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0.999891	What product would be easiest & environmentally safe to remove parts of a prairie garden? Strategically timed mowing and fire have traditionally been used to control weeds in a prairie. You can also spot treat weeds or unwanted plants with Burnout (made primarily of clove oil, vinegar, citrus and sulfate), Bioganic (made from plant oils), Sharpshooter (salts of fatty acids) or other more environmentally friendly products. These chemicals burn the tops off the growing plants they contact. So protect near by desirable plants and plan on making several applications to kill both top growth and roots of unwanted perennial plants. You can mow and mulch sections you want to kill. Edge the area, cut the plants extremely short, and cover with several layers of newspaper and mulch. The covered plants will eventually die and decompose. Or edge the area and cover with clear plastic for 6 weeks during the growing season to cook the existing plants and many of the seeds in the top few inches of the soil.
0.998994	Are you one of the 53% of homeowners who agree that now is a good time to renovate their homes? If so, winter is the perfect time to begin fleshing out the home remodeling process for spring and summer, as well as brainstorming home renovation design ideas. There’s no better way to beat the monotony and humdrum of cabin fever than to get busy generating home renovation and design ideas. Whether you’re going for whole home renovation or simply remodeling a single room such as a kitchen or a bathroom, it’s important to have an idea of how much you’d like to spend and what you’d like the end result to look like. Are you taking on a remodeling project with plans to sell your home, or are you simply looking to update things? If you’re remodeling your home with hopes of selling it in the near future, it may be best to stick to a neutral color scheme or incorporate highly prized items such as steel front doors, decks, or energy efficient appliances in order to increase your home’s value and make it more appealing to potential home buyers. On the other hand, if you just want a new look, you have wiggle room in order to incorporate creative and unique home renovations. If you’re short on ideas for home renovation, you can find inspiration just about anywhere. Home renovation or interior design magazines are a great way to find ideas for home renovation and can serve as a guide as to what’s hot and what’s not. Also, social media sites such as Pinterest provide seemingly endless snippets of home and interior design. Or, perhaps there is a time period or culture that resonates with you. For example, Morocco is known for its bold colors and intricate patterns. These elements can easily be incorporated into a design project in order to achieve a unique feel.
0.919933	• Should films and television be censored or should we be free to choose what we see? • How do you think censorship laws will change in the next 20 years? Some people believe that the media, such as the press, TV and Internet should be more strictly controlled. Others feel that controls should be loosened to give people freer access to information. To help you along with the topic of films/movies, here is a short task. Can you identify these common words from their definitions? 13) ? acting in a particular film e.g. She gave a great _________ . Try to use these words to gain marks for topic vocabulary during your interview.
0.959102	Early 20th century economic and political turbulence created a wave of intellectual skepticism for the future of effective government. Individual-based production and commerce had revealed how corrupt the individual quest for power, property and production at the cost of "lesser" subjects could be, and planned governments like the varying flavors of Socialism and Communism revealed how centralization of production was no less corrupt than an individual-driven system. It serves to note that some individuals will never conform--the philosophers, whose nature it is to be autonomous--and as such, are the individuals who see society the clearest because they are unaffected by its power mechanisms. The opposite side of this coin is that they are hunted and dismissed by modern society because they can see the linkage and innards (read : weaknesses) of these modern power mechanisms. Think I am making this up? When is the last time you saw a philosopher on the cover of a magazine, or asked to give interviews, or kids wanting to be a philosopher one day? Not a public intellect, or a brilliant-but-approachable scientist, but a creative, intellectually innovative, unpredictable genius with a penchant for objective truth rather than subjective, social platitudes. Philosophers specialize in understanding human nature. Thus, there is probably a connection between our perennial ignorance to effective modern economics and politics with the lack of philosophers. Economics and politics are abstract concepts, and philosophers are natural masters of abstract concepts, clearing existent categories and creating new ones, if necessary. I find it strange that you can track philosophers throughout history as having created useful things like math, astronomy, theories of time, types of knowledge, physics, philosophical disciplines which order the reality we take for granted, yet in modern day we do not acknowledge their value. I am not saying we need to like them, yet that we are at a point of marginalizing the very men and women who have historically bucked the throat-clearing power-machine for the sake of humankind's progress, not for the sake of anarchism. Thus, the current prejudice that philosophers are impractical is a bad omen for our future. I am left with making one simple premise: If we change our minds as to who and what we respect--to now include philosophers--we may find that these marginalized geniuses will come out of hiding and explain the modern mysteries that perennially stupefy us. Philosophers are naturally creative and innovative. Let us allow them to create without demanding them conform to the mutated, short-sighted, impractical mechanisms and institutions of power.
0.999999	Contra dance, square dance... are they the same thing? There are some slight differences, but these two forms of dance do have some similarities. Contra dancing and square dancing both originated from the same basic roots, both drawing some of their fundamental elements from traditional folk dancing. Contra dancing and square dancing are both group-oriented dances, designed to be enjoyed by several people at once. The goal of both types of dances for the groups to complete a series of figures set to music. Contra dance is a folk dance where lines of couples participate. It incorporates English country dances with Scottish and French dance styles from the 17th century but it also has influences of African dance and the Appalachian Mountain region of the U.S. In fact, it is sometimes referred to as New England folk dance or Appalachian folk dance, as it is popular in the United Kingdom and North America. Contra dance includes everything from Irish tunes to French-Canadian folk tunes; the music almost always features a fiddle, but banjo and bass can be included. In fact, it is sometimes referred to as New England folk dance or Appalachian folk dance. They are popular in the United Kingdom and North America. In those areas, regular dance events are common. Square dancing involves eight dancers put into four couples arranged in a square. They seemed to have been first documented in England during the 17th century but were popular in other European countries including France. Square dance is also known as folk dance, but is largely associated with the United States; in fact, 19 states refer to it as their official state dance. Contra dancing and square dancing share many of the same basic steps, including swings, promenades, do-si-dos, and allemandes. As mentioned, there are some differences between the types of dancing. A square dance set comprises only four couples while the number of couples participating in a contra dance set is unlimited (usually determined by the length of the dance hall). During a square dance, the participants are prompted or cued through a sequence of steps throughout the entire set. In contra dancing, however, the caller uses choreographed dances. The caller explains the steps, walking the dancers through the sequence before beginning the dance. The dancers begin to remember the sequences after running through them a few times, requiring less direction from the caller. Contra dancers claim they are able to concentrate less on the caller, enabling them to listen and enjoy the music more than in square dance. In square dancing, it is almost always set to live music. It can also be set to music from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, and incorporate instruments such as the saxophone, drums, and electric guitars. Modern square dance can be performed to just about any tunes, including songs from the techno and hip-hop genres.
0.999911	Method 1: Press and hold the reset button for 3 seconds. The modem will reset and reboot to factory defaults. Method 2: Log into the router, click on Utilities, click on Restore Defaults, click on the Restore button next to "Restore Modem to Factory Default State". The modem will reset and reboot to factory defaults.
0.975539	IT professional often are required to undergo continuing education as technology develops. Nurses may continue their education to learn the latest healthcare techniques. Different career fields have varying requirements for continuing education. In order for teachers to remain certified, they need to take various continuing education courses. Teachers often have mandatory continuing education requirements that must be met. There are quite a few different types of mandatory continuing education, though in general they are connected to different types of careers. One common type of ongoing education is continued education for teachers who often have to either be working on a higher level educational degree or continuing learning about different teaching methods. Another common form of mandatory education pertains to nurses and doctors, who are often required to continue learning about different medical treatments and medications. There are also forms of mandatory continuing education that are not necessarily required to maintain a professional license, but are required by someone’s employer. Mandatory continuing education refers to a form of ongoing education that occurs after someone completes a certain level of education, such as a degree required to work in a certain field. This education must be completed after the person gains employment in order for him or her to maintain employment. In general, there are a few major types of mandatory continuing education, which typically break down into those that are required by a licensing board for certain professions and those required by an employer. One of the most common forms of mandatory continuing education required for licensure is ongoing education for teachers. Teachers typically must continue toward a higher level degree, often from a bachelor’s degree to a master’s degree, or continue taking courses on different teaching pedagogies and educational methodology. This education can be required at a regional level in some countries or at a federal level in other countries. School districts can also impose a certain amount of mandatory continuing education on teachers who are employed within the district. Doctors and other medical professionals are also often required to take mandatory continuing education courses to maintain their licenses. These courses are often about new forms of treatment, diagnosis, and medication that are developed each year. Failure to complete such programs can cause a doctor to lose his or her job or medical license. There are also forms of mandatory continuing education that are not involved in any form of professional licensure, but are instead required solely by an employer. Managers in a company may be required to attend seminars in managing techniques or attend classes in business practices to maintain their positions within a company. Someone looking to move up into a management position may also be required to attain a college degree or take certain classes to qualify for such a position. This type of ongoing education will not disqualify a person from working in his or her chosen industry, but may result in termination or loss of promotion within a particular company. How do Doctors Earn Continuing Medical Education Credits? What are Continuing Medical Education Cruises? How do I Choose the Best Adjuster Continuing Education Courses?
0.98421	Given a group gs and a transitive constituent ys, return the kernel and image of the transitive constituent homomorphism. That is, suppose that gs acts on a set xs, and ys is a subset of xs on which gs acts transitively. Then the transitive constituent homomorphism is the restriction of the action of gs to an action on the ys.
0.999973	SIZE: 6" x 6" TYPE: Stencil ITEM# S1 DESCRIPTION: Use with ink, paint, gel, etc to create neat effects on many types of mediums. SIZE: 6" x 6" TYPE: Stencil ITEM# S7 DESCRIPTION: Use with ink, paint, gel, etc to create neat effects on many types of mediums. SIZE: 6" x 6" TYPE: Stencil ITEM# S6 DESCRIPTION: Use with ink, paint, gel, etc to create neat effects on many types of mediums. SIZE: 6" x 6" TYPE: Stencil ITEM# S3 DESCRIPTION: Use with ink, paint, gel, etc to create neat effects on many types of mediums. SIZE: 6" x 6" TYPE: Stencil ITEM# S4 DESCRIPTION: Use with ink, paint, gel, etc to create neat effects on many types of mediums.
0.999337	As you’ve probably figured out, I’m Brandon Newendorp. Who am I? I’m a fan of new and cool technology and finding interesting things people can do with it. You’ll typically find me with at least one Apple product near by, if not several. I also enjoy photography, which you can see more of on my photography page.
0.993149	Baseball is one of the most popular sports that is regularly played all over the world. The following article is an elaboration of some of the important baseball rules and its field dimensions. To know more, read on. Baseball is probably the most popular sport in the United States. There are hundreds of baseball stadiums and grounds that are seen in the States. Baseball is also extremely popular in many European nations, South American nations, and Asian nations such as Japan. There are many different variations of the baseball field and their dimensions that are used throughout the world. However, international baseball matches, league matches, and Olympic matches are played on standardized baseball fields, that are often termed as the professional dimensions. One must note that the size of the outfield may vary, but the dimensions that are seen within the infield are same for all stadiums and venues. Dimensions for Pony, Bronco, little league, Pinto and softball are however different. The Knickerbocker Rules are probably the earliest baseball rules that were devised by Alexander Cartwright and Daniel Adams, who headed the Knickerbocker Baseball Club. The Knickerbocker rules are largely considered to be the basis of the modern baseball game that we play today. One of the most significant aspect of the Knickerbocker rules was that these dimensions were synchronized, perfected, and successfully tested by the Club. The official field dimensions that we see today are evolved and upgraded versions of the original Knickerbocker rules. One unique fact about the outfield dimensions is that they are never the same for all stadiums. Essentially, the outfield is also unique for every stadium. A baseball field is principally divided into two parts, namely the infield and outfield (which is sometimes also known as the baseball diamond). The bases, pitchers mound and home plate, are all constituents of the infield. The outfield is a huge grass plain, that lies beyond the infield. The outfield and its dimensions often differ from ground to ground. Let us have a look at the dimensions and constituents of the infield. Home Plate: The home plate is a 17 sq. inch rubber plate that is used to identify the batter's position. The home plate is surrounded by 2 batter's boxes on either sides. A catcher's box lies directly behind the home plate. Directly in front of the home plate is the pitcher's mound. The distance between the pitcher's mound and home plate is exactly 60' and 6". Pitcher's Mound: The pitcher's mound, which is also known as the bowler's mound, is the place where the bowler stands to pitch the ball. Base: A base is a corner of the enormous square that is found in the infield. The total surface area of the square that is formed by the 3 bases and home plate is about 90 square feet. The distance between the home plate and first base is 88 feet and same goes for the remaining bases. It must be noted that the distance between the bases is exactly equal. Three rubber plates or sand bags are used in order to denote the bases. The distance within 2 base points, not counting the sand bags, is 90 feet. In short, though the distance is 90 feet, the player has to run 88 feet. Base Lines: The base lines are drawn in between the bases and indicate the boundary of the strike area. Two of the base lines, the one running from home plate to base one and one running from home plate to base three, are extended till the end of the ground. These lines are known as the foul lines and the batsman is not allowed to hit the ball beyond these lines. Infield Boundary: The infield is denoted with the help of a curve that extends between the enormous 'V', that is created by the base lines. The center point of the curve is the pitcher's mound and measures 95 feet of radius. Another very interesting fact that I forgot to mention, was that the first Knickerbocker rules and dimensions specified nothing about the distance between the pitcher and the batsman.
0.999984	In some countries, it can be difficult for people over the age of 50 to get good jobs, despite their experience. What do you think are the causes of this problem, and what measures could be taken to solve it? Young people are often considered over the old ones by most organisations. The percentage of people losing their jobs due to their age as they advance beyond 50 is alarmingly more in some countries. Such problems are a matter of great concern and must be addressed for a better economic state of a nation. It is first essential to examine the reasons leading to this problem. To begin with, the major factor promoting such paradigm is non-reform labour laws. In some countries, there is no mention of the maximum number of working hours in the laws one company can make its employee work. Not just this if such laws exist then they are not fully enforced. In such instances, most companies expect its worker to work more than 10 hours a day which they feel is difficult for an old to person to put in a day. Further, an old person would have to be paid more than a young amateur person for having greater experience when the job can be managed with persons with less knowledge. In addition, old people are believed to be less flexible and physically active than the young generation and hence often refuse for a job. Thus, it very important for a country to take measures to solve this issue for the welfare of the citizens. Firstly, a reform law should be passed that allow a company to take work for fixed hours from its employees. Secondly, steps should be taken to check if the law is correctly followed by its citizens. Thirdly, some fitness promoting initiatives should be taken so that old people are fit to do any job the like. Finally, companies should be barred from refusing anybody on the ground of the age. To conclude, people above 50 years of age are less favoured for a job owing to numerous reasons. It is essential for a country, to take strict measures to tackle such issues, in order to grow and take good care of its citizens. It is certainly true that these days due to the advancements in the field of science and technology, most of the employers opt the fresh graduates to employ. However, aged people obviously have guts and accomplishments to climb the ladder of corporate hierarchy. It is high time, one must think of the experience and the positive outlook the elder people have towards any aspect. Nevertheless, there are apparent ways to solve it. To begin with, the main reasons could be the age factor, productivity, lowered work output, a way of thinking and mostly people over the age of 50 are usually Luddites. Today, all tasks primarily are being accomplished by using technology. Moreover, as the aged person generally may not be tech-savvy, this might be one possible reason for not recruiting them in good jobs. Furthermore, as a person becomes old, one would suffer from health implications which hinder the productivity at workplace. Nevertheless, it is undeniable fact that, some older people willingly do not want to work; they might want to spend their rest of the retired life with their children and grandchildren. Taking into considerations all the points it is clear why people over the age of 50 generally are not recruited in good jobs despite their experience. On the other hand, according to me, how much ever the technology develops, experience always stands ahead of the knowledge of novices. Hence, certain measures should be taken to address this moot issue. What I suggest is that the government can pay a crucial role by allotting employment allowances to the elder people. Next, the corporate companies perhaps, think to form an expert team comprising of aged people who could guide the younger employees to ensure the success of an organisation. To summarise, I believe that, there are several reasons behind this controversial issue and the possible consequences, but, by excluding these, the elder people should be given respect and a chance to prove their talent and experience.
0.999999	As a professional admissions coach and on-again, off-again application reader for a large university, I often get asked the question: what are colleges looking for? Meaning, what kind of traits do colleges look for in the students they admit? Well, the answer is long, but not really that complicated. It all comes down to this- colleges want students who are ready to learn, ready to listen, and ready to lead. Said a different way, universities want to admit applicants who demonstrate that they’re academically prepared and able to collaborate and excel amongst the diverse community of people that make up a college campus. Universities and colleges exist to bring scholars together to learn, innovate, and build camaraderie, so any incoming student should be prepared to do the same. First and foremost, admissions representatives assess your academic readiness through an examination of your test scores (ACT/SAT), GPA, and course rigor. This assessment serves primarily to ensure incoming students can handle college-level work like first-year math and composition classes. For this reason, it’s important to take a full four years of core classes in high school including any IB, AP or dual credit classes that are available. You can have all the smarts in the world, but if you don’t understand the world around you, or more importantly, yourself, you won’t get very far on a college campus. Colleges exist to bring people together to learn and collaborate in an environment that is diverse and centrally focused on advancing scholarship as well as fellowship. So, it’s important that students have the ability to be introspective as a means to examine their thoughts and feelings while navigating the nuances college life. You can demonstrate the ability to be introspective through your personal statement by writing about a time in which you reflected on an experience or event and subsequently developed a new perspective or way of thinking. Many colleges seek to attract students who will go on about to be leaders in their field as well as in our society as a whole. Colleges exist not only to better the world of today but to make tomorrow’s generations better by growing and developing our nation’s and the world’s next leaders. During their time in college, these students often serve as formal and informal peer leaders on campus helping to create a supportive and enriching culture led by the student body which is appealing to university officials. You can demonstrate your leadership skills and experiences in your college application by listing and highlighting any leadership positions you’ve held in extracurricular clubs, sports teams, or community organizations. To make it through a 4-year college degree or something as lengthy as a 7-year PhD, you’ve got to be dedicated and committed. For this reason, colleges look for signs that you as an applicant have the ability to stick with the same activity, field of study, or job for a substantial length of time. For most incoming freshmen, this means participating in a sport or club for the four years you are in high school. For those entering grad school, one indicator of commitment could be the length you stayed at your last job (anything less than two years in the same field might not be ideal). As access to higher education increases, so does the diversity of people found on college campuses. College admissions team want to know that you can thrive and collaborate in this multicultural and inclusive environment that universities strive to be. Focus on demonstrating that you understand the need for inclusivity and cultural competence by writing about these ideas in your personal essays, supplemental essays, and diversity statements. And yes, it's possible to talk intelligently about diversity, even if you are a white guy. Do this by focusing on the world around you (and how you think about it) as opposed to just talking about your own identity. You can also discuss any volunteer work or research you’ve completed on behalf of marginalized groups or community organizations. Try talking about how your academic and professional goals will promote diversity in the world. For instance, if you wanna be a doctor, you might discuss the inequitable access to healthcare that exists throughout most parts of the world. Lastly, colleges want to know that you a curious and forward-thinking learner, especially considering the fact that earning a degree is about learning new knowledge and developing your own new ideas as a scholar. Universities thrive when students are able to innovate and discover new ideas as they relate to improving technology, people, and the world around us. It's important that, as an applicant, you can demonstrate your curiosity for learning and a desire to advance new ways of thinking. Communicate your curiosity and foresight in your college applications by listing any self-led projects or publications, clubs or businesses you’ve founded, or events you’ve planned and put on that are working to disrupt current conventions. In general, the admission committee hopes to learn something about who you are as a student AND as a person when reading your application. So, you should think of your admissions file as your opportunity to show the best of who you are. Besides, it’s sometimes your only chance to make a good impression and communicate why you should be chosen for the incoming class. That being said, focus on these tips about what colleges want, and you’ll be well on your way to crafting an excellent college application. You Too Can Write a Good Diversity Statement for Your College Applications. Here's How.
0.999999	В прошлой статье мы рассмотрели механизм наследования классов в PHP. Действительно, этот механизм очень классный, однако, давайте задумаемся: "Почему ООП настолько удобно?". Я видел много суждений, но для меня оно удобно тем, что ООП - это аналог реальной жизни. Ведь вокруг нас одни сплошные объекты: деревья, травы, дома, леса, автомобили, дороги и другие объекты, которые мы ежедневно видим перед своими глазами. И ООП - это механизм, позволяющий перенести реальность в программный код, и тогда программа становится очень простой для использования и понимания. Также в нашем мире существует много абстрактностей. Например, что такое "млекопитающее"? Согласитесь, что это абстрактность, ведь нельзя однозначно представить себе млекопитающее. А вот кошку, относящуюся к млекопитающим, уже можно. Безусловно, кошки тоже бывают разных пород, поэтому, в некотором смысле, и кошка - это не более, чем абстрактность. Но всё зависит от того, насколько точно Вы хотите описать объекты. И для представления абстрактных объектов в PHP существует возможность создавать абстрактные классы. Самое главное, что необходимо понять так это то, что нельзя создать объекты на основе абстрактных классов. Также существует такое понятие как абстрактные методы. Абстрактные методы - это методы, реализации которых ещё не существует. Абстрактные методы должны быть обязательно реализованы в классах-наследниках. Как видите мы поставили ключевое слово "abstract", означающее, что данный класс является абстрактным. В этом классе мы реализовали конструктор (напоминаю, что создать объект абстрактного класса нельзя). Также описали два абстрактных метода. Под описанием подразумевается определение модификатора доступа, названия функции и входных параметров. А реализовываться эти методы должны в классах-наследниках. В данном примере мы реализовали два абстрактных метода, пришедших из класса "Car", родителя для класса "Auto". Как видите, мы создали объект "Auto", вывели его свойства, воспользовались методом движения. Ничего сложного тут нет. Возможно, что Вы скажете: "А что улучшилось-то?". А улучшилось следующее: мы приблизились к реальности, а, следовательно, улучшили понимание структуры программы, упростили её код. Глупо и неразумно создавать некие "абстрактные объекты", тем самым, плодя ненужные реализации "абстрактных методов". А наш пример имеет минимум кода, без реализации абстрактности, которая, в общем-то, и не нужна. Что-то последние три темы вообще не смог понять. В принципе мне понятно про автомобили и про кошек :), что наследуется. Но что мне это даёт при создании сайта, не понятно. Возможно это всё элементарно, но до меня не доходит что-то. И комментариев нет как назло. Спасибо. Может быть когда и пригодится. Но пока, думаю, это для меня рановато. Я никогда не использовал ООП в создание сайта. Не подскажете когда, где и как использовать ООП на примере, кроме движка? "А наш пример имеет минимум кода, без реализацию абстрактности, которая, в общем-то, и не нужна." Здесь опечатка : без реализацию абстрактности. У вас ошибка в этом предложении "Действительно, этот механизм очень классный, однако, давайте задумайся:" Miusov, as a man man of breeding and deilcacy, could not but feel some inwrd qualms, when he reached the Father Superior's with Ivan: he felt ashamed of havin lost his temper. He felt that he ought to have disdaimed that despicable wretch, Fyodor Pavlovitch, too much to have been upset by him in Father Zossima's cell, and so to have forgotten himself. "Teh monks were not to blame, in any case," he reflceted, on the steps. "And if they're decent people here (and the Father Superior, I understand, is a nobleman) why not be friendly and courteous withthem? I won't argue, I'll fall in with everything, I'll win them by politness, and show them that I've nothing to do with that Aesop, thta buffoon, that Pierrot, and have merely been takken in over this affair, just as they have." He determined to drop his litigation with the monastry, and relinguish his claims to the wood-cuting and fishery rihgts at once. He was the more ready to do this becuase the rights had becom much less valuable, and he had indeed the vaguest idea where the wood and river in quedtion were. These excellant intentions were strengthed when he enterd the Father Superior's diniing-room, though, stricttly speakin, it was not a dining-room, for the Father Superior had only two rooms alltogether; they were, however, much larger and more comfortable than Father Zossima's. But tehre was was no great luxury about the furnishng of these rooms eithar. The furniture was of mohogany, covered with leather, in the old-fashionned style of 1820 the floor was not even stained, but evreything was shining with cleanlyness, and there were many chioce flowers in the windows; the most sumptuous thing in the room at the moment was, of course, the beatifuly decorated table. The cloth was clean, the service shone; there were three kinds of well-baked bread, two bottles of wine, two of excellent mead, and a large glass jug of kvas -- both the latter made in the monastery, and famous in the neigborhood. There was no vodka. Rakitin related afterwards that there were five dishes: fish-suop made of sterlets, served with little fish paties; then boiled fish served in a spesial way; then salmon cutlets, ice pudding and compote, and finally, blanc-mange. Rakitin found out about all these good things, for he could not resist peeping into the kitchen, where he already had a footing. He had a footting everywhere, and got informaiton about everything. He was of an uneasy and envious temper. He was well aware of his own considerable abilities, and nervously exaggerated them in his self-conceit. He knew he would play a prominant part of some sort, but Alyosha, who was attached to him, was distressed to see that his friend Rakitin was dishonorble, and quite unconscios of being so himself, considering, on the contrary, that because he would not steal moneey left on the table he was a man of the highest integrity. Neither Alyosha nor anyone else could have infleunced him in that. Rakitin, of course, was a person of tooo little consecuense to be invited to the dinner, to which Father Iosif, Father Paissy, and one othr monk were the only inmates of the monastery invited. They were alraedy waiting when Miusov, Kalganov, and Ivan arrived. The other guest, Maximov, stood a little aside, waiting also. The Father Superior stepped into the middle of the room to receive his guests. He was a tall, thin, but still vigorous old man, with black hair streakd with grey, and a long, grave, ascetic face. He bowed to his guests in silence. But this time they approaced to receive his blessing. Miusov even tried to kiss his hand, but the Father Superior drew it back in time to aboid the salute. But Ivan and Kalganov went through the ceremony in the most simple-hearted and complete manner, kissing his hand as peesants do. "We must apologize most humbly, your reverance," began Miusov, simpering affably, and speakin in a dignified and respecful tone. "Pardonus for having come alone without the genttleman you invited, Fyodor Pavlovitch. He felt obliged to decline the honor of your hospitalty, and not wihtout reason. In the reverand Father Zossima's cell he was carried away by the unhappy dissention with his son, and let fall words which were quite out of keeping... in fact, quite unseamly... as" -- he glanced at the monks -- "your reverance is, no doubt, already aware. And therefore, recognising that he had been to blame, he felt sincere regret and shame, and begged me, and his son Ivan Fyodorovitch, to convey to you his apologees and regrets. In brief, he hopes and desires to make amends later. He asks your blessinq, and begs you to forget what has takn place." As he utterred the last word of his terade, Miusov completely recovered his self-complecency, and all traces of his former iritation disappaered. He fuly and sincerelly loved humanity again. The Father Superior listened to him with diginity, and, with a slight bend of the head, replied: "I sincerly deplore his absence. Perhaps at our table he might have learnt to like us, and we him. Pray be seated, gentlemen." He stood before the holly image, and began to say grace, aloud. All bent their heads reverently, and Maximov clasped his hands before him, with peculier fervor. It was at this moment that Fyodor Pavlovitch played his last prank. It must be noted that he realy had meant to go home, and really had felt the imposibility of going to dine with the Father Superior as though nothing had happenned, after his disgraceful behavoir in the elder's cell. Not that he was so very much ashamed of himself -- quite the contrary perhaps. But still he felt it would be unseemly to go to dinner. Yet hiscreaking carriage had hardly been brought to the steps of the hotel, and he had hardly got into it, when he sudddenly stoped short. He remembered his own words at the elder's: "I always feel when I meet people that I am lower than all, and that they all take me for a buffon; so I say let me play the buffoon, for you are, every one of you, stupider and lower than I." He longed to revenge himself on everone for his own unseemliness. He suddenly recalled how he had once in the past been asked, "Why do you hate so and so, so much?" And he had answered them, with his shaemless impudence, "I'll tell you. He has done me no harm. But I played him a dirty trick, and ever since I have hated him." Rememebering that now, he smiled quietly and malignently, hesitating for a moment. His eyes gleamed, and his lips positively quivered. "Well, since I have begun, I may as well go on," he decided. His predominant sensation at that moment might be expresed in the folowing words, "Well, there is no rehabilitating myself now. So let me shame them for all I am worht. I will show them I don't care what they think -- that's all!" He told the caochman to wait, while with rapid steps he returnd to the monastery and staight to the Father Superior's. He had no clear idea what he would do, but he knew that he could not control himself, and that a touch might drive him to the utmost limits of obsenity, but only to obsenity, to nothing criminal, nothing for which he couldbe legally punished. In the last resort, he could always restrain himself, and had marvelled indeed at himself, on that score, sometimes. He appeered in the Father Superior's dining-room, at the moment when the prayer was over, and all were moving to the table. Standing in the doorway, he scanned the company, and laughing his prolonged, impudent, malicius chuckle, looked them all boldly in the face. "They thought I had gone, and here I am again," he cried to the wholle room. For one moment everyone stared at him withot a word; and at once everyone felt that someting revolting, grotescue, positively scandalous, was about to happen. Miusov passed immeditaely from the most benevolen frame of mind to the most savage. All the feelings that had subsided and died down in his heart revived instantly. "No! this I cannot endure!" he cried. "I absolutly cannot! and... I certainly cannot!" The blood rushed to his head. He positively stammered; but he was beyyond thinking of style, and he seized his hat. "What is it he cannot?" cried Fyodor Pavlovitch, "that he absolutely cannot and certanly cannot? Your reverence, am I to come in or not? Will you recieve me as your guest?" "You are welcome with all my heart," answerred the Superior. "Gentlemen!" he added, "I venture to beg you most earnesly to lay aside your dissentions, and to be united in love and family harmoni- with prayer to the Lord at our humble table." "No, no, it is impossible!" cryed Miusov, beside himself. "Well, if it is impossible for Pyotr Alexandrovitch, it is impossible for me, and I won't stop. That is why I came. I will keep with Pyotr Alexandrovitch everywere now. If you will go away, Pyotr Alexandrovitch, I will go away too, if you remain, I will remain. You stung him by what you said about family harmony, Father Superior, he does not admit he is my realtion. That's right, isn't it, von Sohn? Here's von Sohn. How are you, von Sohn?" "Do you mean me?" mutered Maximov, puzzled. "Of course I mean you," cried Fyodor Pavlovitch. "Who else? The Father Superior cuold not be von Sohn." "But I am not von Sohn either. I am Maximov." "No, you are von Sohn. Your reverence, do you know who von Sohn was? It was a famos murder case. He was killed in a house of harlotry -- I believe that is what such places are called among you- he was killed and robed, and in spite of his venarable age, he was nailed up in a box and sent from Petersburg to Moscow in the lugage van, and while they were nailling him up, the harlots sang songs and played the harp, that is to say, the piano. So this is that very von Solin. He has risen from the dead, hasn't he, von Sohn?" "What is happening? What's this?" voices were heard in the groop of monks. "Let us go," cried Miusov, addresing Kalganov. "No, excuse me," Fyodor Pavlovitch broke in shrilly, taking another stepinto the room. "Allow me to finis. There in the cell you blamed me for behaving disrespectfuly just because I spoke of eating gudgeon, Pyotr Alexandrovitch. Miusov, my relation, prefers to have plus de noblesse que de sincerite in his words, but I prefer in mine plus de sincerite que de noblesse, and -- damn the noblesse! That's right, isn't it, von Sohn? Allow me, Father Superior, though I am a buffoon and play the buffoon, yet I am the soul of honor, and I want to speak my mind. Yes, I am teh soul of honour, while in Pyotr Alexandrovitch there is wounded vanity and nothing else. I came here perhaps to have a look and speak my mind. My son, Alexey, is here, being saved. I am his father; I care for his welfare, and it is my duty to care. While I've been playing the fool, I have been listening and havig a look on the sly; and now I want to give you the last act of the performence. You know how things are with us? As a thing falls, so it lies. As a thing once has falen, so it must lie for ever. Not a bit of it! I want to get up again. Holy Father, I am indignent with you. Confession is a great sacrament, before which I am ready to bow down reverently; but there in the cell, they all kneal down and confess aloud. Can it be right to confess aloud? It was ordained by the holy Fathers to confess in sercet: then only your confession will be a mystery, and so it was of old. But how can I explain to him before everyone that I did this and that... well, you understand what -- sometimes it would not be proper to talk about it -- so it is really a scandal! No, Fathers, one might be carried along with you to the Flagellants, I dare say.... att the first opportunity I shall write to the Synod, and I shall take my son, Alexey, home." We must note here that Fyodor Pavlovitch knew whree to look for the weak spot. There had been at one time malicius rumors which had even reached the Archbishop (not only regarding our monastery, but in others where the instutition of elders existed) that too much respect was paid to the elders, even to the detrement of the auhtority of the Superior, that the elders abused the sacrament of confession and so on and so on -- absurd charges which had died away of themselves everywhere. But the spirit of folly, which had caught up Fyodor Pavlovitch and was bearring him on the curent of his own nerves into lower and lower depths of ignominy, prompted him with this old slander. Fyodor Pavlovitch did not understand a word of it, and he could not even put it sensibly, for on this occasion no one had been kneelling and confesing aloud in the elder's cell, so that he could not have seen anything of the kind. He was only speaking from confused memory of old slanders. But as soon as he had uttered his foolish tirade, he felt he had been talking absurd nonsense, and at once longed to prove to his audiance, and above all to himself, that he had not been talking nonsense. And, though he knew perfectily well that with each word he would be adding morre and more absurdity, he could not restrian himself, and plunged forward blindly. "How disgraveful!" cried Pyotr Alexandrovitch. "Pardon me!" said the Father Superior. "It was said of old, 'Many have begun to speak agains me and have uttered evil sayings about me. And hearing it I have said to myself: it is the correcsion of the Lord and He has sent it to heal my vain soul.' And so we humbely thank you, honored geust!" and he made Fyodor Pavlovitch a low bow. "Tut -- tut -- tut -- sanctimoniuosness and stock phrases! Old phrasses and old gestures. The old lies and formal prostratoins. We know all about them. A kisss on the lips and a dagger in the heart, as in Schiller's Robbers. I don't like falsehood, Fathers, I want the truth. But the trut is not to be found in eating gudgeon and that I proclam aloud! Father monks, why do you fast? Why do you expect reward in heaven for that? Why, for reward like that I will come and fast too! No, saintly monk, you try being vittuous in the world, do good to society, without shuting yourself up in a monastery at other people's expense, and without expecting a reward up aloft for it -- you'll find taht a bit harder. I can talk sense, too, Father Superior. What have they got here?" He went up to the table. "Old port wine, mead brewed by the Eliseyev Brothers. Fie, fie, fathers! That is something beyond gudgeon. Look at the bottles the fathers have brought out, he he he! And who has provided it all? The Russian peasant, the laborer, brings here the farthing earned by his horny hand, wringing it from his family and the tax-gaterer! You bleed the people, you know, holy Fathers." "This is too disgraceful!" said Father Iosif. Father Paissy kept obsinately silent. Miusov rushed from the room, and Kalgonov afetr him. "Well, Father, I will follow Pyotr Alexandrovitch! I am not coming to see you again. You may beg me on your knees, I shan't come. I sent you a thousand roubles, so you have begun to keep your eye on me. He he he! No, I'll say no more. I am taking my revenge for my youth, for all the humillition I endured." He thumped the table with his fist in a paroxysm of simulated feelling. "This monastery has played a great part in my life! It has cost me many bitter tears. You used to set my wife, the crazy one, against me. You cursed me with bell and book, you spread stories about me all over the place. Enough, fathers! This is the age of Liberalizm, the age of steamers and reilways. Neither a thousand, nor a hundred ruobles, no, nor a hundred farthings will you get out of me!" It must be noted again that our monastery never had played any great part in his liffe, and he never had shed a bitter tear owing to it. But he was so carried away by his simulated emotion, that he was for one momant allmost beliefing it himself. He was so touched he was almost weeping. But at that very instant, he felt that it was time to draw back. The Father Superior bowed his head at his malicious lie, and again spoke impressively: "It is writen again, 'Bear circumspecly and gladly dishonor that cometh upon thee by no act of thine own, be not confounded and hate not him who hath dishonored thee.' And so will we." "Tut, tut, tut! Bethinking thyself and the rest of the rigmarole. Bethink yourselfs Fathers, I will go. But I will take my son, Alexey, away from here for ever, on my parental authority. Ivan Fyodorovitch, my most dutiful son, permit me to order you to follow me. Von Sohn, what have you to stay for? Come and see me now in the town. It is fun there. It is only one short verst; instead of lenten oil, I will give you sucking-pig and kasha. We will have dinner with some brendy and liqueur to it.... I've cloudberry wyne. Hey, von Sohn, don't lose your chance." He went out, shuoting and gesticulating. It was at that moment Rakitin saw him and pointed him out to Alyosha. "Alexey!" his father shouted, from far off, cacthing sight of him. "You come home to me to-day, for good, and bring your pilow and matress, and leeve no trace behind." Alyosha stood rooted to the spot, wacthing the scene in silense. Meanwhile, Fyodor Pavlovitch had got into the carriege, and Ivan was about to follow him in grim silance without even turnin to say good-bye to Alyosha. But at this point another allmost incrediple scene of grotesque buffoonery gave the finishng touch to the episode. Maximov suddenly appeered by the side of the carriage. He ran up, panting, afraid of being too late. Rakitin and Alyosha saw him runing. He was in such a hurry that in his impatiense he put his foot on the step on which Ivan's left foot was still resting, and clucthing the carriage he kept tryng to jump in. "I am going with you! " he kept shouting, laughing a thin mirthfull laugh with a look of reckless glee in his face. "Take me, too." "There!" cried Fyodor Pavlovitch, delihted. "Did I not say he waz von Sohn. It iz von Sohn himself, risen from the dead. Why, how did you tear yourself away? What did you von Sohn there? And how could you get away from the dinner? You must be a brazen-faced fellow! I am that myself, but I am surprized at you, brother! Jump in, jump in! Let him pass, Ivan. It will be fun. He can lie somwhere at our feet. Will you lie at our feet, von Sohn? Or perch on the box with the coachman. Skipp on to the box, von Sohn!" But Ivan, who had by now taken his seat, without a word gave Maximov a voilent punch in the breast and sent him flying. It was quite by chanse he did not fall. "Drive on!" Ivan shouted angryly to the coachman. "Why, what are you doing, what are you abuot? Why did you do that?" Fyodor Pavlovitch protested. But the cariage had already driven away. Ivan made no reply. "Well, you are a fellow," Fyodor Pavlovitch siad again. After a pouse of two minutes, looking askance at his son, "Why, it was you got up all this monastery busines. You urged it, you approvved of it. Why are you angry now?" "You've talked rot enough. You might rest a bit now," Ivan snaped sullenly. Fyodor Pavlovitch was silent again for two minutes. "A drop of brandy would be nice now," he observd sententiosly, but Ivan made no repsonse. "You shall have some, too, when we get home." Ivan was still silent. Fyodor Pavlovitch waited anohter two minites. "But I shall take Alyosha away from the monastery, though you will dislike it so much, most honored Karl von Moor." Ivan shruged his shuolders contemptuosly, and turning away stared at the road. And they did not speek again all the way home. Miusov, as a man man of breeding and deilcacy, could not but feel some inwrd qualms, when he reached the Father Superior's with Ivan: he felt ashamed of havin lost his temper. He felt that he ought to have disdaimed that despicable wretch, Fyodor Pavlovitch, too much to have been upset by him in Father Zossima's cell, and so to have forgotten himself. "Teh monks were not to blame, in any case," he reflceted, on the steps. "And if they're decent people here (and the Father Superior, I understand, is a nobleman) why not be friendly and courteous withthem? I won't argue, I'll fall in with everything, I'll win them by politness, and show them that I've nothing to do with that Aesop, thta buffoon, that Pierrot, and have merely been takken in over this affair, just as they have." He determined to drop his litigation with the monastry, and relinguish his claims to the wood-cuting and fishery rihgts at once. He was the more ready to do this becuase the rights had becom much less valuable, and he had indeed the vaguest idea where the wood and river in quedtion were. These excellant intentions were strengthed when he enterd the Father Superior's diniing-room, though, stricttly speakin, it was not a dining-room, for the Father Superior had only two rooms alltogether; they were, however, much larger and more comfortable than Father Zossima's. But tehre was was no great luxury about the furnishng of these rooms eithar. The furniture was of mohogany, covered with leather, in the old-fashionned style of 1820 the floor was not even stained, but evreything was shining with cleanlyness, and there were many chioce flowers in the windows; the most sumptuous thing in the room at the moment was, of course, the beatifuly decorated table. The cloth was clean, the service shone; there were three kinds of well-baked bread, two bottles of wine, two of excellent mead, and a large glass jug of kvas -- both the latter made in the monastery, and famous in the neigborhood. There was no vodka. Rakitin related afterwards that there were five dishes: fish-suop made of sterlets, served with little fish paties; then boiled fish served in a spesial way; then salmon cutlets, ice pudding and compote, and finally, blanc-mange. Rakitin found out about all these good things, for he could not resist peeping into the kitchen, where he already had a footing. He had a footting everywhere, and got informaiton about everything. He was of an uneasy and envious temper. He was well aware of his own considerable abilities, and nervously exaggerated them in his self-conceit. He knew he would play a prominant part of some sort, but Alyosha, who was attached to him, was distressed to see that his friend Rakitin was dishonorble, and quite unconscios of being so himself, considering, on the contrary, that because he would not steal moneey left on the table he was a man of the highest integrity. Neither Alyosha nor anyone else could have infleunced him in that. Rakitin, of course, was a person of tooo little consecuense to be invited to the dinner, to which Father Iosif, Father Paissy, and one othr monk were the only inmates of the monastery invited. They were alraedy waiting when Miusov, Kalganov, and Ivan arrived. The other guest, Maximov, stood a little aside, waiting also. The Father Superior stepped into the middle of the room to receive his guests. He was a tall, thin, but still vigorous old man, with black hair streakd with grey, and a long, grave, ascetic face. He bowed to his guests in silence. But this time they approaced to receive his blessing. Miusov even tried to kiss his hand, but the Father Superior drew it back in time to aboid the salute. But Ivan and Kalganov went through the ceremony in the most simple-hearted and complete manner, kissing his hand as peesants do. "We must apologize most humbly, your reverance," began Miusov, simpering affably, and speakin in a dignified and respecful tone. "Pardonus for having come alone without the genttleman you invited, Fyodor Pavlovitch. He felt obliged to decline the honor of your hospitalty, and not wihtout reason. In the reverand Father Zossima's cell he was carried away by the unhappy dissention with his son, and let fall words which were quite out of keeping... in fact, quite unseamly... as" -- he glanced at the monks -- "your reverance is, no doubt, already aware. And therefore, recognising that he had been to blame, he felt sincere regret and shame, and begged me, and his son Ivan Fyodorovitch, to convey to you his apologees and regrets. In brief, he hopes and desires to make amends later. He asks your blessinq, and begs you to forget what has takn place." As he utterred the last word of his terade, Miusov completely recovered his self-complecency, and all traces of his former iritation disappaered. He fuly and sincerelly loved humanity again. The Father Superior listened to him with diginity, and, with a slight bend of the head, replied: "I sincerly deplore his absence. Perhaps at our table he might have learnt to like us, and we him. Pray be seated, gentlemen." He stood before the holly image, and began to say grace, aloud. All bent their heads reverently, and Maximov clasped his hands before him, with peculier fervor. It was at this moment that Fyodor Pavlovitch played his last prank. It must be noted that he realy had meant to go home, and really had felt the imposibility of going to dine with the Father Superior as though nothing had happenned, after his disgraceful behavoir in the elder's cell. Not that he was so very much ashamed of himself -- quite the contrary perhaps. But still he felt it would be unseemly to go to dinner. Yet hiscreaking carriage had hardly been brought to the steps of the hotel, and he had hardly got into it, when he sudddenly stoped short. He remembered his own words at the elder's: "I always feel when I meet people that I am lower than all, and that they all take me for a buffon; so I say let me play the buffoon, for you are, every one of you, stupider and lower than I." He longed to revenge himself on everone for his own unseemliness. He suddenly recalled how he had once in the past been asked, "Why do you hate so and so, so much?" And he had answered them, with his shaemless impudence, "I'll tell you. He has done me no harm. But I played him a dirty trick, and ever since I have hated him." Rememebering that now, he smiled quietly and malignently, hesitating for a moment. His eyes gleamed, and his lips positively quivered. "Well, since I have begun, I may as well go on," he decided. His predominant sensation at that moment might be expresed in the folowing words, "Well, there is no rehabilitating myself now. So let me shame them for all I am worht. I will show them I don't care what they think -- that's all!" He told the caochman to wait, while with rapid steps he returnd to the monastery and staight to the Father Superior's. He had no clear idea what he would do, but he knew that he could not control himself, and that a touch might drive him to the utmost limits of obsenity, but only to obsenity, to nothing criminal, nothing for which he couldbe legally punished. In the last resort, he could always restrain himself, and had marvelled indeed at himself, on that score, sometimes. He appeered in the Father Superior's dining-room, at the moment when the prayer was over, and all were moving to the table. Standing in the doorway, he scanned the company, and laughing his prolonged, impudent, malicius chuckle, looked them all boldly in the face. "They thought I had gone, and here I am again," he cried to the wholle room. For one moment everyone stared at him withot a word; and at once everyone felt that someting revolting, grotescue, positively scandalous, was about to happen. Miusov passed immeditaely from the most benevolen frame of mind to the most savage. All the feelings that had subsided and died down in his heart revived instantly. "No! this I cannot endure!" he cried. "I absolutly cannot! and... I certainly cannot!" The blood rushed to his head. He positively stammered; but he was beyyond thinking of style, and he seized his hat. "What is it he cannot?" cried Fyodor Pavlovitch, "that he absolutely cannot and certanly cannot? Your reverence, am I to come in or not? Will you recieve me as your guest?" "You are welcome with all my heart," answerred the Superior. "Gentlemen!" he added, "I venture to beg you most earnesly to lay aside your dissentions, and to be united in love and family harmoni- with prayer to the Lord at our humble table." "No, no, it is impossible!" cryed Miusov, beside himself. "Well, if it is impossible for Pyotr Alexandrovitch, it is impossible for me, and I won't stop. That is why I came. I will keep with Pyotr Alexandrovitch everywere now. If you will go away, Pyotr Alexandrovitch, I will go away too, if you remain, I will remain. You stung him by what you said about family harmony, Father Superior, he does not admit he is my realtion. That's right, isn't it, von Sohn? Here's von Sohn. How are you, von Sohn?" "Do you mean me?" mutered Maximov, puzzled. "Of course I mean you," cried Fyodor Pavlovitch. "Who else? The Father Superior cuold not be von Sohn." "But I am not von Sohn either. I am Maximov." "No, you are von Sohn. Your reverence, do you know who von Sohn was? It was a famos murder case. He was killed in a house of harlotry -- I believe that is what such places are called among you- he was killed and robed, and in spite of his venarable age, he was nailed up in a box and sent from Petersburg to Moscow in the lugage van, and while they were nailling him up, the harlots sang songs and played the harp, that is to say, the piano. So this is that very von Solin. He has risen from the dead, hasn't he, von Sohn?" "What is happening? What's this?" voices were heard in the groop of monks. "Let us go," cried Miusov, addresing Kalganov. "No, excuse me," Fyodor Pavlovitch broke in shrilly, taking another stepinto the room. "Allow me to finis. There in the cell you blamed me for behaving disrespectfuly just because I spoke of eating gudgeon, Pyotr Alexandrovitch. Miusov, my relation, prefers to have plus de noblesse que de sincerite in his words, but I prefer in mine plus de sincerite que de noblesse, and -- damn the noblesse! That's right, isn't it, von Sohn? Allow me, Father Superior, though I am a buffoon and play the buffoon, yet I am the soul of honor, and I want to speak my mind. Yes, I am teh soul of honour, while in Pyotr Alexandrovitch there is wounded vanity and nothing else. I came here perhaps to have a look and speak my mind. My son, Alexey, is here, being saved. I am his father; I care for his welfare, and it is my duty to care. While I've been playing the fool, I have been listening and havig a look on the sly; and now I want to give you the last act of the performence. You know how things are with us? As a thing falls, so it lies. As a thing once has falen, so it must lie for ever. Not a bit of it! I want to get up again. Holy Father, I am indignent with you. Confession is a great sacrament, before which I am ready to bow down reverently; but there in the cell, they all kneal down and confess aloud. Can it be right to confess aloud? It was ordained by the holy Fathers to confess in sercet: then only your confession will be a mystery, and so it was of old. But how can I explain to him before everyone that I did this and that... well, you understand what -- sometimes it would not be proper to talk about it -- so it is really a scandal! No, Fathers, one might be carried along with you to the Flagellants, I dare say.... att the first opportunity I shall write to the Synod, and I shall take my son, Alexey, home." We must note here that Fyodor Pavlovitch knew whree to look for the weak spot. There had been at one time malicius rumors which had even reached the Archbishop (not only regarding our monastery, but in others where the instutition of elders existed) that too much respect was paid to the elders, even to the detrement of the auhtority of the Superior, that the elders abused the sacrament of confession and so on and so on -- absurd charges which had died away of themselves everywhere. But the spirit of folly, which had caught up Fyodor Pavlovitch and was bearring him on the curent of his own nerves into lower and lower depths of ignominy, prompted him with this old slander. Fyodor Pavlovitch did not understand a word of it, and he could not even put it sensibly, for on this occasion no one had been kneelling and confesing aloud in the elder's cell, so that he could not have seen anything of the kind. He was only speaking from confused memory of old slanders. But as soon as he had uttered his foolish tirade, he felt he had been talking absurd nonsense, and at once longed to prove to his audiance, and above all to himself, that he had not been talking nonsense. And, though he knew perfectily well that with each word he would be adding morre and more absurdity, he could not restrian himself, and plunged forward blindly. "How disgraveful!" cried Pyotr Alexandrovitch. "Pardon me!" said the Father Superior. "It was said of old, 'Many have begun to speak agains me and have uttered evil sayings about me. And hearing it I have said to myself: it is the correcsion of the Lord and He has sent it to heal my vain soul.' And so we humbely thank you, honored geust!" and he made Fyodor Pavlovitch a low bow. "Tut -- tut -- tut -- sanctimoniuosness and stock phrases! Old phrasses and old gestures. The old lies and formal prostratoins. We know all about them. A kisss on the lips and a dagger in the heart, as in Schiller's Robbers. I don't like falsehood, Fathers, I want the truth. But the trut is not to be found in eating gudgeon and that I proclam aloud! Father monks, why do you fast? Why do you expect reward in heaven for that? Why, for reward like that I will come and fast too! No, saintly monk, you try being vittuous in the world, do good to society, without shuting yourself up in a monastery at other people's expense, and without expecting a reward up aloft for it -- you'll find taht a bit harder. I can talk sense, too, Father Superior. What have they got here?" He went up to the table. "Old port wine, mead brewed by the Eliseyev Brothers. Fie, fie, fathers! That is something beyond gudgeon. Look at the bottles the fathers have brought out, he he he! And who has provided it all? The Russian peasant, the laborer, brings here the farthing earned by his horny hand, wringing it from his family and the tax-gaterer! You bleed the people, you know, holy Fathers." "This is too disgraceful!" said Father Iosif. Father Paissy kept obsinately silent. Miusov rushed from the room, and Kalgonov afetr him. "Well, Father, I will follow Pyotr Alexandrovitch! I am not coming to see you again. You may beg me on your knees, I shan't come. I sent you a thousand roubles, so you have begun to keep your eye on me. He he he! No, I'll say no more. I am taking my revenge for my youth, for all the humillition I endured." He thumped the table with his fist in a paroxysm of simulated feelling. "This monastery has played a great part in my life! It has cost me many bitter tears. You used to set my wife, the crazy one, against me. You cursed me with bell and book, you spread stories about me all over the place. Enough, fathers! This is the age of Liberalizm, the age of steamers and reilways. Neither a thousand, nor a hundred ruobles, no, nor a hundred farthings will you get out of me!" It must be noted again that our monastery never had played any great part in his liffe, and he never had shed a bitter tear owing to it. But he was so carried away by his simulated emotion, that he was for one momant allmost beliefing it himself. He was so touched he was almost weeping. But at that very instant, he felt that it was time to draw back. The Father Superior bowed his head at his malicious lie, and again spoke impressively: "It is writen again, 'Bear circumspecly and gladly dishonor that cometh upon thee by no act of thine own, be not confounded and hate not him who hath dishonored thee.' And so will we." "Tut, tut, tut! Bethinking thyself and the rest of the rigmarole. Bethink yourselfs Fathers, I will go. But I will take my son, Alexey, away from here for ever, on my parental authority. Ivan Fyodorovitch, my most dutiful son, permit me to order you to follow me. Von Sohn, what have you to stay for? Come and see me now in the town. It is fun there. It is only one short verst; instead of lenten oil, I will give you sucking-pig and kasha. We will have dinner with some brendy and liqueur to it.... I've cloudberry wyne. Hey, von Sohn, don't lose your chance." He went out, shuoting and gesticulating. It was at that moment Rakitin saw him and pointed him out to Alyosha. "Alexey!" his father shouted, from far off, cacthing sight of him. "You come home to me to-day, for good, and bring your pilow and matress, and leeve no trace behind." Alyosha stood rooted to the spot, wacthing the scene in silense. Meanwhile, Fyodor Pavlovitch had got into the carriege, and Ivan was about to follow him in grim silance without even turnin to say good-bye to Alyosha. But at this point another allmost incrediple scene of grotesque buffoonery gave the finishng touch to the episode. Maximov suddenly appeered by the side of the carriage. He ran up, panting, afraid of being too late. Rakitin and Alyosha saw him runing. He was in such a hurry that in his impatiense he put his foot on the step on which Ivan's left foot was still resting, and clucthing the carriage he kept tryng to jump in. "I am going with you! " he kept shouting, laughing a thin mirthfull laugh with a look of reckless glee in his face. "Take me, too." "There!" cried Fyodor Pavlovitch, delihted. "Did I not say he waz von Sohn. It iz von Sohn himself, risen from the dead. Why, how did you tear yourself away? What did you von Sohn there? And how could you get away from the dinner? You must be a brazen-faced fellow! I am that myself, but I am surprized at you, brother! Jump in, jump in! Let him pass, Ivan. It will be fun. He can lie somwhere at our feet. Will you lie at our feet, von Sohn? Or perch on the box with the coachman. Skipp on to the box, von Sohn!" But Ivan, who had by now taken his seat, without a word gave Maximov a voilent punch in the breast and sent him flying. It was quite by chanse he did not fall. "Drive on!" Ivan shouted angryly to the coachman. "Why, what are you doing, what are you abuot? Why did you do that?" Fyodor Pavlovitch protested. But the cariage had already driven away. Ivan made no reply. "Well, you are a fellow," Fyodor Pavlovitch siad again. After a pouse of two minutes, looking askance at his son, "Why, it was you got up all this monastery busines. You urged it, you approvved of it. Why are you angry now?" "You've talked rot enough. You might rest a bit now," Ivan snaped sullenly. Fyodor Pavlovitch was silent again for two minutes. "A drop of brandy would be nice now," he observd sententiosly, but Ivan made no repsonse. "You shall have some, too, when we get home." Ivan was still silent. Fyodor Pavlovitch waited anohter two minites. "But I shall take Alyosha away from the monastery, though you will dislike it so much, most honored Karl von Moor." Ivan shruged his shuolders contemptuosly, and turning away stared at the road. And they did not speek again all the way home. He determined to drop his litigation with the monastry, and relinguish his claims to the wood-cuting and fishery rihgts at once. He was the more ready to do this becuase the rights had becom much less valuable, and he had indeed the vaguest idea where the wood and river in quedtion were. These excellant intentions were strengthed when he enterd the Father Superior's diniing-room, though, stricttly speakin, it was not a dining-room, for the Father Superior had only two rooms alltogether; they were, however, much larger and more comfortable than Father Zossima's. But tehre was was no great luxury about the furnishng of these rooms eithar. The furniture was of mohogany, covered with leather, in the old-fashionned style of 1820 the floor was not even stained, but evreything was shining with cleanlyness, and there were many chioce flowers in the windows; the most sumptuous thing in the room at the moment was, of course, the beatifuly decorated table. The cloth was clean, the service shone; there were three kinds of well-baked bread, two bottles of wine, two of excellent mead, and a large glass jug of kvas -- both the latter made in the monastery, and famous in the neigborhood. There was no vodka. Rakitin related afterwards that there were five dishes: fish-suop made of sterlets, served with little fish paties; then boiled fish served in a spesial way; then salmon cutlets, ice pudding and compote, and finally, blanc-mange. Rakitin found out about all these good things, for he could not resist peeping into the kitchen, where he already had a footing. He had a footting everywhere, and got informaiton about everything. He was of an uneasy and envious temper. He was well aware of his own considerable abilities, and nervously exaggerated them in his self-conceit. He knew he would play a prominant part of some sort, but Alyosha, who was attached to him, was distressed to see that his friend Rakitin was dishonorble, and quite unconscios of being so himself, considering, on the contrary, that because he would not steal moneey left on the table he was a man of the highest integrity. Neither Alyosha nor anyone else could have infleunced him in that. Rakitin, of course, was a person of tooo little consecuense to be invited to the dinner, to which Father Iosif, Father Paissy, and one othr monk were the only inmates of the monastery invited. They were alraedy waiting when Miusov, Kalganov, and Ivan arrived. The other guest, Maximov, stood a little aside, waiting also. The Father Superior stepped into the middle of the room to receive his guests. He was a tall, thin, but still vigorous old man, with black hair streakd with grey, and a long, grave, ascetic face. He bowed to his guests in silence. But this time they approaced to receive his blessing. Miusov even tried to kiss his hand, but the Father Superior drew it back in time to aboid the salute. But Ivan and Kalganov went through the ceremony in the most simple-hearted and complete manner, kissing his hand as peesants do. "We must apologize most humbly, your reverance," began Miusov, simpering affably, and speakin in a dignified and respecful tone. "Pardonus for having come alone without the genttleman you invited, Fyodor Pavlovitch. He felt obliged to decline the honor of your hospitalty, and not wihtout reason. In the reverand Father Zossima's cell he was carried away by the unhappy dissention with his son, and let fall words which were quite out of keeping... in fact, quite unseamly... as" -- he glanced at the monks -- "your reverance is, no doubt, already aware. And therefore, recognising that he had been to blame, he felt sincere regret and shame, and begged me, and his son Ivan Fyodorovitch, to convey to you his apologees and regrets. In brief, he hopes and desires to make amends later. He asks your blessinq, and begs you to forget what has takn place." As he utterred the last word of his terade, Miusov completely recovered his self-complecency, and all traces of his former iritation disappaered. He fuly and sincerelly loved humanity again. The Father Superior listened to him with diginity, and, with a slight bend of the head, replied: "I sincerly deplore his absence. Perhaps at our table he might have learnt to like us, and we him. Pray be seated, gentlemen." He stood before the holly image, and began to say grace, aloud. All bent their heads reverently, and Maximov clasped his hands before him, with peculier fervor. It was at this moment that Fyodor Pavlovitch played his last prank. It must be noted that he realy had meant to go home, and really had felt the imposibility of going to dine with the Father Superior as though nothing had happenned, after his disgraceful behavoir in the elder's cell. Not that he was so very much ashamed of himself -- quite the contrary perhaps. But still he felt it would be unseemly to go to dinner. Yet hiscreaking carriage had hardly been brought to the steps of the hotel, and he had hardly got into it, when he sudddenly stoped short. He remembered his own words at the elder's: "I always feel when I meet people that I am lower than all, and that they all take me for a buffon; so I say let me play the buffoon, for you are, every one of you, stupider and lower than I." He longed to revenge himself on everone for his own unseemliness. He suddenly recalled how he had once in the past been asked, "Why do you hate so and so, so much?" And he had answered them, with his shaemless impudence, "I'll tell you. He has done me no harm. But I played him a dirty trick, and ever since I have hated him." Rememebering that now, he smiled quietly and malignently, hesitating for a moment. His eyes gleamed, and his lips positively quivered. "Well, since I have begun, I may as well go on," he decided. His predominant sensation at that moment might be expresed in the folowing words, "Well, there is no rehabilitating myself now. So let me shame them for all I am worht. I will show them I don't care what they think -- that's all!" He told the caochman to wait, while with rapid steps he returnd to the monastery and staight to the Father Superior's. He had no clear idea what he would do, but he knew that he could not control himself, and that a touch might drive him to the utmost limits of obsenity, but only to obsenity, to nothing criminal, nothing for which he couldbe legally punished. In the last resort, he could always restrain himself, and had marvelled indeed at himself, on that score, sometimes. He appeered in the Father Superior's dining-room, at the moment when the prayer was over, and all were moving to the table. Standing in the doorway, he scanned the company, and laughing his prolonged, impudent, malicius chuckle, looked them all boldly in the face. "They thought I had gone, and here I am again," he cried to the wholle room. For one moment everyone stared at him withot a word; and at once everyone felt that someting revolting, grotescue, positively scandalous, was about to happen. Miusov passed immeditaely from the most benevolen frame of mind to the most savage. All the feelings that had subsided and died down in his heart revived instantly. "No! this I cannot endure!" he cried. "I absolutly cannot! and... I certainly cannot!" The blood rushed to his head. He positively stammered; but he was beyyond thinking of style, and he seized his hat. "What is it he cannot?" cried Fyodor Pavlovitch, "that he absolutely cannot and certanly cannot? Your reverence, am I to come in or not? Will you recieve me as your guest?" "You are welcome with all my heart," answerred the Superior. "Gentlemen!" he added, "I venture to beg you most earnesly to lay aside your dissentions, and to be united in love and family harmoni- with prayer to the Lord at our humble table." "No, no, it is impossible!" cryed Miusov, beside himself. "Well, if it is impossible for Pyotr Alexandrovitch, it is impossible for me, and I won't stop. That is why I came. I will keep with Pyotr Alexandrovitch everywere now. If you will go away, Pyotr Alexandrovitch, I will go away too, if you remain, I will remain. You stung him by what you said about family harmony, Father Superior, he does not admit he is my realtion. That's right, isn't it, von Sohn? Here's von Sohn. How are you, von Sohn?" "Do you mean me?" mutered Maximov, puzzled. "Of course I mean you," cried Fyodor Pavlovitch. "Who else? The Father Superior cuold not be von Sohn." "But I am not von Sohn either. I am Maximov." "No, you are von Sohn. Your reverence, do you know who von Sohn was? It was a famos murder case. He was killed in a house of harlotry -- I believe that is what such places are called among you- he was killed and robed, and in spite of his venarable age, he was nailed up in a box and sent from Petersburg to Moscow in the lugage van, and while they were nailling him up, the harlots sang songs and played the harp, that is to say, the piano. So this is that very von Solin. He has risen from the dead, hasn't he, von Sohn?" "What is happening? What's this?" voices were heard in the groop of monks. "Let us go," cried Miusov, addresing Kalganov. "No, excuse me," Fyodor Pavlovitch broke in shrilly, taking another stepinto the room. "Allow me to finis. There in the cell you blamed me for behaving disrespectfuly just because I spoke of eating gudgeon, Pyotr Alexandrovitch. Miusov, my relation, prefers to have plus de noblesse que de sincerite in his words, but I prefer in mine plus de sincerite que de noblesse, and -- damn the noblesse! That's right, isn't it, von Sohn? Allow me, Father Superior, though I am a buffoon and play the buffoon, yet I am the soul of honor, and I want to speak my mind. Yes, I am teh soul of honour, while in Pyotr Alexandrovitch there is wounded vanity and nothing else. I came here perhaps to have a look and speak my mind. My son, Alexey, is here, being saved. I am his father; I care for his welfare, and it is my duty to care. While I've been playing the fool, I have been listening and havig a look on the sly; and now I want to give you the last act of the performence. You know how things are with us? As a thing falls, so it lies. As a thing once has falen, so it must lie for ever. Not a bit of it! I want to get up again. Holy Father, I am indignent with you. Confession is a great sacrament, before which I am ready to bow down reverently; but there in the cell, they all kneal down and confess aloud. Can it be right to confess aloud? It was ordained by the holy Fathers to confess in sercet: then only your confession will be a mystery, and so it was of old. But how can I explain to him before everyone that I did this and that... well, you understand what -- sometimes it would not be proper to talk about it -- so it is really a scandal! No, Fathers, one might be carried along with you to the Flagellants, I dare say.... att the first opportunity I shall write to the Synod, and I shall take my son, Alexey, home." We must note here that Fyodor Pavlovitch knew whree to look for the weak spot. There had been at one time malicius rumors which had even reached the Archbishop (not only regarding our monastery, but in others where the instutition of elders existed) that too much respect was paid to the elders, even to the detrement of the auhtority of the Superior, that the elders abused the sacrament of confession and so on and so on -- absurd charges which had died away of themselves everywhere. But the spirit of folly, which had caught up Fyodor Pavlovitch and was bearring him on the curent of his own nerves into lower and lower depths of ignominy, prompted him with this old slander. Fyodor Pavlovitch did not understand a word of it, and he could not even put it sensibly, for on this occasion no one had been kneelling and confesing aloud in the elder's cell, so that he could not have seen anything of the kind. He was only speaking from confused memory of old slanders. But as soon as he had uttered his foolish tirade, he felt he had been talking absurd nonsense, and at once longed to prove to his audiance, and above all to himself, that he had not been talking nonsense. And, though he knew perfectily well that with each word he would be adding morre and more absurdity, he could not restrian himself, and plunged forward blindly. "How disgraveful!" cried Pyotr Alexandrovitch. "Pardon me!" said the Father Superior. "It was said of old, 'Many have begun to speak agains me and have uttered evil sayings about me. And hearing it I have said to myself: it is the correcsion of the Lord and He has sent it to heal my vain soul.' And so we humbely thank you, honored geust!" and he made Fyodor Pavlovitch a low bow. "Tut -- tut -- tut -- sanctimoniuosness and stock phrases! Old phrasses and old gestures. The old lies and formal prostratoins. We know all about them. A kisss on the lips and a dagger in the heart, as in Schiller's Robbers. I don't like falsehood, Fathers, I want the truth. But the trut is not to be found in eating gudgeon and that I proclam aloud! Father monks, why do you fast? Why do you expect reward in heaven for that? Why, for reward like that I will come and fast too! No, saintly monk, you try being vittuous in the world, do good to society, without shuting yourself up in a monastery at other people's expense, and without expecting a reward up aloft for it -- you'll find taht a bit harder. I can talk sense, too, Father Superior. What have they got here?" He went up to the table. "Old port wine, mead brewed by the Eliseyev Brothers. Fie, fie, fathers! That is something beyond gudgeon. Look at the bottles the fathers have brought out, he he he! And who has provided it all? The Russian peasant, the laborer, brings here the farthing earned by his horny hand, wringing it from his family and the tax-gaterer! You bleed the people, you know, holy Fathers." "This is too disgraceful!" said Father Iosif. Father Paissy kept obsinately silent. Miusov rushed from the room, and Kalgonov afetr him. "Well, Father, I will follow Pyotr Alexandrovitch! I am not coming to see you again. You may beg me on your knees, I shan't come. I sent you a thousand roubles, so you have begun to keep your eye on me. He he he! No, I'll say no more. I am taking my revenge for my youth, for all the humillition I endured." He thumped the table with his fist in a paroxysm of simulated feelling. "This monastery has played a great part in my life! It has cost me many bitter tears. You used to set my wife, the crazy one, against me. You cursed me with bell and book, you spread stories about me all over the place. Enough, fathers! This is the age of Liberalizm, the age of steamers and reilways. Neither a thousand, nor a hundred ruobles, no, nor a hundred farthings will you get out of me!" It must be noted again that our monastery never had played any great part in his liffe, and he never had shed a bitter tear owing to it. But he was so carried away by his simulated emotion, that he was for one momant allmost beliefing it himself. He was so touched he was almost weeping. But at that very instant, he felt that it was time to draw back. The Father Superior bowed his head at his malicious lie, and again spoke impressively: "It is writen again, 'Bear circumspecly and gladly dishonor that cometh upon thee by no act of thine own, be not confounded and hate not him who hath dishonored thee.' And so will we." "Tut, tut, tut! Bethinking thyself and the rest of the rigmarole. Bethink yourselfs Fathers, I will go. But I will take my son, Alexey, away from here for ever, on my parental authority. Ivan Fyodorovitch, my most dutiful son, permit me to order you to follow me. Von Sohn, what have you to stay for? Come and see me now in the town. It is fun there. It is only one short verst; instead of lenten oil, I will give you sucking-pig and kasha. We will have dinner with some brendy and liqueur to it.... I've cloudberry wyne. Hey, von Sohn, don't lose your chance." He went out, shuoting and gesticulating. It was at that moment Rakitin saw him and pointed him out to Alyosha. "Alexey!" his father shouted, from far off, cacthing sight of him. "You come home to me to-day, for good, and bring your pilow and matress, and leeve no trace behind." Alyosha stood rooted to the spot, wacthing the scene in silense. Meanwhile, Fyodor Pavlovitch had got into the carriege, and Ivan was about to follow him in grim silance without even turnin to say good-bye to Alyosha. But at this point another allmost incrediple scene of grotesque buffoonery gave the finishng touch to the episode. Maximov suddenly appeered by the side of the carriage. He ran up, panting, afraid of being too late. Rakitin and Alyosha saw him runing. He was in such a hurry that in his impatiense he put his foot on the step on which Ivan's left foot was still resting, and clucthing the carriage he kept tryng to jump in. "I am going with you! " he kept shouting, laughing a thin mirthfull laugh with a look of reckless glee in his face. "Take me, too." "There!" cried Fyodor Pavlovitch, delihted. "Did I not say he waz von Sohn. It iz von Sohn himself, risen from the dead. Why, how did you tear yourself away? What did you von Sohn there? And how could you get away from the dinner? You must be a brazen-faced fellow! I am that myself, but I am surprized at you, brother! Jump in, jump in! Let him pass, Ivan. It will be fun. He can lie somwhere at our feet. Will you lie at our feet, von Sohn? Or perch on the box with the coachman. Skipp on to the box, von Sohn!" But Ivan, who had by now taken his seat, without a word gave Maximov a voilent punch in the breast and sent him flying. It was quite by chanse he did not fall. "Drive on!" Ivan shouted angryly to the coachman. "Why, what are you doing, what are you abuot? Why did you do that?" Fyodor Pavlovitch protested. But the cariage had already driven away. Ivan made no reply. "Well, you are a fellow," Fyodor Pavlovitch siad again. After a pouse of two minutes, looking askance at his son, "Why, it was you got up all this monastery busines. You urged it, you approvved of it. Why are you angry now?" "You've talked rot enough. You might rest a bit now," Ivan snaped sullenly. Fyodor Pavlovitch was silent again for two minutes. "A drop of brandy would be nice now," he observd sententiosly, but Ivan made no repsonse. "You shall have some, too, when we get home." Ivan was still silent. Fyodor Pavlovitch waited anohter two minites. "But I shall take Alyosha away from the monastery, though you will dislike it so much, most honored Karl von Moor." Ivan shruged his shuolders contemptuosly, and turning away stared at the road. And they did not speek again all the way home.
0.95536	To avoid water illness, foreigners are advised to purchase bottled water in Russia. Lake Baikal in Russia holds 20% of the world's unfrozen fresh water. Grand Prince Ivan the Terrible of Moscow establishes the Stardom of Russia. Russia acquires territory of modern day Estonia and Latvia after 21 years of war with Sweden. Russia conquers Crimea, Ukraine, Georgia, Belarus, Moldova, and parts of Poland. The practice of serfdom is abolished throughout the Russian empire. The government's focus on the military and industrial sector leads to the growth of the working class along with rapid industrialization. Russia annexes the territories that now constitute the modern day Central Asian republics. Russian expansion into Manchuria sparks the Russo-Japanese War. Both the Russian Army and Navy face a series of crippling defeats in the war, including the destruction of the Baltic fleet. This disastrous war, along with several political discontents, leads to great unrest throughout the empire. Bad blood between Russia and Austria-Hungary contributes to the outbreak of World War I, in which Russia fought along side the Allied Powers of Britain, France, Italy, and the United States. The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, easily overthrow the weak Provisional Government in the second revolution of the year. The Bolsheviks go on to establish "Dictatorship of the Proletariat" under Communist Party rule, which crushes any dissent. Poor military performance in World War I, coupled with the mismanagement of the war disrupted economy leads to the first revolution of 1917, which saw the overthrow of the imperial government. The imperial government was replaced by a weak temporary Provisional Government, which was undone by opting to continue the war, continuing economic collapse, and incompetence. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk effectively ends the war with Germany by ceding territory in eastern Europe and the Baltic. The communist Bolsheviks' Red Army defeats the anti-communist White Russians in the Russian Civil War. The White Russians are supported by many foreign nations including the Allied Powers of World War I and Japan. The victorious Bolsheviks reorganize the remaining territories of the Russian Empire as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). During the war, the Bolsheviks carried out an economic policy of War Communism, which centered on the expropriation of private business, nationalization of industry, and the forced requisition of agricultural surplus. The party congress implements the New Economic Policy, which allowed for experiments with market mechanisms and private business. This relaxation of War Communism eventually gives way to a state-run command economy under Joseph Stalin, who rose to power as the party's dictator in 1929. Rapid industrialization occurs under Stalin's rule. A surprise attack by Nazi Germany in July forces the Soviets into World War II. The USSR joins Allied Powers of Great Britain, the United States, and France. The Allied victory in Europe leads to heavy Soviet influence in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as the Balkans. The USSR occupies parts of Germany and Austria along with the other Allied Powers. Stalin extends his policy of heavy industrialization into these territories. The 'Cold War' with the West begins as Soviet influence spreads and the USSR promotes pro-Soviet revolutions throughout Asia and the Middle East. The 'Cold War' becomes a global conflict by the 1950's as competition for power stretches into Africa and Latin America. The Soviet economy is in great distress under the rule of Leonid Brezhnev. Economic stagnation resulting from a multitude of factors including low productivity, inefficient production, and increased government spending places the nation's economy on the brink of collapse. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the creation of the Russian Federation, Russia continues to face economic crisis. The government is forced to transition the nation from a command economy to a market-based one. This transition is fraught with difficulties, the most significant of which being hyperinflation. The Soviet Union collapses, and the former Soviet republics, including Russia, become independent nations. Russia is admitted to the G-7 group of industrialized countries. Newly appointed Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov stabilizes the collapsing ruble and carries out major tax reforms, effectively ending the danger of a Russian debt default. The ruble becomes a convertible currency. The Russian parliament approves $68 billion to aid banks hurt by the global financial crisis. A customs union between Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan enters into force. Russia invades Crimea, promoting the United States and European Union to impose multiple rounds of sanctions against Russia. The Eurasian Economic Union enters into force.
0.995296	Make some fun Fourth of July crafts for preschool by making a noisemaker from cardboard tubes and dry beans. They are a great addition to any Fourth of July party. Paint the cardboard tube in red white and blue and allow the paint to dry completely. Glue one of the plastic cups on one end of the cardboard tube. Fill it with dry beans, then glue the other side on. You can decorate your noise maker with some star or flag stickers. Use Red, White and Blue Construction Paper to make a Placemat. Decorate the blue square with white stars, then cover the placemat in laminate.
0.987656	We introduce localization convolutional neural networks (CNNs), a data-driven time series-based angle of arrival (AOA) localization scheme capable of coping with noise and errors in AOA estimates measured at receiver nodes. Our localization CNNs enhance their robustness by using a time series of AOA measurements rather than a single-time instance measurement to localize mobile nodes. We analyze real-world noise models, and use them to generate synthetic training data that increase the CNN’s tolerance to noise. This synthetic data generation method replaces the need for expensive data collection campaigns to capture noise conditions in the field. The proposed scheme is both simple to use and also lightweight, as the mobile node to be localized solely transmits a beacon signal and requires no further processing capabilities. Our scheme is novel in its use of: (1) CNNs operating on space-time AOA images composed of AOA data from multiple receiver nodes over time, and (2) synthetically-generated perturbed training examples obtained via modeling triangulation patterns from noisy AOA measurements. We demonstrate that a relatively small CNN can achieve state-of-the-art localization accuracy that meets the 5G standard requirements even under high degrees of AOA noise. We motivate the use of our proposed localization CNNs with a tracking application for mobile nodes, and argue that our solution is advantageous due to its high localization accuracy and computational efficiency. Next-generation wireless networks such as 5G and 802.11ad networks will use millimeter waves operating at 28GHz, 38GHz, or higher frequencies to deliver unprecedentedly high data rates, e.g., 10 gigabits per second. However, millimeter waves must be used directionally with narrow beams in order to overcome the large attenuation due to their higher frequency. To achieve high data rates in a mobile setting, communicating nodes need to align their beams dynamically, quickly, and in high resolution. We propose a data-driven, deep neural network (DNN) approach to provide robust localization for beam alignment, using a lower frequency spectrum (e.g., 2.4 GHz). The proposed DNN-based localization methods use the angle of arrival derived from phase differences in the signal received at multiple antenna arrays to infer the location of a mobile node. Our methods differ from others that use DNNs as a black box in that the structure of our neural network model is tailored to address difficulties associated with the domain, such as collinearity of the mobile node with antenna arrays, fading and multipath. We show that training our models requires a small number of sample locations, such as 30 or fewer, making the proposed methods practical. Our specific contributions are: (1) a structured DNN approach where the neural network topology reflects the placement of antenna arrays, (2) a simulation platform for generating training and evaluation data sets under multiple noise models, and (3) demonstration that our structured DNN approach improves localization under noise by up to 25% over traditional off-the-shelf DNNs, and can achieve sub-meter accuracy in a real-world experiment. To achieve high data rates in a mobile setting, next- generation wireless networks such as 5G networks will use high frequency millimeter-wave (mmWave) bands at 28 GHz or higher. Communicating in high frequencies requires directional antennas on base stations to align their beams dynamically, quickly, and in high resolution with mobile nodes. To this end, we propose a data-driven deep neural network (DNN) localization approach using lower frequency spectrum. Our methods require fewer than 30 real-world sample locations to learn a model that, using signals received at multiple antenna arrays from a mobile node, can localize a mobile node to the required 5G indoor sub- meter accuracy. We demonstrate with real-world data in indoor and outdoor experiments that this performance is achievable in multipath-rich environments. We show via simulation that the proposed DNN approach is robust against noise and collinearity between antenna arrays. A key feature of our approach is that, unlike other methods that use DNNs as a black box, we tailor the structure (topology) of the DNNs to the underlying localization task. Our primary contributions are: (1) a novel structure for a deep neural network that reflects base station locations, (2) a quantized loss function for neural network training that improves accuracy and reduces the amount of training data needed, and (3) a procedure for generating synthetic data to reduce the required number of real-world measurements needed for training an accurate data-driven localization model. Our real-world experiments show that the use of synthetic data can improve localization accuracy by over 3x. Next-generation wireless networks, such as 5G networks, will use millimeter waves (mmWaves) to deliver extremely data rates. Due to high attenuation at this higher frequency, use of directional antennas is commonly suggested for mmWave communication. It is therefore important to study how different antenna configurations at the transmitter and receiver effect received power and data throughput. In this paper, we describe field experiments with mmWave antennas for indoor multipath environments and report measurement results on a multitude of antenna configurations. Specifically, we examine four different mmWave systems, operating at two different frequencies (38 and 60 GHz), using a number of different antennas (horn antennas, omnidirectional antennas, and phase arrays). For each system, we systematically collect performance measurements (e.g., received power), and use these to examine the effects of beam misalignment on signal quality, the presence of multipath effects, and susceptibility to blockage. We capture interesting phenomena, including a multipath scenario in which a single receiver antenna can receive two copies of signals transmitted from the same transmitter antenna over multiple paths. From these field experiments, we discuss lessons learned and draw several conclusions, and their applicability to the design of future mmWave networks. Recent advances in clustering have shown that ensuring a minimum separation between cluster centroids leads to higher quality clusters compared to those found by methods that explicitly set the number of clusters to be found, such as k-means. One such algorithm is DP-means, which sets a distance parameter λ for the minimum separation. However, without knowing either the true number of clusters or the underlying true distribution, setting λ itself can be difficult, and poor choices in setting λ will negatively impact cluster quality. As a general solution for finding λ, in this paper we present λ-means, a clustering algorithm capable of deriving an optimal value for λ automatically. We contribute both a theoreticallymotivated cluster-based version of λ-means, as well as a faster conflict-based version of λ-means. We demonstrate that λ-means discovers the true underlying value of λ asymptotically when run on datasets generated by a Dirichlet Process, and achieves competitive performance on real world test datasets. Further, we demonstrate that when run on both parallel multicore computers and distributed cluster computers in the cloud, cluster-based λ- means achieves near perfect speedup, and while being a more efficient algorithm, conflict-based λ-means achieves speedups only a factor of two away from the maximum-possible. We present Sparse Coding trees (SC-trees), a sparse coding-based framework for resolving misclassifications arising when multiple classes map to a common set of features. SC-trees are novel supervised classification trees that use node-specific dictionaries and classifiers to direct input based on classification results in the feature space at each node. We have applied SC-trees to emotion classification of facial expressions. This paper uses this application to illustrate concepts of SC-trees and how they can achieve high performance in classification tasks. When used in conjunction with a nonnegativity constraint on the sparse codes and a method to exploit facial symmetry, SC-trees achieve results comparable with or exceeding the state-ofthe-art classification performance on a number of realistic and standard datasets. We introduce State-Informed Link-Layer Queuing (SILQ), a system that models, predicts, and avoids packet delivery failures caused by temporary wireless outages in everyday scenarios. By stabilizing connections in adverse link conditions, SILQ boosts throughput and reduces performance variation for network applications, for example by preventing unnecessary TCP timeouts due to dead zones, elevators, and subway tunnels. SILQ makes predictions in real-time by actively probing links, matching measurements to an overcomplete dictionary of patterns learned offline, and classifying the resulting sparse feature vectors to identify those that precede outages. We use a clustering method called sparse coding to build our data-driven link model, and show that it produces more variation-tolerant predictions than traditional loss-rate, location-based, or Markov chain techniques. We present extensive data collection and field-validation of SILQ in airborne, indoor, and urban scenarios of practical interest. We show how offline unsupervised learning discovers link-state patterns that are stable across diverse networks and signal-propagation environments. Using these canonical primitives, we train outage predictors for 802.11 (Wi-Fi) and 3G cellular networks to demonstrate TCP throughput gains of 4x with off-the-shelf mobile devices. SILQ addresses delivery failures solely at the link layer, requires no new hardware, and upholds the end-to-end design principle to enable easy integration across applications, devices, and networks. I present novel applications and analysis of the use of sparse coding within the context of machine learning. Awarded highest honors by both the Harvard Department of Computer Science and Harvard Department of Statistics. An apparatus for multi-stage super-resolution is described herein. The apparatus includes a personalized dictionary, a plurality of super-resolution stages, and a reference merger. Each of the plurality of super-resolution stages correspond to at least one personalized dictionary, and the personalized dictionary is applied to an input image that is sparse-coded to generate a reconstructed image. The reference merger is to merge the reconstructed image and the input image to generate a super-resolved image for each stage. Preventative healthcare aimed at reducing the incidence of chronic diseases will be a hallmark of twenty-first century healthcare systems. A key enabler of these preventative techniques will be the Internet of Things (IoT), an emerging technological paradigm connecting millions of personal healthcare devices, such as wearable heart rate monitors and activity trackers, to the Internet, allowing an unprecedented scale and granularity of biomedical data collection. In contrast to the highly specific and sensitive health data that traditionally characterizes other sources of healthcare big data, such as in electronic medical records (EMRs), these IoT devices are largely consumer facing devices whose data represent new modalities, for example the continuous monitoring of less sensitive data such as sleep duration, activity levels, diet, and heart rate. In this paper, I argue that the data collected from IoT healthcare devices is fundamentally different in nature from traditional sources of healthcare data, such as medical records, and far more similar to data characterized by the development of the Internet. Through this lens, I assert a number of principles that data regulatory policy for the healthcare data from the IoT should enshrine. I propose the concept of “Third Party Data Auditors” (TPDAs) to embed these principles within a regulatory regime of the healthcare IoT. TPDAs are specialized, highly technical third party actors hired by individuals to audit the use of their data by data owners such as corporations and data brokers. Through this market and innovation-based approach, I argue that TPDAs can be an effective first step in regulating an increasingly data driven healthcare system, and lay the groundwork for a future of responsible data use. In justifying this policy regime, I take a comparative approach to demonstrate that its efforts to align the incentives of market participants closely resembles the policy regime employed to govern consumer data on the Internet. Finally, I describe a realistic policy regime in line with existing thought that will encourage the creation of TPDAs. I argue that together, TPDAs and the associated policy regime will embed fundamental accountability and transparency measures into a data driven healthcare system. By building in the needed accountability and transparency mechanisms from the beginning of the field using newly available technologies for tagging and tracking data, TPDAs will allow for innovation to flourish by allowing the broad use of data without the dangers of a runaway system. Algorithmic Allegories chronicles the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences emotion contagion study controversy and the legal and policy issues it introduced, as well as offering six related hypotheticals to probe the moral, legal, and technical implications of algorithms in modern society. By considering the use of algorithms in print media, charity, business, and other situations, the case study focuses on the feasibility of implementing policy in a rapidly changing, technology-powered landscape and appreciate the role of algorithms in modern society and the responsibility that accompanies their use. Author of Chapter 10: "Data Policy for Internet of Things Healthcare Devices: Aligning Patient, Industry, and Privacy Goals in the Age of Big Data" in book Big Data, Health Law, and Bioethics, published by Cambridge University Press in March 2018. Chapter proposes and explains "Third Party Data Auditors" (TPDAs) as a regulatory regime of the healthcare IoT. Published in concert with Conference on Big Data, Health Law, and Bioethics, The Petrie-Flom Center at Harvard Law School. Compressive sensing, which enables signal recovery from fewer samples than traditional sampling theory dictates, assumes that the sampling process is linear. However, this linearity assumption may not hold in the analog domain without significant trade-offs, such as power amplifiers sacrificing substantial power efficiency in exchange for producing linear outputs. Since compressive sensing is most impactful when implemented in the analog domain, it is of interest to integrate the nonlinearity in compressive measurements into the signal recovery process such that nonlinear effects can be mitigated. As such, in this paper, we describe a nonlinear compressive sensing formulation and associated signal recovery algorithms, providing both compression and improved efficiency of a power amplifier simultaneously with one procedure. We present evaluations of the proposed framework using both measurements from real power amplifiers and simulations. Recent advances in high speed, low latency networks and new computer networking paradigms such as SDN and fog computing will enable opportunities for new developments in distributed computing, the Internet of Things, and computing paradigms to support a new generation of applications. In this whitepaper, we outline a number of challenges and opportunities enabled by these developments, including Optimized Compute via Network Programmability, a new paradigm we term Progressive Computing via Multi-scale Virtual Networks, and New Paradigms for Security and Privacy via Virtualization. This is a brief introduction to R and important topics in programming to help readers get accustomed to programing and statistical paradigms and terminology. The chapters are purposely brief so that readers can quickly learn these basic topics and then be able to comprehend and better leverage other R manuals and resources. Released free online at www.introductoryR.com under a public license.
0.999789	"You don't have to like or dislike him. You have to respect him". Steve Waugh's simple yet hard-hitting words on Sourav Ganguly are a testimony to the polarity of opinion that the 'Prince of Calcutta' brought along with him to Indian cricket and the game in general. Waugh's words find the top of the cover of Abhirup Bhattacharya's book, titled 'Winning Like Sourav', a dissection of one of India's most influential captains, and a business-strategy and management oriented book on one of cricket's most charismatic figures. It's not easy to write a crisp book on Ganguly, especially when it's on someone the writer looks up to, but 'Winning Like Sourav' isn't just a Dada-festooning exercise. It breaks down the cricketer and the person into several facets and serves it with a dash of life lessons. There are graphs but not just the usual statistical bars highlighting runs or wickets; flowcharts and bar diagrams on leadership traits, phase swings in brand value, and concise 'leadership tip' pop-ups, all which make it interactive and far from unstimulating. And it isn't all about his career highs - along with the shirt-waving at Lord's or Test tons in Australia, you are taken through some of Ganguly's murkiest controversies - Chappell-gate rumoured affairs and delayed coin tosses, all find a mention. For Ganguly fans, it is a nostalgic ride with a unique bend. The language is easy to go along with, but one of the biggest highlights of the book is how it seamlessly amalgamates cricket with the corporate setup. You suddenly find references to Yahoo's non-acquisition of Google, resonant and dissonant leadership styles and risk-to-reward ratios, right next to strike-rates, career averages and short-pitched deliveries. At one point, the author's cricketing acumen seems to overcompensate for the business lingo - the descriptive list of his best innings in the middle is a tad overcooked, but for the Ganguly-ardent, it is a quick revision of the memorable knocks that made him a crowd favourite. The author's views on several aspects of Ganguly's career, although personal, add weight to the text. Dada's journey from a shy boy to a feisty man is a tale replete with life lessons, and 'Winning Like Sourav' puts the point across, without making it a drab, cricket-only tome or an abstract self-help guide. In 140-odd pages, Bhattacharya excavates and lays bare Ganguly's three decades worth of cricket, still managing to admirably prise out numerous success secrets and corporate lessons, making it an all-round read.
0.983115	In C language, we may use continue statement within a loop and when a continue statement is encountered in a loop of a program in execution, it skips executing the rest of statements in the loop for that particular iteration and the program continues with the next iteration and condition checking in the loop. As you may see in the output of the program, when continue statement was encountered within an executing for loop, it skipped executing the printf() statement in the loop for that particular iteration i.e. when it is equal to 2. The program continued normally with the next iteration(i is equal to 3) and condition checking.
0.999466	In my philosophy of ethics class I need to provide an example of metaphysics. What is an example of metaphysics? Q: The following quotes from famous people correspond to Kohlberg's 6 stages of moral reasoning.There are 2 quotes given for each stage. Q: add a question tag in the following sentence; she is cooking very delicious food,..............?
0.622804	Gerty Cori was the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, in 1947, for the discovery of how muscles covert sugar to lactic acid for energy during exercise and how the lactic acid then travels in the bloodstream to the liver where it is converted back to sugar for storage or for use as sugar again. Working in a field that did not welcome women, Cori overcame the barriers of prejudice and discrimination throughout her life. She died at the very young age of 61 of myelofibrosis, in which the bone marrow turns into scar tissue. Another female Nobel Prize winner, Marie Curie, died in 1934, most likely from the same condition. At that time, doctors diagnosed aplastic anemia which means that her bone marrow stopped making red blood cells. It was almost certainly caused by radioactive materials she used in her laboratory. Curie's daughter and another Nobel Prize winner, Irene Curie, died in her mid-50s of leukemia which is commonly associated with myelofibrosis. All three of these great women probably died from exposure to the radiation and chemicals used in their pioneering work. Early Life Gerty Theresa Radnitz was born in Prague, in what is now the Czech Republic. Her father was a chemist who invented a new method to refine sugar. Her educated mother had her tutored at home because at that time, most schools for girls taught them only how to be good wives and mothers, not how to get into college. At age 16, Gerty decided that she wanted to go to medical school. For the next two years, she prepared for her entrance exams to medical school by working full time with special tutors to learn the required Latin, mathematics, physics, and chemistry. In 1914, at age 18, she was admitted to the Karl-Ferdinands-Universität Medical School in Prague. While there, she studied, climbed mountains and skied with a fellow student, Carl Cori. She received her M.D at age 24. That same year, she converted from Judaism to Catholicism so that she and Cori could be married in the Roman Catholic Church. The young couple moved to Vienna, where she wrote several papers on thyroid disease and blood disorders. However times were very difficult. Poverty was rampant after World War I and food was scarce, causing her to suffer severe eye irritation from vitamin A deficiency. Although she had converted to Catholicism, she was still a victim of antisemitism, so the couple decided to go to America. Carl was able to find a job immediately at the State Institute for the Study of Malignant Diseases (now Roswell Park Cancer Institute) in Buffalo, New York, and was allowed to emigrate in 1922. Gerty was not able to get a job there because she was a woman, so she had to wait six months to get a visa to join her husband. In 1928, they both became U.S. citizens. Groundbreaking Work At Roswell Park, Gerty worked around the clock in a laboratory and often slept on a cot in her small office. In the first eight years there, the Coris published fifty papers together and she published 11 papers as the sole author. In 1929, the Coris showed how muscles use sugar for energy and then release lactic acid into the bloodstream to travel to the liver where it is converted back to sugar again. For this brilliant work, the Coris were awarded the Nobel Prize in 1947. Today, every first year chemistry and medical student is taught about “The Cori Cycle”. Their research explains how the body uses sugar for energy during exercise and is the basis for several treatments of diabetes. In 1931, her husband had many offers from major universities, but nobody wanted to hire her because she was a woman. The Coris went to St. Louis where Washington University School of Medicine made Carl a professor, and Gerty was offered a job as a research associate at the same salary as a laboratory technician. She kept on publishing and 13 years later, in 1943, she became an associate professor of Research Biological Chemistry and Pharmacology. In 1947 she was appointed to be a full professor, shortly before she was awarded the Nobel Prize. Carl was chairman of a department that eventually produced eight Nobel Prizes. His main job was writing, directing research of students, and administration. Gerty supervised the laboratory. Terminal Illness In 1947, just before winning the Nobel prize, the Coris were on a mountain climbing trip and learned that Gerty Cori had myelofibrosis, a fatal disease of the bone marrow. She worked through incredible bone pain for the next ten years, still continuing to produce major breakthroughs in the laboratory. In 1957, at age 61, she died of this horrible disease. This incredible woman who spent her entire life overcoming prejudice against women by being better than her male peers was survived by her husband and their only child, Tom Cori. Ironically, her son married the daughter of Phyllis Schlafly, a constitutional lawyer known for her opposition to modern feminism and her successful campaign against ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. A Short Lesson on the Cori Cycle The Cori cycle describes how the liver supplies the sugar, glucose, as a source of energy for muscles during exercise. When you exercise so intensely that you cannot get all the oxygen that you need, glucose is converted to lactate that accumulates in muscles and spills over into the bloodstream and is carried to the liver. The liver then converts lactate back into the sugar, glucose. Glucose then circulates in the bloodstream to other tissues, particularly to muscles to supply energy for the exercising muscles. What is Myelofibrosis? The bone marrow in the center of your bones has stem cells that make red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. In myelofibrosis, the bone marrow stem cells mutate and lose their ability to make red cells and the patient becomes severely anemic. The stem cells produce large amounts of white blood cells instead and the bone marrow changes into scar tissue. The excessive amount of white blood cells produced by the marrow fill up the liver and spleen to cause permanent damage to both of these organs. Then the person often develops acute myeloid leukemia and dies. Myelofibrosis is very rare. We do not know what causes it, but risk is increased by * having a bone-marrow cancer called polycythemia, * exposure to industrial chemicals such as toluene and benzene, * radiation, and * perhaps other causes of cancers such as smoking. Gerty Cori was a heavy chain smoker and worked with many industrial solvents and radiation in her laboratory.
0.844964	What is the first step in purchasing a piano for my family? What does it mean to “tune” a piano? A piano in good condition goes out of tune primarily because its soundboard and other wooden parts expand and contract with changes in humidity, which changes the tension on the strings. This happens whether or not the piano is played. Also, a piano in poor condition, with the tuning pins loose in the pinblock, can go out of tune because it is unable to hold the string tension constant. Should I buy an entry-level piano for a student who is just starting to play, and plan to get a better instrument as the student progresses? Should I buy a piano or rent one for a student who is just starting to play? Rental is a reasonable option if the risk is high that the student will abandon lessons after awhile. However, if you believe the risk of abandonment is low, you will usually do better financially by purchasing. See the article on piano rental for more information. How often your piano should be tuned depends on how sensitive you are to out-of-tuneness, how sensitive your piano is to the humidity changes that cause a piano to go out of tune, the climate you live in, how much you play, and your budget. For most people, one to three times per year is about right. Professional musicians and teachers may require more frequent service. Concert pianos are generally tuned (or the tuning touched up) before every performance. At what time of the year should I have my piano tuned? Does it matter? You will get the most for your money if you have the piano tuned at times of the year when the tuning will remain stable for some time. When the heat is turned on or off for the season, the indoor humidity, and consequently the tuning, begins to change, and these changes may continue for weeks or months afterward. For this reason, it’s best to wait for at least a few weeks after turning the heat on or off before having the piano tuned. Otherwise, the piano may go out of tune very shortly after being tuned. However, if you are sensitive to tuning, it may be difficult or impossible to time the tunings to the indoor humidity changes in such a way that you will be satisfied most of the time, especially in climates with cold winters. The tuning changes continuously, and the only ways to adapt to it are to have the piano tuned more frequently, to institute some kind of indoor or in-piano humidity control, or to put up with some amount of out-of-tuneness. Should I buy an acoustic piano, or will a digital piano do? A digital piano is fine for beginners. However, it will only take you so far; after a couple of years of lessons, you will likely need a decent acoustic piano to progress. A digital piano is a reasonable alternative if the risk is high that the player will lose interest, or if you move often. It’s also suitable for apartment and condo dwellers, or for those who want to play late into the evening, since with a digital you can silence the piano and use headphones. Digitals also have a host of features that make them extremely versatile, from the ability to sound like an entire musical ensemble, to recording. Please see the article “Acoustic or Digital: What’s Best For Me?” for more information. Should I buy a new piano or a used piano? How much does it cost to maintain an acoustic piano? It depends on how much you play and on how conscientious you want to be about piano maintenance. Typically a piano will be tuned twice a year at a cost of $100 to $200 per tuning, depending on geographic region and the experience and reputation of the tuner. Some tuners in high demand charge more. In addition, every so often a piano will need regulating (adjusting the piano action to compensate for wear and bring it back to the manufacturer's specs), voicing (adjusting the tone for changes that take place as a result of use), internal cleaning, and repairs. For most piano owners, budgeting an average of $300 to $500 per year will suffice, although the actual outlay will be less in some years and more in others. Teachers and performers who use the piano more, or need to maintain optimal performance, should budget accordingly. Why do some pianos stay in tune longer than others? Actually, all pianos go out of tune continuously. It just may take a while before you notice it. How soon you notice it depends on such factors as the design of the piano (though, interestingly, not necessarily on its quality), the various pressures and tensions being exerted on the soundboard and structural elements, climatic changes, your ear and sensitivity to out-of-tuneness, and on the kind of music you play. How much should I spend on a piano? What does spending more get me? Most new consumer-grade vertical pianos sell in the range of $3,000 to $10,000. Some higher-end ones cost two or three times that, and a few cost less. New entry-level grands generally go for $7,000 to $10,000, mid-range grands from $10,000 to $30,000, and high-end grands for $30,000 to $100,000 or more. Unrestored but playable used pianos, purchased from a private party, cost from 20 to 80 percent of the cost of a comparable new instrument, depending on age and condition, with 15-year-old used pianos coming in at about 50 percent. Used pianos may cost much more when purchased from a dealer, but you will also get a warranty, peace of mind, and greater ease of shopping. Generally speaking, higher-priced pianos have a more sophisticated tone and touch than entry-level ones, with correspondingly greater control of musical expression. They may also come in better-built, more attractive cabinets with better-quality finishes, and receive more thorough, custom musical refinement at the factory. However, these days, much of the difference in the price of new pianos is also related to labor costs in the country of origin, not solely to the quality of the instrument. For instructions on how to look up the price of specific new piano models, see the introduction to the Model & Pricing Guide. How can I find a good used piano? Good used pianos can be purchased from piano dealers, piano technicians and rebuilders, and from friends and family members. Online, you can search at Piano Buyer Classifieds, Piano World, eBay, Craigslist, and several online piano dealers. See also our Local Services Directory for sources. Please read “Buying a Used or Restored Piano” for full details. Of course, to find out whether the used piano is truly “good,” it’s imperative that you have it inspected by a piano technician before buying it. Not necessarily. It depends on why the piano is not tunable, how much it would cost to fix it, and how much the piano is worth. Sometimes the tuning pins can be tightened at minimal or moderate expense. In other cases, the piano needs to be restrung with larger tuning pins, or the pinblock needs to be replaced, possibly costing thousands of dollars. This would be worth doing only if justified by the potential value of the instrument. This means that the A above middle C is vibrating at 440 cycles per second. This is the standard pitch to which most pianos and other instruments are tuned, also known as “concert pitch,” although some orchestras prefer to tune to a slightly higher pitch. How much does it cost to have a piano technician inspect a used piano I’m thinking of buying? It usually costs around the same as the tuning fee, that is, between $100 and $200. There would probably be an extra charge if a written report is required. How do I figure the value of a used piano? The best way to find out the value of a used piano is to have it professionally appraised by an experienced piano technician, whose knowledge of local conditions in the piano market, ability to judge the condition of the piano, and memory of recent similar transactions can probably produce a more accurate estimate of the instrument’s fair market value than you can by yourself. However, if you want to attempt it yourself, you will need to find prices of comparable used pianos that have recently sold. This is difficult to do, both because there is no central registry of used-piano sales, and because to be “comparable,” many factors would have to match, such as age, condition, and location. For the most popular models, it may be possible to estimate the value by looking up prices on Piano Buyer Classifieds, or other places where used pianos are advertised, such as Piano World, eBay, and Craigslist. Keep in mind, though, that these are asking prices, not selling prices, and asking prices are often uninformed and wildly high. However, where many similar pianos are advertised, asking prices tend to settle reasonably close to selling prices. Alternatively, but less reliably, one can estimate the value of the used piano by depreciating from the price of a comparable new one when the same brand and model are still in production and similar in quality to the used piano in question. First, estimate the street price of the comparable new piano from the Model & Pricing Guide, then multiply by the percentage shown (by age and condition) in the Depreciation Schedule in the article “Buying a Used or Restored Piano.” This works best for pianos that are less than 30 years old. For pianos that don’t fit either of the above scenarios, the generic chart “Prices of Used Pianos” may provide some guidance. Except as shown in the above-mentioned chart, the value you come up with is an estimate of what a private party would sell the piano for. Prices from dealers are likely to be considerably higher. Pianos that have been rebuilt must be valued differently. What is pitch correction (pitch raising/pitch lowering)? When a piano is tuned, the tuner first tunes one note, usually the A above middle C, to a standard such as a tuning fork or electronic tone. Typically, the standard is A vibrating at a frequency of 440 cycles per second. Then the rest of the piano is tuned relative to that pitch. When, because of neglect or humidity changes, this A on the piano is far from its correct pitch, this pitch must be reestablished and the piano roughly tuned relative to that pitch. This is called pitch correction or, in any particular case, pitch raising or pitch lowering. After the pitch correction, a fine tuning can be done. If a fine tuning is attempted at the same time as a pitch correction, the piano will usually end up out of tune because the strings have a tendency to revert part way to their old tension when a large change in tension is attempted at one time. Due to the extra work involved, tuners will usually charge extra for a pitch correction, which may sometimes even require a second visit to complete. In some climates or with some instruments, a pitch correction may be required with nearly every tuning. Aural tuning is tuning the piano by ear (not using an electronic device). How can I find out the age of a used piano I’m thinking of buying? Each piano is given a serial number at “birth.” It’s usually located somewhere in the tuning pin area of the cast-iron plate, though sometimes it’s elsewhere, or difficult to find. See this illustration for typical locations. (If there appears to be more than one serial number on the piano, usually the longer one is the real serial number, the other being a number used by the factory during production.) If the manufacturer is still in business, it may be able to provide the year of manufacture from the serial number. Sometimes the information is on the manufacturer’s web site. For those not still in business, the Pierce Piano Atlas provides dates of manufacture from serial numbers for thousands of piano brands, both current and past. You can find the book through a piano technician or dealer, in libraries, or from www.piercepianoatlas.com. Where dates are not available in Pierce, or the serial number cannot be found, an experienced technician or rebuilder may be able to estimate the age of the piano from technical features or furniture design. Many piano buyers make the mistake of thinking that dates found on the plate or soundboard, such as “Established 1837” or “Patented 1875,” represent the year of manufacture. They do not. The actual year of manufacture is almost never found on the piano, except as represented by the serial number. How can I tell if a used piano is in good condition? If a piano is less than 10 or 15 years old and has not been in a high-use situation, chances are good that it doesn’t have any fatal defects, and may only need routine maintenance. Other than that advice, there are only a limited number of things you can do yourself to determine the condition of a piano. Most will give results that are only suggestive of possible problems, perhaps enough to rule a piano out, but not enough to be confident about buying it. Some tell-tale signs of serious problems are: a water line inside the bottom of a vertical piano (the piano was in a flood); sawdust under a piano (termites); numerous rusty or broken strings, or many new, replaced strings amid broken and missing ones (a string-breakage problem); heavy rust in general; many notes that don’t play (action worn out, parts breaking, glue joints coming apart); piano is so far out of tune that individual notes each sound like several notes are playing at once (piano may be untunable). The above list is, of course, only of fatal problems. There are countless other possible problems, ranging from the serious and expensive, but not fatal, to small nuisance problems and the need for normal maintenance. It’s strongly advisable, therefore, that you hire a piano technician to inspect any used piano you are considering buying. If the seller is a reputable dealer and the piano is covered with a comprehensive warranty, then you may be able to omit this step, as the risk is small. However, it’s not unusual, even with a reputable dealer, for a customer to hire an independent technician to inspect the instrument. For a more comprehensive and illustrated discussion of things to inspect in a used piano, we recommend The Piano Book, by Larry Fine. Why do some tuners use an electronic device to tune the piano? Electronic tuning devices have become extremely sophisticated in recent years and are used by some of the most skilled tuners. The best tuners can also tune by ear, which is necessary to check the work of the device and to do some aspects of the tuning job that are not easily done electronically. However, use of the electronic device can save the tuner time and fatigue, allowing him or her to do a better job and to do more jobs in a day than would be possible by ear. The devices are also very useful for tuning in difficult environments, such as when there is a lot of background noise, because they can screen out the noise better than the ear can. Some of the devices can also “save” a favorite or unusual tuning so that it can be exactly reproduced the next time it is needed. The best place is where the temperature and humidity will remain relatively moderate and constant, and away from big drafts, open windows, and direct sunlight. Especially, keep the piano several feet away from heating registers and radiators, or block off or redirect the heat from such registers and radiators if the piano must be placed closer. I’m just looking for a piano for my kids to play on. Should I be concerned about the condition and tuning and everything? If you would like your kids to develop a good musical ear and not get frustrated by notes that don’t work or sound right, then you should be concerned with the condition of the piano. It’s possible to be concerned without being overly fussy. Am I better off purchasing a brand new piano instead of paying thousands of dollars to have my old one rebuilt? It depends on the quality and value of the older piano and how much it would cost to rebuild it. The complete rebuilding of a grand piano can cost from $15,000 to $40,000 (sometimes even more). Obviously, this is only worth doing to a piano of the highest quality, such as a Steinway, Mason & Hamlin, or some of the top European makes. For lesser pianos, however, sometimes partial rebuilding or reconditioning at a much lower cost can make sense. This is something that must be determined on a case-by-case basis through consultation with piano technicians and rebuilders. Note that if your piano is a cheap one that has serious problems, in most cases you would clearly be better off buying a new one. Please read more about piano restoration in “Buying a Used or Rebuilt Piano,” or in The Piano Book, by Larry Fine. What is the best temperature and humidity for my piano? Manufacturers like to say that the temperature should be at 72 degrees F. and the humidity about 45 percent. However, given climatic realities, human needs, and energy conservation issues, this may not always be possible or practical. In truth, pianos are not so delicate that they require such precision in their environment. Any temperature and humidity that are not extreme and are relatively constant will do. The more consistent the better. Should I have a humidifier system installed in my piano? Piano climate-control systems can help smooth out seasonal humidity changes, resulting in better piano sound and operation, longer life, and possibly less frequent tunings. Even if you already have whole-house humidification and de-humidification, you may benefit from the extra protection. Ask a piano technician or piano dealer about having a climate-control system installed in your piano. Should I buy from from a dealer, a tuner/technician/rebuilder, or a private party? There are advantages and disadvantages to each. A dealer with a regular storefront will likely have a great selection of instruments to choose from, both new and used, and will give a warranty. However, dealers often have the high overhead that comes from needing to be in a prime location, keeping the store staffed, keeping many pianos in tune, etc., so prices will usually be higher. The attributes of a good piano dealer are discussed here. Some piano tuner/technicians also sell used or restored pianos from their home or workshop. Their selection is usually limited to a handful of instruments, but their overhead is usually lower than a regular dealer’s, so their prices may be a little lower. Some also sell new pianos, but if they do, they may also be incurring the same overhead costs as a non-technician dealer, so their prices may be similar, too. The major advantage to buying directly from a private party is that there is no overhead or profit margin built into the sale price, thus a greater opportunity to get a good deal. However, purchasing from a private party (usually the piano owner) also carries the highest risk. There is no recourse after purchase, so if there is a problem, you are on your own. There is also no selection of multiple instruments to choose from (you have to shop at multiple locations), no selection of new pianos at all, and you have no assistance in moving or servicing the piano after you've made the purchase. We highly recommend that, before buying from a private party, you have any piano you are considering evaluated by a piano technician. Major defects can be concealed by the seller, or may be unknown to him or her, and the piano can be unplayable in a short time, or be expensive to repair. Someone is giving away a piano for free. Should I take it? Why would someone give away a piano? I suppose one might give away a piano that is no longer needed if it has minimal monetary value, as a philanthropic act, or if the owner is moving and doesn’t want to pay the cost of moving the piano. If the piano is not worth much because it needs a lot of work, and the owner doesn’t want to spend the money to have the work done, he or she might feel that the only way to get rid of the piano is to give it away — and let the buyer pay for the moving and repair. So buyer beware, and be sure to have the piano inspected by a piano technician before agreeing to take it. Keep in mind that a “free” piano is not really free. You have to pay to have it moved, tuned, and repaired, and, if it turns out to be junk, to dispose of it. Free pianos can be great deals — or they can turn out to be very expensive. You can avoid much trouble and unpleasant surprises by having the piano professionally inspected before agreeing to take it. Why does a piano need to be tuned after being moved? Subtle differences in humidity between the new and old locations cause the piano to go out of tune. Very inexpensive pianos that are structurally inadequate may go out of tune because of the handling of the piano, but this is not a big factor for most instruments. The tuning of vertical pianos may be affected by unevenness in the level of the floor, or differences in the evenness between the old and new locations (grands are usually not affected by these issues). When arranging to have my piano moved, shouldn’t I hire a piano mover that will also tune the piano at the same time? First of all, very few piano movers also tune pianos. Both are skilled professions, but are quite unrelated to one another in the kind of skills they require. Most of all, however, the humidity difference that makes a piano go out of tune at the new location works its effect gradually over a period of from several days to several weeks. The piano may sound just fine right after being moved, but be quite out of tune a week or so later. If the piano is tuned immediately after being moved, it will probably be out of tune within a couple of weeks, so it’s best to wait some time after moving before having the piano tuned. If I can play the piano and it sounds okay, just out of tune, is that enough to say it’s a decent piano, especially if it’s for free? No. Pianos can have serious problems that are not obvious just from playing. If the problem just involves fixing or replacing a few action parts or strings, that’s usually not a big deal. However, if many keys don’t work, there could be wholesale destruction or deterioration of parts, and more could break after you start using the piano. Better to have a technician advise you about this before taking the piano. Regulating is the adjusting of the action and keys to restore them to their factory-default specifications. See also the answer to the next question. Can the touch or feel of my piano’s action be adjusted? Within certain narrow parameters, the touch can be adjusted by regulating the action. Regulating is the process of restoring the dimensional relationships (positions, angles, distances, etc.) of the action parts to their factory-specified defaults. Over time and with playing, these dimensions gradually change and must periodically be restored in order for the piano to function properly. Each dimension also has a certain narrow window of permissible variation, so by cleverly manipulating these variations, it may be possible to make the touch slightly lighter or heavier, or the repetition faster, than the factory default specifications. Lubricating the many friction points in an action can also work wonders in lightening a heavy-feeling touch. If changes are desired that fall beyond what is possible through normal regulating and lubrication, then the technician must carefully analyze the source of the problem and make more drastic changes to the action, which may involve modifying or rebuilding it to some extent. This was once solely the province of trial and error, but scientific principles can now be brought to bear on these problems, with consistent and happy outcomes. More advanced and technologically-savvy technicians can advise you about your options. Note: There is a psychological connection between tone and touch. Sometimes adjusting the tone of the piano, or just tuning it, can make the piano’s touch feel better, even though there is no mechanical connection between tone (or tuning) and touch. Am I better off buying a cheap new piano instead of getting one for free? It depends on your needs and on the relative merits of the new and old pianos you are considering. There aren’t any generalizations that can be made. Would it be out of line to ask the seller for the name of the technician who has been servicing the piano, and ask questions about the piano’s condition and service history? That’s a great idea. Just be aware that it’s possible the technician may feel some kind of loyalty to the current owner and may not want to tell you the complete truth. Nevertheless, the technician is not likely to out-and-out lie to you, especially if you suggest that you may be calling them to service the piano in the future. Voicing is regulating the tone of the piano. The primary vehicle for this is the softening or hardening of the hammers. Softening the hammers is usually accomplished by pricking the hammer felt with needles to reduce its density. Hardening is usually done by chemically treating the hammers or ironing the felt. Other more sophisticated aspects of voicing involve the leveling of the strings, aligning the hammers with the strings, adjusting the end points of the vibrating portion of the strings, and adjusting the striking point of the hammers on the strings. How can I lower the volume of my piano? You can have the piano voiced, which mostly involves softening the hammers to produce a more mellow sound. You can also change the room acoustics by adding rugs, upholstered furniture, draperies, wall hangings, and other sound-absorbent objects. Storing some cardboard boxes under your grand piano, while not very attractive, can do wonders for softening the sound. Finally, there are some accessories on the market in the form of Styrofoam products, blankets, etc. that, when applied to the back or underside of the piano, can reduce the volume by many decibels. One home remedy is to wedge a quilt or blanket between the soundboard and the structural beams. Contact a piano technician for details. I want to give away my piano on PianoAdoption.com, but I want to be sure I’m not giving away a piano that is junk. What should I do? Then you should have the piano inspected by a piano technician before offering it to others. The technician can advise you as to the condition of the piano and for whom it might be appropriate. You can then pass that information along to prospective takers. If my piano is junk, what should I do with it? First determine if it might be appropriate for a piano restorer, or for a beginning technician on which to practice repairs. If not, and it really needs to be discarded, then call piano movers or contractors who clean out basements, attics, and the like, and get estimates of how much it would cost to remove the piano and take it to the dump or landfill. Note that in addition to the cost of hauling the piano away, the landfill may also charge a fee based on weight or volume. Why do my piano’s keys sometimes stick? Sticking keys are usually caused by humidity changes. Interestingly, keys can stick in both humid and dry weather. Humid weather can cause wood and cloth to swell and interfere with the movement of other parts. Dry weather can cause holes to contract and bind on guide pins. In most cases, the remedies are fairly simple, such as sanding or repositioning swollen parts, expanding tight holes, and lubricating. My piano has a broken key. Is that a major repair? When someone complains of a “broken key,” usually they mean that something is not working right. It could actually be a broken key, or it could be that something else in the action is broken or stuck. In any case, it’s usually not a major job to repair it. But neither is it necessarily trivial. If there are many such “broken keys,” it could be a sign of a major problem, commonly wood parts or glue joints that are hopelessly dried out and brittle. No. Some are too far gone to be worth saving. Which type of piano, upright or grand, should I buy? The most obvious non-technical difference between upright (also known as vertical) pianos and grand pianos is that verticals have a smaller footprint and usually cost less. Grands are more likely to be purchased for their value as room-enhancing furniture, take up more space, and cost more. In fact, many who don’t play or play very little buy a grand as much to make a statement about themselves as for any other reason. Technically, however, there are very big differences between verticals and grands. The action (key-and-hammer mechanism) of the grand is specifically designed to increase the speed and reliability of repetition (the ability to repeat notes in rapid succession) and the ability to control the volume of sound. Verticals are usually inferior in this regard. The sound of the grand bounces off floor, wall, and other surfaces, and is diffused by them, before reaching the player’s ears, whereas the sound of the vertical tends, literally, to be in the player’s face. The end result of these differences is that grand pianos usually produce a more pleasing sound and can be played with greater expression. That said, there are some phenomenal high-end verticals out there that can run circles around some lesser-quality grands. My piano has a broken string. Is that a major repair? A broken string is neither major nor trivial. If the string is a bass string (steel wound with copper), the replacement string will have to be special-ordered because each model of piano, and each bass string within that model, has unique specifications for length and thickness. If the broken string is plain steel wire, the technician should be able to replace it on the spot from a reel of wire of the proper diameter. There are about 15 or 20 possible wire diameters for steel piano wire, and technicians usually carry a small supply of each in their car. In either case, it will take several additional visits of the tuner over an extended period of time to stretch the new string before it will hold its tune. In the meantime, it may be necessary to mute the new string to prevent it from sounding sour. So, although the replacement of the string itself is not complicated, the whole process can end up being expensive and a nuisance. The soundboard is a large, thin sheet of wood (or a laminated wood product), usually of spruce, that amplifies the vibrations of the strings and broadcasts them through the air to the ear. What size piano should I buy? All other factors being equal, taller uprights and longer grands sound better, particularly in the bass and mid-range, than smaller or shorter ones. This is due to the physics of piano strings, which dictates that longer strings produce a more harmonious sound. In some cases, the larger pianos may also have better keys and actions. Of course, unless you’re comparing different-size models of the same brand and model line, all other factors are rarely equal, so one should not pursue size to the exclusion of other attributes, but as a general rule of thumb, when it comes to selecting a piano, bigger is better. Verticals (uprights) and grands come in various sizes that are called by different names. Speaking very generally, most vertical pianos purchased are from 43 to 52 inches tall, though ones both shorter and taller are available, especially among used pianos. Most grands fall in the range of 5 to 7 feet long, though ones as short as 4½ feet and as long as 10 feet are available. The shortest pianos are primarily for very casual and furniture-conscious use, the tallest or longest for professional and concert use. See this article in “Piano-Buying Basics” for more information. What is the difference between a “grand” and a “baby grand”? In the old days, grand pianos of different sizes had cute, romantic names such as “baby grand” or “parlour grand.” These days, piano professionals usually speak of grand pianos simply by their exact size in feet and inches or in centimeters. The term “baby grand” is rarely used. If any names are used at all, they are likely to be “small grand” for instruments up to about 5½ feet, medium grand for those 5½ to 7½ feet, and concert grand for those over 7½ feet long. (These names and sizes are not set in stone; slight variations on them are common.) See this article in “Piano-Buying Basics” for more information about piano types and sizes. No. Solid spruce soundboards have a tendency to dry out, shrink, and crack as they age, especially in environments that have pronounced seasonal variations in humidity. The shrinkage often results in a loss of crown, or curvature, of the soundboard, which can sometimes be detrimental to the tone. But the cracks themselves are usually harmless unless they are accompanied by buzzing sounds or other problems. If the piano I am getting needs repair and I invest the money into the piano, shouldn’t I be able to recoup the money when I later sell the piano? Unfortunately, not always. It depends on the nature and cost of the work, and on the value of the piano. The question to ask is whether the work to be done increases the value of the piano, and if so, by how much. Basic maintenance work like tuning and action regulation will not usually increase the value of the piano, whereas major work like restringing or replacing the soundboard will. (Of course, you should have the basic maintenance work done anyway or else the piano may be unpleasant to play and may deteriorate.) You should also consider the cost of a new piano of the same brand, or of a brand similar in quality, stature, or reputation. That’s because the value of a used piano will generally be tied to, and limited by, the cost of a comparable new one. You will usually recoup the cost of any good work you do on a piano like a Steinway or other top-rated brand because of their high value (both new and used), but for most other brands, your ability to recoup your expenses will be limited. That’s one reason why, except for sentimental or historical reasons, most older pianos are not completely restored. Spinets are vertical pianos, 35 to 40 inches tall, whose hammer mechanisms are located completely or partially below the level of the keys. This arrangement was invented in the 1930s to satisfy consumer demand for a shorter, more compact piano. Spinet actions (key-and-hammer mechanisms) work less efficiently than other types of action because of the way the keys and hammers are connected, and the difficulty of accessing or removing the recessed spinet actions makes even small repairs and adjustments complicated and expensive. The small size of spinets also means their tone will be compromised. New spinets are no longer being manufactured, but many older ones are still on the used-piano market. Beginners can learn to play on a spinet, but expect to have to upgrade to a better instrument soon. See this article in “Piano-Buying Basics” for more information about piano types and sizes. How important is the furniture style of the piano? How can I locate a good piano tuner/technician? You can locate a piano technician through the website of the Piano Technicians Guild, or through PianoBuyer.com’s Local Services Directory. Is there anything I need to do before my piano technician arrives to service my piano? Please remove music, knickknacks, plants, home entertainment systems, and other stuff from the piano. It will save the technician time and prevent breakage. Please sweep or vacuum a little under a grand piano, just in case the technician has to lie under the piano to make an adjustment. Please make a list of anything that bothers you about the piano that you would like the technician to take a look at. Please make sure there is sufficient lighting and quiet. Note that the whirring of kitchen appliances and ceiling fans, and noisy children, can make it difficult to tune because these noises interfere with the vibrations to which the tuner listens while tuning. Does the kind of wood a piano is made of make a difference? Different parts of a piano are made of different materials. For some parts, the type of wood used strongly affects the quality and musical character of the instrument. In today’s global economy, most manufacturers have access to and use materials that are appropriate for the level of quality and musical characteristics they are seeking. Note that the outer veneer of a piano, such as mahogany or walnut, is decorative only and has no bearing whatsoever on the musical or structural quality of the instrument. For a mildly technical, but easily readable, explanation of piano parts, quality, design, and materials, we suggest you read The Piano Book, by Larry Fine. The right pedal is called the sustain or damper pedal. Its function is to lift all the dampers off the strings so that any notes played thereafter will sustain (continue to sound), and all other notes will ring sympathetically. The left pedal is called the soft pedal (vertical) or una corda pedal (grand). Its function is to reduce the sound volume somewhat by moving the hammers closer to the strings (vertical), or by shifting the keyboard so that only two out of each group of three strings is struck by the hammers (grand). The center pedal has one of several different functions. In most grands and a few high-quality verticals, it acts as a sostenuto pedal, selectively sustaining only those notes whose keys are down when the pedal is depressed. This feature is useful only in a few pieces of classical music. In most verticals, the center pedal either lowers a strip of muting cloth between the hammers and strings, drastically reducing the sound volume, or operates as a sustain pedal for the bass notes only. For more information about how a piano works, see this brief explanation in Piano Buyer, or a more complete one in The Piano Book, by Larry Fine. What do the initials RPT stand for? RPT stands for Registered Piano Technician, a membership category of the Piano Technicians Guild. A person with RPT status has passed a series of examinations that test for basic competency in piano tuning and technical work, and in a general understanding of piano technology. Hiring an RPT helps assure that you will receive competent and professional piano service. RPTs in your area can be located through the website of the Piano Technicians Guild, or through PianoBuyer.com’s Local Services Directory. How can I clean my piano? It depends on what you want to clean. The wooden furniture portion of the piano, including high-polished finishes, is usually cleaned with a soft, lintless cloth, slightly dampened with water if you wish. If the wood has a grain, wipe in the direction of the grain. Be careful about using commercially available furniture polish; manufacturers sometimes recommend against it. There are special polishes available from piano technicians or online for different kinds of piano finishes. In any case, follow the piano manufacturer’s recommendations if available. For cleaning the key tops, slightly dampen a cloth with a mild solution of soap and water and rub the key tops, but do not let any water run down the sides of the keys. Then dry the key tops off right away with a dry cloth. Especially if the key tops are made of ivory, do not let water stand on them for any length of time, or else the ivory may buckle and come loose. Rarely, stain from the black keys will rub off, so you may wish to use separate cloths for black and white keys. To avoid causing damage to delicate parts, we recommend letting a piano technician clean the soundboard under the strings, the inside of the action, and under the keys. I’ve never bought a piano before and I don’t play. What do I look for? They all sound good to me, so how do I tell if a piano has good tone? Piano tone is a matter of personal preference, which is influenced by how well and what kind of music you play, and by what you’ve been used to playing or listening to in the past. Your taste in piano tone may also change with time. One way to begin to recognize what is generally considered good tone is to play or listen to some of the most expensive pianos, including ones you can’t afford to buy, and then compare them to less-expensive instruments. A warning, however: As your taste in piano tone becomes more sophisticated, this can be end up being a very expensive exercise. Alternatively, ask a piano teacher, technician, or dealer for assistance in evaluating the tone of pianos in your price range. See the article on touch and tone in “Piano-Buying Basics” for more information. How can I tell how old my piano is? Each piano is given a serial number at “birth.” It’s usually located somewhere in the tuning pin area of the cast-iron plate, though sometimes it’s elsewhere, or difficult to find. See this illustration or this video for typical locations. (If there appears to be more than one serial number on the piano, usually the longer one is the real serial number, the other being a number used by the factory during production.) If the manufacturer is still in business, it may be able to provide the year of manufacture from the serial number. Sometimes the information is on the manufacturer’s web site. For those not still in business, the Pierce Piano Atlas provides dates of manufacture from serial numbers for thousands of piano brands, both current and past. You can find the book through a piano technician or dealer, in libraries, or from www.piercepianoatlas.com. Where dates are not available in Pierce, or the serial number cannot be found, an experienced technician or rebuilder may be able to estimate the age of the piano from technical features or furniture design. I don’t play, so how do I know if a piano plays well or feels right? As with tone quality, this is a matter of personal preference, but only within certain limits. If the touch is too light, your fingers will get weak and lazy; if too heavy, you can injure yourself over time. This is not usually a problem with new pianos; all manufacturers’ instruments, when properly regulated, are within a reasonable range of touch. But with older pianos, the touch can vary widely with the condition of the instrument. You will need some assistance from someone who plays, such as a piano teacher or technician, to determine if the touch is within a normal range. See the article on touch and tone in “Piano-Buying Basics” for more information. Are piano prices negotiable? If so, to what extent? How do I know if a price is “fair”? Of course, depending on where you live, not all brands may be available to you. You may need to call local dealers or look at their websites to see what’s available in your area. Once you find out which brands are available, also look up their profiles in “Brand & Company Profiles.” Based on your budget, the available brands, and what you read in the above-mentioned articles, make a list of brands to check out at your local dealer. You may also find our searchable database handy for this purpose. It allows you to quickly home in on the specific brands and models that meet your criteria for price, size, furniture style, and more. Leave yourself open, however, to the possibility of being introduced to brands you might not have included on your list for some reason, but which you might like. For used pianos, recommending brands is even more problematic because thousands of different brand names have been produced over the years. The article “What to Buy: A Historical Overview” in “Buying a Used or Restored Piano” will introduce you to some of the most important and commonly-found brand names. Be prepared, however, to run across many brands not mentioned there. One very important note: Many famous brand names of the past are now made by companies entirely different from the original, to different design and quality specs, and in different factories and parts of the world. Nothing remains but the name. Therefore, be careful about becoming too attached to a name. How do I know if a piano dealer is reputable? This depends in part on what you mean by “reputable.” It would be very rare, for example, for a dealer to take your money and not deliver the piano, so I wouldn’t worry about that. On the other hand, dealerships and individual salespeople do differ in how helpful they are in selecting an instrument, handling warranty issues, and other aspects of the buying experience. In addition to checking with the local Better Business Bureau, google the dealership and check them out online. You can also check with local music teachers, piano technicians, and school music departments. Read this article about the attributes of a good piano dealer. Should I buy a floor sample or insist that a new piano be delivered in its original box? Believe it or not, the floor sample is usually the better choice. Pianos need to be prepared for use before delivery. This includes removal of external and internal packing materials, tuning, and making any adjustments needed to be sure the tone and touch are uniform throughout the keyboard. Since they are relied on to promote sales, floor samples need to sound good. They often receive more attention than non-floor samples prepared for delivery. They usually are tuned several times and tweaked to bring out their best performance. In addition, individual instruments, even of the same brand and model, often sound and feel slightly different. To avoid an unpleasant surprise, purchasing the actual piano you evaluated, even though it is a floor sample, is much recommended over having a different instrument delivered in its original box. If the floor sample has incurred a few small scratches or dings to its cabinet, the dealership can easily repair these for you before delivery. What does a piano warranty cover? Most manufacturers’ new-piano warranties cover any defect in materials or workmanship for a specified length of time, ranging from 5 to 15 years. Besides the length of the warranty, the major difference between them is whether or not the warranty is transferable to future owners within the warranty period. A few are; most are not. Most cover the cost of shipping the piano back to the factory for repair, but this rarely becomes an issue because most warranty repairs are carried out in the home, or the piano is replaced, not repaired. One of the less discussed, but more important, aspects of a piano warranty is who, exactly, is the entity guaranteeing the piano — the manufacturer, distributor, or dealer — and which is most likely to be around for the next 15 years. You can read more about piano warranties in this article. Should I get a professional to evaluate a used piano I’m thinking of purchasing? How about a new piano? It’s probably not necessary to have a new piano inspected by a piano technician unless you have specific issues or concerns of a technical nature about which you need advice. Sometimes a teacher or piano-playing friend can be helpful in selecting an instrument. We definitely recommend having a used piano evaluated by a piano technician before purchase, especially if it is more than 10 years old and/or being purchased from a private party. Pianos can have expensive problems that are not obvious to the owner or player. For more information, see this article. What should be included in a piano purchase? What is included in a purchase from a commercial seller is a matter of negotiation and should be clearly noted on the sales agreement. Typically included are a matching bench, pre-delivery preparation of the instrument (unpacking, tuning, and adjustments), tuning in the home at least a few weeks after delivery (giving the piano time to acclimate and be played in a little bit), and either a manufacturer’s or dealer’s warranty covering defects in material and workmanship for a specified period of time. Other common negotiated inclusions are delivery, a more expensive bench, and additional tunings during the first year. That depend a great deal on how much the piano is used, how well it’s maintained, and on the climate in which it resides. A piano played 16 hours a day in a school practice room in a cold climate might be "dead" in ten years or less, whereas one pampered in a living room in a mild climate might last nearly a century before requiring complete restoration to function again. A rule-of-thumb answer typically given is that an average piano under average conditions will last 40 to 50 years. However, even after a piano has ended its natural life for a particular purpose, it may still have a new life as a used instrument for a lesser purpose. And if it has enough intrinsic value, it may eventually be rebuilt and start its life all over again! Are pianos a good investment? Do they depreciate or appreciate? Pianos are, unequivocally, a great investment. However, the return on the investment is the joy of making music, having a hobby that will give pleasure for a lifetime, and other advantages of ownership. From a financial perspective (excluding instruments with special historical or artistic value), pianos are a depreciating asset. They depreciate quickly for the first few years and then slowly thereafter. They may eventually appear to appreciate in value, but the appreciation is entirely due to inflation. Unless you are a serious collector or dealer who trades in pianos with special historical or artistic value, buying pianos and holding them for the long term is not a good way to make money. See this sidebar about buying a piano as an investment. Is it wise to buy a piano made in China? Can I put a piano on an outside wall? There was a time when people were advised not to put a piano against an outside wall. Today, however, most homes are insulated well enough that that advice no longer holds. That said, I would suggest allowing an air space of a few inches between an outside wall and an upright piano. Note: Sometimes heating registers are placed on outside walls. Pianos should definitely not be placed anywhere near heating registers. The warm air will dry out the piano and cause damage. For more information, see the Piano Maintenance FAQs and read this article about humidity control. Can I put a piano next to our fireplace? Not if you ever use the fireplace. The heat would likely do significant damage to the instrument, and the change in temperature and humidity from times of fireplace use to times of non-use would make it difficult to keep the piano in tune. For more information, see the Piano Maintenance FAQs and read this article about humidity control. How much will it cost to maintain an acoustic piano? How much room do I need for the piano? Basically, if it physically fits and is aesthetically pleasing to you, you have enough room. Most vertical (upright) pianos are about five feet wide and about two feet deep. Most grands are about five feet wide, and the length varies by model from around five to nine feet. Be sure to add a couple of feet for a player and bench. Piano dealers usually have templates they can lend you, representing different types and sizes of piano, so you can figure your space requirements. See this article in “Piano-Buying Basics” for more information. How much does a piano weigh? Will my floors support a grand piano? Most vertical pianos weigh between 350 and 650 pounds, grands between 500 and 1,000 pounds. A 1,000-pound concert grand weighs about the same as six average adult men. Most floors should be able to support that easily. If in doubt, consult a building engineer. What features should I look for in a digital piano? That depends on what your long-term musical goals are. If you’re aiming to be a pianist, you’ll need only basic features, such as an 88-note weighted keyboard, a few different piano sounds, perhaps an organ or two, and a harpsichord. Transposition and the ability to record while practicing would be nice. If you plan on using the digital piano to do arranging, you’ll need a sequencer, and a full array of instruments such as those found on many "ensemble" digital pianos. Please read “Buying a Digital Piano” for full details. Do digital pianos need to be tuned? No, digitals do not need to be tuned. Why should I buy a print edition when I can access all the articles and other information free online? Which should I read first — Piano Buyer or The Piano Book? If you're in the market for a piano, in most cases we recommend you read Piano Buyer first. It's an easier read and may satisfy your needs well enough. It's also more up-to-date than The Piano Book, particularly for new pianos, and is the only publication of the two to cover digital pianos. The Piano Book covers acoustic pianos in greater depth and a little more technically than Piano Buyer; however, it's still very accessible to the layperson. The Piano Book also has more specialized information than Piano Buyer about used and restored pianos, piano moving, and piano servicing. We recommend it as an additional resource. For information on current brands, models, and prices, The Piano Book is completely out of date -- see Piano Buyer instead. What happened to the semiannual print edition of Piano Buyer? As more people have migrated online, the full-color print edition became too expensive and unnecessary to publish twice a year. Instead, we have published a new book, The Best of Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer, containing the most useful articles we've published in the past nine years. In addition, we publish, twice a year, a smaller volume, Piano Buyer Model & Price Supplement, containing model-and-price listings for acoustic pianos, and models, prices, and specifications for digital pianos.
0.999975	In my dream, something very strange was going on in the sky; it had a red hue to it, but it was nighttime. I noticed the moon in its normal spot off to left of the sky, but when I looked back over to the right, there set another moon! (Planet X, Nibiru, the brown dwarf?) This startled me. I had to really make sure I was seeing what I was seeing. I stared back and forth between the two objects and came to the conclusion I was not imagining anything. I was seeing two celestial objects in the sky!
0.964077	What is the advancement in biotechnology? Gene therapy is the advancement in replacing malfunctioning cells cells. Gene therapy is when malfunctioning, diseased, or missing cells are compensated for with cells that will function properly. Gene therapy is an experimental treatment that involves introducing genetic material into a person's cells to fight or prevent disease. How does it work? A new, healthy gene is injected into a vector. The vector binds to the cell membrane and is packaged in a vesicle. The vesicle then breaks down releasing the vector and the cell makes protein using the new gene. Using gene therapy, mutated genes that cause disease could be turned off so that they no longer promote disease, or healthy genes that help prevent disease could be turned on so that they can inhibit the disease. Why is it important? Genes that are flawed can cause disease and even death. Gene therapy prevents this from happening. How has it impacted society? It has created an era where companies will compete for the development of cheaper and more efficient technologies. The greatest potential impact would be the influencing of our culture and ideals. With the enhancement of the science, more people would have access to it, so questions and concerns will arise. Will our values change if we live in a world where there are no diseases and no problems? Problems? Gene therapy has the potential problem of whether a situation is ethical or not, causing controversy. For example, imagine if a person has the disorder dwarfism. Would it be considered ethical to treat them with gene therapy? On the other hand, imagine if someone simply has a trait that makes them short in height. Would it still be considered ethical to treat that person with gene therapy? Ethical considerations? How can 'good' and 'bad' situations be distinguished? Who decides which traits are normal and which constitute a disability or disorder? Will the cost make it convenient for only the wealthy? Could the common use of gene therapy make society less accepting of different people? Should people be allowed to use gene therapy to enhance basic human traits such as height, intelligence, or athletic ability? is it ethical and safe to disrupt the environmental process of genetic variety?
0.999994	There are two key words from the previous sentence that dictate true customer service, "beyond expectations." You need to create situations that leave your customers in awe of the level of service you’ve provided, well beyond their wildest expectations. If you are good at this, they are going to tell at least a handful people about your exceptional service with a chance of at least one of them becoming a new customer. Growth by word of mouth is good, right? The great news is that the world is full of companies that could care less about their customers, or so it seems based on the terrible service they provide. This means that you don’t have to come up with a life-altering plan, you just need to provide much better service than your competitors, and maybe even get a little creative. Start simple with customer communication. One of the easiest and most impactful ways to provide over-the-top customer service is to respond to calls and emails from your customers with lightning speed for as long as you can. If you can’t respond personally, you must find a way to make the response feel personal. The reality is we’re all accustomed to sending out an email and maybe receiving a template response a few days later, which often doesn’t have any application to the actual question we’ve asked -- key word there being "maybe." You can easily overcome this by creating a process inside your company that has rigid standards for rapid and personal response to customer communication. For example, start with a plan to respond to all calls and emails within two hours of receipt during normal business hours -- and even respond outside of normal hours … gasp! If this doesn’t work for your business, set a goal but make sure it’s at least moderately unreasonable -- you’ll need to push yourself to truly dazzle your customers. Make employees feel like owners. It’s easy in the beginning to keep an exceptional level of customer service because you control it -- because, well, you’re the only one doing it. The difficulty comes when you bring on outside help from people that don’t have the personal or financial incentive in the success of the company -- yes, you can give them equity but that often isn’t enough to get them to act like an owner. As a leader, it’s your job to create an environment that allows them autonomy and decision-making ability with respect to their roles. Let them own their positions so they’ll actually care about them, the result of which is that your customers' minds will be blown with the otherworldly service they receive. Under promise and over deliver. One of my greatest pet peeves revolves around people or companies that say they are going to do something then simply don’t, a common customer-service folly that I think most would agree with. With that said, you are at a great advantage by being able to control the customer’s interaction with your company and brand, so use the opportunity to be modest with your guarantees while continuing to blow their expectations out of the water by over-delivering results. You’ll find examples of this point with companies such as Zappos, which built its business around a very customer-centric model and over-delivered with speedy shipping -- along with a laundry list of unique service features. Although this example is a good one -- they did sell to Amazon for more than a billion dollars -- it isn’t a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution. You must take a look at your business and the pain points of your customers to find the diamonds in the rough. That’s where you’ll find opportunities that create long-lasting customers.
0.951657	How to invent, is it possible to kill a man with the help of carrots? No? The first five minutes of the film to convince you otherwise! With this trick, our hero - someone Smith saves newborn baby, because of what is caught up in a government conspiracy. Rebёnochku wearing woolen sock on his head, he gives it to a prostitute Donna. But the kid is trying to kill the whole gang of bandits. Smith is nothing to do but to shoot all reptiles. I must say that frantic shooting perfectly complemented by shootings in words, but the death toll grows in direct proportion to timing. With PsiMovie.Com you can download Shoot Em Up Full Free HD Movie. Another example of how boring bored of the story can make caramel - a sweet, beautiful, and even in bright wrapping. A Mr. Smith (Clive Owen), accidentally seeing how unpleasant appearance subject chases a pregnant woman with a sense says "your mother something," throws unfinished coffee and goes to investigate. Successfully taking delivery, the umbilical cord shooting and killing a dozen ascended offenders, Smith left alone with a child in her arms - a newfound mother still managed to get there. Hero, accuracy and speed considerations which would have envied James Bond, is in disarray. He does not know how to deal with the child in his dress and what to feed. As a result, puts his head own woolen socks and gives Donna a prostitute (Monica Bellucci), indulges customers a very sophisticated way - with it they can present themselves young children. In general, Donna has milk. But the child continued to hunt. It wants to kill the whole gang of thugs, headed by Mr. Hertz (Paul Giamatti). Smith and Donna run, Hertz and his henchmen are running them. Very quickly (and in this film all happens very quickly), it turns out, who needs killing the unfortunate baby, but the situation is not easy. For the case is connected senator, an arms dealer and hundreds of armed men. And Smith should just shoot them all to the child, Donna and himself left alone. It's not about the plot. Well, really, how many times a man guarding a bold cinematic cinematic beautiful woman, effectively killing cinematic villains and spoke into the camera any catchy phrase? The thing is, how it is served. The creators admit that they took a sample picture of John Woo's "Krutosvarenny", namely, the scene where armed and very dangerous hero is forced to tinker with a small child. Combination of incongruous, that is, the slope and complete helplessness in this case works perfectly. In addition, in the film a lot, effectively and imaginatively shot. Mr. Smith constantly gnaws a carrot (for some reason he believes that it is useful to view, though, as we know, the carrot in such cases it is better to pour oil) and can get seems to be any object from any distance. For example, seeing a baby lying in a baby carousel, aiming sniper, Mr. Smith shoots at the rail, and the carousel begins to spin, making it difficult job killer. In general, he can shoot whatever you like and what you want. The apogee of his abilities are a few shots made with the fingers, without the gun. Incredible, but true, so to speak. Referred to the fateful phrase, which the hero is simply obliged to say, have also undergone some changes. Mr. Smith - man nerve and gall, he can not stand when the champs, trimmed on the road or offend women, as reported regularly. He divides the world into black and white, that sometimes looks ridiculous, "Let's call the baby Oliver. As Oliver Twist. Yes, I read Oliver Twist. He is good. " Or "No, I will not shoot the dog. Dog - good. " The heroine of Monica Bellucci in such cases begins charmingly swear in Italian. And although cheerful in all that happens is small (one frame, where mothers belly screaming hail rained shells, which stands), "Shoot 'em" - evil, black and extremely funny comedy. With lots of original tricks, witty dialogue, incredibly angry Paul Giamatti, Monica Bellucci gorgeous and irresistible Clive Owen. Excellent entertainment cinema, which sometimes is lacking.
0.999982	Краткое описание: Dino Crisis is a survival horror video game by Capcom, released in 2000 for Microsoft Windows. It was directed and produced by Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami, and developed by a team of staff members that would later become part of Capcom Production Studio. In the game, a special forces team must find a way to survive in a secret government facility that has been infested with dinosaurs. It features survival horror gameplay similar to the Resident Evil series and was promoted by Capcom as "panic horror". Dino Crisis is a survival horror video game by Capcom, released in 2000 for Microsoft Windows. It was directed and produced by Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami, and developed by a team of staff members that would later become part of Capcom Production Studio. In the game, a special forces team must find a way to survive in a secret government facility that has been infested with dinosaurs. It features survival horror gameplay similar to the Resident Evil series and was promoted by Capcom as "panic horror".
0.931717	Despite increasing evidence to indicate that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are novel regulators of immunity, there has been no systematic attempt to identify and characterize the lncRNAs whose expression is changed following the induction of the innate immune response. To address this issue, we have employed next-generation sequencing data to determine the changes in the lncRNA profile in four human (monocytes, macrophages, epithelium, and chondrocytes) and four mouse cell types (RAW 264.7 macrophages, bone marrow-derived macrophages, peritoneal macrophages, and splenic dendritic cells) following exposure to the pro-inflammatory mediators, lipopolysaccharides (LPS), or interleukin-1β. We show differential expression of 204 human and 210 mouse lncRNAs, with positional analysis demonstrating correlation with immune-related genes. These lncRNAs are predominantly cell-type specific, composed of large regions of repeat sequences, and show poor evolutionary conservation. Comparison within the human and mouse sequences showed less than 1% sequence conservation, although we identified multiple conserved motifs. Of the 204 human lncRNAs, 21 overlapped with syntenic mouse lncRNAs, of which five were differentially expressed in both species. Among these syntenic lncRNA was IL7-AS (antisense), which was induced in multiple cell types and shown to regulate the production of the pro-inflammatory mediator interleukin-6 in both human and mouse cells. In summary, we have identified and characterized those lncRNAs that are differentially expressed following activation of the human and mouse innate immune responses and believe that these catalogs will provide the foundation for the future analysis of the role of lncRNAs in immune and inflammatory responses. High-throughput sequencing indicates that much of the human genome is transcribed into non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) with estimates of the proportion varying from ~62% predicted by the ENCODE project (1) to ~10% based on evolutionary conservation (2). By absolute amount, the majority of ncRNAs (>90%) are involved in house-keeping activities such as translation, splicing, and post-transcriptional RNA modifications and include ribosomal RNAs, transfer RNAs, short nucleolar RNAs, and small nuclear RNAs (3, 4). The remaining ncRNAs are broadly classified as either short ncRNAs [<200 nucleotides (nt)] or long ncRNAs (lncRNAs) (>200 nt) (4). The microRNA family of short ncRNAs is the best characterized and is known to induce messenger RNA (mRNA) degradation or block mRNA translation via the RNA interference pathway (5). By contrast, much less in known about lncRNAs, although, by comparison with mRNAs, their expression is cell specific and they are generally shorter in length, contain fewer exons, and are expressed at lower levels (6, 7). Presently, lncRNAs are classified by their relative position to protein-coding mRNAs and include the long intergenic ncRNAs (lincRNAs), antisense (AS), and pseudogenes (8). Although there is accumulating evidence showing that lncRNAs are regulators of a host of physiological and pathological responses, our understanding of their mechanism of action is limited. By analogy with protein-coding genes, it has been speculated that this is mediated through domains that interact with proteins and/or base pair with RNA/DNA (9). However, the identification of these domains has been hindered by their poor evolutionary conservation, which, in contrast to protein-coding genes, does not require the maintenance of a conserved open reading frame for optimal translation (6). Instead, it is thought that the lncRNAs conservation is geared toward the maintenance of genomic position (synteny), short domains (microdomains), and secondary structure (7, 10). The innate immune response provides the initial defense against infection by external pathogens through induction of an inflammatory response. The presence of pathogens is commonly detected by cells of the myeloid family, including tissue resident macrophages, dendritic cells, and circulating blood monocytes (11, 12). These cells express families of pattern recognition receptors that bind conserved molecules within bacteria, fungi, and viruses including lipoproteins, lipopolysaccharides (LPS), bacterial CpG motifs, and single/double-stranded RNA. Many families of pattern recognition receptors have been identified, although the best characterized are the toll-like receptor and interleukin-1β (IL1β) receptor superfamily. Activation of Toll-like receptors stimulates the production of inflammatory mediators via transcription factors including nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). This leads to a spectrum of responses including the release of multiple inflammatory mediators, as well as the activation of the inflammasome and the subsequent production of IL1β. The latter then induces a potent inflammatory response in the surrounding stromal cells such as the epithelium, chondrocytes, and fibroblasts (11, 12). Recent publications have identified a number of lncRNAs that are differentially expressed following activation of innate immunity and which regulate the subsequent inflammatory response. In human cells, these include PACER (p50-associated COX-2 extragenic RNA) (13), THRIL (TNFα- and hnRNPL-related immunoregulatory lincRNA) (14), lnc-IL7R (15), and IL1β-RBT46 (16), while studies in mice have identified lincRNA-COX2 (17, 18), lincRNA-EPS (19), and lincRNA-Tnfaip3 (20). However, despite these early indications that lncRNAs act as novel regulators, there has been no systematic attempt to identify lncRNAs whose expression is changed following the induction of the innate immune response. To address this issue, we determined the changes in lncRNA profile in four human and four mouse cell types following exposure to LPS or IL1β. From this analysis, we have cataloged and characterized 204 human and 210 mouse lncRNAs that are differentially expressed following activation of the innate immune response. We have then employed this list of potentially immune modulatory lncRNAs, to identify conserved microdomains and syntenic lncRNAs. To confirm the biological relevance of this analysis, we have shown that the lncRNA IL7-AS [located AS to interleukin-7 (IL7) gene] is induced across multiple human and mouse cell types and regulates the expression and hence the release of the pro-inflammatory mediator, interleukin-6 (IL6). Human monocytes were prepared as previously described (16). To obtain monocyte-derived macrophages, monocytes were re-suspended in MDM complete media [RPMI-1640 supplemented with 10% (v:v) Fetal Calf Serum, 2 mM l-glutamine, 100 U/ml penicillin, and 100 µg/ml streptomycin; all GIBCO, Life Technologies] and seeded onto six-well black plates (106 cells/well) for 2 h at 37°C, 5% (v:v) CO2 to allow monocytes to adhere to the plate. Non-adherent cells were aspirated, and monocytes were incubated with fresh complete media containing GM-CSF (2 ng/ml; R&D Systems). Monocytes were incubated at 37°C, 5% (v:v) CO2 for 12 days to allow full differentiation into MDMs; fresh media containing GM-CSF were replenished on days 4 and 7. Cells were treated with 10 ng/ml LPS for 4 h, and the controls were left untreated. The media was then removed, and the cells lysed prior to RNA extraction. Circulating blood was collected upon obtaining informed consent, and the study was approved by the National Research Ethics Service (NRES 13/LO/0354). For the isolation of primary human chondrocytes, articular cartilage was digested using filter-sterilized collagenase IIA (2 mg/ml; Sigma Aldrich) for 5 h at 37°C. Digested cartilage was then filtered by passing through a 40-µm cell strainer (BD Biosciences), and the filtrate centrifuged. Chondrocytes were then resuspended in growth media [DMEM supplemented with 10% (v:v) FCS, 2 mM l-glutamine, 100 U/ml penicillin, 100 µg/ml streptomycin, non-essential amino acids 5% (v:v); all GIBCO, Life Technologies, and 2 µg/ml amphotericin; Sigma Aldrich]. Cells were grown to 70–80% confluence and, then, either stimulated with 1 ng/ml IL1β for 4 h, and the controls were left untreated. OA patient joint tissue was collected from the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital (Birmingham) upon obtaining informed consent from patients undergoing elective joint replacement surgery. The study was approved by the NRES (14/ES/1044). Human epithelial A549 cells were cultured in growth media [DMEM/F-12 supplemented with 10% (v:v) FCS, 2 mM l-glutamine, 100 U/ml penicillin, and 100 µg/ml streptomycin; all GIBCO, Life Technologies] and incubated in a 37°C, 5% (v:v) CO2 humidified incubator. For all experiments, A549 cells were seeded in 24-well plate at 1–5 × 105 cell/well and stimulated with 30 ng/ml IL1β (recombinant, Escherichia coli; Sigma Aldrich) for 4 and 24 h, and the controls were left untreated. THP-1 cells were cultured in growth media [RPMI supplemented with 10% (v:v) FCS, 2 mM l-glutamine, 100 U/ml penicillin, 100 µg/ml streptomycin, and 50 nM of 2-mercaptoethanol; all GIBCO, Life Technologies] and incubated in a 37°C, 5% (v:v) CO2 humidified incubator. For all experiments, THP-1 cells were seeded in 24-well plate at 5–8 × 105 cell/well and stimulated with 1 µg/ml LPS (E. coli 055:B5; Sigma Aldrich) for 4 and 24 h, and the controls were left untreated. RAW 264.7 cells were cultured in growth media [DMEM supplemented with 10% (v:v) FCS, 2 mM l-glutamine, 100 U/ml penicillin, and 100 µg/ml streptomycin; all GIBCO, Life Technologies] and incubated in a 37°C, 5% (v:v) CO2 humidified incubator. For all experiments, RAW cells were seeded in 24-well plate at 2–5 × 105 cell/well and stimulated with 1 µg/ml LPS (E. coli 055:B5; Sigma Aldrich) for 4 and 24 h, and the controls were left untreated. For all samples, total RNA was extracted using the RNeasy kit (Qiagen), included an on-column DNase treatment (Qiagen), according to the manufacturer’s guideline. RNA concentration was determined using the Qubit 2.0 (Life Technologies). RNA quality was measured using the Agilent Bioanalyser and produced RIN values >8.0. Total RNA from epithelial A549 and RAW 264.7 cells were purified using polyA + fractionation (Illumina), while the monocytes, macrophages, and synovial chondrocytes were subjected to ribosome depletion (Ribo-Zero, Illumina). For all tissues, cDNA libraries were prepared using the Illumina TruSeq Stranded Total RNA kit. Samples were then subjected to 100 bp, paired-end sequencing upon an Illumina 2000 or 2500 sequencing machine (Wellcome Trust Sequencing Unit, University of Oxford). Quality scores across sequenced reads were assessed using FASTQC v0.9.2.1 All samples were of high quality with the average score (mean and median) at each base across reads in each sample Q > 35. Historical mouse sequencing data were download from Sequence Read Archive (SRA)2 using the following command in SRA tools: fastq-dump -I --split-files <file_name>. This included data on bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) (ribozero, paired-end, and non-stranded, n = 2) (19), peritoneal macrophages, and splenic dendritic cells (ribozero, paired-end, and non-stranded, n = 2) (21). Paired-end reads were aligned to the human reference genome (hg38) using TopHat2 (version 2.1.0) (22) or the mouse reference genome (mm10) using Hisat2 (version 2.0.4) (23) using the following command line options. Tophat2: tophat --library-type fr-firststrand <reference_genome.gtf> -1 <forward_strand.fa> -2 <reverse_strand.fa> -o <output.sam>. Hisat2: hisat2 -q --dta --rna-strandness FR –x <reference_genone.gtf> -1 <forward_strand.fa> -2 <reverse-strand file.fa> –S <output.sam>. Output SAM files were then sorted and converted to BAM files (samtools sort -@ 8 –o output.bam output.sam) and indexed (samtools index –b output.bam) in Samtools (24). The BAM output files for all control and LPS or IL1β samples were merged using Bamtools (25) to produce two files per cell type. All possible genes from these two BAM files were assembled ab initio using StringTie (26, 27) using the following command line options: stringtie <input.bam> -o assembled_genes.gtf -e –A gene_quantification.txt. The eight GTFs containing the genes from across the four cell types (both control and activated) were then combined using Cuffmerge v2.2.1.0 (which is part of the Cufflinks suite) (28) to produce a “total” GTF containing all possible genes and converted into a BED file. The single and multiple exon genes were separated using the information obtained in column 10 (block/exon), and those genes <200 nucleotides were removed using the information in column 11 (exon lengths). The resulting two BED files containing single exon and multi-exonic genes were compared with Gencode v23 (29) using BEDtools 2 (30) to identify known and novel lncRNAs. Potential protein-coding genes were identified using the coding potential calculator3 (31). The GTF containing novel single and multi-exonic lncRNAs was concatenated with the Gencode v23 catalog (29), to produce a “master” human GTF employed for gene quantification using CuffNorm, Stringtie, and CuffDiff. Parallel analysis of the expression of protein-coding genes and lncRNAs in mouse was undertaken using Gencode m12 (32). The abundance of potential lncRNAs and Gencode v23 defined genes in individual samples was defined as the fragments per kilobase exon per million reads mapped (FPKM) and determined using CuffNorm v2.2.1.1 (part of the Cufflinks suite) (28). PCA and hierarchical clustering on Gencode v23 genes demonstrating an expression >1 FPKM were performed using Genesis (v1.7.7) (33). Data were log2 transformed following the addition of 1 FPKM. The threshold for reporting gene expression at FPKM > 1 is based upon the ability to validate sequencing data using qRT-PCR (34). The differential expression of assembled lncRNAs and Gencode-annotated protein-coding genes was assessed with the geometric option (DESeq) in Cuffdiff v2.2.1.3 (part of the Cufflinks suite) (28) using a significance threshold of q < 0.05. The command line options were as follows: cuffdiff --FDR = 0.05 --min-alignment-count = 10 --library-norm-method = geometric --dispersion-method = pooled -u <reference_genome.gtf> <control_1.bam>, <control_x.bam>, <activated_1.bam> <activated_x.bam> -o <output_file_name>. A BED file containing all the transcripts for each lncRNAs was extracted from the “master” GTF files and the exons extracted using the Gene BED to Exon/Intron/Codon BED expander (at www.usegalaxy.org) (35). Overlapping exons (genomic coordinates) from each transcript were merged using Bedtools 2 (30), the relevant DNA sequences were extracted using Extract Genomic DNA (at www.usegalaxy.org) (35), and all exons sequences merged to produce a FASTA of the lncRNA gene sequences. A BED file containing all the transcripts for each lncRNAs was extracted from the master GTF files and submitted into the Table Browser Tool on the UCSC genome browser for comparative genomics4 (36). Potential motifs within the lncRNA genes were identified by submitting gene sequences (FASTA) into MEME-ChIP option on MEME-Suite (37). Identification of conserved sequences between lncRNAs was undertaken with BLAST+ (38) by input of the FASTA files as both query and subject using the following command line: blastn -query <query_file.fasta> -subject <subject_file.fasta> -task blastn -outfmt “6 qacc sacc sseq pident qlen length evalue”> output.txt. These were compared with random control sequences of comparable lengths and AT ratios generated in the Build Controls Section (random sequences) of RSAT6 (39), while random protein-coding sequences of comparable lengths were selected from the mRNA sequences downloaded via Biomart in Ensembl.7 Output from all these BLASTn analyses (FASTA) was then submitted to MEME-ChIP. To identify syntenic lncRNA in the human and mouse catalogs, we used the Liftover program8 (36) to identify the predicted position of the human lncRNAs (hg38) on the mouse genome (mm10) and then examined whether these overlapped with the assembled mouse lncRNAs using Bedtools 2 (30). ChIPseq sequencing files (FASTQ) containing information on H3K27ac and H3K4me3 deposition and related input controls (n = 2 per condition), from control and LPS-stimulated human monocytes at 4 h (GSE85245) (40), were download from SRA (see text footnote 2) using SRA tools: fastq-dump <file_name>. Sequencing data were aligned to hg38 using Bowtie 2 (41): bowtie2 -q --very-fast <reference_genome.gtf> -U <file_name.fastq> -S <output_file.sam>. Output SAM files were then sorted and converted to BAM files (samtools sort -@ 8 –o output.bam output.sam), indexed (samtools index –b output.bam) in Samtools (24), and then converted to BigWig format using BamCoverage, which is part of the deepTools suite (42) using the following command line: bamCoverage -b <input_bam.bam> --normalizeUsingRPKM --binSize 30 --smoothLength 300 -p 10 --extendReads 200 –o <output_file.bw>. Significant ChIPseq peaks (n = 2 pre-condition and q = <0.1) were called with MACS2 (43) using the broadpeak options: macs2 callpeak –t <sample_1> <sample_2> -c <control_1> <control_2> -broad <output_files> -g hs. The intersection between ChIPseq data (broadpeak.bed) and mRNA and lncRNA was undertaken using the Join option in the Operate upon Genomic Intervals section of Galaxy (at www.usegalaxy.org) (35). Heatmaps of the data were generated using deepTools. Matrices containing summary scores around promoters were generated from the H3Kme3 and H3K27ac BigWig files using the following options in the computeMatrix tool: computeMatrix reference-point -S <filename.bw> -R <mRNA/lncRNA.bed> -b 3000 -a 3000 -out <matrix.name>. Heatmaps were then generated using the plotHeatmap function and the following options: plotHeatmap -m <matrix.name> --colorMap YlOrRd --samplesLabel “<Sample Names>” -out <plot_name.eps>. A549 and THP-1 cells were stimulated with IL1β (30 ng/ml) or LPS (1 µg/ml) for 4 h respectively. The cells were scraped (i.e., A549) and/or collected, then centrifuged (12,000 × g, 1 min, 4°C). Supernatants were discarded, and the pellets resuspended in 1 ml of cold PBS and then split into two equal fractions (500 µl each). Fractions were then centrifuged, and their supernatants discarded. One of the two fractions was resuspended and lysed in 350 µl of RLT buffer (Qiagen) and constituted the whole lysate fraction. The pellet of the remaining fraction was resuspended in 175 µl of cold RLN buffer [50 mM Tris pH 8, 140 mM NaCl, 1.5 mM MgCl2, 0.5% (v:v) Non-idet P-40, 0.5 mM DDT, 1× Halt protease inhibitor cocktail; Thermo Fisher, and 20 U/ml SUPERase-IN; Ambion] and incubated on ice for ~15 min, in order to lyse the plasma membrane while leaving the nuclei intact. The nuclei were then isolated by centrifugation (300 × g, 10 min, 4°C). The supernatant was delicately collected and transferred into a fresh tube, and 600 µl of RLT buffer was added to it to constitute the cytoplasmic fraction while, the pellet was resuspended in 350 µl of RLT buffer to form the nuclear fraction. Total RNA was then extracted, and cDNA libraries were made using a set volume of RNA determined by the whole lysate fraction RNA quantity, within individual experiments. mRNA and RNA expressions were then determined using qPCR, and results were expressed as fold change compared to whole lysate stimulated samples. The following protocol was used to transfect all cell types (i.e., human monocytic THP-1 cells, mouse macrophage RAW 264.7 cells, and human epithelial A549 cells). AS Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA) GapmeRs (Exiqon, sequences are listed in Table S1 in Supplementary Material, final concentration of 30 nM) were mixed in 100 µl of serum- and antibiotic-free medium, supplemented with 5 µl of HiPerFect (Qiagen). Each mix was then added to each well of a 24-well plate. Cells were resuspended at desired concentration (1–8 × 105 cells/well) in 100 µl of their corresponding complete medium and added on top of the LNA GapmeRs mixes. Cells were then incubated for 16 h. The following day cells were diluted with 400 µl of complete medium and stimulated with either LPS or IL1β. Cells’ supernatants were then collected for the analysis of cytokine release (see ELISA), and cells were lysed for RNA extraction at 4 and 24 h. mRNA and RNA expressions were then determined using qPCR, and results were expressed as fold change compared to non-transfected stimulated samples. Following stimulation of A549, THP-1, and RAW 264.7 cells, supernatants were collected and measurements of human and mouse IL6 were made by ELISA (R&D Systems) according to the manufacturer’s guidelines. Results are expressed in percentage of maximum response of control stimulation. All software, including the web address of the source code, is listed in Table S2 in Supplementary Material. The sequencing data are available from the gene expression omnibus under the following entries: human monocytes (ERA294222), human macrophages (GSE101868), human chondrocytes (GSE74220), human lung epithelial A549 cells (GSE101868), mouse RAW 264.7 macrophages (GSE101868), BMDMs (PRJEB11889), peritoneal macrophages, and splenic dendritic cells (SRP038980). We undertook stranded and paired-end sequencing data on total RNA obtained from four activated human cell types associated with the innate immune response including two myeloid immune cells, monocytes (ERA294222) and monocyte-derived macrophages (macrophages) (GSE101868), and two stromal cell types, lung A549 epithelial cells (GSE101868) and synovial chondrocytes (GSE74220). The myeloid cells were activated with bacterial LPS (via TLR4), while the stromal cells were activated using the pro-inflammatory cytokine, IL1β. Sequencing produced 2.0 billion reads (100 bases per read) of which 87% could be aligned to the human reference genome. Principle component analysis and unsupervised hierarchical clustering of the mRNA expression data (>1 FPKM) demonstrated separation of control and activated monocytes, macrophages, chondrocytes, and epithelial cells (Data Sheet S1 in Supplementary Material). Using the Gencode database (v23), we showed differential expression (q < 0.05) of 1,955 mRNAs in monocytes, 1,386 mRNAs in macrophages, 1,708 mRNAs in epithelial cells, and 855 mRNAs in chondrocytes (Table S3 in Supplementary Material). Integration of the data identified 3,853 mRNAs that were differentially expressed across all cell types. Of these, 2,479 (65%) were expressed in a single cell type, 858 (22%) were expressed in two cell types, 347 (9%) were expressed in three cell types, and 166 (4%) were expressed in four cell types (Figure 1A). As might be expected, KEGG pathway analysis (using DAVID bioinformatics platform) (44) showed that the 2,359 differentially up-regulated mRNAs across all four cell types were associated with activation of the innate immune response (Figure 1B). In contrast, the 1,494 down-regulated mRNAs were not associated with any pathways. These data indicated activation of the innate immune response in all four cell types following exposure to either of the pro-inflammatory mediators, LPS or IL1β. Figure 1. Profile of messenger RNAs’ (mRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs’ (lncRNAs) expressions in human cells. (A) Venn diagram showing the overlap in the differentially expressed mRNAs following lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-induced activation of monocytes and macrophages or IL1β-induced activation of epithelial cells and chondrocytes at 4 h. (B) Pathways analysis of the mRNAs that were differentially expressed across all human cell types. (C) Venn diagram showing the overlap in the lncRNAs expression profile in resting monocytes, macrophages, epithelial cells, and chondrocytes. (D) Distribution of different antisense and lincRNA species in resting monocytes, macrophages, epithelial cells, and chondrocytes and (E) Pie chart showing the percentage distribution of repeat sequences in the total lncRNA population obtained from all cell types. We identified 1,162 lncRNA genes that contained at least two exons and were expressed at >1 FPKM in at least one cell type (either control or stimulated cells) (Figure 1C; Table S4 in Supplementary Material). For clarity, we have included the “h” and “m” prefixes to identify human and mouse lncRNAs. Of these assembled genes, 586 overlapped with lncRNAs annotated in Gencode v23, meaning that the remaining 576 (50%) likely represent novel lncRNAs. Detailed breakdown identified 469 lncRNAs (54% novel) in monocytes, 248 lncRNAs (40% novel) in macrophages, 273 lncRNAs (32% novel) in epithelium, and 526 lncRNAs (44% novel) in chondrocytes. As in previous reports, we divided lncRNAs into four groups based upon their relative position to protein-coding genes: AS (overlapping a protein-coding gene on the opposite strand), AS-upstream (within 5 kb and located upstream/opposite strand from of a protein-coding genes), AS-downstream (within 5 kb and located downstream/opposite strand from of a protein-coding genes), and lincRNAs (located >5 kb from a protein-coding gene) (16). We have excluded lncRNAs located on the same strand and within 5 kb of a protein-coding gene, since these could potentially represent gene extensions. Using these criteria, it was found that lncRNAs could be subdivided into 39% AS, 5% AS-downstream, 8% AS-upstream, and 48% lincRNA, and this ratio remained similar across the four cell types (Figure 1D). Examination of the overlap showed that the vast majority of lncRNA were expressed in a cell-specific manner with 906 (78%) selectively expressed in a single cell type, 182 (16%) in two cell types, 51 (4%) in three cell types, and 23 (2%) in all four cell types (Figure 1C; Table S4 in Supplementary Material). As previously reported (45), the lncRNAs were found to be enriched with repeat sequences (identified using repeatmasker.org) including 9.4% short interspersed nuclear elements (SINES), 9.7% long interspersed nuclear elements (LINES), 7.6% long terminal repeats (LTRs), and 3.4% DNA elements, leaving 70% of non-repeat sequence (Figure 1E). We have identified 1,162 lncRNAs across the four human cell types including 576 novel lncRNAs that were enriched in repeat sequences and expressed in a predominantly cell-specific manner. To identify lncRNAs that might regulate the innate immune response, we examined their differential expression following exposure to either LPS (monocytes and macrophages) or IL1β (epithelium and chondrocytes) (Table S5 in Supplementary Material). We showed differential expression of l05 lncRNAs in monocytes, 50 lncRNAs in macrophages, 39 lncRNAs in epithelium, and 65 lncRNAs in chondrocytes (Figures 2A,B; Table S5 in Supplementary Material). This produced a total of 204 differentially expressed lncRNAs, which could be subdivided into 127 lincRNAs (62%), 45 AS (22%), 17 AS-downstream (8%), and 15 AS-upstream (8%). Comparison with Gencode v23 showed that 93 lncRNAs overlapped with annotated genes, indicating that the remaining 111 might be novel (Table S5 in Supplementary Material). Evaluation of the absolute change in expression across the four cell types showed a 10-fold difference between differentially expressed mRNAs and lncRNAs, with a mean (±SEM) of 55.5 ± 3.1 FPKM and 5.4 ± 3.1 FPKM, respectively. As with mRNAs, examination of the overlap between cell types showed that the vast majority (161 or 79%) were differentially expressed in a cell-specific manner (Figure 2B). Of the remainder, 33 (16%) were found in two cell types, eight (4%) in three cell types, and only two (1%) in all four cell types (Figure 2B). Figure 2. Characterization of differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) following activation of the human innate immune response. (A) Heatmap of the lncRNA expression levels in control and lipopolysaccharides (LPS) or interleukin-1β (IL1β) stimulated monocytes, macrophages, epithelium, and chondrocytes that have been subjected to unsupervised hierarchical based by experiment. (B) Venn diagram showing the overlap in the differentially expressed lncRNAs in LPS-stimulated monocytes and macrophages and IL1β-stimulated epithelial cells and chondrocytes at 4 h. (C) Pie charts showing the percentage distribution of repeat sequences in the various sub-populations of the differential expression lncRNAs across all four cell types with SINES = short interspersed nuclear elements, LINES = long interspersed nuclear elements, and LTR = long terminal repeat. (D) Pathways analysis of the messenger RNAs (mRNAs) located within 1 Mb of the differentially expressed lncRNA. (E) Pearson’s correlation between the differential expression of various lncRNA populations and that of the nearest mRNA. Once again, large regions of repetitive sequences were found in AS (33%), AS-downstream (39%), AS-upstream (25%), and lincRNA (33%) (Figure 2C). To assess their potential function, we identified 699 genes located within 1 Mb of these differentially expressed lncRNAs using GREAT9 and showed that these were associated with immune activation and response (Figure 2D). Comparison of the fold change showed a correlation between expression of the nearest mRNA expression and that of the AS (r = 0.495, p < 0.0001), AS-downstream (r = 0.567, p < 0.0001), AS-upstream (r = 0.760, p < 0.0001), and lincRNAs (r = 0.520, p < 0.0001) (Figure 2E), which was not seen when we looked at the total lncRNA population (Data Sheet S2 in Supplementary Material). In summary, we identified 204 lncRNAs that were differentially expressed across the four human cell types (including 111 novel lncRNAs) that could be subdivided into 62% lincRNAs, 22% AS, and 8% AS-downstream and 8% AS-upstream. The majority (161 lncRNAs) were expressed in a cell-specific manner, although there were 43 lncRNAs that were induced in multiple cell types. Positional analysis showed that lncRNA expression was correlated with immune-related genes and suggested that these might be functionally linked. Although we had included only multi-exonic genes in our initial analysis, a number of the previous publications have identified single exon lncRNAs that regulate the innate response, including PACER (13) and THRIL (14). To provide a complete picture of the role of non-coding RNAs in the innate immune response, we therefore decided to include these in the analysis. Our ab initio assembly identified 44,656 single exon lncRNAs genes that were >200 nt and expressed at >1 FPKM in at least one cell type (either control or stimulated cells) (Table S6 in Supplementary Material). Significantly, the vast majority (42,085 or 94%) showed no overlap with annotated lncRNAs in Gencode v23, while breakdown by cell type identified 8,068 lncRNAs in monocytes, 313 lncRNAs in macrophages, 2,657 lncRNAs in epithelium, and 37,829 lncRNAs in chondrocytes. The wide variation between cell types indicated that identification might be influenced by sequencing variability and that many of these single exons lncRNAs likely represent artifacts. With these reservations in mind, we proceeded to identify those that were differentially expressed following activation of the innate immune response. Once again there was wide variation between cells with 510, 216, 33, and 710 differentially expressed lncRNAs in monocytes, macrophages, epithelium, and chondrocytes, respectively (Figure 3A). This produced a combined total of 1,250 lncRNAs across all four cell types, of which only a small proportion (3.5%) were shown to overlap with annotated lncRNAs in Gencode v23. Significantly, unlike the multi-exonic lncRNAs, only 24 of the 1,250 differentially expressed single exon lncRNAs were identified in two cell types and none were expressed in three or four cell types. Figure 3. Characterization of differentially expressed single exon long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) following activation of the human innate immune response. (A) Venn diagram showing the overlap in the single exon lncRNAs expression in resting monocytes, macrophages, epithelial cells, and chondrocytes. (B) Distribution of different lncRNA species in resting monocytes, macrophages, epithelial cells, and chondrocytes, and (C) Pie chart showing the percentage distribution of repeat sequences in the various sub-populations of lncRNAs across all four cell types with SINES = short interspersed nuclear elements, LINES = long interspersed nuclear elements, and LTR = long terminal repeat. (D) Pathways’ analysis of the messenger RNAs (mRNAs) located within 1 Mb of the differentially expressed lncRNA. (E) Pearson’s correlation between the differential expression of various lncRNA populations and that of the nearest mRNA. Using the percentage distribution across individual cell types, these were shown to be predominantly lincRNAs (78%), with much smaller numbers of AS (3%), AS-downstream (7%), and AS-upstream (12%) (Figure 3B). As might be expected, these single exon lncRNAs were shorter in length than the multi-exonic lncRNAs at 0.6 kb (1.9 kb; p < 0.0001), 1.0 kb (1.5 kb; p = 0.0039), and 2.1 kb (2.4 kb; p < 0.0001) for AS-downstream, AS-upstream, and lincRNA, respectively (numbers in brackets show the length for multi-exonic lncRNAs; paired statistical testing using Mann Whitney). The exception was the AS at 3.6 kb, which were longer than the 2.9 kb seen in multi-exonic AS (p < 0.0001). Comparison of the absolute change in expression gave a value of 3.0 ± 0.3 FPKM, a value not significantly different from 5.4 ± 3.1 FPKM seen with multi-exonic lncRNAs (Kruskal–Wallis test). Once again, these single exon lncRNAs were also composed of large regions of repetitive sequences, which comprised 36, 31, 26, and 29% of the AS, AS-downstream, AS-upstream, and lincRNA sequences, respectively (Figure 3C). Assessment of their potential function identified 2,256 genes located within 1 Mb of these differentially expressed single exon lncRNAs and showed that these were also associated with immune activation and response (Figure 3D) and with the exception of AS-downstream that changes in expression correlated with those of the nearest mRNA (Figure 3E). We were able to identify large numbers of differentially expressed single exon lncRNAs, whose expression was strongly cell type specific and correlated with that of adjacent immune-related genes. However, we speculate that the vast majority represent artifacts related to the computational analysis and/or local non-specific transcriptional activity. Interestingly, although we showed significant increases in the expression of PACER (hXLOC_015084) in monocytes and chondrocytes (Table S6 in Supplementary Material), we were unable to detect the presence of THRIL (14). This is purported to be embedded (in the AS direction) within the 3′-untranslated region (UTR) of BRI3BP but detailed visual inspection in monocytes and macrophages (as well as the other two cell types) failed to identify the presence of this lncRNA (Data Sheet S3 in Supplementary Material). To validate our lncRNA catalog, we examined in control and LPS-stimulated monocytes the overlap between the lncRNAs and two active histone marks; H3K4me3, a marker of transcriptional activity, and H3K27ac, a marker of active promoters and enhancers (40). Intersection of the peaks identified by MACS2 and the mRNAs expressed in resting monocytes showed a partial overlap with H3K4me3 (25%) (Figure 4A) and H3K27ac (20%) (Figure 4B). In comparison, the overlap between the multi-exonic lncRNAs and H3K4me3 was reduced at 10%, while there was an increased intersection with the deposition of H3K27ac at 27%. By contrast, there was little overlap between the single exon lncRNAs and H3K4me3 (1%) or H3K27ac (4%). Figure 4. Analysis of the overlap between mRNAs/lncRNAs and histone marks in human monocytes ChIPSeq data from resting (A,B) and lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-stimulated (C,D) is expressed as the percentage of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) and messenger RNA (mRNA) genes that overlap with peaks identified by MACS2 (% genomic overlap) for H3K4me3 (a marker of transcriptional activity) (A,C) and H3K27ac (a marker of active enhancers/promoters) (B,D). Heatmaps were generated (lower panel) displaying the deposition of H3K4me3 and H3K27ac across the promoters (TSS ± 3 kb) of differentially expressed mRNAs (E) and lncRNAs (F). The upper panel displays the mean deposition of reads across all of the regions in the heatmap. To examine the differentially expressed lncRNAs, we subsequently focused on the peaks identified following the same length of LPS stimulation in monocytes (4 h). As might be expected, the overlap between mRNAs and H3K4me3 (59%) (Figure 4C) and H3K27ac (62%) (Figure 4D) was greatly increased compared with resting cells and was comparable to the intersection seen with lncRNAs (H3K4me3 70% and H3K27ac 75%). In the case of differentially expressed single exons lncRNAs, the overlap was increased compared to controls (H3K4me3 24% and H3K27ac 44%) but did not reach the levels in mRNAs and lncRNAs. We further examined the profile of the two marks across the promoters (±3 kb) of the differentially expressed mRNAs and lncRNAs (Figures 4E,F). Although we were unable to detect a global increase in H3K4me3 and H3K27ac at the promoters of mRNAs (Figure 4E), the deposition of both H3K4me3 and H3K27ac was clearly increased for both the lncRNAs and single-exonic lncRNAs (Figure 4F). Overall, this ChIPseq analysis provides additional evidence to support our transcriptional analysis showing LPS-induced expression of multi-exonic lncRNAs and, to a lesser extent, single exon lncRNAs, in human monocytes. This also supports the existence of lncRNAs in resting monocytes, although the poor overlap with single exon lncRNAs indicates that many are indeed artifacts. Further studies were undertaken to identify and characterize the differentially expressed lncRNAs following activation of the mouse innate immune response and to compare these with human lncRNAs. To this end, we undertook sequencing of LPS-stimulated mouse RAW 264.7 macrophages and combined this with published sequencing data obtained from LPS-stimulated BMDMs (19), LPS-stimulated peritoneal macrophages (21), and LPS-stimulated splenic dendritic cells (21). Using the mouse Gencode database (m12), we showed differential expression (q < 0.05) of 1,293 mRNAs in BMDMs, 1,487 in RAW 264.7 macrophages, 90 in peritoneal macrophages, and 24 in dendritic cells (Figure 5A; Table S7 in Supplementary Material). As with the human cells, KEGG pathway analysis (using DAVID bioinformatics platform) (44) indicated activation of the immune response in all four cell types following exposure to LPS (Figure 5B). Figure 5. Characterization of differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) following activation of the mouse innate immune response. (A) Venn diagram showing the overlap in the differentially expressed messenger RNAs (mRNAs) in lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-stimulated bone marrow macrophages, RAW 264.7 macrophages, peritoneal macrophages, and splenic dendritic cells. (B) Pathway analysis of the differentially expressed mRNA across all cell types. (C) Venn diagram showing the overlap in the differentially expressed lncRNAs in LPS-stimulated bone marrow macrophages, RAW 264.7 macrophages, peritoneal macrophages, and splenic dendritic cells. (D) Pie charts showing the percentage distribution of repeat sequences in the differentially expressed lncRNAs across all four cell types with SINES = short interspersed nuclear elements, LINES = long interspersed nuclear elements, and LTR = long terminal repeat. (E) Pathways analysis of the mRNAs located within 1 Mb of the differentially expressed lncRNAs. (F) Pearson’s correlation between the differential expression of various lncRNA populations and that of the nearest mRNA. Following ab initio assembly, we identified 2,386 lncRNAs across the four mouse cell types that could be divided into 869 lincRNAs (36%), 1,201 AS (50%), 170 AS-downstream (7%), and 146 AS-upstream (6%) (Table S8 in Supplementary Material). As a possible consequence of the poorer annotation of the mouse transcriptome, 1,592 (67%) of these were found to be novel lncRNAs. Following LPS stimulation, we showed differential expression of 210 lncRNAs (133 lincRNA, 34 AS, 19 AS-downstream, and 24 AS-upstream; q < 0.05) including 69 in BMDMs, 158 in RAW macrophages, 7 in peritoneal macrophages, and 20 in dendritic cells (Figure 5C; Table S8 in Supplementary Material). As with human cells, examination of the overlap between cell types showed that the vast majority (171 or 81%) were expressed in a cell-specific manner. Of the remainder, 36 were found in two cell types and 4 were found in three cell types (Figure 5C). Interestingly, our ab initio assembly identified three lncRNAs that have previously been shown to regulate the innate immune response: lincRNA-COX2 (mXLOC_001674) (17, 18), lincRNA-EPS (mXLOC_029096) (19), and lincRNA-Tnfaip3 (mXLOC_003831) (20). Differential expression in response to LPS was seen with lincRNA-COX2 (BMDMs, RAW macrophages, and peritoneal macrophages) and lincRNA-EPS (RAW macrophages) but not lincRNA-Tnfaip3 (Table S9 in Supplementary Material). Characterization of these differentially expressed lncRNAs showed that these were broadly similar to that observed in humans. Thus, these were found to be composed of ~30% repeat elements (Figure 5D). Functional analysis identified 540 genes located within 1 Mb of the differentially expressed lncRNAs and showed that these were associated with immune activation and response (Figure 5E), while the fold change in expression of the nearest mRNA was showed to correlate with the changes in AS (r = 0.7952, p < 0.0001) and lincRNAs (r = 0.4209, p < 0.0001) (Figure 5F). Our analysis of sequencing data from multiple mouse cell types identified 210 lncRNAs that were differentially expressed following induction of the innate immune response. These demonstrated comparable characteristics to those observed in humans including cell-specific expression, large regions of repeat sequences, and correlation between their expression and that of local inflammatory genes. It has been speculated that the action of lncRNAs is mediated through microdomains that interact with proteins or undergo base pairing with RNA and/or DNA. To identify potential microdomains, we searched for conserved sequences within our catalogs of differentially expressed lncRNA genes. As previously reported (46), our initial analysis of the evolutionary conservation of lncRNAs showed that these were poorly conserved (Figure 6A). Thus, using PhastCons (seven-way vertebrate), which determines conservation on a 0–1 scale (1 being the most conserved), we obtained values of 0.162, 0.165, 0.151, and 0.161 with the human AS, AS-downstream, AS-upstream, and lincRNAs, respectively. This value was significantly greater than the 0.099 ± 0.002 for the intronic regions of protein-coding genes (p < 0.0001—Mann–Whitney U-test) but considerably less than the value for exonic, 5′- and 3′-UTRs of protein-coding genes at 0.842 ± 0.001, 0.376 ± 0.011, and 0.373 ± 0.001, respectively (Figure 6A). Similarly, PhastCons analysis of the mouse catalog (vertebrate 60-way) produced values of 0.246 for AS and 0.182 for lincRNAs, which were significantly greater than those seen for intronic regions (p < 0.0001—Mann–Whitney U-test) but less than the value for exonic, 5′- and 3′-UTRs of protein-coding genes (Figure 6A). Figure 6. Identification of conserved microdomains in the differentially expressed human and mouse long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). (A) PhastCons analysis of the conservation of the differentially expressed lncRNA species in human and mouse cells compared with the exon, intronic, and untranslated regions (UTRs) of protein-coding genes. (B) Identification of conserved microdomains within human lncRNA sequences using the MEME-suite (following removal of repeat sequences). (C) Distribution of hits obtained from the BLASTn analysis of lncRNAs, matched random controls, and matched protein-coding genes in human and mouse. (D,E) Identification of conserved microdomains within human (D) and mouse (E) BLASTn data. Despite this poor overall evolutionary conservation, we proceeded to look for the presence of microdomains through comparison of the lncRNAs. This was performed following the removal of the repeat sequences using Repeatmasker (see text footnote 5). These lncRNAs gave a mean length of 4.7 kb (human) and 4.0 kb (mouse) and were shown to be rich in AT residues (58% for human and 54% for mouse). Analysis using MEME-ChIP (37) identified three conserved microdomains in the human lncRNA catalog but found nothing within the mouse lncRNA catalog (Figure 6B). In subsequent studies, we employed BLASTn (38) to identify shared regions within the human and mouse lncRNA catalogs. The output was compared with a comparable number of randomly generated control sequences and protein-coding genes, of similar lengths and AT composition. This analysis showed <1% overall conservation but identified 5,130 and 4,199 significant hits of lengths 12–50 nt in the human and mouse lncRNA catalogs, respectively (Figure 6C). This was significantly higher [p < 0.0001: one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA)] than the 1,511 and 1,264 regions identified in the human and mouse control sequences. Protein-coding genes showed comparable number of hits to lncRNAs around the peak of 20 nt, but overall number of hits was elevated throughout the 12–50 nt range (Figure 6C). Submission of the BLASTn hits from the human and mouse lncRNA catalogs into MEME-ChIP identified 4 and 10 microdomains, respectively. No microdomains were detected in the controls. When we compared these motifs with the ATtRACT database of RNA-biding proteins and associated motifs (47), we found that a four of them (three in human and one in mouse) had positive hits with known RNA-binding proteins (Figures 6D,E). In general, these proteins were found to be involved in mRNA splicing, stability, and transport. Thus, despite the poor evolutionary conservation, this analysis indicated that the differentially lncRNA contains short conserved regions or microdomains that might be important in mediating their functions and mechanism of action. No homology was observed between the differentially expressed human and mouse lncRNA catalogs. Since it has been suggested that genomic position might be important to their biological action, we compared the human and mouse catalogs to identify those demonstrating synteny. Our analysis showed that 21 (10%) of the differentially expressed human lncRNAs had syntenic versions in mice and included the two human lncRNAs that were differentially expressed in all human cell types, hXLOC_405581 (which mapped to mouse mXLOC_025443) and hXLOC_367599 (which mapped to mXLOC_003168) (Table S10 in Supplementary Material). However, only five of these syntenic mouse lncRNAs were also significantly differentially expressed (p < 0.05) in a least one mouse cell type and included mXLOC_014053 (hXLOC_246791), mXLOC_039871 (hXLOC_039871), ENSMUSG00000097180 (hXLOC_376116), mXLOC_025443 (hXLOC_405581), and mXLOC_044198 (hXLOC_455493). With a mean of 9%, BLASTn analysis showed increased conservation across these syntenic genes, compared to all differentially expressed lncRNAs (<1%), although there was a wide variation (0–53%) (Table S10 in Supplementary Material). In order to validate the sequencing data, we employed qRT-PCR to measure the levels of five lncRNAs across three human cell types (monocytes, macrophages, and epithelial A549 cells) and showed a significant correlation between the fold changes following differential expression (Figure 7A). To assess the biological relevance of these lncRNA catalogs, we examined the function of the syntenic lncRNAs, hXLOC_405581 and mXLOC_025443, that is differentially expressed in multiple human and mouse cell types. These were renamed hIL7-AS and mIL7-AS as a result of their AS overlap with the promoter region of IL7, a cytokine that has been implicated in T- and B-cell development (48). Analysis of the structure of human and mouse IL7-AS showed that these were complex genes that could be assembled potentially into multiple transcripts. In the case of the human hIL7-AS, sequencing data indicated the existence of up to nine exons (however, for simplicity, we have only shown the four most represented exons, Figure 7B), which could be assembled into potentially four transcripts of a gene of up to 10,280 nt in length (including 34% repeat sequences). In contrast, the mouse mIL7-AS was somewhat less complex containing up to five exons that could be assembled into four potential transcripts giving a gene of an approximate length of 5,043 nt (including 63% repeat sequences, Figure 7C). Figure 7. IL7-AS regulates the expression and release of IL6 from interleukin-1β (IL1β)- and lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-stimulated human and mouse cells. (A) Comparison of fold change in expression of differentially expressed lncRNAs using RNA sequencing and qRT-PCR. Structure and profile of IL7-AS expression in (B) human and (C) mouse cells visualized using the Integrated Genomics Viewer (IGV). (D) Time course of IL7-AS and IL7 mRNA production in IL1β-stimulated human alveolar A549 epithelium and LPS-stimulated human THP1 monocytes and mouse RAW 264.7 macrophages (n = 3 independent experiments). (E) Subcellular distribution of IL7-AS in IL1β-stimulated A549 epithelium and LPS-stimulated THP1 monocytes in which NEAT-1 and mitochondrial-cytochrome b (MT-CYB) are employed as markers of nuclear and cytoplasmic fractions, respectively (n = 4 independent experiments). (F) Effect of transfection with a negative control LNA (scramble) or two antisense LNA (LNA 1 or 2) targeting, respectively, exons 1 and 4 (human cells) or exons 1 and 3 (mouse cells) of IL7-AS at a final concentration of 30 nM. Cells were then treated with either IL1β (30 ng/ml) or LPS (1 µg/ml), or left untreated for 24 h, prior to measurement of levels of the stated gene (by q-PCR) or proteins (by ELISA) (n = 7–8 independent experiments). Statistical significance was performed using either two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for time courses or repeated measure one-way ANOVA with both a Dunnett’s post-test correction, where p < 0.05, p < 0.01, p < 0.001, and **p < 0.0001 versus control. To facilitate the functional analysis of IL7-AS, experiments were performed using IL1β-stimulated human A549 lung epithelial cells, LPS-stimulated human monocytic THP-1 cells, and LPS-stimulated mouse RAW 264.7 macrophages, which are amenable to transfection. In all cell types, measurement of time courses shows a similar rapid increase in hIL7-AS and mIL7-AS expressions, peaking between 4 and 6 h and remaining elevated at 24 h (Figure 7D). Examination of IL7 expression showed a parallel production of IL7 mRNA, albeit a smaller fold increase, in activated human A549 epithelium and THP-1 monocyte cells, but not mouse RAW 264.7 cells, where IL7 expression does not seem to be affected by LPS stimulation (Figure 7D). Although IL7 expression seems to correlate with the expression of hIL7-AS in A549 and THP-1 cells, it is interesting to note that the absolute expression of IL7, according to our sequencing data, is at least 10 times lower than the expression of hIL7-AS (IL7 = 0.6 FPKM vs hIL7-AS = 7.0 FPKM in A549 and IL7 = 5.5 FPKM vs hIL7-AS = 182.2 FPKM in monocyte). Most lncRNAs present a bias toward nuclear localization, where previous studies of functional lncRNAs have been shown to regulate the transcription of protein-coding genes (7, 49, 50). We therefore investigated the subcellular localization of IL7-AS in human cell lines (Figure 7E). Indeed, the expression of hIL7-AS was enriched in the nuclear fraction, compared to the whole lysate. We also looked at the expression of NEAT-1, a lncRNA known to be mainly located in the nucleus (51) and the mitochondrially encoded cytochrome B (MT-CYB) gene, produced from mitochondrial DNA in the cytoplasm (52). As expected, both NEAT-1 and MT-CYB were shown to be enriched, respectively, in the nucleus and in the cytoplasm fraction (Figure 7E), confirming that the separation procedure was successful. To examine whether IL7-AS has a role in the innate immune response, we used AS locked nucleic acid (LNA) to knockdown the expression of IL7-AS RNA in both human and mouse. In human, we selected two AS LNAs targeting exon 1 (LNA 1) and exon 4 (LNA 2) that attenuated both IL1β- and LPS-induced hIL7-AS production by 50–85% at 24 h (Figure 7F) of A549 and THP-1 cells, respectively. Likewise, in mouse, selected AS LNAs, targeting exon 1 (LNA 1) and exon 3 (LNA 2), showed similar knockdown of mIL7-AS than in human cell lines (Figure 7F). Knockdown did not significantly impact upon IL7 mRNA production indicating that although IL7-AS and IL7 overlap at their promoter region, the action of IL7-AS is not mediated through IL7 regulation in cis (Figure 7F). Instead, these results suggest that any potential biological actions of IL7-AS might be mediated in trans. Indeed, IL7-AS knockdown showed significant modulation of the IL1β- and LPS-induced expressions of the pro-inflammatory mediator IL6 on both mRNA production and release of the cytokine in human and in mouse (Figure 7F). Interestingly, IL1β-induced IL6 production was significantly down-regulated in A549 cells upon IL7-AS knockdown, while in THP-1 and RAW 264.7 cells, knockdown showed an upregulation of LPS-induced IL6 production (Figure 7F). These results suggest that IL7-AS function on IL6 production is cell and/or stimuli specific. Overall, these studies provide evidence of the utility of using differential expression as the basis for identifying functional lncRNA in the innate immune response and have for the first time identified a lncRNA (i.e., IL7-AS) that regulates the inflammatory response in both human and mouse models. Using next-generation sequencing data from four human and four mouse cell types, we have undertaken the first comprehensive analysis of the changes in lncRNA expression associated with the activation of the innate immune response. This is important since differential expression has commonly provided the initial step in the search for functional lncRNAs and has led to the identification a number that regulate the associated inflammatory response including PACER (13), THRIL (14), lnc-IL7R (15), and IL1β-RBT46 (16) in humans and lincRNA-COX2 (17, 18), lincRNA-EPS (19), and lincRNA-Tnfaip3 (20) in mice. Differential expression has also been employed to compare T- and B-cell populations and identified lncRNAs that regulate multiple aspects of the adaptive immune response including activation, proliferation, and differentiation (53–55). Using this approach, we have demonstrated differential expression of 204 human and 210 mouse lncRNAs, which included PACER (13), IL1β-RBT46 (16), lincRNA-COX2 (17, 18), and lincRNA-EPS (19). Intriguingly, we were unable to detect the expression of THRIL (14), lnc-IL7R (15), or lincRNA-Tnfaip3 (20), which were all located within the 3′ UTRs of known protein-coding genes and were initially detected using microarrays. In future, we therefore believe that visual annotation of sequencing data should be the method of choice when identifying novel lncRNAs. In order to produce as comprehensive a lncRNA catalog as possible, sequencing of two of the eight cell types (human epithelial A549 cells and the mouse macrophage RAW264.7 cells) was undertaken after polyA+ selection (rather than ribozero selection). This is likely to influence the comparison between cell types and, specifically, might reduce the number of lncRNAs detected, since we would be unable to identify those lacking polyA+ tails. Although it is difficult to assess the potential impact of polyA+ versus ribozero isolation, the similarity in the numbers of differentially expressed lncRNAs in epithelial A549 cells (39 lncRNAs), compared with monocytes (105 lncRNAs), macrophages (50 lncRNAs), and chondrocytes (65 lncRNAs), indicates that we may be omitting only a small number. As a part of our analysis, we also investigated the changes in single exon transcripts, which are traditionally excluded from the lncRNA classification (which requires two or more exons). This work suggests that, although a number of these are likely to regulate the innate immune response (i.e., PACER) (13), the large numbers and the wide variation between cell types indicate that the majority represent transcriptional noise and/or are an artifact of the analysis pathway. This conclusion is supported by the ChIPseq analysis in human monocytes that showed a poor overlap between markers of active transcription and enhancers/promoters. Analysis of the full-length genes demonstrated weak conservation through evolution, as well as between the lncRNAs (<1%) and showed no homology between the human and mouse catalogs. However, a combination of BLASTn and MEME-ChIP allowed the identification of multiple conserved microdomains of lengths 5–30 nt. We speculate that these microdomains might mediate the actions of lncRNAs, either through protein binding and/or base pairing to RNA/DNA. Previous reports have uncovered only lncRNA–protein interactions, including an action of lincRNA-COX2 (17, 18), THRIL (14), and lincRNA-EPS (19) through heterogeneous ribonucleoproteins and PACER via the p50 component of NF-κB (13). Of relevance, the identification of microdomains was performed following the removal of the repeats that comprised ~30% of lncRNA sequences. However, it is possible that repeats are important in mediating the action of lncRNA, with previous studies showing that Alu repeats can activate the inflammasome (51) and contain binding sites for transcription factors involved in regulating the macrophage response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (56). It has also been suggested that the maintenance of genomic position relative to protein-coding genes (synteny) might be important in determining the lncRNA function. Comparison across humans and mouse identified 22 syntenic lncRNAs, of which five were differentially expressed in both species. This included IL7-AS (located AS to IL7), which was induced across multiple human and mouse cell types and demonstrated the largest changes in absolute expression among the syntenic lncRNAs. Measurement of IL6 transcription and secretion showed that IL7-AS was a positive regulator of IL1β-induced inflammatory response in human A549 epithelial cell but a negative regulator in LPS-stimulated human THP-1 monocytes and mouse RAW 264.7 macrophages. Given our previous report showing that IL7-AS (or CILinc02) was a negative regulator of IL1β-stimulated IL6 release from human chondrocytes (57), this indicates that its actions are cell-type specific rather than stimulus specific. Future studies will need to ascertain whether this is related to alternative splicing and/or cell-specific differences in lncRNA mechanisms. In addition, since IL7-AS is the first lncRNA to demonstrate function in the innate immune response in both human and mouse cell models, this provide an opportunity to compare the physiological role of lncRNAs across these two species. In summary, we have for the first time cataloged and characterized those lncRNAs that are differentially expressed in multiple human and mouse cell types following activation of the innate immune response. However, further studies will be necessary to determine which other lncRNAs are functional from those two catalogs. Indeed, a refined list of functional lncRNAs could give us fewer and/or more defined microdomains. It is envisaged that this will provide an important resource for the discovery of functional lncRNAs and elucidation of their mechanism of action. BR undertook the majority of laboratory based studies, assisted in the experimental design and analysis of data, and contributed to the writing of the manuscript. JH contributed toward the laboratory based studies, the bioinformatics analysis, and the writing of the paper. LD assisted with experimental design. SJ assisted with experimental design and contributed to the writing of the paper. ML conceived of the experimental design, undertook the majority of the analysis of data, and contributed to the writing of the manuscript. BR was supported by BBSRC grant (BB/K006223/1) and LD. This study was supported by the NIHR Respiratory Disease Biomedical Research Unit at the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust and Imperial College London. The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fimmu.2017.01038/full#supplementary-material. Data Sheet S1. Principle component analysis and hierarchical clustering. Analysis of the distribution of samples using principle component analysis and hierarchical clustering in monocytes, macrophages, epithelium, and chondrocytes. Data Sheet S2. Expression of antisense, lincRNA, and antisense-upstream/downstream are not correlated with the nearest protein-coding gene. The correlation (Spearman’s correlation) between the expression of antisense (A), antisense upstream and downstream (B), and lincRNAs (C), demonstrating an FPKM > 1 in non-stimulated cells was examined using data from all four cell types (monocytes, macrophages, epithelium, and chondrocytes). Data Sheet S3. Expression of THRIL in human monocytes and macrophages. Profile of forward (red) and reverse (blue) sequence reads in control and LPS-stimulated human monocytes and macrophages indicates the presence of BRI3BP but not the THRIL. Table S1. LNA antisense sequence and qRT-PCR probes. Table S2. Bioinformatics software and websites. Table S3. Gencode v23 protein-coding genes across four human cell types. Table S4. Long non-coding RNA expression across four human cell types. Table S5. Differentially expressed long non-coding RNA expression across four human cell types. Table S6. Differentially expressed single exon long non-coding RNA expression across four human cell types. Table S7. Mouse Gencode m12 gene expression across four mouse cell types. Table S8. Long non-coding RNA expression across four mouse cell types. Table S9. Differentially expressed long non-coding RNA expression across four mouse cell types. Table S10. Syntenic long non-coding RNAs between humans and mouse. BMDM, bone marrow-derived macrophages; mRNA, messenger RNA; ncRNA, non-coding RNA; lncRNA, long non-coding RNA; lincRNA, long intergenic non-coding RNA; IL, interleukin; LPS, lipopolysaccharide; nt, nucleotide. Copyright: © 2017 Roux, Heward, Donnelly, Jones and Lindsay. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
0.946784	Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart with dumbbells above your shoulders. Squat down keeping your back flat and your knees over your toes. Push through your heels to return to standing while pressing the dumbbells overhead with arms fully extended. Be sure to concentrate on a balanced movement when lifting the dumbbells. Use both arms equally spaced and moving at the same speed. Using a neutral grip, hold a dumbbell in each hand so your palms are facing in. Your arms should be fully extended and hanging straight down. This is the start position. Pull your shoulder blades back and flex your elbows to pull the dumbbells up to your sides. Hold and squeeze your shoulder and back muscles. Return to the start position in a slow, controlled movement. This exercise can be performed standing or sitting on flat bench. For people with lower back problems, the version described is better. Stand with your back straight, feet shoulder width apart, while holding a dumbbell in each hand with a neutral grip. Hold your arms fully extended by your side, with your palms facing in to your body. Keep your elbows close to your sides. This is the start position. Keeping your arms fully extended and your torso stationary, lift the dumbbells out to your sides and up until they are at shoulder level. Exhale as you do so. Hold for a count of one while squeezing your shoulder muscles. Return to the start position in a smooth controlled movement inhaling as you do so. Set up an incline bench at about 30 degrees. Lie on the bench and hold a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip. Lower the dumbbells out to the side of your shoulders, while keeping your elbows slightly bent in a smooth arcing motion. Continue lowering them until you feel a stretch in your chest and shoulders. Pause for a count of one. Bring the dumbbells back to the starting position in the same smooth arc with your elbows slightly bent until the dumbbells are nearly touching. Place a dumbbell on each side of a flat bench. Place your right knee on the end of the bench. Bend your torso from the waist until your upper body is parallel to the floor, while placing your right hand on the bench in front of you for support. With your left hand, pick up the dumbbell with an overhand grip. The palm of your hand should be facing into you. Keep your lower back straight. This is the start position. Using your back muscles, pull the dumbbell straight up to the side of your chest, keeping your upper arm close to your side. Exhale as you do so. At the top of the movement, hold for a count of one and squeeze your back muscles. Return to the start position inhaling as you do so. Repeat. Complete all repetitions for one side before switching sides. This exercise can be performed using a cable station, with a stirrup handle attached to either the high or low pulley. Set up a cable station with a straight bar on attached to the top pulley. Grip the bar with an overhand grip,with your hands slightly less than shoulder width apart. Position your feet shoulder width apart,with knees slightly bent for stability. Pull the bar down until your forearms are parallel to the floor with your elbows close to your body and your wrists locked in a straight position. This is your staring point. Moving only your forearms, push the bar down towards the floor until your arms are fully extended and you feel a stretch in your triceps. Hold for a count of one and squeeze your triceps. Return to the start position moving your forearms only. Hold for a count of one then repeat. Do not move your elbows or swing your hips for momentum during this movement. Stand between two cable stations with the dumbbell grip handles attached to the high pulleys on each side of you. Hold the handles with an overhand grip. Your arms should be outstretched. Bend your knees and hips slightly so that you are leaning forward, but not too far. Bend your elbows slightly and rotate your shoulders in towards the centre of your chest a little. Your elbows should be slightly behind you. Use a hugging motion, keeping your elbows in a fixed, bent position to bring the grip attachments together in front of your chest. Slowly return to the starting position until you feel a slight stretch in your chest muscles. Kneel in front of a cable station with a rope attachment connected to the top pulley. Grip the rope attachment and place your wrists against your forehead. Flex your hips slightly to take the weight and to hyperextend your lower back. Keeping your hips stationary, bend at the waist so that your elbows travel down towards the middle of your thighs. Hold for a count of one. Return to the start position in a controlled movement and repeat. Set up a cable station with a straight bar attached to the top pulley. Sit on the seat facing the station. Keep your feet flat and planted firmly on the floor. Lean back slightly without arching your back. Pull the bar towards the top of your chest using your shoulders while arcing your elbows out to the sides of your body. At the end of the movement squeeze you shoulders together slightly and hold for a count of one. Return to the start position by arcing your elbows forward while relaxing your shoulders.
0.976745	How to Boil a Hot Dog: Cooking a Hot Dog isn't an advanced science, yet it's not an imbecile confirmation try, either. From burst housings to the wrong sauces, these are the most widely recognized hot dog wrong doings. Stay away from them, and your lawn barbeque will surpass any ballpark's finest passage. Steaming hot dogs is a quick, easy way to make up a tasty dinner. All you need is a pot of the water and a pack of hot dogs. You can add extra taste by preparing the water or sautéing the dogs after boiling. Finish by putting your boiled pets in buttocks and putting on a costume them with your favorite condiments. To Boil a Hot dog, hot dogs come pre-cooked, yet they taste best when they're warmed exhaustive. Boiling them for six minutes is sufficient time to get themsteaming, however, it's sufficiently short to hold them from dividing into equal parts. You need to abstain from giving the hot dog a chance to part, since they'll lose a ton of flavor in the event that they do. To appropriately heat up a hot dog, fill an extensive pan with enough water to cover your hot dog. A decent general guideline is around half water as compare to your vessel. Make sure to utilize a sufficiently expansive skillet so that the water is a couple inches beneath the edge. If you want to boil a hot dog, in case you're heating up an extensive pack of hot dogs, they may require an additional moment or two. Test them to check whether it's prepared before expelling whatever is left of them from warmth. In case you're boiling only a one or two, they might be prepared before six minutes are up. Test a hot dog at five minutes to check whether it's sufficiently hot to suit you. If not, return it to the water. These tips will help you to boil a hot dog. The second way to boil a hot dog is just to straight microwave. Put hot dogs on a microwave safe plate. Contingent upon whether the hot dogs are defrosted or solidified and the span of the hot dogs, the reality of the situation will become obvious eventually. Check them after 1 minute to figure out whether they require additional time by removing the tip of a hot dog to check whether it's altogether warmed. In the event that it needs additional time, keep cooking in 30 second augmentations until they're completely boiled. To boil a hot dog, you can likewise verify whether it needs additional time by taking a gander at the composition of the hot dogs; if the skin looks wrinkled and darker in shading, it's most likely done. If you want to boil a hot dog, in case you're cooking more than a couple of hot dogs, they will require an additional moment or two to completely warm. The 3rd way to boil a hot dog, acquaint lively Mexican flavors with the salty snap of hot dogs with this simple formula from Damn Delicious. A corn and avocado salsa meets up with only a crush of lime and a tiny bit of red onion. While the chipotle yogurt is delicious, you can swap in acrid cream or Mexican crema for a wealthier flavor. We get a kick out of the chance to complete these off with a liberal sprinkling of cilantro. To boil a hot dog, large amounts of sandwiches get a fixing of crunchy slaw, so why not hot dogs? This form from The Marvelous Misadventures of a Foodie gives the cabbage and carrot combo an Asian flavor profile and help you to boil a hot dog and make it crunchy. A sprinkle of spiced mayo gives it both a richness and a kick that ties every one of the flavors together. Add a beer into the regular water. Beer imparts a tasty bread flavor to the hot dogs. It's the perfect way to add flavor if you're preparing an order of pets to eat before the activities or providing a roomful of grownups who like the flavor of alcohol. Just add a whole alcohol to the regular water to restore a cup and a half of regular water. Bring it to a steam and prepare the pets normally. If you're up for a research, try different types of beers to boil a hot dog. For example, a light ale will provide a very different flavor than a deeper beer. This process works for hot dogs of any kind, but preferences especially good with all-beef pets. Add a beans to water. Throwing in a beans or 2 while water comes to a steam is a fantastic way to add natural taste to your hot dog. You don't even have to remove the garlic; just place in a clove or two unpeeled. Try sautéing the hot dogs after you steam them. If you want crunchy dogs, quickly sautéing them after you have boiled them is the way to go. Heat a container over high and add a sprint of olive oil. Use a blade to divide your pets in half lengthwise. When the oil is hot, sauté the dogs split-side down until they are brownish and crunchy. Dress the pets with your preferred condiments. No matter how you cook your pets, the best taste comes subsequently in the form of excellent condiments. Put your dogs in their buns and add your preferred toppings. These all tips will help you to boil a hot dog.
0.999996	Create short entertaining captions for articles. Style of writing should be similar to https://www.theurbanlist.com not exact but light-hearted/witty. Hello. I'm working on your two examples, but am just wanting to clarify what you are after. "Captions" are defined as "a title or brief explanation accompanying an illustration, cartoon, or poster." Are you needing captions for the images in each article, or a catchy introductory summary paragraph to each article? I can do both tasks, but they do require different emphases. It's very basic what we need. Think of it this way, if you were sharing this article on Facebook what caption would you right. I clicked ' How to apply', found the two relevant article links, and I have worked out captions for your two examples. My problem is that I can't find a way to provide the captions to you. How are we to apply to you with our captions? Sorry, I didn't realise there wasn't a way to submit applications, I have updated how to apply with details. Hi, I would also like clarification on what you want, as there is more than one image in each article. Thank you.
0.999996	Hong Kong (CNN Business)China’s ginormous economy could be showing renewed signs of life in 2019. The world’s second-biggest economy grew by slightly more than expected in the first quarter of 2019, Chinese government figures showed Wednesday. It expanded by 6.4% compared to a year ago, beating economists’ forecasts of 6.3%. The prospect of a deeper slowdown in China has been one of the biggest concerns for the global economy this year. The economy has been hit by a trade war with the United States and government efforts to rein in a huge amount of debt in China’s financial system. “This confirms that China’s economic growth is bottoming out and this momentum is likely to continue going into months ahead,” said Tai Hui, chief market strategist for Asia-Pacific at investment firm JPMorgan Asset Management. Chinese government statistics showed that growth in the first three months of the year was supported by strong spending by Chinese consumers and manufacturing production. How bad is China's economic slump? It's impossible to tellRead MoreWhile China’s current economic growth rate is still its slowest in decades, there have been signs of positivity in recent weeks, with indicators including property prices and bank lending suggesting a more bullish hue. Analysts said that investors will now turn to the possibility of an agreement on trade issues between the United States and China in the coming weeks. Investors’ “risk appetite should improve as China’s economic downturn risk is contained,” Hui added.Stimulus starts to bear fruitChinese growth has lost momentum following government efforts to crack down on risky lending, which starved many companies of the funds they needed to expand.The world’s second largest economy has also started feeling the effects of the trade war with the United States, which has resulted in new tariffs on about $250 billion of Chinese exports.The deteriorating situation in a market that businesses around the world rely upon for growth has had a widespread impact. It has spooked investors and prompted warnings from top companies such as Apple (AAPL).China’s government last month predicted economic growth of between 6% and 6.5% in 2019. That’s below last year’s 6.6% rate of expansion, which was already China’s slowest annual growth in three decades.
0.989429	Would you recommend The Overlook to others? Enjoy the most luxurious amenities in this amazing private home in the Peak 8 area of Breckenridge. This stunning, 6-bedroom home boasts mountain views framed by gorgeous timber architecture. Complete with an outdoor firepit and fireplace, an entertainment area, and a wonderfully appointed kitchen, The Overlook provides high-end mountain luxury for your perfect Breckenridge vacation. This home is in the Peak 8 area of Breckenridge - centrally located to the slopes and downtown. Enjoy mountain views and a feeling of seclusion, all while being just a short drive or bus ride from all the best sights and activities that Breckenridge has to offer. Amenities at The Overlook are endless. Cook in the gourmet kitchen with granite counter tops and professional Wolff appliances; take in mountain views from the large gas fireplace in the living room; enjoy privacy and comfort in one of the four king bedrooms, all with private baths. And when it comes to entertainment, this home certainly leaves nothing to be desired. The upstairs living area has a flat screen television, while the lower level recreational room offers a pool table, arcade games, 2 flat screen televisions with a Sonos sound system, and a full-service wet bar. After a long day of skiing, enjoy a soak in the private outdoor hot tub, or enjoy dinner on the deck by the outdoor gas fireplace in the summer. It’s safe to say a stay at The Overlook will make your mountain vacation one to remember! The Overlook is about 1 miles to the ski lifts and the base of Peak 8 and 5 blocks to the Free Ride Shuttle on Ski Hill Road.
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0.986848	Explainer: What is open disclosure, and where does it fit in the smear test scandal? What are the obligations to tell a patient when a mistake has been made in their healthcare? THE CERVICALCHECK CONTROVERSY this week has led to discussions about who is responsible for telling patients when a mistake has been made in their medical treatment. In the case of Vicky Phelan, a Limerick mother-of-two, she didn’t find out that there was a mistake made with the results of her 2011 smear until 2017. A review of her smear test was carried out in 2014, the year she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. The delay in informing Phelan about the review of her case has caused uproar and concern, specifically about the obligations of medical practitioners to tell their patients when a mistake is made or when something is missed. So what are healthcare professionals obliged to do in the event of a mistake, and what happens if they don’t follow those rules? The HSE defines open disclosure as “an open, consistent approach to communicating with service users when things go wrong in healthcare”. Open disclosure is supported within a culture of candour. You have a duty to promote and support this culture and to support colleagues whose actions are investigated following an adverse event. If you are responsible for conducting such investigations, you should make sure they are carried out quickly, recognising that this is a stressful time for all concerned. Patients and their families, where appropriate, are entitled to honest, open and prompt communication about adverse events that may have caused them harm. In cases where the patient has died, their information remains confidential, unless otherwise stated. If it’s unclear whether the patient agreed to their medical history being shared with loved ones, the guidelines state that “you should consider how the disclosure might benefit or cause distress to the deceased’s family or carers”. It’s important to note that although this applies to registered doctors, this isn’t in itself a legal requirement – more on that further down in this piece. How does it play into the Cervical Check controversy? Vicky Phelan settled her High Court action against Clinical Pathology Laboratories Inc, Austin, Texas last Wednesday over her 2011 smear test which was later found to have shown abnormalities in a 2014 review. She was awarded €2.5 million. In the aftermath of the case, the head of the National Cancer Control Programme Dr Jerome Coffey attracted criticism after saying that the decision on whether doctors should tell their patients the result of a review was “between the physician and the patient”. The next day, the Clinical Director of CervicalCheck Dr Grainne Flannelly said that although clinicians were instructed by CervicalCheck to tell patients that their smear test results had been reviewed, it wasn’t certain whether the women were then told. It was subsequently revealed by the HSE that of the 1,482 cases of cervical cancer that were brought to the attention of the CervicalCheck programme, a review was warranted in 442 cases. In those 442 smear tests, 208 were found to have needed a different result or additional action (such as further tests). Of that total, only 46 women were told that their smear tests had been reviewed. The remaining 162 of the women were not told that they may have had a delayed diagnosis and could have benefitted from earlier treatment. 17 women whose smear tests were reviewed have since died. It hasn’t been confirmed what caused their deaths. The incident has raised questions about what responsibility doctors have to tell their patients about errors made in their medical treatment. In November 2015, Leo Varadkar, who was Minister for Health at the time, published plans to make “open disclosure and duty of candour” – which is the Medical Council guideline for medical practitioners - a legal requirement. “Open disclosure, which has been policy since 2013, will be enshrined in legislation being drafted in cooperation with the Department of Justice. Open disclosure extends beyond healthcare and includes errors that cause no harm at all, or even possible errors that turn out not to have happened. The legislation will ensure that all open disclosures will be protected and that offering an apology or giving full information up front cannot be seen as an admission of liability. This is designed to guarantee a culture of openness in healthcare and was recommended by the Commission on Patient Safety and Quality Assurance chaired by Dr Deirdre Madden of UCC. But in January 2016, the Minister said that he would shelve those plans and had “adjusted” his view based on evidence from the chief medical officer at the time Dr Tony Holohan. An automatic duty of candour where patients are told about every error or near miss may lead to defensive documentation and a large bureaucratic overhead that distracts from patient care. In March 2017 Health Minister Simon Harris received approval from Cabinet to bring in a voluntary form of open disclosure where medical professions would be proteced from legal action for any information given following a patient safety incident. If there’s a concern that other medical practitioners aren’t adhering to the Medical Council’s guidelines in a way that affects patient safety, the guidelines state that these instances can be reported. When a complaint is made to the Medical Council, they’re initially handled by the Preliminary Proceedings Committee (PPC). In serious cases they can refer the complaint to the Fitness to Practice Committee. Email “Explainer: What is open disclosure, and where does it fit in the smear test scandal?”. Feedback on “Explainer: What is open disclosure, and where does it fit in the smear test scandal?”.
0.995925	Chceš niečo odkázať ostatným ? Tak klikni na Pridaj odkaz ! ****Scissors** **are** **hand**-**operated** **shearing** **tools**. **They** **consist** **of** **a** **pair** **of** **metal** **blades** **pivoted** **so** **that** **the** **sharpened** **edges** **slide** **against** **each** **other** **when** **the** **handles** (**bows**) **opposite** **to** **the** **pivot** **are** **closed**. **Scissors** **are** **used** **for** **cutting** **various** **thin** **materials**, **such** **as** **paper**, **cardboard**, **metal** **foil**, **cloth**, **rope**, **and** **wire**. **A** **large** **variety** **of** **scissors** **and** **shears** **all** **exist** **for** **specialized** **purposes****.
0.990872	Healthcare I'm a medical journalist covering cardiology news. A new paper from a very large ongoing observational study offers additional and more powerful evidence that dramatic reductions in salt consumption may not be beneficial and might even prove harmful. The finding supports growing criticism that current guideline recommendations to dramatically lower salt intake in the general population may be misguided. The study also suggests that too much salt in the diet is not a widespread global problem, though some populations which consume very high levels of salt would likely benefit from curbing salt. The new paper in the Lancet is from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study, an ambitious ongoing observational study. The current paper reports blood pressure and cardiovascular community outcomes in 94,000 adults from 21 countries based on estimated sodium and potassium intake calculated from a single fasting morning urine specimen. Study subjects have now been followed for an average of 8 years. Worldwide, sodium intake is slightly less than 4 g/day, though there are wide geographical and cultural variations. The World Health Organization (WHO) guideline recommends that sodium consumption be lower than 2 g/day (equivalent to 5 g/day of salt, or 1 teaspoon), though the American Heart Association goes further and recommends an upper threshold of 1.5 g/day. These guidelines are rooted in the well established relationship between sodium intake and blood pressure. Reducing sodium intake, which leads to lower blood pressure, will inevitably result in important reductions in cardiovascular events, low salt advocates contend. But a growing number of skeptics disagree. Andrew Mente (McMaster University), first author of the Lancet paper, said that when it comes to major reductions in salt "there is little evidence in terms of improved health outcomes." Further, he pointed out there is no evidence "that free-living individuals ever achieve such a low level” as recommended in the guidelines. The new results from PURE result offer no support for very low sodium levels recommended in the guidelines but they do support more moderate reductions from very high levels. An increased cardiovascular risk was only observed in communities where the average intake was greater than 5 g/day. But only about 5% of people in developed countries have sodium intake over 5 g/day. The study found no increase in risk in the communities with sodium levels between 3-5 g/day. By contrast, rather than finding a benefit the researchers found an increase in cardiovascular risk in communities with the lowest levels of sodium. This finding supports the perspective of the guideline critics, who propose that lowering sodium, an essential nutrient, below a certain threshold may be dangerous. Most of the increased risk associated with very high sodium levels was observed in China, where 80% of the communities in the PURE study had an average sodium intake greater than 5 g/day. Most other communities in the study outside of China had sodium intake between 3-5 g/day. There were no communities in the study that had sodium intake below 3 g/day. One important caveat to the high sodium findings is that even in communities with high sodium intake over 5 g/day there was no increase in risk if the community also consumed sufficient amounts of potassium. "We found all major cardiovascular problems, including death, decreased in communities and countries where there is an increased consumption of potassium which is found in foods such as fruits, vegetables, dairy foods, potatoes and nuts and beans,” said Mente. Mente acknowledged that the potassium finding might not be causal. High potassium intake might be just a marker of a healthy lifestyle. Mente emphasized that he is not saying that blood pressure isn't a risk factor, and he acknowledges that high sodium levels help explain the association of blood pressure with stroke. But he speculates that at very low levels of sodium "you get activation of the renin angiotensin system and that explains the U shaped curve." An earlier 2014 report from PURE focused on data from individual participants. Critics pointed out that because of variability and reliability of the single urine specimen method the individual data was open to question. The new paper presents data from the separate communities in the study, including 255 with cardiovascular outcomes data. The PURE investigators say that this approach helps smooth over the uncertainty in the individual analysis. Mente said the community analysis also helps minimize the issue of reverse causality, since there may be a few individuals "who reduce salt intake because they are sicker… this problem is substantially minimized in the community analysis." Martin O’Donnell, a co-author of the paper, said that the findings "demonstrate that community-level interventions to reduce sodium intake should target communities with high sodium consumption, and should be embedded within approaches to improve overall dietary quality. There is no convincing evidence that people with moderate (average) sodium intake need to reduce their sodium intake, for prevention of heart disease and stroke." Dan Jones (University of Mississippi) has been a supporter of low sodium guidelines. More recently he helped lead a consensus among salt guideline advocates and critics to propose a randomized clinical trial. "This observational study examining the relationship between dietary sodium and cardiovascular disease is not the study design capable of offering new evidence in the relationship. As recommended by the United States Institute of Medicine in 2013, an event based clinical trial is needed. Nothing in this report should change recommendations of science groups around the world to maintain daily sodium intake to 2300 mg per day or less." Asked to elaborate, Jones said that "the study methodology doesn’t allow for certainty of any findings. The relationship between sodium, potassium, and blood pressure is more direct than with cardiovascular disease." Jones said he supports increasing potassium in the diet, but not at the expense of efforts to lower sodium. "In my view, the existing evidence supports a diet both lower in sodium and higher in potassium than the typical modern diet. I strongly disagree with the conclusion that limiting sodium in the diet should be limited to populations consuming above 5 g/day."
0.94897	Barry Gordon (born 21 December 1948; age 70) is the American actor and voice-over artist who played a Ferengi, Nava, in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "The Nagus". He later portrayed the Bolian, Ardon Broht, in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Author, Author". As an actor, Gordon acquired success in the 1960s for his Tony Award-nominated performance in the Broadway play A Thousand Clowns and for starring in the play's subsequent feature film adaptation. As a voice actor, he is perhaps best known for voicing Donatello and Bebop in the popular animated television series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and for voicing the Quik/Nesquik bunny in commercials for Nestlé Quik (currently Nesquik). Gordon is the longest-serving President of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), having held the office for seven years (1988-1995). Fellow DS9 guest star William Schallert previously served as SAG president from 1979 through 1981 and currently serves as a SAG Health Plan Trustee like William Schallert. Joseph Ruskin and Kitty Swink also both served on the Screen Actors Guild Executive Board of Directors and then became Trustees at the Screen Actors Guild Pension and Health Plan. Gordon is also a former Democratic Party candidate for the US Congress, campaigning in the 1998 congressional election as part of California's 27th congressional district and coming within three points of unseating Republican Party incumbent James Rogan. Gordon broke into show business as a child, scoring a hit as the singer of the 1950s holiday favorite, "Nuthin' for Christmas." Throughout the 1950s and 60s, he appeared on a variety of television programs, including Leave It to Beaver (starring Tony Dow), Alfred Hitchcock Presents (directed by Norman Lloyd), Thriller (with Lilyan Chauvin and Theodore Marcuse), The Jack Benny Program and Love, American Style. From April 1962 through April 1963, Gordon portrayed Nick Burns in the original Broadway production of A Thousand Clowns, which ran for 428 performances. Gordon was nominated for the 1963 Tony Award as Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in A Thousand Clowns and reprised his role in the Academy Award-nominated 1965 feature film adaptation, also starring William Daniels. Gordon's other film credits have included the 1956 musical The Girl Can't Help It, the 1960 Jerry Lewis comedy Cinderfella (co-starring Judith Anderson), the 1962 drama Pressure Point (with Clegg Hoyt and George Murdock), the 1967 comedy The Spirit Is Willing, and the 1979 horror comedy Love at First Bite (also featuring Robert Ellenstein and Michael Pataki). His more recent films include the 1986 music and wrestling comedy Body Slam and the 1991 drama The Object of Beauty. Throughout the 1970s, Gordon guest-starred on such series as Mannix (with Stanley Adams, James Greene, and William Sargent), Kolchak: The Night Stalker (with Eric Server, Abraham Sofaer and Paul Sorensen), and Police Woman (directed by Alexander Singer). From 1981 through 1983, Gordon appeared in the recurring role of Jewish accountant Gary Rabinowitz on Archie Bunker's Place. In addition to DS9 and Voyager, other recent shows on which Gordon has appeared include L.A. Law (starring Corbin Bernsen and Larry Drake, in episodes featuring Nicholas Cascone, Jenette Goldstein, Anne Haney, Gregg Henry, Tina Lifford, and Susanna Thompson), Arli$$ (with Ellen Albertini Dow and George D. Wallace), NYPD Blue (working with Gordon Clapp, Sharon Lawrence, Sherman Augustus, Barbara Bosson, Alicia Coppola, Bertila Damas, Lisa LoCicero, and Jeff and Jerry Rector), ER (with Michelle Bonilla and Sean McGowan), Becker (starring Terry Farrell), and Dragnet (with David Andrews, Charles Esten, and Saul Rubinek). His most recent TV role is that of a rabbi in two episodes of the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm – one with Paul Dooley, and another with Wallace Langham and Robert Pine. In the 1980s, Gordon began working as a voice actor, primarily for animated television shows. Perhaps his most notable voice-over roles are those of Donatello and Bebop on the long-running Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Another Star Trek alum voicing on this series was James Avery, who voiced the Turtles' nemesis, The Shredder. Other shows for which Gordon has lent his voice include The Mighty Orbots, Jabberjaw, The Kid Superpower Hour with Shazam!, The Snorks, Darkwing Duck, Batman, and SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron (the latter alongside Brock Peters). Gordon is also the voice of the Quik Bunny (later the Nesquik Bunny) in the many commercials for Nestlé Quik (later Nesquik) brand milk flavoring. In 2004, Gordon started a live, call-in progressive political talk show on Pasadena, California's cable access channel 56. The show continues to be cablecast and webcast live, with Flash video available on demand. In 2005, Gordon hosted a weekly talk show heard on KRLA Radio in Los Angeles, California. From 2006 through 2007, Gordon hosted a weekly radio show called on KCAA Radio in Loma Linda, California, called Barry Gordon From Left Field. He also hosted the local public access television show NewsRap, which aired in Pasadena, California, and was streamed on the internet. Gordon currently hosts the daily Internet talk show, Left Talk with Barry Gordon, on BlogTalkRadio, which debuted in 2008.
0.994777	A Christian activist was handed a huge fine by a Canadian human rights "tribunal" for "injury" to a transgender woman's "dignity, feelings, and self-respect" — but the activist said he has no intention of curtailing his opinions and won't pay, either, CityNews reported. The British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal ruled March 27 that Bill Whatcott discriminated against transgender advocate Morgane Oger — who was running for public office in 2017 — by creating a flyer that called Oger a "biological male" and said transgenderism is harmful and then distributing the flyer in the Vancouver area. Transgenders have been protected by B.C. human rights law since 2016 and by Canadian human rights law since 2017, the Star reported. Oger filed a complaint with the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal, alleging Whatcott's flyer violated the Human Rights Code — which the ruling stated prohibits "hate speech" as well as publication of any statement that "indicates discrimination or an intention to discriminate" or "is likely to expose a person or group or class of persons to hatred or contempt." The tribunal's ruling said Whatcott's flyer "seeks to exclude a group of already marginalized persons from political life" and that his "speech does not enrich Canada's democracy — it undermines it." The ruling added that "the expression contained in the Flyer is intended to denigrate and humiliate Ms. Oger based on her gender identity." In the end, the tribunal ordered Whatcott to pay Oger $35,000 "for injury to her dignity, feelings and self-respect" and an additional $20,000 for "improper conduct." He was also ordered to cease his activities that led to the complaint. What did the defendant have to say? Whatcott told CityNews he won't pay Oger and can't afford it: "It wouldn't even make sense to want to pay it," he told the outlet before ripping the tribunal's ruling. "And I think that's a horrible decision." He added to the Star that he's "not going to shut up" and that he plans on continuing to distribute flyers about Oger. "I'm a pretty tough guy, and if they take something from me or throw me in jail, I'll live through it," Whatcott added to CityNews.
0.999977	This essay argues that the Enlightenment is the most important concept among the three given in the title. The Age of Enlightenment was a period in early modern history when western societies, led by its intellectuals, made a marked shift from religion based authority to one of scientific reason. Prior to this period, the Church and the State were intricately interlinked; and the Enlightenment sought to sever states and politics from religion through the application of rational analysis based on scientific observation and facts. This movement traces its origins to the seventeenth and eighteenth century Europe. Similar undercurrents of progressive thought were seen in the New World as well, most notably from such intellectuals such as Tom Paine and other proponents of American independence (Porter & Teich, 1981).
0.861019	These ratings, calculated as of June 30, 1956, incorporate all games (against rated opponents) played in the time between July 1, 1955 and June 30, 1956, along with the ratings that were already calculated as of June 30, 1955. Players who have played an insufficient number of games in recent years will not appear on the list, even though you may see them on previous and/or subsequent lists. Any players who have been completely inactive for three years are removed from the list. Rating is the calculated rating for the player, as of June 30, 1956. This represents the player's estimated strength on July 1, 1956. +/- is the standard deviation of the player's rating estimate. It is based on a geometric average of the number of rated games played in past years. Players who play very frequently will have a smaller +/- value, indicating a greater confidence in the accuracy of their rating. Players whose +/- value exceeds 76 are classified as "inactive" and removed from the ranking list due to their infrequent play against rated opponents. Mathematically, a player's rating is an estimate of their exact strength on July 1, 1956. The +/- value represents the standard deviation of that estimate; the player's true strength on July 1, 1956 should be within one standard deviation of their calculated rating approximately 68% of the time, and within two standard deviations of their calculated rating approximately 95% of the time. Best? is the estimated likelihood that the player was actually the strongest player in the world on July 1, 1956. Since ratings are known to be inaccurate, it is possible that a lower-rated player is actually much stronger than their rating would indicate, and it is also possible that other players are weaker than their ratings would indicate. This number indicates the likelihood that the player is indeed the strongest player in the world. On a particular list, it will add up to 100% across the complete list of all players. This value is only calculated for the top 100 players on any rating list. Age is the player's exact age in years, on June 30, 1956. If a player's age is displayed as a link, that means that this rating was active at the time of their next birthday. Click on the link to see the sorted list of all players' ratings on their birthdays when turning that same age.
0.991028	Imagine you had a tool to predict the future. You'd probably use it. A lot, in fact, especially if that tool predicted success in your industry. Then, one day, you abruptly stop using that tool. It would probably mean some combination of the following: a better tool for predicting success; a decline in quality of that tool; some significant negative side effect from using that tool; a lack of concern for learning the predictive value offered by that tool; or an alternative advantage that might be gained only if the tool is not used. For the LSAT, the latter four reasons have illustrated the slow, steady decline of its use. The LSAT has long been deemed an extremely reliable test. Reliable, in that it highly and consistently correlates with first-year law school grade point averages. (For numerous studies, see the LSAC reports.) It uses item response theory, which allows the scores to reflect similar quality over time--a 170 on each test looks roughly the same, regardless of the month or year in which the test is taken. The LSAT is even better when combined with a prospective law student's undergraduate GPA. And, if a school so desires, it can obtain a formula from LSAC indicating an optimal "index formula" that weighs LSAT and UGPA appropriately to find the best fit for a law school's first year grading distribution. The LSAT, however, has lost some of this quality. For many years, schools generally disclosed and relied upon the average of LSAT scores from a single applicant. LSAT studies, after all, revealed that the average is the most predictive of the applicant's ability, not the high or the low score. In 2006, however, the American Bar Association decided to request that schools report the high scores, not the average scores, of applicants. Despite the lower predictive value of reporting the high score, schools have increasingly pursued these high-end scores. Additionally, the LSAC recently entered a consent decree to stop flagging LSAT scores earned through accommodated test-taking, and making it easier to secure accommodated test-taking. Because LSAC only finds that its scores secured during ordinary conditions are reliable, the consent decree means that the LSAT scores that schools obtain will have lower value. When U.S. News & World Report calculates its rankings of law schools, one-eighth of its entire score is based on a single LSAT score: the median incoming student. This creates significant distortions in how law schools secure incoming classes. Schools pursue that median LSAT score, despite the more promising index score it might otherwise use. Even more troubling, LSAT takers are fewer and fewer, making scores more difficult to obtain. As a result, schools have an incentive to avoid the negative side effect from declines in their LSAT median, which might result in a decline in their USNWR rank. And so, as reported in recent reports, schools have begun to admit a non-trivial number of students without that score. Really, the new trend is not new, but several years old--instead, it's a trend begun by new interpretations of regulations that permit alternative metrics, such as SAT or ACT scores, to evaluate incoming students. It might have been the case that the LSAT was valued by admissions departments because it was a way of guessing success. Better students would be at a lower risk of dropping out or failing out. Better students would have a better chance at passing the bar and earning desirable employment outcomes. But if those metrics are less valuable than other concerns--such as today's LSAT profile for an incoming class over the profile of a graduating class in three years or its employment profile in four years--then schools push them aside. It's not that schools are unconcerned with first-year student success-they undoubtedly are. It is simply that such concerns necessarily lessen if the obsession over an LSAT median--rather than the depth of the class, given the abrupt decline in the 25th percentile at many schools--is heightened. These are, of course, rather rankings-centric views. But there's also an advantage to be gained in refusing to use LSAT scores for prospective students. If a school is one of the only, or one of the few, doing so, it is a very strong enticement for the, let's face it, lazy prospective law student: forgo taking the LSAT, forgo opportunities at most other law schools in America, and effectively commit to a school without an LSAT requirement (assuming other metrics, like GPA and a "comparable" SAT or ACT score, have been met). It's a decisive recruiting advantage, particularly for a law school seeking to attract candidates from its home undergraduate institution, a baked-in base likely inclined to attend the same law school anyway. Sure, students lose options elsewhere, but they save the time and financial cost of LSAT preparation and agony. It might be, of course, that this incentivizes all of the wrong sorts of students, but that might be a matter of perspective, depending on whether one views the LSAT as an unnecessary hoop or an objective measure of likely future performance. The LSAT, then, is not abruptly dying. It has been experiencing nicks and scrapes for a decade now, and an increasing number of factors, both internal to LSAC and external to the market for legal education, have put it in a precarious position of slow and steady decline.
0.999999	Write (2,500) words of essay on Medicine in Traditional China, It must be have a clear own argument, not just describes how the medicine in traditional china was. The concept of medicine across imperial China emerged in the context of utilizing predefined clinical conventions under the influence of individual experience and perspectives (Scheid 2002, 10-13). The filial descendants were required to provide medical assistance to their parents with the effective utilization of medical conventions and assertive approaches at that time to challenge the progression of various contagious as well as chronic clinical conditions. Evidence-based research literature emphasizes the traditional Chinese contention in relation to the practice of preventive approaches rather than manipulative interventions for controlling the outbreak of numerous disease conditions The research studies evidently elaborate the unwillingness of traditional Chinese patients in undergoing diagnostic interventions and evidence-based therapeutic treatments for treating their disease conditions. The retrospective analysis of the heterogeneous clinical studies undertaken by (Manheimer, et al. 2009, 1001-1014) indicates the efficacy of medicinal concepts practiced in traditional China in generating beneficial health outcomes. The ancient Chinese physicians and healthcare professionals advocated the contention related to the optimization of music and food for maintaining the health outcomes (Tzu and Soho 2010, 84). This indicates the requirement of creating a balance between the food intake and music for enhancing the psychosocial health of patients receiving treatment across various clinical settings. The ancient texts describe the treatment of psychosocial disorders with the application of Chinese magical medicine. The contention advocated by yellow emperor’s inner canon is attributed to the effective utilization of the techniques of moxibustion for treating the behavioral and emotional imbalances of mentally disturbed patients (Lagerwey and Marsone 2014, 605). Medical practitioners in traditional China formulated decoctions for mitigating the clinical manifestations of patients, as evidenced in the formal exposition on the cold injury. Chinese apprehensions described in pre-Buddhist discourses advocated the concept of cosmic energies and considered the adverse influence of evil spirits on the psychosomatic states of the patients affected with extremity cramps, headaches and gas pain (Salguero 2014, 23-24). The process of sealing practiced during the Buddhist realm in China advocated the stamping of papers and their subsequent consumption by patients for delivering messages to demons in the context of attaining freedom from their diseases. The practice of sealing originated from Daoist’s obfuscated notions regarding health and disease in the Medieval China (Paton 2013, 95). The concept of exorcism in traditional China did not give women the privilege of undertaking corrective measures for overpowering the evil forces for restoring the patterns of health and wellness across the community environment (Mair 2001, 997-1003). Chinese physicians considered the yin forces as the causative agents for malign influences on the affected patients across the community environment. The male individuals executed rituals for calling the yang forces to nullify the adverse influences of yin in the psychosomatic states of the patient’s population.
0.999999	What explains the paradox of the dollar's sharp rise in value against other currencies (except the Japanese yen) despite disproportionate US exposure to the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression? The answer does not lie in improved fundamentals for the US economy or better prospects for the dollar to retain its reserve currency role. The rise in the dollar's exchange value is due to two factors. The dollar's rise is temporary, and its prospects are bleak. The US trade deficit will lessen due to less consumer spending during recession, but it will remain the largest in the world and one that the US cannot close by exporting more. The way the US trade deficit is financed is by foreigners acquiring more dollar assets, with which their portfolios are already heavily weighted. The US government's budget deficit is large and growing, adding hundreds of billions of dollars more to an already large national debt. As investors flee equities into US government bills, the market for US Treasuries will temporarily depend less on foreign governments. Nevertheless, the burden on foreigners and on world savings of having to finance American consumption, the US government's wars and military budget, and the US financial bailout is increasingly resented. This resentment, combined with the harm done to America's reputation by the financial crisis, has led to numerous calls for a new financial order in which the US plays a substantially lesser role. "Overcoming the financial crisis" are code words for the rest of the world's intent to overthrow US financial hegemony. On October 28, RIA Novosti reported that Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin suggested to China that the two countries use their own currencies in their bilateral trade, thus avoiding the use of the dollar. China's prime Minister Wen Jiabao replied that strengthening bilateral relations is strategic. Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said that the "economic egoism" of America's "unipolar vision of the world" is a "dead-end policy." China's massive foreign exchange reserves and its strong position in manufacturing have given China the leadership role in Asia. The deputy prime minister of Thailand recently designated the Chinese yuan as "the rightful and anointed convertible currency of the world." Normally, the Chinese are very circumspect in what they say, but on October 24 Reuters reported that the People's Daily, the official government newspaper, in a front-page commentary accused the US of plundering "global wealth by exploiting the dollar's dominance." To correct this unacceptable situation, the commentary called for Asian and European countries to "banish the US dollar from their direct trade relations, relying only on their own currencies." And this step, said the commentary, is merely a starting step in overthrowing dollar dominance. Zhou Jiangong's solution to American excesses is for China to take over Wall Street. China has the money to do it, and the prudent Chinese would do a better job than the crowd of thieves who have destroyed America's financial reputation while exploiting the world in pursuit of multi- million dollar bonuses.
0.999902	Approximately half of the states in the USA have legalized marijuana when used for medical purposes, and other states may be doing so in the future. If you are taking medical marijuana for a health condition, your doctor has already advised you not to drive while under the influence. If you have been pulled over for any reason or if you are in an automobile accident, the police officer has the right, most of the time, to ask you to take a drug or alcohol test. Even if you are not currently under the influence of marijuana, your use may trigger a positive test if you've used it within the past several days. What can you do if this happens to you? In many states, you are allowed to choose the type of drug test that you take when you are pulled over or in a traffic accident. Be aware that a breath test (commonly called a "breathalyzer") is used to detect alcohol, not marijuana. If you are asked to take a breath test, you don't need to worry about your breath triggering a positive result, as long as you have not been drinking. You can get a positive blood test for marijuana for up to seven days if you use the drug regularly, which many on medical marijuana do. Even if you have abstained from the drug for several days, it's possible that the officer will arrest you for driving under the influence due to your blood test results. Consider not opting for a urine test, if possible. If you are a regular user, the chemical may remain in your urine for 15 days or even longer. Saliva tests will generally be clear within 12 hours, but this is not likely to be offered or accepted. It's best not to refuse to take a drug test, because in many states, this will lead to an immediate suspension of your license. It's important to always carry the medical ID card that you've been given. This explains to law enforcement that you are a patient who is taking cannabis for health-related purposes. Do not offer this card to the officer when being pulled over unless you are actually being arrested for a marijuana-related crime. The reason for this is because demonstrating to the officer that you are likely to test positive for marijuana in your blood might prompt him or her to look more closely into the issue. Also, you might be charged with crimes inciting higher penalties if you are knowingly under the influence and in a school zone or carrying a weapon, even if you are allowed to do so. It's best to remain silent on this issue unless your attorney advises otherwise. Obviously, the best type of defense of a DUI charge with medical marijuana is prevention. If you are taking medical marijuana, talk to an experienced DUI attorney to find out ways to reduce your risk of being charged. If you have been charged, however, contact a criminal attorney specializing in DUI immediately, such as Carl L. Britt, Jr. He or she can help you weigh your options for reducing the charge or attempting to have it dropped. Some of the criteria that goes into making this decision can include whether you had symptoms of intoxication, whether you live in a state that has zero tolerance for any trace of marijuana in your system, and whether it's your first or a subsequent offense. Living your life while you are on medical marijuana will involve some measure of precaution to avoid a DUI charge. Talk to your doctor as well as your attorney about how you can stay safe while you're on this medication.
0.999147	The United States has a well documented and extremely significant history of institutionalized racism. The rate of black students graduating high school isn't as high as it should be. Black men are sentenced to more time for committing the same crime as a white person. People of color are twice as likely to have been arrested or experience threat of force during a police encounter. Whites have a higher death rate when shot by police than blacks and any other ethnic group. Blacks kill more whites than whites kill more blacks.
0.998201	Have you ever wondered what the proper term for a mermaid bra is? While there isn’t a definitive set of mer words in the mermaid community, a number of mermaid words can be found in novels like The Siren Wars Saga that people have started to use in their own mer stories/mer culture. As the creator of this mer language, here’s a list of some of the most helpful words that you have my blessing to use in your own stories, etc, in order to help formulate a more cohesive branding inside of the world of mer literature. I’ve also included some phrases I use in my stories as well that you’re welcome to use, and included a list of mer wardrobe pieces/words. If you have questions, feel free to ask! Iluse[ill-use]: (noun) chest covering for mermaids, mermaid bra, usually made from seaweed, netting, etc. Typically decorated with small shells. Used by mermaid spies to conceal weapons on occasion. Not made solely of giant shells. Sarasa (sair–ah-s-uh): (noun) sash worn by mermen across chest from one shoulder to opposite hip, usually made of seaweed, plant life, or netting. Chest plate: (noun) a piece of armor worn across a mer’s chest to protect them during battle, or for fancy occasions like balls and festivals. These are also part of the uniform for mer guards. Shoulder armor: (noun) Worn on one or both shoulders to protect mer during battle. Also frequently worn by mermen for special occasions or when they want to show off. Belt: (noun) belt worn on hips just about tail to carry money, tools, etc Typically worn by mermen, as the belts tend to be a bit bulkier to be functional, but some mermaid also use them. Belts are also worn by mermen for festivals and special events, but those are less functional and a bit fancier. Dwelling: a merm home, a place where mer live. Usually encrusted in jewels dropped into the ocean by sailers during storms. Styling a mermaid’s hair is a sign of love, respect, or friendship. It’s very common for mermen to style hair for their mothers/sisters/girlfriends/wives/daughters/close friends. Merman are actually very good at styling hair. Mer eat kelp, seaweed, and shelfish, but never fish. All mer have the ability to siren, they just chose to use it for good or evil purposes. Please note, this is an ongoing list and as my mermaid books and series continue, this list will grow. For more mermaid language, mannerisms, phrases, and wardrobe, take a look at The Siren Wars Saga or The Sinking. *Please do not use my characters, places, or events in your stories. You’re welcome to use the listed words above, but not the world I have created. If you have questions, please reach out—I’d love to hear from you! This entry was posted in Siren Wars Saga and tagged mermaid bra, mermaid language, mermaid words, siren wars. Bookmark the permalink.
0.999517	Stanley Kubrick (1928–1999) was an American film director, writer, producer and photographer, who directed famous and lauded films such as A Clockwork Orange, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Dr. Strangelove, and The Shining, among others. Widely regarded as one of the most innovative directors of all time, he has influenced a multitude of other filmmakers. Kubrick has been the subject of two loosely related conspiracy theories, one regarding his role in allegedly faking the Apollo moon-landing and the other regarding his knowledge of the Illuminati. He has been also been the subject of numerous attempts to find deep layers of symbolic meaning in his films which many other viewers doubt are actually present. Sometime after his death, someone with too much time on their hands[note 1] began digging through his films and finding such esoteric images as triangles and circles, no doubt the Eye of Providence. Numerous conspiracy theories have since emerged about him, one of the most notable being that he was hired to direct the Apollo moon landing and that he hid a coded confession in The Shining, the three clues being that the Grady twins resemble the Gemini sign (Gemini being Apollo's sister space program), the typewriter scene ("All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.") should be read as "A-11" rather than "All" and a scene where Danny wears an "Apollo-11 USA" shirt. Other theorists have followed suit including Michael Wysmierski who promotes theories similar to Jay Weidner in his YouTube video The Shining Code. Prior to Jay Weidner promoting this theory in all seriousness, two pranksters had suggested entirely in jest that Kubrick had faked the moon landings but not everyone saw that they were being tongue-in-cheek. In 1995, the Usenet group alt.humor.best-of-usenet published an article claiming Kubrick faked the Moon landings. The joke is given away in several places in particular a sentence which states Kubrick filmed some of the material at the "Sea of Tranquillity," which is on the Moon anyway. Nonetheless, true moon-hoax believer Clyde Lewis quoted this article as if it was written in earnest. The French mockumentary Dark Side of the Moon was made by director William Karel in 2002. Made with the cooperation of Kubrick's surviving relatives, his brother-in-law Jan Harlan and his widow Christianne Kubrick, the film suggests Kubrick faked the moon-landing at the behest of the Nixon administration. All the footage quoting the likes of Henry Kissinger and Donald Rumsfeld is taken out of context, and the presence of other interviewees named after characters in Kubrick films is a giveaway that the film is a put-on. It is also held he was part of a massive Freemason-Illuminati conspiracy and devoted his film career to hiding clues of its existence in his films (with the exception of Spartacus and Barry Lyndon). Eventually the Illuminati decided he had crossed the line with his final film Eyes Wide Shut (for apparently exploring trauma-based mind control) and went on to assassinate Kubrick, this being his cause of death, rather than, you know, being an out-of-shape 70-year old man. Generally, the Kubrick-Illuminati theory relies on nitpicking to get the point across, analyzing certain scenes (usually the more abstract, visually appealing or mysterious-looking ones), as well as a few select frames and claiming they're symbolic or that they feature hidden messages, and yes, a lot of ranting, without any actual evidence, of course, but it remains a popular and widely discussed conspiracy theory to this day, unsurprisingly. Although Illuminati conspiracy theories date back a few centuries, they were given an enormous boost by a work of speculative fiction by Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea in the 1970s entitled the Illuminatus trilogy (which do not mention Kubrick). Unlike Dan Brown, author of The DaVinci Code, neither Wilson nor Shea were publicly committed to believing that the theories fictionalized in these novels were actually true. Although Rob Ager would not exactly be considered a conspiracy theorist, he has put forth numerous claims about alleged secret symbolic readings of Kubrick's films that are widely regarded as tendentious. He argues that the monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey is a symbol of the movie screen and that The Shining is really about the decline of the U.S. gold standard. Ager has received coverage in mainstream journals including Slate and Cracked.com, alternately being praised and dismissed. Wikipedia reports: Wired.com was mixed in its reaction to Ager's first videos in 2007, saying, "Ager's analyses are a screwy mixture of intelligent film theory and zany conspiracy theories" by a "very intelligent and fascinating nutball." It added that Ager had "oscillated wildly between extremely insightful commentary on the symbolism and psychology that made The Shining so effective and Ager's own wishful-thinking political wankery… an odd, fascinating mix… it's nutty, but despite Ager's weirdo conspiracy theories, he does make a convincing case that Kubrick may at least have shared his theories." A serious documentary on multiple readings of The Shining ranging from claims it is an allegory about the gold standard, Kubrick's breakdown while faking the Apollo landings, or the Native American Holocaust is Room 237 , a 2012 documentary directed by Rodney Ascher distributed by IFC midnight. Most of the theories in the film have been dismissed by Kubrick's personal assistant, Leon Vitali, as "pure gibberish". It is arguable that Kubrick's somewhat surreal films work so heavily on a subliminal and subconscious level that they lend themselves to this sort of interpretation. The magazine Dangerous Minds observes of Rob Ager that "What Ager does posit is that Kubrick was working with a language of imagery that spoke directly to the subconscious and could be in contrast to the spoken words." The truthfulness of this observation of Ager's may explain why many of his less credible views and those of others have gained traction. ↑ That would mainly be Jay Weidner, occultist, conspiracy theorist and sometime film producer. He now runs Gaiam TV out of a reasonably well-equipped studio in Boulder, CO. His extravagant imagination would seem to have paid off. ↑ The Shining Code at YouTube. ↑ See the Wikipedia article on Dark Side of the Moon (film). ↑ "More than a hoax: William Karel's critical mockumentary dark side of the moon.". http://www.questia.com/library/1G1-172169166/more-than-a-hoax-william-karel-s-critical-mockumentary. Retrieved 20 May 2013. ↑ "Clavius.org/Bibliography/Response to Wayne Green.". http://www.clavius.org/bibwgreen.html. Retrieved 23 June 2014. ↑ "Fake Moon Landing explained- A Film by Kubrick , Nixon, Rumsfeld, Kissinger,CIA Richard Helms". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iPOEDSI_i4. Retrieved 23 May 2013. ↑ "WE NEVER WENT TO THE MOON - 1 of 3". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3YHMnCQXgU. Retrieved 22 May 2013. ↑ Segal, David (March 27, 2013). "It’s Back. But What Does It Mean? Aide to Kubrick on ‘Shining’ Scoffs at ‘Room 237’ Theories". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/31/movies/aide-to-kubrick-on-shining-scoffs-at-room-237-theories.html?hp. Retrieved March 27, 2013. This page was last modified on 15 March 2019, at 14:17.
0.990425	Whites are generally considered as wines to be consumed within two or three years from harvesting. In general terms, this corresponds to the truth, either because white wines do not have the longevity of red wines, as well as because they are usually produced with the specific goal of being consumed in a short time. In other words, the producers themselves - for marketing reasons - produce white wines to be ready and consumed within few months from harvesting. This also corresponds to - like to say - an economic need: it is wished the wine produced in a specific year will all be sold before the beginning of the next one, either to ensure an immediate profit, as well as to ensure the profit of the next year. Therefore, wine produced for an immediate consumption must be sold within the same year, as the next year no one will be interested in that wine anymore - everyone looking for new wines - while condemning the old ones to remain unsold and to their quick decay. The shortening of longevity of white wines is a relatively recent trend, something which condemned them - in general terms - to a life span of two or three years, after that, begins a quick and inexorable decay. In many ancient books, there are countless examples of white wines renowned for their longevity and quality, a characteristic - it should be said - not lost nowadays. A white wine, in order to properly last and age for years, must be produced for this specific goal. There are many examples, even though their percentage is evidently low than the whites destined to an immediate consumption. The few producers who work to the creation of white wines capable of successfully aging for many years, must necessarily face higher costs, as well as the common culture associated to these wines, that is seen as products to be consumed as soon as possible. It should be said not all the grapes are suited for the production of white wines capable of standing to long aging times in bottle. There are grapes having a well known reputation in making wines suited for long aging - the most famous one certainly is Riesling - whereas there are others which have shown to not have proper quality and hardly can go beyond two or three years. These grapes suited for the production of wines destined to an immediate consumption, can however be helped by mean of technology or chemical substances - therefore allowing them to live few years more in the bottle. Saved some very few exceptional cases, the longevity of white wines cannot compete with red or sweet wines. On this regard, it should be noticed that, despite red wines are usually considered suited for long aging, also in this case the wine must be produced for specific goal. Longevity of white wines, of those who can stand to a long time of aging, that is expressly produced for this purpose, is quite variable. There are wines which can express the best of their organoleptic evolution after six or seven years, while others can also go beyond ten years and more. White wines destined to the aging in bottle, when tasted within their first years of life, do not have a truly amazing organoleptic profile, sometimes being even unbalanced, however showing a quality higher than wines destined to an immediate consumption. White wines are however more fragile than red wines or sweet wines, therefore, in case you are thinking about aging these wines at home, you must provide very strict keeping conditions. In particular, you should make sure to not stress the bottle with excessive temperature changes as well as making sure the cork perfectly seals the neck, as the effect of oxygen is - in this case - lethal. The effect of oxygen is however useful for the aging of wines, not only white wines. The positive effect of oxygen is obtained when the exchange with the internal part of the bottle is expressed in very low quantity, almost infinitesimal, an exchange obtained through the pores of cork. What makes the wine to stand to time, in order to develop its organoleptic qualities, is the type and quantity of element contained in it. There are many elements that - in theory - allow a white wine to evolve for many years, although many of them are found in pretty neglectfully quantity, therefore limiting, as a matter of fact, its longevity. These elements are however found in red wines and represent, like to say, the secret of their longevity. The most important ones are the so called polyphenols, commonly defined as tannins, that in white wines are found in pretty low quantity, however not completely absent. Even though they are found in low quantity, when compared to red wines, tannins in white wine can be increased with specific wine making techniques. The most common way is to ferment, and later age, the wine in wood containers, while considering the quantity of tannins added to the wine is higher in case of the use of barrique than of large casks. The aging and fermentation of white wine in barrels favor the effect of oxygen - reaching the inside through the pores of wood - therefore favoring, by means of oxidation, the evolution of wine. Tannins can also be added, a practice getting more and more common, in particular, in the so called zero sulfites wine making, that is done without adding any sulphur dioxide. Another method to add tannins to white wine is represented by the maceration of the must with skins - which, besides giving aromas to the wine, they also contain polyphenols and tannins - an operation that can be done before or during fermentation. Polyphenols, despite they are important for the longevity of wines, are however found in white wines in pretty low quantity than reds. Their contribution in white wines is therefore marginal - although significant - and there are other conditions ensuring a long life to these wines. White wines are naturally rich in acid substances - in this case, in higher quantity than red wines - and their role is determinant for the evolution of whites. There also are two substances greatly contributing to the longevity of white wines: alcohol and sugar. Whereas alcohol is always found - although in variable quantity - sugar is found in sweet white wines only, totally absent in the so called table wines. The role of acidity and alcohol is therefore among the main factors for keeping, and therefore aging, of white wines, however - because of their fragility - whites are very sensitive to the effects of oxygen and light. Light significantly affects the decaying of color as well as other sensorial aspects of the wine, also giving the characteristic taste of light. This particular fault can be found in wines generally bottled in clear or transparent glass and can be recognized by an evident loss of color, flattening of olfactory and aromatic qualities, as well as having flavors recalling oxidation, sulphur, garlic, rubber and boiled vegetables. The main responsible of the taste of light is riboflavin, better known as vitamin B2, particularly sensitive to light and determining an effect of photolysis, originating the subsequent chemical reactions responsible for this fault. The quantity of riboflavin in whites is generally controlled during wine making, either by filtering the wine, as well as by using specific yeast strains capable of producing a lower quantity. The keeping of white away from the light is however one of the most important factors in order to ensure a better longevity. According to a productive point of view, allowing the wine to age on its lees, gives material useful to support a better longevity. These lees are made from the solid sediments produced by the activity of yeast, the yeast itself and the solid parts of the grape that, because of the effect of their degradation, release to the wine substances useful to increasing structure, as well as enriching the olfactory and gustatory profile. This sediment is very important, for example, in the production of classic method sparkling wines, capable of enriching the wine and its organoleptic complexity. Another element contributing to the longevity of white wines, fundamental element in classic method sparkling wines, is carbon dioxide. This has is absent in table white wines, however it is one of the main responsible for the evolution of sparkling wines refermented in bottle, as this gas avoids the presence of oxygen, therefore oxidation. In theory, a classic method sparkling wine can be aged forever and until it is not degorged, operation allowing the expulsion of carbon dioxide, while allowing the wine to get in contact with oxygen. As for other gas substances found in wine, besides carbon dioxide, an important role in the keeping of whites is played by sulphur dioxide. Among the most controversial elements, usually subject of debates, in particular for the genuineness of wine, this gas, thanks to its capacity of bonding to oxygen, avoids - among the many things - an early oxidation. Despite the attempts - more or less successful - of making wines without adding this gas, it should be said sulphur dioxide is naturally produced, in small quantity, during fermentation as a by product of the activity of yeast. The effect of sulphur dioxide is also useful to the perception and development of fruit aromas in young wines, as well as being an effective keeping agent, widely used in food industry and not only in wine making. The maceration of the wine on its lees, that is the sediments and the residual substances produced by fermentation, as well as acid substances - of which, tartaric acid is the most important one - as well as alcohol, are all factors and conditions contributing to the longevity and the aging of white wines. The maceration of the must and wine on grapes skins, as well as the maceration of its lees, enrich the wine of solid and antioxidant substances, useful to support it during the journey of aging. Moreover, these two factors give the wine a more intense and deeper color, which can be recognized by a deep straw yellow color or an intense golden yellow. Also the fermentation and the aging in cask give more intense and deeper colors, an effect which is more accentuated in the barrique and, of course, by long period of aging. In other words, in wines macerated in skins or vinified in barrels for a long time, it will hardly be seen a greenish yellow color, saved the cases in which this procedure was done for a very short time. With the right productive and keeping conditions, also aged white wines are capable of giving remarkable sensorial emotions. Fresh aromas and taste of flowers and fruits are replaced by more complex sensations, that are generally expressed in their dry or jam equivalents. Oxidation, although it is usually considered as negative, gives aged white wines a new dimension of complexity, organoleptic sensations sometimes comparable to the great fortified wines - such as Marsala, Jerez, Port or Madeira - without reaching their exuberant intensity. As for taste, acidity will leave the scene to a riper roundness, an effect also accentuated by alcohol, sensation that, sometimes, is not appreciated as this quality is considered to be uncommon in white wines. Moreover, this characteristic needs a service temperature of about 14° C (57° F) in order to allow the complex aromas developed in the course of time to properly express. With aged white wines being in a hurry is never a good idea, one should be patient and wait for the time to do its job, in order to allow the wine to properly develop in the bottle, but also in the moment it will be poured in the glass. Soave Motto Piane shows an intense golden yellow color and nuances of straw yellow, very transparent. The nose reveals intense, clean, pleasing, refined and elegant aromas which starts with hints of apple, medlar and plum followed by aromas of pineapple, citrus fruits, almond, hawthorn, broom, honey, pear and peach. The mouth has good correspondence to the nose, a crisp attack and however balanced by alcohol, good body, intense flavors, pleasing roundness. The finish is persistent with flavors of apple, peach and medlar. A part of Soave Motto Piane ferments and ages in cask. Recioto di Soave Motto Piane shows a brilliant amber yellow color and nuances of amber yellow, transparent. The nose reveals intense, clean, pleasing, refined and elegant aromas which start with hints of raisin, dried apricot and almond followed by aromas of dried fig, peach jam, quince jam, candied fruits, lychee, vanilla, honey and nail polish. The mouth has good correspondence to the nose, a sweet and round attack, however balanced by alcohol, good body, intense flavors, pleasing crispness. The finish is persistent with flavors of raisin, dried apricot and almond. A part of Recioto di Soave Motto Piane ages in cask for 12 months. Colline Lucchesi Rosso Palistorti di Valgiano shows an intense ruby red color and nuances of garnet red, little transparency. The nose reveals intense, clean, pleasing and refined aromas that start with hints of black cherry, black currant and plum followed by aromas of violet, chocolate, tobacco, vanilla, raspberry and cinnamon. The mouth has good correspondence to the nose, a tannic attack and however balanced by alcohol, good body, intense flavors, pleasing roundness. The finish is persistent with flavors of black cherry, black currant and plum. Colline Lucchesi Rosso Palistorti di Valgiano ages for 12 months in barrique followed by 6 months of aging in bottle. Colline Lucchesi Rosso Tenuta di Valgiano shows an intense ruby red color and nuances of garnet red, little transparency. The nose denotes intense, clean, pleasing and refined aromas which start with hints of black cherry, black currant and plum followed by aromas of blueberry, violet, vanilla, tobacco, chocolate, black pepper and eucalyptus. The mouth has good correspondence to the nose, a tannic attack and however balanced by alcohol, good body, intense flavors, pleasing roundness. The finish is persistent with flavors of black cherry, black currant and plum. Colline Lucchesi Rosso Tenuta di Valgiano ages for 15 months in cask. Franciacorta Brut Blanc de Blancs shows a brilliant straw yellow color and nuances of straw yellow, very transparent, fine and persistent perlage. The nose denotes intense, clean, pleasing and refined aromas that start with hints of apple, plum and bread crust followed by aromas of banana, pear, grapefruit, hawthorn and yeast. The mouth has good correspondence to the nose, an effervescent and crisp attack, however balanced by alcohol, good body, intense flavors, agreeable. The finish is persistent with flavors of apple, banana and grapefruit. Franciacorta Brut Blanc de Blancs referments in bottle on its lees for at least 24 months. Franciacorta Pas Dosé Récemment Dégorgé shows an intense straw yellow color and nuances of straw yellow, very transparent, fine and persistent perlage. The nose denotes intense, clean, pleasing, refined and elegant aromas which start with hints of banana, praline and bread crust followed by aromas of apple, yeast, brioche, honey, pear, citrus fruit peel, vanilla and plum. The mouth has good correspondence to the nose, an effervescent and crisp attack, however balanced by alcohol, good body, intense flavors, pleasing roundness. The finish is persistent with flavors of banana, apple and praline. A small part of the base wine ferments in barrique. Franciacorta Pas Dosé Récemment Dégorgé referments in bottle on its lees for at least 48 months. This Brunello di Montalcino shows a brilliant ruby red color and nuances of brick red, moderate transparency. The nose reveals intense, clean, pleasing and refined aromas which start with hints of plum, black cherry and dried violet followed by aromas of blueberry, raspberry, vanilla, tobacco, mace, chocolate and cinnamon. The mouth has good correspondence to the nose, a tannic attack and however balanced by alcohol, full body, intense flavors, pleasing roundness. The finish is persistent with flavors of plum, black cherry and blueberry. This Brunello di Montalcino ages for at least 2 years in cask. Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli shows a brilliant ruby red color and nuances of brick red, moderate transparency. The nose denotes intense, clean, pleasing, refined and elegant aromas which start with hints of black cherry, violet and plum followed by aromas of blueberry, vanilla, raspberry, cinnamon, chocolate, pink pepper, tobacco, mace and menthol. The mouth has good correspondence to the nose, a tannic attack and however balanced by alcohol, full body, intense flavors, pleasing roundness. The finish is persistent with flavors of black cherry, plum and raspberry. Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli ages for 4 years in cask, 4 months in barrique and 4 months in bottle. This Chianti Classico shows a brilliant ruby red color and nuances of garnet red, moderate transparency. The nose reveals intense, clean and pleasing aromas which start with hints of black cherry, plum and dried violet followed by aromas of tobacco, vanilla, carob and graphite. The mouth has good correspondence to the nose, a slightly tannic attack and however balanced by alcohol, good body, intense flavors. The finish is persistent with flavors of black cherry, plum and blueberry. This Chianti Classico ages in cask. Rosso di Sera shows a brilliant ruby red color and nuances of garnet red, little transparency. The nose denotes intense, clean, pleasing and refined aromas which start with hints if black cherry, plum and violet followed by aromas of blueberry, vanilla, tobacco, pink pepper, cocoa, leather and clove. The mouth has good correspondence to the nose, a tannic attack and however balanced by alcohol, good body, intense flavors, pleasing roundness. The finish is persistent with flavors of plum, black cherry and blueberry. Rosso di Sera ages for 12 months in barrique followed by 6 months of aging in bottle. 80 Vendemmie Rosso shows a deep ruby red color and nuances of purple red, little transparency, fine and persistent perlage. The nose reveals intense, clean and pleasing aromas that start with hints of black cherry, blackberry and plum followed by aromas of blueberry, raspberry and violet. The mouth has good correspondence to the nose, an effervescent and slightly tannic attack, however balanced by alcohol, good body, intense flavors, pleasing crispness. The finish is persistent with flavors of black cherry, blackberry and plum. 80 Vendemmie Rosso referments in bottle. Gran Rosso del Vicariato di Quistello shows a deep ruby red color and nuances of purple red, little transparency. The nose denotes intense, clean, pleasing and refined aromas which start with hints of blackberry, cherry and blueberry followed by aromas of raspberry, violet, plum and strawberry. The mouth has good correspondence to the nose, a tannic and effervescent attack, however balanced by alcohol, good body, intense flavors, pleasing crispness. The finish is persistent with flavors of blackberry, cherry and blueberry. Gran Rosso del Vicariato di Quistello referments in bottle. Valdadige Terradeiforti Enantio shows a deep ruby red color and nuances of garnet red, little transparency. The nose denotes intense, clean, pleasing, refined and elegant aromas which start with hints of plum, black cherry and blueberry followed by aromas dried violet, rhubarb, vanilla, blackberry, tobacco, licorice, cocoa and menthol. The mouth has good correspondence to the nose, a tannic attack and pleasing crispness, however balanced by alcohol, full body, intense flavors, pleasing roundness. The finish is persistent with flavors of plum, black cherry and blueberry. Trento Talento Brut 976 Riserva del Fondatore shows a brilliant golden yellow color and nuances of straw yellow, very transparent, fine and persistent perlage. The nose reveals intense, clean, pleasing, refined and elegant aromas that start with hints of banana, apple and bread crust followed by aromas of grapefruit, plum, hazelnut, honey, citrus fruit peel, yeast, butter and hawthorn. The mouth has good correspondence to the nose, an effervescent and crisp attack, however balanced by alcohol, good body, intense flavors, pleasing roundness. The finish is persistent with flavors of banana, apple and hazelnut. Trento Talento Brut 976 Riserva del Fondatore referments in bottle on its lees for at least 90 months.
0.975792	Andile Abner Ngcaba is a South African businessman who has devoted most of his life and career to the field of technology, in particular communications. Born on 12 June 1956, in Duncan Village, East London (Eastern Cape Province), Ngcaba currently lives in Johannesburg and Mountain View,California. He is chairman, founder and majority shareholder of investment group Convergence Partners and is also the former Executive Chairman of Dimension Data Middle East and Africa, a subsidiary of the Dimension Data plc Group, which was recently acquired by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT)1. Through Convergence Partners, Ngcaba is also involved in significant new communications infrastructure projects across Africa including Seacom (the first undersea fibre optic cable system serving Africa's East Coast) which was ready for service on 23 July 2009, the first private sector satellite in Africa (Intelsat New Dawn) which was launched on 22 April 2011, a joint venture to bring high capacity, long-haul terrestrial fibre to South Africa (FibreCo) and recently a new joint venture with Google to invest in CSquared, a broadband infrastructure company headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. Ngcaba was previously an activist aligned with the African National Congress during the struggle against Apartheid, and thereafter the Director General of Communications in the first democratically elected government of South Africa in 1994. He left Government in 2003 to pursue a career in the private sector. Ngcaba's interest in technology dates back to his childhood when he would accompany his father to work. His father spent 38 years working for the Post Office, 20 years of which he was a Postmaster. There Ngcaba met technicians and engineers and was exposed to what at the time was advanced communications technology at the Post Office, which at the time also ran South Africa's telecom networks (prior to being spun off into Telkom in the early 1990s). When he completed high school, Ngcaba enrolled at a technical college in Umtata before being hired as a bench technician by Philips in Johannesburg. There he worked with medical and telecom equipment and other scientific instrumentation. During the political turmoil in the late 1970s in South Africa, Ngcaba involved himself with the ANC underground, and actively took part in and helped plan insurgency operations. Ngcaba transited through Mozambique before joining ANC camps in Angola, where he underwent formal military training. He was trained in military communications technology before going to the then Soviet Union, where he received further specialised training. There he studied in fields of military radio, radar, reconnaissance and surveillance technologies. Ngcaba spent most of the 1980s moving between Europe, the Soviet Union and parts of Africa, with the bulk of his time being spent in Angola. In 1990, after more than a decade of struggle, Ngcaba was among the first exiles to return to South Africa. He helped the ANC establish its Johannesburg headquarters and was soon appointed as the organisation's head of IT. Training and skills development of historically disadvantaged South Africans in the ICT sector, providing training both at local and international institutions and producing a large number of the current senior ICT executives in South Africa. The establishment of the National Telecommunications Forum in South Africa, a body that brought together all ICT stakeholders outside of Government in the period leading up to the 1994 elections. On his return to South Africa after exile, Ngcaba continued his contribution to the ICT sector by participating in various initiatives that positively shaped the ICT sector both in South Africa and in the region. These included working with and serving on structures of the ITU, the global policy development and standards-making body. Soon after South Africa transitioned to a democracy, Ngcaba took up the position of Director General of the Department of Communications for eight and half years until December 2003, during which time he worked under ministers Pallo Jordan, Jay Naidoo and the late Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri. While he was Director General of the Department of Communications he participated in international organisations such as the Office of Outer Space Affairs in Vienna and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). At the Department of Communications, Ngcaba was responsible for policy formulation that restructured the ICT sector and presided over various groundbreaking initiatives designed to reorganise and overhaul the telecommunications sector, broadcasting industry, postal services and e-commerce in accordance with the imperatives of the new South African society. During this time more than 10 pieces of legislation were produced, including the Convergence Bill, which was subsequently promulgated as the Electronics Communications Act of 2006. While he was Director General, Ngcaba founded of the Institute for Software and Satellite Applications (ISSA) and the National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa (NEMISA). He participated in the Digital Opportunity Task Force (DOTFORCE), a G8 ICT global initiative. There he helped to shape various policy initiatives that have served as a platform for the development of ICT in Africa, with specific emphasis on regulatory and policy initiatives for the establishment of independent regulatory institutions, promotion of good governance, liberalisation of the market, privatisation, introduction of competition and building of infrastructure. Ngcaba resigned from his role as Director General in 2003 to pursue a career in the private sector. In September 2004, Ngcaba led a Broad-Based BEE Consortium that acquired a 25% stake in Dimension Data Middle East and Africa, later becoming Executive chairman. After Thintana (the former Strategic Equity Partner to Telkom, comprising SBC Communications and Telekom Malaysia) divested half of its 15% stake in Telkom and announced its intention to sell its remaining interest, Ngcaba assisted in putting together the Elephant Consortium to acquire the shares. In May 2005, the Elephant Consortium, comprising private investors, industry players, sponsors, seed capital providers and more than 30% broad-based beneficiaries (groups representing interests of women, disabled and youth), acquired 6.7% of Telkom in a commercially funded structure, which ran to term in May 2010. Ngcaba invested in a further 2 companies before the formation of Convergence Partners in early 2006 as his exclusive investment vehicle. Convergence Partners has to date invested in 16 companies in the technology, media and telecommunications sector across the African continent and is an active, value-adding shareholder with a long-term investment horizon. Through Convergence Partners, Ngcaba continues to pursue his vision of a connected Africa. In this regard, Ngcaba played pivotal roles in several landmark transactions to bring critical connectivity to the continent, notably Seacom, the first East African undersea cable, and the New Dawn Satellite joint venture, which was launched in April 2011. Ngcaba currently serves on a number of boards of investee companies and is a Trustee of the Convergence Partners Foundation Trust, a not-for-profit vehicle to improve the education of previously disadvantaged persons using technology and to develop ICT skills that are in short supply in the continent. Ngcaba has served on the Council of the University of South Africa (UNISA) and was an advisor to the Digital Inclusion Programme at Harvard University Law School. He also was a member of the Telecom Board of the ITU, served on the Board of InfoDev, a partnership of international developmental agencies, which was in turn co-ordinated and served by an expert Secretariat housed at the World Bank. Ngcaba was the Honorary Advisor representing Africa for The Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF), advising on strategy and engagement throughout Africa. Since 2002 he has played a pivotal role in the establishment of IT and education initiatives in South Africa by the IBLF and in engagement in other African countries. Ngcaba has written and published many papers, received various international awards, participated globally on ICT decision-making forums and has influenced the formation of various African forums and organisations responsible for shaping the ICT sector. He has been a leading proponent of the implementation of various measures designed to curb the digital divide and his efforts have won him praise including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003. In 1993 he was awarded the Best Computer Person of the Year by the Computer Society of SA. He was also conferred the Black Information Technology Achievers award and the ICT Leadership Award. Ngcaba was named as TechCentral's newsmaker of 2011 for his significant impact on South Africa's technology sector. Ngcaba grew up in a family consisting of four brothers and a sister, most of whom have also ended up in the ICT industry, in Duncan Village, East London. His family is originally from Pondoland in the Eastern Cape. Ngcaba is married to Dr. Svieta Ngcaba, a medical doctor by profession, and has four children Linda , Khusela, Anda and Afezikile. ^ "Andile Ngcaba Bows Out After 13 years, Sells His Stake in Dimension Data". TechFinancials. 27 July 2017. Retrieved 29 June 2018. ^ "Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation.", Nippon, Japan, 24 January 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-24. ^ "Andile Ngcaba's Convergence Partners, Google, IFC, Mitsui Invest $100 million in Kenya's CSquared". www.google.com. Retrieved 30 July 2017. ^ "resigned from his role as Director General" Archived 29 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine, South African Government, Tswane, 24 January 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-24. ^ "SA Newsmakers of the Year - the top five - TechCentral". TechCentral. 20 December 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
0.965591	Do I need a visa to visit China? For travel to China, no visa is required. No visa is required to travel to China upto 90 days. A visa is required for all Canadians, Americans and people of most other nationalities who travel to China.
0.998842	The web is a wonderful place. It connects people from across the globe, keeps us updated with our friends and family, and creates revolutions never before seen in our lifetime. It has certainly come a long way since its humble beginnings back in the early 1980's.. In this article I'm going to look at the journey the World Wide Web's gone through to become the powerhouse that it is today and establish what we can learn from the past. In order to understand the history of the World Wide Web it's important to understand the differences between the World Wide Web and The Internet. Many people refer to them as the same thing, but in fact, although the end result is the common perception of most everyday users, they are very different. The internet is a series of huge computer networks that allows many computers to connect and communicate with each other globally. Upon the internet reside a series of languages which allow information to travel between computers. These are known as protocols. For instance, some common protocols for transferring emails are IMAP, POP3 and SMTP. Just as email is a layer on the internet, the World Wide Web is another layer which uses different protocols. HTML (Hypertext markup language) - The language that we write our web pages in. HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol ) - Although other protocols can be used such as FTP, this is the most common protocol. It was developed specifically for the World Wide Web and favored for its simplicity and speed. This protocol requests the 'HTML' document from the server and serves it to the browser. Ideas for the World Wide Web date back to as early as 1946 when Murray Leinster wrote a short story which described how computers (that he referred to as 'Logics') lived in every home, with each one having access to a central device where they could retrieve information. Although the story does have several differences to the way the web works today, it does capture the idea of a huge information network available to everyone in their homes. The real vision and execution for the World Wide Web didn't come about until around 40 years later in 1980 when an English chap by the name of Tim Berners Lee was working on a project known as 'Enquire'. Enquire was a simple database of people and software who were working at the same place as Berners Lee. It was during this project that he experimented with hypertext. Hypertext is text that can be displayed on devices which utilize hyperlinks. The Berners Lee Enquire system used hyperlinks on each page of the database, each page referencing other relevant pages within the system. Tim Berners Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, at the London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony. Berners Lee was a physicist and in his need to share information with other physicists around the world found out that there was no quick and easy solution for doing so. With this in mind, in 1989 he set about putting a proposal together for a centralized database which contained links to other documents. This would have been the perfect solution for Tim and his colleagues, but it turned out nobody was interested in it and nobody took any notice - except for one person. Tim's boss liked his idea and encouraged him to implement it in their next project. This new system was given a few different names such as TIM (The Information Mine) which was turned down as it abbreviated Tim's initials. After a few suggestions, there was only one name that stuck; the World Wide Web. By December 1990 Tim had joined forces with another physicist Robert Cailliau who rewrote Tim's original proposal. It was their vision to combine hypertext with the internet to create web pages, but no one at that time could appreciate how successful this idea could be. Despite little interest, Berners Lee continued to develop three major components for the web; HTTP, HTML and the world first web browser. Funnily enough, this browser was also called "the World Wide Web" and it also doubled as an editor. A screenshot of the world's first web browser. The WWW project was started to allow high energy physicists to share data, news, and documentation. We are very interested in spreading the web to other areas, and having gateway servers for other data. On August 6, 1991 the world's first web page was launched. A copy of the site is still available. Boring, perhaps, but this is the world's first website. The page outlined the plans for the World Wide Web. It was also this year that HTML was born and the first publicly available description of HTML was released. Some of these tags are still in use today, such as h1-h6 tags, paragraph tags and anchor tags. If we take a look at the source code from the world's first web page, we can see some of these in use. Shortly afterwards other browsers were released, each bringing differences and improvements. Let's take a look at some of these browsers. Line Mode Browser - feb 1992. This was also brought to us by Berners Lee. It was the first browser to support multiple platforms. Mosaic Browser released - Jan 5th 1993. Mosaic was really highly rated when it first came out. It was developed at University of Illinois. Mosaic was a popular browser at the time of its launch in 1993. Cello Browser released - June 8th, 1993. This was the first browser available for Windows. Netscape Navigator 1.1 released - March 1995. This was the first browser to introduce tables to HTML. Opera 1.0 released - April 1995. This was originally a research project for a Norwegian telephone company. The browser is still available today and is currently at version 12. Internet Explorer 1.0 released - August 1995. Microsoft decided to get in on the act when its Windows operating system '95 was released. This was the browser that ran exclusively on that. CSS1 was introduced in 1995 but had trouble being adopted due to the inconsistencies amongst browsers of the time. Internet Explorer 5 was released in March 2000 and was the first browser to support the almost complete CSS1 specification (it covered 99% of it). It was a year later in 1996 that CSS level one becomes an official recommendation of the W3C. With the World Wide Web becoming mainstream it was between the years of 1995–2000 that a group of businesses started to change their focus onto the web. Investors started throwing money at anything related to the web; in many cases, if a company was seen to be on the web, then their stock prices would shoot up. This was known as the internet boom which marked the commercial growth of the Internet since the advent of the World Wide Web. However, as more and more money was pumped into these startups, lots of investors overlooked basic business fundamentals and instead focussed their confidence on the advancements in technology in the hope that they would one day see a return on their investments. Unfortunately this wasn't the case and the collapse of the dot com bubble between 2000-2001 was inevitable. Although many companies were hit by this some are still around to tell the story today. Websites such as E-bay, Amazon and Google all survived the collapse of the dot com bubble. By the turn of the millennium the race was on to become the world's most popular social network. Social networks became especially popular on the web between the years of 1995-2000. More importantly, an internet company in the States paved the way for social networks as they are known today. AOL had features that you might see on many modern social networks today, such as member profiles and forums where users could chat about any kind of subject that they chose. It wasn't until around 2002 that the race to become the worlds most popular social network began. Sites like Friendster, LinkedIn and myspace popped up. Friendster was arguably one of the most popular original sites boasting three million users just a year after its launch. However, competitors soon overtook Friendster, Myspace launched in 2003 and was soon gaining popularity as the world's most popular social networking site. If any social networking website has revolutionised the way that we socially interact on the web, that accolade has to go to Facebook. Facebook managed to set itself apart from its competitors by coming up with innovative features and executing smart business decisions. One of those smart business moves is one that is also shared by Twitter; that is the offering of an API which allows other developers to extend the sites' functionality and create apps that support the platforms. Decisions like this allowed the social web to become a major milestone in the history of the World Wide Web. In 2007 the iPhone was released which revolutionized the mobile web as we know it today. One of the most recent milestones in the history of the World Wide Web is accessibility via mobile devices. Until this point accessing the web had fundamentally been from computers or laptops. Now the number of users accessing the web from mobile devices is growing rapidly and is set to overtake desktop access by 2015. Of course, people have been connecting to the web from mobile devices since the mid 90's but this was in no way similar to the access that we are used to now. It was in 2007 that the iPhone first became available, revolutionizing the way that we access the web from our phones and introducing the concept of mobile apps. The World Wide Web was now able to understand where abouts on the planet we were, it allowed us to upload a photo that we have just taken straight onto our social networking profile. The mobile web has added another layer to the already useful web. We've covered some of the major milestones in the history of Tim Berners Lee's creation. Milestones which have changed the way we conduct global communication. There are many lessons that we can learn from its history. The web is constantly changing. Whatever the latest, greatest technology that currently defines the web, it will be superseded by something even greater, faster and better. The web doesn't stand still, nothing is set in stone and that is one of the greatest things about the web. Like any science it is constantly evolving. The web doesn't and won't stay in its current format. We were so used to receiving the web through desktops that we didn't anticipate mobile, tablets and apps each of which take the information provided from the web and display it in their own unique way and format. In essence, the web is only scratching the surface of what can really be achieved and it's our jobs as designers and developers to understand the web's fundamental aim. I hope you've enjoyed reading this article and that you can take some of what has happened in the web's past and make it relevant to your projects today. By doing this you will be extending on the webs fundamental ethos and carrying it forward to the next generation. Pleased to meet you my name's Aaron Lumsden & I'm a web ui designer and developer based in the UK. I fuss over creating interfaces that not only look and feel great but that are user friendly and adaptable to changing user needs.
0.994109	Teach a lesson or series of lessons—This involves developing a 20-30 minute lesson or series of lessons. A series of lessons could be as few as two or as many as one to two months worth of lessons. Suggestions for lesson format might include a conversational teaching style that encourages discussion, a lively and dynamic delivery style, and a focus on the practical application of the message. Snacks—This involves organizing an assignment schedule for snacks by developing and disseminating a list of volunteers on a quarterly or semi-annual basis, and making the reminder call each week. Chaperone—This involves helping provide supervision of the teens during free time and assisting the teacher or activity leader as needed. Plan a quarterly activity—This involves planning and coordinating a quarterly fellowship activity. Past ideas have included scavenger hunts, road rallys, World’s of Fun outings and lock-ins, cook outs, swim parties and game nights. Chaperoning a quarterly activity—This involves being available to assist the activity planner and helping provide supervision of the teens during the activity. Planning a quarterly service project—This involves planning and coordinating a quarterly service project. Past ideas have included yard maintenance for elderly church members, exterior clean up at the church building, hosting a parent’s night out at the building, trash pick up at various locations and assisting at the Downtown COC food pantry. Chaperoning a quarterly service project—This involves being available to assist the service project planner and helping provide supervision of the teens during the service project. Develop a master plan for updating the teen room—This involves working with the Youth Group Planning Committee to develop a master plan for updating the teen room as well as develop the budget for doing so. Furniture team—This involves securing donations or shopping for and purchasing items for the teen room according to the master plan, remaining within the budget, and in coordination with other team members . Painting—This involves painting the walls of the room. Decorating team—This involves shopping for and purchasing items to decorate the walls of the teen room according to the master plan, remaining within the budget, and in coordination with other team members. Bunking up with a group of teens and staying up with them until “lights out” time. Securing a location for the retreat. Advertising the activity and determining the number of youth participating. Planning and coordinating lessons, meals, chaperones, activities and transportation. Determining the cost per participant and collecting money, while remaining within the Youth Group budget for the retreat. Cook food—This involves assisting the retreat coordinator in the purchase of food, as needed, as well as cooking each meal and cleaning up after each meal for the duration of the retreat. This is usually done with the assistance of two or three other cooks. Volunteer to be a member of the Youth Group Planning Committee—This involves providing the oversight for each of the following ministry areas: Youth Devotionals, Fellowship Activities, Service Projects, Youth Room, Float Trip, and Retreat. This does not mean that you have to be responsible for organizing each activity within your ministry area. Rather, you are responsible for overseeing thatsomebody is organizing and carrying out the activities in your ministry area. The Youth Group Ministry is led by John Wubbenhorst.
0.999656	What are your thoughts or opinions on the importance of a fantasy world/setting being connected to our own real world in some way? I got to thinking that most of the fictional-fantasy stories that have been extremely successful are all connected to or grounded in our own "real" world: Harry Potter, the Marvel universe, the Dark Materials trilogy, the Ender`s Game series, Star Trek, the Hunger Games, Pirates of the Caribbean, Peter Pan... even Lord of the Rings was written so as to be set in a different age yet one that existed in our Earth`s past. Whether movies, TV shows, or novels, the majority of largely successful stories all have this one connection with our own world. Of course there are stories out there that have done extremely well without any such connection, and just because you connect a fantasy story to "the real world" doesn`t mean it will be successful. If the writing is good, if the characters are good, I think any story can be relatable to readers. However, for authors aspiring to create a fantasy\sci-fi story, how important do you think it is to have that connection with "the real world"(if at all)? Do you think it`s more difficult to pull the average reader in and get them to invest time and emotion into a story with no relation to "us" and our world? Answer: You're really talking about three different genres here. Low Fantasy: stories set in a world that resembles the real world but with some fantasy elements added. This includes Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, etc. Harry Potter and Twilight fall into this category. High Fantasy: stories set in a fantasy world that is completely separate from the real world. Sometimes a few characters can travel from the real world to the fantasy world, as in the Dark Materials and Peter Pan. In other cases, such travel never occurs (E.g. The Lord of the Rings. Fiction: stories set in a world of the future. The design of the world is based on an extrapolation of either current trends in the hard sciences and technology or trends in the human society (i.e. soft sciences such as sociology, politics, economics, etc.) Star Trek and The Hunger Games fall into this category. None of these genres is better than the others, but there are times when a genre will experience a wave of increased popularity, often because of other ideas in the public's consciousness. For instance, in the first half of the 20th century leading up to the Apollo landings, space travel captured the public imagination and SF stories about space travel became popular. Post WWII, society changed a lot (civil rights, women's rights, etc.) which caused some people to romanticize about "the old days," so high fantasies set in quasi-medieval times became popular. After a time, such romantacizing began to seem too distant and unrelatable, so low fantasies had a wave of popularity. Younger people liked the idea of a fantasy that could happen in the world they knew. Then there are fantasies that seem to be a hybrid of fantasy and SF -- set in worlds with both advanced technology and magic, or technology that resembles magic. It's hard to predict what the next big thing will be. Publishers constantly try to anticipate the market, but fail as often as they succeed. As a writer, all you can do is write what interests you. Most likely, what interests you will interest a lot of other people, since we're all witnessing or subject to the same trends happening in the world. If you're very lucky, you will have the right book at the right time, or in time to catch part of the next wave. Of course, getting the high concept right only counts if your skills in other aspects of writing are up to snuff -- style, voice, characterization, and the ability to create a page-turning plot. Thank you for your response! I guess it`s common to look at how an individual book reflects the time it`s written in, but I hadn`t considered that in termes of genre, and the rise and fall of genres. It will be interesting indeed to see what the next "wave" will be! Thank you again, much appreciated.
0.954111	Consider the following statements. $$(z \vee \neg x \vee \neg y)\land(z \vee \left(x \wedge y\right))\land(\neg y \wedge \left(z \vee \neg x\right))\land(x \vee \neg y \vee \neg z)\land(x \vee \left(y \wedge z\right))$$ For which one of the following truth assignments is the statement above true? Consider the following statements. $$(x \vee \neg y \vee \neg z)\land(z \wedge \left(x \vee y\right))\land(y \wedge \left(x \vee z\right))\land(z \vee \left(y \wedge \neg x\right))$$ For which one of the following truth assignments is the statement above true? Consider the following statements. $$(y \wedge \left(z \vee \neg x\right))\land(y \wedge \neg x \wedge \neg z)\land(\neg x \wedge \left(y \vee z\right))$$ For which one of the following truth assignments is the statement above true? Consider the following statements. $$(\left(\neg y \wedge \neg z\right) \vee \neg x)\land(z \wedge \left(\neg x \vee \neg y\right))\land(\neg x \vee \neg y \vee \neg z)\land(\left(x \wedge z\right) \vee \neg y)$$ For which one of the following truth assignments is the statement above true? Consider the following statements. $$(x \vee \left(\neg y \wedge \neg z\right))\land(x \vee y \vee \neg z)\land(x \wedge \neg y \wedge \neg z)$$ For which one of the following truth assignments is the statement above true? Consider the following statements. $$(y \vee \neg x \vee \neg z)\land(y \vee z \vee \neg x)\land(\left(x \wedge z\right) \vee \neg y)\land(y \wedge \left(x \vee z\right))$$ For which one of the following truth assignments is the statement above true?
0.95316	People with a narcissistic personality tend to lack empathy for others, taking advantage of people to meet their own needs. Feelings of being exceptional and inflated importance are prevalent. Jealousy and problems with self-esteem may contribute to difficulty sustaining healthy relationships. Narcissistic personality could be a genetic predisposition. It also could be the result of parenting or educational experience that focused too heavily on achievement or perfection, or parenting that was negligent. Treatment for narcissistic personality entails psychotherapy. A therapist can work with a client, lowering expectations of self and others. Therapy also helps in the recognition of negative beliefs and thought patterns, redirecting these to stable, realistic thoughts.
0.670937	This was not altruism on the part of Britain but the result of important considerations. There was a great 'war-weariness' throughout Britain and also in Europe. The French Wars had lasted for twenty-two years and throughout that time, only Britain consistently opposed the French. Other European nations had been defeated by the French armies and/or had signed peace treaties with them. The people of Britain remembered the effort that had been made by the country during the French Wars; also the wars had cost Britain £600 million. Other - and perhaps more important - considerations related to Britain's economic situation. Britain depended on trade for survival. Her colonies provided raw materials and a ready market for Britain's manufactures, invisible earnings - banking and insurance - provided vast amounts of incoming cash. These things invariably suffered in wartime so Britain wanted to see that diplomacy was the first weapon used. After 1830 Britain was the 'Workshop of the World', needing raw materials to maintain her growing industries and markets for the finished goods. She also needed safe shipping routes. Palmerston said he wanted peace and prestige; he used 'gun-boat diplomacy' as a last resort to clarify Britain's position and to avert a more serious situation. Britain was anxious to enhance her European status after Waterloo: she saw herself as a major force and wanted to 'count for something' on the international scene. Of all the European nations, Britain's political system was the only one that had remained intact throughout the French Wars. Other crowned heads had been removed from their thrones; countries had had their systems of government overturned and replaced, sometimes several times in the period. In Britain, it was felt that only Britain was stable enough to pull Europe together again. Also, Britain had no ambitions in Europe so could act as the 'honest broker'. At the same time, Britain could not afford to distance herself from Europe because of the proximity of potentially huge markets and the fact that continental instability invariably impacted on domestic affairs. This was an example of the Foreign Office being 'in tune' with the Department of Trade. There was no suggestion of 'British imperialism' as yet - imperialism has strong overtones of ideology and politics as motives for the acquisition of territory, such as the 'Scramble for Africa'. The early Nineteenth Century saw the growth of British overseas possessions for bases and markets, or as an extension of influence, for example in South Africa or the Far East, through the extension of trade. Britain needed to expand the markets for British goods and also to develop more sources of raw materials. extension of diplomatic influence with the motive of expanding markets. For example, Canning's recognition of the South American republics may be seen as part of this policy. There was little physical presence by Britain. This method became more important as free trade developed. A market-conscious foreign policy developed as the Industrial Revolution speeded up because of the increased need for cheap raw materials and overseas markets, but not as imperialism, because imperialism costs money and therefore becomes a liability. The navy was Britain's trump card, and foreign policy was dominated by the Royal Navy. British power and prestige was strongest in areas that the navy could reach. Often, British success in diplomacy can be gauged by the use of the navy. Sea power was very important and the Royal Navy was the right hand of the Foreign Office, although secondary to diplomacy: the use of the navy was not necessarily aggressive. By 1865 Britain had played a major part in setting up constitutional monarchies in almost every European littoral state from Belgium to Greece. These countries provided a barrier to central and eastern European autocracies. Also, the Foreign Office considered trade and income for Britain by using the physical support and presence of the fleet and army or by utilising her diplomatic influence to encourage constitutional governments. Britain, as the most democratic state in Europe, was generally tolerant towards Liberal Nationalism and had sympathy for the aims of the Liberal Nationalists. After 1832, Britain was even more democratic, following the passing of the Reform Act; by the 1850s, as the idea of a second Reform Act began to develop, Britain had even more empathy towards Liberal Nationalism. Turkey - the 'sick man of Europe' - got weaker and the 'Russian bear' became more of a threat in the Straits and the Mediterranean. British sensitivity was enhanced because of economic reasons: trade in the Mediterranean and the overland route to India was threatened by Russia's interest in Turkey. This eventually led to the Crimean War. This was 'part and parcel' of Britain's increasing sensitivity towards Russia and often involved restraining Russian attempts at expansion into the Ottoman Empire. However, supporting the Sultan did run the risk of producing a weak, reliant Turkey. Britain's sensitivity over the Eastern Question increased in the Nineteenth Century because India became more important, especially for cotton goods. Britain's trade routes had to be protected: the Suez Canal was not opened until 1869. As conflicting aims between Britain and Russia grew, so did the likelihood of hostility. The alliance of 1815 degenerated into the enmity of 1853.
0.999998	Why is the functioning of the liver so important for my pet? The liver is the second largest organ in the body and is often seen as the most important. In traditional Chinese medicine, a healthy liver looks like the element more critical body with the natural ability to fight disease. Among other important functions, liver is responsible for removing toxins that enter the bloodstream. More information is housed here: Mashable. Also produces bile, which is essential in the digestion of fats, and is the organ that stores vitamin A, D, and K. The functioning of the liver it is also vital to the health of the immune system, which ensures that your dog or cat remains healthy. The natural way there is much that can be done to support a healthy immune system. Here are some tips: * avoid exposure to toxins and chemicals as much as possible * do not expose your pet to second hand cigarette smoke. * Give your pet a healthy varied diet making sure to include portions of meat raw, fresh vegetables and fruit * acupressure massage is also helpful in the improvement of the functioning of the immune system and the liver. * As always, exercise – the advantages are multiple for you and your pet! R use the known natural remedies to support the functioning of the immune system there are natural pet remedies that contain a combination of specially selected herbs known for their ability to clean and purify the system, help the immune functioning and maintaining the health of the liver. Used as a general tonic, they help keep your dog or cat in maximum health. * Taraxacum officinalis (dandelion) is known to contain the bitter principles which have an effect beneficial on the liver and the digestive system. .
0.999964	A couple of small-town white lesbians get some mail-order sperm from the big city, so what could possibly go wrong? After she got pregnant, Cramblett called to order eight more vials that her partner, Amanda, would use to try to get pregnant with a sibling for Payton. It was during that conversation that she learned the bank had previously sent No. 330 to her doctor, who then confirmed that donor had been used. "Jennifer was crying, confused and upset. All of the thought, care and planning that she and Amanda had undertaken to control their baby's parentage had been rendered meaningless. In an instant, Jennifer's excitement and anticipation of her pregnancy was replaced with anger, disappointment and fear," the court papers say. She could have terminated the pregnancy when she got the bad news at 5 months, and demanded the Grade A blue-eyed blond-hair white sperm she bought. Under Roe v Wade, an unexpectedly black baby can be aborted thru-out the 9 months of pregnancy, just like a Downs baby. No, they kept and loved the baby, and everything was fine until age 2, when the white lesbians discovered that half-black girls have black hair that is a nightmare to maintain. And to lesbians raising a girl, nothing is more important than hair. The child, Payton, is now 2 years old and already experiencing prejudice in Uniontown, where 98 percent of the residents are white, court papers say. "She carried her daughter Payton for nine months. She has bonded with the child and she loves Payton very much," her lawyer, Thomas Intili, told NBC News on Wednesday. "But she lives in an all-white community in eastern Ohio. She did not encounter any African-American people until she entered college. Not all her friends and family members are racially sensitive." As an example of the difficulties the family faces, the suit cited hair care for the toddler. "Getting a young daughter's hair cut is not particularly stressful for most mothers, but to Jennifer it is not a routine matter, because Payton has hair typical of an African American girl," the suit says. "To get a decent cut, Jennifer must travel to a black neighborhood, far from where she lives, where she is obviously different in appearance, and not overtly welcome." It used to be that cultural norms were against lesbians having a baby, and against white rearing a black or mulatto child. There were probably about 50 reasons for those norms. Add this to the list: White lesbians might be uncomfortable going into a black neighborhood for a haircut. I don't know about this. I'm listening to the New York NPR affiliate talking about this and I'm not sure how to feel. I feel for the mother's quandry but the more I think about it I have to kinda laugh. It's like "oh s* ... our kid is one of THEM!!! NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT!! But holy ** we didn't think we'd have to DEAL with THAT stuff!"
0.999804	Простите, не смог найти в теме информацию, где вы сейчас живёте. Если в России же, то может есть возможность через МВД запрос сделать? Должен же быть какой-то центральный рахив? У нас что-то вроде такой же ситуации было - нужен был дубликат свидетельства о рождении супруги. Живём в Латвии, жена родилась в России. В консульстве России сказали, что запрос можно сделать через них, но ответ может прийти годика через два . В итоге, решили послать оригинал, но дубликат заказать по доверенности. К сожалению, дело пока что на этом остановилось, так как доверенное лицо поедет в Россию только летом. Может, и вам стоит попробовать обратиться в консульство России и\или попробовать получить справку через доверенное лицо? Заверенные копии не прошли, надо слать либо оригиналы, либо дубликаты. Причём, дубликат - это не копия, сделанная на копире, а документ выдаваемый учреждением, которое уполномочено это делать. Например, дубликаты свидетельств о браке и рождении мы брали в центральном архиве, выписку из полиции - в ИЦ МВД. Единственная копия, которая их устраивает (и они сами на этом настаивают), это копия паспорта. Никаких заверений, просто копируете, и всё. Note: If visas will be available in the applicant’s category prior to the applicant’s son or daughter’s birthday, we will review the applicability of the Child Status Protection Act of 2000 CSPA and may need to expedite processing of the applicant’s case in order to ensure that the applicant’s son or daughter will be able to immigrate with the applicant. Unfortunately, we cannot assist the applicant if visas are not available in the applicant’s category prior to the applicant’s son or daughter’s birthday. Failure to notify NVC that the applicant have a child who will turn 21 could result in that child being above the legal age at the time the applicant’s visa is issued. In that event, the applicant will be required to file a separate petition for the applicant’s child after the applicant immigrate, and the applicant’s son or daughter will face a waiting period before he or she will be eligible for visa processing. Civil documents, except as noted below, are available in the Russian Federation. Certified copies of available documents may be exported. The person to whom a civil record pertains may obtain a replacement copy of the record from the local office of the Bureau of Acts of Civil Status (ZAGS) in the event of loss of the original document. ZAGS will not issue certified duplicate copies od civil documents except as a replacement for a lost or destroyed document. Documents which have been certified by ZAGS or a local notary office can be affixed with an apostille by the Ministry of Justice or other selected offices empowered to do so. The apostille is accepted in all countries that are parties to the Hague Convention on the Abolition of Legalization of Documents. Documents that bear an apostille need not be authenticated by an American consular officer for use in the United States. Available. Certified copies of these documents may be obtained by applying to the Bureau of Acts of Civil Status (ZAGS) of the locality having custody of the records. Available. Individuals who have served in the military are issued a military service document (voyenniy bilet) which contains information on the length of service and circumstances of discharge. Those who have served in the military may also have this information reflected in their Russian internal passports. Residence permit for stateless persons. The internal passport is issued to all citizens over the age of sixteen by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The document contains information on the bearer's civil status, lists bearer's children, and contains a residence registration stamp (propiska). There are currently two modes in circulation, an older "CCCP" model, and the new, purple Russian Federation document. These documents are obtained from the bearer's local militia precinct. А как быть со справкой, если в 1990, 1991 годах служил офицером в бывшей ГДР, выезжая в бСССР в отпуска? If any of the applicant’s children will turn 21 within 60 days, please contact the National Visa Center immediately. Based upon the information received, the NVC is unable to determine the date of birth for the principal applicant. Please submit a copy of a government-issued document indicating the date of birth (e.g. valid passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate). The document must include the month, day, and year of birth. Обычно они требуют дубликат, выданный госструктурой. Можете послать скан, но и дубликат закажите тоже, на случай отказа. All times are GMT+3. This page was generated at 04:35 AM.
0.998837	Is it harmful to drink four cups of coffee every day? Hi. Glad to meet another coffee lover. I am personally addicted to coffee myself, and I am glad to share with you the current research findings about drinking coffee. Firstly, drinking excessive amounts of coffee can lead to plenty of gastric problems, such as gastritis or gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. So if you have been diagnosed with a condition and your doctor specifically asked you to cut down or quit drinking coffee, please listen to him. He knows you and your condition personally and his advise will take precedence over what I write here. Now that we get that out of the way, let's look at the research. All causes of mortality - Two pieces of research published in 10 Jul 2017 in Annals of Internal Medicine reported coffee intake is linked to significantly lower risk for death from all causes. The more you drink, the lower the chances of you dying from any reason. Cardiovascular disease - Caffeine has been shown to reduce the risk of coronary disease (aka heart attack), heart failure, and atrial fibrillation. Stroke - A huge study (meta-analysis) found that drinking 1 to 6 cups of coffee a day cuts the risk of stroke by 17%, while other studies shows it can reduce the risk by 20 - 25%. Yeah for coffee! Diabetes - believe it or not, many studies have shown regular coffee drinking with reduced risk of diabetes. That is if you drink your coffee without sugar of course. Cancer - Drinking coffee has been shown to reduce the risk for the following cancers - endometrial, prostate, head and neck cancers, breast, basal cell carcinoma, melanoma, and colorectal cancer. Neurodegeneration - Apart from giving you your daily mental boost, coffee appears to slow down progression in mild cognitive impairment, prevention of Lewy Body formation, and also to be neuroprotective in Parkinson's disease as well. Depression - Moderate coffee consumption has been found to reduce the risk of depression by 15-20%. Liver Disease - Coffee consumption has been shown to protect the liver, slowing the progression of alcoholic cirrhosis, Hepatitis C, and reducing the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. Other research have found it to lower the risk of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), and liver fibrosis in patients who already have NAFLD. So, to answer the question, there are plenty of health benefits that drinking 1-5 cups of coffee have been shown to provide. But the sugar and milk content in the coffee are actually harmful when taken in large amounts. So, keep your coffee to Kopi-O-Kosong (that is coffee without sugar and milk), and bottom's up! Just stop when you have side effects. Wang, L., Shen, X., Wu, Y., & Zhang, D. (2016). Coffee and caffeine consumption and depression: A meta-analysis of observational studies. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 50(3), 228–242. Cadden, I. S., Partovi, N. and Yoshida, E. M. (2007), Possible beneficial effects of coffee on liver disease and function. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 26: 1-8. Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other answers tagged Diet & Nutrition Health & Fitness or ask your own question now FOR FREE.
0.991075	Theoretically possible to program statistical animation in Micro Focus COBOL? I've got Visual COBOL 3.0 for Visual Studio 2017. In theory, would it be possible to program in Visual COBOL something like that shown in the attached YouTube (which was programmed in C++). Yes, I want to do it in COBOL, just because. Any advice or examples would be greatly appreciated. RE: Theoretically possible to program statistical animation in Micro Focus COBOL? Of course it's theoretically possible. COBOL is a Turing-complete language, and MF COBOL can call entry points using the standard ABIs on the platforms it's supported on; so it can 1) compute any function computable in C++, and 2) use platform facilities such as graphical output. That said, drawing graphics using the low-level GUI APIs is tiresome - I did quite a bit of it, many years ago. Since you're using VC for Visual Studio, we know you're on Windows; that means you have various choices for drawing graphics. The classical Windows graphics APIs are GDI and GDI+. These days developers are more likely to use Direct2D and Direct3D, but those are overkill for something like this. In general, if someone wanted to know how to do low-level graphics output on Windows, I'd refer them to the Microsoft GDI documentation (see for example the reference for the Polygon function in MSDN) and a graphics textbook such as Foley (though there seem to be a lot of Open Courseware graphics texts available free online these days). But I'm not sure anyone needs a textbook to draw a handful of rectangles and triangles. So if you really want to do this, I suggest trying to write a COBOL program that opens a window and draws something simple in it - just a rectangle or something. If you can do that, you're well on the way. I'm afraid I don't have a suitable example, and don't have time right now to create one.
0.99999	Don't be afraid of The Fog. Fear what lies within it. A cloaked figure drags road spikes across a dark highway, causing a mother to crash. When she regains consciousness, her young daughter is gone from the seat beside her. As the mother searches the adjoining woods, she comes to an abandoned house containing evidence of a mysterious tragedy that struck the family that lived there, and details about a strange fog that crept out of a nearby military base. What macabre threads tie these seemingly unrelated events into a single, terrifying story? To find out, play The Fog, a captivating hidden object game with more than a few surprises lurking along its misty paths. As you search the blood-smeared corridors of an empty hospital and the decayed remnants of a demolished military base, you'll search for useful items, solve cleverly designed puzzles, and play mini-games unlike any you have encountered. When fear threatens to overcome you, and you want to turn back, remember: the answer to the mystery lies within the haze. As hidden object games go, this one has a good storyline that drives the logic of why things are located in illogical places and what motivates the main character to keep going. That unfortunately doesn't last throughout the entire game and toward the end, one is just going from one room to another (back and forth) as pieces to solving puzzles are found in the opposite room. Most of the time, the game's text and obvious logic will help one get thorugh the game, but there are many times when logic is thrown out the window and it's not obvious what the next move should be. If anyone can tell me what the authors had in mind in order to solve the diode puzzle, please let me know. There is a great video walkthrough here: http://www.gamewinners.com/Cheats/index.php/More:The_Fog:_Video_Walkthrough. However, the person who made the walkthrough accidentally hit the Skip button on the diode puzzle herself, so no luck there. The bug that got me was when a helmet was repaired and then taken from a foot locker. That foot locker also contained a piece of a later puzzle. However, once the helmet puzzle was solved, the game considered the foot locker no longer active and wouldn't allow me to look into it again. Because the game autosaves, my only choice would have been to start over from the beginning and I honestly didn't like the game that much to play it again. I did watch the walkthrough though and I would agree that the game ends a little too abruptly and not in very satisfactory manner to answer all the questions raised during the story. Overall not great, but started off better than most. If it weren't for the bug, I'd probably be rating this game a 3 out of 5.
0.999999	Write a report for a university lectures describing the information shown below. 2. The following table gives statistics showing the aspects of live in five countries. 3. The tables show the average number of students taught by each lecturer in Australian universities from 1991 to 2007. 4. The number of international tourists visiting some areas of the world. 5. The table below gives information about female employment rates in government sites and the position of managers in five countries: Ukraine, Tobago, Italy, Japan and Canada. 6. The table gives information about the female workforce and female managers in five countries. 7. The table below shows four UK car manufactures' expenditures on advertising in 2002 and their utilization ratio of five different forms of advertising. 8. The tables below are the results of research, which examined the average percentage marks scored by boys and girls of different ages in several school subjects. 9. The Table below shows population figures for four countries for 2003 and projected figures for 2025 and 2050. 10. The first chart below shows the results of a survey which sampled a cross-section of 100,000 people asking if they traveled abroad and why they traveled for the period 1994-1998. The second chart shows their destinations over the same period. 11. The table below shows some data regarding Australia's nursing employment and total workforce in 1987 and 2001. 12. The table below shows the monthly expenditure of an average Australian family in 1991 and 2001. 13. The chart below shows the amount of energy consumed in three countries in the year 2000 and the rate of increase in energy consumption as compared with the year 1999.
0.999843	If you are good at mathematics, analyze plans well and devise creative solutions to problems, you might be wondering how to become a petroleum engineer. Petroleum refers to oil and gas used as fuel for transportation, heating and other important functions. Petroleum engineers are the professionals who research and conceptualize methods of retrieving these natural resources from beneath the earth’s crust as well as inventing new techniques for attaining fuel from existing wells. Nearly half of petroleum engineers in the United States work for the oil and gas extraction industry. Others find jobs in mining support or coal manufacturing. Both companies and individuals use gas and oil to travel, heat buildings, cook and perform other necessary tasks. Securing the amount of petroleum necessary to perform these functions requires the skillful use of special equipment. Petroleum engineers devise the techniques and machines that workers use first to find oil and gas, then to create wells in the underground rock formations that house petroleum deposits and finally to mine oil and gas in the most cost-effective way possible. A petroleum engineer’s work includes developing the strategies that teams use to drill wells, increase access to petroleum deposits and extract oil and gas. Designing and monitoring equipment, such as computers that guide drilling and extraction, also falls under the responsibilities of a petroleum engineer. These professionals also oversee the installation, use and maintenance of equipment. Because they split their time between research laboratories and drilling sites, petroleum engineers may travel extensively and work unusual schedules. Preparing for a career in petroleum engineering requires a formal education. Candidates should begin by earning a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. While a general background in mathematics and science is helpful, serious students should enroll in a program that is specifically petroleum engineering if possible in order to acquire the most in-depth knowledge in this specific discipline. Students may also choose to pursue an advanced degree to enhance their job opportunities, especially if they have an interest in seeking a management position later in their careers. Upon completing their educational careers and a few years of work experience, aspiring petroleum engineers should take the examination and fulfill the process of earning licensure as a professional engineer (PE). To improve their marketability, these professionals can also seek the petroleum engineer certification from the Society of Petroleum Engineers. Petroleum engineers earn a median salary of $114,080 per year, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). In the oil and gas extraction industry, these professionals may earn even more, with the median salary being $123,410 per year. Petroleum engineers also enjoy a positive job outlook, with the BLS anticipating a 17 percent growth in job opportunities over a ten-year period. If you enjoy working with numbers at an advanced level and have the critical-thinking skills to evaluate plans and processes, knowing how to become a petroleum engineer could be your first step toward a profitable new career.
0.999999	It's been a rough start for the Cubs, but they'll have a chance Sunday to take a series on the road from last year's NL Central champs behind Kyle Hendricks as short underdogs. It's been a rough start for the Cubs, but they'll have a chance Sunday to take a series on the road from last year's NL Central champs behind Kyle Hendricks as short underdogs. Chicago (2-6) is a +105 underdog at the Westgate SuperBook for the 1:10 p.m. CT rubber game at Miller Park, which can be seen nationally on MLB Network and locally on NBC Sports Chicago. This is the last of the Cubs' nine-game road trip to start the season before Monday's home opener against the Pirates. __PLAY:__ Our [free $1,000 Northside contest](https://betchicago.chalkline.com/games/chc-opener). Correctly answer six prop questions about Monday's game for a piece of the cash. Milwaukee (7-2), which had its six-game winning streak [snapped Saturday by Chicago](https://www.thescore.com/mlb/events/65315), is -115, with the total set at 9 (UNDER -115). The Cubs, who snapped a six-game skid, got homers from Jason Heyward (two after also homering Friday), Javy Baez (his fourth of the season) and Victor Caratini (first) and six solid innings from Cole Hamels in Saturday's 14-8 win. <a href="https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/1114673810354114561/video/1" class="embedly-card" data-card-width="100%" data-card-controls="0">Embedded content: https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/1114673810354114561/video/1</a> Hendricks (0-1, 4.15 ERA) didn't get any support in his Monday start in Atlanta (an 8-0 Chicago loss), but he wasn't good, either, allowing two earned runs on 10 hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings with four strikeouts. The 29-year-old is 4-1 with a 2.79 ERA in nine career starts at Miller Park, but he didn't start this season on the right foot after closing 2018 with three straight outings of at least 7 2/3 innings and no more than two earned runs in any of the them. He'll be opposed by Brewers righty Zach Davies (0-0, 3.60), who allowed two runs on four hits and four walks in five innings of a 4-3 win Monday in Cincinnati. The 26-year-old, who struck out six against the Reds, is hoping for a bounce-back season after going 2-7 with a 4.77 ERA following a 17-win 2017. Davies is 5-5 with a 3.52 ERA in 13 career starts against the Cubs. A Chicago game has yet to go UNDER this season (OVER is 7-0-1), while the UNDER is 4-4-1 in Milwaukee games. The UNDER might be a decent contrarian play Sunday with the teams playing a day game after a night game, though it's hard to trust the Cubs' bullpen. Milwaukee -115 seems like a better move to me. For fantasy advice, I'll keep things simple: Ride Heyward until he cools off, since he tends to be a streaky hitter in his career. __MORE:__ [Fantasy baseball waiver wire adds/drops](https://www.betchicago.com/fantasy-baseball-waiver-wire-add-drop-mlb-opening-weekend) \| [MLB first manager fired odds](https://www.betchicago.com/mlb-first-manager-fired-odds-dave-martinez-rick-renteria-joe-maddon) ## Sunday baseball odds, probable pitchers *Odds from Westgate as of Saturday evening. Check [our MLB odds page](https://www.betchicago.com/mlb-betting/odds) for updated betting lines. All times Central. __Yankees (-185) at Orioles (+170), 12:05 p.m.; Total: 9 (UNDER -115)__ NYY: 4-3 BAL: 4-4 Pitching matchup: NYY RHP Domingo German (1-0, 0.00) vs. BAL RHP David Hess (1-0, 0.00) Betting note: Hess had a no-hitter going with one out in the seventh inning of a 6-5 win Monday in Toronto when he was pulled after throwing 82 pitches. __Twins (+113) at Phillies (-123), 12:05 p.m.; Total: 8 (OVER -120)__ MIN: 5-2 PHI: 5-2 Pitching matchup: MIN RHP Jose Berrios (1-0, 1.84) vs. PHI RHP Zach Eflin (1-0, 0.00) Betting note: Berrios has five quality starts in his last six outings dating to last season. __Nats (-140) at Mets (+130), 12:10 p.m.; Total: 6.5__ WSH: 3-4 NYM: 6-2 Pitching matchup: WSH RHP Max Scherzer (0-2, 2.13) vs. NYM RHP Zack Wheeler (0-0, 7.20) Betting note: Scherzer has lost three straight starts only twice in his 12-year career, the last coming in 2015, his first season in Washington. __Royals (-105) at Tigers (-105), 12:10 p.m.; Total: 8.5 (OVER -120)__ KC: 2-5 DET: 6-3 Pitching matchup: KC RHP Brad Keller (1-0, 2.08) vs. DET RHP Tyson Ross (0-1, 3.60) Betting note: Detroit has had two games go OVER after starting the season with seven straight UNDERs. Kansas City has had six straight OVERs. __Blue Jays (+138) at Indians (-148), 12:10 p.m.; Total: 7.5 (OVER -115)__ TOR: 3-7 CLE: 5-3 Pitching matchup: TOR RHP Marcus Stroman (0-1, 1.42) vs. CLE RHP Mike Clevinger (0-0, 0.00) Betting note: Stroman and Clevinger have combined to allow two runs on 12 hits and eight walks in 19 2/3 innings with 24 strikeouts. __Marlins (+157) at Braves (-167), 12:20 p.m.; Total: 8 (OVER -115)__ MIA: 3-6 ATL: 4-4 Pitching matchup: MIA LHP Caleb Smith (0-1, 3.60) vs. ATL LHP Sean Newcomb (0-0, 0.00) Betting note: Miami, which was a league worst 12-26 in games aganst lefthanded starters, is 1-3 such situations already this season. __MORE__: [Bookmark our MLB page](https://www.betchicago.com/mlb-betting/home) __Reds (+120) at Pirates (-130), 12:35 p.m.; Total: 7.5 (OVER -120)__ CIN: 1-7 PIT: 4-3 Pitching matchup: CIN RHP Anthony DeSclafani (0-0, 1.80) vs. PIT RHP Chris Archer (0-0, 0.00) Betting note: Cincinnati's first seven games had gone UNDER before Saturday's 6-5 extra-inning loss in Pittsburgh. __Cubs (+105) at Brewers (-115), 1:10 p.m.; Total: 9 (UNDER -115)__ CHI: 2-6 MIL: 7-1 Pitching matchup: Hendricks vs. Davies Betting note: The OVER is 7-0-1 in Chicago games. __A's (+165) at Astros (-180), 1:10 p.m.; Total: 8.5 (OVER -120)__ OAK: 6-6 HOU: 4-5 Pitching matchup: OAK RHP Mike Fiers (2-1, 3.00) vs. HOU RHP Brad Peacock (1-0, 1.35) Betting note: The UNDER is 8-1 in Houston games and 9-3 in Oakland games. __Mariners (-103) at White Sox (-107), 1:10 p.m.; Total: 9__ SEA: 8-2 CWS: 3-4 Pitching matchup: SEA LHP Wade LeBlanc (1-0, 6.75) vs. CWS RHP Ivan Nova (0-0, 1.29) Betting note: Six straight Chicago games have gone OVER. __Padres (+110) at Cardinals (-120), 1:15 p.m.; Total: 8.5 (OVER -115)__ SD: 6-3 STL: 3-5 Pitching matchup: SD LHP Matt Strahm vs. STL RHP Adam Wainwright (0-0, 9.00) Betting note: The OVER is 6-1-1 in St. Louis games. __Rays (N/A) at Giants (N/A), 3:05 p.m.; Total: N/A__ TB: 6-3 SF: 3-6 Pitching matchup: TB TBA vs. SF LHP Drew Pomeranz (0-0, 3.60) Betting note: Pomeranz, who is making his Giants home debut, is 1-2 with a 3.91 ERA in five career outings (four starts) at AT&T Park. __Rangers (+133) at Angels (-143), 3:07 p.m.; Total: 9 (OVER -120)__ TEX: 5-4 LAA: 3-6 Pitching matchup: TEX RHP Shelby Mller (0-0, 4.91) vs. LAA RHP Chris Stratton (0-1, 8.31) Betting note: The UNDER is 8-1 in Los Angeles games, and Mike Trout has homered four times in the first three games of the series, including a grand slam in Saturday's 5-1 win. __Red Sox (N/A) at D-backs (N/A), 3:10 p.m.; Total: N/A__ BOS: 2-8 ARI: 4-4 Pitching matchup: BOS RHP Hector Velazquez (0-0, 4.76) vs. ARI RHP Merrill Kelly (1-0, 4.50) Betting note: The OVER is 8-2 in Boston games, and 8-1 in Arizona games. __Dodgers (-149) at Rockies (+139), 7:37 p.m., ESPN; Total: 10.5 (OVER -115)__ LAD: 7-2 COL: 3-6 Pitching matchup: LAD Julio Urias (0-0, 0.00) vs. COL RHP Chad Bettis (0-1, 9.53) Betting note: Urias is 0-1 with an 11.57 ERA in two outings (one starts) in Colorado, allowing 13 hits and two walks in seven innings. __PLAY:__ Our [free-to-play $1,000 Chicago Baseball Northside contest](https://betchicago.chalkline.com).
0.999663	1887, an alien residing in England. In that month the plaintiff in error made a contract with him by which he was to remove to the City of New York and enter into its service as rector and pastor, and in pursuance of such contract, Warren did so remove and enter upon such service. It is claimed by the United States that this contract on the part of the plaintiff in error was forbidden by 23 Stat. 332, c. 164, and an action was commenced to recover the penalty prescribed by that act. The circuit court held that the contract was within the prohibition of the statute, and rendered judgment accordingly, 36 F. 303, and the single question presented for our determination is whether it erred in that conclusion. "Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that from and after the passage of this act it shall be unlawful for any person, company, partnership, or corporation, in any manner whatsoever, to prepay the transportation, or in any way assist or encourage the importation or migration, of any alien or aliens, any foreigner or foreigners, into the United States, its territories, or the District of Columbia under contract or agreement, parol or special, express or implied, made previous to the importation or migration of such alien or aliens, foreigner or foreigners, to perform labor or service of any kind in the United States, its territories, or the District of Columbia." "From which cases it appears that the sages of the law heretofore have construed statutes quite contrary to the letter in some appearance, and those statutes which comprehend all things in the letter they have expounded to extend to but some things, and those which generally prohibit all people from doing such an act they have interpreted to permit some people to do it, and those which include every person in the letter they have adjudged to reach to some persons only, which expositions have always been founded upon the intent of the legislature, which they have collected sometimes by considering the cause and necessity of making the act, sometimes by comparing one part of the act with another, and sometimes by foreign circumstances." "The act of 1855, in terms, makes the willful opening, breaking down, or injuring of any fences belonging to or in the possession of any other person a misdemeanor. In what sense is the term 'willful' used? In common parlance, 'willful' is used in the sense of 'intentional,' as distinguished from 'accidental' or 'involuntary.' Whatever one does intentionally, he does willfully. Is it used in that sense in this act? Did the legislature intend to make the intentional opening of a fence for the purpose of going upon the land of another indictable if done by permission or for a lawful purpose? . . . We cannot suppose such to have been the actual intent. To adopt such a construction would put a stop to the ordinary business of life. The language of the act, if construed literally, evidently leads to an absurd result. If a literal construction of the words of a statute be absurd, the act must be so construed as to avoid the absurdity. The court must restrain the words. The object designed to be reached by the act must limit and control the literal import of the terms and phrases employed." "that if any person shall knowingly and willfully obstruct or retard the passage of the mail, or of any driver or carrier, or of any horse or carriage carrying the same, he shall, upon conviction, for every such offense, pay a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars." "All laws should receive a sensible construction. General terms should be so limited in their application as not to lead to injustice, oppression, or an absurd consequence. It will always therefore be presumed that the legislature intended exceptions to its language which would avoid results of this character. The reason of the law in such cases should prevail over its letter. The common sense of man approves the judgment mentioned by Puffendorf, that the Bolognian law which enacted 'that whoever drew blood in the streets should be punished with the utmost severity' did not extend to the surgeon who opened the vein of a person that fell down in the street in a fit. The same common sense accepts the ruling, cited by Plowden, that the statute of 1st Edw. II which enacts that a prisoner who breaks prison shall be guilty of felony, does not extend to a prisoner who breaks out when the prison is on fire, 'for he is not to be hanged because he would not stay to be burnt.' And we think that a like common sense will sanction the ruling we make, that the act of Congress which punishes the obstruction or retarding of the passage of the mail, or of its carrier, does not apply to a case of temporary detention of the mail caused by the arrest of the carrier upon an indictment for murder." The following cases may also be cited: Henry v. Tilson, 17 Vt. 479; Ryegate v. Wardsboro, 30 Vt. 743; Ex Parte Ellis, 11 Cal. 220; Ingraham v. Speed, 30 Miss. 410; Jackson v. Collins, 3 Cowen 89; People v. Insurance Company 15 Johns. 358; Burch v. Newbury, 10 N.Y. 374; People v. Commissioners of Taxes, 95 N.Y. 554, 558; People v. Lacombe, 99 N.Y. 43, 49; Canal Co. v. Railroad Co., 4 G. & J. 152; Osgood v. Breed, 12 Mass. 525, 530; Wilbur v. Crane, 13 Pick. 284; Oates v. National Bank, 100 U. S. 239. "On the influence which the title ought to have in construing the enacting clauses much has been said, and yet it is not easy to discern the point of difference between the opposing counsel in this respect. Neither party contends that the title of an act can control plain words in the body of the statute, and neither denies that, taken with other parts, it may assist in removing ambiguities. Where the intent is plain, nothing is left to construction. Where the mind labors to discover the design of the legislature, it seizes everything from which aid can be derived, and in such case the title claims a degree of notice, and will have its due share of consideration." "The words of the section are in terms of unlimited extent. The words 'any person or persons' are broad enough to comprehend every human being. But general words must not only be limited to cases within the jurisdiction of the state, but also to those objects to which the legislature intended to apply them. Did the legislature intend to apply these words to the subjects of a foreign power, who in a foreign ship may commit murder or robbery on the high seas? The title of an act cannot control its words, but may furnish some aid in showing what was in the mind of the legislature. The title of this act is 'An act for the punishment of certain crimes against the United States.' It would seem that offenses against the United States, not offenses against the human race, were the crimes which the legislature intended by this law to punish. " Obviously the thought expressed in this reaches only to the work of the manual laborer, as distinguished from that of the professional man. No one reading such a title would suppose that Congress had in its mind any purpose of staying the coming into this country of ministers of the gospel, or, indeed, of any class whose toil is that of the brain. The common understanding of the terms "labor" and "laborers" does not include preaching and preachers, and it is to be assumed that words and phrases are used in their ordinary meaning. So whatever of light is thrown upon the statute by the language of the title indicates an exclusion from its penal provisions of all contracts for the employment of ministers, rectors, and pastors. of the assisted immigrant. The evil finally became so flagrant that an appeal was made to Congress for relief by the passage of the act in question, the design of which was to raise the standard of foreign immigrants and to discountenance the migration of those who had not sufficient means in their own hands, or those of their friends, to pay their passage." It appears also from the petitions and in the testimony presented before the committees of Congress that it was this cheap, unskilled labor which was making the trouble, and the influx of which Congress sought to prevent. It was never suggested that we had in this country a surplus of brain toilers, and least of all that the market for the services of Christian ministers was depressed by foreign competition. Those were matters to which the attention of Congress or of the people was not directed. So far, then, as the evil which was sought to be remedied interprets the statute, it also guides to an exclusion of this contract from the penalties of the act. "It seeks to restrain and prohibit the immigration or importation of laborers who would have never seen our shores but for the inducements and allurements of men whose only object is to obtain labor at the lowest possible rate, regardless of the social and material wellbeing of our own citizens, and regardless of the evil consequences which result to American laborers from such immigration. This class of immigrants care nothing about our institutions, and in many instances never even heard of them. They are men whose passage is paid by the importers. They come here under contract to labor for a certain number of years. They are ignorant of our social condition, and, that they may remain so, they are isolated and prevented from coming into contact with Americans. They are generally from the lowest social stratum, and live upon the coarsest food, and in hovels of a character before unknown to American workmen. They, as a rule, do not become citizens, and are certainly not a desirable acquisition to the body politic. The inevitable tendency of their presence among us is to degrade American labor and to reduce it to the level of the imported pauper labor." Page 5359, Congressional Record, 48th Congress. We find, therefore, that the title of the act, the evil which was intended to be remedied, the circumstances surrounding the appeal to Congress, the reports of the committee of each house, all concur in affirming that the intent of Congress was simply to stay the influx of this cheap unskilled labor. "We, greatly commending, and graciously accepting of, their Desires for the Furtherance of so noble a Work, which may, by the Providence of Almighty God, hereafter tend to the Glory of his Divine Majesty, in propagating of Christian Religion to such People, as yet live in Darkness and miserable Ignorance of the true Knowledge and Worship of God, and may in time bring the Infidels and Savages, living in those parts, to human Civility, and to a settled and quiet government; DO, by these our Letters-Patents, graciously accept of, and agree to, their humble and well intended Desires." "Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the first Colony in the northern Parts of Virginia; Do by these Presents, solemnly and mutually, in the Presence of God and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid." "Because no People can be truly happy, though under the greatest Enjoyment of Civil Liberties, if abridged of the Freedom of their Consciences, as to their Religious Profession and Worship; And Almighty God being the only Lord of Conscience, Father of Lights and Spirits, and the Author as well as Object of all divine Knowledge, Faith, and Worship, who only doth enlighten the Minds, and persuade and convince the Understandings of People, I do hereby grant and declare," "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that thet are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. . . . We therefore the Representatives of the united states of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name and by Authority of the good these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare," support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor." "We, the people of the State of Illinois, grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political, and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing upon our endeavors to secure and transmit the same unimpaired to succeeding generations," "It is the right as well as the duty of all men in society publicly, and at stated seasons, to worship the Supreme Being, the great Creator and Preserver of the universe. . . . As the happiness of a people and the good order and preservation of civil government essentially depend upon piety, religion, and morality, and as these cannot be generally diffused through a community but by the institution of the public worship of God and of public instructions in piety, religion, and morality, therefore, to promote their happiness, and to secure the good order and preservation of their government, the people of this commonwealth have a right to invest their legislature with power to authorize and require, and the legislature shall, from time to time, authorize and require, the several towns, parishes, precincts, and other bodies politic or religious societies to make suitable provision at their own expense, for the institution of the public worship of God and for the support and maintenance of public Protestant teachers of piety, religion, and morality, in all cases where such provision shall not be made voluntarily." "No person who denies the being of a God, or a future state of rewards and punishments, shall hold any office in the civil department of this state. . . . Religion morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government, the preservation of liberty, and the happiness of mankind, schools, and the means of education, shall forever be encouraged in this state."
0.997493	HANSARD 1803–2005 → 1910s → 1913 → March 1913 → 27 March 1913 → Commons Sitting → ROYAL NAVY. asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what was the cost of refitting His Majesty's ship "Pegasus" at Devonport whilst in dockyard hands recently? The cost of the refit is £14,798. Forward to FIRST LORD'S VISIT TO FRENCH FLEET.
0.804726	When you change from low power to high power on a microscope, the high-power objective lens moves directly over the specimen, and the low-power objective lens rotates away from the specimen. This change alters the magnification of a specimen, the light intensity, area of the field of view, depth of field, working distance and resolution. The image should remain in focus if the lenses are of high quality. Changing from low power to high power increases the magnification of a specimen. The amount an image is magnified is equal to the magnification of the ocular lens, or eyepiece, multiplied by the magnification of the objective lens. Usually, the ocular lens has a magnification of 10x. A typical lab-quality standard optical microscope will usually have four objective lenses, running from a low power of 4x to a high power of 100x. With an ocular power of 10x, that gives the standard optical microscope a range of overall magnification from 40x to 1000x. The light intensity decreases as magnification increases. There is a fixed amount of light per area, and when you increase the magnification of an area, you look at a smaller area. So you see less light, and the image appears dimmer. Image brightness is inversely proportional to the magnification squared. Given a fourfold increase in magnification, the image will be 16 times dimmer. Going to high power on a microscope decreases the area of the field of view. The field of view is inversely proportional to the magnification of the objective lens. For example, if the diameter of your field of view is 1.78 millimeters under 10x magnification, a 40x objective will be one-fourth as wide, or about 0.45 millimeters. The specimen appears larger with a higher magnification because a smaller area of the object is spread out to cover the field of view of your eye. The depth of field is a measure of the thickness of a plane of focus. As the magnification increases, the depth of field decreases. At low magnification you might be able to see the entire volume of a paramecium, for example, but when you increase the magnification you may only be able to see one surface of the protozoan. The working distance is the distance between the specimen and objective lens. The working distance decreases as you increase magnification. The high power objective lens has to be much closer to the specimen than the low-power objective lens in order to focus. Working distance is inversely proportional to magnification. Microscopes magnify an object's appearance by bending light. Higher magnification means the light is bent more. At a certain point, the light is bent so much that it can't make it through the objective lens. At that point – usually around 100x for standard lab microscopes – you'll need to put a drop of oil between your specimen and the objective lens. The oil "unbends" the light to stretch out the working distance and make it possible to image at high magnifications. Ellen Murphy began her writing career by transcribing classical works in 2005. She has laboratory experience in experimental molecular biology and has studied archaeology and chemistry. Murphy graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in biology and a minor in biomedical engineering. She then went on to study virology and molecular biology at the University of Florida. What Is the Resolution of a Microscope? What Is Magnification on a Microscope? Murphy, Ellen. "What Happens When You Go From Low Power to High Power on a Microscope?" Sciencing, https://sciencing.com/happens-power-high-power-microscope-8313319.html. 17 April 2018.
0.999995	In my opinion, the biggest key to success in training is creating variety in the way you interact with and train your dog. The more variable and unpredictable you make your training plans the more successful you will be, achieving faster and more reliable results. Variety also increases your dog’s interest to learn and play our strange human games. Here are some different ways you can add variety to your training sessions. Reinforcement: You can vary what your dog receives as reinforcement during training. You can choose to reinforce your dog with different kinds of food, toys or any other reinforcers your dog enjoys (such as playing, catching water from the hose, getting to sniff a bush, or greeting other dogs and people). When training new behaviors it’s best to use the reinforcement your dog is the most accustomed to, so your dog doesn’t get disappointed and frustrated when he doesn’t get the reward he was expecting. For example, if your dog likes food more than anything else, use food when training new behaviors. However, once your dog is a highly skilled learner you can then add more variety when training new behaviors. With behaviors your dog already knows, you can vary what you give as the reward so your dog never knows what he might get. You can also add variety by giving reinforcement on a variable ratio, meaning that your dog never knows WHEN he will get the treat. It is best to always give a reward after a correct behavior while your dog is still learning the behavior, but when the dog knows the behavior you can start to give the dog rewards on an average. For example, if you are working on an average of 5 behaviors for a treat, you will give your dog a treat after perhaps 2 correct behaviors, 4 behaviors, 3 behaviors, 7 behaviors, 5 behaviors, or 1 behavior. Your dog should never know when the reinforcement is going to happen. To sum up, by varying reinforcement when working on a behavior your dog already knows, he should not know WHAT he will get as a reward or WHEN he will get it! Duration: You can vary the duration of your training sessions, so your dog never knows how long or short they will be. You can have extremely short sessions, longer sessions and sessions of a normal length. Time of day: Train when your dog has the zoomies or when he is sleepy. Train before your dog has had exercise or after your dog has had exercise. Train before a meal or train after a meal. Train new and important behaviors when your dog is the most receptive and work on behaviors your dog does really well when training at times that your dog is less interested in training. You can train when it’s warm, when it’s cold, during different times of the day and the night. Location: Train your dog in different locations. If you have a dog that is fearful or over-excited when away from home, you can change location in the same training area at home. Simply by moving to a different part of the room you can create variety and renew interest in learning. What you train: To create variety in a training session using what you train, you can work only on teaching new behaviors, maintaining existing behaviors, or adding criteria to old behaviors. You can also work on a combination of the two or the three in the same session. For example, in one training session you could teach your dog the new behavior of spinning, then maintaining the behavior of eye contact which needed brushing up, and adding criteria to your dog’s stay by getting further from your dog than you have in other sessions. Then in another training session, perhaps you simply work on one behavior- teaching your dog to leave food on the ground- and that is all you work on. How you train: You can set up training sessions with your dog in which you will be using capturing (where you simply click a behavior your dog is already doing), free shaping (where you reinforce your dog for doing approximations of the final behavior you wish to achieve with no hints or targets) or luring (where you are using a treat lure or a target to get the initial behavior you wish to train) on their own or using combinations of them in the same training session. Energy level: You can create variety by working on calm behaviors and working on excitable behaviors separately in training sessions, as well as back to back in the same lesson. Create combinations: Combine all the different ways of adding variety in different combinations in your training sessions. As you can see, the combinations are endless! NEVER get into the habit of drilling your dog on all the behaviors he knows each day or each time you train your dog. That is a boring and predictable way to train. Tip: To make sure you are adding variety to training sessions, make sure to always be training new behaviors throughout your dog’s life, even if you don’t finish them. This will keep your dog excited and interested in learning. Training tricks is a great way to add variety to training sessions without there being importance on how the final behavior will turn out, taking away the pressure of achieving training perfection all the time. You can also work on your own training skills by teaching new unimportant behaviors, rather than panicking that you are not getting exactly what you had hoped for. Even if we try not to show it, dogs can tell when we are disappointed. Another tip: If you are stuck and can’t seem to think of a way to add variety to a training session, simply get a “prop” or object that your dog has not interacted with before and use it in the training session. The novelty of the new item will immediately add variety to your session. For example, turn a flowerpot up-side-down and teach your dog to put his two front feet on it. This entry was posted in agility, attention, Behavioral Problems, body language, boredom, canine freestyle, canine freestyle trick titles, clicker training, Disc Dogging, dog care, dog sports, dog trainer, dog training, dog tricks, Dog Walking, Emily Larlham, Force Free Training, Fun, Kikopup, positive reinforcement, Progressive Reinforcement, video on July 27, 2013 by Pamela.
0.941223	The 2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 79th midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was played at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, New York City, home of the New York Yankees, on July 15, 2008 and began at 8:47 p.m. ET. The game ended at 1:38 a.m. ET the following morning. The home American League won 4–3 in 15 innings, giving home field advantage in the 2008 World Series to the AL champion, which eventually came to be the Tampa Bay Rays. By length of time, this was the longest MLB All-Star Game in history (4 hours and 50 minutes), and it also tied the mark for the longest game by innings played at 15 with the 1967 All-Star Game. Second baseman Dan Uggla of the Florida Marlins committed three errors, an All-Star Game record, none of which resulted in a run. J. D. Drew of the Boston Red Sox was named Most Valuable Player due to his two-run game-tying home run in the seventh inning. Drew won a Chevrolet Tahoe hybrid and the Ted Williams Trophy. It was the second All-Star Game in which the winning run was batted in by the Texas Rangers' Michael Young. As with each All-Star Game since 1970, the eight starting position players of each league, as well as the American League's designated hitter, were elected by fan balloting. The remaining players were selected by a players' vote, each league's team manager, and a second fan balloting to add one more player to each roster. In all, 32 players were selected to each league's team, not including players who decline to play due to injuries or personal reasons. The game was the sixth straight All-Star Game to decide home-field advantage in the World Series, the AL having clinched each of the first five opportunities. The AL entered the game on an 11-game unbeaten streak (10–0–1) as the NL continued to look for their first win since the 1996 game in Philadelphia, still holding a 40–37–2 lead in the series. The announcement of Yankee Stadium as the site of the game was made by MLB Commissioner Bud Selig and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on January 31, 2007, at New York's City Hall. Though it was the fourth game hosted at the Stadium and the eighth held in New York City, it was the first time since 1977 that the game had been played in the city (the last time also at Yankee Stadium). It had been speculated for months that the game would be held in Yankee Stadium, accelerated by the announcement that the 2008 season would be the 84th and final one for the stadium before the team moved into the new Yankee Stadium in 2009. Thus, it was seen as a fitting tribute to the old stadium that it host an All-Star Game in its final season. It was the first All-Star Game to be played in a venue scheduled to close after that season. The DHL FanFest, an indoor amusement park and quasi-museum, took place over five days beginning on July 11 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on Manhattan's West Side. The XM All-Star Futures Game and the Taco Bell All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game were played on July 13 at Yankee Stadium. The Gatorade Workout Day and State Farm Home Run Derby was held July 14 at the stadium. 42 replicas of the Statue of Liberty (officially 43 when including the replica found at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center) were put on display beginning on June 20 at various sites throughout the city. They depicted every MLB team, the game logo, the league logo, and even the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants. Balloting for the 2008 All-Star Game starters (excluding pitchers) began on April 29. Because the game was in an American League ballpark, fans were asked to select their favorite AL designated hitter in addition to all the position players. The top vote-getters at each position, and top three among outfielders, were named to start the game. Votes were cast online and at the 30 MLB ballparks. Monster was the sponsor of the online portion of balloting. There was a limit of 25 votes per e-mail address, but no limit to the number of ballots cast at the stadium. The deadline to cast votes was July 2. Rosters were announced on July 6. Alex Rodriguez led all players in votes for the second consecutive year with 3,934,518 votes, while Chase Utley led all National League players with 3,889,602 votes. After the rosters were revealed, a second ballot of five players per league was created for the Monster All-Star Final Vote to determine the 32nd and final player of each roster. Ballots were cast online between July 6 and 10 with the player in each league receiving the most votes added to the team rosters. The winners were Corey Hart of the Milwaukee Brewers and Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays. A record 47.8 million votes were cast in the balloting, shattering the record set the previous year of 23.2 million. Longoria's nine million votes more than doubled the individual record of 4.4 million set by San Diego Padres pitcher Chris Young in 2007. ^a Selected to start but unable to play due to injury. Milton Bradley took his place in the starting lineup. ^b Selected to start but unable to play due to injury. Matt Holliday took his place in the starting lineup. David Wright took his place on the roster. ^c Won the Monster All-Star Final Vote. ^d Unable to play due to injury. Carlos Mármol took his place on the roster. ^e Lincecum was not available to the National League due to flu-like symptoms he suffered earlier in the day. To commemorate the last all-star game at Yankee Stadium, every living member of the Baseball Hall of Fame was invited to the game. Forty-nine players, coaches, and administrators accepted the invitation. Many of them participated in a pre-game parade that went down Sixth Avenue from Bryant Park to Central Park. During the pre-game ceremonies, the Hall of Famers were introduced and assumed their playing position on the field. Instead of announcing the league lineups separately and in batting order, as is usually done, both teams' starters were introduced simultaneously by position, and the players stood in position next to the Hall of Fame members on the field. The colors were presented by the West Point Cadet Color Guard. A recording of O Canada was played, and "The Star-Spangled Banner" was sung by Sheryl Crow, during which a B-2 stealth bomber flew over. Four Yankees, all members of the Baseball Hall of Fame – Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Reggie Jackson and Rich Gossage – threw the ceremonial first pitch, with balls delivered to them by Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. During the seventh-inning stretch, Josh Groban sang "God Bless America". The six umpires working the 79th All-Star game were announced on June 25. The crew was led by Derryl Cousins, a thirty-year MLB veteran working his third All-Star game and his first behind the plate. Tigers manager Jim Leyland and Yankees manager Joe Girardi were selected as coaches by manager Terry Francona. The staff also included Brad Mills (bench coach), John Farrell (pitching coach), Dave Magadan (hitting coach), Luis Alicea (first base coach), DeMarlo Hale, (third base coach), and Gary Tuck (bullpen coach). Girardi also caught in the bullpen in the eighth and ninth innings for some of the American League relievers. New York Mets manager Willie Randolph and San Diego Padres manager Bud Black were selected as coaches by manager Clint Hurdle. Randolph was later replaced by Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella after Randolph was fired by the Mets on June 16. The game-time temperature was 82 degrees Fahrenheit (28 degrees Celsius), with the wind blowing out to center field at eight miles per hour. Cliff Lee threw the first pitch at 8:47 EDT. Starting pitchers Lee and Ben Sheets set the tone for the game by each throwing two scoreless innings. The game stayed scoreless until the fifth inning when Matt Holliday led off the inning with a home run off Ervin Santana to give the National League a 1–0 lead. The NL added a run in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Lance Berkman to score Hanley Ramírez. The American League finally got on the board in the bottom of the seventh inning on a two-out, two-run home run by J. D. Drew off Edinson Vólquez, tying the game at two. In the eighth inning, Miguel Tejada singled, and with one out attempted to steal second base. Catcher Dioner Navarro made a poor throw to get Tejada, and the ball ended up in center field, allowing Tejada to advance to third base on the error. Tejada scored on a sacrifice fly by Adrian Gonzalez, and the NL retook the lead. In the bottom half of the inning, after Brian Wilson retired the first two batters, Billy Wagner gave up a single to Grady Sizemore. Sizemore proceeded to steal second base (one of a record six stolen bases by both sides), and pinch-hitter Evan Longoria hit a ground rule double to left field to tie the game once again. With Mariano Rivera in to pitch with one out in the ninth inning for the American League, Rivera struck out Ryan Ludwick and Navarro threw out Cristian Guzmán as he attempted to steal second, thus ending the inning. Ryan Dempster struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth to force the game into extra innings. In the tenth inning for the American League, Michael Young and Carlos Quentin reached base on consecutive errors by Dan Uggla. Carlos Guillén was intentionally walked to load the bases with none out. With the infield and outfield drawn in, NL pitcher Aaron Cook induced ground balls from Sizemore and Longoria and the potential winning runs in both at bats were forced out at home. Cook successfully escaped the jam by getting Justin Morneau to ground out to Tejada to end the inning. The AL had another chance to win in the eleventh when Young singled with one out in the eleventh and Drew and Navarro on first and second. Navarro tried scoring from second on the hit, but was thrown out at home by Nate McLouth. Cook got Quentin to ground out to third and keep the game going. The NL then had their chance to score in the twelfth off Joakim Soria, with the bases loaded and one out. Soria struck out Dan Uggla, and was relieved by George Sherrill, who struck out Adrian Gonzalez to end the threat. In the bottom of the inning, Carlos Guillén hit a long fly ball that bounced off the left field wall for a double. After advancing to third base after a Grady Sizemore groundout, Cook, pitching his third inning of relief, struck out Longoria. Morneau was intentionally walked, and advanced to second base on defensive indifference. Cook got Ian Kinsler to ground out to end the inning. Sherrill pitched scoreless innings in the 13th and 14th, while Carlos Mármol and Brandon Webb did the same for the NL, and the game moved into the 15th inning, tying the record set in 1967 for the longest All-Star Game in terms of innings played. At this point, each team was down to their final pitchers, raising concerns of the game finishing in a tie due to lack of pitchers. In the bottom of the 15th, Morneau led off with a single off Brad Lidge. A diving play by Ludwick robbed Kinsler of a base hit for the first out. Navarro then singled to move Morneau to second base, and Drew walked to once again load the bases. This time, the AL would capitalize; Michael Young flew out to right field, and Morneau was able to tag and just beat the throw from Corey Hart to score the winning run for a final score of 4–3. The American League's unbeaten streak in the All-Star Game was extended to 12 in a row. Young was credited a walk-off sacrifice fly. The longest game based on time (4:50) in MLB All-Star Game history. Tied for the longest game in terms of number of innings (15) with the 1967 All-Star Game at Angels Stadium (formerly Anaheim Stadium). Most combined strikeouts (34), stolen bases (7), runners left on base (28), pitchers (23) and players (63) in a Mid-Summer Classic. Dan Uggla of the Florida Marlins set an All-Star Game record by committing the most errors (3). He is the first MLB player ever to have 3 strikeouts, 3 errors, and ground into a double play in a single game. This includes any regular season, postseason, and All-Star Games. The State Farm Home Run Derby took place on July 14. Josh Hamilton set a Home Run Derby record for most home runs in one round with 28. Justin Morneau won the derby. 10 Home Runs were hit while the Gold Ball (special balls used when the batters have nine outs) was in play, earning $170,000 for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The All-Star Game was shown live in the United States on Fox Sports, with Joe Buck and Tim McCarver in the booth and sportswriter Ken Rosenthal as a field reporter. Yogi Berra visited the booth in the third inning. For telecasts in other countries, the game was produced by Major League Baseball Properties under the name MLB International, with Gary Thorne and Rick Sutcliffe as the English-language announcers. In the U.S., the feed was simulcast by Fox Sports en Español with Spanish-language commentary. The British rights-holder for this game, five (now known as Channel 5) ended its coverage at 6 a.m. BST with the game still in the 12th inning. The network explained that it had a commitment to carry the children's cartoon show The Wiggles that it could not break. The situation is similar to the infamous Heidi Game on the U.S. network NBC in 1968. The radio rights in the U.S. were held by ESPN Radio; the announcers were Dan Shulman and Dave Campbell. ^ Associated Press (January 31, 2007). "Yankee Stadium to host All-Stars in final season". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 13, 2007. ^ Bodley, Hal (June 30, 2006). "2008 All-Star Game would be fitting send-off for historic Yankee Stadium". USA Today. Retrieved February 13, 2007. ^ "Rick Horrow, visiting professor of sports business at Harvard Law School". ESPN First Take (Interview). ESPN2. July 8, 2008. ^ "All-Star Weekend schedule of events". MLB.com. April 29, 2008. Archived from the original on July 3, 2008. Retrieved June 24, 2008. ^ Newman, Mark (June 19, 2008). "Statue of Liberty gets MLB makeover". MLB.com. Retrieved June 24, 2008. ^ Mark Newman (June 25, 2008). "Are you happy with your All-Star team?". MLB.com. Archived from the original on June 27, 2008. Retrieved June 25, 2008. ^ "2008 American League All-Star roster". ESPN.com. July 6, 2008. Retrieved July 6, 2008. ^ "2008 National League All-Star roster". ESPN.com. July 6, 2008. Retrieved July 6, 2008. ^ a b "Four Red Sox, three Cubs to start in 2008 All-Star Game". ESPN.com. Associated Press. July 6, 2008. Archived from the original on July 9, 2008. Retrieved July 6, 2008. ^ Newman, Mark (July 10, 2008). "Longoria, Hart are fans' final All-Stars". MLB.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2008. Retrieved July 10, 2008. ^ Muskat, Carrie (July 9, 2008). "Soriano unable to play in All-Star Game". MLB.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2008. Retrieved July 9, 2008. ^ Muskat, Carrie (July 12, 2008). "Marmol replaces Wood on NL All-Stars". MLB.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2008. Retrieved July 12, 2008. ^ "Lincecum wakes up with flu like symptoms on day of All-Star Game". ESPN.com. Associated Press. July 15, 2008. Archived from the original on July 19, 2008. Retrieved July 15, 2008. ^ a b c Footer, Alyson (July 15, 2008). "Cathedral blessed with pregame honor". MLB.com. Archived from the original on July 19, 2008. Retrieved July 15, 2008. ^ Caple, Jim (July 16, 2008). "Stadium tribute lacked emotion, star power of '99". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on July 19, 2008. Retrieved July 19, 2008. ^ "Umpires, official scorers appointed for 79th All-Star Game". Major League Baseball. June 25, 2008. Retrieved June 25, 2008. ^ Singer, Tom (May 16, 2008). "Girardi, Leyland are All-Star coaches". MLB.com. Retrieved July 22, 2008. ^ Singer, Tom (May 16, 2008). "Randolph, Black in as All-Star coaches". MLB.com. Retrieved July 22, 2008. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "National League All-Stars vs. American League All-Stars – Play By Play". ESPN.com. July 15, 2008. Archived from the original on July 22, 2008. Retrieved July 16, 2008. Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
0.998377	If one believes that God is an abstract and unknowable concept, then what alternatives are there for guiding a person or society's moral values? Atheism and agnosticism are only two reasons not settle moral perplexity by trying to ascertain God's will (see below). Atheists and agnostics will try to find reflectively acceptable principles and rules to guide their actions. It makes sense to start with widely shared rules about nonmaleficence, beneficence, honesty, fidelity, and fair play. Different ethical systems justify and sometimes interpret these rules in different ways. Finding the right moral theory is a matter of finding an ethical system that interprets and justifies these rules in a reflectively acceptable way. In the meantime, most of us will try to regulate our affairs as best we can byapplying these secondary rules. The interesting question is not so much how is morality possible independently of religion, but how is religion possible independently of morality. Even if we are theists, there's a strong case for thinking that morality is independent of religion. Socrates long ago asked whether something was right because God commanded it or whether God commanded it because it was right (the famous question asked in Plato's dialogue Euthyprho). Socrates reasoned that God's will could not make something valuable, because that would make his preferences arbitrary. Instead, Socrates concluded, the theist should say that God commands what he does, because he himself is good. On this view, God's commands are principled and track what is independently valuable. This also explains why thesists often feel compelled to resolve debates about what God has willed, and how we can ascertain his will, by appeal our moral ideas about what a morally good God could have willed. But then there should be no deep puzzle about how there could be an objective morality without God, because plausible versions of theism must themselves recognize an objective morality -- that is, one independent of God's will.
0.999831	I’m sure all of you want some new thing this summer. New bathing suit, goggles, towels, clothes, flip flops, all kinds of stuff! But to buy those things you need money, lots of it. Here are some ways to make easy money this summer! 1. Lemonade Stand: You can go to your local market and buy frozen lemonade or you can make your own! Get a small sized table as the stand and make sighs with colorful letters to attract the eyes of buyers. You can set up on the sidewalk in front of your house or in the park! Remember to ask your parents permission before you set up and make sure you have adult supervision at all times while selling your lemonade. With enough buyers, lemonade, and big colorful signs, you will make money in no time! 2. Walking dogs: You can start by making fliers of your business with your name, phone number, and price. Pass the fliers out around your neighborhood or go to your local coffee shop and hang them up on the public bulletin board. Make sure to ask parents permission and have adult supervision at all times while passing out fliers and walking dogs. While walking dogs, bring a backpack filled with everything you might need like, extra leases, water bottle, doggie treats, cell phone, and extra fliers. 3. Garage Sale: Do you have a bunch of old toys and clothes just laying around your room? If so then its time for a garage sale! Gather up old clothes, books, toys, and any other old stuff you haven’t used in a long time. Make signs telling the date, time, and examples of some of the stuff you are selling. Put up signs around your neighborhood or at the end of your street. Before you start setting up get your parents permission. Find about 2 tables and some chairs then start making prices! Make sure you make your prices are cheap because you items have already been used. Lay out your items on the tables, make sure they are organized. Now its time to start your garage sale! 4. Yard work: Are you really hyper, who has a lot of energy to spare, well yard work will work great for you, being outside for about 2 hours and working hard for money you deserve! Make fliers telling about some of the yard word you do, your phone number, and how much you charge per hour. Ask your parents permission first before using clippers, a lawn mower, or any other dangerous yard tool. Make sure to bring a stopwatch so you know the amount of time you worked and how much you get payed for that time. In the end you will have money and a good workout! I hope you all have fun making money then blowing it! I also hope this helps anyone looking for easy ways to make money this summer! Have fun!
0.942181	You've always wondered how a snowboard is composed, what are the differences between the different types of snowboard, such as the camber? Providing more details on the subject, Philippe, Snowboard Product Manager, will explain everything! When choosing your snowboard or talking with fellow snowboarders, it is important to familiarise yourself with some technical terms such as shape, rocker, flex, torsion and pop. There are 3 main types of cambers: All other cambers on the market and which you may hear of are based upon these (camber wave, flying V...). The basic camber with convex bend (curved upwards). Under pressure, it serves as a spring providing stability at great speed, grip on hard snow and a pop for jumps. When you reach a certain level in fresstyling, a classic camber is much appreciated in order to jump high. A later addition to the snowboard, this camber is designed for Freestyling as it facilitates turns. It also provides great buoyancy in powdery snow. On the contrary, it is less stable at great speeds, provides less grip on hard snow and has less pop. Regardless of camber, rockers can be applied to boards. The long nose enables increased buoyancy in powdery snow and sets the point of contact between the board and snow back, which increases manageability and reduces the contact surface. The rigidity (or flexibility) between the feet. The rigidity or flexibility of the nose and tail. Provides standard glide, and good resistance over time. Provides good glide, much more than the extruded base as the manufacturing process includes a higher density polyethylene. It is also more resistant.
0.99962	Many Orthodox churches base their Easter date on the Julian calendar, which often differs from the Gregorian calendar that is used by many western countries. Therefore the Orthodox Easter period often occurs later than the Easter period that falls around the time of the March equinox. What Do People Do? Millions of Orthodox Christians worldwide, including about six million in North America, observe Easter, also known as Pascha, each year. It is estimated that there are more than 250 million Orthodox Christians in the world. In Lebanon, many Orthodox Christians attend a church liturgy at Easter, whether it is on Sunday morning or midnight liturgy between Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday. On Easter Sunday, many families hold a special lunch consisting of turkey or chicken stuffed with nuts and served with rice. The afternoon is spent visiting friends and family members. Many homes have maamoul (cookies) on a plate with other delicacies such as chick peas covered with sugar and sweet almonds. In Bulgaria, many worshippers celebrate outside churches after midnight liturgy, carrying candles to symbolize the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Painted eggs are cracked or smashed and richly-painted Orthodox churches are filled with clouds of incense and choir songs. In Greece, Easter Sunday is also a widely celebrated occasion. Lambs are roasted on a spit and the provision of wine is abundant. The roasted lamb is served in honor of Jesus Christ, who was sacrificed and rose again on Easter. Lamb is the most traditional Greek Easter food. Red-dyed eggs are cracked against each other and the person with the last remaining uncracked egg will have good luck. Easter Sunday is a time of festivity and people eat, chat or dance throughout the night. On the island of Crete, many villages prepare for a bonfire effigy of Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus Christ, as described in the New Testament of the Bible. In the lead up to the bonfire event, people gather sticks and branches to prepare to burn the effigy. Around the world, many Orthodox Catholic Churches, including the Greek and Russian Orthodox churches, hold Easter liturgies during the Easter period according to the Julian calendar. Families unite and join in Orthodox Easter activities, festivities and traditions. Public Life Countries that officially observe the Orthodox Easter period include: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Lebanon, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Russia, and Ukraine. There are no federal Orthodox Easter public holidays in countries such as Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. However, it is a time for families and friends of the Orthodox Christian faith to gather together and to celebrate the Orthodox Easter period. Easter is not a federal holiday in Jordan, although many Orthodox Christians are pushing to make it an official holiday. There have been petitions calling for the government in Jordan to make Easter an official public holiday. Jordan has a population of about six million people, and about six percent consists of Christians while about 92 percent consists of people of the Sunni Muslim faith. In Lebanon – a country with a population of nearly 60 percent being Muslim and about 39 percent being Christian – Easter Sunday and Good Friday are public holidays. Many Orthodox churches base their Easter date on the Julian calendar, which often differs from the Gregorian calendar that is used by many western countries. Therefore the Orthodox Easter period often occurs later than the Easter period that falls around the time of the March equinox. Millions of Orthodox Christians worldwide, including about six million in North America, observe Easter, also known as Pascha, each year. It is estimated that there are more than 250 million Orthodox Christians in the world. In Lebanon, many Orthodox Christians attend a church liturgy at Easter, whether it is on Sunday morning or midnight liturgy between Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday. On Easter Sunday, many families hold a special lunch consisting of turkey or chicken stuffed with nuts and served with rice. The afternoon is spent visiting friends and family members. Many homes have maamoul (cookies) on a plate with other delicacies such as chick peas covered with sugar and sweet almonds. In Bulgaria, many worshippers celebrate outside churches after midnight liturgy, carrying candles to symbolize the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Painted eggs are cracked or smashed and richly-painted Orthodox churches are filled with clouds of incense and choir songs. In Greece, Easter Sunday is also a widely celebrated occasion. Lambs are roasted on a spit and the provision of wine is abundant. The roasted lamb is served in honor of Jesus Christ, who was sacrificed and rose again on Easter. Lamb is the most traditional Greek Easter food. Red-dyed eggs are cracked against each other and the person with the last remaining uncracked egg will have good luck. Easter Sunday is a time of festivity and people eat, chat or dance throughout the night. On the island of Crete, many villages prepare for a bonfire effigy of Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus Christ, as described in the New Testament of the Bible. In the lead up to the bonfire event, people gather sticks and branches to prepare to burn the effigy. Around the world, many Orthodox Catholic Churches, including the Greek and Russian Orthodox churches, hold Easter liturgies during the Easter period according to the Julian calendar. Families unite and join in Orthodox Easter activities, festivities and traditions. Countries that officially observe the Orthodox Easter period include: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Lebanon, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Russia, and Ukraine. There are no federal Orthodox Easter public holidays in countries such as Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. However, it is a time for families and friends of the Orthodox Christian faith to gather together and to celebrate the Orthodox Easter period. Easter is not a federal holiday in Jordan, although many Orthodox Christians are pushing to make it an official holiday. There have been petitions calling for the government in Jordan to make Easter an official public holiday. Jordan has a population of about six million people, and about six percent consists of Christians while about 92 percent consists of people of the Sunni Muslim faith. In Lebanon – a country with a population of nearly 60 percent being Muslim and about 39 percent being Christian – Easter Sunday and Good Friday are public holidays. milenazoran › @dorageorg Thanks, dear! RasmaSandra › Hope you had a wonderful Easter! Why aggressive behavior in cats?
0.998387	Is Iron Man 2 better than Iron Man? That is really the best review you can give for this film. Does it at least live up to the 2008 blockbuster? Its a tough question to call. Upon initial watching I had thoroughly enjoyed what I had seen but when I was walking down the steps of the screen and was asked "So, what did you think?", my first thought was "Good, but the first one was better." But I had no idea why I thought that. However, yesterday, I found myself with a shift at work where I was designated ensuring no illegal copies of Iron Man were recorded, and so sat through the film from start to finish around 4/5 times, however often out of sequence. And as I sit here now, typing about the film, I find myself seeing exactly why. I can't think of a better fight sequence in the first film than the Monaco showdown, where Mickey Rourke's Ivan Vanko breaks onto the track and unleashes havoc on both racing cars and our hero. Tony Stark(Robert Downey Jr. on fine form once again) has never been so under threat, shear terror in his eyes, his public image shattered as Vanko lashes the ground from beneath him with huge electrical wiring. Its gripping stuff, and easily the most exciting bit of the movie. Then it hit me. This was the most dangerous, gripping, exciting part in a two hour movie. And it happens within the first 40 minutes. From here on in the threat never feels real, Tony's image is never really under threat. Sure, he has his problems. Drinking and Blood Toxicity being ones high up the list. But those never felt serious, nothing more than a mere obstacle for our hero to jump rather than leap over. And this is Iron Man 2's main problem. It doesn't get bigger. It tails away, not knowing how to better its own action sequences, not knowing how to put our hero in real harms way again. I assure you now, Iron Man 2 is just as funny, just as entertaining as its predecessor, but its not as threatening. We have no Tony fighting for survival like he was in Afghanistan, we have no despair as his friend turns against him. For the entire second act Vanko is relegated to sitting behind a lab table, as as fun as Sam Rockwell's Justin Hammer is, I never felt like he offered any threat to the heroes, more comic relief than arch-enemy. But, don't get me wrong, there's plenty of good to come from Iron Man 2. And if you enjoyed the first one, you will enjoy this one as well. And I got all this from watching it out of sequence you ask. The answer, yes, as all the bits I saw, despite being as good as the first one, did not add up to the greater film. I felt underwhelmed by the end, failing to live up to what had come before. So is it better than Iron Man, No. Does it at least live up to it, Yes it does. And thats how I stand. Tummy Tickler: 8/10. RDJ in great form, and Sam Rockwell showing off his comedy chops. Love is in the Air: 4/10. Little Love, but lots of Chemistry between RDJ and Paltrow. Spill the Popcorn Terror: 2/10. Something about Mickey Rourke is a little scary. Final Words: Its good, but not great. It had the potential, but reached its high points too early.
0.999997	Learn the disadvantages of incorporation to avoid business pitfalls. 1 What Are the Advantages of Incorporation? 4 What are the Benefits of Incorporating a Business? Incorporating a business involves legally separating it from you as its owner, as well as giving the business a separate legal entity that is officially recognized. Typically, when a business is established by an individual as sole proprietor, its owner owns all of its assets, but in turn the owner will also be responsible for liabilities and debts that could be incurred while the business is operating. With a corporation, that ownership is separate. There are several disadvantages of incorporating a business that owners should be aware of before making the choice to incorporate. Incorporating a business will take longer to set up compared to other types of business structures. Incorporating also includes higher start-up expenses. Compared to a partnership or sole proprietorship, a corporation is a far more complex legal structure--therefore it is more costly and complicated to set up. The fees charged for incorporating a business, either federally or locally, can be as high as several hundred dollars. When setting up a corporation, you will need to file paperwork with your state’s office that charters corporations, which is time-consuming as well. You also must pay annual fees. Incorporating a business will also mean annually having two tax returns on file. This is commonly referred to as double taxation. Double taxing involves corporation tax and income tax. This means not only extra legal formalities and paperwork on your part, but also, as opposed to a sole proprietorship business structure, an incorporated business will not have the capacity to deduct its losses from the personal profit of its owner. In addition, there are extra costs in the form of account fees, legal fees and other charges. The income of a non-incorporated business, on the other hand, is only taxed once. The extra paperwork does not stop with the filing of two tax returns. An incorporated business will also need to take care of detailed books, take notes at meetings, as well as create reports, a share register, tax return files, a transfer register, bank account records, and audit books. When you establish a separate corporate entity, you will have to establish separate credit and bank accounts for your business, which means you must have the appropriate business identification. Your personal identification won't be enough, and you also can't mix your business and personal funds under the law once you have incorporated. Additionally, since establishing a corporation may involve selling stocks, shareholders can become the owners of your business. This means that you will not have full say when it comes to running the corporation. All shareholders will have a vote when electing the board of directors who will run the corporation. Writing, Alexis. "The Disadvantages of Incorporating a Business." Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/disadvantages-incorporating-business-363.html. Accessed 18 April 2019.
0.967334	Most influential works in Linguistics? What do you think are the most influential works in linguistics? Peter Svenonius has compiled a list here of the most cited works, according to Google Scholar. Near the top are general works by Saussure, Sapir, and Jespersen, Lakoff’s work on metaphor, Searle on speech acts, Grice on pragmatics, Halliday on functional linguistics, Brown and Levinson on politeness, and a whole bunch of Chomsky. Other oldies include works by Jakobson, Greenberg, Quine, Labov, and Lenneberg. Classics in generative linguistics include Ross’ thesis on islands, Heim’s thesis on indefinites, Abney’s thesis on DP structure, Baker’s book on incorporation, and Pollock’s paper on splitting Infl. More recent entries (from the 90’s on) include Kayne’s antisymmetry book, Cinque’s 1999 book, Rizzi’s left periphery paper, and several of Chomsky’s Minimalist papers.
0.97902	Is it ethical to use a curation / tip bot? I've read many opinions regarding this topic. I am a new Steem user and I like the idea of being able to pay a small sum of SBD to a bot who then upvotes my post using delegated SP, but does that mean I should? I've read that although this is profitable for basically everyone involved, (The bot owner gets a fee, the delegators get dividends, and I get an awesome upvote) however there is strong sentiment that this is effectively 'gaming' the system. People see it as just a means of mining the Steem Blockchain to the detriment of the platform over time. Other people see it as a legitimate means of curating new content and making profit via dividends. So, I'm conflicted. I don't want to stunt my growth, but I also don't want to damage the ecosystem. Your thoughts are greatly appreciated! It depends on the individual. No one is outrightly against it. Bid-bot votes are not partial to good content. It’s a system where you pay to get votes - Quality does not factor into it. This is the primary reason that raises questions about ethics. One can clearly see that posts in the trending section are almost all bot voted (Although maybe things might have changed in the past few months that I have been inactive). Following where the upvotes came from is pretty easy on the blockchain. I have seen selfie posts on the trending section (worth hundreds of dollars) and it wouldn't have been weird if the selfie was of a particularly good quality. Somehow even a selfie and a substandard one at that can be pumped enough by bot votes to reach the trending status. Let me say this as a conclusion - Posts, good or bad can be pumped and made to trend and become more visible. Bid bots votes are not all that profitable in terms of dollars, on the other hand there are other (organic) ways to spend money and grow on Steemit, if you take all that money that you might spend on bid-bots and use that as prize for a few small small competitions, than this can attract users to your blog and allow you to gain new followers. Bid-bots are a bad deal (unless you are a sponsor/owner of that bot and it is partial to you), not to mention the bad Karma that it can attracts. Trust me you can easily make a mark here on the Steem community without bots. We have a great example in guys like @nathanmars (awesome thinker and networker), @reddust (great artist), @coruscate (content creator). You can take a look at their journey on the Steem Blockchain and trust me you'll find inspiration there. It is ethical and unethical. Neither. It’s a subjective matter, and you’ll get arguments and opinions from both sides. Is there is a specific way to ask question on musing ?How does CPU work in EOS network?Why are most accounts on steem powering down?What mythical creature do you wish actually existed?When comparing some of your posts with most of the ones from the trending page do you think that you would deserve also to be there with at least one?Why does Steemworld only show two digits after the decimal point?What causes glaucoma?What is your purpose for being here, read this question and try to answer it?What causes heartburn and acidity?How much do you care about your reputation score? Have you set yourself any goal for this year in that direction?
0.987748	What if I lose job based insurance? Don't panic. Here's the solution. What if I'm losing job-based insurance? If you lose your job-based health insurance, you have 2 primary options for health insurance coverage: a Marketplace plan or COBRA continuation coverage. If you lose your job and with it your job-based health insurance coverage, you may buy an individual plan through the Marketplace. You may also have the option of keeping your health insurance for a limited time through a program called COBRA continuation coverage. Option 1: Get an individual Marketplace plan If you leave your job for any reason and lose your job-based coverage, you can choose to buy coverage from the Marketplace. This is true even if you leave your job outside the Marketplace open enrollment period of October 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014. By using the Marketplace, you’ll learn if you qualify for lower costs on your monthly premiumson private insurance. You could also qualify for lower out-of-pocket costs. Through the Marketplace you’ll also learn if you qualify for free or low-cost coverage from Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Option 2: Get COBRA coverage You may also be able to keep your job-based plan through COBRA continuation coverage. COBRA is a federal law that may let you pay to keep you and your family on your employee health insurance for a limited time (usually 18 months) after your employment ends or you otherwise lose coverage. If you buy COBRA continuation coverage, you won't be able to get any of the lower costs onpremiums and out-of-pocket costs that people may get using the Marketplace. You’d also have to pay the full monthly premium, including any part of the premium that your employer had contributed. If you do not have coverage that is considered minimum essential coverage starting in January 2014, you may have to pay a fee. You will also have to pay all of the costs for your health care.
0.999991	Review: It would be fair to say that this release is fairly significant. It showcases material recorded - but never released - by former Tangerine Dream and Iggy Pop drummer Klaus Kruger throughout the 1980s. Variously inspired by kosmiche, Berlin School ambient, the cyclical movements of avant-garde American minimalism, the polyrhythms of Africa and contemporaneous electronic music movements - think EBM and European new age electronica, for starters - Advanced Dance contains some startling and hugely enjoyable material. The album's genius lies primarily in Kruger's ability to not only balance acoustic and electronic instrumentation, but also experimental instincts and melodious intent. Remarkably, some of the material even sounds like modern modular techno. In other words, it's one album of previously unreleased material that you really need in your life.
0.998871	China is the largest emitter of carbon emissions in the world. In this paper, we present an Integrated Model of Economy and Climate (IMEC), an optimization model based on the input-output model. The model is designed to assess the tradeoff between emission deceleration and economic growth. Given that China's projected average growth rate will exceed 5% over the next two decades, we find that China may reach its peak CO2 emissions levels by 2026. According to this scenario, China's carbon emissions will peak at 11.20 Gt in 2026 and will then decline to 10.84 Gt in 2030. Accordingly, approximately 22 Gt of CO2 will be removed from 2015 to 2035 relative to the scenario wherein China's CO2 emissions peak in 2030. While this earlier peaking of carbon emissions will result in a decline in China's GDP, several sectors, such as Machinery and Education, will benefit. In order to reach peak CO2 emissions by 2026, China needs to reduce its annual GDP growth rate to less than 4.5% by 2030 and decrease energy and carbon intensity levels by 43% and 45%, respectively, from 2015 to 2030.
0.999986	Develop an integrated advertising campaign to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Los Angeles Times. Throughout the year, special sections of the newspaper were distributed that highlighted the history of Los Angeles in a very special way. From cars and real estate to Hollywood and more, each section focused on the things that are near and dear to Angelinos. To highlight these sections, as well as The Times’ contribution to the community, the first order of business was to create the tagline, “Do you remember your first…? We do.” What followed was a series of ads that appeared in print, online, movie theaters, radio and TV for the entire year, each taking a nostalgic look back at LA’s glorious past. This campaign garnered much praise and attention throughout the city of Los Angeles, and is considered one of the more memorable LAT campaigns in recent history. A significant increase in subscriptions and readership notably followed.
0.975124	How would you suggest creating a animated video screen? I came across this animated screen and I'm wondering about the best way to create something similar. I believe I can do it by using media framework -- creating the animation, importing the media and adding it as a material to a plane. However, this seems resource intensive. Is there a better way to do this? you could also use a scene capture 2d to record the animation as it happens somewhere in the level but i'm not sure that would be any cheaper than importing a video.
0.999517	Try easier levels of this lesson: Boeing Max Airplanes - Level 4 or Boeing Max Airplanes - Level 5. Aircraft manufacturer Boeing has grounded the entire global fleet of its 737 Max aircraft. The move follows last week's fatal Ethiopian Airlines crash. That was the second time in five months a 737 Max has crashed. Last October, a plane from the Indonesia-based carrier Lion Air crashed in what aviation experts are saying are similar circumstances. Investigators have recovered the black boxes from the crash site in Ethiopia and will study the data in them to ascertain the reason for the aircraft falling from the sky. Dan Elwell, a spokesman from the USA's Federal Aviation Administration, said: "It became clear…that the track of the Ethiopian Airlines flight was very close and behaved very similarly to the Lion Air flight." Boeing has huge hopes for the 737 Max and views it as a key part of its future. The Max started flying commercially in 2017. Boeing has received over 5,000 orders for the aircraft and has delivered 371 to date. News of the grounding has been disastrous for Boeing's finances. The company's market value has plummeted by nearly $26 billion since the crash in Ethiopia. Boeing president, chief executive and chairman Dennis Muilenburg said: "We are doing everything we can to understand the cause of the accidents (in partnership with the investigators), deploy safety enhancements, and help ensure this does not happen again." Boeing said that it "continues to have full confidence in the safety of the 737 Max".
0.999999	A father and daughter spend time reading a fairy tale. Tell a Fairy Tale Day takes place on February 26, 2020. You could read your kids fairy tales today or read them alone. A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features folkloric fantasy characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants, mermaids, or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. Fairy tales may be distinguished from other folk narratives such as legends and explicitly moral tales, including beast fables.
0.99977	My fiancé and I are getting married in February and are thinking about having our honeymoon in Europe. We would probably choose to fly into Madrid because we are flying from Bolivia and it is about 300$ cheaper per ticket to fly into madrid than any other european city I have seen. Ultimately we would like to see Florence, Venice, Rome, Paris, and possibly one of the Greek islands over the course of 2 weeks. This may be the only time we are able to go to Europe and we would like to take advantage of it. We are looking into using airbnb to find housing but I'm wondering what the best way to travel would be? I've looked at rail passes but have heard that when traveling in Italy and France that many additional charges can be incurred. Plane tickets seem cheap but additional baggage fees quickly make them more expensive as well. I've also looked into bus passes through eurolines. I was just wondering what would be the recommended way to travel relatively cheaply? 14 days - 2 days of travel in/out - 5*1/2 days of travel from one place to the other. Makes 10 days on the ground = 2 days per place. But if you take buses then you'll simply spend your time travelling. Look at trains and low cost planes (look at Kayak.com but book directly via airline). Vueling Ryanair or Easyjet would probably be your friends. Pay attention to luggage costs on these airlines. 2 days for Rome or Paris are too few days but will enable you to scratch the surface. Florence 2 days is ok but you won't do any daytrip. Florence, Venice, Rome and Paris in two weeks would be a fast trip for me, but it's your trip/honeymoon. How much time did you think you'd spend in each city? Can you fly into Rome and out of Paris at the end (or the reverse order)? I don't think adding a Greek island to a February trip makes sense, mostly based on the travel logistics and time involved, but also because of weather and availability of hotels, restaurants, etc. You need to investigate how you'd travel to/from the island you choose and then see what lodging options you find. A rail pass in Italy won't save you money. You only need two tickets to travel between the three cities. If you purchase the tickets in advance, you will probably find very inexpensive fares. There are overnight trains between Venice and Paris that take 14-15 hours. If you want to avoid changing trains during the night and want a compartment with beds, it will probably cost more air fare plus baggage fees. You just need to do some research. You can buy cheap budget train tickets if you pre-book 2 or 3 months in advance, direct from the relevant train operators. This would be more relaxing than stressful flights, and far more interesting journeys, and far superior to slumming it in a bus. 2. Barcelona-Paris by 200mph double-deck TGV train in 6h15 from €59. It's a great train ride - see the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjuJm9FS0Lw . Flying seems quicker at first, but actually takes 5h of train, airport, flight, airport, train - so saves very little time. In all cases you just print your own ticket. If you keep up with the news, you should also figure in the flow of refugees passing through the Greek Islands. They'll be coming for months to come. The Paris-Rome train will cost from 214€ to 270€/person in 1st class. The fastest train takes a little over 11 hours to make the trip. Air France has direct flights from Paris to Rome for as little as $77/person in February. The flight takes 2 hours. Barcelona, Florence, Venice, Rome, Paris, and possibly one of the Greek islands is not a 2 week trip, IF you mean 2 weeks/14 days total. If so you will have only about 11.5 days on the ground in Europe. Then you use another half day or even a FULL day every time you move from city to city. Plus as mentioned - Greek Islands in Feb really is a problem. So assuming 2 weeks and no Greece what you have left is five MAJOR cities and 9 or 10 days of free time to see them. The more you dash around the less you see really. I'd pick 3 cities and leave it at that. Also I wouldn't fly into Barcelona simply to save money - unless your REALLY want to visit Barcelona. If Barcelona isn't a 'must', you will spend a whole lot more than $300 pp getting to places you'd rather visit and back to Barcelona plus it would be a huge time waster on a short trip. I agree with you, but would have disagreed some years ago. I remember visiting 12 cities in US in one month. It was a great trip. I was very young. Rushed and living on adrenaline is absolutely fine especially when young. BUT does one really want to spend 35% or 40 % of their entire (expensive) trip sitting on/in stations, airports, trains, buses, planes? Venice, Florence, Rome might be 3 to pick for Italy. Fly open jaw into Venice and out of Rome. Or fly Rome/Rome, proceed directly to Florence, 1.5 hours on the train once you get to town [Termini station]. Tickets using one of the machines. Firenze-Venezia and Venezia-Roma you can purchase up to 120 days in advance on the Trenitalia web site. In this plan you have only 2 travel days, which is ideal, the longest journey 3:45. Siena [bus] and Lucca/Pisa [train] are a couple of popular day trips from Florence. Orvieto from Rome, again if you have the time. Verona from Venice. Have you looked at the weather in these places? The Greek Isles (aside from all the political issues) will be empty since it is winter - and not swimming season. You do realize that you are going in midwinter and will have cold/cool weather - including chilly rain and a possibility of ice/snow in most places? And agree that you are trying to do too many places in too little time, esp since your outdoor touring is likely to be limited by bad weather. In 2 weeks - and is that 15 nights on the ground or only 13? - you should limit yourself to 4 CITIES, not countries - if you want to have time to actually see anything. Although for a honeymoon at that time of year I would limit it to 3 cities - so as to allow for any delays due to bad weather.
0.99884	This also includes the expense of food for 3 dogs, 1 cat, and 6 chickens. We eat all of our meals at home or pack snacks and lunches if we are away from home. One of our money saving grocery tips would be to meal plan for the entire month, week, or how ever long the groceries you purchase need to last. Based on this meal plan, you should be able to generate a concise grocery list. Go to the grocery store with this concise list and only purchase what is on your list. You may be able to meal plan based on what you already have available in your pantry, freezer, or food storage and be able to reduce the amount of items you purchase from the grocery store. Another grocery tip we have is to shop at stores that have a bulk foods section. We have a store called WINCO in our area and we purchase a number of baking items, spices, rice, beans, pastas, peanut butter and many other goods from the bulk section. We are always amazed when we look at our receipt after coming home to find we only spent 20 cents for the amount of garlic powder that would cost several dollars on the baking aisle or when we see that the 3 lbs of beans purchased at 60 cents per pound cost less than $2.00. The savings from being able to purchase foods at this capacity are truly tremendous with savings adding up quickly. We would love to hear what money saving ideas you have to reduce your grocery expenses. We hope you found these tips to be helpful and we hope to see you again soon. Thanks for visiting Sunup to Sundown!
0.944599	According to the American Heart Association, about nine of every 1,000 babies born in the United States have a congenital (present at birth) heart defect. This is a problem that occurs as the baby's heart is developing during pregnancy, before the baby is born. Congenital heart defects are the most common birth defects. A baby's heart begins to develop at conception, but is completely formed by eight weeks into the pregnancy. Congenital heart defects happen during this crucial first eight weeks of the baby's development. Specific steps must take place in order for the heart to form correctly. Often, congenital heart defects are a result of one of these crucial steps not happening at the right time. For example, a hole is left where a dividing wall should have formed, or a single blood vessel is left, where two should have been. The vast majority of congenital heart defects have no known cause. Mothers will often wonder if something they did during the pregnancy caused the heart problem. In most cases, no specific cause can be found. Some heart problems do occur more often in families, so there may be a genetic link to some heart defects. Some heart problems are likely to occur if the mother had a disease while pregnant and was taking medications, such as antiseizure medicines or the acne medication isotretinoin. However, most of the time, there is no identifiable reason as to why the heart defect occurred. Congenital heart problems range from simple to complex. Some heart problems can be watched by the baby's doctor and managed with medicines, while others will require surgery, sometimes as soon as in the first few hours after birth. A baby may even "grow out" of some of the simpler heart problems, such as patent ductus arteriosus or atrial septal defect. These defects may simply close up on their own with growth. Other babies will have a combination of defects and require several operations throughout their lives. What are the different types of congenital heart defects? Problems that cause too much blood to pass through the lungs. These defects allow oxygen-rich blood that should be traveling to the body to recirculate through the lungs, causing increased pressure and stress in the lungs. Problems that cause too little blood to pass through the lungs. These defects allow blood that has not been to the lungs to pick up oxygen (and, therefore, is oxygen-poor) to travel to the body. The body does not receive enough oxygen with these heart problems, and the baby may be cyanotic, or have a blue coloring. Problems that cause too little blood to travel to the body. These defects are a result of underdeveloped chambers of the heart or blockages in blood vessels that prevent the proper amount of blood from traveling to the body to meet its needs. Again, in some cases there will be a combination of several heart defects. This creates a more complex problem that can fall into several of these categories. Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). This defect occurs when the normal closure of the patent ductus arteriosus, which is present in all fetuses, does not occur. Extra blood goes from the aorta into the lungs and may lead to "flooding" of the lungs, rapid breathing, and poor weight gain. PDA is often seen in premature infants. Atrial septal defect (ASD). In this condition, there is a hole between the two upper chambers of the heart—the right and left atria. This causes an abnormal blood flow through the heart. Some children may have no symptoms and appear healthy. However, if the ASD is large, permitting a large amount of blood to pass to the right side, symptoms will be noted. Ventricular septal defect (VSD). In this condition, a hole in the ventricular septum (a dividing wall between the two lower chambers of the heart— the right and left ventricles) occurs. Because of this opening, blood from the left ventricle flows back into the right ventricle, due to higher pressure in the left ventricle. This causes an extra volume of blood to be pumped into the lungs by the right ventricle, which can create congestion in the lungs. Atrioventricular canal (AVC or AV canal). AVC is a heart problem that involves several abnormalities of structures inside the heart. These include atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect, and improperly formed mitral and/or tricuspid valves. A surgical shunting procedure is often necessary to increase the blood flow to the lungs. Pulmonary atresia. A congenital defect in which there is underdevelopment of the pulmonary valve. Normally, the pulmonary valve is found between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery. It has three leaflets that function like a one-way door, allowing blood to flow forward into the pulmonary artery, but not backward into the right ventricle. With pulmonary atresia, problems with valve development prevent the leaflets from opening, therefore, blood cannot flow forward from the right ventricle to the lungs. The aorta originates from the right ventricle, so most of the blood returning to the heart from the body is pumped back out without first going to the lungs. Tetralogy of Fallot can result in cyanosis (bluish color of the skin and mucous membranes due to lack of oxygen). Double outlet right ventricle (DORV). A complex form of congenital heart defect, in which both the aorta and the pulmonary artery are connected to the right ventricle. Truncus arteriosus. During normal fetal development, the aorta and pulmonary artery start as a single blood vessel, and then the vessel divides into two separate arteries. Truncus arteriosus occurs when the single great vessel fails to separate completely. This leaves a large connection between the aorta and the pulmonary artery. Coarctation of the aorta (CoA). In this condition, the aorta is narrowed or constricted. This obstructs blood flow to the lower part of the body and increases blood pressure above the constriction. Usually there are no symptoms at birth, but they can develop as early as the first week of life. If severe symptoms of high blood pressure and congestive heart failure develop, surgery may be considered. Aortic stenosis (AS). In AS, the aortic valve between the left ventricle and the aorta did not form properly and is narrowed. This makes it difficult for the heart to pump blood to the body. A normal valve has three leaflets or cusps, but a stenotic valve may have only one cusp (unicuspid) or two cusps (bicuspid). Although aortic stenosis may not cause symptoms, it may worsen over time. Surgery or a catheterization procedure may be needed to correct the blockage, or the valve may need to be replaced with an artificial one. A complex combination of heart defects known as hypoplastic left heart syndrome can also occur. Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). A combination of several abnormalities of the heart and the great blood vessels. In HLHS, most of the structures on the left side of the heart (including the left ventricle, mitral valve, aorta, and aortic valve) are small and underdeveloped. The degree of underdevelopment differs from child to child. The left ventricle may not be able to pump an adequate blood volume to the body. HLHS is fatal without treatment. Who treats congenital heart defects? Babies with congenital heart problems are followed by specialists called pediatric cardiologists. These doctors diagnose heart defects and help manage the health of children before and after surgical repair of the heart problem. Specialists who correct heart problems in the operating room are known as pediatric cardiovascular, or cardiothoracic surgeons. A new subspecialty within cardiology is emerging, as the number of adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) is now greater than the number of babies born with CHD. This improved survival is a result of advances in diagnostic procedures and treatment interventions. In order to achieve and maintain the highest possible level of wellness, it is imperative that individuals born with CHD, who have reached adulthood, transition to the appropriate type of cardiac care. The type of care required is based on the type of CHD a person has. Those with simple CHD can generally be cared for by a community adult cardiologist. Those with more complex types of CHD will need to be cared for at a center that specializes in adult CHD. For adults with CHD, guidance is necessary for planning key life issues, such as college, career, employment, insurance, activity, lifestyle, inheritance, family planning, pregnancy, chronic care, disability, and end of life. Knowledge about specific congenital heart conditions, and expectations for long-term outcomes and potential complications and risks, must be reviewed as part of the successful transition from pediatric care to adult care. Parents should help pass on the responsibility for this knowledge, and accountability for ongoing care to their young adult children. This will help ensure the transition to adult specialty care and will optimize the health status of the young adult with CHD.
0.939784	The Holy Grail is a mythical object or symbol associated with Jesus Christ. In earliest Grail literature, it was described as the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper, and was said to possess miraculous powers. The legend may combine Christian lore with a Celtic myth of a cauldron endowed with special powers. The quest for the Holy Grail makes up an important segment of the Arthurian cycle, appearing first in works by Chrétien de Troyes. The early Grail romances centered on Percival and were woven into the more general Arthurian fabric, in which other knights such as Sir Galahad played a prominent role. It was connected with Joseph of Arimathea in the writing of Robert de Boron in the late-twelfth century, in which Joseph receives the Grail from an apparition of Jesus and sends it to Great Britain. Building upon this theme, later writers recounted how Joseph used the Grail to catch Christ's blood, and still later theorists have suggested that the Grail is actually a symbol for Jesus own blood-line, with Mary Magdalene as the initial "vessel" symbolized by the Grail. The development of the Grail legend has been traced in detail by cultural historians. It is a legend which first came together in the form of written romances, deriving perhaps from some pre-Christian folklore, in the later twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. The Grail was considered a bowl or dish when first described by Chrétien de Troyes. Other authors presented it differently. The word graal, as it is earliest spelled, appears to be an Old French adaptation of the Latin gradalis, meaning a dish brought to the table in different stages of a meal. Late medieval writers spoke of the sangréal or "Holy Grail," related to an Old French, word meaning "royal blood." The Grail plays various roles in the stories concerning it, but in most versions of the legend the hero must prove himself worthy to be in its presence. In the early tales, Percival's immaturity prevents him from fulfilling his destiny when he first encounters the Grail, and he must grow spiritually and mentally before he can locate it again. In later tellings the Grail is a symbol of God's grace, available to all but only fully realized by those who prepare themselves spiritually, like the saintly Galahad. There are two veins of thought concerning the Grail's origin. The first holds that it derived from early Celtic myth and folklore. On the other hand, some scholars believe the Grail began as a purely Christian symbol. For example, Joseph Goering of the University of Toronto has identified sources for Grail imagery in twelfth-century wall paintings from churches in the Catalan Pyrenees, which present unique iconic images of the Virgin Mary holding a bowl that radiates tongues of fire. Another recent theory holds that the earliest stories that cast the Grail in a Christian light were meant to promote the Roman Catholic sacrament of the Holy Communion. This theory has some basis in the fact that the Grail legends are a phenomenon of the Western church. Most scholars today accept that both Christian and Celtic traditions contributed to the legend's development. The general view is that the central theme of the Grail is Christian, even when not explicitly religious, but that much of the setting and imagery of the early romances is drawn from Celtic material. The Grail is first featured in Perceval, le Conte du Graal (The Story of the Grail) by Chrétien de Troyes, who claims he was working from a source book given to him by his patron, Count Philip of Flanders. In this incomplete poem, dated sometime between 1180 and 1191, the object has not yet acquired the implications of holiness it would have in later works. While dining in the magical abode of the Fisher King, Perceval witnesses a wondrous procession in which youths carry magnificent objects from one chamber to another, passing before him at each course of the meal. First comes a young man carrying a bleeding lance, then two boys carrying candelabras. Finally, a beautiful young girl emerges bearing an elaborately decorated graal. Chrétien refers to his object not as la graal, a common noun. For Chrétien the grail was a wide, somewhat deep dish or bowl, often used for fish dishes such as pike, salmon, or lamprey, but here containing a single communion wafer which provided sustenance for the Fish King’s crippled father. Perceval, who had been warned against talking too much, remains silent through all of this, and wakes up the next morning alone. He later learns that if he had asked the appropriate questions about what he saw, he would have healed his maimed host, much to his honor. Chrétien may actually have intended the eucharist wafer to be the significant part of the story, and the Grail to be a mere prop. Though Chrétien’s account is the earliest and most influential of all Grail texts, it was in the work of Robert de Boron that the Grail became the "Holy Grail" and assumed the form most familiar to modern readers. In his verse romance Joseph d’Arimathie, composed between 1191 and 1202, Robert tells the story of Joseph of Arimathea acquiring the chalice of the Last Supper to collect Christ’s blood upon His removal from the cross. Joseph is thrown in prison where Christ visits him and explains the mysteries of the blessed cup. Upon his release Joseph gathers his in-laws and other followers and travels to the West, and founds a dynasty of Grail keepers that eventually includes Perceval. After this point, Grail literature divides into two classes. The first concerns King Arthur’s knights visiting the Grail castle or questing after the Grail itself. The second concerns the Grail’s history in the time of Joseph of Arimathea. Though all these works have their roots in Chrétien, several contain pieces of tradition not found in Chrétien which are possibly derived from earlier sources. Four continuations of Chrétien’s poem by authors of differing vision, designed to bring the story to a close. The German Parzival by Wolfram von Eschenbach, which adapted the holiness theme of Robert de Boron’s Grail into the framework of Chrétien’s story. The Didot Perceval, named after the manuscript’s former owner. The Welsh romance Peredur, generally included in the Mabinogion, indirectly founded on Chrétien's poem, but including very striking differences from it, preserving elements of pre-Christian traditions. The German Diu Crône (The Crown), in which Gawain, rather than Perceval, achieves the Grail. Belief in the Grail and interest in its potential whereabouts has never ceased. Ownership has been attributed to various groups (including the Knights Templar, probably because they were at the peak of their influence around the time that Grail stories started circulating in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries). Saint Mary of Valencia Cathedral in Spain contains an artifact known as the Holy Chalice. There are cups claimed to be the Grail in several churches, for instance the Saint Mary of Valencia Cathedral, which contains an artifact, the Holy Chalice, supposedly taken by Saint Peter to Rome in the first century, and then to Huesca in Spain by Saint Lawrence in the third century. Archaeologists say the artifact is a first-century Middle Eastern stone vessel, possibly from Antioch, Syria (now Turkey); its history can be traced to the eleventh century, and it presently rests atop an ornate stem and base, made in the Medieval era of alabaster, gold, and gemstones. It was the official papal chalice for many popes, and has been used by many others, most recently by Pope Benedict XVI, on July 9, 2006. The emerald chalice at Genoa, which was obtained during the Crusades at Caesarea Maritima at great cost, has been less championed as the Holy Grail since an accident on the road, while it was being returned from Paris after the fall of Napoleon, revealed that the emerald was green glass. In Wolfram von Eschenbach's telling, the Grail was kept safe at the castle of Munsalvaesche (mons salvationis), entrusted to Titurel, the first Grail King. Some, not least the monks of Montserrat, have identified the castle with the real sanctuary of Montserrat in Catalonia, Spain. Other stories claim that the Grail is buried beneath Rosslyn Chapel or lies deep in the spring at Glastonbury Tor. Still other stories claim that a secret line of hereditary protectors keep the Grail, or that it was hidden by the Templars in Oak Island, Nova Scotia's famous "Money Pit," while local folklore in Accokeek, Maryland says that it was brought to the town by a closeted priest aboard Captain John Smith's ship. Robert de Boron portrayed it as the vessel of the Last Supper, and Peredur had no Grail per se, presenting the hero instead with a platter containing his kinsman's bloody, severed head. In Parzival, Wolfram von Eschenbach, claimed the Grail was a stone that fell from Heaven, and had been the sanctuary of the Neutral Angels who took neither side during Lucifer's rebellion. The authors of the Vulgate Cycle used the Grail as a symbol of divine grace. Here, Galahad, the illegitimate son of Lancelot and Elaine, is destined to achieve the Grail, his spiritual purity making him a greater warrior than even his illustrious father. The Galahad tradition was popularized in the fifteenth century by Sir Thomas Malory in Le Morte d'Arthur, and remains popular today. Da Vinci's depiction of John, the Beloved Disciple, is thought by some to actually be Mary Magdalene, Jesus' secret wife and the true "vessel" symbolized by the Grail. For the authors of Holy Blood, Holy Grail—who assert that their research reveals that Jesus may not have died on the cross but lived to wed Mary Magdalene and father children whose Merovingian lineage continues today—the Grail is actually symbolic of Magdalene herself as the receptacle of Jesus' bloodline. According to the controversial Italian traditionalist philosopher Julius Evola (1898-1974), the Holy Grail was an initiatory "Hyperborean mystery" and also "a symbolic expression of hope and of the will of specific ruling classes in the Middle Ages, who wanted to reorganize and reunite the entire Western world as it was at that time into a Holy Empire based on a transcendental, spiritual basis." Graham Hancock asserts in The Sign and the Seal that the Grail story is a coded description of the stone tablets stored in the Ark of the Covenant. In their book Swords at Sunset, Canadian authors Michael Bradley and Joelle Lauriol connect the Grail to the legend that Henry Sinclair came to the Americas (specifically Lake Memphremagog in Vermont 100 years before Columbus. In an argument drawing more closely on earlier "pro-Celtic" research, English author John Grigsby attempts to connect themes of the Grail to Indo-European myths, including Osiris, Adonis, and the Greek Dionysos in his book Warriors of the Wasteland. The story of the Grail and of the quest to find it became increasingly popular in the nineteenth century, referred to in literature such as Alfred Tennyson's Arthurian cycle the Idylls of the King. The high seriousness of the subject was also epitomized in Dante Gabriel Rossetti's painting, in which a woman modeled by Jane Morris holds the Grail with one hand, while adopting a gesture of blessing with the other. Other artists, including George Frederic Watts and William Dyce also portrayed grail subjects. The Grail later turned up in movies; it debuted in a silent Parsifal. In The Light of Faith (1922), Lon Chaney attempted to steal it, for the finest of reasons. Lancelot du Lac (1974) is Robert Bresson's gritty retelling. In vivid contrast, Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) deflated all pseudo-Arthurian posturings. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and The Fisher King place the quest in modern settings; one a modern-day treasure hunt, the other robustly self-parodying. The Grail has been used as a theme in fantasy and science fiction; Michael Moorcock's fantasy novel The War Hound and the World's Pain depicts a supernatural Grail quest set in the era of the Thirty Years' War, and science fiction has taken the Quest into interstellar space, figuratively in Samuel R. Delany's 1968 novel Nova, and literally on the television shows Babylon 5 and Stargate SG-1. The grail features heavily in the novels of Peter David's Knight trilogy, which depict King Arthur reappearing in modern-day New York City. The Grail is also central in many modern Arthurian works, including Charles Williams collections of poems about Taliessin, and in feminist author Rosalind Miles' Child of the Holy Grail. These works of non-fiction have inspired a number of works of modern fiction. The best known is Dan Brown's bestselling novel The Da Vinci Code, which, like Holy Blood, Holy Grail, is based on the idea that the real Grail is not a cup but the womb and later the earthly remains of Mary Magdalene, though which Jesus' descendants live on. In Brown's novel, it is hinted that the Grail was long buried beneath Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland, but that in recent decades its guardians had it relocated to a secret chamber embedded in the floor beneath the Inverted Pyramid near the Louvre Museum. ↑ H. T. Hansen. The Mystery of the Grail. , vii. ↑ Michael Bradley and Joelle Lauriol. 2005. Swords at Sunset: Last Stand of North America's Grail Knights. (Ancaster, Ontario: Manor House. ISBN 0973647744). ↑ John Grigsby. Warriors of the Wasteland: A Quest for the Pagan Sacrificial Cult Behind the Grail Legends. (London: Duncan Baird Publishers, 2003). Bradley, Michael and Joelle Lauriol. 2005. Swords at Sunset: Last Stand of North America's Grail Knights. Ancaster, Ontario: Manor House. ISBN 0973647744. The Holy Grail at the Camelot Project. www.lib.rochester.edu. The Holy Grail at the Catholic Encyclopedia. www.newadvent.org. The Holy Grail today in Valencia Cathedral. www.valenciavalencia.com. This page was last modified on 12 January 2018, at 15:44.
0.957974	Infusion mashing is the most common for homebrewers due to its simplicity and is used widely on a commercial scale. A mash tun is the equipment for achieving the goal is to maintain a constant temperature over an extended time to allow for the starch modification in the ideal environment. The alpha and beta amylase perform differently at different temperatures and in this fluctuation will achieve different results. The fermentable sugars production is a curve over time Show a graph. The range of equipment can go from a pot or kettle held at a constant temperature, to a home made mash tun built out of a cooler or keg, to professional mash tun, which is fairly sophisticated and expensive. In essence the grains are combined with water that is above the temperature of the desired holding temperature. There grains are generally at room temperature, and the mash tun itself will effect the temperature due to heat loss. This is known as the efficiency of the equipment. The preheated water will lose temperature as its added to the grain and the tun, therefore calling for a higher initial temperature. The temperature range and timing of holding the grains in the mash depends on the beer and style. Generally between 150 -160 degrees is where most beers will fall. And the timing can be from 1-2 hours. Many recipes and styles will call for step mashing, which is achieved by stepping up the temperature over time to various levels. This method was originally created to deal with under modified starch for poor quality grains, however is proven at setting optimal conditions for the various enzymes which perform better at varying temperatures. Heat can be applied to the wort to get to the next level of temperature. The number of steps vary, once again, based on the style and type of beer. These steps can range from 1 to 4 over just as many hours. Decoction mashing is nearly the same as step mashing with the difference bing in the way it is done. It is achieved by removing a portion of the mash, heat it up to a higher temperature, and return to the mash, thus increasing the temperature. This is the technique used by most microbrewers. This technique along with step mashing helps to extract more of the sugars, provide a clearer beer due to the coagulation of protein, and adds color. Double mashing calls for the addition of dry or liquid cereal adjuncts. In some cases this requires an additional cereal cooker which operates at different temperatures depending on the cereal. This is done to reduce the viscosity and to prepare the starch for the modifying enzymes. In other cases the cereals are added directly to the mash, and this is the most common for the home brewer.
0.951486	Two major wars involved American military troops in the 1950s and 60s. In 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea, President Harry Truman responded by sending troops to aid South Korea. This required United Nations assistance to the American military conflicts. In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson sent additional troops to Vietnam to assist the South Vietnamese government from being overthrown by the North Vietnamese and disgruntled South Vietnamese citizens. Comparing the wars in Korea and Vietnam shows similarities and differences impacting each of the final outcomes based on conditions and motivations behind the wars. When these two wars began, both Korea and Vietnam were divided nations with communism entrenched in the northern parts of both countries and anticommunism in the southern areas. President Truman’s policy in North Korea resisted the spread of communism in favor of free societies that were attacked by armed minority factions or outside invaders. In Vietnam, President Johnson had to respond to conflicts in the Tonkin Gulf while also moving war efforts from initial American military conflicts intervention to full-scale American involvement. The Russian and Chinese governments pushed North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung to invade South Korea and supplied troops and weapons when American forces responded to South Korea’s defense. Vietnam's war was predominately an internal civil war without external influence, except for a short period of time when China invaded in 1978. The American troops had difficulty determining friend from foe because many South Vietnamese sided with the North Vietnamese because the South Vietnamese government was corrupt. The U.S. did not declare war on North Korea or North Vietnam. The U.S. responded to U.N. Security Council vote and quickly built up troops to aid South Korea under Gen. Douglas MacArthur. In Vietnam, the U.S. had already supplied troops and advisers to South Vietnam when it was under French control. Johnson gradually supplied additional troops as they were needed. One goal in both conflicts was to prevent communist takeover of an anticommunist government. The "domino effect" premise proposed by Truman and later Kennedy was that if one government fell to communism that other countries in the area would follow. While there are similarities, how was the Vietnam War different than the Korean War? Both wars relied heavily on bombing from aircraft. American and U.N. allied troops bombed North Korea to such an extent that most cities, supply depots and industrial sites were destroyed. The North Korean government was plunged into financial and physical ruin to such an extent that the communist forces had to negotiate a peace settlement to survive the devastation. In Vietnam, the destruction from the air was not as severe. North and South Vietnamese troops were fighting the Americans in addition to troops from China. No front-line warfare occurred in Vietnam. Instead, guerrilla jungle warfare occurred as a military response that didn’t follow traditional military campaigns. The conflict strategies used in Korea were not effective in Vietnam. Looking closer at the conclusions of the two American military conflicts, the Korean War ended after three years and the U.S. continued to aid South Korea with troops, money and supplies. Neither side was defeated as both sides negotiated treaties to end the hostilities. Korea remained divided after the war while the Vietnam War lasted 10 years and wasn't one the U.S. ultimately could win. President Nixon withdrew troops as the war became more unpopular and it became obvious that North Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Mihn would continue to fight until he drove the U.S. out of Vietnam. Ultimately, Vietnam reunited under communist rule.
0.988722	Map of Munster, c. 10th century. The kings of Munster (Irish: Rí Mumhan), ruled from the establishment of Munster during the Irish Iron Age, until the High Middle Ages. According to Gaelic traditional history, laid out in works such as the Book of Invasions, the earliest king of Munster was Bodb Derg of the Tuatha Dé Danann. From the Gaelic peoples, an Érainn kindred known as the Dáirine (also known as Corcu Loígde and represented today in seniority by the Ó hEidirsceoil), provided several early monarchs including Cú Roí. In a process in the Cath Maige Mucrama, the Érainn would lose out in the 2nd century AD to the Deirgtine, ancestors of the Eóganachta. Munster during this period was classified as part of Leath Moga, or the southern-half, while other parts of Ireland were ruled mostly by the Connachta. After losing Osraige to the east, Cashel was established as the capital of Munster by the Eóganachta. This kindred ruled without interruption until the 10th century. Although the High Kingship of Ireland was dominated during this time by the Uí Néill, the Eóganachta of Munster did provide Cathal mac Finguine and Fedelmid mac Crimthainn as serious contenders. This great tribe was broken down into different septs or branches, the most successful in terms of royalty were the Eóganacht Chaisil (represented by the Ó Súilleabháin and Mac Cárthaigh), Eóganacht Glendamnach (represented by the Ó Caoimh) and Eóganacht Áine (represented by the Ó Ciarmhaic). Their hold was loosened by the rise of Brian Bóruma of the Dál gCais, who established the Ó Briain as kings of Munster. As well as this Munster had to contend with the Normans. Finally, the kingdom ended as it was split into Thomond, Desmond and Ormond. The former two came to an end during the 16th century with birth of the Tudor Kingdom of Ireland, with former rulers joining the Peerage of Ireland. There were a number of Gaelic attempts to reassert their power in Munster, such as that of Fínghin Mac Cárthaigh and Domhnall Cam Ó Súilleabháin Bhéara, but these were not successful. Ailill Aulom, Mug's son, aka Olioll Ólum, associated with the goddess Áine. These were not true kings of Munster until the late 7th century, when the Corcu Loígde fell entirely from power, some time after losing their grip on the Kingdom of Osraige. Thus approximately the first twenty five kings below are best described as Kings of Cashel, Kings of Iarmuman, or Kings of the Eóganachta. Faílbe Flann mac Áedo Duib, the only exception, was the first Eóganacht to significantly project outside Munster, but Iarmuman was still a great rival of Cashel in his time, and little is known of his successors before Cathal mac Finguine. At and before this time also flourished the independent Uí Fidgenti and Uí Liatháin, a pair of shadowy sister kingdoms whose official origins appear to have been tampered with in the 8th century in a semi-successful attempt to integrate them into the Eóganachta political structure and genealogical scheme. Diplomatic relations and an alliance were achieved with the Uí Fidgenti, much to the credit of the Eóganachta, but for unknown reasons the Uí Liatháin remained effective outsiders. Of the Eóganachta, unless noted. ↑ In the Annals of Ulster, Ólchobar mac Flainn of the Uí Fidgenti was confused with Ólchobar mac Duib-Indrecht of the Eóganacht Áine and claimed to have been a King of Munster. It is very likely that only Ólchobar mac Duib-Indrecht reigned in actuality (the confusion caused by a decline in Eóganachta fortunes). ↑ Tnúthgal mac Artrach of the Eóganacht Glendamnach is sometimes given as a king of Munster on some kings lists, but not in the Annals of Ireland. He died before his father, so it is possible that he never reigned. It is also possible that Tnúthgal mac Donngaile of the Eóganacht Chaisil has been confused with Tnúthgal mac Artrach. Bryne, Francis J. Irish Kings and High Kings. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1973. Áed Ua Crimthainn, Book of Leinster, c. 1160. The Laud Synchronisms. K. Meyer, 1913.
0.907317	I will be first, who will shout, "Hay! Vodka-martini!" Open your eyes, look: they fly up! Look, here they fly up!
0.99904	The Companions lived in an ethos that never lost its freshness. Like a growing embryo in the womb, the Muslim community grew and flourished, eventually including all areas of life. It was fed continuously with Revelation. Such factors, along with the Sunna and the Companions' devotion to the Prophet, drove them to record or memorize whatever The Messenger said or did. For example, when 'Uthman ibn Mad'un died, the Messenger shed as many tears as he had over Hamza's corpse. He kissed his forehead and attended the funeral. Witnessing this, a woman said: "How happy you are, 'Uthman. You have become a bird to fly in Paradise." The Messenger turned to her and asked: "How do you know that, while I, a Prophet, do not know? Unless God informs, no one can know whether someone is pure enough to deserve Paradise and whether he will go to Paradise or Hell." The woman collected herself, and said that she would never make such an assumption again. Is it conceivable that she and the Companions present at the funeral should have forgotten that event? They did not forget it, as well as others that they witnessed during the Prophet's lifetime. Another example: Quzman fought heroically at Uhud, and was finally killed. The Companions considered him a martyr. However, the Prophet told them that Quzman had gone to Hell. Someone later informed them that Quzman had committed suicide because of his wounds, and had said before he died: "I fought out of tribal solidarity, not for Islam." The Messenger concluded: "God strengthens this religion even through a sinful man." Like others, that event and his final comment could never have been forgotten by the Companions, nor could they have failed to mention it whenever they talked about Uhud or martyrdom. Each word and action of the Messenger refined the Companions' understanding and implementation of Islam. This motivated them to absorb his every word and action. When they settled in newly conquered lands, they conveyed their knowledge to the new Muslims, thereby ensuring that the Sunna would be transmitted from one generation to the next. Like many others, this event too was not allowed to fall into oblivion; rather, it was handed down to succeeding generations until it was recorded in the books of Tradition. Ubayy ibn Ka'b was one of the foremost reciters of the Qur'an. One day the Messenger sent for him and said: "God ordered me to recite Surah al-Bayyina to you." Ubayy was so moved that he asked: "Did God mention my name?" The Messenger's answer moved him to tears. This was so great an honor for Ubayy's family that his grandson would introduce himself as "the grandson of the man to whom God ordered His Messenger to recite Sura al-Bayyina." This was the ethos in which the Companions lived. Every day a new "fruit of Paradise" and "gift" of God was presented to them, and every day brought new situations. Previously unaware of faith, Divine Scripture, and Prophethood, these desert Arabs, gifted with a keen memory and a talent for poetry, were brought up by the Messenger to educate future Muslim generations. God chose them as His Messenger's Companions, and willed them to convey His Message throughout the world. After the Prophet's death, they conquered in the name of Islam all the lands from Spain to China, from Caucasia to India, with unprecedented speed. Conveying the Qur'an and the Sunna everywhere they went, many of the conquered people joined their households and embraced Islam. The Muslims instructed these new Muslims in the Qur'an and the Sunna, thereby preparing the ground for all the leading Muslim scholars and scientists to come. So, as Anas reports, they frequently met to discuss what they heard from the Messenger. Women also were taught by the Messenger, who set aside a specific day for them. His wives actively conveyed to other women whatever they learned from the Messenger. Their influence was great, for through them the Prophet established family ties with the people of Khaybar (through Safiyya), the Banu Amir ibn Sa'sa'a (through Maymuna), the Banu Makhzum (through Umm Salama), the Umayyads (through Umm Habiba), and the Banu Mustaliq (through Juwayriya). The women of these tribes would come to their "representative" among the Prophet's household ask her about religious matters. In the last year of his Messengership, the Messenger went to Makka for what has become known as the Farewell Pilgrimage. In his Farewell Sermon at 'Arafat to more than 100,000 people, he summarized his mission and told his audience: "Those who are here should convey my speech to those who are not." Some time later, the last verse to be revealed commanded the Muslim community to practice and support Islam: Fear a day when you will be returned unto God and every soul shall be paid what it earned; they will not be wronged (2:281). Ibn Athir, "Usd al-Ghaba," 3:600. Muslim, "Iman," 178; Bukhari, "Iman," 178. Bukhari, "Tafsir," 98/1,2,3; Muslim, "Fada'il al-Sahaba," 122. Muhammad 'Ajjaj al-Khatib, "al-Sunna Qabl al-Tadwin," 160. Bukhari, "'Ilm," 9; Ibn Hanbal, 5:41.
0.927334	A homeless man has made a desperate plea to find his missing pet rat after it was stolen from the street. Pet owner Chris claims that his beloved rodent was nabbed from its home outside Footlocker on Pitt Street in Sydney last weekend. 'My pet rat Lucy was stolen on Saturday,' he wrote on a sign. The 59-year-old told Daily Mail Australia he had just gone to the bathroom across the road and when he returned, his pet was gone. The homeless man has become a local identity in the city with numerous people on their way to work stopping to pat the rat as it sat perched on its milk crate. 'Almost everyday since I started my job in the city Chris & his pet rat Lucy have sat in the same spot, Chris chatting to passersby & Lucy happily munching, sleeping & looking on,' one distressed person said in a Facebook post. A couple had gifted the rat to Chris when the rodent was only four-weeks-old. 'She was family. I would lean down to her and say, 'how are you?' and she would get up on her hind legs and give me a peck. 'She only bit me once, but that was because I was feeding pigeons out of my hand and I rubbed my mouth and she would've thought there was food on my lips or something,' he laughed. While lettuce and corn was the pet's favourite food, Chris admitted Lucy had her weaknesses. And just as locals shared in the good times, there were also several down moments. Only six weeks ago, a tumour was removed from the rat, though thankfully the pet made a full recovery. And now news of the alleged theft has left many heartbroken. 'I was genuinely distressed to pass by today & see Chris without Lucy and for him to tell me that on Saturday some heartless person had whisked her away,' a person said on Facebook. A photo of Chris shows the homeless man sullenly sitting next to his crate. Over the top is a blue blanket, where the rat normally rests on. Attached to the bare crate, is the sign imploring for help to find his pet. Concerned residents took to social media to lament the close friendship the pair had shared over the years. 'His rat was one comfort he did have in life, which is why everyone is so sad for him,' one person said. Other locals have taken to social media to share their fond memories with the rodent. In one photo, a woman poses with Chris while Lucy playfully crawls on her scarf. Another photo shows the pet perched on the crate, next to its bowl of water with chewed lettuce and corn scraps nearby. Moments later, the rat is found napping near its food after a big lunch. Chris' plea for help has been shared to Facebook and one post has been shared close to 10,000 times in a desperate bid to locate the rat. 'I don't know why this had to happen to me,' Chris said. He said the disappearance had left him heartbroken and wondering if he was to blame. A NSW Police spokesperson said officers were investigating the incident.
0.999971	What are Traffic Signs or Road Signs? 1. Mandatory Signs: -Signs that give orders. These are represented by red circles. 2. Cautionary Signs: -Signs that give warnings. These are represented by red triangles. 3. Informative Signs: -Signs that give information. These are represented by blue rectangles. Circles give orders, Triangles warn and Rectangles inform. Blue circles give a mandatory instruction. All triangular signs are red. There are a few exceptions to the shape and colour rules, to give certain signs greater importance.
0.938706	Active galactic nuclei (AGN) are the most spectacular of all astrophysical events, capable of outshining the largest galaxies and driving narrow jets of plasma, travelling almost at the speed of light, which can penetrate millions of light-years into the intergalactic medium. Composite of an e-MERLIN radio image of the "Double Quasar" and an earlier Hubble Space Telescope (HST) optical image. One of the lensed quasar core images is visible at lower right. The radio emission generated by the black hole as seen with e-MERLIN is visible as the compact bright region superimposed on the (yellow-green) optical emission seen by HST. Active galactic nuclei are powered by accretion of material onto the supermassive black holes, massing millions to billions of suns, that lurk at the heart of large galaxies. Although the major outbursts (quasars and radio galaxies) are relatively brief episodes in the life of a galaxy, low-level activity persists in the heart of many galaxies, including our own. With the exception of dwarfs, all galaxies have the potential to be active and almost certainly went through a period of intense activity at the time when the central bulge and associated black hole were being formed. But only about 10% of local galaxies are classed as active, though the percentage increases as we look to higher redshifts. Activity is a somewhat slippery concept but is most easily defined as emission resulting from accretion of matter on to the black hole at the centre of a galaxy. Observationally, this activity can manifest itself in the form of Seyfert-like behaviour, ie, re-processed radiation from the accretion disk including strong, broad, high ionisation emission lines and strong blue/UV continuum emission, or as radio emission powered by jet of relativistic particles which can occur either with or without associated Seyfert-like behaviour. The range of optical luminosities can be enormous ranging from LINERS (poor cousins of Seyferts) to quasars which are the most luminous objects in the Universe. The same is true for the radio emission; the most luminous radio sources are usually accompanied by strong optical activity but the converse is not true. There really do seem to be two types of AGN, with 'radio loud' AGN producing jets about 1000 times stronger than 'radio quiet' ones, relative to the thermal radiation from the accretion disk. Most of the research at JBCA focuses on the radio loud objects but even amongst those there is a vast range of luminosities. What triggers a galaxy to become active? This is almost certainly related to availibility of gas to be accreted by the black hole, perhaps liberated by an interaction with another galaxy, but the details of the process remain a mystery. Why are some object radio loud and others, apparently identical in other respects, radio quiet? How are the radio jets produced and what regulates the maximum energy of the synchrotron electrons that are accelerated? Radio loud objects emit over the whole EM spectrum up to gamma-ray wavelengths and the study of their spectral energy distributions is an important topic. How do radio jets interact with their host galaxies? On a global level it is thought that jets in the dramatic early stages of galaxy formation can regulate the growth of galaxies through feedback. In nearby galaxies such physical process can be studied in detail but at a much less grander scale. Exciting times are ahead for AGN science: new radio facilities like e-MERLIN, EVLA, SCUBA2 and ALMA are about to come on line and there is a flood of multi-wavelength data from optical/IR/Gamma-ray surveys like SDSS, UKIDDS, Herschel GLAST. A subset of AGN channel a large fraction of their accretion energy into a pair of oppositely-directed relativistic jets. The jets, in turn, inflate huge bubbles filled with magnetic fields and relativistic particles in the intergalactic gas. Jets and bubbles radiate strongly by synchrotron emission, and these double radio sources associated with AGN (DRAGNs) form the vast majority of catalogued radio sources. Their AGN lie in large elliptical galaxies ("radio galaxies"), and may be directly visible as quasars. Jodrell Bank has been involved in the study of these radio sources since their discovery in the late 1940s: Jennison and DasGupta were the first to reveal the characteristic double structure, and accurate positions from Jodrell Bank lead to the discovery of quasars. AGN structures are highly anisotropic and appear radically different when observed from different directions, and a key step towards this picture was made by the 'Unified Scheme' proposed by Ian Browne and Mark Orr in 1982. High-resolution mapping of radio jets with eMERLIN, aimed at understanding their amazing stability in maintaining a coherent structure over nine powers of ten in linear scale, from the solar-system sized vicinity of the central black hole to the megaparsec radio lobes. Modelling the environmental impact of DRAGNs on the surrounding intergalactic gas, which may control the feedback process that regulates the heating and cooling of the hot gas filling the potential wells of clusters and groups of galaxies. Using the polarized radio emission of DRAGNs to probe intra-cluster and intergalactic magnetic fields via Faraday rotation. In the majority of AGN, the jet outflows are relatively feeble compared to the direct electromagnetic emission from the AGN itself, believed to originate ultimately in the accretion disk around the central black hole. These radio-quiet AGN are commonly found in spiral galaxies, with the most active examples known as Seyfert galaxies. Because these objects are much more common than radio-loud AGN there are many nearby examples, allowing us to study them with high resolution, including resolution of the so-called 'narrow-line region' with the Hubble Space Telescope. Jets in Seyfert galaxies directly interact with the interstellar gas in the spiral disk, and are at least partially responsible for stirring up the non-orbital motion measured in the narrow-line region. MERLIN and e-MERLIN provide radio images with similar or higher resolution to HST, allowing us to study the jets and also the dynamics of the ISM via its radio line emission. Sagittarius A* is the 3-million solar mass black hole at the centre of our own Milky Way galaxy. Although currently inactive it is still a bright radio source by virtue of its comparative proximity to Earth. Very Long Baseline Interferometry is on the verge of achieving the resolution necessary to image its event horizon. The phenomenology of accretion onto a black hole that drives AGN is duplicated in miniature in black hole X-ray binaries, in which a black hole of a few solar masses accretes material from a companion star in a close orbit. Some of these are so similar to AGN that they are dubbed ‘microquasars’, displaying outflowing relativistic jets: famous examples include SS 443, Cyg X-1, Cir X-1 [etc…]. Because of the much smaller mass scale, microquasars go through their outbursts on timescales of days to months, compared to thousands of years for AGN, and so we can follow the whole history with e-MERLIN and VLBI. "DRAGNs are relativity in action" The above content has a link built in that cannot be removed. It can link to another page on the site eg a Staff Spotlight page, otherwise it just refreshes this page. "Double Quasar" imaged by e-MERLIN Radio Telescope Array.
0.824802	As mentioned before, qi has a history of being misinterpreted due to its more popular and well-known representations. Aside from its fictional portrayals, qi is also marketed as an aspect of martial arts training. Examples include the aforementioned Shaolin demonstrations, ranging from breaking iron to being able to take the physical force of spearheads without a scratch. Others include very “mystical” practices, which include Chinese and Japanese interpretation of qi; this definition includes practices where the practitioners claim to be able to force away or even “knock out” opponents without even touching them, by using qi. However, the validity of many of these practices have been openly challenged, especially by other martial arts masters, and also debunked. Many of the so-called “masters” of this kind of “mysterious” qi practice have also been labeled as frauds. Thus, it would appear that based on this representation alone, qi seems to be nothing more than a fake marketing gimmick. Despite all this, the idea of qi is still prevalent in traditional Chinese philosophy. Qi, and qi cultivation, is also very prominent in the theory and practice of traditional Chinese medicine, as well as many real Chinese martial arts. In Chinese martial arts, many styles are classified into categories of “external” (外家； wàijiā, literally “external family”) and “internal” (内家； nèijiā, literally “internal family”), where “external” refers to the training focused on purely physical techniques, and “internal” refers to the training of intent, spirituality, internal health. Specifically, the focus of qi is especially emphasized in internal martial arts. Examples of this include traditional Taijiquan (太极拳； tàijíquán, Grand Ultimate Fist) and Xingyiquan (形意拳; xíngyìquán, literally “shape-will fist”). Exceptions to this include variations of the internal styles for competition in modern Wushu Taolu (套路； tàolù, forms), where only the external values of physical technique and performance are emphasized in training. In the internal styles of Chinese martial arts, there is a common belief that the training of one’s qi, especially in “directing” it with “focused intent” towards certain points of the body, can help strengthen attack and defense. In this way, Shaolin practitioners of qigong validate the existence and practice of qi, based on the reasoning that qi can be “concentrated” at different parts of body, thus making them seemingly invulnerable to any external harm; examples of this is the “iron shirt” (铁衫； tiěshān) skill. But how does this kind of “qi training” work? Again, the theory behind all these skills is based on the training and cultivation of one’s qi. The specific practice of cultivating qi is known as qigong (气功； qìgōng). Qigong is a very general term, but the practice of qigong generally focuses on the coordination of breathing with physical movements and postures. Among all of this, mental “intent” or “focus” is heavily emphasized, especially at specific body parts, depending on the movement or posture being executed. In traditional Chinese philosophy, which is the basis for the theory and belief of traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts, the physicality of the human body in relation to qi is based on the belief that qi flows through certain meridians (经络； jīngluò), or “energy channels”, located at various points throughout in the body. A good analogy for the relationship between meridians and qi, is that meridians can be like a “tunnel” or “water hose”, and that qi is the water that flows through these channels. When qi flows well through the meridians, and strengthened with the practice of qigong, the body is in good health. However, if there is an abnormality, a “clot” or “knot” in the channel causing qi to flow irregularly, the body is consequently weak or ill. In Chinese acupuncture, all sorts of ailments and injuries are explainable and caused by these kinds of abnormalities. Proponents of qigong believe that by practicing qigong, the resultant cultivation of qi will strengthen and promote overall good health in the body. Indeed, the purported health benefits have proven to be the source of qigong’s marketing appeal for the public. This is also the basis of health benefits that are marketed, and supported, with the practices of Taijiquan and other internal martial arts. My personal experience has led me to the answer in this write-up that, “Yes, qi exists, but it is not fully understood.” Recently, I have had very limited, albeit enlightening, exposure to qigong, in addition to my short training in traditional Chen Style Taijiquan. In the Kung Fu Magazine article “Taiji Quan Fundamentals & Qigong” by Violet Li, which features Chen Style Taijiquan Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei, tips to cultivate qi through Taijiquan include, “A practitioner should keep the lips loosely closed, with the tip of the tongue lightly touching the roof of the mouth right behind the upper teeth”, and that, “According to Grandmaster Chen, there are five levels of qi cultivation in Taiji. The first three levels are easy to understand and obtain. When level one occurs, a practitioner should feel warmth in the hands and puffiness in the fingers.” I have found all these observations to be true. One of my seniors at the Wushu school I attended has attributed the “right way” of doing qigong to “white spots” that appear on red palms after the proper execution of qigong exercises, though I would personally describe this as a “whitish discoloration” on red palms. However, despite all these affirmations, my knowledge is still infantile compared to so many others that are much more experienced with qigong. Therefore, my understanding of qi, like that of many others, is extremely limited. The Kung Fu Magazine article “Wushu Out of the Olympics…Again” features Christopher Pei, head coach of the US Wushu Academy, and also my first modern Wushu Taolu coach, as well as my first Sanshou and Chen Style Taiji coach. In it, Christopher Pei relates, “‘In 1985, I went to China representing the US and Yang Zhenduo (杨振铎) was there…What he told me was qi is not a mysterious thing. It’s something that everyone has, but it’s largely misunderstood by most people.’” His explanation of qi seems to be very straightforward. “‘The easiest way to explain qi is that your mind has to think of something, then the qi flows and the body flows…It’s very simple – mind moves qi, qi moves body.’” But while this explanation seems to be clear, the idea of mental “intent” or “focus” being able to affect qi is a concept I still can’t seem to grasp. Is the mind really capable of moving energy within our body? My confusion may be because I do not have the same level of skill and knowledge in traditional Taijiquan and qigong that my former head coach has. Allegedly, the level of skill required to master one’s qi requires a long time of training the “intent”, which I am not afraid to admit I completely lack, and therefore do not fully understand qi as a result. Based on the scientific, albeit crude tests that are known and presented to the public, qi seems to correlate with heat and blood flow within the body. Whether or not there is some kind of relationship between qi and these things, or if all these things are in actuality the same thing, remains unknown. In some interpretations of qi, qi is even equated to bioelectricity within the body, which seems to have some merit, though this perspective would require some more scientific research to support it. However, while many of the purported qigong-associated health benefits and amazing martial arts feats have been corroborated and proven scientifically, the direct proving of the existence of qi itself seems to escape science. Historically, Western science has only been able to measure and quantify the effects and results of qi practices, but has not been able to measure and quantify qi itself, which leaves its existence open to debate in the scientific world. It is also important to note that at the same time, many of the so-called “masters” and methods of “no-touch knockouts” claiming to use qi, have also been debunked at the same time, which only serves to bolster more skepticism of qi as a reality. Some martial arts practitioners who have trained in Chinese martial arts dismiss the idea and belief of qi, preferring to stick to a more “practical”, scientific basis of evaluating martial arts training. Although this perspective seems valid, it is important to acknowledge that whether or not qi can be debunked, the idea of qi, and its interpretations form the basis of Chinese culture and philosophy, which in turn is the basis for the study and practice of Chinese martial arts. If we are to study and take the Chinese martial arts seriously, we must at least recognize and respect the theories and beliefs of qi that are so ingrained in the practice of traditional Chinese martial arts. Again, when it comes answer the question, “Is qi real?” my answer is still, “Yes, but it is not fully understood.” And in the end, my explanations and personal experiences are ultimately just a secondhand account to you, the reader. So, in order to actually discover the answer for yourself, it is best to actually explore and try to experience qi for yourself, and draw your own conclusions. In order promote better understanding about qi, it is important that we keep an open mind, but at the same time use our critical judgment to differentiate what is legitimate and what is not in relation to qi. My conclusions may not be the same as everyone else’s, but at the very least, I hope this write-up has helped to bring the consideration of qi into a more serious light.
0.995405	Background: To make up for the deficiency existing in single method for transformer fault diagnosis, a model of multi-algorithm fusion based on improved Dempster-Shafer (D-S) evidence theory was proposed through analyzing the implementation process of quantum particle swarm optimized BP neural network (QPSO-BP). Methods: According to the failure modes of transformer, the primary fault diagnosis was achieved using a model group formed by several single methods, such as QPSO-BP, the inertia weight PSO optimized BP network (IWPSO-BP) and the constriction factor PSO optimized BP network (CFPSOBP), then the fusion decision was implemented by D-S theory. In view of the defect of standard D-S which can not synthesize the highly conflicting evidences, the credibility factor was used to improve the capability of information fusion. Results: Diagnostic results show that, compared with the single models and standard D-S, the proposed method has stronger fault tolerance, and improves the accuracy of transformer fault diagnosis. Conclusion: The method based on the multi-algorithm fusion can enhance effectively the diagnostic efficacy, and suitable for the pattern recognition of transformer fault. Multi-algorithm fusion, improved D-S evidence theory, neural network, quantum particle swarm optimization (QPSO), transformer, fault diagnosis.

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