account and investors can withdraw cash via ACH transfer to their own bank account at any time.
Exiting an investment in notes prior to maturity is beyond the scope of this post and like any asset class, one ought not invest more than one is prepared to lose. There's no guarantee on any of the notes or, of course, the solvency of Lending Club. All said, crowd lending is an intriguing alternative investment, to explore with caution.
Renaud Laplanche photo from Lending Club.
Finally, a word about Lending Club's founder, Renaud Laplanche. Mr. Laplanche is a former practicing attorney with an MBA from the London Business School who turned himself into a software entrepreneur. Last year he won the Innovation Award in the consumer products category from the Economist periodical.


1. Cut chicken into strips and fry lightly in oil.
2. Pour boiled rice into an oven-proof dish. Chop bell pepper.
3. Add chicken strips, bell pepper and pineapple pieces to rice and mix well.
4. Prepare sauce mixing all ingredients and pour onto rice-chicken mix.
5. Cook in 200C degree oven for about 30 minutes.


The White House on Thursday said discussions are underway to host Russian President Vladimir Putin in Washington DC this fall.
The White House on Thursday said discussions are underway to have Russian President Vladimir Putin visit Washington this fall.
The announcement comes several days after President Donald Trump's controversial meeting with Putin in Finland.
Trump has faced bipartisan backlash over how he handled the meeting.
On the heels of President Donald Trump's controversial meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Finland, the White House on Thursday said discussions are "underway" to have the Russian leader visit Washington, DC, in the fall.
"In Helsinki, [Trump] agreed to ongoing working level dialogue between the two security council staffs," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted.
She said Trump asked national security adviser John Bolton to "invite President Putin to Washington in the fall and those discussions are already underway."
No specific dates were proposed, but a visit in the fall would put the timing close to that of the 2018 midterm elections, amid the specter of Russian election meddling in the 2016 elections and its continued fallout.
Trump has faced significant backlash following his meeting with Putin, after which he was accused of siding with the Russian leader over the US intelligence community on the subject of Russia's 2016 interference.
The Trump administration has been in damage-control mode since his return, saying the president stands by US intelligence agencies and will work to prevent future attempts from Russia to attack the US electoral system.
Trump has faced criticism over his apparent openness to a proposal from Putin that would've seen roughly a dozen Americans, including former US ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, interrogated by the Russian government in a potential swap for 12 Russian nationals indicted by the special counsel Robert Mueller's team.
The White House on Thursday said Trump "disagrees" with Putin's "sincere" proposal. Meanwhile, the Senate delivered a rare, unified rebuke of Trump on Thursday by unanimously passing a resolution expressing its opposition to allow Russia to question US officials.


What's the purpose of the 'alternate login' field in my profile?
Alternate login is a convenience tactic. Users can enter an alternate login username that will work as their username site credential. This can be useful for those who have a favorite username they like to use on many sites and would like the convenience of using it on reso-nation. Also, for those who'd like to convert their username to their real name (which we'd love for you to do) you can simply set the alternate login to your legacy username so you can continue logging in with the name you are used to. The alternate login can be any name, email address, etc. For example, if my username has been bdictator for years but I would like to move to my full name 'Benevolent Dictator', I can simply change my username to 'Benevolent Dictator' and set my alternate login to bdictator. I can still login with my old name (and restrict it's usage since all usernames and alternate logins must be unique) but display my full name.


I was told by a battery salesperson that a Lithium Ion 100Ah battery is equivalent to a 260Ah lead acid battery bank. Is this correct? I understand that lead acid batteries should only be discharged to 50% so I would have thought that on this basis, Lithium Ion 100Ah would fall short of SLA 260Ah even if the Lithium Ion battery is able to be discharged to 0% SOC. Is the Lithium Ion battery technology more efficient such that Lithium Ion 100Ah is equivalent to SLA 260Ah?
Also I have read conflicting views as to how deeply Lithium Ion batteries are able to be discharged. Some literature states that they can be discharged to 20% SOC and other literature states that they can be fully discharged to 0% SOC. Which of these points of view is more accurate?
There is a germ of truth in this, though the details will be specific to particular batteries.
Li-Ion batteries maintain their capacity fairly well for several hundred charge/discharge cycles, discharging to most of their capacity, provided they are not overcharged, or left discharged for any length of time, or discharged below a certain point. Tesla claim over a thousand cycles I believe, but to what Deplth of Discharge (DOD) I don't know, and they have invested a lot studying cell chemistry and charging.
But even "deep cycle" or leisure Lead-Acid batteries don't last very long if you discharge them below 50% of their capacity. (An occasional deeper discharge followed by immediate recharge is probably OK). But if you want hundreds of cycles without much loss of capacity, 50% DOD is pushing it. Call it 40% and that's pretty much in line with your salesperson.
The problem with your question is that there's no way to compare apples with apples (unfortunately too few people ever do when it comes to batteries). You also refer to battery "capacity", but your salesman is indirectly accounting for one depth-of-discharge (DoD) for Lead-Acid (e.g. 50%) and likely a different and unspecified, but probably deeper, DoD for Lithium, based on some unspecified number of ideal discharge/recharge cycles (1000? 2000? who knows).
Hence the usual gaggle of passive-aggressive commenters under your Question.
Let's assume you're talking about 'deep cycle' lead-acid (LA) batteries, not engine starter types which WILL degrade VERY quickly with a series of deep discharges.
BOTH Lead-Acid and Lithium-Ion/Polymer rechargeable batteries will degrade the fastest by performing 100% discharges.
BOTH Lead-Acid and Lithium-Ion/Polymer batteries will last MUCH longer by only partially discharging them.
There's a rule-of-thumb in the LA industry that you should not discharge your batteries lower than X%. X% varies depending on who you read/listen to, anything from 25% DoD (i.e. down to 75% charge remaining) to as much as 50% DoD (only 50% charge remaining). That's because it's within the lead-acid battery designer/manufacturer's ability to design a battery, within some economic limits, to achieve Y cycles given X regular DoDs. It's a knob they can turn to change Y.
What's more, it's generally OK to do deeper discharges occasionally, if you really need to. It's all about how deep a discharge, how often.
The UltraBattery, a hybrid of lead-acid and ultra-capacitor, takes this even further and achieves much more cycles from 50% or deeper DoDs, compared to standard lead-acid. However the UltraBattery technology is not common or cheap, but I mention it to make the point that it is possible.
Engine starter batteries take this to the opposite extreme - they'll last for many years being discharged hardly at all; thousands or even tens of thousands of 1% or 5% discharges.
The thing to remember is that sulfation on the -ve electrode is an issue with LA used in deeper discharge & partial-state-of-charge (PSOC) applications, which requires them to be periodically 'refreshed' with basically a controlled over-charge, every week or two for daily deep-cycled batteries. This reality means that typical LA applications operate the batteries from 100% full, down to some % DoD; being at/near 100% frequently gives you plenty of opportunities to perform that periodic refresh operation.
This is where Lithium Ion/Polymer batteries vary considerably, and are more flexible.
Lithium Ion/Polymer batteries will operate in a PSOC almost indefinitely (whether you can track that % SoC accurately is a separate issue). Not only that, but you will get SEVERAL TIMES the discharge/recharge cycle life from them if you do. It's the full DoD (down to 0% dead flat) and particularly full recharges to 100% full that cause the greatest cost to Lithium Ion/Polymer's cycle lifespan. Most people don't appreciate just how much difference it makes to the cycle count longevity of Lithium rechargeable to avoid those full charges/discharges.
According to this study (I'm trying to find the original source, will link it here if I do) of Samsung 18650 Li-Ion cells: ...if you operate them between 80% and 30% SoC you'll achieve TWELVE TIMES the cycle life (~6000 cycles, before losing 30% charge storage), compared to a mere 500 cycle life if you perform full 100% DoD cycling.
If only discharge 80% (down to 20% capacity remaining) you'll still double your cycle life, 1000 instead of 500. If you operate them between 70% full down to 0% full (i.e. never fully charge them up to 100%) you'll get 3000 cycles.
This is why Electric Vehicles commonly restrict state-of-charge excursions, by default - so that owners aren't up for $10k for a new battery every few years. By restricting both DoD & SoC, they can multiply the life-cycle count several times (compared to 100% DoDs). It's why, for example, Tesla's, will not recharge to 100% normally, unless you tell it "Hey, we're going on a long trip tomorrow, please recharge up to 100%".
Back to your question: Your salesman may indeed have made a fair comparison, but we can't be quantitatively sure without knowing the implied load, and resulting DoD for each battery, & cycle lifetime you're trying to achieve. But it is quite feasible that, if you aim to achieve roughly the same cycle life from each battery, 2 to 3 times the capacity for LA, compared to Li-Ion/Polymer, is a possible outcome.
Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged batteries battery-charging lithium-ion lead-acid lithium or ask your own question.


The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) is a public, residential, liberal arts college, which offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. It is a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges and is located in North Adams, Massachusetts. Originally established as part of the state's normal school system for training teachers, it now offers a variety of programs leading to Bachelor of Science and Arts degrees, as well as a Master of Education track. MCLA is the smallest college in the state system. From the 1960s, the college's athletic teams were known as the Mohawks. In response to concerns about racial stereotyping, the name Trailblazers was adopted in 2002.
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts is a public, residential, liberal arts college, which offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. Its distinctive purpose is to provide a high quality alternative to private liberal arts institutions at a lower cost. Special features include selective admission, small classes, individualized attention, and academic excellence in an attractive college setting. A challenging curriculum provides flexibility for motivated students to shape their own course of study and encourages them to combine traditional coursework with experiential learning, such as internships, study abroad, and other field experiences. Working with a diverse student body in an intellectually challenging environment, MCLA faculty and staff develop liberally educated citizens with the knowledge, perspectives, critical thinking abilities, and values necessary to become active members of their communities and leaders in their chosen professions. To accomplish this mission, we seek to develop curricula that integrate liberal arts and professional studies; affirm the value of excellent teaching and reward scholarly and creative activity; expand opportunities for experiential learning to include field experiences, community service, international programs and independent studies; create a campus community that fosters intellectual, cultural, social and recreational activities that enrich education and where the value and worth of all people are affirmed and celebrated; achieve greater diversity within our faculty, administration, staff, and student body; challenge students to succeed and support them in their efforts; and extend our cultural and educational resources to enhance the quality of life in the Berkshires.
Question and Answer about "Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts"


Haven't been posting on the Moodle forum for a while now. How is everyone doing?
So, what would be considered as "newer" technology stack? Can someone please elaborate this?
I understand that the LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) stack might not be "new" anymore, but I'm wondering if someone is to create a brand new cutting-edge LMS today, that kind of "technology stack" will they be using? I don't think something like TensorFlow, Druid, NoSQL, BigQuery, and BigData that type of technology would be a good fit for LMS, right? Thoughts or comments? Thanks!
Looks like this article covered a lot of the newer technologies.
Common use: dynamic web sites and web applications.
The PHP stack is far from dead. It's so well supported. Like everything else, it will have its day. Just not yet.
I agree. It's good to see that this language has further development.
The deeper question for me is how relevant the "horizontal stacking" offered by Docker and alike are.
I've said before that I fundamentally don't *get* Docker.
It's clearly solving a problem for somebody. It must be solving a problem I don't have. I imagine it's cool if you are constantly deploying and getting rid of some particularly well-defined service in a cloud environment. I struggle to see how this would apply (in the general case anyway) to Moodle.


In Peking, France and China have signed an agreement to develop trade worth about thirteen and half billion United Sates dollars between the two countries over the next seven years.
Background: In Peking, France and China have signed an agreement to develop trade worth about thirteen and half billion United Sates dollars between the two countries over the next seven years.
SYNOPSIS: The Chinese Vice-Premier, Teng Hsiao-Ping met French Foreign Trade Minister, M. Jean Francois Deniau and Mme. Deniau, on the fourth of December. Mr. Teng told M. Deniau that the trade agreement was a good beginning for co-operation between France and China. Mr. Teng said that China intended to buy French equipment for two nuclear power plants. It's reported that although France supplied to similar nuclear plants to Iran for two point three billion dollars, China will get them cheaper.
M. Deniau formally signed the trade deal with the Chinese Minister of Foreign Trade, Li Chiang. The agreement specifies exchanges and co-operation in agriculture, animal husbandry, energy resources, mining, iron and steel, aviation and space technology.
It's expected that as a result of the Peking signing trade between the two countries will develop quickly. In 1985 alone, trade between the countries is expected to be worth two point seven billion United States dollars. French sources claimed that in an annex to the agreement, France will provide China with credit of six point eight billion United States dollars over a ten year period.
A seven-year agreement on developing economic relations and cooperation between China and France was signed in Peking on December 4.
Vice-Premier Teng Hsiao-ping attended the signing ceremony after meeting with French Minister of Foreign Trade Jea? Francois Deniau, Mme. Deniau and their entourage.
Vice-Premier Teng told the guests that this agreement was a good beginning of cooperation between the two countries. "There are broad prospects for many-sided cooperation between the two countries", said the vice-premier.
Minister Jean Francois Deniau and his Chinese counterpart Li Chiang signed the agreement on behalf of their respective governments.


The head of the House Intelligence Committee is defending his decision to hire former administration staffers to serve on the panel, saying it is part of a long tradition to hire from the intelligence community.
Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff Adam Bennett SchiffOn The Money: Treasury misses second Dem deadline on Trump tax returns | Waters renews calls for impeachment | Dem wants Fed pick to apologize for calling Ohio cities 'armpits of America' | Stocks reach record high after long recovery On The Money: Cain withdraws from Fed consideration | Says he didn't want 'pay cut' | Trump sues to block subpoena for financial records | Dems plot next move in Trump tax-return battle Pelosi downplays impeachment post-Mueller report MORE (D-Calif.) offered the remarks amid a deepening feud with President Trump Donald John TrumpDemocrats' CNN town halls exposed an extreme agenda Buttigieg says he doubts Sanders can win general election Post-Mueller, Trump has a good story to tell for 2020 MORE, who earlier in the day tweeted that Schiff was "stealing people who work at the White House" to work on his "witch hunt."
It's unclear whether she is the only person Intelligence has hired who previously had been in the Trump administration.
After Democrats won the House majority, they gained control of congressional panels. This also gave them a bigger budget and the ability to hire additional staff, since majority staff on congressional panels are larger than minority staffs.
It is not uncommon for career government workers to move back and forth between administrative and congressional jobs, though it is less common for that to happen between a Republican administration and a Democratic Congress. But the shift in the control of Congress did cause many new jobs to suddenly become open, given the new Democratic majority.
Trump in his tweet accused Dems of going "nuts."
"Even stealing people who work at White House! A continuation of Witch Hunt!" he tweeted Thursday morning.
Schiff and Trump have been at odds all week.
Trump, during his State of the Union address on Tuesday, implicitly warned Democrats against ramping up their investigations, suggesting that doing so would endanger the economy.
Schiff on Wednesday announced new investigations into Trump's finances that go beyond Russia.
Trump later on Wednesday ridiculed Schiff, and at one point suggested he did not know who he was. Last year, Trump sent out a tweet about "little Adam Schitt," underscoring tensions between the two men.
As ranking member on Intelligence, Schiff was a frequent presence on cable television where he often criticized Trump's politics and the controversies surrounding his administration.


Is there anyway I can link certain entries of mine together?
I'd like to be able to group all the plant life together, all the street art together etc.
Or is there only the option of adding a link to one other entry when making a new entry (in the comments area).
You can use tags for this. For example, tag all your plant entries plantlife, street art streetart. You can give one blip multiple tags, just enter them in the tag box separated by commas when you upload your photo (if you want to add tags to existing entries, you can do so by editing the entry).
Entering #plantlife in the search box will find all blips tagged plantlife by anyone.
Entering #plantlife @me will find all the blips tagged plantlife by you.
Entering #plantlife @blippername will find anything tagged plantlife by the blipper with that name.
Glad to help! It's a pity BlipCentral don't explain this stuff properly.
Hi again, Can you help me with another question please?
I've succesfully added plantlife to a couple of my entries, but when I've gone to the search bit, and typed in plantlife@me and then #plantlife@me and plantlife@dm lots of other peoples photos of plants come up. I must be doing something wrong as I'd like to see just my entries in a catagory.
I've also gone into my profile and typed #plantlife and then tried #plantlife@me and then saved changes, but they don't come up as tags that I can click on, they just look like normal typing.
I've seen on some users accounts under their bios tags that link to catagories they've made.
it will find that blip.
Then you can use the link button in the edit box for your blip text (or your profile) to add a link, using the copied URL as the link.
I've worked out how to add one entry with the tag dmplantlife to my profile page, but for the life of me can't work out how to add the other entries that have the same tag on them to that one tag on my profile page. When I click on the tag dmplantlife on my profile page the only entry that comes up is the one that I've added the url to it. I've tried to add the others urls in various ways (with a comma between them, a space between them, directly one after another) but just end up with either lots of tags all named dmplantlife or only one entry shows up.
What am I missing? I'm starting to drive myself insane as it should be easy right? to click on one tag on my profile page, and all the entries with that tag show up?
That's because you've linked to that single entry, not to the search results. Use the URL I gave in my last post instead (if you click on it now, it will show four entries).
I've done what you said and used the url from your last post and yip the four entries are showing.
I wasn't using the search url as only one entry was showing whenever I checked. So I definitely was doing that wrong. But I think there must also be something wrong with blipfoto cause I've actually got 6 entries tagged dmplantlife but only those four are showing.
I've also tagged two entries as dmbuildings but only one is showing in the search results.
I think it might be as you said earlier sometimes the search doesn't work properly.
I also get emails telling me people have given one of my entries a star, but when I look at my entry not all of them show up.
I'm sure the bugs will get sorted, at least I'm finally doing the tagging right but there's something else going on.
I've just had a look and all my entries are now showing up when the tags are searched for. Must just take a while to process.
You're welcome! Yes, it does seem to take time to update the search index and stars. But I have seen cases where older blips are tagged and don't show up in searches for that tag, so there is a bug somewhere.


ORLANDO, Fla. - A trainer of service dogs in the Orlando area said she was denied service at a local pizzeria because, she said, the restaurant refused to allow service dogs inside.
Susan Napier said it happened Thursday night at Broadway Pizza, which sits at the corner of Curry Ford Road and Semoran Avenue.
She said she went inside with her service dog and the manager told them to leave.
"He said he didn't care about the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), he didn't have to follow it and he was about to have a dog out of his restaurant," Napier said.
Napier told News 6 she left, and immediately told her Facebook friends what happened. She wrote, "We were just denied access by the manager of Broadway Pizza."
"It blew up," she said. "There was about 225 shares, and about the same number of comments."
Napier said she went to get results for herself Friday morning by contacting the corporate owner of Broadway Pizza. She said a woman named Rosalie apologized profusely, and she said Rosalie did something else as well.
"Rosalie ended up sending out a corporate-wide memo to all of the stores, reposting the ADA laws and telling the rest of the stores what happened and saying that it was unacceptable," Napier said.
Friday night, News 6 was there to watch as Napier and a colleague went to test the new rules Broadway Pizza put in place. They not only made it inside the restaurant, Napier said they also got a table.
News 6 investigated and found out there are only two legal questions businesses can ask owners of service dogs: Is this a service dog? and Which tasks does it perform?
Napier said all service dogs are allowed in restaurants in the state of Florida by law, but not all emotional support animals are.


Is there an option somewhere that prevents using multiple abilities on a weapon?
Just asking because I have two different abilities, when adding them both to the weapon only the first (Equipment ability 0) ability works in game. The second doesn't.
But if I remove the first ability then run the game the remaining second ability works.
They just both don't work together, which is what I want. Just wondering if I've set something somewhere.
For testing, I just use some status effects and have the abilities toggle them so I can see them working in the editor of the combatant.
The abilities themselves don't have any requirements or anything, they just toggle these 2 status effects with different names but nothing else special about them.
Hmm, alright trying it a different way.
Using the same abilities and status effects. If I can't use both abilities at the same time on the weapon, then I'll remove the abilities from the weapon and use an equip event to give both abilities to the combatant via the add temp ability step.
Works. Both abilities can now be used at the same time.
Seems that when added to the weapon, only the first ability gets recognized?
Solution: use an equip event to give required abilities to player instead of adding them to the weapon directly (which would be prefered/less hassle/easier to read). Then use an unequip event to remove the abilities.
Seems to be a bug, will be fixed in the next update.
As for the use cost audio - that uses the same functionality as the damage audio settings, so it definitely works. It'll be played on the user, if the game object doesn't have an audio source (either on the root or any child object) it'll add one. Could be that the audio listener is too far away to hear it?
In regards to the abilities, I also notice that in the editor under Equipment ability 0 there is only the "Remove" button, it seems that usually you have remove, copy and move up/down. Not sure if the bug prevents them from showing or not.
As for the sound, under the Use Cost > Audio clip. I can't hear it. At first I did think maybe the listener is too far away so I checked it, still couldn't hear it. The Consume items works, so the use cost does work I just can't hear the sound.
But I made the battle event (following the fireball tutorial) and using the play sound step with actor>user and audio clip 0. It works. Works perfectly. I can hear it. Just can't hear it when I select it for the use cost. From what I read in the fireball tutorial, this should be playing the sound on the user which is what the use cost should be doing?
I'm using 2.17.1 if that helps. I went to upgrade but its deprecated, from what I read in the other post of yours, unity should re-link the new version to what I have so I should be able to upgrade to the latest soon or do I need to re-purchase ork because its been over a year?
On another note, under the move AIs there's "Move component settings", if you select default and then enabled "Add Component" your character should have the ORKFramework.Behaviours.MoveAIComponent added at runtime yes?
I've disabled this and am now using the navmesh agent option but the moveaicomponent is still being added.
Also, for custom, I can set my com.Mystuff.Classname and any of the methods I put in for the position, speed and stop don't seem to get called.
I made for example, public void SetPosition(vector 3 blah) and put a Debug.Log("test") inside and it never gets called..?
Ah I get why the navmesh option still uses the moveaicomponent, it still needs it because otherwise the navmesh won't reach its target and it will just sit there unless the moveaicomponent tells it "you've waited in one spot too long, time to go somewhere else".
Still get's added even though the "Add Component" option is disabled.
Will add copy/move buttons to the equipment abilities in the next update.
Tested use cost audio and it worked fine on my end. Does your combatant's prefab already have an audio source attached? My best guess is that the audio source is set up in a way that prevents the clip from being heard. The Play Sound node (depending on its setup) might play it differently, e.g. using Play One Shot.
The move AI's component is added in any case, as this is the component that handles the whole move AI (e.g. finding targets). The move component settings define which component is used to actually move the game object. The move AI component doesn't move the game object, it lets the move component know where to move to.
I.e. the Add Component option defines if ORK adds the move component (e.g. a NavMesh agent component) to the combatant's game object.
Try defining your custom component's class name without the namespace - also, do you get any error/warning in the console when using your custom component?


US Open: Nadal outlasts Thiem to reach semis He has plenty of time to win. "After that first set", Nadal said, "the match became more normal". The top-ranked Nadal captured his 11th title in Paris by beating Thiem in straight sets in June.
US Senator John McCain dies age 82 after battle with brain cancer Two White House officials said McCain's family had asked, before the senator's death, that Trump not attend the funeral services. John McCain said goodbye to the man who was an American hero in the eyes of many and synonymous with the Grand Canyon State.
Trump continues crusade against Nike amid 'Just Do It' campaign Personally, I do not endorse Kaepernick's method of protest but I absolutely support his right to do so. Donald Trump Jr. has posted a response to Nike's controversial new ad featuring Colin Kaepernick .
Pep Guardiola stands up for Jose Mourinho but says results are everything If that did not happen, I would not have won the titles. "When we win we are good, when we do not win we are not good. In this job you get questioned for what is happening now - people soon forget your history and what you've done".
Trump deals major blow to Trudeau government's trade plans But on the sidelines, President Trump and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have dug into seemingly irreconcilable positions. Mulroney orchestrated the original Canada-Free Trade Agreement in 1988, which evolved into the current NAFTA agreement.
Serena Williams Responds To Her Catsuit Controversy By Playing In A Tutu She regularly thanks Jehovah after winning tennis matches. "He's (Guidicelli) been so easy to talk to", Williams said. Linette, the World No. 68 from Poland who was facing Williams for the first time, held her own in the early going.
Federal Bureau of Investigation charges North Korean Park Jin Hyok over WannaCry, Sony cyberattacks The charges were announced as President Trump and his administration negotiations with North Korea to end its nuclear program. The FBI released this photo of Park Jin Hyok of North Korea , who is wanted in connection with the hack of Sony Pictures.
House of Cards teaser implies Frank Underwood is dead He was dropped past year from the Netflix television series House of Cards and erased from the film All the Money in the World . Seagal is still under scrutiny for another alleged sexual assault , although the details of the accusation are unclear.
Elon Musk smokes weed in California-based podcast appearance After considering it for about 3-4 seconds, Elon Musk says "I mean it's legal, right?" and takes it for a little puff himself. They both giggled and Musk said, "That would be great". "As a result, this caused me to reconsider my future".
Google redesigns Chrome to celebrate its 10th anniversary The browser has even received a customizable new tab page, allowing users to change its background, adjust its icons, and more. All this information is saved to your Google account, and can also now be accessed directly from the Chrome toolbar.
Pep Guardiola defends Jose Mourinho over Manchester United form United have got off to a ropy start to the Premier League season since, conceding seven goals in their opening three games. Guardiola, however, believes that the Red Devils should back the manager as it is still early days in the league.
Earlier speculation was that those tariffs, proposed in July, would take effect in early October, though trade associations have been gearing up for the announcement to come as early as the end of this week.
Trump said he was not prepared to make a deal with China "that they'd like to make". "That changes the equation".
If the administration moved ahead, it would more than cover the entire value of goods imports from China, according to US government data from past year.
President Donald Trump, surrounded by business leaders and administration officials, prepares to sign a memorandum on intellectual property tariffs on high-tech goods from China, at the White House in Washington, March 22, 2018. US stocks erased gains after Trump's remarks.
It can not be contracted by drinking or coming into physical contact with water containing the bacteria (such as while swimming). One of those 14 Hampton victims, an elderly man, died due to complications related to the disease, state officials said.
In light of such a US agenda, China should "maintain strategic determination" and "take care of our own matters", Long Guoqiang, vice president of the State Council's Development Research Center, wrote in the People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party.
Apple Inc. noted in a letter that the government's proposed tariffs on $200 billion cover a wide range of products used in its USA operations, including the Apple Watch.
It said some of the parts it relies on for product development, including processors and research equipment, would also be hit by the tariffs.
"We are puzzled as to why the Administration may be using tariffs in part to re-engineer global ICT (information, communication and technology) supply chains that have served United States companies so well".
The Trump administration has already imposed 25% tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods, meant to punish Beijing for alleged unfair trade practices and intellectual property theft. "Now, they've got to treat us fairly", he said, and again threatened to impose duties on cars produced in Canada.


Mantis (Heterochaeta orientalis) Family- Mantidae.
Distribution: Sudan, Tanzania, Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya.
This seems to be a relatively new specie in culture. As L1 nymphs they are very long, measuring at just over an inch long!
Physical description: 'chaeta is among the largest species of preying mantis kept in captivity, some documented over half a foot long. 'Chaeta is a stick mimic, with it's long and slender appearance, strikingly resembling a part of a branch. 'Chaeta has two conical protrusions on top of both eyes that are distinguished even from the hatchling stage. Chaeta generally has a medium to dark brown coloration and sometimes develops tinges of green, usually on the femur and tibia in its nymph stages. It is also not unusual to see red horns, with blue and green eye color.
Rate of growth and factors involved: 'chaeta is a slow growing mantis. It's first molt takes about two weeks. It's last molt can take two months. 'Chaeta will grow quicker like most mantids, with warmer temps and frequent feeding.
Longevity: 'chaeta's life span from hatchling to adulthood is at least a year and can reach over a year and a half under optimal conditions.
Molting observations: 'chaeta will usually look for a camoflaged spot it will perch upside down from and begin to shed skin. Most chaetas molt in unison, within the same 2 day window. 'Chaeta will refuse food before molting.
Degree of activity: 'chaeta is not a very active mantis, and spends most of its day in one area, even as a nymph.
Degree of aggression or timidity: 'chaeta is a very shy and docile mantis. 'Chaeta normally do not hunt prey, but are more of ambush predators relying on its camoflage to trick its prey into getting comfortably close within striking distance.
Propensity to cannibalize: 'chaeta has a highly unlikely cannibalization rate if kept with generous space and food. In fact, chaeta is definitely one of the most tolerant mantis towards each other in culture.
Dynamics of threat display: 'chaeta has a high tendency for eye to eye interaction and threat display. Usually any quick, previously undetected movement will get chaeta into a threat pose. 'Chaeta will open its coxa out horizontally and extend its raptors with femur and tarsus together, revealing it's warning colors, navy with white dots and a white stripe horizontally connecting them both, on the inside of its coxa. 'Chaeta only opens up its wing set in very confrontational situations as adult.
Temperature range and humidity levels: 'chaeta has a high tolerance level to heat and humidity and its living conditions can vary. I've found the best success with heterochaeta is room temps about 60-80ºf with at least 30% humidity.
Type and size of enclosure(s) used: chaeta needs to be put in a container 3x its length in diameter and 6x its size in height. Chaeta demands a lot of molting and living space. This maybe the toughest thing about keeping chaeta. I've had success with delis in groups of up to 7 to L4, then they must go inside of a larger aquarium type container. I do not recommend net cages, for whatever reason I can't explain I've had a 80% mismolt rate in them with chaeta, especially in its older instars. A tall aquarium lined with sticks and a light at the top is the best option for this species.
Substrate or lack thereof: Chaeta does not need a substrate, but there should be at least 30% humidity. So a good spray every few days isn't a bad idea, but all your chaetas won't die or mismolt if you forget.
Chaeta' needs an environment that aids to its crypsis. Birch branches are the best recommendation. Due to chaeta needing a larger environment, it's also a good idea to hang a low wattage cfl to attract their food source. When the prey flies to the light source, it arouses chaetas predatorial instincts. Sometimes crowds of chaeta surround the light during feedings.
Communal housing if applicable: chaeta is the most communal mantis ive kept to date and I'm sure is among the most communal in culture. Cannibalization is always a greater possiblity without an adequate food source, proper camoflage and too frequent interaction.
Feeding response: chaeta is not an active hunter like most mantids and prefers to wait until the food is within striking parameters before lunging out. Chaeta will slowly make its way towards a group of prey items.
Type and size of prey used and/or refused for various instars: chaeta, despite its skinny stick like build, can overcome larger adversaries than you'd expect. Chaeta at 1st instar are able to eat mels and hydei. At chaetas second instar it can jump to houseflies, and at the fourth instar blue bottles can be used comfortably through out adulthood.
Quantity and frequency of feedings: thankfully due to chaetas longer slimness, and ability to overcome surprisingly large prey, the frequency of its feeding is also determined by its size too. L1 to 3 should be fed twice a week, hydeis x6-12 per chaeta or house fly each. Once they graduate to blue bottles they should be fed once a week and be housed in a larger cage to hold a group of 1bb for each at l4 and double it every instar on. Food should continue to be added if its been all devoured. Food intake will almost double for mated females. Adult chaeta can last several weeks with no food and survive, though this is definitely not recommended at all.
Sexing/sexual dimorphism (explanation of physical differences and/or adult sizes of the sexes):chaeta has virtually no difference between male and female by the naked eye until L5. The females are slightly larger and bulkier. Males have longer, fuller antennae. Females have an arch to their cerci that curve downwards right before their two flaps at the end of its abdomen. Males also have a slightly longer wingset and are flight capable.
The time frame between adulthood and the first witnessed mating is between 4 and 6 weeks. I'm sure this time frame is also dependant on environmental factors.
Tips: give us your methodology.:the best way to get chaeta to mate is to keep them communually from the start and to give them extra food and privacy at times.
Tips for inducing copulation and fecundity: higher temps and humidity aren't as much a determining factor in mating as much as a natural feeling environment.
Oothecae: females generally lay very frequently after mating, about once every two weeks, but can be up to a month between. A slightly more frequent misting and food availability maybe necessary for larger healthier ooths.
Physical description and average ooth size. Picture desired; include with other pictures at bottom of Care Sheet.: Chaeta oothecae are about 50 mm in length and 35 mm in diameter. They are large, dark gray to light brown, foamy oval oothecae with a long hanging thread at the end. Chaeta oothecae are laid on the underside of a branch most of the time.
Diapause if necessary: chaeta ooths do not require a diapause.
Incubation time and temperature: chaeta oothecae take about 45-60 days from lay date to hatch date. Hatching and living temps shouldn't differ.
Observed number/s and range of hatching nymphs: healthy chaeta ooths should boast in the 50 to 60 range. Even the smallest ooths at the end of a mantids life cycle can hatch 10 mantids.


Don't let perfectionism get the best of you.
In "Finish," Jon Acuff says you don't have to be miserable in order to achieve your goals. In fact, you'll be more successful if you do something you enjoy. You can make most activities more enjoyable by turning them into games.
"No pain, no gain." It's a thing people say when you're trying to get in shape, and you're at the gym crying, or dying, or something in between, because your arms are burning and shaking and you've got one more push-up left.
The aphorism is true, in the sense that a leisurely stroll around the block won't do much for your biceps. The problem is that the inverse - fun and comfort mean your mind and body are slowly deteriorating - is not.
This myth is one of several that bestselling author Jon Acuff dismantles in his book "Finish," a breezy but insightful guide to tackling the perfectionistic impulses that keep us from hitting our goals.
Acuff writes: "Perfectionism believes that the harder something is, the more miserable something is, the better." Meaning things only "count" - say, as healthful or educational - if you're having a terrible time. And they definitely do not count if you're enjoying yourself.
This is wrong, Acuff says. So wrong. Not solely because fun stuff counts for something, too, but because we're more likely to achieve our goals when we're having fun.
Case in point: Acuff writes about a photographer named Jeremy Cowart who wanted to "give back" - which is a pretty common, and commonly abandoned, goal. But Cowart asked himself what he already enjoyed doing that he could use to help his community. So he started taking free portraits at events around the world, and has taken upwards of half a million photos.
Acuff himself was determined to read more; but instead of limiting his reading to the likes of "War and Peace," he broadened his horizons to include audiobooks, business books, and even comic books.
Acuff writes: "What invisible standard was my personal goal of reading a hundred books in a year supposed to be measured against? Whose quality level was I judging my goal based on? I made the rules and I decided to make them fun."
"Finish" was partly inspired by a study, led by University of Memphis Ph.D. student Mike Peasley, of 900 participants in Acuff's online goal-reaching video course, "30 Days of Hustle." Based on Peasley's observations, Acuff writes that choosing a goal you believe will be enjoyable increases your likelihood of satisfaction by about 31%. What's more surprising is that you'll also perform about 46% better.
Acuff also cites a paper led by Daniel Chambliss at Hamilton college, which asserts that elite swimmers don't find their rigorous practice sessions and tough competitions excruciating. Instead, they rather enjoy them.
In other words: Pick an activity you enjoy that will help you get stronger, or smarter, or more successful, and you'll have a better shot at becoming stronger, smarter, or more successful than you would if you picked an activity you positively hated.
It's worth noting here that some psychologists - most notably, Anders Ericsson of Florida State University - see sacrifice and struggle as an often important component of success. The kind of practice that will make you an expert at something - if that's what you're going for - isn't supposed to be enjoyable, at least not in the moment. Fun probably doesn't "count" toward your goal of mastery.
That said, Acuff does have a few tricks up his sleeve for making even the dullest or most strenuous of activities more enjoyable.
"Make it fun if you want it done," he writes. It can be as simple as one author's strategy of treating himself to a Friday movie if he finished his work. Acuff upgrades his rental car when he goes on business trips. The important thing is that there's no shame in making it a game.
Acuff uses the phrase "cheating" a few times throughout his book, and says that making things easier for yourself is good, not bad. As in: Hitting up a Zumba class instead of running on the treadmill, assuming they're equally strenuous but you enjoy Zumba more, is good.
No pain, no gain? Sure. But enjoying life is OK, too.


Lisa: You must have come home pretty late last night. I went to bed around 12 and you weren't home yet. Did you go out after work?
Katie: No, I was just working. There is so much I have to finish before I go to Vancouver.
Lisa: Oh? Really? How late were you working?
Katie: I left my office right around 12.
Lisa: Well, that's not good!
Lisa: Well are you almost caught up with your work?
Katie: Yes, almost. I just have a few things to wrap up today and then I will be ready for my vacation. Oh? I certainly need it.
Lisa: Well you have earned it. Hey urn, I just made some coffee. Would you like a cup?
Katie: Oh yes, that would be brilliant.
Lisa: Urn just a sec, I'll get it for you.
Katie: Thanks so much. Sit down with me for a while.
Katie: Say, Lisa, have you ever thought about having kids in the future?
Lisa: Hey, that was an unexpected question!
Katie: Well, have you ever thought about it?
Lisa: I can honestly say I have never thought about it. I think I am still way too young to even think about that kind of change in my life. Why do you ask? Have you been thinking about it recently?
Katie: Well, yes. Actually I have been thinking about it a bit recently. Not in any clear terms. But, you know, just thinking that I might wanna have kids-or a kid I should say-in the future.
Lisa: That really comes as a surprise to me. You've always seemed so dedicated to your work to me.
Katie: Yes, I can see why you say that. And of course my career is still very important to me. If I ever did have a kid, I certainly wouldn't quit work forever. I would just take a year off, and then go back to work. I don't think I could stand not working for longer than that.
Lisa: Well, that sounds more like you.
Katie: But you've never thought about having kids?
Lisa: No. I guess I just haven't gotten to that point in my life yet. Say, why are you talking about this all of a sudden?
Katie: Oh, it was just a thought I had.
Lisa: Have you and Brian been talking about getting married or something?
Katie: No. We have never talked about it exactly. But he has mentioned some things that made me think that he was at least thinking about it.
Katie: It's hard to describe. But I could just tell he's thinking about it.
Lisa: Well I can certainly see you in the future as a woman with a great career raising a couple of brilliant kids.
Katie: Oh, no, just one kid. One job and one kid.
Lisa: Well I think you would be a great mother.


What is the government open data portal?
The open data portal is intended to serve as a platform for the dissemination of data by public bodies and for searching and retrieving such datasets by open data users.
To post news, questions and instructions pertaining to open data and to have discussions on relevant topics.
encourage migration to future technologies such as linked data, "Internet of Things" and "big data".
The publication of data created by public sector bodies serves many purposes, most importantly allowing private individuals, companies and third sector bodies simply to examine the existing data or to use it in their software applications to create value added.
All datasets which are created by government agencies and local authorities, whose public use is not directly forbidden and which contain other data than personal data are to be made public. If the datasets contain both personal and non-personal data, only the non-personal parts of the data will be made public.
In particular, the data in the datasets to be published should in general be created, collected or administered by a government agency or local authority. A government agency or a local authority may, with the consent of a third party, also publish the data of that third party if it considers it to be of sufficient interest to the public.
Which principles need to be followed when publishing datasets?
the data publisher should be able to publish data with ease and minimal effort.
All public data is made available. Public data is data that is not subject to valid privacy, security or privilege limitations.
Data is as collected at the source, with the highest possible level of granularity, not in aggregate or modified forms.
Data is made available as quickly as necessary to preserve the value of the data.
Data is available to the widest range of users for the widest range of purposes.
Data is reasonably structured to allow automated processing.
Data is available to anyone, with no requirement of registration.
Data is available in a format over which no entity has exclusive control.
Data is not subject to any copyright, patent, trademark or trade secret regulation. Reasonable privacy, security and privilege restrictions may be allowed.
The published data will not identify or provide ways to identify individuals, unless that information is already published (such as the names of the civil servants working at the ministries).
What are the licence requirements for the published data?
The open data must published under a licence which permits its free and unlimited use, processing and distribution. Under the licence, it must be possible to distribute the data at the discretion of the user either without charge or for a fee.
Can the published data be used for commercial purposes (such as for the creation of paid services)?
Reuse of data for commercial purposes is permitted. We will be more than delighted if profitable services are created using our data.
What format and encoding types are recommended for datasets?
As a principle, it is better to publish the data in an inconvenient format than to leave it unpublished at first and wait for a planned improvement in its encoding in the future. A published dataset can always be republished in a new and better encoding. We recommend that you publish your open data at least in a 3-star format.
How can people use opendata.riik.ee?
Is there a place where it is possible to discuss ideas, applications and using of the data?
We use GitHub.com for discussing open data in Estonia opendata tracker. Here you are able to add comments, applications, blog posts, and provide suggestions/requests for new datasets.
Green paper on open data.
Certainly! As the work on the project progresses, new open data will be added to the portal and the portal will also be linked to the open data portals of other countries.


Climbing the corporate ladder can be a daunting challenge, especially for those who have just been employed. But starting on the lowest rung does not necessarily mean that the climb will be any tougher. In fact, there are a number of things that a new employee can do to grab the undivided attention of upper management in order to increase his or her opportunities for promotion.
Does Your Employer Offer Training Courses?
It is very common indeed for many employers to offer training courses, including management courses. Many of them are conducted by experienced third-party training and education companies that commonly work with businesses all over the country.
First and foremost, acquiring new skills is the first step in developing as an employee whether it is in public relations, human resources, law, management, finance, or otherwise. Developing new skills not only gets the attention of team leaders and managers but also means that the employee can actually do more at work. He or she then has the opportunity to act in other roles temporarily or attain a promotion.
When managers see that an employee is eager to attend training courses that the company has paid for, he or she is generally favoured more highly. Participating in training courses is a signal to the people who really matter in the company that an employee cares about his or her job and their future in that environment. The truth is that promotions are more likely to come the way of employees who show interest in their jobs and moving to new roles that demand more skills.
A more highly skilled workplace is also one that can be more productive. More highly skilled employees can also cover for unplanned absences and colleagues who are on leave.
People have known for a long time that happy workplaces are also more productive workplaces. Everyone wants to work in a happy workplace where he or she is valued by the company and given opportunities to succeed and be his or her best. Sadly, many people are just not invested in their roles at work and this translates to fewer opportunities.
The trick to finding happiness in a corporate environment is to participate more fully. This may sound as if it is a strange idea to those who are currently unsatisfied but the fact is that when one attends additional courses and takes on his or her role more fully, he or she will be given more opportunities and may therefore find greater levels of happiness. In this context, when the company values an employee more highly, the employee feels happier. Attending training courses is certainly one pathway to finding such personal satisfaction.


Neurophysiologist Martin Zizi has invented a new form of biometric technology that is almost impossible to crack or hack. The system uses the human nervous system as its method of authentication.
A new, prototype adhesive identification tag has been developed, with the aim of ensuring that valuable goods are protected from theft and in a way that does not reveal the location of the items being protected.
Of all the counties in the word, China appears to be making the greatest use of facial recognition software, both in the public and private spheres. A new report charts the growth of image scanning systems that aim to improve security.
Washington	- Over 1.1 billion people mainly in Asia and Africa lack official proof of identity that would get them access to public health care, education and finance, according to the World Bank.
San Juan	- "How pretty is the flag, is the flag of Puerto Rico!
Christian recording artist Colton Dixon chatted with Digital Journal about his new studio album "Identity," and future plans.
Nice	- The driver of the truck that smashed into a crowd watching fireworks in the French Riviera city of Nice, killing at least 84, has been formally identified, police sources said Friday.
Chicago	- Sixteen-year-old Arthur Brown is finishing his second year in high school in a suburb of Chicago.
Washington	- Transgender people live under dramatically varying circumstances around the world -- often facing violent repression, but also conquering crucial new rights most notably in Europe and the United States.
Are brainwaves unique to each person?
People can be differentiated through their fingerprints and retinal scans. However, what about brainwaves? Binghamton University neuroscientists seem to think so.
Brussels	- Two suicide bombers who blew themselves up in Brussels are believed to be brothers who were being sought for links with Salah Abdeslam, the prime suspect in the Paris attacks, RTBF television reported Wednesday, citing police sources.
Just 48 hours after getting their hands on the new iPhone 5S, hackers over at Chaos Computer Club in Europe have found a way to bypass Apple's TouchID fingerprint security scanner.
The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that a 15-year old girl can pursue her cyber-bullies, without having to give up her identity. The court decided unanimously, the girl deserves to be protected from further victimization by having her name released.
The story of glam rock icon Jobriath Boone is one of the most fascinating and tragic tales of the latter 20th century. A new documentary captures the man behind the masks, exploring his creative genius as well as his personal demons.
Berlin	- German officials are actively seeking the identity of a boy that showed up in Berlin after he'd wandered out of a forest.
Kent	- Police in Kent, England are making a public plea for anyone with information on the identity of a mystery man, said to be suffering with severe amnesia, to contact them.
A report on the ongoing case of convicted murderer Jon Venables, and more generally the creation of false identities by the British state.
As cybersecurity concerns among the federal government have become more elevated, President Obama is now exploring internet IDs for American users.
The Stig, a character on the BBC TV show Top Gear, wants to write his autobiography. That would mean revealing his identity, and that is something the BBC does not want to happen.
You could find yourself to be a victim of identity theft simply by using an ATM. Second-hand ATMs have been showing up on Craigslist and Ebay and one person was able to get 1,000 credit card numbers from it.
There are fears, that eight people, including three children and a small baby, who were forced to flee their home in the early hours of Sunday morning were the victims of mistaken identity.
No, today is not April Fool’s day. The French Law Commission is considering ways of obliging internet users to register their pseudonyms, or ‘handles,’ with a government agency in order to control “abuse.” Details were presented yesterday.
Identity theft is becoming quite a common topic these days, with news reports following trends and victim stories becoming more common. A fast growing problem known as Medical Identity Theft is beginning to surface, leaving vulnerable individuals shocked.
Addiction to Work Can Hurt When You're Unemployed.
Ever wonder what happens to all those high-powered, high-flying executives when they get let go? Some of them, who have been "addicted to work" and defined themselves by it, may have to struggle to come out of it and start anew.
Namesake - What is it in the name?
Names are a profound way to give a child connection to a parent’s heritage, culture or religious affiliation for a lifetime. It is also an important part of preserving ones, identity.
Alice Crimp and Jaralene Mohan are among growing number of women, who work in non-traditional professions such as, facilities maintenance (Superintendents), plumbers and automotive technicians among others.This can be tough.
Facial recognition technology, from a contamination control event in Slovenia.


Here's what people have asked and answered about working for and interviewing at Lieberman Research Worldwide (LRW).
What is onboarding like? Do they do training, drug testing, and finger printing?
There is a week long training program at headquarters (LA). There's also online training classes in the company's internal platform. There was no drug testing or fingerprinting.


Former gymnastics coach Dave Brubaker, right, leaves the court house in Sarnia, Ont., Tuesday, October 23, 2018 following the first day of testimony in his sexual assault trial.
A woman who accused her former gymnastics coach of sexual assault told his trial on Tuesday that the man controlled every aspect of her life when she was training with him as a teenager.
The complainant, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, testified that Dave Brubaker would routinely kiss her on the lips to say hello and goodbye, starting when she was 12 years old.
"I would say that at the time, Dave had full control over everything — what time I went to bed, what I ate, how I did my hair," she said at the judge-alone trial taking place in Sarnia, Ont. "Whatever he said, went. I had full trust in him."
The woman, who is now in her 30s, said Brubaker would pick her up from school, and take her to his house where he occasionally would spoon her in bed and tickle her belly, before driving her to practice. She also alleged there were times when he touched her inappropriately during sports massages.
She said she feared the coach would punish her in the gym if she denied his advances.
Brubaker, 55, has pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual assault and one count of invitation to sexual touching related to the alleged incidents involving the teenaged gymnast between 2000 and 2007.
He was initially charged with 10 sexual offences last December and was placed on administrative leave by Gymnastics Canada, where he had served as director of the women's national team, but the number of charges were reduced Tuesday at the beginning of his trial.
Court heard a few minutes of an interview Brubaker gave to police, which the trial judge will determine whether to include as evidence in the case. In it, Brubaker maintained that his relationship with the girls he coached was innocent.
"It wasn't a power trip," he said in the clip. "I do admit that I liked the girls at that moment. It wasn't in a sexual way."
Brubaker also told police he knew "something was coming" after another gymnastics coach was suspended weeks earlier over allegations of sexual misconduct. He said he understood that he'd never coach again.
"I know that because it's happening on Facebook with everybody saying 'me too," he said.
The complainant in the case, who was the first witness to testify, alleged the spooning incidents involving Brubaker started when she was in high school and continued until she quit gymnastics at 19.
"I remember feeling like bugs were crawling under my skin," she said. "I was very uncomfortable. And sick to my stomach."
She said Brubaker would regularly massage her body to relieve her of soreness. Sometimes, she told the court, those massages made her uncomfortable, like when Brubaker would massage her upper thigh, under her underwear.
Several times, he massaged around her pubic area, she said. On other instances, he would touch her buttocks while hugging her goodbye.
When questioned by the defence, the woman acknowledged telling investigators that she didn't think Brubaker's hands went under her underwear on purpose. She also said it was not uncommon for gymnasts to receive massages.
Brubaker's defence lawyer, Patrick Ducharme, noted that the woman could not remember which hand his client used to touch her buttocks. He also noted that the officer who investigated Brubaker was related to the woman, and was the best man in her wedding.
The woman told the court that she intentionally hurt herself and quit gymnastics when she was 19 because she could no longer handle the pressures of her relationship with Brubaker. She coached for a year after that, she said, but avoided contact with Brubaker when possible.
Ducharme suggested that the woman hurt herself and quit gymnastics around the same time that she realized she wouldn't make it to the Olympics.
"That must have put a tremendous strain on you," he said.
Another former competitive gymnast who trained under Brubaker testified later Tuesday that her former coach suggested his trainees kiss him and his wife — also a gymnastics coach — on the cheek as a sign of respect.
She noted, however, that for several years, the only gymnast she saw kissing Brubaker on the lips was the complainant.
The second woman also said she saw Brubaker massaging the complainant in her underwear, before turning to her and saying "you're next."
"I remember thinking, 'I'm not comfortable being massaged in my underwear,' so I went into my room and put on tights," she said.
The charges against Brubaker, who was Canada's head gymnastics coach at the 2016 Rio Olympics, came at a watershed moment for gymnastics in Canada.
Earlier that month, Gymnastics Canada suspended Edmonton-based coach Michel Arsenault over allegations he sexually abused at least three gymnasts in Quebec when they were minors in the 1980s and early '90s. In January, a Mississauga, Ont.-based gymnastics coach was charged over allegations he sexually abused a 15-year-old girl over a four-year period.