CHARLOTTE -- The Panthers still have a load of offseason work to do, but at some spots, what you see is what they'll take to Spartanburg.
The Panthers have filled 61 of their allowed 80 offseason roster spots. Without roster-exempt NFL Europe allocations to fill out the practice lines, they'll have to tighten up from what they've typically taken to training camp, meaning some of the positions on the depth chart are already filled.
They can bring in a few extra players for minicamp and coaching sessions, since draft picks can practice then but don't count against the roster limit until they sign. That would allow them up to 88 players in May and June if they keep all their current picks.
With what's left, it's easy to see what the remaining signings will entail.
There's been some talk around the league that the owners might discuss relaxing the offseason limit to offset the lost NFL Europe bodies, but that would require them paying extra guys -- making it no sure thing.
• GOOD FAITH GESTURE: According to those in the room, tackle Jordan Gross was among the majority of the team that showed up last week for the beginning of offseason workouts.
But he didn't sign his franchise tender until Thursday, meaning he was taking a degree of risk by lifting and running with his teammates. The one-year, $7.455 million deal became guaranteed with his signature, but could have been rescinded at any point before then.
Hypothetically speaking, if he had gotten himself hurt before signing the contract, the Panthers could have stuck it in a shredder and pretended it never existed.
They likely wouldn't, since he's a valued veteran and a guy they want to keep long term. But if you're tallying up points for classy moves, put a few up for Gross for doing something he didn't have to, for the sake of trying to lend leadership to an offensive line in flux.
• DT HELP STILL AVAILABLE: Figure the Panthers to sign a veteran defensive tackle or two before the draft, and there are actually a decent number of qualified applicants available.
They've had Darwin Walker and Ian Scott in for visits, and they're both still available. So is Rod Coleman, who came here early, but it doesn't sound like he's physically ready to play.
Other able veterans still on the market include Larry Triplett, Grady Jackson, Sam Adams, Ted Washington and Keith Traylor, even though some of those guys won't be in shape to play for a few months. As thin as some spots are in free agency, there's a good handful of guys who can play.
• NUMEROLOGY: Times change, and so does the roster. It's still going look strange next year when the Panthers take the field and number 55 is Donte Curry, and not Dan Morgan.
That's just one of the jersey changes this offseason, as the new guys and incumbents pick through the discarded numbers for a new identity.
The 75 vacated by center Justin Hartwig now belongs to defensive end Stanley McClover (who gave up 74). Mike Wahle's 68 will now be worn by guard Keydrick Vincent. The old 18 of Drew Carter now belongs to D.J. Hackett (with the hopes he can do more than run straight downfield, and catch the ball occasionally).
Since the Panthers were out of 50s, new linebacker Landon Johnson took the 94 vacated by defensive tackle Kindal Moorehead. Running back LaBrandon Toefield slid into safety Nate Salley's old 33, since Salley had chosen to take 25 earlier. Center Ryan Kalil switched to his college number 67, from last year's 65.
Nobody had a bigger bump than tight end Jeff King, who surrendered 87 to Muhsin Muhammad, and dropped into 47. At least King got paid (an undisclosed amount) for the move.
• EXTRA POINTS: The addition of Hackett last week is going to make for some interesting game-day decisions on who's active. They usually carry four receivers into each game, and assuming Steve Smith, Hackett and Muhammad are up, there's one spot left for Dwayne Jarrett, Ryne Robinson and the rest of a solid group. That they brought in a cornerback who can return kicks (Ricardo Colclough) could mean the fourth wideout doesn't have to be a special teams exclusive player. That helps, but it's still going to be a weekly drama if everyone stays healthy.


about options that may be available for your specific situation.
Croup, or laryngotracheobronchitis, is a viral infection that causes the larynx or trachea (the upper part of the windpipe, near the vocal cords) to narrow due to swelling. The larynx goes into spasms, and the sufferer experiences difficulty breathing; a harsh-barking cough; hoarseness; tightness in the lungs; and feelings of suffocation. Mucus production may also increase, further clogging the airway.
In the beginning, croup has all the hallmarks of the common cold. It starts off with congestion, a stuffy or runny nose for a few days and may have a fever (over 101°F). The upper airway (the lining of the trachea and larynx) becomes progressively inflamed and swollen. Croup is a respiratory infection that causes the larynx (voicebox) or trachea (windpipe) to narrow due to swelling. The larynx goes into spasms, and the sufferer experiences difficulty breathing; a harsh, loud, barking cough (resembles the barking of a seal); hoarseness; tightness in the lungs; and feelings of suffocation, especially when a child is crying or upset. Mucus production may also increase, further clogging the airway. If the upper airway becomes swollen to the point where it is partially blocked off, it becomes even more difficult for a child to breathe. This happens with severe croup. One of the trademarks of severe croup is a harsh, high-pitched wheezing noise or squeaking noise (called stridor) that is made when air is breathed in through the constricted windpipe and over inflamed vocal cords. Fits of coughing is another characteristic symptom. A child will tend to breath very fast, and the stomach or the skin between the child's ribs may seem to pull in during breathing. The child may also appear pale or bluish around the mouth because he or she is not getting enough oxygen. In addition to the effects on the upper airway, the infections that cause croup can result in inflammation further down the airway, including the bronchi (breathing tubes) and the lungs.
Croup most commonly occurs in young children and babies between ages 3 months and 5 years (1 to 3 years most frequently), whose airways are much narrower than those of adults. About 275,000 children under the age of 6 get croup each year in the United States.
Attacks occur frequently at night and croup usually lasts 5 to 6 days in duration (peaking 2 to 3 days after the symptoms of infection start). Incubation period (the time between infection and the onset of symptoms) depends on the virus causing the croup. For parainfluenza virus, it is usually 3 to 5 days. In the past, this illness was often caused by the measles virus, but not that many children are immunized against measles, croup has become much less common than it once was. Croup resulting from viral infection usually lasts less than a week. The virus usually runs its course in 5 to 6 days. Croup is most likely to occur in outbreaks during the winter months and early spring when viruses that usually cause it peak, and symptoms are most severe in children younger than 3 years of age. Many children who come in contact with the viruses that cause croup will not get croup, but will instead have symptoms of a head cold. Most croup due to viruses is mild and can be treated at home, though rarely viral croup can be severe and even life-threatening. Some children are more prone to developing croup, especially those who were born prematurely or who were born with narrowed upper airways.
Spasmodic croup is a term used to refer to a condition similar to viral croup, except that there are no accompanying symptoms of an infection. The cough frequently begins at night with a sudden onset. The child usually has no fever with spasmodic croup.
The majority of children recover from croup with no complications. Rarely, some children will develop complications such as ear infection or pneumonia. Children who have a history of lung disease (such as asthma) are more likely to develop more severe symptoms of croup and may require hospitalization. Croup very rarely causes any long-term complications.
Prevention is better than solving a problem. Frequent hand washing and avoiding contact with people who have respiratory infections are the best ways to reduce the chance of spreading the viruses that cause croup.
Croup is usually proceeded by a cold, bronchitis, or an allergy attack, but can also occur if a foreign body is inhaled. Most croup is caused by viruses, but similar symptoms may occasionally be caused by bacteria or an allergic reaction. The viruses most commonly involved are parainfluenza virus (accounting for most cases), adenovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, influenza, and measles.
Croup is most often caused by parainfluenza virus, primarily types 1 and 2, but other viral and possibly bacterial infections can also cause it. It is most common in the fall and winter but can occur year-round, with a slight predilection for males.
The respiratory distress is caused by the inflammatory response to the infection, rather than by the infection itself. It usually occurs in young children as their airways are smaller and differently shaped than adults', making them more susceptible. There is some element of genetic predisposition as children in some families are more susceptible than others.
An entity known as spasmodic croup also occurs, distinct from the infectious variety, due to laryngeal spasms.
Health care providers (and parents) can usually diagnose croup by looking for the telltale barking cough and stridor, the high-pitched squeaking sound on inhaling. Stridor will be provoked or worsened by agitation or crying. If stridor is also heard when the child is calm, critical narrowing of the airway may be imminent. They will also check the child for fever, cold symptoms (like a runny nose), nausea/vomiting or a recent viral illness, and ask questions to find out if the child has a prior history of croup or upper airway problems. Hoarseness is usually present. More severe cases will have respiratory distress.
If the child's croup is severe and slow to respond to treatment, a neck X-ray may also be taken to rule out any other reasons for the breathing difficulty, such as a foreign object lodged in the throat or epiglottitis (an inflammation of the epiglottis, the flap of tissue that covers the windpipe). Typical findings on a frontal X-ray of the cervical spine, if a child has croup, includes the top of the airway narrowing to a point, which health care providers call a steeple sign.
Croup is a group of respiratory diseases that often affects infants and children under age 6. It is characterized by a barking cough; a whistling, obstructive sound (stridor) as the child breathes in; and hoarseness due to obstruction in the region of the larynx. It may be mild, moderate or severe, and severe cases, with breathing difficulty, can be fatal if not treated in a hospital.
Croup affects 5-percent of children in the second year of life; the peak incidence is between 7 and 36 months. The group of respiratory diseases consists of spasmotic croup, acute laryngotracheitis, laryngotracheobronchitis (LTB), laryngotracheobronchopneumitis (LTBP), and laryngeal diptheria. LTB and LTBP, which usually involve a bacterial infection, are usually severe.
The first step in diagnosis is to exclude other acute obstructive illnesses in the region of the larynx, such as epiglottitis, a foreign body, or angioneurotic edema of the epiglottis. Misdiagnosing an obstructive airway disease can be fatal.
The Alberta Clinical Practice Guideline Working Group has developed guidelines for diagnosing and treating croup, including a scoring system for classifying severity. The severe form (which affected less than 1-percent of children seen in the emergency department) involves breathing difficulties, indicated by stridor, chest retractions, agitation and distress. Lethargy or decreased level of consciousness is a sign of impending respiratory failure, and requires emergency medical treatment. LTB and LTBP are usually severe, and require treatment in the intensive care unit, with a throat tube to assist breathing, and antibiotics.
Since laryngotracheitis is a viral disease (most commonly parainfluenza virus 1) antibiotics have no value. Croup can be prevented by immunization for influenza and diphtheria. At one time, croup is referred to a diphtherial disease, but with vaccination diphtheria is rare.
Most, though not all, cases of viral croup are mild. Breathing in moist air seems to relieve many of the symptoms. Conventional health care providers will also sometimes treat with steroids, which helps with the airway swelling.
One way to humidify the air is with a cool-mist humidifier. Having your child breathe in the moist air through the mouth will sometimes break a croup attack. Or try running a hot shower to create a steam-filled bathroom where you can sit with your child for 10 minutes. Try cuddling and reading a bedtime story while doing this to help calm your child.
Sometimes, during cooler months, taking your child outside for a few minutes can help break the attack because the cool air can shrink the swollen tissues lining the airway. Parents can also try driving the child in the car with the windows down to bring in cool air. Be careful about allowing the child to become "chilled" while treating him or her with cool outdoor air.
If your child has croup, consider sleeping overnight in the same room to provide close observation. If you are not able to break your child's fast breathing and croupy cough, call your child's health care provider or seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Cough medicines are generally not recommended. However, if the child's health care provider recommends it, Robitussin DM can be used to lessen your child's coughing. Robitussin Pediatric has one-half the dextromethoraphan (cough suppressant) as Adult Robitussin in one teaspoon. The dose of Adult Robitussin is 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon for each 10 pounds of body weight or for Pediatric Robitussin, the dose is 1/2 to 1 teaspoon for each 10 pounds of body weight. Or example, If your child is 20 pounds, he/she can have 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of the Adult Robitussin. This dose can be repeated every 4 to 6 hours as needed for relief of the cough. The maximum single dose of Adult Robitussin is 2 teaspoons or 4 teaspoons of Pediatric Robitussin. Always consult your health care provider before using a cough remedy and make sure you have the appropriate doses for your child.
If your child has a fever (over 101°F) you may give acetaminophen (Tylenol). You may give your child acetaminophen (Children's Tylenol, Infant's Tylenol) for is or her chest discomfort or discomfort due to fever.
Medical professionals will need to evaluate your child if the croup appears serious or if there's any suspicion of airway blockage or bacterial infection. Medications such as epinephrine or corticosteroids may be given to reduce swelling in the upper airways. Oxygen may also be given, and sometimes a child with croup will remain in the hospital overnight for observation. As with most illnesses, rest and plenty of fluids are recommended.
Mild croup with no stridor, or stridor only on agitation, and just a cough may simply be observed, or a dose of inhaled, oral, or injected steroids may be given. When steroids are given, dexamethasone is often used, due to its prolonged physiologic effects.
The routinely recommended treatment is with corticosteroids, although corticosteroids suppress the immune system and can predispose the child towards infection. There is a debate over how many doses to give, but an article in the New England Journal of Medicine recommends one dose, and has observed that children with viral, bacterial and fungal complications have had multiple doses.
Moderate to severe croup may require nebulized adrenaline in addition to steroids. Epinephrine produces a significant reduction in the croup severity score but the benefit only lasts for 2 hours. Oxygen may be needed if hypoxia develops (blood oxygen saturation under 92-percent). Children with moderate or severe croup are typically hospitalized for observation, usually for less than a day. Intubation is rarely needed (less than 1-percent of hospitalized patients).
Viral croup is a self-limited disease, but can very rarely result in death from complete airway obstruction. Symptoms may last up to 7 days, but typically peak around the second day of illness. Rarely, croup can be complicated by (or confused with) an acute bacterial tracheitis, which is more dangerous.
Most children with mild croup can be treated at home. You should make your child as comfortable as possible.
Smoking will make croup worse. Do not let anyone smoke around your child at any time.
Make sure the child gets plenty of rest.
Apply hot Onion packs over the chest and back three times a day. Slice onions and place them between cloths, and then apply the pack and cover it with a heating pad. Onion packs open the pores and help relieve congestion.
1. Have your child breathe through a warm, wet washcloth placed over the nose and mouth.
2. Run hot water in your shower with the bathroom door closed. Once the room has become steamy or has fogged up, sit with your child in the room for about 10 minutes. You can cuddle your child and read a bedtime story to help calm him.
4. You can purchase a water vaporizer at most drug stores that can help put moisture back in the air. Some use cool water (cool-mist humidifier) and some are steamer vaporizers that produce a steam vapor. Ask your health care provider which would work best for your particular situation. Some children will respond better to one than the other.
If your child has croup, consider sleeping overnight in the same room as him or her to be able to provide close observation. It may be helpful to prop the child up, using pillows, into a semi-reclining position to help breathing. Laying flat on the back often makes breathing more difficult. If you are not able to break your child's fast breathing and croupy cough, call your child's health care provider.
If a child with croup is having difficulty breathing, take him or her to the emergency room of the nearest medical facility for treatment and for X-rays of the larynx to rule out any other reasons for the breathing difficulty, such as a foreign object lodged in the throat or epiglottitis (an inflammation of the epiglottis, the flap of tissue that covers the windpipe). Typical findings on an X-ray if a child has croup includes the top of the airway narrowing to a point, which health care providers call a steeple sign. Antibiotics (for bacterial infections) and oxygen may be needed. Medications such as epinephrine or corticosteriods may be given, and sometimes a child with croup will remain in the facility overnight for observation.
Milder cases of croup can be treated at home, but parents should be alert for signs of increasing difficulty.
Echinacea,. A support of the immune system, Echinacea tincutre should be taken if a fever is present. Take 15 drops in a liquid every 3 to 4 hours. Often combined with Goldenseal for added immune support. Caution: Do not take goldenseal on a daily basis for more than a week at a time, and do not use it during pregnancy. If you have a history of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or glaucoma, use it only under a health care provider's supervision.
Fenugreek and Thyme Leaf used in a synergistic blend are a gentle, yet a powerful way to support the needs of the body, provide a sense of holistic health, and nourish and strengthen the body to assist in its own healing processes. It is a natural addition to a healthy and balanced life. Fenugreek & Thyme blends two traditional culinary herbs which have also historically been used to support the respiratory system because of their mucilaginous properties. As an addition to the daily diet, take two capsules of the fenugreek-thyme blend two to three times daily, preferably with food. For intensive use, may be taken up to five times daily. The Fenugreenk-Thyme blend is good for congestion.
Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is chiefly used as an expectorant for chronic bronchitis and as a local application in chronic eczema, specially when secondary to varicose ulcers. Of value in pulmonary consumption, nervous irritation and helpful in lowering high pulse, and in heart disease and weakness and palpitation of heart of great use.
Cascara Sagrada (Rhamnus Purshiana) is one of the best herbs for the entire digestive tract. It tones and increases peristaltic action without being habit forming. It promotes secretions of the stomach, liver, pancreas and gallbladder ducts.
Eucalyptus herb and Eucalyptus Essential Oil is a potent decongestion with strong antiseptic properties. Eucalyptus Oil is used as an inhalant for asthma, diphtheria, sore throats, sinus and respiratory problems. Put a few drops of essential oil in a vaporizer and inhale the steam.
Give a child with croup very warm Ginger herb baths; then immediately wrap the child in a heavy towel or blanket, and put him or her to bed to perspire. This helps loosen the mucus and rid the body of waste.
Give a child with croup plenty of liquids to help thin and loosen up the mucus. Use clear fluids (ones you can see through). Warm fluids may help to relax the vocal cords and also loosen up the mucus. Steam-distilled or quality bottled water, herbal teas, apple juice, lemonade and homemade soups, such as chicken or vegetable broth are good choices.
Colon Cleanse & Liver Formula Cleanse are helpful for restoring health while removing toxic wastes. A colon cleansing tea with many additional benefits: improves overall digestion; strengthens the immunity; helps to prevent cancer; makes the skin more emollient and flexible: clears the eyes; and provides an overall tonic effect on the body.
Vitamin E has potent antioxidant activity, supplies oxygen to the blood, aids in strengthening capillary walls, and plays a beneficial role in cancer and cardiovascular disease prevention, anti-aging benefits, circulation, wound-healing, immune function, nervous system function, PMS, hot flushes, diabetes, vascular disease, eye health, tissue repair, athletic performance, leg cramps, skin and hair health, and alleviating fatigue.
Zinc lozenges boosts cold season defense. Widely recognized as an important nutritional support during the cold season, and with Echinacea (Echinacea pupurea), it is clinically shown to support the immune system. Combined with Vitamin C and Bioflavonoids, which are vitally important vitamins for general health maintenance and immune support.
If antibiotics are prescribed, use some form of Acidophilus to restore beneficial good bacteria to the intestinal tract for proper digestion and immune health.
Unless otherwise specified, the dosages recommended in this section are for adults. For a child between the ages of 12 and 17 years, reduce the dose to 3/4 the recommended amount. For a child between 6 and 12, use 1/2 the recommended dose, and for a child under the age of 6, use 1/4 the recommended amount.
Bioflavonoids 60 mg 4 times daily for children 6 to 12 months old.
100 mg 4 times daily for ages 1 to 4 years.
500 mg 4 times daily for children over 4 years old. Helps control infection and fever by boosting the immune system.
Zinc 5 mg once daily for 3 days for children 6 to 12 months old.
5 mg twice daily for 3 days for ages 1 to 3 years old.
5 mg 3 times daily for 3 days for children over 3 years old. Promotes immune function and is necessary in healing. Use lozenges for faster absorption in older children. Do not give lozenges to infants or very small children because of a choking hazard.
Beta Carotene & Carotene Complex 2,000 IU daily. Needed for healing of the mucous membranes, use an emulsion form.
Vitamin E 10 IU daily for children under age 3 years.
20 IU daily for ages 3 to 6 years.
50 IU daily for children age 6 to 8 years.
100 IU for children 9 to 13 years old. Destroys free radicals and carries oxygen to all cells. Use emulsion forms for easier assimilation. If using softgels, break open and place a drop of Vitamin E on the child's tongue.
Acidophilus As directed on label. Take on an empty stomach. Take separately from any antibiotics given. Replenishes essential bacteria if antibiotics are used.
Your child starts drooling or has difficulty swallowing.
Your child's lips and skin are pale, bluish or turn dark.
Your child's breathing does not sound better after mist treatment or develops stridor.
Your child's breathing becomes more difficult, including rapid breathing, belly sinking in while breathing, or the skin between the ribs pulling in with each breath.
Your child seems to feel worse, has a high fever, or a very sick appearance with a greater inactivity than usual when ill.
Your child is cranky or is constantly uncomfortable.
Supplements and products for Croup, a viral infection that causes the upper part of the windpipe (larynx) to swell.
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MoonDragon's Nutrition Basics: Is Aspartame A Safe Sugar Substitute?
A website map to help you find what you are looking for on MoonDragon.org's Website. Available pages have been listed under appropriate directory headings.


Quiz: Can You Spot The Signs of an Investment Scam?
A new survey reveals 80 percent of people have been targeted by investment scammers. If that surprises you, then I've got some oil riches you can help me launder out of Nigeria. But what IS shocking, is that in that same poll, 40 percent of respondents couldn't spot the CLASSIC red flags of a financial con. The poll was conducted by FINRA, the group that regulates investment brokers.
The poll also unearthed another interesting stat: Only 4 percent of those surveyed would 'fess up and admit that they once fell for a financial fraud. The FINRA Foundation estimates that more than half of financial fraud goes unreported to authorities.
"Our survey reveals that there are a variety of reasons many people may be unwilling to report being the victim of financial fraud," said FINRA Foundation President Gerri Walsh. "Some respondents said that they didn't know where to turn, while others said they didn't think reporting it would make a difference --or that they were too embarrassed."
So now, so you don't have to be embarrasssed --in the privacy of your own home, and the comfort of your jammies and fuzzy slippers-- I bring you the highlights of the FINRA Investor Education Foundation's survey, so you can test yourself before the bad guys do.
1.	Fully Guaranteed. True or False: You should give priority to investments advertised as fully guaranteed, to avoid losing money in these tricky financial times.
2.	Free Seminars. True or False: If you receive an invitation to a free educational seminar on investing, you're likely to get unbiased information because the seminar is free.
3.	Recruiting Commission. True or False: A good investment is even better if you can make a little extra money in the form of a commission for recruiting other investors.
4.	110% Return An annual return of 110% on an investment is a solid performance that anyone would be pleased to have in their portfolio. True or False?
5.	Foreign Fees. Sometimes it's necessary to make an initial deposit or pay an entry fee in order to participate in a lucrative foreign investment opportunity. True or False?
6.	Foreign Lotteries. If you receive a cashier's check as your first payment for winning a foreign lottery, you should cash it and celebrate!
False. No investment is guaranteed, but fraudsters often claim they are in order to get people to invest.
False. "Free seminars" about investing are either offered by brokers hoping to generate new clients or by scammers offering fraudulent investment opportunities.
3. Recruiting Commission. True or False: A good investment is even better if you can make extra money in the form of a commission for recruiting other investors.
False. If you are asked to recruit other investors tread very carefully. That's the very definition of a pyramid scheme and not only could you lose money, you could be breaking the law.
4. 110% Return. An annual return of 110% on an investment is a solid performance that anyone would be pleased to have in their portfolio. True or False?
True AND False! Yes, investments sometimes double in value in just a year, but it's extremely rare and, of course, unknowable in advance. So if somebody is hyping that an investment will definitely more than double, that's your tipoff to a ripoff.
5. Foreign Investment Fees. Sometimes it's necessary to make an initial deposit or pay an entry fee in order to participate in a lucrative foreign investment opportunity. True or False?
False. If you receive an email from overseas asking you to pay money to make money, forget it. It's a scam. Yes, it is possible to invest in good foreign companies, but you should do it through a legitimate, licensed U.S. investment professional.
False. It's a scam. If you haven't entered a lottery you haven't won one. And it's actually illegal to play foreign lotteries across state lines.
For more investment education --that really IS free-- you can read the FINRA Investor Education Foundation's full report here.


Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro PelosiBoth sides were wrong about Mueller report, and none of it will likely matter for 2020 Elijah Cummings: 'I am begging the American people to pay attention to what's going on' Angus King: 'Mueller passed the obstruction question to the Congress and Barr intercepted the pass' MORE (D-Calif.) in a letter Monday said President Trump Donald John TrumpGrassroots America shows the people support Donald Trump Trump speaks to rebel Libyan general attacking Tripoli Dem lawmaker: Mueller report shows 'substantial body of evidence' on obstruction MORE could give his annual State of the Union address in the House chamber on Feb. 5, shortly after lawmakers and the White House reached an agreement to end the partial government shutdown.
Trump formally accepted the invitation later in the day.
"It is my great honor to accept," he wrote in his response. "We have a great story to tell and yet, great goals to achieve!"
The California Democrat previously retracted Trump's invitation to come to the Capitol Tuesday, arguing the speech should not be held until after the end of the partial government shutdown.
Trump, who rejected the notion security at the Capitol would be problematic, in turn barred her from using military aircraft for an official visit to Afghanistan, escalating tensions between the two parties during a stalemate over border wall funding.
Trump agreed to sign a three-week stopgap measure to reopen the government that didn't include funds for his border wall, ending a weeks-long impasse and providing a win for Democratic negotiators.
The president previously vowed not to support any spending legislation that didn't provide funding for the wall. Democrats asserted they would not negotiate on border security until the shutdown came to an end.
The continuing resolution provides House and Senate conferees time to hash out a border security proposal. Trump has warned if they fail to put forward a plan that provides funding for the wall the government could close again in three weeks or he could declare a state of emergency to circumvent Congress.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders during a briefing on Monday weighed in on Pelosi's decision to retract Trump's invitation, shortly before news broke that the State of the Union was back on.


Why is the sky blue and why is the Sun red at sunrise and sunset (taking into account the properties of interstellar dust)?
Actually, it is not interstellar dust that is responsible for the color of the sky during the day and the Sun in morning and evening. It is the scattering within the Earth's atmosphere that is responsible.
Visible light is the region of the electromagnetic spectrum with wavelengths from 0.00000035 meters (violet light) to 0.00000075 meters (red light). Light usually travels in a straight line path, but it can be scattered by particles such as the nitrogen molecules in the Earth's atmosphere. This means that portions of the light energy are sent off into different directions. These directions are determined by the size of the wavelength of the light and the size of the particles doing the scattering. For the Earth's atmosphere, the effect is strongest in the shortest wavelengths; the effect is very small at longer wavelengths. The scattering is dominant for the wavelength that we see as blue, and this is why the sky appears blue.
When the Sun is close to the horizon, such as at Sunrise and Sunset, the light must pass through a much longer path in the atmosphere; more of the blue light is scattered out of this direction, leaving only the red light. This is why the Sun appears red at Sunrise and Sunset.


Why it's a best place to work: Cecelia Bolden was handed the reins as soon as she walked through the door at System Development Integration Inc.
The Chicago-based firm hired Ms. Bolden, 41, four years ago to oversee a custom development project, primarily because she had experience at Oracle Corp., which creates database management systems.
"(The CEO) said, 'Cecelia, this is your project to do. If you need help, put your hand up,' " she says.
SDI was established 19 years ago as a division of engineering firm Environmental Systems Design Inc., and was spun off in 1996 as a technology consultancy focused on clients with big and complex spaces. SDI manages airport security systems like the one at O'Hare International Airport and created a safety plan for the Aon Center, Chicago's second-tallest building.
President David Gupta, 44, says employees want to work at the company because they are vested in it, receiving a quarterly profit check. More important, each is given decision-making authority.
"There is absolutely no groupthink here," he says. "We come to a consensus that is a lot of times different from what I thought we were doing."
When Tom Condon, 45, a senior consultant, and co-workers suggested SDI look for green business opportunities, they were quickly given the go-ahead. "I've worked for companies in the past where you just couldn't do that," he says. "Typically, (a staffer's recommendation) doesn't get anywhere because people don't want to put their political capital behind it."


We will discuss here how to arrange the fractions in ascending order.
1. Arrange the following fractions 5/6, 8/9, 2/3 in ascending order.
First we find the L.C.M. of the denominators of the fractions to make the denominators same.
Now to make the fraction as like fractions divide the L.C.M. by the denominator of fractions, then multiply both the numerator and denominator of fraction with the number get after dividing L.C.M.
As in fraction 5/6 denominator is 6.
The ascending order of the fractions is 2/3, 5/6, 8/9.
2. Arrange the following fractions 1/2, 3/8, 2/3, 4/5 in ascending order.
As in fraction 1/2 denominator is 2.
The ascending order of the fractions is 3/8 < 1/2 < 2/3 < 4/5.


How do I send a text message to a user in my contact list?
Click on the user you wish to send a message to. You will be redirected to the chat page.
Click on the text-box located at the bottom of the page and enter the message you wish to send to the user.
Once you entered your message, press the send button or the return key. The message should have now been sent to the user.


But what happens when a pro-death government commits the “error” of putting a pro-life Christian in a delegation? The answer is in the article below, which shows the Obama administration putting Congressman Chris Smith, a great pro-life Catholic, as member of the US delegation to a European meeting to address homosexualist issues. The result could not be otherwise: the American delegation, headed by Smith, rejected the gay agenda.
I was with Smith recently and, since I know his work for 19 years, he has never renounced his calling of defending life against abortion and against the gay agenda wherever he is. His course as a pro-life Congressman has been most excellent. I am very glad that the Obama administration has committed the “error” of putting Smith in the US delegation. Perhaps the prayers of God’s people are blinding the homosexualist US president.
Update: I just received this important information from an American attorney: The gathering was of the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE, so the US delegation was congressional, not from the executive branch. The Obama administration had nothing to do with the appointment and is of course in favor of the LGBT agenda. The Republicans control the House of Representatives (the lower house, i.e., the People's House), and the congressional commission that deals with the OSCE, the Helsinki Commission, is chaired by Congressman Chris Smith. This underscores the importance of the separation of power in a constitutional government; all power is not concentrated in the hands of the executive. Stefano's original article was unclear on this point and he had to modify it; perhaps that was the source of the confusion.
Written by Stefano Gennarini, J.D.
ISTANBUL, July 19 (C-FAM) Homosexual groups were dealt a humiliating blow at the end of last month by representatives at a gathering of the world’s largest regional security organization.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation of Europe (OSCE) shot down a resolution recognizing a controversial declaration on homosexuality by a vote of 24 to 3. Even lawmakers from countries that are usually friendly to homosexual groups deserted them.
The non-binding declaration, known as the Yogyakarta Principles, declares comprehensive special new rights for individuals who identify as lesbian, homosexual, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). The 29 principles were prepared in 2006 by activists, academics and former unelected officials of international bodies.
Proponents insist the principles are authoritative interpretations of existing international law, and have asked international organizations to endorse them. They have had varying success. Getting the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on board would have been a significant victory because representatives at its meetings are elected officials from the legislative branches of OSCE member states.
Having garnered the signatures of 31 co-sponsors, the Belgian sponsoring the resolution was confident the resolution could pass. Moreover, the Council of Europe, composed of the same countries as the OSCE, recognized some of the same principles in a 2010 resolution.
But the initiative turned into a nightmare when even lawmakers from countries that side with homosexual groups did not support it. Only three representatives voted in favor of the resolution after it was discussed. Chief among its opponents, and surprisingly to many, was the United States representative.
When the resolution came up for debate, the atmosphere in the room became tense.
U.S. Congressman Chris Smith was the first to speak and said the Yogyakarta Principles “contradict” OSCE commitments to religious freedom and freedom of speech. He mentioned conflicts with the principles and the tenets of major religions, as well as binding international law and pointed out that governments never negotiated the principles.
The statement from the congressman highlights the conflict between the legislative and executive branch in the United States. The Obama administration has declared LGBT rights a priority for the United States. Recent public statements by U.S. President Barack Obama in African countries confirmed that position. The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly gathers representatives of the legislature, not the executive branches of government.
Smith was not alone in criticizing the Yogyakarta Principles.
The Polish representative motioned to remove the resolution from the agenda and not even debate it. She made a surprisingly forceful intervention, saying the principles contradicted Poland’s constitution, and no international body has ever defined the terms “sexual orientation” and “gender identity”.
Lawmakers from countries that grant special new rights for individuals who identify as LGBT, like Italy, which grants homosexual couples special status through civil unions, also spoke against the resolution.
Promoting partisan advocacy would “diminish” the authority of OSCE according to the Italian representative. He said the OSCE recognizes the rights of all individuals to be free of discrimination, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. But he observed that it is inappropriate for the OSCE to even discuss the merits of the Yogyakarta Principles, because the principles go beyond the accepted normative framework for human rights embraced by OSCE states — echoing legal experts who say the Yogyakarta Principles do not accurately reflect international law.
Representatives from Russia and Armenia also made comments opposing the resolution. No one offered words in support of the resolution, not even Belgium.
Source: Source: C-Fam, via Julio Severo in English.


What is the correct pronunciation of the word processes? I am confused because my mother tongue is not English, and in my company some say it as "process-eez" and some say it "process-ess".
In the singular, the first syllable can be pronounced with a long or short o.
In the plural, the last syllable can be pronounced with a long or short e.
All four of these pronunciations can be heard by clicking on the speaker icons at the Merriam-Webster website.
This thesis is . . .
These theses are . . .
This basis is . . .
These bases are . . .
This axis is . . .
These axes are . . .
In these words, the final "-es" is pronounced "eez". "Bases", when it is the plural of "base", is pronounced differently from "bases" used as the plural of "basis". Likewise when "axes" is the plural of "axe", it's not pronounced the way it is when it's the plural of "axis".
My guess is that those who say "processeez" inadvertently borrowed that pronunciation from the class of words of which the above are examples.
In addition to the pronunciations mentioned in the other answers, there are different stresses put on it depending on whether you're using it as a noun or a verb.
PRO-cess - noun, as in "Your application is subject to our internal processes"
pro-CESS - verb, as in "The bride now processes down the aisle"
Please note the standard for plural endings for "ess" words as noted above. We would not refer to the Disney princesses as "princesseez" or home addresses as adresseez. I am all American and must agree with Mr. Campbell that this new pronunciation of processes is simply a snobbism created with no etymological basis. I sit in meetings with energy industry executives and consultants and I cringe every time someone describes their technical "processeez" which are clearly too innovative and intellectual to be simple processes. Oh pleez.
I would say the latter is correct, but you may have hit a regional variation. Generally speaking, if lots of people are doing it, it becomes dialect, and thus "correct". An "ess" sound at the end is more usual, however, at least where I'm from - I've never heard it pronounced the other way.
Words derived from Greek which end in -is have plural ending -es pronounced "eez", i.e. basis, stasis, proboscis, thesis. The plural of the word "process"(not being Greek) is pronounced "process's", that is with a short e sound at the end - just as in the plural of "dress, stress, tress, address" and so on. French words ending in -ee have an acute accent on the first e and it is pronounced as a flat "ay" sound.
I find it odd that, based on your perception, some pronounce the noun "processes" as process-ess.
In English, when a noun ends in [s], its plural form in Standard English is [sɪz] or [səz], sometimes [si:z] (esp. in AmE), but never [sVs], where V stands for any vowel.
Webster's Second International lists it as a third-choice pronunciation.
The second edition of Webster's New International Dictionary was published in 1934, so it would appear that the pronunciation of processes with a "long e" sound in the last syllable has been around for some time.
Note that processes seems to only be pronounced with /siz/ or /siːz/ when it is a plural noun. I haven't heard of anyone pronouncing the third-person singular verb form processes with anything other than /sɪz/ or /səz/.
interstices (the plural of interstice), according to the AHD; you can also hear this pronunciation in many of the Youglish examples for this word. Interestingly, the OED records a 17th-century spelling variant "intersticies", although it's unclear to me if that could be related to the modern pronunciation with /i/ or /iː/.
It may be relevant that auspices and interstices are both words that are frequently plural.
Having an unstressed syllable before the /s/ seems to be a necessary but not sufficient condition for the irregular plural /siːz/ pronunciation to exist. I went through the 31 pronunciations of lattices indexed by Youglish and didn't find any that had [i].
What's interesting is that this neomorph is spreading. I've heard biaseez, premiseez, promiseez, and a couple more.
Less than a week ago I was corrected by my wife for saying processseez and was easily convinced that it was an ideosyncracy of mine. Now I know better [...] I also use it for the word fetuses: feetusseez and I think I have heard this on CNN. [...] I don't think I use it for lotuses, but I'm getting less and less certain.
it reminds me of the way Los Angeles is pronounced. Most Americans pronounce the last syllable "LESS", but I've found that many people from Britain pronounce it "LEEZ". Perhaps the reason is similar to the processeez/processuz difference.
I heard something like that about 10 years ago, from Ralph Nader's sister (can't remember her name), talking about 'little injusticeez'. I was tempted to hear it as 'injusticies', to make it less irritating.
An American Dialect Society mailing list post from 1995 mentions premises and biases.
A Meditec article "Forming Plurals of Medical Words" says "an interesting evolutionary process is the English translation process of adding a mispronounced final syllable, “eez” as in “abscesses” [abscess-eez], “interstices” [interstish-eez], “processes” [process-eez]."
This is pure hunch on why an increasing number of my fellow Filipinos say /pro-se-seeez/ with a really long E and a hissing Z in the final syllable. They know that the second syllable is a short E (as in hen, beg, said), but the final syllable is something close to the short I (as in pit, his, lid). Many Filipino speakers find the short I sound difficult to pronounce, simply because we don't have this vowel sound in our phonetics. The Tagalog /i/ resembles the /ee/ sound, only that it is clipped or shorter in duration. Thus, when they pronounce the last syllable, it tends to sound more like /seez/ than /siz/. I wonder though why they don't say /ma-seez/, /kar-ka-seez/, /mo-la-seez/, and /prin-se-seez/.
From my limited understanding of English - being a UK citizen born and bred, I have formed this perhaps somewhat biased opinion. The reason processes ending in - 'eez' sounds idiosyncratic in the UK is because of the association with objects. Such as divorce versus divorcee. Divorce being the subject and divorcee being the person.
Therefore, the psychological confusion with the pronunciation 'process- eez' suggests that this is some other category beyond 'the process', to include several subjects as 'candidates' for the process, 'eez', rather than the action of processing. To my mind this is a peculiar Americanism which has become contagious in the last 40 odd years.
I doubt if you will find it in 1950’s or even early 1960’s scientific documentaries, such as the American atom and hydrogen bomb tests, which pepper You Tube.
It is a relatively recent American scientific or technocratic affectation and it feels like a kind of elitist pronunciation snobbery rather than a real 'word'. What I call 'an Americanism'.
As George Bernard Shaw said, “Britain and America are two nations divided by a common language”.
When is the plural 'es' pronounced “ess/ez/izz” vs. “eez”?
What is the correct pronunciation of “February”?
What is the correct pronunciation of SQLite?
What is the correct way to say missile?


Takeaway: Although plea bargaining in the justice system has its critics, most criminal accusations are resolved through plea agreements.
You probably learned in school that every person arrested for a criminal offense in the United States has the right to a jury trial. What you may not have learned is that most criminal defendants do not exercise that right. Instead, they make an agreement with the government that resolves their case without a trial. That agreement, usually known as a plea bargain, is an essential component of the criminal justice system. This article will answer the questions that people raise about plea bargaining.
A plea agreement is a negotiated settlement of a criminal accusation. Just as most civil lawsuits settle out of court, most criminal accusations are resolved by negotiating, or bargaining, for an outcome that both sides prefer to allowing guilt to be determined by a jury.
The defendant agrees to plead guilty to a charged offense in exchange for the government’s agreement to dismiss other charges.
The defendant agrees to plead guilty to a less serious charge in exchange for the government’s agreement to amend the pending charge to the lesser charge.
The defendant agrees to plead guilty to one or more charges in exchange for the government’s agreement to join with the defendant in recommending a particular sentence.
The defendant agrees to plead guilty to one or more charges in exchange for the government’s agreement to cap the sentence it requests (that is, to ask for no harsher sentence than the agreed upon cap), while leaving the defendant free to argue for a lesser sentence.
The defendant agrees to plead guilty to one or more charges in exchange for the government’s agreement to make no sentencing recommendation.
The defendant agrees to plead guilty to one or more charges in exchange for the government’s agreement to refrain from taking some other action (such as charging additional crimes or charging the defendant’s spouse with a related crime).
The government agrees to dismiss all charges, provided that the defendant engages in certain actions (such as completing a course of drug or alcohol treatment, or an anger management course) prior to the dismissal.
Occasionally, a defendant agrees to plead guilty without any concession from the government. Criminal defense lawyers call this "pleading blind," because the absence of a plea agreement limits the defendant’s ability to predict the sentence that they might receive. Although the defendant might agree with the government that a guilty plea will be entered, pleading blind does not involve plea bargaining.
In each of these examples, the agreement might permit a plea of no contest (or its equivalent under state law) instead of a guilty plea. A plea of no contest permits the court to find the defendant guilty, but it does not serve as an admission of guilt that can be used against the defendant in a civil lawsuit.
Why do defendants engage in plea bargaining?
The right to a jury trial is valuable, but exercising that right can be risky. If the jury finds the defendant guilty, the judge can generally impose any sentence up to the maximum that the judge deems appropriate. Some states have confined judicial discretion by requiring judges to consider sentencing guidelines, but even in those states, a defendant runs the risk of receiving a harsher sentence after a guilty verdict than the defendant might receive after making a plea bargain for a lesser charge or an agreement to recommend a specific sentence.
Just as defendants enter into plea agreements to avoid risking an unfavorable jury verdict, so does the government. The greater the chance that a defendant might be acquitted following a jury trial, the more likely it is that the government will make a plea bargain that is acceptable to the defendant.
For that reason, conducting an investigation that exposes weaknesses in the prosecution’s evidence and preparing a strong defense is essential to effective plea negotiation. Defendants who negotiate from a position of strength obtain better plea bargains because prosecutors are more reluctant to commit resources to trials when they fear that the jury will return a not guilty verdict.
Does a plea bargain bind a judge?
As a general rule, if a plea agreement calls for the reduction of a charge, the judge is bound to honor it. After a plea is entered, however, the power of sentencing belongs to the judicial branch of government. The prosecution and defense can recommend a sentence, but the judge is not obligated to follow that recommendation.
It is the judge’s job to impose whatever sentence the judge deems appropriate after considering the nature and circumstances of the crime, the need to protect the public, and the defendant’s good or bad character. As a practical matter, if the prosecution and defense jointly recommend a sentence, the judge will usually impose the recommended sentence or one that is similar. If judges did not routinely follow sentencing bargains, defendants would stop making them. That would cause significantly more cases to go to trial, burdening court calendars that are already congested. If a judge decides not to honor a sentencing bargain, the law in some states requires the court to notify the defendant that it will not impose the agreed upon sentence and to give the defendant a chance to withdraw their guilty plea.
A defendant who withdraws a guilty plea can proceed to trial or can try to make a new bargain that the judge is likely to accept. In other states, the defendant is not given the right to withdraw a guilty plea if the judge rejects a jointly recommended sentence, but the defendant must be warned before entering the plea that plea bargains are not binding upon the court.
Is plea bargaining good or bad?
Providing relative certainty of outcomes to defendants who want to know what the consequences will be of giving up their right to a trial.
Allowing the government to obtain a conviction of a guilty defendant (even if it is for a lesser offense than the crime actually committed), rather than risking the defendant’s acquittal after a trial.
Saving the time of prosecutors so that they can focus limited resources on the most serious cases.
Without an unrealistic infusion of money into the criminal justice system, cases would not proceed to trial for years if every defendant exercised the right to a trial. Those delays might violate a defendant’s constitutional right to a speedy trial, forcing the dismissal of cases brought against guilty defendants.
How many defendants would plead guilty in the absence of a plea bargain is unclear. It is reasonable to assume, however, that when the evidence may create a reasonable doubt of guilt, defendants would be more likely to exercise their right to trial if they could not limit their exposure to a harsh sentence by making a plea agreement.
Is plea bargaining allowed in every court?
For the most part, yes. Plea bargaining is common in federal court, although the Justice Department’s guidelines limit a local prosecutor’s discretion when negotiating the terms of a plea agreement. Those guidelines are viewed as more flexible in some districts than in others.
If you are charged with a federal crime, a criminal defense attorney who handles federal prosecutions in your district can tell you how much discretion the prosecutor will have to negotiate a plea agreement.
Nearly all states recognize the value of plea bargaining and permit it as a matter of state law. Prosecutors in a few counties have attempted to end plea bargaining, but those experiments have generally been unsuccessful. Alaska, which prohibited sentence bargaining between 1975 and the early 1990s, recently renewed its ban on sentence bargaining but continues to permit charge bargaining.
Some prosecutors refuse to plea bargain in certain kinds of cases (particularly impaired driving), while others will not engage in sentence bargaining that would result in a sentence outside of sentencing guidelines. The vast majority of cases are nevertheless resolved by some form of plea negotiation.
To find out what kind of plea agreement might be offered in your case, consult with a lawyer who has experience in defending criminal cases in the jurisdiction where you are charged.
For more than 30 years, T.C. Kelly represented clients in litigation and appeals, concentrating his practice in the areas of criminal defense, employment law, and personal injury. He now works as a consultant to attorneys and as a freelance legal writer.


I know the following question I'm about to ask is illegal, but I'm still interested.
This ditty written by Ian Lewis best illustrates what will befall the ignorant found inserting slugs into a casino slot machine.
"Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do when they come for you?"
The TV show "COPS" is filmed on location in the city of Las Vegas.
Why don't nickel machines return the same percentages as quarter machines? Sara R.
The main reason nickel machines have poorer payouts than quarters, and why quarters less than dollars is because the cost to maintain any machine-slot personnel, floor space, maintenance, etc.,-is exactly the same. Each slot has to yield a targeted number of dollars for the casino, so a larger percentage must be kept from the lower denomination machines to meet those goals.
Even when playing perfect basic strategy at blackjack where the house edge is nil, I still occasionally go home losing. Explanation please. Sheldon M.
Enter Pilarski's rule number seven of gaming: "The odds are even money that the light at the end of the tunnel is the headlight of an oncoming train."
It is called gambling, Sheldon.
Because you mentioned that slots operate using the same computer chip as a video poker machine, why not stick with slots as they are easier to play? Larry L.
True, Larry, the first part of your question is correct in that most of today's video games (video poker, video blackjack and video keno) are derivatives of slot machines and actually use the same microprocessor technology and random number sequences, but, video poker, blackjack and keno machines provide players with real options and choices that require an element of skill that regular slot machines don't. With this skill, you can hack away at the high house advantage that the average slot machine holds over you.
Why is it that you recommend learning and playing more than one type of game in a casino? Robert B.
By diversifying your playing portfolio and learning different games, when you do have a run of bad luck in blackjack, you can always try craps or video poker.
What exactly is the house edge? Lefty O.
The house edge is a mathematical percentage-always in the casino's favor-that the casino takes on each bet. This edge is the casino's true income and why they can build those high rises. For the house to pay for those construction costs, winning bets are paid off at less than true odds.
Lefty, consider it a payment for playing in their establishment, or, an entertainment tax.
A dealer once told me that the only way to "soar like an eagle" when playing baccarat is to bet ties after they appear. He claimed they always repeat in streaks. Was he correct? Bobby K.
Eagles may soar, but in this case it's better to gamble like a chicken because they don't get sucked into jet engines. By betting only on the bank or player hands, Bobby, you will avoid being recycled at Foster Farms. That dealer-induced tie bets hold a house advantage of 14.1%.
As for streaks, Bobby, the remaining cards in the shoe have no memory, hence, previous results have no bearing on what happens in the future.


From the beginning, author Richard White makes it clear that the premise of his book is that, contrary to what the general public believed during the decade following the Beatles' split in 1970, John Lennon and Paul McCartney were indeed still friends and had definite plans to work together again...plans that sadly never ended up coming to fruition for a variety of reasons. This information has been well known for a long time, but the promise of new interviews and evidence shedding more light on these tantalizing rumors initially made the book enticing. My trepidation was heightened a bit after reading the introduction and the first couple of chapters which dealt almost exclusively with John Lennon. "Uh oh," I thought..."another book focusing almost entirely on Lennon at the expense of McCartney." For the most part, that turned out to be the case with Come Together. While there was a lot of in-depth analysis and discussion of John's life and music in the immediate aftermath of the Beatles' break-up, any mention of McCartney was tossed in almost as an afterthought, or at best in a "oh yeah, Paul did something that year, too" fashion. This is just one of the many problems I had with the book, which I'll break down into content (this paragraph) and style (the following paragraph). As far as content goes, Come Together not only didn't really offer anything new in terms of information, but it didn't even present the existing information in an effective way. Almost all of the "new" material White researched for the book seems to be from new interviews with a few members of Lennon's one-time backing band Elephant's Memory, one of the engineers from the Record Plant who worked with John, and session drummer Jim Keltner (who played on loads of John's records, but none of Paul's...more on this later). These ended up being little more than anecdotes about how cool John was, how nice he was, how excited they were to work with a real live Beatle, and how talented and hard-working he was. There wasn't much insight into his life with Yoko, May Pang, or Paul (all of which has been described in greater depth elsewhere), and was actually quite contradictory: on one hand, Keltner and the others were quoted as saying John never spoke about Paul, while on the other hand Pang (who was closer to John than anyone else during the mid-1970s) says he did. There's some discussion on their meeting in Los Angeles in 1974 when they were photographed together for the only time post-1970, and their plans (partially thwarted by Yoko) to reconvene in New Orleans in 1975 to work on music together, but other than that, for a book that is supposed to be about their relationship in the seventies, it ended up being little more than a John Lennon-in-the-1970s biography with a little bit of McCartney, too much Harrison and Starr, and not much else sprinkled in throughout. There's also entirely too much space devoted to the history of the Beatles' career and music (including a whole chapter on Sgt. Pepper!) and their break-up and the subsequent lawsuits. Again, it's been done elsewhere, done better, and doesn't fit into the narrative of this book...at least certainly not in terms of how many pages were devoted.
...and I'm not even exaggerating. This had the effect of stretching the chapters out far long than was necessary and comes across as though it was a high school student trying to hit the page limit for a term paper using this trick. Another thing I noticed that really irritated me was how certain passages were lifted from their sources out of context in order to imply something completely different from how they were originally intended. In one case, the author wanted to show how the individual Beatles all had differing musical tastes and how they combined them to create their music; he then proceeded to use a passage from Lennon's 1971 court statement where he was originally savaging and poking fun at McCartney by saying that he (Paul) had mainstream pop tastes while he (John) and George had more underground and avant garde tastes. By taking it out of its original setting and context, White set this passage up to sound more like John having a good-natured discussion on their different likes and dislikes when it was anything but! The description of the infamous bootleg "A Toot and a Snore in '74" is also poorly done. This recording of the only known time John and Paul jammed together after the Beatles is a fascinating document from a historical standpoint, but an absolutely unlistenable mess musically. However, from reading the write-up in this book, one would think that it was simply a slightly sloppy and loose but fun jam session when in reality it's little more than drugged-up studio banter and a handful of half-hearted and soon aborted stabs at some old 1950s & 60s rock classics that the assembled group of musicians can barely remember and get through.
Almost all of the books referenced, mentioned, or used as source material in Come Together are books I own and have read, so apart from the new interview with Keltner and the others mentioned above, there's little new in this disjointed book. Even the two sections of photographs add little, as most consist of photos either of the two during their Beatle years, or random shots from the 1970s. There isn't even a photo from their 1974 get-together which makes absolutely no sense given that their relationship in the 1970s is the entire premise of the book in the first place! I found this omission to be overall emblematic of this book's numerous problems. For me, it failed in all of the criteria I look for in a worthwhile book: it wasn't well constructed or well written, it wasn't enjoyable to read, and I didn't learn anything new from it. While the songwriting and lives of John Lennon and Paul McCartney will continue to fascinate people for years to come, this book won't.


Why should potentially half of the operation bids be tossed before they're even reviewed?
The streetcar project reaches a key juncture this week – one that challenges our elected leaders to remember their responsibilities to guard taxpayer dollars and the public's right to know.
Bids to operate the streetcar were due to the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority on Monday, and Vice Mayor David Mann has written a motion that would eliminate many of them from consideration up front. SORTA has asked for bids for two possible operating models – one that would use a private operator and one that would use the union for its current Metro bus employees. Council's transportation committee will discuss Mann's motion Tuesday to consider only those bids that would use the union.
If we start with the premise that we want the most effective service for the least cost – that our first concern is for city taxpayers and residents – why should potentially half of the bids be tossed before they're even reviewed? How will we know we're getting the best value for our buck? SORTA should have the freedom to consider all bids that are received.
The fact that a council member is seeking to change the parameters midstream just highlights the problem with having politicians involved with an operational issue. There is no policy to be decided here. Even if a private operator is selected, its employees could unionize, so it's not a question of being pro- or anti-union.
Council rightly put SORTA in charge of operating the streetcar because it has the transit expertise. And there's already a process in place for selecting the operator: An agency selection committee with a city representative will narrow the bid proposals down to two – one using the union and one using a private operator – and let council pick the one it prefers. SORTA will then award the contract to that company.
Let's let the process play out without undue political interference. To the extent that there's a question about whether a city service should be privately operated, council can debate that after the bids are opened and reviewed, and the top two proposals brought forward.
A second issue, also raised by Mann, is whether the bids should be made public. SORTA's position, backed by the Federal Transit Administration in a letter last week, is that they are required to be kept confidential. We agree with Mann on this: The streetcar is a public project and the bids for its operation should be publicly vetted.
As the feds helpfully reminded us in their letter, the timeline for choosing a streetcar operator is tight. The contract is scheduled to be awarded in July, and employees must be in place in time to receive the completed cars in mid-September.
Council needs to let SORTA do its job while both parties keep their common goal front and center: minimizing the impact on taxpayers' wallets and maximizing the streetcar's chances for success. We must avoid going back down a path of delay and distraction from the great things going on in our city.


Picture this: A 10-meter wide asteroid hits Earth and explodes in the atmosphere with the energy of a small atomic bomb. Frightened by thunderous sounds and shaking walls, people rush out of their homes, thinking that an earthquake is in progress. All they see is a twisting trail of debris in the mid-day sky.
Comment: We suspect that about 30 or 40 years ago word came down from higher up not to report any more anomalous observations in the skies from the public, coincident with the UFO cover-up. About two years ago spaceweather.com also reported a huge fireball seen over Portugal, Spain and France. A Lexis-Nexis search of all English language news produced no mention of it in the mainstream media in the following days. This article appeared in El Mundo.
Just this week the internet was ablaze with reports about a fiery meteorite filmed in a field in Latvia. One of the newspapers carrying this story completely changed its reporting of the event within hours of breaking it, deciding that it was a hoax because the impact crater was just "too tidy." We suspect this event was a genuine meteor impact, but that damage control went into overdrive to cover it up.
[I]t is perhaps not so widely appreciated that the witchhunts and political upheavals of the seventeenth century in England - which modern authorities sometimes look upon as archetypal in respect of the circumstances which generally give rise to revolution - were directly attributed by contemporaries to the unsettling effects of an (observed) celestial circulation: these contemporaries speak of celestial signs which were deliveries of "God's providence" and which were evidently mediated by "God's revolution".
After the Krakatao volcano erupted (in Indonesia no less) the entire island converted to Islam. One can only imagine what a similar comet or asteroid event would do to a country such as the US. What better way to condition them to be obedient slaves by frightening them with controlled, preemptive, color-coded "terrorism" and blowing up a few skyscrapers.
How is it possible to have a solid object that has exploded with megaton force create any singular “contrail” much less one that follows no simple course of trajectory?
The official yield estimate of "Little Boy" was about 15 kilotons of TNT.
so 15 x 2-3 =30-45kt.
Mount Krakatoa erupted in 1881, devastating it self as a small island, located between 2 big islands, Sumatra and Java, and it's wave of destruction killed thousands of lives on both islands. 30 ft tsunami washed inland 30 miles, Ash and dark cloud blanketed all parts of the world. Indonesia or then, known as Dutch Indies, consists of more than 13,000 islands, and have embraced Islam 2 centuries earlier, in the 17th century, also then small communities of Catholicsm developed, brought by the Dutch missionaries in the 18th century. Indonesia is now considered as Al Qaeda's branch, operational unit, due to the bombing by moslem-extremist targeted against the US and European allies, and have more than 8 major bombings, killing more 300 westerners since 9/11.
But overall, its 230 million strong population of moslem religion is actually not fanatics, and have been living in relative harmony with their Christian, Buddha, and Hindu brothers until 9/11.
on a different note, we had lost a local airliner, a Boeing 737, not far from the above meteor location, never really found, in 2005. All 167 passengers presumed death.


What is the Ryzen 2500u frequency range?
I just got my HP Envy x360 with a Ryzen 2500u and I am looking to get a longer battery life on Linux (Gentoo) by saving some power by underclocking it, and vice versa when the device is plugged in..
current policy: frequency should be within 1.60 GHz and 2.00 GHz.
For reference my kernel is 4.15rc7 and I am using the "git" version of linux-firmware.
Is this information correct? Every Intel CPU I have ever owned allowed me to downclock to 800MhZ. ARM is even better, allowing either 200MhZ or 100MhZ depending on the manufacturer. Furthermore, the maximum frequency seems low, especially compared to the 3.6GhZ boost clock promised for the 2500u.
And if not, how can I get a larger frequency range?
get a laptop cooler imo will help. my hp x360 laptop can sustain over 3.0ghz on all cores at 65C (without any gpu loads of course)in benchmark. It can hit 3.15ghz on all cores for a short burst.
Looking at your picture I can see you're running at a frequency above 2GHz, and I did some analysis and found my frequency range actually ranges from around 1.3GHz (which is still higher than I'd expect for a minimum but at least it's better than 1.6GHz), to upwards of 3.4GHz. This is great! But it seems like I can't control this behavior at all.
Why is the CPU frequency range that I can set as an end-user limited from 1.6GHz to 2.0GHz?
And what does setting this value actually do when the real range is larger?
idk man, maybe check your power plan to see if the cpu max processor state is 100% or not when it's plugged in. Maybe also check the link state power management and system cooling policy? Mine hovers around 1.4-1.5ghz on idle in power saving mode when it's on battery.
oops I was wrong, all cores only can sustained at 3.0ghz for the first run in passmark cpu test. In cinebench stress test (8 threads) it started throttling after few runs when the temp hit 78-79C (one of the core freq dropped to 1.5ish ghz), and eventually, the temp hovered around 80C (in this 25w tdp config). The multithread score also dropped to about 550 from the initial 600.
Depends on the tasks being used and what power setting, i use the Ryzen Balanced mode and mine tends to run all cores around 3-3.2GHz and on single to two cores 3.6GHz.
hi i want to know when u r experiencing clock speed of 3 ghz on ur laptop did ur adapter was plugged in, cause mine acer nitro ryzen 5 2500u was stuck at 1.6ghz while on battery power but its reaching 3 ghz only while its plugged in to ac power.
i also want to khow how i can push the cpu speed to 3 ghz while on battery?


From what does this feast derive its name?
From the yearly commemoration of the erection of the holy cross, at Jerusalem, by Constantine the Great, son of St. Helena.
When was this festival celebrated with especial solemnity?
When the Cross which Cosroes, King of the Persians, had captured at the conquest of Jerusalem, and had for forty years in his power, was recaptured by the Emperor Heraclius, who carried it himself on his own shoulders to Mount Calvary into the Church of the Holy Cross.
What miracle occurred on this occasion?
When the emperor wished to carry the Cross on his own shoulders to Jerusalem, at the entrance of the city he stopped suddenly, finding it impossible to proceed. The patriarch Zachary suggested to him to lay aside his imperial garments which did not accord with the humble appearance which Christ made when He bore His cross through the streets of that city. Hereupon the emperor laid aside his purple, crown and shoes, and devoutly proceeded with the cross to its appointed place.
Let us learn from this, how the divine Saviour dislikes extravagance in dress, and how in all humility and poverty we should follow Him who was poor and humble.
COLLECT O God, who dost gladden us this day with the yearly solemnity of the exaltation of the Holy Cross: grant, we beseech Thee, that as we have learnt to know its mystery on earth, so we may merit to taste in Heaven the reward of its redemption. Thro.' &c.
GOSPEL (John XII. 31-36) AT THAT TIME, Jesus said to the multitudes of the Jews: Now is the judgment of the world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to myself. (Now this he said, signifying what death he should die.) The multitude answered him: We have heard out of the law, that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou: The Son of man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of man? Jesus therefore said to them: Yet a little while, the light is among you. Walk whilst you have the light, that the darkness overtake you not: and he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. Whilst you have the light, believe in the light, that you may be the children of light.
What is meant by the Way of the Cross?
THE Way of the Cross is a devotion, approved by the Pope, by which we meditate upon the passion and death of Christ, and especially upon His last way of sorrow to Mount Calvary.
How did this devotion originate?
The pathway which our Lord Jesus Christ had to follow from Jerusalem to Mount Calvary, was the real Way of the Cross. His holy Mother, and other pious women, as also the beloved disciple St. John, followed Him on this painful journey; (Matt, XXVII. 56. John XIX. 25, 26.) and the apostles and early Christians animated by veneration for these places, made sacred by the sufferings and death of Jesus, often traversed the same pathway. In the same spirit, in later times, many came from the most distant countries to Jerusalem to visit these sacred places to increase their devotion. In time, pictures, representing different scenes of the sufferings of our Lord, were erected along this route, and were called Stations; when the Saracens conquered the Holy Land, in consequence of which visits to it became dangerous, almost impossible, the Roman pontiffs permitted the erection of stations of the cross in other countries. The first to erect stations in their churches were members of the Franciscan Order, and by degrees this devotion, supported by the Roman pontiffs and favored by indulgences, spread throughout the entire Church. A pathway was sought which led to elevated ground; this elevation was called the Mount of the Cross or Mount Calvary, and along the route pictures representing our Lord's sufferings, as related by the evangelists, or made known by tradition, were erected, or else the pictures were hung in churches, and the place where they stood, or the pictures themselves, were called stations; of these there are fourteen.
Is the practice of this devotion of the Way of the Cross of great value?
Next to the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and holy Communion, there is certainly no devotion which represents better to us the sufferings and death of Christ than the Way of the Cross. St. Albertus Magnus says: "A simple remembrance of Christ's sufferings is worth more than fasting on bread and water every Friday for a year, and scourging one's self unto blood." St. Bernard gives us the reason of this, when he says: "Who can consider the sufferings of Christ and be so void of religion as to remain untouched; so proud that he will not humble himself; so vindictive that he will not forgive; so fond of pleasure that he will not abstain from it; so hard-hearted that he will not repent of his sins?" And St. Augustine says: "What pride, what avarice, what anger can be cured otherwise than by the humility, the poverty, the patience of the Son of God? All these virtues are found in carefully meditating on that way of pain which our Saviour went, and along which we should follow Him." On this account several of the Popes, among others Clement XII. and Benedict XIV., have granted many indulgences to the performance of this devotion; indulgences which may be applied to the suffering souls in purgatory.


Bias is a systematic error in sample statistics that can occur from the use of poor sampling methods. Sample design results may be biased for a number of reasons, such as frame error or selection error.
The sampling frame is the list of population elements or members from which the sample is selected. Frame error results when the sampling frame does not represent a true cross-section of the target population. For example, suppose you survey your neighborhood and talk only to the people on the street. Any data collected in this manner are heavily biased because not everybody in the neighborhood had a chance to respond — what about the people who were inside at the time of the survey? Any conclusions drawn about your neighborhood using this method of sampling will not be representative of the population, i.e., the entire neighborhood.
Selection error involves a systematic bias in the manner in which respondents are selected for participation in the survey. Even if the sampling frame is defined properly to include the appropriate population members, selection error can still occur. Incomplete or improper procedures for selecting participants will lead to selection error. If a sample list was sorted by zip code and interviewers selected survey participants by contacting names in order from the beginning of the list, selection error would occur because those members of the population appearing at the end of the list (larger zip codes) would never be contacted.
How can bias affect the accuracy of a sample?
When bias occurs, the results are skewed from the normal distribution. A negatively skewed curve has a thicker tail on the side below the mean, while a positively skewed distribution has a larger tail on the side above the mean. In either case, the accuracy of the results will be compromised. Note: a skewed sample does not necessarily mean it is biased.
Is a computer always unbiased? Do computers always produce random samples?
The answer is no. A computer's random number generator could be programmed in such a manner as to yield a biased sample. However, for the purposes of the Amazing Space "Galaxy Hunter" online exploration, computers are considered unbiased.
"Q&A: Bias" is a series of questions and answers about statistics written for teachers and students. The questions are ones that students might ask while studying statistics. Teachers can use this Q&A to gain additional knowledge about statistics, or use it in the classroom as outlined below.
• An inquiry tool. Use selected questions and answers to help students generate questions. Propose a question, such as "What is bias?" Have students read the answer to the question and write down 3–5 questions they would like answered as a result of reading the material.
• A starting point for debate. "Is a computer always unbiased, and do computers always produce random samples?" These idea are addressed in question 3.


The Secret to a Successful Dance Career - is it "One" Thing?
How do we learn? How do we grow? How do we best learn and grow?
I've been a teacher in a private studio setting for sixteen years, and for over twenty years in many universities, from liberal arts dance programs to conservatory training. As a teacher of dance now for 37 years, this question has been on my mind more frequently. I wrestle with how to set up a dance program that will result in the best results - in knowledge and artistry - that will give a dancer the base to build a productive career.
With reflection I've sadly come to the conclusion that the basic premise of today's higher education training does not serve the best interests of the enrolled dancer. The four year program of rotating classes on a semester basis, along with rotating teachers, complete with the madness of administrating the academic paths of dozens or even hundreds of dancers through individual schedules, just does not develop the highest level of training that a budding artist requires as a springboard to a productive dance career.
Most university dance programs are based in a schedule that changes on a semester basis (basically 15 weeks). Meaning that a student acquires knowledge for 15 weeks, and then is often sent to a new teacher (and a new approach) in the following semester, or into a different form of dance altogether. (When I was a professor at the Univ of California, Irvine, we were on a quarter system that broke classes into 10 week sessions!) The rapidity of this change does not allow the student to learn all that he or she could from a master teacher. It takes much longer than 10-15 weeks to gain a solid foundation in a movement technique of substance. The result after four years is a ricochet dance experience, and a dancer who may be relatively adept at one form but more likely is only moderately adept at nearly all forms that have been studied.
I know from my own experience that I've trained for multiple years, if not decades, with master teachers, and it took THAT long in order to learn, master, and internalize the depth of their wisdom. One semester with Matt Mattox? A dancer could not adequately master the information Mattox has coalesced in his full life time of dance in just 15 weeks. The same could be said of learning Horton technique, Balanchine's approach to ballet, etc. Or to be mentored as a choreographer...one semester of choreography classes will not allow a dancer to be properly guided by another master of choreography.
An example of what I am saying came this morning, in a Facebook video post by tap dancer Karen Prunzik. She discussed how she studied with tap dance master Paul Draper for years and years, often in one on one sessions. He challenged her and brought her to a level of ability that would not be possible in just 15 weeks with the master. And then in another video, Karen presented one of her young students, who had been studying with her for eleven years. And the student was highly skilled. Would this have happened if the student studied with Karen for one or even two semesters?? Of course not.
Its taken me decades to learn my craft, with masters like Paul Draper, Matt Mattox, Bob Audy, Billy Siegenfeld, and more. When I say I studied with them, I mean that I spent five, ten, or even over twenty years learning from a master. I didn't take for a few months, and then state "I've studied with this dance teacher." But with that extended amount of exposure, I've acquired a large part of their wisdom and now that wisdom informs my own approach in dance and choreography. Its that level of mentorship, over years and decades, that has given my important tools for success.
To me, the best way to learn is to indenture yourself to a master artist/teacher for many years, taking time to properly learn a significant form of dance. Not to have rotating semesters with different teachers, and different approaches.
Here is a fun story that I often tell my students. One that is comic, yet so appropriate. In the 1980s movie City Slickers, actor Billy Crystal has signed up for a two week trail drive with a crusty old cowboy named Curly, played by Jack Palance. Crystal works in the city, has a bad marriage, and shows all of the signs of a mid-life crisis - basically feeling that he does not know where to find happiness. He rides with Curly, alone in the grasslands, and admires what he perceives of Curly - that Curly has found a purpose in life, and that the purpose has brought him happiness. Curly asks "Do you know the secret of finding happiness?" Curly continues by holding up one finger and saying "Just one thing." Fueled by possibly discovering the secret, Crystal implores "What is the one thing??" Curly laughs and falls back, saying "Well, you have to figure that out for yourself!"
What I try to impart to my students is that finding ONE thing that you love, and becoming a master at it, and living a life wrapped in that one thing, is a way to finding happiness and satisfaction. Not trying to do ten things at once, and in the process not mastering one of them. Rather you should identify something of deep personal importance, and then make that thing a dominant part of your personality and life's work. To me, that is something of extreme value to dance education, and something that is missing in today's education. Yes, dancers must be versatile...but dancers still must be a master of at least ONE significant form of dance. And to do that, it takes years or even decades of study...not just a college semester or two. Maybe someday our academic dance programs will include a "mentorship" program, where a student stays with a master teacher for at least two years of technique, repertory, and choreography classes. I think doing this will produce more accomplished dance artists, and dancers who are happier with their dance career experiences.


I rise to speak about the extraordinary story of a young Tasmanian woman, Ms Angela Williamson, who was sacked by Cricket Australia because of her advocacy for women's health. In January this year, Will Hodgman's conservative Liberal government let the only Tasmanian abortion clinic close. This meant that Tasmanian women who made the difficult decision to seek a legal abortion were forced to travel to Melbourne to have a termination.
On my way home on the plane I was so upset I decided I couldn't stay silent about this injustice. I took to Twitter—on a personal account—describing the turmoil I went through as a 'disgrace'. Then, because I spoke up for women across Tasmania, Cricket Australia fired me.
Is this Australia? Is this 2018?
Being frustrated and upset, she made some criticisms on Twitter of the Hodgman government's disgraceful and sluggish response to the lack of abortion services, including its rejection of a motion to re-establish those services through public hospitals. A senior staffer of the Hodgman government, whether of her own volition or following a direction, used a fake identity to send screen shots of Ms Williamson's tweets to Cricket Australia.
Just days after an appointment with Michael Ferguson, Tasmania's health minister, to privately discuss her experience, Angela's tweets were examined, her employer was alerted, her private health information was disclosed and she was fired.
At the end of June, two weeks after being the beneficiary of a $240,000 grant from the Hodgman government that was negotiated by Ms Williamson in her role as Cricket Australia's government relations and infrastructure manager in Tasmania, Cricket Australia sacked Ms Williamson.
… has no legal authority to decide what makes a comment offensive, and it has never even tried to explain how Williamson contravened any written policy of her employer.
Angela was sacked for having an opinion that had nothing to do with her job. Ms Williamson has rightly taken Cricket Australia to the Fair Work Commission to seek restitution for her unfair dismissal and I hope the outcome will disclose the truth of this shocking saga.
The role of both the Hodgman government and its conservative health minister in this abuse of power should not be ignored. It is well known that Michael Ferguson has very conservative views on women's health, and it's fair to ask whether his actions have been motivated by that ideology. Ms Williamson campaigned for women's health and called out poor government decision-making for all Tasmanian women and girls.
Angela knows she is not alone in this fight, and, like so many people, I stand with Angela.


A receipt + a signed letter, and you’re covered.
People are often surprised to hear that you can pay for birth doula care using your Health Savings Account (HSA) or your Flexible Spending Account (FSA). In fact, under the IRS regulations, you can pay for 100% of a doula’s fee out of your HSA or FSA account! (See eligible HSA expenses here and eligible FSA expenses here).
In my brief experience in working with insurance companies to help clients receive reimbursement for my services, I realized that the invoice/receipt I had been providing to my clients for my services was not nearly detailed enough to get the job done.
A “letter of medical necessity” must be completed and signed by a licensed practitioner. (You can download that letter here).
As far as I know, there is no legal restriction as to who can fill out this form – it doesn’t appear that you would even need your Ob-Gyn to fill out the form. The signee just needs to be currently practicing in the medical field, and they need to verify through this form that doula care is a medically necessary expense for your condition (your “condition” would be pregnancy and childbirth).
If you find you need to convince your Ob-Gyn that a doula is medically necessary to your childbirth experience, DONA International, one of the most respected doula organizations in the world (and the one that certifies me!), has lots of convincing information about doula care. (Such as DONA’s “position paper” in which they describe the birth doula’s role in maternity care or the Cochrane Review’s close look at all the studies on doula care – all of which have affirmed a doula’s positive effect on materal and newborn outcomes during childbirth).
slightly more likely to experience “difficulty in mothering” (a sort of vague term, which seems to relate to a mother’s experience of being a mother overall).
In short? Continuous support during labor has been shown to have a significant, positive impact on the health of both mom and baby during childbirth and the postpartum period.
NOTE: I am not a CPA, a representative of the IRS or of any health insurer, so this information is purely my own opinion which comes from my own experiences and research. This article in no way guarantees that your health insurer will cover the expense of hiring a doula (or in particular, of hiring me as your doula), and I encourage you to check with your individual health insurer to learn what their policies are in regards to doula care, as it relates to your particular plan.


Salesforce Marketing Cloud Developer - Detroit, MI - $50, hr.
Salesforce Marketing Cloud Developer - Detroit, MI - $50/hr.
My client, a company in the metro-Detroit area is seeking an experienced Salesforce Marketing Cloud Developer with interest in working in the Detroit area. The company is looking for a motivated individual who is looking to commit to a contract opportunity for a growing company. This is a great position for anyone with Marketing Cloud experience looking to further their own career in a contract position.


Opening paragraph: Princeton, in the summer, smelled of nothing, and although Ifemelu liked the tranquil greenness of the many trees, the clean streets and stately homes, the delicately overpriced shops, and the quiet, abiding air of earned grace, it was this, the lack of a smell, that most appealed to her, perhaps because the other American cities she knew well had all smelled distinctly. Philadelphia had the musty scent of history. New Haven smelled of neglect. Baltimore smelled of brine, and Brooklyn of sun-warmed garbage. But Princeton had no smell. She liked taking deep breaths here. She liked watching the locals who drove with pointed courtesy and parked their latest model cars outside the organic grocery store on Nassau Street or outside the sushi restaurants or outside the ice cream shop that had fifty different flavors including red pepper or outside the post office where effusive staff bounded out to greet them at the entrance. She liked the campus, grave with knowledge, the Gothic buildings with their vine-laced walls, and the way everything transformed, in the half-light of night, into a ghostly scene. She liked, most of all, that in this place of affluent ease, she could pretend to be someone else, someone specially admitted into a hallowed American club, someone adorned with certainty.
Bio: Born in Nigeria, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (1977- ) came to the U.S. for college and graduate school. Winner of a MacArthur “genius grant,” she is also the author of Purple Hibiscus (longlisted for the Booker Prize), Half of a Yellow Sun (winner of Orange Prize for Fiction), and a short story collection, The Thing Around Your Neck. Adichie divides her time between Nigeria, where she teaches writing workshops, and the United States.