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0.929406 | Edmond Halley FRS (pronounced /ˈɛdmənd ˈhɔːliː/) (8 November 1656 – 14 January 1742) was an English astronomer, geophysicist, mathematician, meteorologist, and physicist who is best known for computing the orbit of the eponymous Halley's comet.
Halley was born in Haggerston, Shoreditch, England, the son of a wealthy soapboiler. As a child, Halley was very interested in mathematics. He studied at St Paul's School, and then, from 1673, at The Queen's College, Oxford. While an undergraduate, Halley published papers on the solar system and sunspots.
On leaving Oxford, in 1676, Halley visited the south Atlantic island of St. Helena and set up an observatory with a 24 foot long aerial telescope with the intention of studying stars from the Southern Hemisphere. He returned to England in November 1678. In the following year he went to Danzig (Gdańsk) on behalf of the Royal Society to help resolve a dispute. Because astronomer Johannes Hevelius did not use a telescope, his observations had been questioned by Robert Hooke. Halley stayed with Hevelius and he observed and verified the quality of Hevelius' observations. The same year, Halley published Catalogus Stellarum Australium which included details of 341 southern stars. These additions to present-day star maps earned him comparison with Tycho Brahe. Halley was awarded his M.A. degree at Oxford and elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society.
In 1686 Halley published the second part of the results from his St. Helena expedition, being a paper and chart on trade winds and monsoons. In this he identified solar heating as the cause of atmospheric motions. He also established the relationship between barometric pressure and height above sea level. His charts were an important contribution to the emerging field of information visualization.
Halley married Mary Tooke in 1682 and settled in Islington. The couple had three children. He spent most of his time on lunar observations, but was also interested in the problems of gravity. One problem that attracted his attention was the proof of Kepler's laws of planetary motion. In August 1684 he went to Cambridge to discuss this with Sir Isaac Newton, only to find that Newton had solved the problem, but published nothing. Halley convinced him to write the Principia Mathematica Philosophiae Naturalis (1687), which was published at Halley's expense.
In 1690, Halley built a diving bell, a device in which the atmosphere was replenished by way of weighted barrels of air sent down from the surface. In a demonstration, Halley and five companions dived to 60 feet in the River Thames, and remained there for over an hour and a half. Halley's bell was of little use for practical salvage work, as it was very heavy, but he made improvements to it over time, later extending his underwater exposure time to over 4 hours. Halley suffered one of the earliest recorded cases of middle ear barotrauma. That same year, at a meeting of the Royal Society, Halley introduced a rudimentary working model of a magnetic compass using a liquid-filled housing to damp the swing and wobble of the magnetized needle.
In 1691 Halley sought the post of Savilian Professor of Astronomy at Oxford, but, due to his well-known atheism, was opposed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, John Tillotson and Bishop Stillingfleet. The post went instead to David Gregory, who had the support of Isaac Newton.
In 1692, Halley put forth the idea of a hollow Earth consisting of a shell about 500 miles (800 km) thick, two inner concentric shells and an innermost core, about the diameters of the planets Venus, Mars, and Mercury. He suggested that atmospheres separated these shells, and that each shell had its own magnetic poles, with each sphere rotating at a different speed. Halley proposed this scheme in order to explain anomalous compass readings. He envisaged each inner region as having an atmosphere and being luminous (and possibly inhabited), and speculated that escaping gas caused the Aurora Borealis.
In 1698, Halley was given the command of the Paramour, a 52-foot pink, so that he could carry out investigations in the South Atlantic into the laws governing the variation of the compass. On 19 August 1698, he took command of the ship and, in November 1698, sailed on what was the first purely scientific voyage by an English naval vessel. Unfortunately problems of insubordination arose, allegedly by officers resentful of being under a civilian's command. The Paramour returned to England in July 1699. Halley thereupon received a commission as a temporary Captain in the Royal Navy, recommissioned the Paramour on 24 August 1699 and sailed again in September 1699 to make extensive observations on the conditions of terrestrial magnetism. This task he accomplished in a second Atlantic voyage which lasted until 6 September 1700, and extended from 52 degrees north to 52 degrees south. The results were published in General Chart of the Variation of the Compass (1701). This was the first such chart to be published and the first on which isogonic, or Halleyan, lines appeared.
The preface to Awnsham and John Churchill’s collection of Voyage and travels (1704), perhaps by John Locke or by Edmond Halley, made the link.
In November 1703 Halley was appointed Savilian Professor of Geometry at the University of Oxford, his theological enemies, John Tillotson and Bishop Stillingfleet having died, and received an honorary degree of doctor of laws in 1710. In 1705, applying historical astronomy methods, he published Synopsis Astronomia Cometicae, which stated his belief that the comet sightings of 1456, 1531, 1607, and 1682 related to the same comet, which he predicted would return in 1758. Halley did not live to witness the comet's return, but when it did, the comet became generally known as Halley's Comet.
In 1716 Halley suggested a high-precision measurement of the distance between the Earth and the Sun by timing the transit of Venus. In doing so he was following the method described by James Gregory in Optica Promota (in which the design of the Gregorian telescope is also described). It is reasonable to assume Halley possessed and had read this book given that the Gregorian design was the principal telescope design used in astronomy in Halley's day. It is not to Halley's credit that he failed to acknowledge Gregory's priority in this matter. In 1718 he discovered the proper motion of the "fixed" stars by comparing his astrometric measurements with those given in Ptolemy's Almagest. Arcturus and Sirius were two noted to have moved significantly, the latter having progressed 30 arc minutes (about the diameter of the moon) southwards in 1800 years.
Halley succeeded John Flamsteed in 1720 as Astronomer Royal, a position Halley held until his death in 1742 at the age of 85. Halley was buried in the graveyard of the old church of St. Margaret, Lee (now ruined). In the same vault is Astronomer Royal John Pond; the unmarked grave of Astronomer Royal Nathaniel Bliss is nearby.
These are generally either pronounced /ˈhæli/, rhyming with valley, or /ˈheɪli/ "Hailey", though some people will use Halley's supposed pronunciation of his own name, /ˈhɔːli/ "Hawley". The "Hailey" pronunciation led rock and roll singer Bill Haley to punningly call his backing band his "Comets" after Halley's Comet.
^ a b Edmonds, Carl; Lowry, C; Pennefather, John. "History of diving.". South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society Journal 5 (2). http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/5894. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
^ "History: Edmond Halley". London Diving Chamber. http://www.londondivingchamber.co.uk/index.php?id=history&page=4. Retrieved 2006-12-06.
^ Halley, E. (1692). "An account of the cause of the change of the variation of the magnetic needle; with an hyphothesis of the structure of the internal parts of the earth". Philosophical Transactions of Royal Society of London 16: 563 – 578. doi:10.1098/rstl.1686.0107. http://www.archive.org/details/philosophicaltra03royarich.
^ Carroll, Robert Todd (2006-02-13). "hollow Earth". The Skeptic's Dictionary. http://skepdic.com/hollowearth.html. Retrieved 2006-07-23.
Coley, Noel (1986). "Halley and Post-Restoration Science". History Today 36 (September): 10 – 16. http://www.historytoday.com/MainArticle.aspx?m=12983&amid=12983.
Seyour, Ian (1996). "Edmond Halley - explorer". History Today 46 (June): 39 – 44. http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst?docId=5000361197.
Sarah Irving (2008). "Natural science and the origins of the British empire (London,1704), 92–93.". A collection of voyages and travels 3 (June): 92 – 93.
Halley, Edmond, An Estimate of the Degrees of the Mortality of Mankind (1693).
O'Connor, John J.; Robertson, Edmund F., "Edmond Halley", MacTutor History of Mathematics archive, University of St Andrews, http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Halley.html .
Edmond Halley FRS (8 November 1656 – 14 January 1742) was an English astronomer, the second Astronomer Royal.
He was also a mathematician, meteorologist, and physicist. Halley is best known for computing the orbit of the comet named after him: Halley's Comet.
On leaving Oxford, in 1676, Halley visited the south Atlantic island of St. Helena and set up an observatory with a 24-foot -long (7.3 m) telescope which had no tube.
He used the telescope to study stars from the Southern Hemisphere. He later published Catalogus Stellarum Australium which was about the 341 southern stars.
In 1686, Halley published the second part of the results from his St. Helena expedition. This was a paper and chart on trade winds and monsoons. He thought solar heating was because of atomspheric motions. He also established the relationship between barometric pressure and height above sea level. His charts were an advance in how to display information visually. Halley also persuaded Sir Isaac Newton to publish a book about his discovery of gravity.
In 1690, Halley built a diving bell, a device in which the atmosphere was replenished by way of weighted barrels of air sent down from the surface. In a demonstration, Halley and five companions dived to 60 feet in the River Thames, and remained there for over an hour and a half. Halley's bell was of little use for practical salvage work, as it was very heavy, but he made improvements to it over time, later extending his underwater exposure time to over 4 hours.
That same year, at a meeting of the Royal Society, Halley introduced a rudimentary working model of a magnetic compass using a liquid-filled housing to damp the swing and wobble of the magnetized needle.
In 1691 Halley sought the post of Savilian Professor of Astronomy at Oxford University. As he was well-known as an atheist, he was opposed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, John Tillotson. The post went instead to a mathematician who had the support of Isaac Newton.
In 1693 Halley published an article on life annuities (a kind of pension), which featured an analysis of age-at-death on the basis of the Breslau statistics Caspar Neumann had been able to provide. This article allowed the British government to sell life annuities at an appropriate price based on the age of the purchaser. Halley's work strongly influenced the development of actuarial science. The construction of the life-table for Breslau, which followed more primitive work by John Graunt, is now seen as a major event in the history of demography.
These are generally either pronounced /ˈhæli/, rhyming with valley, or /ˈheɪli/ "Hailey", though some people will use Halley's supposed pronunciation of his own name, /ˈhɔːli/ "Hawley". The "Hailey" pronounciation inspired the rock and roll singer Bill Haley to call the rest of his band his "Comets" after Halley's Comet. Although the spelling "Edmund" is quite common, "Edmond" is preferred on the basis of his own recorded usage.
↑ Edmonds, Carl; Lowry, C; Pennefather, John. "History of diving.". South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society Journal 5 (2). http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/5894. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
↑ "History: Edmond Halley". London Diving Chamber. http://www.londondivingchamber.co.uk/index.php?id=history&page=4. Retrieved 2006-12-06.
↑ Actuaries use maths to study the risks in the insurance and financial industries.
↑ Demography is the statistical study of human populations.
An Estimate of the Degrees of the Mortality of Mankind (1693). - Edmond Halley, An Estimate of the Degrees of the Mortality of Mankind, drawn from curious Tables of the Births and Funerals at the City of Breslaw; with an Attempt to ascertain the Price of Annuities upon Lives, Philosophical Transactions, 196 (London, 1693), p.596-610. Edited by Matthias Böhne. |
0.91344 | From a metal age undreamed of, comes forth LEGENDRY: an epic heavy metal band from the U.S. that carries on in the tradition of Manilla Road, Brocas Helm, and Cirith Ungol, with a nod to the 70s prog sounds of Uriah Heep and Jethro Tull. All lyrical subject matter involves the epic works of Robert E. Howard and original tales of weird fiction. Hear now the days of high adventure!
With a sound reminiscent of the earlier works of bands like URIAH HEEP, JETHRO TULL and CAN, LEGENDRY bursts forth with the fun and engaging album "Dungeon Crawler". This record gives new life to the music of the more progressive hard rock acts of the late 1960s to the early 1970s, bringing back a sound that never should have fizzled out in the first place. Full of fuzzy riffing, lead guitars teeming with wah and reverb, groovy drums, and that rich, soft SEALS AND CROFT vocal delivery that spreads itself over the music like a velvety cream cheese, "Dungeon Crawler" proves to be a fascinating and outrageous psychedelic journey for the ears and mind.As track one (the record's title track) begins, one is instantly transported into a magical realm of ancient mysticism, hidden tunnels dug deep beneath sprawling medieval castles, and mythical folklore brought to life. The lengthy song never loses its steam, its fast and seething beats driving it along at a breakneck speed. With a guitar solo that would make Jefferson Airplane proud, it breaks down towards the end into a doomy, atmospheric trip that leaves the listener smiling and silently begging for more.Track two, "Quest For Glory", is a masterpiece of progressive psychedelia exploding with distorted bass and guitars, and so full of thick, rich sound that it is nearly overwhelming in its scope. It is one of two shorter songs that still do not fail to please. The third track, also shorter in length, is called "Rogues In The House", and tells a story of deceit and treachery within an ancient order of priests. It's the perfect soundtrack for a cold night alone at home with your favorite mead in hand and a fire set to blazing.The album rolls along, influences being heard all across the board from bands such as RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH, FIFTY FOOT HORSE, and even later BEALTES efforts. The lyrics continue on the themes of Pagan folk tales and mysteries buried deep within hidden catacombs, telling such vivid and eloquent stories that one almost feels as if they're there witnessing it all go down. It becomes apparent rather quickly that LEGENDRY is yet another one of those special acts who have carved a niche that only they can fill. Although their sound can be easily compared to so many bands of old, it still retains a sense of originality and inventiveness that is impossible to discount."Dungeon Crawler" reaches its close with the fantastic psychedelic ballad "The Edge Of Time", echoing (but not mirroring) the works of artists such as THE FLAMING LIPS and WEEN. Dark lyricism penetrates the mind amidst roaring guitars and cymbal-showered drums that all seem to crash to the ground like some sort of crystal rain, shattering upon its slow motion impact and covering the floor in a diamond-esque glow. The lead guitar sings like a maiden forlorn, its voice full of tears and longing. The finish is akin to closing an old, dusty, leather-bound trove of adventure, the tales upon its pages still vibrant and very much alive within the reader's mind. One can only hope that there is much more from LEGENDRY in the times to come, for this is a story that is far from over, in my humble opinion. A pitch-perfect record! |
0.999998 | Experience a new kind of cruise with Crystal Cruises.
Crystal Cruises is a cruise like you have never experienced before, as all Crystal Cruises take place in the air. There are many different journeys to choose from, all of which can take you around the world on your own private jet, seeing the sights, experiencing the cultures and doing it all by air. |
0.999837 | What is the name of the manufacturer of this table? Thanks!
ICD (AKA International Contemporary Design) is the manufacturer of the Taos Dining Table. |
0.993562 | Dear Abby: Please help me with an embarrassing situation I got myself into because of my big mouth.
Yesterday, a new neighbor that I have waved to, but never talked to, brought over a package that was addressed to me but delivered to her house by mistake.
I invited her in, and we sat in the den and talked a while. Then I asked her to come into the living room so I could show her a beautiful framed picture of my granddaughter. We had to walk through my kitchen to get to the living room. I can't remember my exact words, but they went something like this: "My kitchen is very small. . .I hope you can make it."
As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I could have kicked myself, because this woman is a very heavyset person; she must weigh around 300 pounds. She didn't say anything, but I'm afraid I hurt her feelings.
This has upset me so much, I couldn't sleep a wink last night. Should I go to her and tell her I spoke in haste and apologize for being so insensitive?
Please help me; I'm a nervous wreck. My husband says I should forget it. I hate to leave my house for fear of running into her, but I can't stay holed up here forever.
Dear Mrs. Big Mouth: I agree with your husband. Forget it. Your neighbor probably has. As a gesture of appreciation, invite her over for coffee and a chat.
Dear Abby: My problem is a 13-year-old girl who lives up north, but comes to this Southern state to visit her grandmother for the summer. We have a son her age, and they have a lot in common and enjoy each other's company.
She is a very pretty girl, polite and intelligent, but she has a very offensive body odor. My children and I don't know how to tell her that she should use a deodorant. When she's in the car, I blast the air through the vents directly on my face so I can breathe. We have been trying to think of a way to tell her without hurting her feelings. Please help us.
Dear Depending: You would be doing her an enormous favor if you'd have a private chat with her concerning the importance of bathing daily, shampooing her hair and using a deodorant. Better yet, buy her some deodorant and tell her to use it faithfully after her daily bath.
Dear Abby: You blew it big time when you advised "Name Withheld to Protect the Guilty" to purchase a second wedding gift for the couple who didn't appreciate the first one and returned it for cash instead. Their gift was then the cash they received as a refund.
As a gift-giver, "Name Withheld's" duty was done when she gave the first gift. If they chose to dump the gift in the ocean, that's their business, and a second gift was not required!
Dear Marlene: The store issued the credit to the purchaser, rather than the bridal couple, which left the bridal couple giftless. Therefore, it would be gracious for the giver to send them another gift. |
0.991401 | The program gives a complete, step-by-step solution of the following problem: Given a 2x2, or 3x3, or 4x4, or 5x5 matrix. Find its inverse matrix by using the gauss-Jordan elimination method.
Xnumbers is an Excel addin (xla) that performs multi-precision floating point arithmetic. Perhaps the first package that extends the standard Excel precision from 15 up to 200 significant digits.
Multi-precision floating point arithmetic 3.1 for Excel Xnumbers is an Excel addin (xla) that performs multi-precision floating point arithmetic.
Formula.exe boasts very important probability and stats functions FORMULA.EXE is the definitive and the ultimate probability, gambling, and statistical software.
Java toolkit to add coordinate conversion functionality to software (GPS API). Support for datum conversions and coordinate conversion using different map projections.
One of the most powerful yet subtle ways in which you can control your mind and tune it to achieve your goals, is through subliminal messages.
Lets you change the full and empty icons for the Recyle Bin as well as the caption. If you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer 4 it also allows you to change the Recycle Bin Tooltip.
Using AdobeT� LiveCycleT� Designer ES2 software, you can create form and document templates that combine high-fidelity dynamic presentation with sophisticated XML data handling.
Allows you to cut "holes"\; in any window currently open on your desktop. |
0.966596 | how to extract one's own DNA at home using just few common household items.
Cells are considered as the building blocks of all living things. The human body is composed of around 37 trillion cells. Each cell has nucleus and other major parts like cytoplasm, mitochondria, plasma membrane etc.
In a nucleus, the DNA molecule is packaged into thread-like structures called chromosomes. Each chromosome is made up of DNA .
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the hereditary material in almost all living organisms. DNA contains the instructions needed for an organism to develop, survive and reproduce. Most DNA is located in the nucleus.
When you gargle the salt water, it will collect some of your cheek cells. Now your cheek cells are in the cup.
and this causes the DNA to be released into the salt water.
1. Tilt the salt water cup and carefully pour alcohol such a way that it makes a layer on top of the salt water.
The DNA is insoluble in isopropyl alcohol and it promotes the clustering of the DNA, making them visible.
After the procedure is done, we can see filaments of DNA on the top layer of the solution and after some time we can see white clusters of DNA at the bottom of the cup. |
0.999889 | Israel's one state reality greeted us at the gates of the Gaza-Rafah crossing when we were asked by the Egyptian officer to present our Haweyah (Palestinian IDs) in order to be allowed through. It is not like we weren't expecting this request, we knew that it would come down to this even though our Australian passports clearly showed Gaza as our place of birth we were still not considered Palestinian nationals in our own home city. Rather, we were treated like foreigners who needed an almost impossible amount of bureaucratic red tape designed to discourage the likes of us of ever thinking of visiting loved ones back home.
Allow me to explain: Since Israel's establishment it has used the system of ID cards to differentiate between its Jewish and non-Jewish residents and citizens, a distinction needed in order to apply its apartheid discriminatory policies of separate and unequal treatment. When Israel occupied Gaza and the West Bank in 1967, its Interior Ministry began to also issue ID cards to the Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. By 1982, Israel passed the Identity Card Carrying and Displaying Act requiring all residents of Israel both inside its 1948 borders and inside the green line in the Occupied Territories, who are over 16 years of age, to carry at all times these ID cards and to present them upon request to the authorities.
Israeli citizens' ID cards come in blue plastic casing with the Israeli Coat of Arms on the outer cover. Palestinians prior to the establishment of the Palestinian Authority had orange casings in the West Bank and red casings in the Gaza Strip both with the IDF insignia embossed on the outer cover highlighting Israel's military control. Palestinians in the Occupied Territories who were forbidden entry into Israel's 1948 borders had green casings.
After the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority and as part of the creation of the illusion of progress, the Palestinian National Authority was handed some limited inconsequential powers. These included issuing Palestinian residents with ID cards. A pointless exercise given that the power to issue these cards hinged on Israel's approval, which was selectively given. Not only that, Israel continues to this day to control the Palestinian population registry and to assign the actual ID numbers provided for the Palestinian ID cards; the all-important cards required to enter Gaza and the West Bank.
Much has been written about how the system of ID cards is used as a weapon to further cement the fragmentation of the Palestinian population as it confines the Palestinians to their geographic Israeli-controlled Bantustans, forbidding Palestinians with Gaza IDs entry into the West Bank and Jerusalem and vice versa. But perhaps the worst and most insidious effect this system has is in the way it is designed to control and monitor the movement of all Palestinians and to curb the Palestinian population by denying their diaspora the right to come home even if for a short visit.
As we stood at the Rafah crossing, we were confronted with this reality. The Egyptian officer insisted that only Palestinians with the Israeli-controlled Palestinian ID cards are allowed to use this crossing. These orders are a result of an unforgivable move, one of many, that were made by the Palestinian National Authority when in 2005, Palestinian negotiators led by Mohammed Dahlan (a Fatah leader with strong links to Israel and the US) signed an agreement with Israel on movement and access from and to Gaza. One of the conditions they agreed to was restricting the use of the Rafah crossing to Palestinian ID card holders. It is hard to fathom why the Palestinian Authority would have agreed to such an inhumane condition which in reality means that Gazan residents would be cut off from loved ones in exile.
After seven hours of waiting at the Rafah border and after exhausting every connection, every phone number, every thread of hope and every possibility, we managed to make it through. Once inside Gaza, it became abundantly clear that despite Hamas' visible presence inside the city and the endless waves of green flags, we had arrived into an Israeli controlled Bantustan. The currency used here is the new Israeli Shekel, the IDs all the residents carry are issued by the Israeli interior ministry, all births go through the Israeli national registry, the essential products are all Israeli in this captive market. As I type this to the sound of the Israeli F16 hovering in the sky above, and as I look at the sea patrolled by Israeli cruisers, I am convinced that I am now inside Israel's one state reality in a Bantustan they call Gaza.
Samah Sabawi is a Palestinian writer and Policy Adviser to Al-Shabaka, the Palestinian policy network. |
0.999234 | What sort of experiments are currently being done on the topic of stem cells?
Stem cells are called “stem” cells because they are very basic cells that are generally found in the faetus and young babies (as well as certain body tissues) and are able to grow into any cell or tissue in the organ. Where as most cells can only proliferate and create more cells like themselves.
1. Stem Cells are being tested to determine if they can be cultured (grown) in a petri dish so that only a small amount of stem cells can be used to make many stem cells.
2. Stem Cells are being used to re-grow or assist in the development of certain organs. For example, the redevelopment of the islet of langerhans have been attempted with some success so that diabetic patient no longer have to take insulin.
3. Stem Cells are being used in an attempt to re-grow aspects of a damaged heart muscle (which ordinarily can’t be replaced). If successful, this will mean that people who have suffered a heart attack (and in doing so damaged heart muscle) will be able to have lost heart muscle regrown/redeveloped. |
0.998949 | Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Dailies.
1. President Muhammadu Buhari, Monday told The American Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, at State House, in Abuja that Nigeria prefers to have schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram from Chibok and Dapchi back alive, and that is why it has chosen negotiation, rather than a military option.
2. President Muhammadu Buhari, Monday blamed the IG of police, Idris Abubakar, over the continuous killings in Benue by Fulani herdsmen. He said the IGP disobeyed him by not relocating to the state as he directed. He made the statement during his official visit to the state.
3. The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has reacted to a statement credited to president Muhammadu Buhari where he blamed the IGP for the continuous killings in Benue State. The party’s chairman, Uche Secondus said that Cabal and not Buhari was in charge of the government.
4. The Police Command in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Monday said it foiled an armed robbery attack at Sauka Federal Housing Estate, Lugbe Extension of the territory and killed two suspects.The command’s Spokesman, DSP Anjuguri Manzah, in a statement, said that the operation followed a distress call on March 10 that some armed robbers were robbing the residents of the estate.
5. The Benue State Police Command has confirmed a report that two of its officers were killed during a fire exchange with herdsmen at Tse Orogbo in Nyiev Council Ward, Guma LGA of Benue State. The command’s PRO, ASP Moses Yamu, confirmed the development.
6. Suspected mentally challenged man on Monday hacked two pupils of Saint John’s Anglican Primary School to death in Agodo, Ogun Waterside Local Government Area of Ogun State. The madman allegedly entered the school premises from a nearby bush and inflicted machete cuts on the children.
7. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday grilled former governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff. Operatives questioned the former factional National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for hours at the agency’s office in Abuja, the nation’s capital. He was questioned on how he raised $72million to buy a G650 Gulfstream aircraft after leaving office in 2011.
8. The US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the US will assist Nigeria with latest security equipment and intelligence sharing in its efforts toward the safe return of the abducted Dapchi schoolgirls. Tillerson stated this when he briefed newsmen alongside Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, after a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.
9. The Joint Admission and Matriculation Examination Board (JAMB) has said that the results for the 2018 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) are ready.
The board’s spokesman, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, made this disclosure.
10. The 17-year-old girl who got wedded to his brother in Anambra State has said she has stopped going school because of the stigma attached to the act. |
0.964118 | Salt cravings: Why do I crave salt?
Butterflies in the Stomach: Why do I get butterflies in my stomach?
This article follows on from the article: Liver spots, Lentigo and Lipofuscin: What causes liver spots?
Liver spots, Lentigo and Lipofuscin: What causes liver spots? |
0.999834 | Anime is actually a French word, really should be spelled Anim� Anime, A.K.A. Japanese Animation, or Japanimation is the product of 'cartoons' in Japan. It's not like American cartoons, Anime is directed at all ages, not just the young. And unlike what some people think, anime was not 'stolen' from America. Some anime is dubbed into English and it loses much of the beauty it used to hold and becomes weird and SCARY. So try to get subtitled anime if you want the best because very few animes were well dubbed.Even if you can't read well you should at least watch the subtitled versions. There have been drawings dating back hundreds of years that are anime-like.
Characteristics are big eyes, long hair in, sometimes, off the wall colors, and side burns that come off the head, but are done in a nice way. Diffrent artists have their own style, some have 'stringy' hair, in the way that they add strands of hair, which is really quite pretty. Others have pointy hair, like Ryoko and Washu. Most of all, female characters have long legs.
Another characteristic of anime is the 'sweat drop', which is, the tear-drop like thing on peoples head, denoting an unspoken "Oh boy", "Uh-oh", or just tension between 2 characters. It can also be used when the character is embarrased.
Manga is like a comic, but anime style. A lot of anime, though not all, is made from a popular series of manga. Manga is generally done in black and white, and is a very large industry in Japan.
Manga is done by one writer, sometimes two, no more, unlike DC Comics and Marvel, etc. etc. who use several diffrent writers to produce their comics. This allows a writer to maintain control over how a character look differs, and how the plot develops. You can buy manga at popular bookstores. You'll most likely find it in the "Graphic Novel" section.
Comics barely appear in Japanese newspaper as they do in the American newspapers. In Japanese newspaper, they have a four-panel family strip that is on the next-to-last page and sometimes there are color supplements but no "Sunday Funnies."
What Does the Word Manga Mean?
How did the word "manga" come into being? Manga, pronounced "mahngah," means caricature, cartoon, comic strip, comic book, or animation. The Japanese woodblock-print artist, Hokusai, coined in 1814 by trying to describe comics like "unintentional sketches." He used the Chinese ideograms: man and ga. (Man means "involuntary" or "inspite of onself." Ga means "picture.") But the ideograms hold a secondary meaning to "unintentional sketches","morally corrupt."
Chibi means small in Japanese. A chibi is basically a small anime character with several features specifically designed to be "cute". Most have a really large head, big eyes that cover a least half the face, and wear midget size clothing.
Kawaii basically justs means cute in Japanese. Kawaii is similar to chibi but they don't have to be small. |
0.999798 | Filtering Wall Street: Short QID or Long QLD?
A reader wrote (a long time ago) asking my opinion regarding whether it was better to short QID rather than go long QLD.
I've done some thinking about this and a couple of studies and we will get to the math in a minute. The most exciting news is that Proshares seems to have worked out their problems with these two ETF's and they have established the mirror image that they are supposed to have.
Even the most casual observer will see that these two funds were skewed early in their history but now they are achieving that most wonderful moment of all - symmetry. Of course that's because of the averaging that we go through in Marlyn's Curve. We would expect to see symmetry if the funds were supposed to be symmetrical.
But are the results of each fund symmetrical as well? Over 178 days during which there were 102 days when you could have bought QLD or sold QID the average returns were 1.01248% (QLD) vs 1.01286% (QID). Which is not much variance on a share by share basis - but over thousands of shares and hundreds of transactions it could add up to a significant amount of money.
But sometimes percentages are not all they are cracked up to be. Sometimes you need to go into the numbers to get the real story. And that is what I did - Instead of looking at raw percentages I looked at the dollar rate of return for each transaction. And then I summed that value and took an average across all of the transactions. Needless to say on that basis QLD came out the best ($1.02 to .70) but ... and there's always a "but" ... I failed to normalize the prices one to another - in other words I needed to make them equivalent money-wise. Once I did that here is what I found.
In the first half of the 178 day period the return was $1.201 per basis for QID vs.
$1.125 per basis for QLD. Over the entire period the return per basis for QID was 1.078 vs. 1.026 for QLD.
On Friday for example had you shorted 1.95 shares for every one share you could have purchased of QLD you would have made $2.38 vs $2.14 per transactional basis. But (another "but") that's an awful lot of math for a simple stock transaction so lets look at it another way.
Had you just shorted 1000 shares of QID you would have made $1220 and had you bought a 1000 shares of QLD you would have made $2140. But you would have had to have put up over 90 thousand dollars in the QLD transaction and a minuscule percentage of that in the QID transaction.
So my thinking is this. On days when you can be pretty sure that the market is going up (and Friday would have been a good one) shorting the QID model seems to be the better idea if you can get the shares - and that might be the only difficulty with this whole idea.
Of course if you want a technical reason to buy or short either of the products you would put up a four-minute chart of either or both of them with an EMA 90 and wait for the cross.
You can see how once the stocks crossed the EMA 90 the die was cast and it was an easy trade to make either way.
Great analysis, Marlyn. I'll admit that I have trouble getting my puny brain around the idea of shorting QID.
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0.999721 | Yes, they both stem from the latin "collatio" which meant collection (bringing together).
The word also exists in french : "collation". It's a small lunch, usually right after an event, or during the night.
I Should expect 'tea' as well as 'dinner' for 'kolację' if you are from North England :) it was presented as an option after all!
What will be the imperative case: "Eat dinner!"
how come obiad can also be called dinner?
My husband who is Polish says obiad should be dinner and kolacja should be supper. There is no lunch.
Polish dinner, or obiad, falls between 2-3pm when most people get home work. It typically is the largest meal of the day. Kolacja is usually a small meal around 7pm.
Nowadays we have both lunch and brunch in Poland. It all depends on the area and lifestyle but in Warsaw it's quite westernized.
What is the difference between kolacja and kolacje?
After the verb "jeść" (to eat) you have to use the accusative (biernik) case: kolację. Other examples: Ona je banana. (She is eating a banana). Ja jem ciastko. (I am eating a cookie). My jemy wielki tort. (We are eating a big cake).
That's used in Britain sometimes... anyways, it's a rather rare option. |
0.998912 | Central Banks in Europe and Japan have lowered their key interest rates to less than zero in a bid to stimulate activity and boost inflation in their economies. A negative interest rate occurs whereby instead of receiving money on deposits, depositors must pay regularly to keep their money in the bank.
Effectively, negative rates are intended to force banks to lend even when there is a lack of end-user demand for money and to inspire the private sector to consume more.
Japan is the latest nation to join the ranks of the European Central Bank, Switzerland, Sweden and Denmark offering negative interest rates. These advanced economies are running sizeable current account surpluses while also displaying core inflation rates consistently below their targeted levels (typically 2%).
The rationale for acting is the risk that core inflation will continue undershooting the 2% target, especially given the significant decline in energy prices in the past year.
What has happened to see a major turning point in Central Bank thinking on the tools for implementing monetary policy?
Excessive private credit growth in the advanced economies prior to the 2008 global financial crisis lead to unsustainable levels of overleverage.
To offset the debt adjustment against the backdrop of fiscal constraints the nominal cash rate was lowered in most cases to the lower zero bound. But this has had only a marginal impact in reviving global investment. Aggregate nominal demand has been sluggish and the traditional V-shaped recovery has morphed into an elongated U-shape.
Developments since 2014 have seen the "theoretical and the unthinkable" in terms of policy action become more the "new way" to navigate the worst financial crisis since the 1930's. The enforced negative interest rates act like a tax on the banking system. The transmission channel to the real economy aims to work through two areas, namely credit supply and depreciation of the foreign exchange rate.
Funds will most likely flow to the credit sensitive sectors including housing, motor vehicles and business investment, resulting in multiplier effects on the broader economy. Banks will also be investing their excess reserves in government bonds, therefore driving yields lower with a spill-over into investment and non-investment grade credits. In addition there will be a reduced interest charge burden for debt obligations priced off the cash and yield curve. Overall there will be a wealth effect via rising asset valuations.
Depreciation in the exchange rate will have an impact on inflation via higher imported prices, however, a lower currency may be matched by other nations to protect their export market shares. So in effect, at a global level, currency depreciation may amount to a pointless zero sum game.
Ironically, the new policy tool operates on private credit growth which is the key variable that caused the Global Financial Crisis in the first place. Implementing negative rates requires re-leveraging which will compound the risks of financial instability. Lack of fiscal stimulus means more central bank liquidity going into financial markets and inflating the bubble further for assets. More importantly, there is a policy mismatch as negative rates are a supply side response to the demand side problem of persistently sluggish aggregate demand, against the macroeconomic backdrop of fiscal constraints with the emphasis on balance sheet repairs.
At Ausbil, we believe this policy will cause distortions in the allocation of capital. Adopting negative rates actually amounts to market failure where risk is not taken by private agents and the bank's lending practices also act as a constraint. To encourage risk taking for the longer term and to help drive investments into productivity enhancing models this should be conducted through the government's arm of traditional fiscal policy, namely infrastructure investment. We have long advocated the need for active Fiscal policy in providing a necessary circuit breaker for anaemic business investment and to help drive productive growth. |
0.82364 | Priyanka Gandhi is the new eye-catcher of Indian politics. This new entrant of Indian politics didn't need to prove about her lineage. History of Indian politics can be assimilated to a family's dominance namely, the Gandhi dynasty under the old war horse of Indian politics, namely the Indian National Congress(INC). Mrs Priyanka Gandhi needs no introduction in the Indian political scene. She has been an inheritor of a glorious family of Indian politics.
At the same time, how she shapes her political journey is a million-dollar question to be answered. Whether, Mrs Priyanka Gandhi can overcome theAmit Shah-Modiji led combine saffron brigade in Lok Sabha elections, 2019 is an anxious proposition for the Indian National Congress. It also needs to be pondered at this juncture, whether the Congress party swims and reaches the destination of the INC in 2019, Lok Sabha elections which is victory for the grand old Party of the country. On the contrary, if the Rahulji- Priyankaji led combine loses the elections, whether it will be the loss for the INC or it will be a loss for the brother-sister combine leading to the sinking of the INC's electoral fortunes. The only reason for this is the personality cult of Nehru- Gandhi dynasty in Indian politics in particular andin the Indian National Congress in general.
What does the entry of Priyanka Gandhi into Indian politics means for the country? The Congress party is at cross-roads. This is because the party's leadership baton has been shifted from what the BJP led opposition calls an Italian President of the Indian National Congress under Sonia Gandhiji, due to her Italian origin to that of made in India son-daughter's leadership under Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. This is a fact of Indian politics and of a country which is an example of assimilation of worldwide values and ideas irrespective of whateverdescent and origin of the originator of those values.
Democracy is not only a form of government for India but also, what has been seen is that, in our country it has become a game of numbers. Here numbers primarily means the half way mark of the Lok Sabha. In this context, it is a well-known secret of the Indian National Congress and its followers, which is, this new wonder women of Indian politics will certainly try to rope in some new areas of India and thereby certainly try to show her influence in Indian politics. Whether in this regard, Mrs Priyanka Gandhi will be successful will only be proved after the Lok Sabha elections, 2019. Time will be a witness to it.
It is rightly said in the political circles that the party which wins in Uttar Pradesh, a state with 80 Lok Sabha seats, forms mostly the government in the centre. There is no doubt among the voters that Mrs Priyanka Gandhi would try her political fortunes from the same politically significant state of the country. This also leads to the conclusion that, if Congress wins in most of the Uttar Pradesh then it may have repercussions in the other parts of the country in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections or in the near future. All in all, it proves that political equations now are at a crux. It is a dilemma both for the Indian National Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party as well as for the voters as to who will have the last laugh in the Lok Sabha elections, 2019.
At the same time, whoever wins in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and rules the country in the near future but the ultimate key to government formation is with the voters of our country. As voters of this country, we the voters have the bounden duty not to cast our valuable votes by being swayed by emotions rather we need to opt to vote by analysing all the aspects of electoral scenario and keeping all of them into view. The voters of our country have a pivotal role, which is, to embolden democracy in this country. In this endeavour, we the voters need to consider both what is promised and how much of those promises being fulfilled during the rule of both the major political parties of our country namely, the Indian National Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party. The voters need to find out, whether there is a coherence in promises and performances among our political parties and if so vote accordingly. |
0.998938 | I have monitored the Github accounts and organizations for individuals and companies doing interesting things with APIs for some time now. However, recently this channel is increasingly being the way that I discover truly interesting companies, individuals, specifications, tools, and even services. The most interesting people and companies doing things with APIs usually understand the importance of being transparent and aren't afraid of publishing their work on Github.
Developers are often very poor at blogging, tweeting, and sharing their work, but because Github allows me to follow their work, and provides additional ways to surface things using Github trending, I'm able to find things often before they'll show up on other common channels like Twitter, LinkedIn, etc--if they do at all. You can subscribe to the changes for a Github user, and organization using RSS, or you can do like I do, and use the API to dial in what you are following, and identify some pretty interesting relationships and patterns.
The interesting things I'm discovering aren't always directly code related either. With the increased usage of Github for publishing API portals, documentation, and other resources, I am increasingly finding valuable security guides, white papers, presentations, and much more. All of this makes Github an important place to discover what is going, while also helping ensure what you are working on around your API is being discovered. I'm thinking it is time for a refresh of my Github guide for API management, which I published a couple years back, and provide a fresh look at how the successful API providers are using Github. |
0.9933 | Are boys socialized differently than girls? The answer is yes. Gender is a social construct; gender socialization begins the moment a child is born, the way children atomic number 18 spoken to, touched, and played with; all(prenominal) which establish societal norms and expectations, thus socializing children from birth. Societal expectations exercise the way parents raise their children. These societal influences are the leading spring relating to gender specific stereotypes. Boys predominantly play with trucks, soldiers, and tools and girls play with dolls, and kitchen sets. From accost separate to toys, through marketing and advertising, stereotypical societal behaviors are support on a daily basis.
In conducting my business line research, I frequented two stores that Parents most utilize for their childrens toys and salute card purchases; Wal-Mart and Toys R US. I also went a dwarfish further with investigating; AmericanGreetings.com, Walmart.com, and Toysrus.com. I furthered my research as to insure if there were any differences between click and brick, mortar vs. online purchasing. The side by side(p) is a list of my observations in which boys are culturally encouraged to behave differently than girls.
Greeting tease for boys; specifically gloomy in blue, displaying drawings or pictures identifying sports activities, i.e. baseball, football. Others display action figures, i.e. Spiderman, Ben 10. In addition, cards for the pre-teen boys with animation reflecting various different sociably accepted passage choices for males, i.e. fireman, police officer, doctor. |
0.999553 | Can a Logos library be passed on to someone in a will? In other words, can I pass on the books that I have collected when I die?
The simple answer to your question is "yes", which is a wonderful feature that is greatly appreciated. |
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0.999994 | Formulation of a question. When looking at contemporary computing infrastructure, all we see is complexity. Does it always need to be so complex? Often, for our own purposes, the answer is no; but, that raises another question: how and/or why did this complexity arise in the first place? Thus the motivation for engaging in the neo-retro community — the desire to know the answers to these questions.
Hypothesis. Sometimes, you might call this step bravado, depending on your attitude towards software and/or hardware. It is in this stage that you look at some aspect of computing and say to yourself, “I can probably do this simpler/better/easier.” If you’re smart, you’ll base your speculation on prior experience, either in coding or in product management. If you’re not that smart, you will be soon enough.
Testing. Also known as coding or hacking. It’s here that you actually commit to writing your software, or if you’re looking to include computer hardware in your project scope, schematic capture, board manufacture, etc.
Analysis. Also known as retrospective. It’s here that you record your experiences. You either write blog posts, or chapters of a book, whatever.
You’ll notice that Prediction doesn’t exist in the list above. That’s because it’s not a prerequisite to participate in the neo-retro movement. Of course, there’s nothing preventing you from making predictions. I’ve been known to do it myself now and again. However, at least as often, I just want to attempt to reproduce a piece of computing history, just to play and learn. In such cases, I (try to) have no preconceived notions. I let the experiment guide me in my understanding why computing is the way it is.
In summary, neo-retro computing is about demanding from history proof that concepts need to be as complicated as they appear for the circumstances they’re used in.
I think Jeri Ellsworth’s Commodore-One platform certainly qualifies. It qualifies as the first commercially viable, reconfigurable computing system. Although it aims to support running classic computers (which itself isn’t neo-retro), the fact that you can use the Commodore-One to question commonly held design philosophy and develop your own completely new computers makes the Commodore-One itself neo-retro.
Building a classic computer implementation in an FPGA fails to qualify. For example, Jeri Ellsworth’s C64DTV fails to qualify as a Neo-Retro Computing project because it fails to address the status quo of the Commodore 64 design. Instead, it takes the Commodore 64 system architecture as a given. Innovations like adapting it to use an SDRAM chip instead of regular DRAM definitely interests me, but I feel it doesn’t address the fundamental core of the complexities found in the Commodore 64 design.
Well, it didn’t turn out that way. I needed to answer a lot more questions before I could get there. For example, how to implement the video controller at all, much less one as capable as the Amiga’s AGA chipset. The issue of cost entered the picture at this point as well: FPGA development boards were still well outside my reach. Expansion buses required designing, as I wanted to slowly expand my RAM over time on the one hand, and I/O cards on the other. The original Kestrel-2 design proved entirely and thoroughly over-ambitious for my meager experience and resources.
Questions: How far can I get without interrupts? (Quite far.) Can I embed a working Forth environment in system memory and still have enough left over for programs? (Not with a 16KB system; 32KB minimum memory required, 44KB recommended. Font and bitmapped text output consumes too much space.) Can I make a working operating system to make up for limited memory resources? (Yes, as long as you’re careful about the OS’ own memory consumption.) Can Forth make a good systems programming language? (Yes, as long as you’re careful with code-reviews and proper test-driven techniques.) Is MISC as compact as hyped? (No. The 65816 in native-mode often produces smaller executables.) Is MISC as fast as hyped? (This depends on the workload; however, on average, even with something as limited as the S16X4, pure expression computation and simple effective address generation takes less time to complete than the equivalent 68000 or 65816 code.) More questions exist, of course, but are too numerous to list here.
The contemporary Kestrel-2 seems unrecognizable compared to my previously lofty goals. The modern Kestrel-2 addresses no greater than 64KB of memory space, of which up to 44KB can be program or data RAM, 4KB for I/O space, and 16KB for video display RAM. No audio support currently exists. No interrupts. No configurable video modes. Limited video RAM space forces the display to 640x200 resolution. No color — it’s black and white only.
As you can see, some of the lofty goals from the original Kestrel-2 make a come-back with the Kestrel-3. You’ll notice I’m not tackling everything at once this time, however. For example, I’m still not addressing the needs of audio playback, nor of expansion buses. We do see the return of interrupt support, but system software will likely under-utilize this new feature for now.
Here’s my one prediction that I’m quite sure of: the eP64 has a data bus wider than that of external RAM by a factor of four (64 bits versus 16 bits). As a consequence of this, driving the microprocessor at RAM speeds (no faster than 14MHz) will result in a substantial reduction in real-world performance. Indeed, if we run the CPU at 13MHz (1/5th the dot-clock frequency for a 1024-pixel wide display), we can expect the eP64 to function as though it were clocked at only 3.25MHz. This will put the performance of the Kestrel-3 computer firmly in the Commodore Plus/4 or Atari 7800 level of performance. Thus, the higher video resolutions will be useful for productivity applications only. No games or demo-scene programs at 1024x768 yet! |
0.995602 | Should not be confused with the Gregorian calendar.
The Gregorian Reforms were a series of reforms initiated by Pope Gregory VII and the circle he formed in the papal curia, c. 1050–80, which dealt with the moral integrity and independence of the clergy. The reforms are considered to be named after Pope Gregory VII (1073–85), though he personally denied it and claimed his reforms, like his regnal name, honoured Gregory the Great (Gregory I).
The conciliar approach to implementing papal reform took on an added momentum during Gregory’s pontificate. The authority of the emphatically ‘Roman’ council as the universal legislative assembly was theorised according to the principles of papal primacy contained in Dictatus papae.
There is no explicit mention of Gregory’s reforms against simony or nicolaitism at his Lenten councils of 1075 or 1076; rather, the gravity of these reforms has to be inferred from his general correspondence. By contrast, Gregory's Register entry for the Roman council of November 1078 extensively records Gregory’s legislation against ‘abuses’ such as simony as well as the first ‘full’ prohibition of lay investiture. This record has been interpreted as the essence of the Gregorian ‘reform programme’.
Although at each new turn the reforms were presented to contemporaries as a return to the old ways, they are often seen by modern historians as the first European Revolution.
The powers that the Gregorian papacy gathered to itself were summed up in a list called Dictatus papae about 1075 or somewhat later. The major headings of Gregorian reform can be seen as embodied in the Papal electoral decree (1059), and the resolution of the Investiture Controversy (1075–1122) was an overwhelming papal victory that by implication acknowledged papal superiority over secular rulers. Within the Church important new laws were pronounced on simony (the purchasing of positions relating to the church), on clerical marriage and from 1059 laws extending the prohibited degrees of Affinity.
The reforms are encoded in two major documents: Dictatus papae and the bull Libertas ecclesiae. The Gregorian reform depended in new ways and to a new degree on the collections of canon law that were being assembled, in order to buttress the papal position, during the same period. Part of the legacy of the Gregorian Reform was the new figure of the papal legist, exemplified a century later by Pope Innocent III.
Gregory also had to avoid the Church ever slipping back into the abuses that had occurred in Rome, during The Rule of the Harlots, between 904 and 964. Pope Benedict IX had been elected Pope three times and had sold the Papacy. In 1054 the "Great Schism" had divided western European Christians from the eastern Orthodox Church. Given these events, the Church had to reassert its importance and authority to its followers.
The reform of the Church, both within it, and in relation to the Holy Roman Emperor and the other lay rulers of Europe, was Gregory VII's life work. It was based on his conviction that the Church was founded by God and entrusted with the task of embracing all mankind in a single society in which divine will is the only law; that, in his capacity as a divine institution, he is supreme over all human structures, especially the secular state; and that the pope, in his role as head of the Church under the petrine commission, is the vice-regent of God on earth, so that disobedience to him implies disobedience to God: or, in other words, a defection from Christianity. But any attempt to interpret this in terms of action would have bound the Church to annihilate not merely a single state, but all states. Thus Gregory, as a politician wanting to achieve some result, was driven in practice to adopt a different standpoint. He acknowledged the existence of the state as a dispensation of Providence, described the coexistence of church and state as a divine ordinance, and emphasized the necessity of union between the sacerdotium and the imperium. But at no period would he have dreamed of putting the two powers on an equal footing; the superiority of church to state was to him a fact which admitted of no discussion and which he had never doubted.
He wished to see all important matters of dispute referred to Rome; appeals were to be addressed to himself; the centralization of ecclesiastical government in Rome naturally involved a curtailment of the powers of bishops. Since these refused to submit voluntarily and tried to assert their traditional independence, his papacy was full of struggles against the higher ranks of the clergy.
This battle for the foundation of papal supremacy is connected with his championship of compulsory celibacy among the clergy and his attack on simony. Gregory VII did not introduce the celibacy of the priesthood into the Church, but he took up the struggle with greater energy than his predecessors. In 1074 he published an encyclical, absolving the people from their obedience to bishops who allowed married priests. The next year he enjoined them to take action against married priests, and deprived these clerics of their revenues. Both the campaign against priestly marriage and that against simony provoked widespread resistance. The Pope was to be the absolute head of the church, and the Dictatus papae also declared the Pope's authority to depose emperors.
The Gregorian calendar, decreed on 24 February 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII, has no connection to these Gregorian reforms.
Pope Gelasius I and the "Gelasian doctrine"
↑ Cowdrey, H.E.J. (2002). The Register of Pope Gregory VII 1073-1085: An English Translation. USA: Oxford University Press. p. 600. ISBN 0199249806.
↑ Gilchrist, John (1965). ""Simoniaca haeresis" and the problem of orders from Leo IX to Gratian". Proceedings of the Second International Congress of Medieval Canon Law. C. Monumenta Iuris Canonici (1): 209–235.
↑ Gilchrist, John (1970). "Was there a Gregorian reform movement in the eleventh century?". The Canadian Catholic Historical Association: Study Sessions. 37: 1–10.
↑ Gilchrist, John (1993). ‘Pope Gregory VII and the juristic sources of his ideology’, in Canon Law in the Age of Reform, 11th-12th Centuries. UL: Ashgate Publishing. p. 5. ISBN 0860783685.
↑ Brook, Lindsay (2003). "Popes and Pornocrats: Rome in the early Middle Ages" (PDF). Foundations. Foundation For Medieval Genealogy. 1 (1): 5–21.
Wikisource has the text of a 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article about Gregory VII.
Wikisource has the text of the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia article Pope St. Gregory VII. |
0.969075 | What makes Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos (Three Years without God), about the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines during World War II, such a great film? O’Hara’s style is thrillingly simple: each scene begins and ends like any other scene in a well-shaped drama. But there’s a quiet undercurrent that builds, sequence upon sequence, with the smoothness and power of a rising tsunami, until it pulls your feet out from under you, breaking high over your head, overwhelming you.
I can cite similar examples: Hemingway’s simple, sinewy prose, which (as he once described it) was like keeping an alcohol flame as low as possible, until it explodes. Or Jean Renoir’s films, which Tatlong Taong most resembles (if it resembles any film at all). Renoir and O’Hara (in Tatlong Taong at least) share several virtues. An unassuming yet undeniably cinematic visual style (O’Hara’s shots are so good, yet serve the story so well, you might want to watch the film three times just to find out why they are good). An unerring sense for understated drama–you find yourself perched at the edge of your seat wanting to learn what happens next. And an amazing–Godlike, yet intimate–empathy for the people in their films.
That empathy is, I think, the source of Tatlong Taong’s greatness. Sympathy for wartime Japanese has always been in short supply, with the words “comfort women” and “wartime atrocities” being rattled about in Asian newspapers like so many closeted skeletons. The Chinese have no love for World War II Japanese; you just have to watch films like Farewell To My Concubine, or Red Sorghum (with its horrific flaying scene) to appreciate how little they are loved. Even the Americans have done their share of Japan-bashing, with films like Rising Sun and Black Rain.
There have been exceptions, mainly in American movies: Bridge On the River Kwai, Sayonara, the awful Come See the Paradise. There’s even one Thai film that featured a sympathetic Japanese soldier.
But Thailand and America were never conquered by Japan; they never tasted the pleasures of Japanese Occupation firsthand. Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos is unique in Philippine cinema–in all the world–as being the only film, made in a country once occupied by the Japanese, that treats those same wartime Japanese as human beings.
Not that the Japanese soldiers in Tatlong Taong are sweetened versions of the real thing: they are shown as killers and rapists, capable of performing all kinds of brutal acts. But they are also shown to be capable of regretting their acts; they are shown to be deserving of our sympathy–even of our love.
As an act of understanding, almost of forgiveness, this is totally unheard of. It could easily be seen as a mistake, a foolish gesture made out of weakness by one small, Asian nation to another, far more powerful one.
I could go on and on, talking about technique and story and historical context; I could talk about Vincente Bonus’ contribution to the production design (he was responsible for every accurate detail about wartime Philippines), or Conrado Baltazar’s glorious color photography, or Ms. Minda Azarcon’s lovely chorale music. But Filipino filmmaker Tikoy Aguiluz (Boatman, Rizal Sa Dapitan (Rizal in Dapitan), Segurista (Dead Sure)) sums it all up nicely with a simple formula: he measures a film’s greatness by the impact it had on him personally. By that standard, I think Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos is the greatest Filipino film ever made. |
0.934165 | Solve a set of 4 equations?
This is a known problem in Physics and I'm pretty sure that this system has specific solutions.
It says it is not quantified system of equations.
I have tried (eq11==0,...) etc but didn't worked. |
0.957795 | There has been a sports match or tournament. The winners and losers are being interviewed together in the studio. Choose someone to be the interviewer.
The winner ignores the loser and boasts about how it feels to have won. How does the loser cope with this?
The winner is obviously delighted to have won but mentions and praises what the loser did well. What difference does this make to the loser's attitude?
The interviewer shows little respect for the winner because of the way in which the match was won, but shows respect for the loser. Who gains in self-respect when this happens? Why? |
0.929351 | For other ships with the same name, see USS Pickerel.
USS Pickerel (SS-177), a Porpoise-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the pickerel, species of freshwater fish native to the eastern United States and Canada.
Her keel was laid on 25 March 1935 by the Electric Boat Company in Groton, Connecticut. She was launched on 7 July 1936 sponsored by Miss Evelyn Standley, daughter of Rear Admiral William Standley, acting Secretary of the Navy. She was commissioned on 26 January 1937, Lieutenant Leon J. Huffman in command.
After her shakedown cruise, the new boat conducted training exercises out of New London, Connecticut until getting underway on 26 October 1937 and heading, via Guantánamo Bay, Cuba to transit the Panama Canal on 9 November. Joining the Pacific Fleet, Pickerel operated out of San Diego, California, along the West Coast, and in Hawaiian waters. Subsequently transferred to the Asiatic Fleet, she prepared for war with a vigorous training schedule in the Philippines.
Upon receiving word of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, Pickerel - commanded by Lieutenant Commander Barton E. Bacon, Jr. - sped to the coast of French Indochina and conducted her first war patrol off Cam Ranh Bay and Tourane Harbor. She tracked a Japanese submarine and a destroyer but lost them in haze and rain squalls before they came in torpedo range. On 19 December, she also missed a small Japanese patrol craft with five torpedoes, before returning to Manila Bay on 29 December.
On her second patrol—from 31 December 1941—29 January 1942 - conducted between Manila and Surabaya, the submarine sank Kanko Maru on 10 January 1942. On her third war patrol - from 7 February-19 March - along the Malay Barrier and her fourth - from 15 April-6 June - in the Philippines, she failed to score.
Pickerel's fifth war patrol, from 10 July to 26 August, was a voyage from Brisbane, Australia, to Pearl Harbor for refit, with a short patrol in the Mariana Islands en route, during which she damaged a freighter. During the refit, LCDR Bacon was detached and Pickerel's executive officer, Lieutenant Commander Augustus H. Alston, Jr., became her new CO.
On her sixth war patrol - from 22 January to 3 March 1943, she searched among the Kurile Islands on the Tokyo-Kiska traffic lanes. In sixteen attacks, she sank Tateyama Maru and two 35-ton sampans.
She departed Pearl Harbor on 18 March 1943 and, after topping off with fuel and provisions at Midway Island on 22 March, headed for the eastern coast of northern Honshū, Japan and was never heard from again. Pickerel was the first submarine to be lost in the Central Pacific area. She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 19 August 1943.
Post-war analysis of Japanese records give conflicting suggestions about Pickerel's fate. The Japanese officially credit her with sinking Submarine Chaser Number 13 on 3 April and Fukuei Maru on 7 April, and give no official report of her destruction. Those records also describe an action off Shiramuka Lighthouse on northern Honshū on 3 April 1943 in which naval aircraft first bombed an unidentified submarine, then directed Shiragami and Bunzan Maru to the spot, where they dropped twenty-six depth charges. A large quantity of oil floated to the surface, which was often enough for Japanese ASW ships to believe their target was sunk. It is likely Pickerel's fuel oil bunkers leaked. Since there were several other ASW operations in the area in that period, and Pickerel was the only American submarine in that area; one of these other attacks, sometime after 7 April, probably claimed her.
Pickerel received three battle stars for World War II service.
^ a b c Bauer, K. Jack; Roberts, Stephen S. (1991). Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775–1990: Major Combatants. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. pp. 268–269. ISBN 0-313-26202-0.
^ a b Alden, p.210.
^ a b Alden, p.211.
^ a b Alden, p.62.
^ Clay Blair, Jr., Silent Victory (Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1975), p. 409.
Beach, Edward L. "Ned", Jr. Submarine!. Henry Holt, 1952.
_____. Run Silent, Run Deep (a novel). Pocket Books, 1972.
_____. Dust on the Sea (a novel). Dell, 1972.
Grider, George W., as told to Lydel Sims. War Fish. Little, Brown and Company, 1958.
Holmes, Wilfred J. "Jasper" Undersea Victory. Doubleday, 1966.
O'Kane, Richard H. Clear the Bridge!. Rand McNally & Co., 1977.
______. Wahoo: The Patrols of America's Most Famous World War II. Presidio Pres, 1987.
This page was last edited on 28 October 2018, at 00:28 (UTC). |
0.96304 | Ukraine (Listeni/juːˈkreɪn/ yew-KRAYN; Ukrainian: Україна, transliterated: Ukrayina, [ukrɑˈjinɑ]) is a country in Eastern Europe. Ukraine borders the Russian Federation to the east and northeast, Belarus to the northwest, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to the west, Romania and Moldova to the southwest, and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south and southeast, respectively. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the largest country entirely within Europe.
According to a popular and well established theory, the medieval state of Kievan Rus was established by the Varangians in the 9th century as the first historically recorded East Slavic state. It emerged as a powerful nation in the Middle Ages but disintegrated in the 12th century. By the middle of the 14th century, Ukrainian territories were under the rule of three external powers—the Golden Horde, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Kingdom of Poland. After the Great Northern War (1700–1721), Ukraine was divided among a number of regional powers. By the 19th century, the largest part of Ukraine was integrated into the Russian Empire, with the rest under Austro-Hungarian control.
Human settlement in Ukraine and its vicinity dates back to 32,000 BCE, with evidence of the Gravettian culture in the Crimean Mountains. By 4,500 BCE, the Neolithic Cucuteni-Trypillian Culture flourished in a wide area that included parts of modern Ukraine including Trypillia and the entire Dnieper-Dniester region. During the Iron Age, the land was inhabited by Cimmerians, Scythians, and Sarmatians. Between 700 BC and 200 BC it was part of the Scythian Kingdom, or Scythia.
Later, colonies of Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, and the Byzantine Empire, such as Tyras, Olbia, and Hermonassa, were founded, beginning in the 6th century BC, on the northeastern shore of the Black Sea, and thrived well into the 6th century AD. The Goths stayed in the area but came under the sway of the Huns from the 370s AD. In the 7th century AD, the territory of eastern Ukraine was the center of Old Great Bulgaria. At the end of the century, the majority of Bulgar tribes migrated in different directions, and the Khazars took over much of the land.
At 603,700 square kilometres (233,100 sq mi) and with a coastline of 2,782 kilometres (1,729 mi), Ukraine is the world's 44th-largest country (after the Central African Republic, before Madagascar). It is the largest wholly European country and the second largest country in Europe (after the European part of Russia, before metropolitan France).[i] It lies between latitudes 44° and 53° N, and longitudes 22° and 41° E.
Ukraine occupies 8th place in Europe by the number of tourists visiting, according to the World Tourism Organisation rankings.
Ukraine is a destination on the crossroads between central and eastern Europe, between north and south. It has mountain ranges – the Carpathian Mountains suitable for skiing, hiking, fishing and hunting. The coastline on the Black Sea is a popular summer destination for vacationers. Ukraine has vineyards where they produce native wines, ruins of ancient castles, historical parks, Orthodox and Catholic churches as well as a few mosques and synagogues. Kiev, the country’s capital city has many unique structures such as Saint Sophia Cathedral and broad boulevards. There are other cities well-known to tourists such as the harbour town Odessa and the old city of Lviv in the west. The Crimea, a little “continent” of its own, is a popular vacation destination for tourists for swimming or sun tanning on the Black Sea with its warm climate, rugged mountains, plateaus and ancient ruins. Cities there include: Sevastopol and Yalta – location of the peace conference at the end of World War II. Visitors can also take cruise tours by ship on Dnieper River from Kiev to the Black Sea coastline. Ukrainian cuisine has a long history and offers a wide variety of original dishes.
Few Tips Before going for A Forign Country Tour ? |
0.999948 | According to the 2000 Census, Gates County, North Carolina has a population of 10,516 people. Of those, 6,213 (60%) are White, 4,120 (40%) are Black, and 81 (810%) are Latino. However, 88 (or 1% of the 10,516 people) are not residents by choice but are people in prison.
A more accurate description would not include the prisoners. This would give Gates County a population of 10,428 with a demographic that is 59% White, 39% Black, and 1% Latino. |
0.994897 | If it happens to you a few times, I think it has a massive effect on you.
Confidence is about knowing who you are and no one can rock you from that.
People say, "It's only words," but no it's not, words do hurt.
While there are issues such as housing, employment and education that affect everyone, there are also specific protective and risk factors that have a high impact on the social emotional wellbeing and rates of depression among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
passing on of cultural practices. |
0.999998 | Interpret "Mats Eilertsen, Harmen Fraanje, Thomas Strønen"
is educated from the Jazz Department at the Conservatory of Music in Trondheim. He works with bands like Dingobats, Håkon Kornstad Trio, Food (with English saxophonist Iain Ballamy), and Bobo Stenson/Fredrik Ljungkvist/Thomas Strønen/Mats Eilertsen quartet.
is a pianist, composer and educator from the Netherlands. He leads and co-leads several projects like his solo project, trio Reijseger Fraanje Sylla, a quartet with Magic Malik, Brice Soniano and Toma Gouband, a duo with Anton Goudsmit and a new quartet with Fredrik Ljungkvist, Clemens van der Feen and Tristan Renfrow. These groups mostly perform original works with a lot of space for improvisation.
Furthermore Harmen founded the label / platform ‘Astropi’ with Brice Soniano and Toma Gouband.
Harmen is in the faculty of the Conservatory of Amsterdam / University of the Arts Amsterdam. He is frequently invited to give workshops and masterclasses at other conservatories in Europe.
is a prolific drummer, composer, arranger, improviser, producer, and bandleader. He has participated in or self-created some 70 albums on his own and in cooperation with a wide variety of talent, including the bands Food (with Iain Ballamy, Arve Henriksen, Mats Eilertsen, and Fennesz), Humcrush (with Ståle Storløkken), Parish (with Bobo Stenson), his own Time Is a Blind Guide, and the Maria Kannegaard Trio. He has also played on and/or composed for recordings by Eivind Aarset, Nils Petter Molvaer, John Taylor, Tore Brunborg, Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, Sidsel Endresen, Bugge Wesseltoft, Tomasz Stańko, and Stian Carstensen. Strønen graduated from the Music Conservatory of Trondheim, Norway in 1999 after studying jazz and composition for six years. Since his student days he has been involved with improvised music in many different contexts. He is an interactive musician who enjoys creating different musical forms to generate unexpected results. Strønen is a melodic, almost circular drummer who plays both acoustic and electronic music. He has record deals with Norway's Rune Grammofon and ECM. His most celebrated recordings are Humcrush (2004), Parish (2006), six Food albums divided between the two labels from 2002-2015, and two Time Is a Blind Guide albums, including 2018's Lucus. |
0.999967 | Can I take my DAB digital radio overseas and still listen to the same stations?
No. DAB digital radio is a terrestrial broadcast technology, using land-based transmitters. You can only listen to stations when you are within their transmission range as DAB still adheres to the laws of local terrestrial radio.
Taking your radio elsewhere will give you DAB transmission local to that area, providing the brodcast frequency is the same as your radio supports. |
0.710498 | Reception theory is a version of reader response literary theory that emphasizes the reader's reception of a literary text. (Also called audience reception.) In literature, it originated from the work of Hans-Robert Jauss in the late 1960s. Reception theory was at its most influential during the 1970s and early 1980s in Germany and USA (Fortier 132), amongst some notable work in Western Europe.
This approach to textual analysis focuses on the scope for "negotiation" and "opposition" on the part of the audience. This means that a "text"—be it a book, movie, or other creative work—is not simply passively accepted by the audience, but that the reader / viewer interprets the meanings of the text based on their individual cultural background and life experiences. In essence, the meaning of a text is not inherent within the text itself, but is created within the relationship between the text and the reader.
Cultural theorist Stuart Hall is one of the main proponents of reception theory, and developed Hall's Theory of encoding and decoding, focusing on the communication processes at play in the televisual form. Reception theory has since been extended to the spectators of performative events—predominantly theatre. Susan Bennett is often credited with beginning this discourse within theatre. Reception theory has also been applied to the history and analysis of landscapes, through the work of landscape historian John Dixon Hunt, motivated by recognition that the survival of gardens and landscapes is due to their public reception.
A basic acceptance of the meaning of a specific text tends to occur when a group of readers have a shared cultural background and interpret the text in similar ways. It is likely that the less shared heritage a reader has with the artist, the less he/she will be able to recognise the artist's intended meaning, and it follows that if two readers have vastly different cultural and personal experiences, their reading of a text will vary greatly.
Whereas in literature, the interaction between text and reader occurs within a framework that controls and limits the interaction, through genre, tone, structure, and the social conditions of the reader and author, in landscapes the interaction occurs through movement and viewing, framed by typology instead of genre and tone. Instead of an “implied reader,” reception theory of landscapes assumes an “implied visitor,” who is an abstracted concatenation of responses of many visitors at different times.
The theory recognizes that there is no single reading of a landscape that fulfills its entire potential, and that it is important to examine the motives of visitors and the factors influencing their visits (whether they read guidebooks about the place before visiting, or had strong feelings about the place or the designer, for instance).
One key difference between reception theory in literature and reception theory in landscape architecture is that while literary works are accessible only to the imagination, physical landscapes are accessible to the senses as well as to the imagination. However, purely mythological gardens (such as the Garden of Eden and the gardens of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili) are accessible only to the imagination, and extant historical gardens form a middle ground, with their reception influenced by sensory experience as well as readings of historical accounts of visits to those gardens.
Reception theoretical analysis of landscapes differs from typical writing on the history and analysis of landscapes, which tends to focus on the intentions of the designers, the conditions leading to the creation of the design, and the building process. Reception theory also tends to de-emphasize commonly used terms of description like 'formal' and 'picturesque,' unless those terms were known to have meaning to landscape visitors themselves.
Amacher, Richard, and Victor Lange, eds. New Perspectives in German Literary Criticism. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1979.
Bennett, Susan, eds. Theatre Audiences: A Theory of Production and Reception. New York: Routledge, 1990.
Fortier, Mark. Theory / Theatre: An Introduction. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge, 2002.
Hohendahl, Peter Uwe. "Introduction to Reception Aesthetics." New German Critique 10 (1977): 29-63.
Holub, Robert C. Crossing Borders: Reception Theory, Poststructuralism, Deconstruction. Madison: U of Wisconsin P, 1992.
Hunt, John Dixon. The Afterlife of Gardens. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004.
Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Reception theory" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on original research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.
This page was last modified 09:13, 7 June 2010. |
0.998022 | How is the procedure for orthodontics?
Orthodontics is an alternative treatment that can completely change the structure of the teeth. Can help people who have problems in chewing food and have a proper bite. To help people have a perfect well aligned structure for both upper and lower teeth. There are several type of braces, but they all have similar procedure.
1. Research about the advantage and disadvantage of getting braces. Read some information on orthodontic treatment.
2. Choose a reputable clinic near your house, because it will make it easier for you to come for your monthly check-ups.
3. Consultation day, the doctor will make a preliminary examination and assess if there is a need to do tooth extraction or not. At this stage, the doctor will arrange for you to get an x-ray and dental impression.
4. When you agreed to proceed with the treatment, teeth cleaning & scaling should be done first, then filling and check if there is a need for root canal treatment.
5. Then the dentist will put a rubber tooth splint to be worn for about 1 week.
6. On the next appointment the doctor will attach the brackets on to the teeth using adhesive cement tools.
7. The doctor will schedule one visit a month to change the rubber band. (In case of braces with rubber bands) and adjust the braces. The teeth will gradually moves about 1 mm per month.
8. While teeth have braces, it should always be cleaned by brushing every after meal and go to the dentist for scaling to remove plaque. Every 6 months.
9. The doctor will take care of the structure of our teeth until teeth are in the proper position. The doctor will then remove the braces, then clean the teeth, scrape the limestone and take an impression to make retainers. This is a device to prevent the teeth from shifting back to the original position. This should be worn for as long as the dentist advice to do so.
It is a long time procedure and will require a lot of money and many trips to the dentist. |
0.997763 | If a player pulls out of a match (eg. due to injury), do they still get the prize money and points for it?
So say, player A has qualified for the australian open which has a prize money of 50k and 10points for a first round loser (http://www.tennisguru.net/2017/01/australian-open-2017-prize-money-breakdown-ranking-points/).
Now if he pulls out before the match, I assume he doesn't get the money and the guy replacing him would get it.
But what would if he limps onto the court and plays one point and retires, would he pocket 50k for doing that or would he need to play up to a certain point (eg. similar to some betting agencies, which will only honour as having played if the match lasted beyond the first set)?
How about if this is not the first round but after the tournament has progressed and therefore there is no one to replace him. Would he still get the prize money and points even if he retires? So say, the player wins the 3rd round then pulls out of the tournament, would he get the same prize money and points as someone losing in the 4th round?
Your question contained several questions so I'll break them down and answer them one at a time.
That is correct - a "lucky loser" (someone that lost during qualifying rounds) would replace them in the main draw and that "lucky loser" player also would receive the rankings points and prize money for the result they achieve.
It doesn't happen so much in smaller tournaments offering less prize money and rankings points, but the scenario you describe is common for the four major grand slam tournaments because of the money & points potential. If you were to look at the first round matches in any major that ended because of a player retiring, you will find some that didn't even reach the second set of the match. The player that retired (in most cases) knew - going into the match - that they had a health or injury issue that was going to prevent them from competing for an entire match. But the lure of an easy pay day usually has them play a few games before retiring rather than withdraw from the tournament and give up that money to another player. You probably wouldn't get the players themselves to admit to it - but that's what is going on.
It helps to think of points and prize money being awarded based on a player's wins, not their losses or matches played. So in the scenario you describe here yes, the player would get the same points and prize money for pulling out of the tournament after a 3rd round win as a player that lost a 4th round match. Both players won the same number of matches.
Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged tennis finances ranking or ask your own question.
How steep a hill does a low seeded (tennis) player have to climb? |
0.999706 | Why are psychologists watching disturbing video art?
A few years ago while watching Paul McCarthy's video Painter (1995) at Ballroom Marfa, Texas, an artist friend murmured to me, 'This stuff makes me feel a bit sick.' Yes, me too. Before she said that, I probably would have felt obliged to use some sort of detached aesthetic terminology to express my response. But 'a bit sick' is better, not only because it's honest, but also because, as we now know, you can take the same thing for disturbing video art that you take for a cold: paracetamol.
The first interesting thing about meaning threats is that, after enduring one, people try to compensate by reaffirming some sort of dependable meaning somewhere else in their world. For instance, in another study with a great title, 'The Case of the Transmogrifying Experimenter', the woman giving the subjects the questionnaire was replaced half-way through by a different woman wearing the same outfit. Most of the subjects didn't consciously notice the swap, but afterwards they tended to set a higher bail for a prostitute in an imaginary courtroom scenario, as if on some deep level they were unsettled by the visual anomaly and looking for order and authority to cling to.
The second interesting thing about meaning threats is that you can soothe them with painkillers, just like physical pain. For instance, social rejection can be regarded as a type of meaning threat; and another study has shown that, if you leave someone out of a ball game, they won't be as upset about it if they've taken paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen.
David Lynch, Rabbits, 2002, film still.
In 'The Common Pain of Surrealism and Death', the psychologists from the University of British Columbia decided to apply these findings to yet another type of meaning threat: the avant-garde. They showed some of their subjects a four-minute clip from David Lynch's 'sitcom' Rabbits (2002). Now, Lynch fans will already have noticed that the aforementioned 'transmogrifying experimenter' is quite reminiscent of Lost Highway (1997), in which the protagonist is first played by Bill Pullman and then by Balthazar Getty. So I emailed Steve Heine, the psychologist involved in both of the studies, to ask him about this.
'You know, I think Lost Highway is the only Lynch movie that I haven’t seen,' he replied. He told me that he used Rabbits and the 'transmogrifying experimenter' trick because he 'had good theoretical reasons from a lot of psychological research to expect they should elicit the same unconscious feeling,' whereas 'Lynch seemed to intuitively know that on his own.' So Heine isn't deliberately working his way through Lynch's filmography in a clinical setting, but I still can't help hoping his next paper is as loaded with Twin Peaks references as an art pop band's Tumblr.
In the 'Surrealism and Death' study, the subjects were given another imaginary courtroom scenario, in which they were asked to set the fines for rioters convicted of vandalism after a hockey match. The ones who'd watched four minutes of Rabbits tended to slap on higher fines. Unless they'd taken paracetamol, in which case they didn't.
What are we to make of these results? At first sight, they seem to suggest that people who consume a lot of disorienting video will end up more right-wing. But that doesn't sound plausible. For instance, I have seen few works of video art more captivating in their strangeness than Marianna Simnett's bionic nightmare-cantata Blue Roses (2015), but in the conversations I had at the opening of her show at Seventeen Gallery, London, recently, I did not detect an undertone of draconian social conservatism. In fact, a previous study, which used a Monty Python sketch for its meaning threat, found that people don't engage in compensatory affirmation when they've been warned in advance that they're about to see something surreal. In other words, the video art lovers don't get any heebie-jeebies from it, because they already know what they're getting into.
Recent neuroscience suggests that meaning threats activate the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), a hook-shaped area near the front of the brain. As well as surrealism and transmogrifying experimenters and social rejection, the dACC responds to contemplation of morality and physical pain. It's been characterized as a general alarm system for errors, conflicts and discrepancies. This doesn't mean that watching David Lynch is neurologically the same as getting a headache. But there is some sort of overlap, which is why paracetamol helps with all of the above.
Artists sometimes complain that the market has no appetite for genuinely experimental or challenging work. But imagine if, before the arrival of a collector on a studio visit, you could spike their latte with an undetectable aesthetic tranquiliser. Imagine if you could do the same to every glass of champagne at the opening of an art fair. Perhaps the art market would become suddenly fearless.
One might argue that this would betray the work. For a lot of artists, keeping collectors comfortable is not exactly the top priority. Part of the point of Painter or Rabbits is to produce an involuntary reaction. Art moves us in many different ways; confusion and dread are profound emotions just like rapture and pity.
But if those emotions are integral to the work in some cases, perhaps they're a mere distraction in others. If you knew that your audience was dosed on paracetamol, you could count on them to appreciate even your most eldritch and fractured work in precise formalist terms, their responses unmuddied by primitive instincts from our evolutionary past.
Indeed, paracetamol abuse could spur artists to new extremes. When clubbers started taking ketamine, what followed was music even more cavernous and static than existing techno. Tomorrow's young gallery-goers, their limbic lobes numbed by swigs of calpol sizzurp, might demand ever more intense meaning threats, just to feel something. If a dACC-inhibitor even more potent than paracetamol is ever discovered, a sort of Modernist Singularity might follow, with art advancing on an unchecked exponential curve until we have revolutions and paradigm shifts on a weekly basis.
I tried taking a paracetamol myself before watching Painter on YouTube. I couldn't tell if it affected me any differently this time, and also I didn't make it all the way through the video, and also I have not yet been empowered to decide the fate of prostitutes or rioters (which is a shame because I would do an incredibly astute, Solomon-like job of it). So perhaps my little experiment would not pass peer review. But the next time I see some sickening art, I will be conscious that I am making a choice not to smooth out my response. Instead, like a woman in labour refusing an epidural, I will grit my teeth through the meaning threats, because that is the natural way. |
0.941396 | How stem cells can treat eye problems?
Currently, there is no treatment that slows the progression of age-related macular degeneration, which is the leading cause of vision loss in people over 65. An injection of stem cells into the eye may slow or reverse the effects of early-stage age-related disorder that causes vision loss, according to researchers.Age-related macular degeneration occurs when the small central portion of the retina, known as the macula, deteriorates. When animal models with macular degeneration were injected with induced neural progenitor stem cells, which derive from the more commonly known induced pluripotent stem cells, healthy cells began to migrate around the retina and formed a protective layer.This protective layer prevented ongoing degeneration of the vital retinal cells responsible for vision.
The stem cells could provide a much-needed alternative to current treatments, which either destroy much of the retina with a laser or require patients to receive an injection directly into their eyeball as often as monthly for the rest of their lives. The stem cells is a first step to demonstrate that you can use these stem cells to impact aspects of eye disease associated with diabetes.
An injection of stem cells into the eye may soon slow or reverse the effects of early-stage age-related macular degeneration. When animal models with macular degeneration were injected with induced neural progenitor stem cells, which derive from the more commonly known induced pluripotent stem cells, healthy cells began to migrate around the retina and formed a protective layer. This protective layer prevented ongoing degeneration of the vital retinal cells responsible for vision. Next steps included testing the efficacy and safety of the stem cell injection in preclinical animal studies to provide information for applying for an investigational new drug. From there, clinical trials will be designed to test potential benefit in patients with later-stage age-related macular degeneration.
Those who might benefit the most from this stem cell treatment are people who suffer from macular degeneration. To perform the stem cell transplant, researchers initially tested things out in blind mice. They injected stem cells into the rear of the eye. The stem cells were able to replace the damaged photoreceptors, which are small, important cells found in the retina. These photoreceptors are vital to your ability to see things and they are very sensitive to light. Interestingly enough, previous studies using stem cells had failed to restore sight. One reason for the problem relates to the choice of stem cells. In the most recent study, researchers used stem cells that were more mature than the ones previous researchers had used. The choice proved successful as the stem cells developed into photoreceptors and were able to join with the nerves that lead to the brain.
How to remove redness from eyelids?
Does Lupus Cause Eye Problems? |
0.957148 | Far eclipsing dreams, meditative states, and drug-induced experiences, a near-death experience (NDE) is one of the most radical and life-altering states of consciousness available to human beings. Though these experiences differ from person to person, they also come with a surprising uniformity across lines of cultures, gender, class, sexual orientation, age, and religious/spiritual beliefs.
An NDE typically begins with the knowledge that one has separated from their body. This is sometimes because the experiencer can actually see their body from a vantage point somewhere outside of it. Afterwards, they are able to describe what was going on around them and accurately recount the steps that were taken to resuscitate them. Other times a person may not see their body at all, but may still report feeling as if they have left it.
A sense of overwhelming peace, usually coupled with a feeling of immense love, is perhaps the most commonly reported characteristic of an NDE. It is this affective component of an NDE which is usually one of the most memorable and impactful on experiencers, regardless of which of the other nine components were present. It is important to note, however, that a small number of NDEs are experienced as distressing and terrifying instead of blissful.
Upon finding themselves outside of their body, the experiencer usually, but not always, begins to travel through some sort of space at a very high speed. They may report zooming out into outer space, past planets and stars, or more commonly, through a black void. Sometimes this darkness is described as tunnel-like, and the experiencer feels as though they are moving through some sort of tube, hallway, funnel, or swirl of clouds. Other times, however, it is simply described as a vast, empty space.
As the experiencer moves through the tunnel or the dark void, they usually spot a tiny point of light in the distance. This light is at first described as being no bigger than the head of a pin, but it grows in size as the experiencer gets closer and closer to it. It almost always has an extremely attractive quality about it, and experiencers often want nothing more than to get closer and enter into this indescribably beautiful light.
It is common for an experiencer to encounter deceased loved ones during an NDE, sometimes inside the light and sometimes before it. They may see family members and friends who have passed on before them, or even relatives that they had never known in life. Some experiencers report that they don't recognize the person who comes to meet them until much later, when they happen upon a photograph and realize that, for example, it was their great-grandfather.
Instead of -- or sometimes in addition to -- friends and family members, an experiencer may encounter spiritual beings. These beings are often described as being made of light and as exuding wisdom and love. More rarely, the experiencer encounters an identifiable religious figure, but it doesn't seem that devout Christians, for example, encounter Christ at much higher rates than non-Christians. Sometimes experiencers are surprised to see spiritual beings and imagery from outside of their culture or religion.
The life review, which often offers a detailed, panoramic view of a person's entire life, is one of the most impactful components of an NDE for many experiencers. Sometimes a life review simply takes one through their entire life up to the present moment in an objective manner. Usually, however, the emphasis of the life review seems to be on how the experiencer has treated other people throughout their life.
Reported in only a small portion of NDEs, there is nevertheless an interesting trend in which the experiencer enters into a beautiful otherworldly landscape, usually after going through the light described above. This landscape is almost always described as having the greenest grass, the bluest waters, and all sorts of stunning flowers in colors that cannot be found in the living world. Everything in this landscape is said to be alive and full of energy.
At some point during an NDE it is common for one to feel as if they are being imparted with knowledge about life and the universe. It is as if they suddenly understand everything and receive the answers to all of their questions before the question even takes shape in their mind. The truth about existence often seems simple, and many people feel as if they have known it before but had simply forgotten it while living their earthly lives. The knowledge, however, immediately begins to slip away as soon as the experiencer returns to their body.
NDEs rarely end in the abrupt manner that you would expect if they were simply dreams or hallucinations. Rather, the experiencer either makes a conscious choice to return to their body, usually for the sake of loved ones, or they are sent back by some other being or force. Experiencers sometimes report being told that that must "go back," even if they want nothing less than to return to a sick or broken body. The transition back into the body is usually painful and uncomfortable.
These 10 common characteristics of an NDE rarely occur in the order described above, and, in fact, they rarely occur all together. A typical NDE will consist of three or four of these components, but some experiencers do get to run through the whole gamut, especially if their situation is particularly dire. Every experience is unique, but taken all together, NDEs seem to point toward something truly wondrous lying just beyond life. |
0.986499 | Masai Mara Game Reserve Day Trip is a full day excursion from Nairobi to Masai mara Game reserve to see the big five animals in a day from any one of Nairobi hotels.
1. - 0400 Hours: The Masai mara game reserve day trip starts from your Nairobi hotel going through the Great Rift Valley floor and up the western escarpment into Loita plains.
2. - 0800 Hours: Arrive in the Masai mara game reserve and start your game drive in this unending savannah grasslands consisting of undulating plains and uninterrupted views.
Masai mara game reserve is located some 280km north west of Nairobi on the Loita plains.
The game reserve size is 1510sqkm and is only small part of the larger Serengeti ecosystem. The Masai mara game reserve has the highest plant biomass per square mile as compared to Serengeti.
Masai mara game reserve is home to more than 3 million animals and the greatest concentration of big predators including lions, leopards, hyenas, cheetahs, jackals, serval cats and others.
The game reserve is also home to some of the highest numbers of plains game including the elusive black rhinos.
Masai mara game reserve is the most popular national park in Kenya due to its abundance in wildlife and rich game drives as well as the annual wildebeest migration which sees 1.5 million wildebeests, zebras and gazelles migrate over 3,000km across two countries.
3. - 1000 Hours: Continue with your full day game drive looking for elusive animals like the leopards and rhinos. Observe the cheetahs taking a vantage point over your vehicles hood or the lions using the shade of your vehicle to escape the midday sun.
4. - 1300 Hours: Enjoy your packed lunch in the comfort of your car as you do your game drive.
5. - 1400 Hours: View the Wildlife in the plains and the hundreds of lion prides as you exit the park.
6. - 1500 Hours: Exit Masai Mara game reserve for your return journey back to Nairobi. |
0.901742 | Shakyamuni Buddha teaching. Chang Sheng-wen, Yunnan, ca. 1200.
Buddhism, a religion of Indian origin, has affected and been affected by Chinese culture, politics, literature and philosophy for almost two millenia. For a more generalized discussion of Chinese religion, see religion in China.
Buddhism arrived in China at the start of the 1st century from Central Asia by way of the Silk Road, the main trade route connecting China with the Middle East and India. References to early Chinese Buddhism in the histories, however, contain hagiographical elements and are not necessarily reliable or accurate. These include references to how Emperor Ming of Han dreamt of Buddha and the persecution of King Liu Ying, who was denounced and exiled for his religious beliefs. Nevertheless, historians generally agree that by the middle of the 1st century, the religion had penetrated to areas north of the Huai River. 67 saw Buddhism's official introduction to China with the coming of the two monks Moton and Chufarlan. In 68, under imperial patronage, they established the White Horse Temple (白馬寺) close to the imperial capital at Luoyang. By the end of the second century, a prosperous commuity had been settled at Pengcheng (modern Xuzhou, Jiangsu).
The front gate of a temple at Mt. Jiuhua in China's Anhui province.
The first Buddhist scripture to be written in Chinese was probably Sutra of Forty-two Sections (四十二章經), although its authenticity is a matter of debate. An Shigao, a Parthian Buddhist prince, arrived at the Han capital in 148 and was the first to initiate a systematic translation of Buddhist texts into Chinese. Traces of Buddhist iconography can also be seen in works of art from this period.
Nevertheless most of the Chinese gentry were indifferent to these Central Asian travelers and their religion. Not only was their religion unknown but much of it seemed alien and amoral to Chinese sensibilites. Concepts such as monasticism and individual spiritual enlightenment directly contradicted the core Confucian principles of family and emperor. Confucianism promoted social stability, order, strong families, and practical living. Chinese officials questioned how a monk's personal attainment of nirvana benefited the empire. Buddhism was less antithetical to Daoism, the other major religion of China, but at its core Daoism sought harmony with the natural world while Buddhism sought to master the inner world.
To thrive in China Buddhism had to transform itself into a system that could exist within the Chinese way of life. Thus obscure Indian sutras that advocated filial piety became core texts in China. Buddhism was made compatible with ancestor worship and participation in China's heirarchical system. Works were written arguing that the salvation of an individual was a benefit to that individual's society and family and monks thus contributed to the greater good.
Subsequent chaotic periods of Sixteen Kingdoms and Southern and Northern Dynasties changed the situation, resulting in state support of Buddhism. Most rulers and population of the Wu, Hu, and the Northern dynasties originated from more than ten distinct ethnic groups including either non-Han Chinese "barbarians", or Han Chinese after generations of "barbarian" influence. They did not propagate nor trust the combined philosophical concept of Confucianism and Daoism as zealously as their rivals in the south. Official support of Buddhism would eventually mould a new Chinese populace with a common ideology out of the diversely ethnic population, which would in turn consolidate these dynasties.
A triad of Buddha figures, Eastern Wei Dynasty (534-550).
It is instructive that Buddhism propagated faster in northern China than in the south. Social upheaval in northern China worked to break down cultural barriers between the elite ruling families and the general populace, in contrast to the south where elite clans and royal families firmly monopolized politics. Daoist and Confucian political ideology had long consolidated the political status of elite clans in the south. Support of another religion would have unknown and possibly adverse effects, for which these clans would not risk their privileges. Furthermore pro-Buddhist policy would not be backed by the bureaucracy, which had been staffed by members of the clans. Southern rulers were in weaker positions to strive for their legitimacy - some were even installed by the clans. It was not until the reign of Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty that saw the official support of Buddhism. Rebellion of Hou Jing near the end of Emperor Wu's reign wreaked havoc on the political and social privileges of the elite clans, which indirectly assisted the spread of Buddhism. But Buddhism spread pretty well in the peasant populace, both in the north and the south.
Arrivals of several prestigious monks in the early 5th century also contributed to the propagation of the religion and were welcomed by rulers of the Sixteen Kingdoms and Northern Dynasties. Fo Tu Teng was entrusted by the tyrant Shi Hu of Later Chao. Kumarajiva was invited by Lu Guang, the founder of Later Liang, and later by Yao Xing, second ruler of Later Qin. Biographies of these monks, among others, were the subject of the Memoirs of Eminent Monks.
The direct experiential impact of contact with practicing monks should not be underestimated. Confucianism had no equivalent to holy men — the archetypical best and brightest was a wise government minister, not a saint. Daoist priests were more immediate, but given to relativism and rarely strict or principled in their practice. A Buddhist was a different matter — here was someone in direct connection to a higher plane and you could meet him in person. It is notable that when another "foreign " religion, Nestorianism, sought to extol the virtues of one of its main benefactors they claimed he was so moral that "...even among the most pure and self-denying of the Buddhists, such excellence was never heard of;" (cf. Nestorian Stele). Through the actions and example of monks, Buddhists successfully laid claim to the high moral ground in society.
During the early Tang dynasty the monk Xuanzang journeyed to Nalanda in India and other important sites to bring back scriptures. He sought to expand influence of Mahayana over Theravada, though the Yogacara school he preferred differs significantly from the later Chinese Mahayana schools that developed such as Pure Land. The Tang capital of Chang'an became an important center for Buddhist thought. From there Buddhism spread to Korea, and Japanese embassies of Kentoshi helped gain footholds in Japan. Buddhist ideology began to merge with Confucianism and Daoism, due in part to the use of existing Chinese philosophical terms in the translation of Buddhist scriptures. Various Confucian scholars of the Song dynasty, including Zhu Xi (wg: Chu Hsi), sought to redefine Confucianism as Neo-Confucianism.
A Tang Dynasty Amitabha sculpture in the Hidden Stream Temple Cave, Longmen Grottoes, China.
The popularization of Buddhism in this period is evident in the many scripture-filled caves and structures surviving today. The Mogao Caves near Dunhuang in Gansu province, the Longmen Grottoes near Luoyang in Henan and the Yungang Grottoes near Datong in Shanxi are the most renowned of the Northern Dynasties. The Leshan Giant Buddha, carved out of a hillside in the 8th century during Tang Dynasty and looking down on the confluence of three rivers, is still the largest Buddha statue in the world. As a side note, duplications of Buddhist texts were considered to bring meritorious karma. Printing from individually carved wooden blocks (http://www.bl.uk/collections/treasures/diamond.html), from movable clay type and from movable metal type (http://www.korea-np.co.jp/pk/070th_issue/98111805.htm), proved much more efficient and eventually eclipsed hand copying. The Diamond Sutra of AD 868, a Buddhist scripture discovered in AD 1907 inside the Mogao Caves, was the first dated example of block printing.
Today the most popular form of Buddhism in both mainland China and Taiwan is the Western Pure Land school. Its central scripture, the Amitabha Sutra was first brought to China by An Shigao, circa 147, however the school did not become popular until later.
67: Buddhism officially came to China, with the two monks Moton and Chufarlan.
148: An Shigao, a Parthian prince and Buddhist monk, arrived in China and proceeded to translate many Buddhist works in to Chinese.
399-414: Faxian traveled from China to India, then returned to translate Buddhist works in to Chinese.
475: Bodhidharma arrives in China, where he will later found the Chan school at the Shaolin Temple.
500s: Chan adherents enter Vietnam from China.
600s: Xuanzang traveled to India, noting the persecution of Buddhists by Sasanka (king of Gouda, a state in north-west Bengal), before returning to Chang An in China to translate Buddhist scriptures.
671: Chinese Buddhist pilgrim I-Ching visited Palembang, the capital of the partly-Buddhist kingdom of Srivijaya, on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. He reported over 1000 Buddhist monks in residence.
841-846: Li Yan, also known as Emperor Wuzong of Tang China, reigns in China during the Tang Dynasty, one of three Chinese emperors to prohibit Buddhism.
When Buddhism moved to China it met a religiously sophisticated culture. As a result a number of Indian-transplant as well as Chinese-indigenous schools of Buddhism developed.
This page was last modified 03:09, 21 May 2005.
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0.999366 | Can Bourdain’s death please generate a conversation about alcoholism and not just befuddlement about his fantastic life countless people wish they had. Because you don’t. The travel, the breadth of his life, sure, maybe. What an experience-rich life. But this man on the move had to stop sometimes. No cameras, no action. Just himself. I do not presume to know him, but I do know addiction and it can be a fiercely critical companion that may take a back seat but lies in wait. It can tear us down and sometimes just won’t shut up — goading shame, self-loathing, and inviting emotional isolation.
We’ll be talking about depression and suicide for days now, with Kate Spade’s and Bourdain’s suicides, until another famous person with a seemingly magnificent life shocks us. Bourdain was a famous, beloved “bad boy” as one friend described him. He demonstrated a generosity of self. He cared deeply, it would seem, about injustice, and about the opiate addicted with whom he empathized. I’ve found, working with the addicted, both using and in recovery, that addicts/alcoholics are generally extremely sensitive souls.
A short clip of No Reservations host and star Anthony Bourdain when he came to South Carolina to get a taste of Gullah culture on St. Helena Island, SC.
Alcohol “works” for the alcoholic until it doesn’t. It promises and delivers what we seek from it for years, until it stops working. Yet still we want to drink like everybody else. Drinking is fun, right? It goes with culinary delights, correct? It enhances life, isn’t that so? Well, yes, and no. Certainly ultimately “no” if you have the malady, which quietly marches on and in time takes our joy, even our will to live and carry on and pretend we’re OK. We’re not OK. We are just good actors. He perhaps was one of the best. With alcoholism, we make rules by the way, to prove we have control. We also break those rules. We take life by the tail, but, dare I say, some weary of the show and let go.
Alcoholics minimize, deny, believe their drinking is under control, and refuse to connect the dots — that drinking for escape, relief or to solve problems is creating more problems, and is taking a toll on self-worth and perhaps cognition. The substance they are drinking for “a lift” is a depressant. The guilt, shame, powerlessness and depression can take us down.
Jo Ann Towle of Lexington is a certified intervention professional with a national practice helping people find treatment for addiction. |
0.871144 | Pickleball continues to gain in popularity. What can tennis learn from its growth?
When discussing the rising popularity of pickleball with others in the tennis industry, I’ve found that many are unsure about what, if anything, we should do in response. After seeing pickleball in practice, it’s clear to me that we can learn important lessons by examining what this sport appears to be doing so well.
First, pickleball players are eager to share their sport with others. My first direct experience with pickleball occurred while on a family vacation. During a walk through a park near our hotel, I noticed a group playing. As soon as I approached to get a closer look, a man greeted me with a warm smile and invited me to play. Since that trip, I have had the opportunity to drop in on pickleball groups in other states, and without exception players have quickly and wholeheartedly invited me to join them in playing. This enthusiastic willingness to let others join in on the fun certainly contributes to the increasing popularity of pickleball.
In addition, the way pickleball play is organized makes it easy to share with new players. Pickleball groups frequently use a “mixer”-style format on multiple courts, in which players who win move up a court while players who lose move down. If there are too many participants for the number of courts, players take turns sitting out matches. The mixer format is fluid in application and easily accommodates new players who happen to show up on any given day. Using this flexible format and having an eagerness to share the sport with others — often newcomers — helps in getting people to give it a shot.
But it is the immediate success players enjoy in pickleball that really matters. The ball travels slow enough and bounces low enough so even beginners of modest ability can keep the ball in play, which is what makes any racquet or paddle sport fun. This early gratification inspires new players to come back, but that’s not the only important takeaway. A subset of these new players anticipate that family, friends and acquaintances would also enjoy pickleball, partly because it is so easy to play. In turn, these players take the sport back home.
Consider the profound expansion in the number of pickleball players and sites in recent years, despite limited funding or organizational push. This expansion is the result of beginners having been warmly welcomed to try the sport at sites that use a flexible playing format, and they typically enjoy instant success. As a result, many of them take pickleball elsewhere to share with others.
Tennis has all of the pieces to replicate the success of pickleball. The mixer-style format is nothing new, low-compression and foam tennis balls allow players to rally successfully right away, and we have plenty of players who love sharing tennis with others.
If we thoughtfully assemble these pieces and pay close attention to the ball used for beginners, tennis is capable of similar success. Let’s give it a try.
Kevin Theos is the USTA Southern Section TSR for Alabama. He is a longtime USPTA pro and is the former executive director of the Birmingham Area Tennis Association. |
0.934597 | Does anyone know if it's possible to get a feed of a given user's comments (or just your own) in Dreamwidth?
Context: I want to comment here more, which means I would like to set up a Beeminder goal for doing so, and those work a lot better if they're automatic (i.e. I want to connect the feed of my comments, on anyone's journal, to Beeminder so that it adds a datapoint to the goal whenever I write a comment). I don't mind using IFTTT to do the connecting. I can also see valid and obvious privacy reasons why this wouldn't be available, but maybe it does?
Disclaimer: using external tools to make me communicate more with humans might feel weird and artificial, but -- *handwaves in ADHD* -- that's how my brain works. Sometimes. When it does. |
0.930001 | Austrian Airlines has overcome a series of labor disputes in recent years, with its high level of service intact. In 2017, the Lufthansa-owned carrier, once again, took home the prize for Best Airline Staff Service in Europe. The Austrian flag carrier boasts a fleet of newly renovated long-haul Boeing 767-300ER and 777-200 jets flying out of its base in Vienna. Economy fliers gave the Star Alliance member high marks for its efficient and effective service, as well as for the wealth of onboard dining and entertainment options.
Book tickets conveniently online! Discover the charming way to fly. Mobile Booking & Check-In. Miles & More Miles. DO & CO à la Carte. Services: Web Check-in, Worldwide Airport-Lounges.
Austrian Airlines AG, sometimes shortened to Austrian, is the flag carrier of Austria and a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group. The airline is headquartered on the grounds of Vienna International Airport in Schwechat where it also maintains its hub.
Is Austrian Airlines a member of Star Alliance?
Austrian Airlines is part of the Lufthansa Group, Europe's largest airline group, and a member of the Star Alliance, the first global alliance of international airlines. |
0.794912 | What is your preferance for snare ring?
I often switch and experiment with different forms of muffling depending on which snare I'm using.
Depends on what im playing. If im playing fast metal music with lots of blast beats in it i use my 14x5.5 steel shell snare tightened up to the last with no muffling atall so there is a lot of ring. But if im playing grind core metal i have the same snare tuend a bit looser and i use a remo ring on it.
If im playing slow rock i use a 14x6.5 stell shell snare (its not mine) that isnt tightened too tight and i muffel it aswell.
Depends on the music style and preference.
I find that using a little ring sounds best!
What I've found works great for all of my snare drums is using the plastic ring (only) of a Remo Muff'l underneath the batter head of the snare drum, and then using the 1" wide foam ring (from the same Muff'l) to rest freely inside the drum on the bottom snare head.
This method takes about half of the ring out of the batter head, and eliminates some of the ring and buzz from the bottom snare head for a perfect "little ring" sound without choking the drum.
When I play live i like a lot of ring cos it just helps it cut thru the mix but when i'm practicing i take a bit of ring out just because i'm playing alot quieter and the ring is to intense. I no longer use muffling cos i can tune my snare well enough to control it.
The rule of thumb I have learned is to keep the ring in your snare. The more ring and overtone you have the better the snare will cut through the mix in a live un-mic'd situation which some people have to do.
If you do have a concert where you are close mic'd you might want to control the ring a bit but don't completely remove it or you have a flat dull sounding drum.
The more ring the more cut.Remember when you are playing live and you have guitars,bass,vocals maybe keys the fist thing to go is snare ring.You wont really be able to tell if the snare is too ringy.If you start with a flat muffled snare in the end with the rest of the band you ar going to have a very flat muffled dull sounding snare.
Ring, ring, ring....Hello? Yeah, Sup, It's Ring. True.
One day I want a staccato CRACK!
The next day I go for a tight riny pingy steel sound.
What snare do you use when you want a ringy pingy sound out of your snare?What heads/tuning/size/depth?
Well, I find that a steel shell rings the most. I have several snares though.
My Chad Smith (Steel)with a Remo Coated CS bottom dot head. Tuned ala Stewart Copeland will ring for days.
My Steve Ferrone (Brass) with Diecast hoops and a regular Coated Ambassador tuned kind of medium has a very nice focused ring to it.
My BRX 5.5x14 with a Remo Suede head has a very nice ring when tuned to a higher pitch.
I just played aEric Singer snare today that had a great ring to it.
I have also used a Olcheltre Phantom Steel snare 6x14 thick shell, that almost made me deaf.
I am considering a Paiste/Olchetre snare next or a copper shell. I am trying to find a manufacturer to make me a 5 mil copper shell snare.
Have you ever contacted Mr. Dunnett from Dunnett Drum Co. (http://www.dunnett.com/)? Although he does not like to make thick shells, he will do it if someone wants it (and for a price). He is a very respected man and only uses the finest for his instruments (you might have heard about his titanium snares) that all come with Nickel Drumworks Piston-drive strainers.
I'd rather let the song or project determine the approach I take on my snare muffling . . . within reason.
If someone wants a dead, thuddy sound I can give it to them and if they want a bright, pingy sound I got that too! As long as I have the opportunity to address the sound myself, I'm okay. I might have a problem if someone helps themselves to my drums without my permission (it happens) but I'm there to get the job done.
i like it wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide open, let the true character of the drum show.
Yes, if the snare is loud i prefer no ringing, but if it isnt very loud a like it to ring a little so it cuts better.
Obviously it depends on whether you play your snare primarily for practice, recording or live performance.
My kit is for practice only at the moment, so I go for as little ring as possible. I also have a fairly resonant space to play my kit in, so the more muffled, the better IMO.
The ideal would be to have a nice loud open ring (unmuffled) for optimum live sound but a good temporary muffling system for when you just wanna jam at home. I find a fabric ring works really well for this purpose.
For me, loud and lots of ring for rock music. Little muffling for jazz, having little ring makes it musical, but not too much ring to interfere with songs.
Mind, I'm playing a Pearl Soprano - which is just SO easy to tune....lob the head on, tighten it up - whack it - 'yeah....that sounds good'. Job done.
I wouldn't ever stifle the drums' natural sound.
I adjust both the pitch and amount of ring to the gig. I played a Rock gig last week and played all my MRXs wide open.
Usually I'm doin' electric blues, so I'll use moongels to control the sound as needed always keeping some ring in the snare.
If you want all those things in one snare, I suggest you go for a second-hand Ludwig 400.
I've just got one and it is an awesome beast!
It has everything - and is apparently the most recorded drum ever!
i use very little muffling. Just a small piece of duct tape (about 1x1") at the edge of the head right before the hoop. i'm very pleased with the sound out of my snare, it's a 5x14" maple FF.
i like the ring, but not quite as much as it comes naturally, and i can make it vary by different tunings.
if im in the studio, i prefer no ring, but w/ the band, i use my 14x3 piccolo, and even though it has no muffling, it has no ring cause of the head, its tuned TIGHT.. both heads, for a loud crack!
ii'm very pleased with the sound out of my snare, it's a 5x14" maple FF.
Dude- what heads are you using on the maple FF? I have the same, but slightly deeper shell, and I havent used the maple shell in ages (steel seems easier to tune and doesnt ring anywhere near as much as the maple). Does anyone else get huge rings from maple shells? I am not averse to ringing, but this thing is like a church bell.
I also have a Ludwig 400 and agree that is one of the most versitile snare drums. I own five snare drums and the Ludwig is the only snare I have used now for months. It is perfect both live and in the studio, an so easy to tune!
I've got a mapex pro 14"x5" as my main snare with no dampening, which gives just a bit of ring when tuned high.
For other sounds I've got a tama soprano piccolo 12"x5.5" which either has an o-ring on for ultra tight poppy sounds, or no dampening for really ringy drum'n'bass type sounds.
I like ring, lots os tone to it. I have a 5x14 Copper Free Floater. I tune it medium-tight with no muffling and a 2 ply head. I like a lot of ring honestly.
This snare will ring towards the edge and be dry in the center.
It is a Conoway Custom 12x7. I had it made with a thin shell to add some body and tone to the pop and crack you get with a 12" snare. This snare has a tons of crack and pop. I go more for the pop. The crack happens more at a higher tension.
I've also added a Yamaha Russ Miller Wedge since cross stick sounds wimpy on a 12".
[B I no longer use muffling cos i can tune my snare well enough to control it.
I use a cruddy CB 5.5x14 snare that i crank up all the way until i cant possabily turn it any more.
For My ska band i hit tons of rim shots ( i love rim shots) and let the snare ring.
For my stoner rock band i put one of those rem-o things on it.
I don't like any snare ring, I like my snare to crack with quick snare decay. I tune my snare high and dampen both heads with a narrow strip of felt in line with the snare chain. I get a quick crack sound and my crossticking gives a good woody sound without turning the stick around. If the band plays at a sensible volume on stage (under 95 decible, let the PA deliver the volume to the audience) then the drums "cutting through" isn't an issue.
The only thing muted on my kit is my Bass Drum.
I like for my snare to have a sharp cracking sound, but it's also good to have a little ring too so I let it ring a tad.
i like a good amount of ring, but if it interferes with a good sound then I will change the head setup. I still use a regualar Evans G2 on my old lugwig for a wide open semi dry ring and I use an evans hd dry on my main snare for controled ring.
what Pearl line did this snare come from? I'm contemplating the same size in MW, but it doesn't look like it can be done, and Carl is on vacation, so I won't know until next week.
on the Pearl drums website. I believe it is an effects snare. |
0.999517 | I have a 40-gallon electric water heater. It has triggered my upper thermostat reset button twice. What causes this?
When the reset switch goes off on an electric water heater, it generally means the element or the thermostat has gone bad. Elements can be tested by removing the wires from the element and putting an ohm test on the leads. Testing should be done only by a qualified service technician. You should not attempt to work with high-voltage unless you are familiar with all of the proper lock-out tag-out procedures and are qualified to work with electricity, as it can cause death or serious injury.
Both the element and the thermostat should be replaced at the same time, but first consider the age of the water heater. The life expectancy of most water heaters is 15 years. If the water heater is more than 10 years old, the labor cost of replacing the elements is about the same as the installation costs of a new electric water heater. You will pay for the water heater, but you will recoup some of the loss in energy savings over the next 10 years. |
0.999522 | Drew Doughty (born December 8, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who currently plays for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected second overall by the Kings in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, following a standout junior career with the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), where he was twice voted the league's top offensive defenceman. He made his NHL debut in 2008 as an 18-year-old and was named to the All-Rookie Team. He has represented Canada four times internationally, winning a gold medal at the 2008 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, where he was named the tournament's top defenceman, and a silver at the 2009 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships. The youngest player on the team, he won a gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics He was a finalist for the Norris Trophy as the top defenceman in 2010 and was a member of the Stanley Cup winning Kings team in 2012.
Following a strong training camp, Doughty made the Kings opening day roster to start the 2008–09 NHL season, one of eight 18-year-olds to do so across the league. Earning a spot on the Kings roster overwhelmed Doughty, who did not expect to play in the NHL so quickly. He made his NHL debut on October 11, 2008 against the San Jose Sharks, and scored his first goal on October 20 against the Colorado Avalanche. The Kings had the option of returning him to junior without using up one year of his rookie contract if they did so before he played his tenth NHL game. However, they chose to keep him on the roster for the season.
Doughty improved to 59 points in his sophomore season of 2009–10 and finished third in the league in scoring amongst defencemen. He was named to the second all-star team and was named a finalist for the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenceman. His coach, Terry Murray, praised Doughty for his improvement during the season. Doughty helped lead the Kings into the playoffs for the first time since 2002, though they lost their first round series to the Vancouver Canucks.
In the 2011/12 season, Doughty was elevated into a role where he was expected to shut down the opposition's top forwards, forcing him to focus more on his defensive play than his offensive. Consequently, Doughty's 36 points on the season was his lowest total in three years. He was the top-scoring defenceman in the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, however, recording 16 points in 20 games to help the Kings win the first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history. Doughty was praised as the top player for either team in the final series, a six-game victory over the New Jersey Devils.
Both P.K. Subban and Drew Doughty will be looking to add to their respective trophy cabinets this month, after both were named finalists for the Norris Trophy back in mid-April. For Doughty, it will be the 4th time he has been nominated for the prestigious award (he won it 2016), handed out to the top defenseman of the year. In 2017-18, the London-native played in all 82 games for the Los Angeles Kings, leading the league in average ice-time (26:50) while also registering a new career-high in points (60). Subban, who won the award back in 2013, is being nominated for the 3rd time in his career, and is looking to become to the first Predator to claim the trophy. He also had an excellent season, tallying a career-high 16 goals while registering 59 points.
For more on Subban and Doughty, check out the nhl.com article here.
Perennial Norris Trophy candidate Drew Doughty is once again in the mix for NHL’s top prize for defensemen, after a fantastic 2017-18 campaign. The 28-year-old All-star is in the midst of one of his best statistical seasons in the NHL, while leading his Los Angeles Kings back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Through 80 games this year, the London, Ontario-native has set a new high in assists with 49, while equaling his career-best for points with 59.
For more on Doughty, check out the nhl.com article here.
Drew Doughty was named the 1st star of the game last night, guiding the Los Angeles Kings to an overtime defeat of the Minnesota Wild. With the win, the Kings catapulted themselves into 3rd place in the Pacific Division with 9 games left on the schedule. Doughty finished the contest with 3 points (including an assist on the game-tying goal late in the 3rd period) and a game-high 5 hits. The London-native has been hot of late, with 9 assists in his last 5 games.
For more on Doughty and last night’s game, check out the nhl.com recap here.
Drew Doughty registered his 400th point along with his 300th assist last night, as the Los Angeles Kings’ cruised to a 5-2 defeat of the Edmonton Oilers. The talented defenseman would finish the game with 2 assists, 3 shots on net, 2 hits and a +2 rating. The London-native is only the 2nd Kings defenseman ever to reach both milestones. For the season, Doughty has tallied 39 points (8 goals, 31 assists) a +17 rating and 4 game-winning goals in 53 games.
For more on Doughty and last night’s game, keep reading the nhl.com recap here.
Drew Doughty played a vital role in his team’s win last night, tallying 2 assists in a 2-1 defeat of the Calgary Flames. The 28-year-old defenseman, who will be heading to his 4th All-star game in February, also added 3 shots on net and 3 blocked shots in the victory, while leading all skaters in ice time (27:47). The London-native currently ranks in the top 5 for defensemen in a plethora of categories including points (35), assists (28), game-winning goals (4), TOI/GP (27:13) and shifts/GP (31.9).
For more on Doughty and last night’s game, keep reading the nhl.com story here.
Drew Doughty feels as though he has taken his game to another level this year, despite already being considered one the best players in the league. The 28-year-old defenseman is a two-time Stanley Cup Champion and a recent Norris Trophy winner, but that has not stopped him from staying humble and continuing to improve. Through 42 games, the London-native has 30 points (7 goals, 23 assists), ranks 2nd in the NHL in +/- (+21) and has four game-winning goals.
For more on Doughty, keep reading the nhl.com story here.
Drew Doughty was a key contributor to the Los Angeles Kings’ 5-2 win over the Minnesota Wild last night, tallying 3 assists in the contest. The 27-year-old star defenseman also led his team in ice-time (25:49) and finished the game with a +1 rating. The 2015-16 Norris Trophy winner has been one of the top defenseman through the first quarter of the season, positioning himself in the top 5 in a plethora of categories. The London-native currently sits 3rd amongst defenseman in points (22), 4th in assists (18), 2nd in plus/minus (+14), 3rd in TOI/GP (26:54) and 2nd in shifts per game (31.89).
Drew Doughty tallied 2 assists last night, as the Los Angeles Kings defeated the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 4-1. The London, Ontario-native is in the midst of a 3-game point streak, where he has 4 assists and plus/minus rating of +3. For the season, the Norris Trophy-winning defenseman has registered an impressive 18 points (4 goals, 14 assists) in 25 games, and is second in the league in ice-time per game (26:58).
Drew Doughty continued his clutch play of late last night, scoring a shorthanded, game-winning goal in the Los Angeles Kings’ 3-2 defeat of the New York Islanders. It was the second consecutive game that the All-star defenseman’s has tallied a game-winner, and his 3rd consecutive game with at least a point. Doughty has been an integral part of the Kings’ hot start to the season, registering 5 points (2 goals, 3 assists) and a +6 rating through the team’s first 5 games.
As Drew Doughty goes, so go the fortunes of the Los Angeles Kings. There may be no team in the league that relies more heavily on one player, with the London, Ontario-native logging more minutes than any other player in the NHL over the last 3 seasons. In that span, the 2015-2016 Norris Trophy winner also has a league best +1269 Corsi ranking in 5-on-5 situations. Last season, Doughty led his team in plus/minus, minutes logged, and points by a defenseman.
Drew Doughty was named the third star last night, as the Los Angeles Kings hung on to defeat the Anaheim Ducks, 3-2. The 2016 James Norris Memorial Trophy winner was a beast on both sides of the ice, leading all skaters with 26:22 of ice-time while also registering 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist) 4 shot on net and 3 blocked shots. The star defenseman currently ranks 1st in the league in shifts per game (33.5) and 4th in time of ice (27:04).
Drew Doughty chipped in with 2 assists on Saturday night, in Team Canada’s 5-2 win over the U.S.A. It was a nice, bounce back win for the Canadian contingent after having dropped their first pre-tournament game to the American squad on Friday. Doughty had a solid game on both sides of the ice, finishing the game with a +2 rating and 20:05 of ice time. He would go on to be named the 2nd star of the contest.
For more on Doughty and Canada’s win, check out the ice.wch2016 story here.
Third time proved to be the charm for Drew Doughty on Wednesday, as the stalwart Los Angeles Kings defenseman claimed his first career Norris Trophy. The London, Ontario-native had twice before been nominated as a finalist for the award, handed out to the NHL’s best defenseman. The two-time Stanley Cup Champion put it all together this year, ranking at or near the top in a number of categories. He led all D-men in 5-on-5 shot attempts percentage at 58.89, and the Kings were a whopping +537 in shot attempts with him on the ice.
For more on Doughy, keep reading the nhl.com story here.
Erik Karlsson and Drew Doughty have been selected as 2 of the 3 finalists for this year’s Norris Trophy, handed out to the “defensive player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in that position." Karlsson was the offensive standout of the group, leading all defensemen in points (82) and placing 1st overall among all skaters in assists with 66. Doughty placed 9th among D-men in scoring with 51 points but his real strength was on the defensive end of the ice, where he led the Los Angeles Kings to the 3rd best goals allowed mark in the league.
For more on the Norris Trophy battle, check out the nhl.com story here.
Drew Doughty is by all accounts having a stellar 2015-2016 campaign, and according to the coach of the league-leading Washington Capitals, the London, Ontario-native has been the NHL’s best defenseman. The perennial All-star is currently in the top-10 in a plethora of categories among D-men, including shifts (1st), time of ice per game (3rd), plus/minus (6th), power play points (6th), goals (9th) and points (10th).
For more on Doughty, check out the sportsnet.ca story here.
Drew Doughty scored a goal and added an assist last night, as the Los Angeles Kings steamrolled the Boston Bruins by a score of 9-2. The 26-year-old All-star defenseman finished the game with 2 points, a plus/minus rating of +3 and logged a game-high 27:21 of ice-time. The London, Ontario-native is currently riding a 5-game point streak, tallying 3 goals and 4 assists in that span.
As the NHL gears up for the second half of the season, Erik Karlsson and Drew Doughty have distinguished themselves as frontrunners for the Norris Trophy. Karlsson has been far and away the best offensive D-man in 2015-16, leading all defensemen in points (45) and assists (36). The Swedish superstar also leads the way in ice-time, averaging 28:35 per contest. Doughty meanwhile has been integral to the Los Angeles Kings return to supremacy in the Western Conference. The 26-year-old defensive stalwart currently ranks 1st in shifts per game (34) and 3rd in ice-time (27:59), plus/minus (+16), and game winning goals (3).
For more on Karlsson and Doughty, check out the nhl.com article here.
Drew Doughty scored a goal and added an assist last night, guiding the Los Angeles Kings to a convincing, 3-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens. The perennial Norris Trophy candidate also led all skaters in ice time (25:06) and chipped in with 3 hits and 2 blocked shots. He would eventually be named the second star of the contest. Through 31 games, the 26-year-old defenseman has 19 points (5 goals, 14 assists) and a plus/minus rating of +11.
Madison Bowey is just months away from making his professional debut with either the Washington Capitals or their AHL affiliate the Hershey Bears, and expectations are high for the 20-year-old defenseman. The Winnipeg-native models his game after one of the NHL’s best in Drew Doughty, and is ready to show off his high skill set in the upcoming Capitals training camp. Bowey had an outstanding season in 2014-15, helping Team Canada to a gold medal in the World Junior Championships, before captaining the Kelowna Rockets to a WHL title and a spot in the Memorial Cup.
For more on Bowey, check out the nhl.com piece here.
Erik Karlsson managed to fend off both Drew Doughty and P.K. Subban on Wednesday night, capturing his 2nd career Norris Trophy in the process. He becomes just the third player in NHL history to win two Norris trophies before the age of 26, joining hall-of-famers Booby Orr and Denis Potvin. The Swedish dynamo received 964 votes, just ahead of fellow D-men Drew Doughty (889) and P.K. Subban (801).
For more on Karlsson, check out the nhl.com piece here.
After another extraordinary season saw Drew Doughty win a second Olympic gold medal and Stanley Cup ring, the electrifying D-man has gained appreciation amongst his peer group, too. A recently conducted NHL player poll had the 24-year old star ranked 3rd overall in the league, and 1st among defensemen. With this kind of recognition, it seems like only a matter of time before the London-native captures his first ever James Norris Memorial Trophy.
For more on Doughty, keep reading the rantsports.com article here.
The Los Angeles finally found a way to beat Henrik Lundqvist, scoring off of a rebound in double overtime to claim the Stanley Cup. The Swedish goalie did everything he could to force a 6th game back in New York, stopping 48 of the 51 shots he faced. In the end it was breakout star Tyler Toffoli who took the shot that led to the game-winning goal. Drew Doughy had a big game for the Kings, assisting on a goal while playing a team-leading 41:21 of ice-time. Jarret Stoll also chipped in with an assist on the first goal of the game.
For more on Friday night's cup-clinching game, keep reading the nhl.com recap here.
Down 2-0 to the New York Rangers, The Los Angeles Kings came all the way back to clinch a 3-2, overtime victory in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Mike Richards played an instrumental role on the winning goal, delivering a perfect pass for his teammate to slot home, while Drew Doughty set the wheels in motion in the second period, scoring a highlight reel goal to tie the game at 2-2.
For more on the Kings’ dramatic win, keep reading the nhl.com recap here.
Drew Doughty has been getting a lot of praise lately, to the point where his teammates have been comparing him to one of the all-time greats: Nicklas Lidstrom. Still just 24-years-old, the Toronto-native has already earned a Stanley Cup ring (2011-12) and two Olympic gold medals (2010, 2014). He has been nothing short of exceptional in these 2014 Playoffs, anchoring the L.A. Kings defense on another Cup run.
For more on Doughty, check out the sports.yahoo.com story here.
With the Conference Semifinals now in full swing, the talk has turned to potential Conn Smythe winners with Drew Doughty and P.K. Subban leading the conversation. The two Olympic gold medalists have anchored their respective team from a defensive and offensive standpoint, both leading their teams in ice-time and contributing in all facets of the game. Doughty has an impressive +7 rating with one goal and nine assists, while Subban leads his team in scoring with twelve points (4 goals, 8 assists) in just 14 games played.
For more on Doughty and Subban, keep reading the espn.com article here.
The Los Angeles Kings are up 2-0 in their Second Round Playoff Series with the Anaheim Ducks, and a big part of the story has been the resilience of Drew Doughty, who has been a pillar of strength on the Kings blue line. Through two games the Ducks have been limited to 3 goals, and the 24-year-old star has been a big part of the defensive effort, averaging almost 30 minutes of ice time a game and compiling a plus/minus of +4.
Drew Doughty and Tyler Toffoli both scored, as the Los Angeles Kings beat the San Jose Sharks 5-1 to advance to the 2nd round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Down 3-0 in the series, the Kings came all the way back, winning four consecutive matches to advance. Doughty scored a power play goal early in the second period to tie the game, and went on to be named the game’s third star. Toffoli meanwhile scored an important insurance goal in the 3rd period to put the game out of reach. It was the young star’s 3rd goal of the series, good for 7th overall in the playoffs thus far.
For more on last night’s game, keep reading the latimes.com article here.
Defenseman Drew Doughty was named the first star last night, as his Los Angeles Kings defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins, 3-2. The Olympic gold medalist and all-star scored the go-ahead goal in the third period, his second game-winning goal of the season. He also led all skaters in ice time with 25:59 played.
Team Canada found a way to sneak by the Finnish squad, Sunday, and once again Drew Doughty was the hero, scoring both of Canada’s goals in a 2-1, overtime victory. With the score tied 1-1 at the end of regulation, Doughty decided to take matters into his own hands, slotting home the winner at the 2:32 mark of overtime. It was the Ontarian’s 4th goal of the tournament, the most by a defenseman in the competition thus far.
For more on Doughty, check out the thestar.com story here.
Team Canada got off to a good start, Thursday, defeating the Norwegians 3-1. Defenseman Drew Doughty was one of the stars of the game, scoring a goal and adding an assist in the victory. After Norway had closed the gap to 2-1 early in the third period, Doughty scored the all-important insurance goal, splitting through two Norwegian defenders before backhanding a shot into the top corner.
For more on Team Canada’s opening game, check out the nhl.com article here.
Coming off an incredible Stanley Cup run, the beginning to the L.A. Kings 2012-13 season was, as some expected, a trifle underwhelming. However, with 13 days left in the season and this year’s playoffs looming, you can now safely say that the Kings are locked in, and star players like Mike Richards and Drew Doughty are leading the charge.
Both players are getting hot at exactly the right time. Since the beginning of the month of April, Richards has recorded a point in each of his last 6 games while Doughy has scored in 4 of the last five.
The team as a whole reflects these clutch performances. After a slow start the Kings now sit 4th in the Western Conference, having gone 6-2-2 in their last ten games. |
0.942695 | Write a review on Axion-Pharma MD1T!
MD1T is a potent combination of 17alpha methyl-17beta-hydroxy-andros (1-ene-3-one) aka Methyl 1-Testosterone and 17a-methyl-17beta-hydroxyestra-4,9(10)dien-3-one in one capsule.
I am 23 days into this cycle and have had the worst side effects. I have been more irritable, started losing hair and growing extra hair in the wrong places, and my testicles shrunk dramatically. I was also extremely lethargic the first 2 weeks. I read that this can be due to liver toxicity. I didn't load milk thistle or anything before starting the cycle. I also got bad acne the first 2 weeks.
On the positive side (and the only reason I have stayed on the cycle) I have gained 15 pounds. I imagine at least half of it is water weight. My strength has increased in every lift by at least 20%. My run time has dropped considerably due to the extra weight.
I started with two pills for the first three weeks and have increased to three pills now that I have built up a tolerance. At 30 days I am going to start a PCT (Novadex XT likely) while still on the cycle.
All in all this is a great product for lean muscle mass gains. However, the gains come with some side effects.
makes you a little tired or it might just be me. i started using this product and gained 5 lbs in the first week then i didnt gain anything the 2nd and gained 1 pound the 3rd week. use for 4 weeks then start a pct. Not too strong where you will have to have a serm on your pct. Its overall good but everyone wants that magic pill to get you huge but that just aint the case. work hard and youll get there. |
0.994547 | To work on low-level, high-performance, intellectually stimulating software development projects.
C/C++, Java, Perl, shell scripting, SQL, Python, R, LaTeX.
ant, Apache, bind, Cognos BI, CiviCRM, CXF, Drupal, emacs, gcc, gdb, git, junit, m4, make, mysql, postfix, rsync, sendmail, spring, SQL Server, svn, Sybase IQ, tomcat.
HTTP, SMTP, DNS, LDAP, firewall configuration (Netscreen/Juniper), iptables.
Linux (Redhat, Debian, SuSE), Mac OS X, Windows.
I started my career at KAYAK by building low-level components for Java web applications (configuration, logging, error handling, servlet lifecycle event listeners, and such). I also authored KAYAK's first build and deployment framework, which scaled by a factor of 30x before we had to rearchitect it.
Architected KAYAK's data warehouse, and the surrounding ETL processes. This system loads ~ 40 million rows/day into 43 fact tables. As of last count, our data warehouse contained 18 billion rows and a couple terabytes of data. I've also learned a lot of database tuning tricks, to get efficient query execution on large tables.
Built a piece of middleware called "Business Broker". Business Broker (aka "BB") is a Java web service that automates data exchange between Salesforce.com, Doubleclick, KAYAK's internal ad engine, and our data warehouse. This automation has significantly improved the efficiency of KAYAK's commercial team.
Finally, I've done the usual set of things that you'd expect employee #9 at a startup company to do: firewall and VPN configuration, Linux administration, Drupal development, submitting bug fixes to open-source projects, babysitting httpd, bind, MySQL, and a variety of different mail delivery subsystems.
Why is my title "Reverse Engineer"? It's a play on words: I like to tinker with things to figure out how they work, and I'm a fairly proficient debugger.
Designed, implemented, and tested low-level component libraries for use by business units across Intuit.
Established a standard Apache build for use throughout Intuit, including source modifications to meet specialized business needs.
Responsible for administration and configuration of 60+ Solaris machines in 6 deployment environments.
Wrote a collection of tools for harvesting and analysis of application logfile data. (Gathering business data, operational performance, state-flow analysis). These tools were used to process 4-6 GB of log data per day.
Served as a member of the development team for QuickBooks Site Solutions. Wrote APIs for domain registration and domain management. Managed domain name renewals for 75,000 web sites.
Recorded, mixed, and/or mastered several hundred recording projects, done in collaboration with a wide range of clients.
Provided creative assistance to recording clients.
Involved in the diagnosis, troubleshooting, and repair of studio equipment.
Assisted in design and installation of facility upgrades.
Performed additional duties such as billing, inventory management, and client relations.
Work environment is almost entirely project-based, tailored to individual client needs, goals, and schedules.
Held the responsibility of maintaining the quality of the on-air signal and keeping station logs during weekend overnights.
Screened, prepared, and cataloged regularly-aired syndicated shows; varying from 15 - 30 hours of material per week.
Produced and scheduled promotional spots, participated in fundraising events, and took part in the administration of WUMB's audio servers.
Awarded PhD in Computer Science.
Dissertation: Precisely Serializable Snapshot Isolation.
My dissertation involved the development of algorithms to achieve full serializability under snapshot isolation. I did two implementations: a prototype tiny database that was written from scratch and implemented a small subset of SQL (basic CRUD), and a "real" implementation using MySQL's InnoDB storage engine.
Attended 1/2001 - 5/2003. Final Graduate CGPA: 3.93.
Awarded MS in Computer Science.
Graduate Project: "Mayan Translation Assistant", a java GUI application written to assist users in identifying Mayan Hieroglyphs. The Mayan Translation Assistant was an image matching application with a snazzy Swing interface.
Attended 5/1998 - 12/2000. Final Undergrad CGPA: 3.98.
Awarded Major Certificate in Computer Science (BA equivalent for math and CS courses).
Attended 9/1989 - 12/1992. Final CGPA: 3.85.
Awarded BM in Music Production and Engineering.
Attended 9/1988 - 5/1989. CGPA: 3.94.
Member, Arlington Zoning Recodification Working Group. (September 2016 - February 2018) Member of a working group to recodify Arlington's Zoning Bylaws. The recodification was passed by a special town meeting on Feb 12, 2018.
Submitted and tested patches for several open source software products, including tomcat, mod_jk, GNU findutils.
Member of ACM and SIGMOD.
Completed Fagan Defect-Free Training Process from Michael Fagan Associates.
Comfortable working with large bodies of code.
Comfortable working in distributed computing environments.
Good written and verbal communication skills. Excellent organizational skills.
At KAYAK, I interacted heavily with the Business Operations and Finance teams. I speak reasonably fluent finance.
I used to be a pretty decent guitar player. I don't play much these days, but I can still bang out the guitar riffs to Smoke on the Water and White Room.
Years ago, I did sound design and editing for the CD-ROM Tom Peters Career Survival Guide. It was the most fun you could possibly have with a condenser microphone and bag full of fortune cookies.
Ported JDK 1.1.7 and Swing 1.1 API documentation to the Classic Macintosh platform. Sun kept this up on their website for years; Oracle took it down. This was my first non-trivial shell scripting project.
This page was last modified on 24 February 2019, at 22:26. |
0.999835 | Once again, the Game Developers Conference is almost upon us! GDC 2018 promises to be an awesome event, chock full of great opportunities for us to learn and grow as video game music composers. I always look forward to the comprehensive sessions on offer in the popular GDC audio track, and for the past few years I've been honored to be selected as a GDC speaker. Last year I presented a talk that explored how I built suspense and tension through music I composed for such games as God of War and Homefront: The Revolution. This year, I'm tremendously excited that I'll be presenting the talk, "Music in Virtual Reality." The subject matter is very close to my heart! Throughout 2016 and 2017, I've composed music for many virtual reality projects, some of which have hit retail over the past year, and some of which will be released very soon. I've learned a lot about the process of composing music for a VR experience, and I've given a lot of thought to what makes music for VR unique. During my GDC talk in March, I'll be taking my audience through my experiences composing music for four very different VR games –the Bebylon: Battle Royale arena combat game from Kite & Lightning, the Dragon Front strategy game from High Voltage Software, the Fail Factory comedy game from Armature Studio, and the Scraper: First Strike Shooter/RPG from Labrodex Inc. I'll talk about some of the top problems that came up, the solutions that were tried, and the lessons that were learned. Virtual Reality is a brave new world for game music composers, and there will be a lot of ground for me to cover in my presentation!
In preparing my talk for GDC, I kept my focus squarely on composition techniques for VR music creation, while making sure to supply an overview of the technologies that would help place these techniques in context. With these considerations in mind, I had to prioritize the information I intended to offer, and some interesting topics simply wouldn't fit within the time constraints of my GDC presentation. With that in mind, I thought it would be worthwhile to include some of these extra materials in a couple of articles that would precede my talk in March. In this article, I'll explore some theoretical ideas from experts in the field of VR, and I'll include some of my own musings about creative directions we might pursue with VR music composition. In the next article, I'll talk about some practical considerations relating to the technology of VR music.
No discussion of virtual reality is complete without some time spent on the perils of Visually Induced Motion Sickness (a.k.a. VIMS). My upcoming GDC talk will include research on this topic pointing to a specific music approach that can play an important role in alleviating VIMS symptoms.
Let's picture ourselves sitting in a movie theater. We're watching a silent film that shows a first-person perspective of a high-speed bicycle ride full of wild twists and turns. It looks stressful, but as we sit and watch the visuals, we're not really all that stressed. Okay, so now let's imagine that the film isn't silent anymore. We can hear the bumps and jogs in the road, the air whooshing by, the aurally chaotic soundscape. It's a bit more exciting to watch, but we're still feeling comfortable in our movie-theater seats. Now, let's imagine that we aren't looking at a flat 2D screen anymore. Now it's a 3D stereoscopic image of that wild bicycle ride. Oncoming traffic leaps off the screen at us. Obstacles seem to whip by our heads as the road before us corkscrews madly. Are we still comfortable? Or could all that dizzying 3D motion be finally getting to us?
In their study to better understand the causes of motion sickness, professors Behrang Keshavarz and Heiko Hecht gathered 69 experimental test subjects and exposed them to the visual presentation I described above. There were two variables: viewing mode (2D or 3D stereoscopic) and sound (on or 0ff). The 2D film didn't cause a problem. Likewise, the presence (or absence) of sound wasn't an issue. But when 3D visuals were introduced, motion sickness became a big problem. The findings of the study support the conclusion that immersive visual stimuli has the potential to negatively impact our sense of balance and equilibrium. However, there's also a secondary conclusion that's equally interesting to us as game audio folks: sound doesn't seem to have anything to do with it. Yes, the 3D bicycle ride with sound was pretty nausea-inducing, but according to the study, a silent 3D bike ride has just as much potential to cause motion sickness.
So what does that mean for audio and music in virtual reality? Does it mean that the aural spectrum simply doesn't matter? Or does it present us with some interesting creative opportunities? Let's explore that idea a bit further.
First, let's dispense with the notion that music and sound design doesn't matter when it comes to VIMS. Specifically, the presence of music actually has a powerful influence on the VIMS state, but that influence is therapeutic rather than harmful.
In my upcoming GDC talk, I’ll be exploring the specific type of music that exerts the most beneficial effects when it comes to Visually Induced Motion Sickness. By virtue of both my own experiences with multiple VR projects and the results of relevant scientific studies, I'll be showing how video game composers can best alleviate the effects of VIMS through their musical compositions, and under which circumstances those compositions should be deployed.
While there's a certain musical strategy that has the most beneficial effect (which I'll define in my GDC talk), the mere presence of music is a proven therapeutic agent that has been shown to diminish nausea symptoms. In a study conducted by the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Research Center at Ohio State University, researchers found that the use of music during high-dose chemotherapy sessions led to a significant reduction in symptoms of nausea. Music acts both as a diversion and a targeted therapeutic agent, shifting the listener's attention away from physical discomfort while at the same time acting to reduce the symptoms.
In my talk I'll be exploring how we can best employ an effective music strategy within the constructs of virtual reality in order to cushion VR players and make them more comfortable in the immersive environment. There is, however, an additional dimension to the relationship between music, audio and VR exploration, which I didn't have time to include in my upcoming GDC talk. I'd like to share my thoughts on that here.
What makes virtual reality so real? It can't be just the encompassing imagery, because then we wouldn't need VR, we could just go to a 3D movie. No, in order for VR to engage us, it has to make us feel as though we are personally present in the virtual world. This phenomenon can be alternately called telepresence or virtual presence, but the end result is the same. We feel as though we're physically occupying the same world as the imaginary visuals we're encountering. How does the game make us feel this sense of presence?
According to MIT Professor Thomas B. Sheridan, the sensation of presence depends on the operation of three important factors: a "sufficiently high-fidelity display, a mental attitude of willing acceptance, and a modicum of motor "participation". In other words, we need to find the visuals to be sufficiently convincing, we have to be willing to be convinced that they're real, and we must be able to move about freely and interact with the environment. Unfortunately, it's that third factor that causes the VIMS problem. Moving around in VR opens us up to motion sickness. How is this problem typically addressed?
According to Steve Bowler, cofounder of the VR game company CloudGate Studio, the community of VR game developers have “zero tolerance for user motion sickness." In an interview with ScienceNews.org, Bowler describes the way in which developers typically solve the problem. By virtue of a system of in-game navigation that relies on a type of teleportation, developers allow us to wander their VR worlds. We point our controllers where we want to be, we hit the teleport button and zip! We're there in a flash. It's highly effective in avoiding the perils of VIMS. However, it also sharply curtails our sensation of being able to "move about freely and interact with the environment."
The effect of this audio-only universe can be very immersive, and its power depends on the sensation of an active soundscape that surrounds, enfolds and interacts with the player in ways that exaggerate and heighten reality. Could these techniques make VR players feel more of a sense of presence in virtual reality, even if their physical mobility is limited? Should we be thinking about opportunities to present a soundscape with moving components and an exaggerated sonic palette?
Conversely, if we decide to exaggerate our audio world, would this disrupt the impression of realism that virtual reality attempts to convey? Here's where we come to another interesting concept that I wasn't able to include in my GDC talk, but that has some bearing on the train of thought we're currently pursuing.
Back in 2015, I wrote an article for Gamasutra about the "Uncanny Valley" - a concept that's been a long-time fixture in the visual arts but has just started to be discussed in connection with audio. When applied to the visual world, the "Uncanny Valley" pertains to representations of living things (most often humans, pictured left) that are impressively close to the real thing but that subtly miss the mark. This imperfection leads to a deeply unsettling impression of wrongness. In my Gamasutra article, I discussed how audio in the world of VR may be in danger of dipping into the "Uncanny Aural Valley," in which sound gets impressively close to perfect realism but misses the mark. Within the context of virtual reality, this subtle imperfection has the potential to impact players in a far more pronounced way than it would in a traditional video game. That barely-perceptible sonic wrongness can (theoretically) pull virtual reality players out of the immersive experience.
So, is VR audio in danger of dipping into the "Uncanny Aural Valley" anytime soon? Not according to Sean Earley, the Executive Editor of AR/VR Magazine. "The visual uncanny valley will still be around for a while," observes Earley. "Unless you are a super audiophile, however, digital audio has progressed to the point where a good engineer can make a recording that is very hard to distinguish from reality. Spatial audio, when mixed with simple VR can add a totally new level of realism to an experience."
That takes us back to our previous train of thought: if perfect sonic realism is achievable in VR, is it desirable? Or would we rather aim for a form of hyperrealism that emphasizes aural motion and more fully envelops the player? Do we want to dip into that Uncanny Aural Valley?
"Pure, super smooth and natural spatialized sound may be not immersive enough to get the sort of user experience/effect needed for VR," writes Gabor Szanto, the creator of the Superpowered audio software development kit for mobile. "You don’t want the most natural chirping bird sound, you actually want the cleanest and most 3D-like bird sound. You want to amaze the listener."
So, in a virtual reality environment in which we're forced to limit the physical mobility of players, is it possible that by making the aural environment hyperreal and supremely encompassing, we can compensate for any loss of presence that players might feel when they can't move around exactly as they please? I think it's an interesting idea to ponder, and one to which we should give some consideration as VR audio moves forward and becomes more ambitious. Also, as video game composers, we might want to consider how our music mixes can more fully surround players. For more surreal, synthetic or ambient-driven musical scores, we might even introduce spatial motion into our musical mixes, letting sounds float around players to convey an even greater level of sonic immersion.
In my next article, I'll be discussing some more down-to-earth technical issues that pertain to music and audio in VR. While my GDC presentation on Music in Virtual Reality will include several important technical issues and topics, there simply wasn't enough time to include everything that might be of interest. With that in mind, I'll be happy to explore some of these technical concerns in my next article! I’ve included the official GDC description of my upcoming talk below. Please feel free to share your thoughts and insights in the comments section!
The discussion will also include an examination of the VIMS phenomenon (Visually Induced Motion Sickness), and the role of music in alleviating its symptoms. Phillips' talk will offer techniques for composers and audio directors looking to utilize music in the most advantageous way within a VR project.
Winifred Phillips is an award-winning video game music composer whose recent projects include the triple-A first person shooter Homefront: The Revolution and the Dragon Front VR game for Oculus Rift. Her credits include games in five of the most famous and popular franchises in gaming: Assassin’s Creed, LittleBigPlanet, Total War, God of War, and The Sims. She is the author of the award-winning bestseller A COMPOSER'S GUIDE TO GAME MUSIC, published by the MIT Press. As a VR game music expert, she writes frequently on the future of music in virtual reality games. |
0.999914 | Step by step guide on how to repair an automotive engine with high oil pressure, this information pertains to all internal combustion engines.
Begin with the car on level ground, in park with the emergency brake set.
Step 1 - When an engine is cold, the oil pressure will be at its highest point. If the oil pressure gauge is constantly in the highest position, there is a problem.
Step 2 - The oil pressure sender is responsible for supplying feedback data to the gauge or computer. If this sensor fails it can give a false reading causing the gauge to read at its highest point.
High engine oil pressure can cause severe engine damage such as oil pump drive and oil filter failure. Once these conditions occur the engine will rapidly start to wear and ultimately fail. |
0.979346 | How much is Spike Jones Worth?
Spike Jones net worth: Spike Jones was an American musician and bandleader who had a net worth equal to $10 million at the time of his death (after adjusting for inflation). Spike Jones was born in Long Beach, California in December 1911 and passed away in May 1965. He specialized in his satirical arrangements of classical music and popular songs. During the 1940s and 1950s he played with the band Spike Jones and his City Slickers and they toured as The Musical Depreciation Revue. Jones released several albums throughout the years. His single "All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth" reached #1 in 1948 and his other popular songs include "Cocktails for Two", "Holiday for Strings", "Hawaiian War Chant (Ta-Hu-Wa-Hu-Wai)", "Williams Tell Overture", "Dance of the Hours", "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", "Tennessee Waltz", "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus", and more. On television he starred in The Spike Jones Show. Jones received two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording and Radio. He was married twice including to Helen Grayco. Spike Jones passed away on May 1, 1965 at 53 years old from emphysema. |
0.995595 | Is it heresy to reject the teachings of Vatican II?
I’m not convinced that nothing was taught by Vatican II under Conciliar infallibility. However, given the premise that all Vatican II doctrines were proposed non-infallibly, can it be a heresy to reject any particular teachings of Vatican II?
But even if we consider the individual teachings of Vatican II as non-infallible, it may still be a heresy to reject those teachings.
Suppose that a non-infallible teaching of Vatican II is subsequently taught universally by successive Popes and by the body of Bishops dispersed through the world. If the teaching were non-infallible in its assertion by the Second Vatican Council, that same teaching becomes infallible and a required belief when subsequently it is taught universally. But it is not as if that universality were unrelated to the Council. The ordinary teaching of any Ecumenical Council certainly may contribute substantially to the universality of the teaching. And the subsequent exercise of the Magisterium by Popes and Bishops on that same point may occur as a result of the non-infallible teaching of that Council.
Once a non-infallible teaching of the ordinary Magisterium is taught universally by the body of Bishops led by the Pope, then it becomes a teaching of the infallible Magisterium. Teachings that are ordinary but not universal are non-infallible; teachings that are ordinary and universal are infallible. The teachings of the Universal Magisterium are required beliefs under pain of heresy. It is a grave sin to reject any infallible teaching of the Magisterium, whether taught by Papal Infallibility, or Conciliar Infallibility, or the Universal Magisterium.
But this is not a mere hypothetical. In fact, many of the teachings of the Second Vatican Council continued to be taught by successive Popes after the Council, and by the Bishops dispersed through the world. These teachings have been incorporated into the Catechism of the Catholic Church, into the Compendium of the Catechism, into the USCCB Catechism, into other magisterial documents, and into the daily teachings of the Bishops in the world. Therefore, these teachings have not been taught universally and infallibly; their rejection is abject heresy.
As an intellectual exercise, we might be able to find some minor points, taught by Vatican II non-infallibly, and not yet taught universally by the Magisterium. But it is certainly the case that the subsequent Popes and the body of Bishops have continued to teach all of the main teachings of Vatican II universally, and therefore those teachings, even if they were non-infallible at the time of the Council, are now infallible dogma and required belief.
Therefore, any Catholic Christian who knowingly and obstinately chooses to reject all the teachings or any of the main teachings of Vatican II, commits the sin of heresy and suffers the penalty of automatic excommunication.
Furthermore, the validity of the Second Vatican Council is a dogmatic fact, under the temporal authority of the Church. And so anyone who rejects the validity of that Council commits the sin of schism and suffers the penalty of automatic excommunication.
As for the Society of Saint Pius X, it could not be more clear that they have utterly rejected all of the teachings of the Second Vatican Council, including those that have subsequently been taught universally by successive Popes and by the body of Bishops in communion with him. They have therefore rejected multiple teachings that are infallible under the ordinary and universal Magisterium — even if those teachings were originally proposed by the Second Vatican Council non-infallibly.
There are two types of excommunication: automatic (latae sententia) and juridical (ferendae sententia). Pope John Paul II issued a ferendae excommunication against the leaders and formal members of the SSPX, but automatic excommunication also applies because of the sins of heresy and schism. Pope Benedict XVI lifted the sentence of ferendae excommunication, but the automatic excommunication still applies because they are still unrepentant from formal heresy and formal schism. Pope Benedict XVI cleared a path for the SSPX to return to the Church by lifting one of the two types of excommunication. The other type can only be lifted by repentance and confession. But the leaders and members of the SSPX remain unrepentant.
All formal members of the SSPX are automatically excommunicated for the sin of heresy, for rejecting the teachings of the ordinary and universal Magisterium taught at Vatican II and subsequently universally. All formal members of the SSPX are also automatically excommunicated for the sin of schism, since their Bishops are not in communion with the Roman Pontiff and the Bishops united with him. May God punish the leaders and members of the SSPX — and their supporters among conservative Catholics — for all the harm that they have done to the innocent sheep of the poor and weak flock of Jesus Christ. |
0.998607 | Blood pressure on the moon. When we eventually establish lunar colonies, people living there will need to have their blood pressure taken. Assume that we continue to express the systemic blood pressure as we now do on earth (see previous problem) and that the density of blood does not change. Suppose also that normal blood pressure on the moon is still (which may not actually be true). If a lunar colonizer has her blood pressure taken at her upper arm when it is raised 25 cm above her heart, what will be her systemic blood pressure reading, expressed in the standard way, if she has normal blood pressure? The acceleration due to gravity on the moon is 1.67 m/s2. |
0.999775 | What are the most popular online bachelor's degrees offered in Connecticut?
Connecticut has taken major steps to keep its online and distance learning programs up to national education standards. In 1998, the state launched the Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium, which provides support and services to educators using technology to broaden their learning opportunities.
Today, most of Connecticut's top universities offer online degree programs and coursework, including Quinnipiac University, the University of Connecticut, Southern Connecticut State University, and Yale University. Additionally, the state has licensed more than more 200 online degree programs for operation, with a total of 46 degree-granting institutions statewide.
While total enrollments in public degree-granting programs climbed 25.9 percent from 2000 to 2010, appropriations continue to sit below the national average. It's part of a trend that has seen tuitions at both public and private institutions rise steadily in recent years. As a result, many students are seeking online degree programs, which are typically more affordable than their on-campus counterparts. Residents of the state can choose from a wide range of professional and educational opportunities.
St. Vincent's is one of the best online colleges in Connecticut for students looking to pursue a career in healthcare. The school offers two online degree programs: a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) completion program, and a radiologic sciences program. The only time students must come to campus is for a student orientation in Bridgeport. All coursework can be completed remotely. Non-degree-seekers interested in taking online courses at St. Vincent's can opt for their certificate programs, which require a smaller time commitment but lead to credits that can be later transferred to a degree.
Both degree and certificate programs at St. Vincent's use the Blackboard Learn online education portal to facilitate remote learning. The school offers technology support and resources to students as they use web materials to complete their courses.
Founded in 1963 in Fairfield, Connecticut, Sacred Heart University offers various online programs, including several nursing degrees and a master's degree in social work. As one of the top online colleges in Connecticut, Sacred Heart’s instructors deliver coursework asynchronously to ensure that students can maintain their work and family obligations while earning a degree.
The school provides both bachelor's degree and graduate degree options online. While each program structure varies, most bachelor's degrees -- such as the RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) -- feature eight-week course sessions. With a maximum of 90 transfer credits eligible, students can complete the bachelor's degree in 18 months. For master's degrees, students take classes over the course of 16 weeks and graduate in about three years. Sacred Heart requires bachelor's degree applicants to possess a high school degree with a 2.5 GPA. The school requires master's degree applicants to possess a bachelor's degree with a 3.0 GPA.
In 1985, Albertus Magnus College introduced accelerated programs, offering learners a qualitative and flexible educational option. Over the last 30 years, the school added online programs, becoming one of the best online schools in Connecticut along the way.
In addition to individual courses available online, the college offers online students 13 majors and programs to choose from at both the undergraduate and graduate level. Instructors deliver online classes asynchronously within eight-week sessions, and students can take one class at a time to accelerate the pace at which they graduate. Applicants with transfer credits can decrease their overall study time given that the school allows up to 90 credits with a 2.0 GPA or better to transfer. Once admitted, online students at Albertus Magnus gain access to career services, which offers workshops and career fairs throughout the year.
Since 2001, Quinnipiac University has been offering online courses to students. Over the years, the school has finessed its program to offer three highly regarded online bachelor's degrees. Each program is designed with flexibility in mind to support students working full time jobs. As such, Quinnipiac provides an array of support services accessible every day of the week. These resources range from technical help to billing questions. All online students can also connect with academic advisors who assist students with course changes, elective options, and online degree program pacing and completion timelines.
One feature that makes Quinnipiac University stand out among Connecticut online colleges is its online summer courses. These courses are specifically designed to allow students -- both online students, and those earning their degree primarily on campus in Hamden -- to catch up or get ahead on required or prerequisite courses in their degree program without being on campus during the summer.
Of all the online colleges in Connecticut, Bridgeport's distance learning program is particularly well established. The school, based out of Bridgeport, has been offering online courses since 1997. Today, remote students can choose from four online bachelor's degree programs, several of which have tracks to select from and specialize in. Within its programs, students are assigned a full-time academic advisor who will provide help with course selection and support students in graduating on their desired timeline.
Those enrolled in the school's online program use the web-based learning tool called Canvas to complete their work. Through this portal, students take their classes following either a 16-week format or accelerated eight-week format. All courses in each bachelor's degree program are offered asynchronously to cater to students' different day-to-day schedules.
Connecticut is one of the smallest states in the U.S. by size, however it is also one of the most densely populated; Connecticut's Hartford-Springfield region is home to more than 25 universities and 160,000 students and is New England's second most populous area. While the state continues to boast one of the highest per capita rates in the country, the cost of living and of higher education have risen accordingly. In-state tuition for public and private universities increased by 28.9% and 26.1%, respectively, in the last five years.
After a steady decline of four years, in 2014 Connecticut expanded its budget for higher education programs to increase spending on state programs by over 7%. Of Connecticut's estimated 2014 higher education budget of nearly $676 million, the largest percentage (44.5%) was allocated to the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system under the Board of Regents, responsible for facilitating the majority of both on-campus and online programs for college students in the state.
Browse our list of the best online colleges in Connecticut for more insight into distance learning programs in this state.
Recent NCES reports indicate that 6.8% (14,701) of students enrolled in Connecticut's Title IV institutions were in exclusively online programs.
The governing agencies over higher education in Connecticut have implemented several key initiatives to drive distance education in the state. Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium receives partial state funding to provide online education programs and resources for students in middle school, high school, secondary and postsecondary school. The Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system also connects students of all ages with comprehensive distance programs, available through both private and public Connecticut institutions. In addition, both the CDLC and CSCU support adult learning programs provide student-employer workforce solutions.
Employment growth in this profession is moderate in Connecticut. According to the Connecticut Department of Labor, long term projections show an increase of 5% in the total number of jobs between 2014 and 2024. Wages increased by 3% from 2011-2016.
In Connecticut, what were the top careers in 2016 for people who had a degree in registered nursing?
Data source: Connecticut Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Data may not be available for every year.
In Connecticut, employment growth in this profession is strong. According to the Connecticut Department of Labor, long term projections show an increase of 19% in the total number of jobs between 2014 and 2024. Wages increased by 2% from 2011-2016.
In Connecticut, what were the top careers in 2016 for people who had a degree in business administration and management?
Employment growth in this profession is poor in Connecticut. According to the Connecticut Department of Labor, long term projections show a decrease of 1% in the total number of jobs between 2014 and 2024. Wages increased by 12% from 2011-2016.
In Connecticut, what were the top careers in 2016 for people who had a degree in criminal justice/safety studies? |
0.984029 | The youngest of six children of the late Margaret and Lennox Gavan (1992 Hall of Fame Inductee), Gail's childhood and early teen years reverberated with the sounds of various genres of music at the well-known Gavan's Hotel in Quyon, Quebec. She grew up listening to live Classic Rock and Country bands in the famous Shamrock Lounge. Her musical education also included Irish, logging and Ottawa Valley songs taught to her by her father. Gail absorbed those early influences and was soon asked to guest with bands like Howard Hayes, Mick Armitage Band, and Ambush. Her numerous accomplishments include placing 2nd in the Canadian Open Singing Contest in 1989, and in 1991, winning the CKBY Bud Country Talent Search at the Gatineau Clog, subsequently placing in the top 10 in Canada. Gail released 3 compilation CDs of popular house party songs entitled "For the Love of the Valley- Vol. I, Vol. 2" and "For The Love of the Valley Irish"-Vol. 3. She has sold over 20,000 of these CD's , literally out of the trunk of her car!
Gail has opened for many Nashville stars like George Jones, Tom T. Hall, Merle Haggard and Charlie Pride, and has performed at almost every fair in the Ottawa Valley. In 1993, she hosted "Gail Gavan and Friends" on CHRO Pembroke and co-produced and wrote the theme song for another TV show, "Fred's Place", based on her uncle Fred's famous hotel in Chapeau, Quebec. It aired nationally, winning an Independent Producer's Award in Jasper, Alberta. This lead to her becoming the co-host for CBC's "Cottage Country" which had 1/2 million viewers nationally each week!
In 1994, she was voted Entertainer of the Year by the Ottawa Valley Music Association and, in 1998, she hosted and performed in Bosnia with the DND Canadian Peacekeeper Tour. Gail sang the National Anthem in front of the Queen on Canada Day in 2010. With the Ryan Brothers and Louis Schryer, she opened for Pam Tillis, Gene Watson, Sammy Kershaw, Marty Stuart and Lorrie Morgan, among others. In addition, she performs a live show for corporate clients called, "Canada Coast to Coast" at venues like the Museum of Civilization, the Marriott, and Hotel Lac Leamy.
Gail was inducted into the Ottawa Valley Country Music Hall of Fame in 2010.
Gail has written an anti-bullying song, "Bully, Bully" that is being used by many schools to promote a positive message to their students.
Gail teaches French during the day to amazing young ladies at Elmwood School .
There she composes French children's songs and thoroughly enjoys teaching her students French songs from Canada and France.
Gail believes that her passions for singing, song-writing, and teaching French complement each other in a dynamic and unique way! |
0.999974 | Medication is an important part of the daily treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Although it can't cure the condition, it can help relieve the symptoms and prevent acute breathing problems.
The possible treatment options mainly depend on the severity of the disease. In early stages of COPD, people usually only need to take medication when they have acute breathing problems. As the symptoms become more frequent and more severe, certain drugs need to be taken regularly. People who have advanced COPD often take several medications at the same time.
Other drugs called mucolytics are used to dissolve mucus in the bronchi and make it easier to cough it up as phlegm. Antibiotics are sometimes used to relieve acute breathing problems. Flu vaccines or pneumococcal vaccines can prevent additional infections that may make the breathing problems worse.
There are various kinds of bronchodilators, including beta-2 agonists, anticholinergics, and methylxanthines. These medications are usually inhaled. They relax the muscles in the bronchi, allowing the narrowed airways to open up.
Beta-2 agonists form the basis of treatment for COPD. These medications can be divided up into two groups: short-acting beta-2 agonists and long-acting beta-2 agonists. The short-acting group includes fenoterol, salbutamol and terbutaline, and the long-acting group includes formoterol and salmeterol. The short-acting beta-2 agonists (SABAs) are used when needed, such as during acute breathing difficulties. They work fast, but the effect only lasts for four to six hours. Long-acting beta-2 agonists (LABAs) are taken regularly. It takes longer for them to start working, but the effect lasts for about 12 hours.
In early-stage COPD, it is usually enough to use a short-acting beta-2 agonist as needed. Sudden shortness of breath can usually be quickly relieved by inhaling this medication. If the symptoms get worse over time, regularly using a long-acting beta-2 agonist can help. This relieves breathing problems and prevents acute episodes of shortness of breath (flare-ups or exacerbations). Studies have shown that beta-2 agonists can improve people's lung function and quality of life.
The medications prevented flare-ups too.
Without beta-2 agonists, 7 out of 100 people had to go to the hospital in the space of six months because of severe breathing difficulties.
This was the case in 5 out of 100 people who took beta-2 agonists.
In other words: In this period of time, the medications prevented a severe flare-up requiring a hospital stay in 2 out of 100 people. They prevented moderate flare-ups as well.
Normal doses of beta-2 agonists are usually well tolerated, but high doses can cause side effects such as a rapid pulse, palpitations or tremors.
Anticholinergics are about as effective as beta-2 agonists. They also come in short-acting and long-acting forms. The effects of long-acting anticholinergics like tiotropium bromide last for about 24 hours, which is longer than most beta-2 agonists do. This means that they only need to be inhaled once a day. Short-acting anticholinergics only start working after 20 to 30 minutes, but the effect then lasts up to eight hours.
Like beta-2 agonists, anticholinergics can reduce the risk of flare-ups. As a result, people who use anticholinergics need to go to the hospital less often and their quality of life improves.
One side effect of anticholinergics is a dry mouth. They are otherwise regarded as well-tolerated.
Methylxanthines also widen the airways. Theophylline is the most commonly prescribed methylxanthine. It is usually taken as a tablet.
Theophylline is less effective at relieving symptoms than beta-2 agonists and anticholinergics are, and it has more side effects. Because of this, it is usually only recommended if treatment with beta-2 agonists and anticholinergics isn't effective enough.
The possible side effects of theophylline include headaches, insomnia, an irregular heartbeat, heartburn and nausea. High doses may also cause seizures. Older people in particular often don't tolerate these drugs well.
Steroid medication is taken as needed in addition to bronchodilators. It doesn't have much of an effect on daily symptoms, but can lower the risk of flare-ups. For this reason, steroid inhalers are usually only used in the long term by people with severe COPD and frequent breathing problems.
caused pneumonia in about 1 out of 100 people.
Another side effect of steroid inhalers is oral fungal infections, which occur in about 5 out of 100 people per year. Hoarseness also occurs in about the same number of people. So it's recommended that you rinse your mouth or brush your teeth after using the inhaler.
Steroids can also help speed up recovery from a flare-up with acute breathing difficulties, but they are then taken as tablets or injected.
The possible side effects of taking steroid tablets over a longer period of time include weight gain, increased blood sugar levels and trouble sleeping. If the tablets are taken for a very long time, your skin, muscles, and bones may be weakened, too. Long-term treatment with steroid tablets is therefore not recommended.
PDE4 inhibitors can be taken as tablets in addition to bronchodilators. They reduce the inflammation in the bronchi. This can make it easier to breathe and prevent flare-ups.
These medications prevented flare-ups with worse breathing difficulties in about 5 out of 100 people.
About 5 out of 100 people had side effects such as nausea and diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, sleep problems and headaches.
It is still not clear how well PDE4 inhibitors work compared to steroids, so they are currently rarely used.
Mucolytics are said to relieve coughs with excessive phlegm (sputum) by dissolving the phlegm in the airways, making it easier to cough it up. Studies on mucolytics have produced inconsistent results. Mucolytics might be able to decrease the risk of flare-ups with worse breathing difficulties in people who have a cough with a lot of phlegm. But they do not improve breathing otherwise. They are not often used in the treatment of COPD.
People who have COPD are especially susceptible to complications caused by the flu. They can get a flu vaccine every year in the fall. Studies have shown that this vaccination decreases the risk of COPD flare-ups and respiratory infections such as bronchitis or pneumonia.
The flu vaccine is given as an injection. The most common side effects are redness and swelling where the vaccine was injected. Temporary tiredness, headaches and a mild fever are possible too.
Vaccinating against pneumococcus bacteria is also an option. These germs can cause inflammations in the lungs, the middle ear, the sinuses and other places. People with COPD are more likely than others to get pneumonia and have acute breathing problems if they are infected with pneumococcus bacteria. The pneumococcal vaccine can lower this risk somewhat. The vaccine has a protective effect for about five years and then it needs to given again ("booster shot").
Respiratory infections can cause acute shortness of breath in people with COPD. If the infection was caused by bacteria and the symptoms are very severe, antibiotics can help. One sign of a bacterial infection is sputum that is greenish-yellow in color or contains pus.
Antibiotics won't help if the infection is caused by viruses. They may also cause diarrhea and other side effects.
Depending on the stage of COPD, it may be a good idea to combine two medications that expand the airways (such as a beta-2 agonist and an anticholinergic). Such combinations are often more effective and have fewer side effects than a higher dose of one of the medications on its own.
Agarwal R, Aggarwal AN, Gupta D, Jindal SK. Inhaled corticosteroids vs placebo for preventing COPD exacerbations: a systematic review and metaregression of randomized controlled trials. Chest 2010; 137(2): 318-325.
Chong J, Leung B, Poole P. Phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitors for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2017; (9): CD002309.
Global initiative for Chronic Obstrunctive Lung Disease (GOLD). Global strategy for the diagnosis, management, and prevention of chronic obstrunctive pulmonary disease - 2019 Report. 2019.
Horita N, Goto A, Shibata Y, Ota E, Nakashima K, Nagai K et al. Long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) plus long-acting beta-agonist (LABA) versus LABA plus inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) for stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2017; (2): CD012066.
Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG, Germany). Tiotropium bromide in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease : Final report; Commission A05-18. June 26, 2012. (IQWiG reports; Volume 137).
Karner C, Chong J, Poole P. Tiotropium versus placebo for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2014; (7): CD009285.
Kew KM, Mavergames C, Walters JA. Long-acting beta2-agonists for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2013; (10): CD010177.
Kopsaftis Z, Wood-Baker R, Poole P. Influenza vaccine for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2018; (6): CD002733.
Poole P, Chong J, Cates CJ. Mucolytic agents versus placebo for chronic bronchitis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2015; (7): CD001287.
Ram FS, Jones P, Jardim J, Castro AA, Atallah AN, Lacasse Y et al. Oral theophylline for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2002; (3): CD003902.
Vollenweider DJ, Frei A, Steurer-Stey CA, Garcia-Aymerich J, Puhan MA. Antibiotics for exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2018; (10): CD010257.
Walters JA, Tan DJ, White CJ, Gibson PG, Wood-Baker R, Walters EH. Systemic corticosteroids for acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2014; (9): CD001288.
Walters JA, Tang JN, Poole P, Wood-Baker R. Pneumococcal vaccines for preventing pneumonia in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2017; (1): CD001390.
Yang IA, Clarke MS, Sim EH, Fong KM. Inhaled corticosteroids for stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2012; (7): CD002991. |
0.999911 | The 1804 New York gubernatorial election was held in April 1804 to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of New York. Former New York Attorney General Morgan Lewis was elected governor over Aaron Burr, the incumbent Vice President of the United States. Although a Democratic-Republican, Burr was backed by members of the Federalist Party who wanted to see New York join the New England states in an independent confederation (see Essex Junto). This scheme was opposed by High Federalist Alexander Hamilton, the party's national leader. Lewis won the election handily and Burr subsequently killed Hamilton in a duel.
What is the Vice Presidency? |
0.996581 | Mexican-American singer, known as the queen of Tejano, who was murdered before her 24th birthday. Name variations: Selena Quintanilla-Pérez. Born Selena Quintanilla in Lake Jackson, south of Houston,Texas, on April 16, 1971; died of a gunshot wound in Corpus Christi, Texas, on March 31, 1995; youngest of three children, two girls and a boy, of Marcela Quintanilla and Abraham Quintanilla, Jr.; married Chris Pérez (a guitar player), in 1992.
Known as the queen of Tejano, Mexican-American singer Selena was on the verge of a crossover to mainstream music when she was shot to death outside a motel in Corpus Christi, Texas, by Yolanda Saldivar . At the time of her death on March 31, 1995, two weeks shy of her 24th birthday and two days before her third wedding anniversary, Selena was not only a rising star, but a role model to a generation of young Hispanics who worshipped her. Hundreds of teenagers gathered at the scene of the shooting; thousands attended memorial services. At the Bayfront Plaza Convention Center in Corpus Christi, hour after hour 50,000 mourners from Canada and California, Guatemala and Mexico streamed slowly past her casket which was encircled by thousands of long-stemmed white roses. Her death spawned a Hollywood biopic, a cable movie, several books (one of which topped The New York Times bestseller list for several weeks), and thousands of articles. Five of her albums landed on Billboard's Top 200 chart, and the posthumous release of her half-English, half-Spanish album Dreaming of You made her one of the fastest-selling artists in music history.
Selena Quintanilla was born in 1971 in the factory town of Lake Jackson, Texas. When she was six, her father was laid off from his job as a shipping clerk at Dow Chemical and opened a Tex-Mex restaurant. Abraham Quintanilla had always loved music; in his youth, he had been the vocalist for a South Texas band called Los Dinos ("The Boys"). Recognizing talent in his young daughter—"Her timing, her pitch were perfect," he said, "I could see it from day one"—he organized a family band, with her brother Abraham III on bass and her sister Suzette on drums. They began performing at the restaurant. But when the Texas oil industry went belly up, so did small businesses throughout the state: the Quintanillas lost their restaurant, home, possessions, and jobs.
The family moved to Corpus Christi and began eking out a living in the music business, singing at weddings and road-house dance halls and traveling in the family van to venues throughout the back country of South Texas. When Selena was eight, she recorded her first song in Spanish, and when she was nine, the family started a Tex-Mex band, Selena y Los Dinos. Most of her teen years were spent on the road with the group, making it impossible for her to attend school. She received her high school diploma through the mail.
Eventually, the family band moved up to ballrooms and began cutting albums for a small regional label. Selena's breakthrough came in 1987, when she won in the categories of best female vocalist and performer of the year at the Tejano Music Awards. In 1989, she and the band, which now included her husband Chris Pérez, signed with EMI, the powerful record company.
By age 19, Selena was the center of the Tejano music industry. Tejano, which literally means Texan, is a blend of pop tunes, the rhythms of Colombian cumbia, and German polkas—an urbanized version of Tex-Mex (called conjunto). Tejano arrived in Texas with the Czech and German settlers of the 19th century and flourished in the cantinas of the Mexican working class. Its danceable beat is propelled by the accordion—the heart of the Tejano sound—and the bajo sexto guitar. With a microphone in hand, Selena was as exotic as the music itself. Clad in a signature bustier, tight Spandex pants, and heels, she sang and strutted across the stage, exuding a combination of earthy sensuality and innate sweetness, "a Madonna without the controversy," noted a Time correspondent. Ironically, Selena could barely speak a word of Spanish; rather, she spoke English with a Texas twang. In the beginning, she memorized the lyrics of each song, most of them written out phonetically for her by her brother Abraham. In 1990, she finally began taking Spanish lessons.
Each of Selena's next six albums grew in sales. At 21, she was a millionaire, drawing crowds as large as 20,000 at the Pasadena, Texas, fairgrounds. In 1994, 60,000 came to hear her in Houston. By then, she had sold more than 1.5 million records in the U.S. and Mexico, and her recording Selena Live had just won a Grammy for best Mexican-American album. Moreover, she had finished filming a scene in the movie Don Juan DeMarco with Johnny Depp; her song "Fotos y Recuerdos" (Photographs and Memories) was number four on the Billboard Latin charts; her single from the 1994 album Amor Prohibido (Forbidden Love) had sold 400,000 copies and had just been nominated for another Grammy; and she had just signed a $5 million record contract with SBK Records.
neighborhood of Corpus Christi where she grew up. (At the time of her death, she and Chris were designing a ten-bedroom house on ten acres of land in town.) Fans loved her because she was unpretentious and accessible. "She was one of us," said one of her Corpus Christi admirers. "I'd see her at Wal-Mart or Kmart without makeup, like she didn't have all that money."
Selena's assailant was Yolanda Saldivar, who had once run Selena's fan club and was then managing two of the singer's boutiques, Selena, Etc., which had opened in Corpus Christi and San Antonio. A 32-year-old registered nurse, Saldivar was suspected by the family of embezzling funds, and Selena had been given the unpleasant task of confronting her. Saldivar had called Selena, claiming she had papers to prove her innocence and begging her to meet alone to discuss the matter, preferably at Saldivar's room at the Corpus Christi Days Inn. Shot once in the back with a .38-caliber revolver, Selena staggered to the lobby of the motel for help, then collapsed and later died at Memorial Medical Center. Saldivar was arrested after a nine-hour standoff, during which she sat in a pickup truck in the motel parking lot, a gun to her head and a cellular phone in her hand to confer with police.
At Saldivar's trial in October 1995, her attorney pointed a finger at Abraham Quintanilla as the indirect cause of Selena's death, arguing that he was a controlling force over the singer and was fiercely jealous of her relationship with Saldivar whom he had threatened physically and falsely accused of embezzlement. Further, he claimed that Saldivar was distraught and had intended to kill herself, but when she gestured to the singer to close the door to the room, her gun accidentally discharged (despite the fact that Selena had been shot in the back). Selena's father denied the accusations on the witness stand, but was angered and hurt by them. The trial was also difficult for her mother Marcela Quintanilla who at one point was hospitalized with chest pains. At the end of the two-week ordeal, it took the jury of six women and six men just two-anda-half hours to find Saldivar guilty of first-degree murder. She was given a life sentence. In a jailhouse interview in 1995, Saldivar said she had been fighting with Selena over a "secret," that she could not reveal. Her family said the "secret" was Selena's "diary" and produced a page from the alleged journal written in Spanish. Selena's friends never saw the diary and doubted that she would write one in Spanish, a language she was just learning.
In the months following Selena's death, Abraham Quintanilla continued to market his daughter persistently, sometimes alienating music-industry insiders and journalists in the process. While many questioned Quintanilla's intentions, however, others saw a man merely trying to cope. "I personally see Abraham as burying himself in his work, being so busy that he doesn't have time to think about his loss," said Rick Garcia, a record producer. Abraham oversaw the singer's two boutiques, as well as her posthumous album Dreaming of You, which sold 175,000 copies on the first day of its release, an all-time record for a female artist. He also signed the deal for the biographical film Selena (1997), which after some on-again, off-again negotiations was written and directed by Gregory Nava. Quintanilla co-produced and served as an on-the-set advisor for the film, which drew thousands to its open auditions in San Antonio. Casting directors finally selected actress Jennifer Lopez for the role, which initially upset many of Selena's fans. The movie opened in March 1997 to mixed reviews but did well at the box office, supported predominantly by Latino audiences across the country.
While Selena's death devastated her family and those closest to her, it also had a lingering impact on the millions of young Hispanic women who saw something of themselves in her. "Across the nation, Hispanic girls have a 38 percent drop in self-esteem from elementary school to high school," wrote Alisa Valdes . "Selena—a strong, smart, talented, beautiful, successful Mexican-American woman—gave them permission to like themselves." Lizett Padilla , the 23-year-old Guatemalan-American actress who played Selena in the cable television movie The Selena Murder Trial, expressed her own strong bond with the singer. "You could tell that she was a nice person, someone you would like to have as a friend. Portraying her just exactly the way she was, that's my dream and my challenge. I just want to honor her."
"Before Her Time," in People Weekly. April 17, 1995, pp. 48–53.
Carr, Jay. "Actors rise above stilted script for 'Selena,'" in Boston Globe. March 21, 1997.
Carroll, Ginny, and John Leland. "The Other Murder Trial," in Newsweek. October 16, 1995, p. 75.
Chanko, Kenneth M. "Selena's song," in Boston Sunday Globe. March 16, 1997.
"Death of a Rising Star," in Time. April 10, 1995, p. 91.
Dominguez, Robert. "Latino audiences love 'Selena,'" in The Day [New London, CT. March 29, 1997.
Farley, Christopher John. "Old Rock, New Life," in Time. July 10, 1995, pp. 57–58.
Jerome, Richard. "Resolution," in People Weekly. November 6, 1995, pp. 49–51.
Kantrowitz, Barbara. "Memories of Selena," in People Weekly. April 1, 1996, pp. 110–112.
Leland, John. "Born on the Border," in Newsweek. October 23, 1995, p. 80.
Morthland, John. "Selena's Story," in TV Guide. December 7, 1996, pp. 29–36.
Sanz, Cynthia, and Betty Cortina. "After Selena," in People Weekly. July 10, 1995, pp. 36–44.
Tarradell, Mario. "Selena's Music," in The Day [New London, CT]. July 21, 1995.
Valdes, Alisa. "Remembering Selena," in The Day [New London, CT]. April 11, 1995, p. B1.
"Selena (1971–1995)." Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. . Encyclopedia.com. 26 Apr. 2019 <https://www.encyclopedia.com>. |
0.916048 | Is love an essential human quality or a cultural or evolutionary construct?
BM responds: It's a little hard for me to answer this, because it's not quite clear what it would mean for love to be an essential quality apart from culture or evolution. All our essential qualities are the product of culture and evolution. That is who and what we are, how we become who we are, and what has shaped us. We are essentially cultural beings. We are essentially animals that use language and form families and communities. You could say that we have evolved to be social animals, and to evolve being social means to evolve being bound together by love. This can take many forms, but I think that language, family, culture -- all are ways in which we have evolved to be what we are now.
In Buddhism, certainly as I learned it, there was very little talk of love, per se, but lots of talk about compassion. And I think the difference was that compassion always was something that we were supposed to direct towards others. There were plenty of admonitions to be compassionate, but there was very little talk about the need to be on the receiving end of compassion, very little talk of needing to be on the receiving end of love, and I think that was a very serious omission in the way that Buddhism has been transmitted to us, because it tends to deny very basic human needs, or imagine that somehow practice is going to allow us to transcend our need for love. And in that sense, love was made to be synonymous with attachment, and attachment was supposed to be one of those bad things that was based on self-centeredness and a denial of impermanence, that we wanted to hold on to people or things in the face of the reality of change.
I think that one of the things that has happened as Zen has come to America and become increasingly psychologically sophisticated, is that we realize that non-attachment doesn't mean not forming human connection. It doesn't mean living without love, but it means recognizing the ever-changing quality of our relationships, the fact that our world and other people are simply not going to be under our control. And the practice of non-attachment is not the practice of not loving or not caring, but much more a practice of not clinging, holding on, controlling, demanding that the other exist solely as something that is there to meet our needs.
I think most of us need to practice not just giving love, but allowing ourselves to receive love. We need to practice tolerating the vulnerability that wanting and needing love entails, and that practicing being on the receiving end of love, for us, is as important as practicing compassion was traditionally.
Barry Magid January 18th 2018 How does Zen deal with morality? Is morality relative or universal? |
0.968926 | What was Francico Suárez’s view of metaphysics?
Suárez defined metaphysics as the study of “being” insofar as it is real being. The idea of being was analogous to the similarities among things that existed. Suárez held that everything which exists is an individual, not capable of further division into individuals like it. Suárez’ focus on the most general kinds of things that exist was echoed in Descartes’ division of the world into mind and matter. |
0.922528 | Unfortunately that world doesn't exist anymore. Illegals can and do get benefits.
I actually think Friedman is wrong on this particular point.
It's true that it's a plus that illegal immigrants are eligible for fewer welfare benefits than legal ones. However, the fact that they must generally resort to the black market for employment and entrepreneurship opportunities significantly hampers their ability to produce. This means that they cannot contribute as much in taxes and, more significantly, cannot create as much private wealth. I suspect that these factors far outweigh the amount saved by their smaller receipt of government benefits. |
0.99993 | Hi, Can you rewrite this sentence: "The second day of Lunar New Year has just passed."
---> The Lunar New Year has just passed for two days.
Is that correct? How will you rewrite the sentence?
It has been two days since the Lunar New Year passed.
The Lunar New Year started two days ago.
Two days ago the Lunar New Year began.
It is two days since the start of the Lunar New Year.
We have seen two days since the Lunar New Year.
I wouldn't like to sound too fussy but there is something I don't fully undersatand, so I'd be really grateful if you could help me. Among your suggestions I read 'It is two days since the start of the Lunar New Year'. My question is would 'It has been two days since the start of the Lunar New Year' also be possible? and, if so, what difference does it is / has been make, if any at all?. Thanks in advance.
Since it is now two days since something happened, the present is fine.
You can add "It has been two days since the Lunar New Year started" to the other options.
It is (only/barely/just) two days that the Lunar New Year has passed.
It is only two days ago that we celebrate the Lunar New Year.
I hope it is a typo and you really meant 'celebrated' or I'll go completely crazy. Just one thing, what's the problem with 'has passed'?, is it the present perfect or is it the verb 'pass' (=end, here)?. Why suddenly most people are so reluctant to use the present perfect in this kind of sentence?. Thanks in advance.
I think that in this context, "pass" is not good English. |
0.94932 | Dunash ha-Levi ben Labrat (920-990) (Hebrew: דוֹנָש הלוי בֵּן לָבְרָט; Arabic: دناش بن لبراط) was a medieval Jewish commentator, poet, and grammarian of the Golden age of Jewish culture in Spain.
Dunash was, according to Moses ibn Ezra, born in Fes, the name Dunash being of Berber origin. In his youth he travelled to Baghdad to study with Saadia Gaon.
Dunash is called the founder of Andalusian Hebrew poetry. He first introduced Arabic meter into Hebrew poetry. Traditional Arabic poetry was built on patterns of long and short syllables. Dunash's innovation came in drawing a parallel between the šəwâ (ə) and ḥāṭēp̄ (ĕ/ă/ŏ) and the Arabic short vowels (i/a/u), so as to create a new Hebrew meter. This meter formed the basis for all subsequent medieval Hebrew poetry. At the time, however, it opened him up to severe criticism, particularly among the students of Menahem ben Saruq, that he was corrupting the Hebrew language by introducing Arabic forms, and changing traditional Biblical styles to conform to Arabic meter and rhyming schemes. For instance, in his classic poem D'ror Yikra, he begins the second line: Ne'im shim'chem ("pleasant [is] your name"), with a modifying form of the adjective "pleasant," where properly it should be na'im.
In the field of grammar, Dunash's major work was a book attacking Menahem ben Saruq and his Mahberet ("Notebook") for violating religious standards and opposing the teachings of the sages. He dedicated his work to the leader of the Jews of Spain at the time, Hasdai ibn Shaprut. In his book, he was the first Hebrew grammarian to distinguish between transitive and intransitive verbs, the first to list verbs by their three-letter roots in the Paal construction, and the first to distinguish between "light" and "heavy" roots. He also condemned Menahem ben Saruq for failing to see the relationship between Hebrew and Arabic. Dunash also wrote a book containing two hundred reservations about the teachings of his old mentor, Saadia Gaon.
The students of Menahem ben Saruq responded with a scathing attack on Dunash, condemning him for using Arabic meter and grammar in studying the Hebrew language, as well as on issues of Jewish philosophy about which they were at odds. Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra also wrote a response to Dunash's work, in defense of Saadia Gaon. These challenges were met by Yehudi ben Sheshet, one of Dunash's students, who wrote a work in defense of his master that strongly opposed all of his detractors.
The debates between Dunash and others were finally decided in the centuries after his death by Rabbeinu Tam, a grandson of Rashi, who attempted to judge between the two schools of thought, and by Rabbi Joseph Kimhi, father of the noted grammarian Rabbi David Kimhi (RaDaK), who supported Dunash's positions. Nevertheless, many of the issues raised by Dunash have yet to be resolved today. Dunash is remembered as a poet and a grammarian who uncovered many of the major problems of Hebrew grammar.
The poem was discovered only in the 1980s, among Genizah fragments, and first edited by Ezra Fleischer. It is thought that Dunash's wife composed it shortly after his departure, around 950.
^ The Dream of the Poem: Hebrew Poetry from Muslim and Christian Spain, 950-1492, ed. and trans. by Peter Cole (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2007), p. 27.
^ E. Fleischer, 'ʿAl Dunash Ben Labrat veIshto uVeno', Mehqerei Yerushalayim be-Sifrut Ivrit, 5 (1984), 196.
^ Emily Taitz, Sondra Henry, and Cheryl Tallan, 'Wife of Dunash Ben Labrat of Spain, Hebrew Poet (10th century)', in The JPS Guide to Jewish Women: 600 B.C.E. to 1900 C.E. (Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 2003), pp. 58-59 (p. 59).
Cole, Peter. The dream of the poem: Hebrew poetry from Muslim and Christian Spain, 950-1492, Princeton University Press, 2007, p. 23-27 ("Dunash Ben Labrat" and "The wife of Dunash").
Eisenberg, Ronald (2006). Lash Balint, Judy; Barak, Daniella (eds.). The Streets of Jerusalem. Devora Publishing Company. p. 56. ISBN 1-932687-54-8.
Kolatch, Yonatan (2006). "Chapter 6: The Spanish Linguists". Masters of the Word: Traditional Jewish Bible Commentary from the First through Tenth Centuries. Jersey City: KTAV Publishing House. pp. 331–337. ISBN 0-88125-936-5.
Maman, Aaron. Comparative Semitic philology in the Middle Ages, Brill, 2004, p. 289-295 (Chapter 11, "Dunash ben Labrat"). |
0.973088 | As a pheasant hunting guide, it’s been my experience that too many pheasant hunters underestimate how difficult it can be to achieve success in the field. In short, far too many hunters expect to find, flush and kill pheasants every time they step into a field. No matter how many birds may be present, success still depends on having complete comprehension of all the variables that play into achieving results while pursuing wild, cagey and often hard-to-kill birds. To find more success in the field, change the way you think and consider the role you are playing, which is that of a top-line predator. |
0.981497 | What are the treatments for burning diarrhea?
Stay hydrated during the course of diarrhea. Avoid hot baths, spicy and fried food, dairy and supplements to prevent discomfort. Apply petroleum jelly to the bum to ease soreness. Foods that slow down diarrhea include canned fruits, fish, boiled vegetables, white rice, bread, peanut butter, etc. It is advisable to visit a doctor in case of prolonged symptoms. |
0.890322 | Charleston, the country home of the Bloomsbury Group, was a hub of artistic and literary creativity; a meeting place for writers, painters and intellectuals. Its decoration, together with their collection, represents their art and lifestyle and forms a unique example of their decorative style. The collection includes ceramics, paintings, textiles, and work by Renoir, Picasso, Derain, Matthew Smith, Sickert, Tomlin and Delacroix.
'Bloomsbury' first came to be synonymous with both literary and artistic styles. The Bloomsbury group was essentially a collection of like-minded friends (many originally from Cambridge) who met regularly from 1904 onwards, at 46 Gordon Square, in London's Bloomsbury district, which was then the home of Vanessa and Virginia Stephen (later to become Bell and Woolf) and their two brothers Adrian and Thoby.
They had a 'common attitude to life' commented Vanessa's son Quentin Bell, and would discuss relevant topics of the day. The group was never strictly defined, but its members included Lytton Strachey, Clive Bell, John Maynard Keynes, Leonard Woolf and Saxon Sydney Turner, with Roger Fry among later additions.
Bloomsbury artists were greatly influenced by the Post-Impressionists and in particular the ground-breaking exhibitions of Post-Impressionist work organised by Roger Fry and held at the Grafton Galleries, London, in 1910 and 1912. Its three chief painters—Vanessa Bell, Roger Fry and Duncan Grant—were, after a conventional training, profoundly influenced by the modern French art of the Fauves; the bold composition and angular drawing of Picasso's cubist work and above all by Cezanne.
Bloomsbury painting was not an aggressive, symbolic or political art, but rather a celebration of the sensuous beauty of everyday domestic surroundings. Alongside their work on canvas they developed a fluent decorative style for murals, textile design and ceramics. Much of this work had its influences from the continent in Italian frescoes, the Ravenna mosaics, and Spanish peasant pottery.
Artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant and David Garnett moved to the Sussex farm house in 1916, and it became the gathering spot for the group. Among them were Clive Bell, David Garnett, Maynard Keynes, Virginia and Leonard Woolf, E.M. Forster, Lytton Strachey, and Roger Fry.
The land was part of the Firle Estate owned by the Gage family, inhabitants of nearby Firle Place. Until the Charleston Trust purchased the house in 1981, Charleston had always been tenanted and remained part of a working farm until the end of the 19th century, when the farmland was leased separately. The house was then used for a number of years as a boarding house until shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. A tenant continued to occupy the house as a weekend residence until Leonard and Virginia Woolf expressed an interest in the house in May 1916. The agricultural setting of the house that they found at the time would have been similar to the one experienced by visitors today.
The house itself was spartan when they first occupied it, with no electricity or telephone and only a hand pumped water supply. The house was built some time between the mid 17th and early 18th century. It replaced an earlier house, which appears on an estate map drawn by John de Ward for John Elphick in 1622. Little else is known about the house which the present Charleston farmhouse replaced.
The present house was extensively modernised in 1796-7 and the internal layout of the rooms changed. The current arrangement of rooms also dates from this time, when the windows were sashed and the original kitchen made smaller. The existing staircase is more recent. Also during the 1790s the two-storey extension, which now houses Vanessa Bell's bedroom with the Library above, was built against the east range to form a 'U' shaped house.
As occupancy of the house became more permanent, improvements were made including the building of a large studio in 1925. The group were inspired by Italian fresco painting and the Post-Impressionists, and it motivated them to paint the interior of the house including the walls, doors, and furniture. The house shows an evolution in decorative style throughout its different rooms. Initially only Vanessa's bedroom (now the library), Clive Bell's study door and window and Duncan's bedroom were decorated. Later the designs spread throughout the house, including the spare room in 1936 and the garden room in 1945.
Charleston not only houses an impressive collection of art by its inhabitants but also a varied collection of other artist's work including sculpture by Renoir and Gimond and paintings by Fry, Picasso, Sickert and Derain. Vanessa Bell’s still life painting, Iceland Poppies, (c.1908-09) was acquired in 2007 through the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Art Fund. She is acknowledged as one of the most significant British women artists of the 20th century. The painting constitutes a rare example of her early work, most of which was lost or destroyed. Iceland Poppies is an iconic painting, marking a clear transition in Bell’s career from Victorian conventions to Modernity. The painting hung from the 1930s at Charleston, her Sussex home, which was opened to the public in 1986.
Charleston hosts a number of special events throughout the year; of special note is the Charleston Festival which is centred on talks and drama relating to literary, artistic, and Bloomsbury themes. A cornucopia of writers, performers, poets, film-makers, and thinkers provide stimulation, celebration, entertainment, good argument, conversation, comedy, new ideas, and stories in 23 events over ten days. Charleston also welcomes adult learners, with group tours and an annual program of lectures, tours, and workshops covering Bloomsbury and related topics as well as hands-on art workshops.
An exhibition gallery shows a mix of contemporary painting and sculpture as well as hosting historical exhibitions. There is also a video exhibition. A Crafts Council selected shop sells applied art and books relating to Bloomsbury. Original ceramics, painted furniture, printed and constructed textiles, hats and clothes are among the items available.
Charleston is run by the Charleston Trust which became a registered charity in 1980. It was formed in order to save the house which had decayed from 1978 when sole resident Duncan Grant died. During his final years he had lived almost entirely in the studio at Charleston. The accumulated effects of damp, dirt and decay upon the building had taken a heavy toll. Decorated walls moldered, pests attacked woodwork and irreplaceable pictures and fabrics crumbled. But slowly the tide of decay began to turn. The house was fumigated and the roof replaced to provide a stable environment for its contents. It was brought back to its former glory.
When Vanessa Bell first moved to Charleston, the walled garden consisted of vegetables and fruit trees. In the 1920s Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant redesigned the walled garden to reflect both the Mediterranean and country garden styles found in southern Europe: mosaics, box hedges, gravel pathways, and ponds. Then they added a touch of Bloomsbury humour in the placing of the statuary: classical forms and life-size works by Quentin Bell are side by side and enhanced by mosaic pavements and tile edged pools. An orchard and a pond add to the mix. A summer garden was used for painting and relaxing. The vegetable patch was moved to the paddock beyond.
The garden gradually evolved and flourished until, in 1945, Vanessa complained that one could hardly walk down the paths for the abundance of plants. The following year saw the final major addition of a mosaic 'piazza', created from fragments of broken china, some of which can be identified as pieces of Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell's designs for Wedgwood and Foley.
The casts of classical heads on the garden wall were put up in 1986 to replace those acquired by Duncan Grant in the 1950s which had disintegrated. Two extra heads were added in August 1990 to commemorate Quentin Bell's 80th birthday. Work on reconstructing the garden was carried out between 1984 and 1986 under the guidance of Sir Peter Shepheard. As with the house, it would be impossible to restore the garden to a specific date, but its current layout reflects its 1950s heyday.
Photographs by Barbara Ballard except house interior by Tony Tree © and courtesy of the Charleston Trust. |
0.99751 | يقع فندق هاريجانز آيرش بب آند أكومودايشن في منطقة تتمتع بمعالم كثيرة، وتعتبر المكان الأنسب لاكتشاف هذه المدينة رائعة الجمال و ما يحيطها. يسهل الوصول إلى هذا الفندق ذو 4 نجوم من المطار، فهو يبعد عنه مسافة 68km فقط. يوجد العديد من المعالم السياحية الأكثر جذبًا للسياح في هذه المنطقة.
استمتع بالخدمات الراقية والضيافة التي لا مثيل لها بهذا الفندق في هذه المدينة رائعة الجمال. هذه بعض الخدمات الموجودة في هذا الفندق: خدمة التنظيف يوميًا, خدمات بريدية, خدمة سيارات الأجرة, مجهز لذوي الإحتياجات الخاصة, مرافق مخصصة لذوي الاحتياجات الخاصة.
ادخل إلى واحدة من الغرف 48 وتخلص من عناء نهار طويل بمساعدة مجموعة كبيرة من الخدمات كمثل تلفزيون بشاشة مسطحة, قهوة فورية مجانية, شاي مجاني, حوض الاسترخاء, غرف لغير المدخنين الموجودة في بعض الغرف. سواء كنت من محبي الرياضة أو كنت تتطلع لتفريغ عناء نهار صعب، ستجد خدمات ذات مستوى عالي بانتظارك كمثل مسار جولف - ضمن 3 كم, حمام سباحة خارجي, حديقة. إن هاريجانز آيرش بب آند أكومودايشن هو مكان مثالي للمسافرين الذين يتطلعون إلى الراحة والاستجمام في المدينة.
Nice rooms, with a view of the vineyards. Clean, very close to the hunter valley gardens (our main stop) and nice dinner option. We got a free entry to the gardens as well as part of our booking, so that was great too.
Great location, a little pricey with minimum stay requirements although ideal experience within the Hunter Valley.
Overall I rented 5 rooms of various size and facilities. Clean and good amount of facilities in two bedroom unit, though some of the furniture showing some age. But it still very functional . Would recommend this accommodation for a stay in the Hunter Valley.
Such a bargain and a delightful spacious room with a patio to sip our wine on. Pleasant weather and a grand view of balloons taking off in the morning. Breakfast was scrumptious and we would return here in a heartbeat.
I haven't stayed there in years and the room décor hasn't changed. The pillows were also really uncomfortable. With construction in the way maybe some signs for the location to reception. I understand that without much competition in the area they are not motivated to refresh the rooms. Lucky we were at a wedding so stayed up late but don't stay here if you want sleep on a weekend. Pub was rocking till 2am.
Perfect place to stay in Hunter Valley, Nice spacious, clean rooms, pool is refreshing. Perfect base to explore the Hunter Valley.
Considering this was essentially a pub, we were pleasantly surprised with our room. Two huge king beds, spacious, biggest bathroom I've ever seen in accommodation! Lovely views out to the vineyards. Great location. I read mixed reviews so maybe had low expectations but it was very very nice & we had a fantastic time overall in the Hunter Valley. Only recommendation to patrons, book the bistro if you intend to go, we didn't as we weren't sure what time we would arrive & what we would want to do for dinner, thinking it's a bistro we could just walk in, but it was booked out!!
Harrigans is a great location and easy walking distance to HV Gardens and HV Village. Accommodation is clean and quiet despite the pub and the staff are lovely and very helpful. Would stay here again next time.
Great place, don't expect an easy sleep if you are sensitive to noise on a Friday or Saturday night until midnight, they do provide earplugs though! This is a very central location to the wine region and has a great vibe. Overall a very good stay.
Staff were super friendly and efficient. We arrived earlier than the normal check-in time and our room was ready hours earlier than expected, which was great! Great location also for a Saturday night so no long travel back to our hotel afterwards. Highly recommended!
The location is excellent. The room & bathroom were very spacious. Great value for money.
Great 3 night getaway which was an easy drive from Sydney. This is the third time we've stayed here and again it didn't disappoint. Food at the pub is reasonably priced and good quality. Plenty to do in the area, right next to Hunter Valley Gardens. Always find it a very relaxing few days when we visit.
Lovely location, it was great to have everything close by, staff were ammazing, particulalry Grant in the bottle shop, so full of knowledge and happy to help how he could, really enjoyed our stay, we often spend weekend in Pokolbin and always stay at Harrigans for a good day and a rocking night!
Great stay once again at Harrigans staff all very helpful.A perfect location to launch into your Winery Visits and Find that Perfect Semillon . We found some Brilliant examples. We will be back for sure.
We enjoyed our stay at Harrigans. It is equpped with every single thing from a hair dryer to the dishwashing liquid for the kitchen. The rooms are really beautiful and clean abd our bathroom had a jacuzzi spa jet which i really enjoyed. The hotel is close to the garden and they gave us a special offer for the garden entry.
I realise we are staying in a pub but the music on Friday and Saturday nights was too noisy when people would prefer to go to sleep. Harrigan’s should consider installing noise-proofing materials. Potential clients should be advised if the room is going to be located near noise so they have the option to request another room or to go elsewhere. |
0.99975 | A busy 2008 for Threepipe's consumer practice included some groundbreaking work on behalf of Vodafone and Siemens, resulting in three PRCA awards. The agency's reputation benefited, as it outfought bigger competitors to secure the England & Wales Cricket Board account in early 2009. An internal focus has also paid dividends, with training and development programmes resulting in the agency's best year for client retention. Under co-founder Eddie May, Threepipe expects a more difficult 2009, but remains optimistic that the rising prominence of digital and sport will stand the agency in good stead.
Sum up your agency's 2008 in three words: Busy, busy, busy.
We took on a really interesting and wide ranging brief to help promote Seven Dials, Covent Garden's "hidden shopping village". Our work includes events, media relations, news generation, liaising with the individual tenants and the creation of a privilege card for lucky VIPs!
titive pitch to help the England & Wales Cricket Board make the most of 2009's summer of cricket. The Great Exhibition was launched at Lord's and will include a whole range of different media relations, digital and brand experience tactics to get more people involved in cricket.
The campaign we're most proud of is probably Vodafone Cut-it-Out, not just because it won a few awards, but because it was highly effective in reaching young people and helping to shape their response to bullying, in a very creative way.
During the year we also managed to get onto COI's UK roster for the first time, which is really exciting as it raises the prospect of getting involved in some high-profile, issues-based campaigns.
Finally, a big highlight for the team was winning three PRCA awards for our work with Vodafone and Siemens, including Campaign of the Year.
We brought in Nick Hamilton, an account director from Freud, to boost our creative and consumer capabilities. Nick brings great experience of big brand campaigns and is heading up our work for the ECB, Betfair and Ibuyeco.
Another significant addition to the team was Nia Evans, who joined as an account manager from Porter Novelli. Nia is super-organised and efficient and joined us to get more exposure to consumer brands, working on the likes of Vodafone, Global Cool and Leapfrog.
We also hired some talented account execs including Abbie Hughes from Freud, Sophie Hood from Inferno and Jennie Cox from the world of consumer magazine journalism.
The overall size of our team stayed fairly steady during 2008 and we now have a really experienced, dedicated and hard-working team with experience in many different consumer sectors. We continued to focus on development with a series of in-house and external training sessions, six monthly appraisals, team away days and agency reviews every quarter. Our summer away day took us to London Zoo (favourite animal: Otter).
We'll see the continued rise in importance of online and social media in reaching consumers, but also the challenge for brands and agencies to harness these channels in an effective way, and to measure the outcomes, rather than just "ticking the box".
Consumer brands will emerge from the credit crunch and will hopefully see PR as an excellent, cost-effective way of achieving cut through and reaching target audiences, without the need to spend lavishly on ATL campaigns.
We're named after a Sherlock Holmes quote. |
0.989082 | Is 59-60 degrees F to cold to be room temperature? After blackening several aluminum test pieces in various solution strengths and time periods, and then soaking in sealer, I can wash all the black off all the pieces in cold water using my fingers. The pieces have been prepped using sandpaper or steel wool or abrasive blasting (evaluating for the best end result), and no touching with bare hands, so contamination should be at a minimum.
You need to clean the parts prior to dipping them in the solution. Use a good degreaser like Dawn Dish Soap or Soft Scrub. Then rinse with distilled water. 68-72 Degrees is a much better working temp then 60. |
0.998643 | Exercise and sleep are mutually beneficial, so striking a balance between them is essential. Poor sleep hinders performance by increasing fatigue, decreasing recovery rate, and exacerbating the negative impacts of exercise, such as soreness, inflammation, and overheating. In general, physical activity promotes better sleep by helping your body expend energy, stimulate hormone production, and better regulate its sleep cycle (circadian rhythm).
According to François Bieuzen, a researcher in physiology at the Institut national du sport, de l’expertise et de la performance (INSEP) and an expert in sports recovery, physical activity encourages your body to fall asleep faster and wake up less during the night. It deepens sleep by prolonging the time spent in slow-wave sleep, which is more conducive to effective recovery than REM sleep. This only occurs, however, if you use more than 60% of your maximum oxygen consumption (VO2 max) when you work out, i.e. you have difficulty speaking without being out of breath during exercise. Deep sleep promotes effective recovery, which is necessary for regular physical activity, which in turn promotes deep sleep. It all comes full circle.
Do we need more sleep when we’re more active?
No, you don’t need more sleep simply because you’re exercising. Similarly, more sleep will not improve your physical performance. There is no proven relationship between sleep duration and athletic performance. However, there is a relationship between the duration of slow-wave (deep) sleep and motor learning (new technical movements or tactics). A long nap (90 minutes, i.e. the duration of a deep-sleep cycle) can therefore promote this type of learning.
According to Bieuzen, one of the key indicators of sleep quality is how you feel when you wake up, and throughout the day. If you feel rested and ready to go, chances are your sleep quality is good. Physical activity (much like a hot bath) increases our body temperature, and some research has shown that the subsequent drop in body temperature makes it easier to fall asleep.
In reality, all exercise has a positive effect on sleep. However, some studies have suggested that activities that heavily utilize the respiratory system, such as jogging or tennis, are particularly effective.
What’s your favourite way to stay fit?
Source: Royant-Parola, S. Les troubles du sommeil : Conduite à tenir en pratique médicale courante. Text from a conference given at the first World Federation of Sleep Society conference in Cannes in September 1991: 37.
Biddle, S. J. H., Fox, K. R., Boutcher, S. H., and Faulkner, G. E. (2000). “The way forward for physical activity and the promotion of psychological well-being”. In S. J. H. Biddle, K. R. Fox, and S. H. Boutcher (ed.), Physical activity and psychological well-being (pp. 154–168). London: Routledge. |
0.999987 | Ask the average music lover how many female composers from before 1800 he/she knows and the answer will probably be just one, Hildegard of Bingen. She has become quite famous in the late twentieth century and many discs of her music were released. Only those who have a special interest in the music of the baroque era will mention some other names, such as Barbara Strozzi and Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre. Both were quite famous in their own time, partly because they were women, but also as performers and composers in their own right.
Jacquet de la Guerre performed before Louis XIV as a five-year old and he was so impressed that she enjoyed his protection until his death. She was from a musical family and in 1684 married the organist Marin de la Guerre. From this marriage a son was born who was just as gifted as his mother, but he died at the age of ten.
Elisabeth acted as keyboard teacher and also regularly gave concerts in Paris. In 1687 she published her first compositions, a book with pieces for the harpsichord. In 1694 her only opera, Céphale et Procris, was performed by the Académie Royale de Musique in 1694. A ballet from 1691 has been lost. The sonatas for violin and bc which are the subject of this disc were printed in 1707 but written at a much earlier date. Sébastien de Brossard, a French composer with great interest in the Italian style, was also an avid collector of music and copied some of her sonatas as early as 1695. From this one may conclude that Jacquet de la Guerre was one of the first French composers who wrote chamber music in the goût réuni, mixing French and Italian styles.
Louis XIV not only expressed his enjoyment of her sonatas, he also said that they "could not be compared to any other such works". They are indeed remarkable in various ways. They don't strictly follow the pattern of the Corellian sonata da chiesa as the number of movements varies from four (Sonata II) to six (Sonata I). Several movements are divided into contrasting sections. Some fast movements end with a slow section which is a kind of transition to the next fast movement. Most movements have Italian titles, but there are also dances such as courante (Sonata V) and allemande (Sonata VI). The harmonic language is often surprising, with many daring harmonic progressions. Last but not least, although these sonatas are for violin and bc, there are various movements with episodes in which the viola da gamba - not mentioned on the title page - acts as a second solo instrument. This way the composer incorporated elements of the trio sonata.
It is no surprise that these sonatas have been recorded several times before. The whole set was done by Les Dominos (Ricercar, 2011) whereas the sonatas 1, 3 and 4 were recorded by La Rêveuse (Mirare, 2010). Both are enjoyable although I found some tempi in Les Dominos' interpretation a bit too slow. These performers have found the right approach to these sonatas and this has resulted in highly satisfying and captivating performances. The contrasts are well realised, but never exaggerated. The same goes for the dynamic shading. This music is clearly influenced by the Italian style but it is still French music - the dramatic aspects are moderated by the then dominant French restraint. That has been well understood by the interpreters.
The booklet includes extended analyses of every single sonata which is very helpful. Please note that movements which are referred to in the text are sometimes allocated to more than one track. For instance, the booklet says that the Sonata I comprises six movements, but on the disc it has seven tracks.
If you want to have these sonatas this disc is a very good proposition. I am sure you will greatly enjoy them and be impressed by Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre's creative powers. |
0.998089 | Who doesn't love islands? But I'm quite particular, favoring those that harken to an earlier time, when cars didn't exist as the primary means of transportation. Yes, I search out car-free islands because it's these landscapes where I can feel free to explore in a pollution free environment, without the squealing of brakes or the honking of horns, where I can depend on human-powered locomotion to visit historic sites or just peacefully prowl around coves, hamlets and green spaces. You never know what you'll discover when you're not in a rush.
I recently wrote an article for National Geographic Traveler - Intelligent Traveler on my favorite car-free islands in Europe.
• Buyukada, Turkey Grand villas, some with gingerbread detailing, line the lanes that weave down to the south end of the island, which is largely draped in emerald hues from dense pine forests.
• Hydra, Greece - A two-hour climb brings hikers to the Monastery of Prophet Elias that hovers above the capital. A much shorter jaunt is the coastal walk to Vlychos Beach, an ideal destination for families.
• Veliki Brijun, Brijuni National Park, Croatia - Dinosaur footprints, such as the imprint of large carnivores similar to Theropods, have been discovered all over the island.
• Ile d'aix, France - The northeast portion is especially lovely, blanketed with thick pinewoods and rimmed with two jewels: Baby Beach and Yellow Sands Beach.
• Comino Island, Malta - Hiking through the wildflower-speckled landscape, a path courses to an isolated, rubble-ridden area, a perfect setting for the 17th century St. Mary's Tower that withstood sieges far beyond what the archipelago's other towers tolerated.
I'm kind of crazy about having a car. I like to be able to control where I go, when and how fast. That being said, I imagine it must be very relaxing in a way!
You really get around! What a wonderful way to take in all the sights, without the distraction, noise and pollution of automobiles.
We have a car-free island in Mackinac Island, a couple hours north of us here in Michigan. It really is relaxing to not have the motors and engine noises.
I didn't realize there were so many car-free places. I thought ... maybe a few.
I love to go anywhere a car is not needed!
Hi Brette, I understand. Many feel that way. I'm kinda the anti-car traveler. I love to see things up close and personal and I find it harder to do when driving.
Hi Sheryl, Car-free islands and car-free cities are definitely my thing. It's such a pleasure to not jump in a car when I want to get around.
Hi Jane Louise, I've visited Mackinac years ago. Loved it!
Hi Roxanne, There are dozens of car-free islands and cities or sections of cities to explore. |
0.989345 | Owning a gun comes with a lot of responsibility. If you keep your gun at home, you need to take measures to ensure that your loved ones are protected from being accidentally injured, especially if you have children. As such, it is always recommended to keep your firearm in a secure area. The best way to do this would be by investing in a gun safe. Here are some of the things that you should contemplate when purchasing a gun safe.
The security in your home should be excellent to ensure that your family and assets are well protected. There are diverse aspects that will affect the safety in your property, and these include the neighbourhood, the proximity of neighbours and lighting factors. However, the most important is the security locks installed on potential entryways for intruders. It is critical to ensure that you have the right locking features for ideal home safety. |
0.998993 | A lot of religions and beliefs draw comparison from Astrology but who were the founding fathers of Astrology and what were their beliefs?
The beginnings of Ancient Astrology.
Back in the dawn of time, it is pretty certain that mankind first focused his beliefs on Mother Earth, and the Moon. bones carved with slashes, appear to indicate they were counting the phases of the Moon, they also sort out caves, the deeper, the better, and communicated with Mother Earth by painting on the cave walls, asking for abundant beasts for hunting and so on by depicting hunts, or herds of animals. |
0.99918 | Can you tell me a little bit about your book?
Mind of a Survivor is an exploration into resilience. Through my own experiences of personal survival scenarios and those I have helped develop for TV shows, and the wilderness survival stories of everyday people who have survived against all odds, I look at what I believe make up some of the components of resilience. One of the questions I wanted to explore is whether lessons in resilience learnt in the wilderness can transfer into everyday life. And if so, how might this be possible. I believe that resilience can be learnt or developed to some extent if you dedicate time to working on the traits that I believe contribute to making someone a survivor and thus resilient.
When instructing and guiding in wilderness places, I saw over and over the almost spiritual-like reactions people would have from being in the wilderness and being part of a temporary community, and I wanted to know why this happened and explore the health benefits to the mind when in the wilderness. Mind of a Survivor is my interpretation of what makes a survivor through my own experiences and those of the people I have worked with. I look at some of the coping mechanisms that I have developed for working in highly pressured environments, I am aware some may not be healthy long-term. I am intrigued from the theoretical perspective what the psychologist community makes of this about why people react in certain ways or seemingly cope better than others.
Having worked extensively with native peoples who still maintain much of their hunter-gatherer lifestyles, I started believing that the way we live as Westerners is not particularly healthy for the mind. I do not believe we have evolved to live in the modern world. The primal, animalistic part of our brains holds us back. Stress has slowly crept into our lives and has become for many of us a chronic situation. I have seen particularly in the past five years an increase of young people and adults I work with on expeditions taking medication for anxiety and depression, and this raised the question, Has the medical profession become better at diagnosing mental health issues or are mental health issues on the increase?
I am not a medical practitioner so this is not in my power to give a professional opinion; however, with everyday life for many of us being so structured, there is little room for creativity or initiative. In tribal situations time is taken up with pure survival. Tribes people must meet the basic requirements of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs on a daily basis. When I am carrying out pure survival trips there is little room for emotions to take over, you are driven to collect water, food, find shelter this is all-consuming, very animalistic and takes initiative to overcome problems. I have also found that it is not really about positive or negative thoughts, it is about the basic fundamentals of ‘do or die’. Trying to be positive just doesn’t really come into it, you are so focused on surviving, yes you hold on to hope, but active positive thinking takes energy you don’t have to spare. In the Western world we rarely have to fight for the very food we eat and most of us have shelter over our heads. Have we created ourselves too much time to allow stress in?
What do you think the relevance of Mind of a Survivor is to the discipline of psychology?
Mind of a Survivor explores first-hand the positive benefits to mental health of people participating in outdoor activities. How nature provides an escape from everyday stresses, a place to be able to find perspective and to figure what is important in life. Spending time in nature, even if it is just sitting in a park on your lunch break, is beneficial to mental health. Mind of a Survivor is based on real-life situations and is a practical analysis of how I or others reacted to a certain situation.
I have seen what happens when the fragile rules that hold our society together crumble. I have seen the beauty, but I have also seen the ‘dark’ side of humanity, where people revert to pure animalistic behaviour. It is so rare to see people stripped of all their creature comforts and safety nets and hard to replicate unless actually doing. These are raw experiences which show results.
I spent the second year of my degree in Outdoor Studies at Charles University in Prague. The modules I took there were the psychology and philosophy of why people go into the outdoors. That is what really got me thinking that maybe my views weren’t that crazy. I am interested in the work of Al Seibert and have also read Laurence Gonzales’ Deep Survival and various research papers by outdoor professionals on the subject of wilderness therapy. With the political state of the world at the moment I think this topic could be rather relevant in terms of being prepared for the unexpected.
Why might psychologists – for example, those involve in therapy or those conducting research in the area of resilience, fear, decision making or social psychology – be interested in reading Mind of a Survivor?
I find that when talking to people about why they are anxious or stressed they often don’t know. They are either experiencing an overload from lots of different sources or they cannot pinpoint where the overwhelming emotions are coming from. They cannot see a way to deal with these emotions. Stand someone on top of a cliff and ask them to jump off into the water below and almost everyone could relate to the associated emotions. It is obvious that the fear comes from exposure, new experience, height and fear of injury or worse. If someone can learn to deal with these emotions logically in this setting, I believe the skills are transferable to everyday life. The wilderness also boosts confidence in decision-making, you have to make decisions, even if you are being guided; you cannot sit on the fence, you have to commit and act and face the consequences of your decisions; and if it was the wrong choice, sort it out. You learn self-reliance and become stronger in the face of adversity.
Finally, you might be interested in an article we published by Sarita Robinson and Nikola Bridges on the psychology and physiology behind staying alive (see tinyurl.com/henenpf). Feel free to share your thoughts on it with us.
This article is fascinating! The exploration chemically into what is potentially going on within the brain of survivors during and after a survival scenario is incredibly exciting stuff. The fact that a survivor may go to pieces after handling a traumatic experience is not a surprise and is something I have experienced myself personally and seen in others. I think it shows how strong the mind can be that for some people the mind can find the inner strength to keep going through a traumatic experience for days, weeks, months, even years, yet once safe apparently shuts down. I would love to be able to understand this more. Is it a protection mechanism? Is it the brain seeking a way to shut down to allow itself to process and recover or has it become overloaded or lost it’s focus and doesn’t know what to do with itself? I wonder if this could lead to predicting those that may be more prone to PTSD, and through this finding a way to better train resilience into, for example, frontline soldiers. Through my own experiences I believe resilience can be learnt to some extent when dealing with everyday stress, but what I am unsure of yet is how transferable resilience is from one scenario to another.
I also find the fact that some people fail to react or act in a life-threatening situation interesting. Out of interest, I occasionally watch Twitter when shows like The Island are on. It is amazing how many people comment negatively towards the participants in terms of behaviour of the ‘survivors’ and how they could do better if they were on the show. It is one thing sitting comfortably in your armchair believing you could make it through the hardships of struggling to meet the basic priorities of survival, it is a whole other thing when you are actually out there faced with hunger, lack of sleep and having to deal with the personalities you have found yourself with. You cannot predict how you will respond to a scenario until you are in it. This is what I wanted to look at in Mind of a Survivor – Why is this? Why do a few people leap into action and seemingly thrive during the scenario whilst others sit down and wait to ‘die’? |
0.999905 | Since the input values were set to the variables, a and b, we can use a and b to dictate the output values at pins P4 and P5. OUT4 = b OUT5 = a We could just as easily have used the commands OUT4=IN1 and OUT5=IN0; however, using variables to store the values in memory has advantages as the programs get more complicated. In the next experiment, it will be necessary to use variables to store values. The reason we used variables in this program is because they can be manipulated arithmetically, and the next task is to convert from binary to decimal.
Make sure the Board of Education has power and the programming cable is properly connected, then run the program. 1 Revision 0. 5} a b d VAR VAR VAR Bit Bit Nib INPUT 0 INPUT 1 OUTPUT 4 OUTPUT 5 DEBUG CLS DO a = IN0 b = IN1 OUT4 = b OUT5 = a d = (2*b) + (1*a) DEBUG HOME, "State of pin P0 is ", BIN a, CR DEBUG "State of pin P1 is ", BIN B, CR, CR DEBUG "2-bit binary number: ", CR DEBUG "P1 P0", CR DEBUG " ", BIN b, " ", BIN a, CR, CR DEBUG "Decimal equivalent: ", DEC1 d, CR LOOP The Output Here's how the program should work.
The numbers were chosen based on BASIC Stamp I/O pin numbers. ' -----[ Initialization ]------------------------------------CS PIN 0 CLK PIN 1 DataOutput PIN 2 Next there's the main routine section containing three GOSUB commands. The DO…LOOP loop runs 3 different subroutines over and over again. The subroutines are named ADC_Data, Calc_Volts, and Display. Subroutine is a small program that does a specific task within a larger program. ' -----[ Main Routine ]--------------------------------------DO GOSUB ADC_Data GOSUB Calc_Volts GOSUB Display LOOP So, how does a GOSUB command work? |
0.963949 | List the top 6 risks for people going into a hospital for surgery.
(1) Medication errors; (2) MRSA and other hospital-acquired infections; (3) Pneumonia; (4) Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT); (5) Bleeding after surgery; and (6) Anesthesia complications.
Q6.1.A. Apply a why/why chart or a cause & effect diagram to this scenario and discuss how it could be used to analyze and attempt to prevent ONE of those risks.
Q6.1.B. Use Force Field Analysis to analyze WHERE A HOSPITAL IS NOW (has 6 risks) and WHERE THE HOSPITAL EMPLOYEES WANT IT TO BE (risk free).
Q6.1.C. Apply the 5Ps Model to this scenario and discuss how hospitals and the potential risks they face can be better managed. |
0.718747 | This article is about the friar and patron saint. For other uses, see Francis of Assisi (disambiguation).
Saint Francis of Assisi, O.F.M.
Saint Francis of Assisi (Italian: San Francesco d'Assisi; born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, but nicknamed Francesco (a tribute to France) by his father; 1181/1182Template:Spaced ndash October 3, 1226) was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men's Order of Friars Minor, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the Third Order of Saint Francis for men and women not able to live the lives of itinerant preachers, followed by the early members of the Order of Friars Minor, or the monastic lives of the Poor Clares. Francis is one of the most venerated religious figures in history.
Francis' father was Pietro di Bernardone, a prosperous silk merchant. Francis lived the high-spirited life typical of a wealthy young man, even fighting as a soldier for Assisi. While going off to war in 1204, Francis had a vision that directed him back to Assisi, where he lost his taste for his worldly life. On a pilgrimage to Rome, he joined the poor in begging at St. Peter's Basilica. The experience moved him to live in poverty. Francis returned home, began preaching on the streets, and soon gathered followers. His Order was authorized by Pope Innocent III in 1210. He then founded the Order of Poor Clares, which became an enclosed religious order for women, as well as the Order of Brothers and Sisters of Penance (commonly called the Third Order).
In 1219, he went to Egypt in an attempt to convert the Sultan to put an end to the conflict of the Crusades. By this point, the Franciscan Order had grown to such an extent that its primitive organizational structure was no longer sufficient. He returned to Italy to organize the Order. Once his community was authorized by the Pope, he withdrew increasingly from external affairs. In 1223, Francis arranged for the first Christmas nativity scene. In 1224, he received the stigmata, making him the first recorded person to bear the wounds of Christ's Passion. He died during the evening hours of October 3, 1226, while listening to a reading he had requested of Psalm 142(141).
On July 16, 1228, he was proclaimed a saint by Pope Gregory IX. He is known as the patron saint of animals and the environment, and is one of the two patron saints of Italy (with Catherine of Siena). It is customary for Catholic and Anglican churches to hold ceremonies blessing animals on his feast day of October 4. He is also known for his love of the Eucharist, his sorrow during the Stations of the Cross, and for the creation of the Christmas crèche or Nativity Scene.
Francis of Assisi was one of seven children born in late 1181 or early 1182 to Pietro and his wife Pica de Bourlemont, about whom little is known except that she was a noblewoman originally from Provence. Pietro was in France on business when Francis was born in Assisi, and Pica had him baptized as Giovanni. When his father returned to Assisi, he took to calling him Francesco ("the Frenchman"), possibly in honor of his commercial success and enthusiasm for all things French. Since the child was renamed in infancy, the change can hardly have had anything to do with his aptitude for learning French, as some have thought. As a youth, Francesco became a devotee of troubadours and was fascinated with all things Transalpine. Although many hagiographers remark about his bright clothing, rich friends, and love of pleasures, his displays of disillusionment toward the world that surrounded him came fairly early in his life, as is shown in the "story of the beggar." In this account, he was selling cloth and velvet in the marketplace on behalf of his father when a beggar came to him and asked for alms. At the conclusion of his business deal, Francis abandoned his wares and ran after the beggar. When he found him, Francis gave the man everything he had in his pockets. His friends quickly chided and mocked him for his act of charity. When he got home, his father scolded him in rage.
In 1201, he joined a military expedition against Perugia and was taken as a prisoner at Collestrada, spending a year as a captive. It is possible that his spiritual conversion was a gradual process rooted in this experience. Upon his return to Assisi in 1203, Francis returned to his carefree life. In 1204, a serious illness led him to a spiritual crisis. In 1205, Francis left for Apulia to enlist in the army of Walter III, Count of Brienne. A strange vision made him return to Assisi, deepening his ecclesiastical awakening.
According to the hagiographic legend, thereafter he began to avoid the sports and the feasts of his former companions. In response, they asked him laughingly whether he was thinking of marrying, to which he answered, "yes, a fairer bride than any of you have ever seen," meaning his "Lady Poverty". He spent much time in lonely places, asking God for enlightenment. By degrees he took to nursing lepers, the most repulsive victims in the lazar houses near Assisi. After a pilgrimage to Rome, where he joined the poor in begging at the doors of the churches, he said he had a mystical vision of Jesus Christ in the country chapel of San Damiano, just outside of Assisi, in which the Icon of Christ Crucified said to him, "Francis, Francis, go and repair My house which, as you can see, is falling into ruins." He took this to mean the ruined church in which he was presently praying, and so he sold some cloth from his father's store to assist the priest there for this purpose.
His father, Pietro, highly indignant, attempted to change his mind, first with threats and then with beatings. In the midst of legal proceedings before the Bishop of Assisi, Francis renounced his father and his patrimony, laying aside even the garments he had received from him in front of the public. For the next couple of months he lived as a beggar in the region of Assisi. Returning to the countryside around the town for two years, he embraced the life of a penitent, during which he restored several ruined chapels in the countryside around Assisi, among them the Porziuncola, the little chapel of St. Mary of the Angels just outside the town, which later became his favorite abode.
At the end of this period (on February 24, 1209, according to Jordan of Giano), Francis heard a sermon that changed his life forever. The sermon was about Matthew 10:9, in which Christ tells his followers they should go forth and proclaim that the Kingdom of Heaven was upon them, that they should take no money with them, nor even a walking stick or shoes for the road. Francis was inspired to devote himself to a life of poverty.
Clad in a rough garment, barefoot, and, after the Gospel precept, without staff or scrip, he began to preach repentance. He was soon joined by his first follower, a prominent fellow townsman, the jurist Bernardo di Quintavalle, who contributed all that he had to the work. Within a year Francis had eleven followers. Francis chose never to be ordained a priest, and the community lived as "lesser brothers," fratres minores in Latin. The brothers lived a simple life in the deserted lazar house of Rivo Torto near Assisi; but they spent much of their time wandering through the mountainous districts of Umbria, always cheerful and full of songs, yet making a deep impression upon their hearers by their earnest exhortations.
Francis' preaching to ordinary people was unusual since he had no license to do so. In 1209 he composed a simple rule for his followers ("friars"), the Regula primitiva or “Primitive Rule”, which came from verses in the Bible.
The rule was “To follow the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ and to walk in his footsteps.” In 1209, Francis led his first eleven followers to Rome to seek permission from Pope Innocent III to found a new religious Order. Upon entry to Rome, the brothers encountered Bishop Guido of Assisi, who had in his company Giovanni di San Paolo, the Cardinal Bishop of Sabina. The Cardinal, who was the confessor of Pope Innocent III, was immediately sympathetic to Francis and agreed to represent Francis to the pope. Reluctantly, Pope Innocent agreed to meet with Francis and the brothers the next day. After several days, the pope agreed to admit the group informally, adding that when God increased the group in grace and number, they could return for an official admittance. The group was tonsured. This was important in part because it recognized Church authority and prevented his following from possible accusations of heresy, as had happened to the Waldensians decades earlier. Though Pope Innocent initially had his doubts, following a dream in which he saw Francis holding up the Basilica of St. John Lateran (the cathedral of Rome, thus the 'home church' of all Christendom), he decided to endorse Francis' Order. This occurred, according to tradition, on April 16, 1210, and constituted the official founding of the Franciscan Order. The group, then the "Lesser Brothers" (Order of Friars Minor also known as the Franciscan Order), preached on the streets and had no possessions. They were centered in the Porziuncola and preached first in Umbria, before expanding throughout Italy.
From then on, the new Order grew quickly with new vocations. Hearing Francis preaching in the church of San Rufino in Assisi in 1211, the young noblewoman Clare of Assisi became deeply touched by his message and realized her calling. Her cousin Rufino, the only male member of the family in their generation, was also attracted to the new Order (which he joined). On the night of Palm Sunday, March 28, 1212, Clare clandestinely left her family's palace. Francis received her at the Porziuncola and thereby established the Order of Poor Ladies, later called Poor Clares. This was an Order for women, and he gave Clare a religious habit, or garment, similar to his own, before lodging her and a few female companions in a nearby monastery of Benedictine nuns. Later he transferred them to San Damiano. There they were joined by many other women of Assisi. For those who could not leave their homes, he later formed the Third Order of Brothers and Sisters of Penance, a fraternity composed of either laity or clergy whose members neither withdrew from the world nor took religious vows. Instead, they observed the principles of Franciscan life in their daily lives. Before long, this Third Order grew beyond Italy.
Determined to bring the Gospel to all God's creatures, Francis sought on several occasions to take his message out of Italy. In the late spring of 1212, he set out for Jerusalem, but he was shipwrecked by a storm on the Dalmatian coast, forcing him to return to Italy. On May 8, 1213, he was given the use of the mountain of La Verna (Alverna) as a gift from Count Orlando di Chiusi, who described it as “eminently suitable for whoever wishes to do penance in a place remote from mankind.” The mountain would become one of his favourite retreats for prayer.
Saint Francis Abandons His Father. Francis of Assisi breaking off his relationship with his father and renouncing his patrimony, laying aside publicly even the garments he had received from him.
In the same year, Francis sailed for Morocco, but this time an illness forced him to break off his journey in Spain. Back in Assisi, several noblemen (among them Tommaso da Celano, who would later write the biography of St. Francis) and some well-educated men joined his Order. In 1215, Francis went again to Rome for the Fourth Lateran Council. During this time, he probably met a canon, Dominic de Guzman (later to be Saint Dominic, the founder of the Friars Preachers, another Catholic religious order). In 1217, he offered to go to France. Cardinal Ugolino of Segni (the future Pope Gregory IX), an early and important supporter of Francis, advised him against this and said that he was still needed in Italy.
In 1219, accompanied by another friar and hoping to convert the Sultan of Egypt or win martyrdom in the attempt, Francis went to Egypt where a Crusader army had been encamped for over a year besieging the walled city of Damietta two miles (Script error: No such module "convert".) upstream from the mouth of one of the main channels of the Nile. The Sultan, al-Kamil, a nephew of Saladin, had succeeded his father as Sultan of Egypt in 1218 and was encamped upstream of Damietta, unable to relieve it. A bloody and futile attack on the city was launched by the Christians on August 29, 1219, following which both sides agreed to a ceasefire which lasted four weeks. It was most probably during this interlude that Francis and his companion crossed the Saracen lines and were brought before the Sultan, remaining in his camp for a few days. The visit is reported in contemporary Crusader sources and in the earliest biographies of Francis, but they give no information about what transpired during the encounter beyond noting that the Sultan received Francis graciously and that Francis preached to the Saracens without effect, returning unharmed to the Crusader camp. No contemporary Arab source mentions the visit. One detail, added by Bonaventure in the official life of Francis (written forty years after the event), has Francis offering to challenge the Sultan's "priests" to trial-by-fire in order to prove the veracity of the Christian Gospel.
Such an incident is alluded to in a scene in the late 13th-century fresco cycle, attributed to Giotto, in the upper basilica at Assisi (see accompanying illustration). It has been suggested that the winged figures atop the columns piercing the roof of the building on the left of the scene are not idols (as Erwin Panofsky had proposed) but are part of the secular iconography of the sultan, affirming his worldly power which, as the scene demonstrates, is limited even as regards his own "priests" who shun the challenge. Although Bonaventure asserts that the sultan refused to permit the challenge, subsequent biographies went further, claiming that a fire was actually kindled which Francis unhesitatingly entered without suffering burns. The scene in the fresco adopts a position mid-way between the two extremes.
According to some late sources, the Sultan gave Francis permission to visit the sacred places in the Holy Land and even to preach there. All that can safely be asserted is that Francis and his companion left the Crusader camp for Acre, from where they embarked for Italy in the latter half of 1220. Drawing on a 1267 sermon by Bonaventure, later sources report that the Sultan secretly converted or accepted a death-bed baptism as a result of the encounter with Francis. The Franciscan Order has been present in the Holy Land almost uninterruptedly since 1217 when Brother Elias arrived at Acre. It received concessions from the Mameluke Sultan in 1333 with regard to certain Holy Places in Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and (so far as concerns the Catholic Church) jurisdictional privileges from Pope Clement VI in 1342.
Oldest known portrait in existence of the saint, dating back to St. Francis' retreat to Subiaco (1223–1224): depicted without the stigmata.
By this time, the growing Order of friars was divided into provinces and groups were sent to France, Germany, Hungary, and Spain and to the East. Upon receiving a report of the martyrdom of five brothers in Morocco, Francis returned to Italy via Venice. Cardinal Ugolino di Conti was then nominated by the Pope as the protector of the Order. Another reason for Francis' return to Italy was that the friars in Italy were causing problems. The Franciscan Order had grown at an unprecedented rate compared to prior religious orders, but its organizational sophistication had not kept up with this growth and had little more to govern it than Francis' example and simple rule. To address this problem, Francis prepared a new and more detailed Rule, the "First Rule" or "Rule Without a Papal Bull" (Regula prima, Regula non bullata), which again asserted devotion to poverty and the apostolic life. However, it also introduced greater institutional structure though this was never officially endorsed by the pope.
On September 29, 1220, Francis handed over the governance of the Order to Brother Peter Catani at the Porziuncola, but Brother Peter died only five months later, on March 10, 1221, and was buried there. When numerous miracles were attributed to the deceased brother, people started to flock to the Porziuncola, disturbing the daily life of the Franciscans. Francis then prayed, asking Peter to stop the miracles and to obey in death as he had obeyed during his life.
The reports of miracles ceased. Brother Peter was succeeded by Brother Elias as Vicar of Francis. Two years later, Francis modified the "First Rule", creating the "Second Rule" or "Rule With a Bull", which was approved by Pope Honorius III on November 29, 1223. As the official Rule of the Order, it called on the friars "to observe the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, living in obedience without anything of our own and in chastity". In addition, it set regulations for discipline, preaching, and entry into the Order. Once the Rule was endorsed by the Pope, Francis withdrew increasingly from external affairs. During 1221 and 1222, Francis crossed Italy, first as far south as Catania in Sicily and afterwards as far north as Bologna.
While he was praying on the mountain of Verna, during a forty-day fast in preparation for Michaelmas (September 29), Francis is said to have had a vision on or about September 14, 1224, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, as a result of which he received the stigmata. Brother Leo, who had been with Francis at the time, left a clear and simple account of the event, the first definite account of the phenomenon of stigmata. "Suddenly he saw a vision of a seraph, a six-winged angel on a cross. This angel gave him the gift of the five wounds of Christ." Suffering from these stigmata and from trachoma, Francis received care in several cities (Siena, Cortona, Nocera) to no avail. In the end, he was brought back to a hut next to the Porziuncola. Here, in the place where it all began, feeling the end approaching, he spent the last days of his life dictating his spiritual Testament. He died on the evening of Saturday, October 3, 1226, singing Psalm 142 (141), "Voce mea ad Dominum". On July 16, 1228, he was pronounced a saint by Pope Gregory IX (the former cardinal Ugolino di Conti, friend of St. Francis and Cardinal Protector of the Order). The next day, the Pope laid the foundation stone for the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi. Francis was buried on May 25, 1230, under the Lower Basilica, but his tomb was soon hidden on orders of Brother Elias to protect it from Saracen invaders. His exact burial place remained unknown until it was re-discovered in 1818. Pasquale Belli then constructed for the remains a crypt in neo-classical style in the Lower Basilica. It was refashioned between 1927 and 1930 into its present form by Ugo Tarchi, stripping the wall of its marble decorations. In 1978, the remains of St. Francis were examined and confirmed by a commission of scholars appointed by Pope Paul VI, and put into a glass urn in the ancient stone tomb.
It has been argued that no one else in history was as dedicated as Francis to imitate the life, and carry out the work of Christ, in Christ’s own way. This is important in understanding Francis' character and his affinity for the Eucharist and respect for the priests who carried out the sacrament.
He and his followers celebrated and even venerated poverty. Poverty was so central to his character that in his last written work, the Testament, he said that absolute personal and corporate poverty was the essential lifestyle for the members of his Order.
Francis' visit to Egypt and attempted rapprochement with the Muslim world had far-reaching consequences, long past his own death, since after the fall of the Crusader Kingdom, it would be the Franciscans, of all Catholics, who would be allowed to stay on in the Holy Land and be recognized as "Custodians of the Holy Land" on behalf of the Catholic Church.
At Greccio near Assisi, around 1220, Francis celebrated Christmas by setting up the first known presepio or crèche (Nativity scene). His nativity imagery reflected the scene in traditional paintings. He used real animals to create a living scene so that the worshipers could contemplate the birth of the child Jesus in a direct way, making use of the senses, especially sight. Thomas of Celano, a biographer of Francis and Saint Bonaventure both, tell how he used only a straw-filled manger (feeding trough) set between a real ox and donkey. According to Thomas, it was beautiful in its simplicity, with the manger acting as the altar for the Christmas Mass.
Francis preached the teaching of the Catholic Church, that the world was created good and beautiful by God but suffers a need for redemption because of the primordial sin of man. He preached to man and beast the universal ability and duty of all creatures to praise God (a common theme in the Psalms) and the duty of men to protect and enjoy nature as both the stewards of God's creation and as creatures ourselves. On November 29, 1979, Pope John Paul II declared St. Francis the Patron Saint of Ecology. Many of the stories that surround the life of St. Francis say that he had a great love for animals and the environment.
Perhaps the most famous incident that illustrates the Saint's humility towards nature is recounted in the "Fioretti" ("Little Flowers"), a collection of legends and folklore that sprang up after the Saint's death. It is said that, one day, while Francis was travelling with some companions, they happened upon a place in the road where birds filled the trees on either side. Francis told his companions to "wait for me while I go to preach to my sisters the birds." The birds surrounded him, intrigued by the power of his voice, and not one of them flew away. He is often portrayed with a bird, typically in his hand.
Another legend from the Fioretti tells that in the city of Gubbio, where Francis lived for some time, was a wolf "terrifying and ferocious, who devoured men as well as animals." Francis had compassion upon the townsfolk, and so he went up into the hills to find the wolf. Soon, fear of the animal had caused all his companions to flee, though the saint pressed on. When he found the wolf, he made the sign of the cross and commanded the wolf to come to him and hurt no one. Miraculously the wolf closed his jaws and lay down at the feet of St. Francis.
"Brother Wolf, you do much harm in these parts and you have done great evil," said Francis. "All these people accuse you and curse you...But brother wolf, I would like to make peace between you and the people." Then Francis led the wolf into the town, and surrounded by startled citizens made a pact between them and the wolf. Because the wolf had “done evil out of hunger, the townsfolk were to feed the wolf regularly. In return, the wolf would no longer prey upon them or their flocks. In this manner Gubbio was freed from the menace of the predator. Francis even made a pact on behalf of the town dogs, that they would not bother the wolf again. Finally, to show the townspeople that they would not be harmed, Francis blessed the wolf.
Then during the World Environment Day 1982, John Paul II said that St. Francis' love and care for creation was a challenge for contemporary Catholics and a reminder "not to behave like dissident predators where nature is concerned, but to assume responsibility for it, taking all care so that everything stays healthy and integrated, so as to offer a welcoming and friendly environment even to those who succeed us." The same Pope wrote on the occasion of the World Day of Peace, January 1, 1990, the saint of Assisi "offers Christians an example of genuine and deep respect for the integrity of creation..." He went on to make the point that: "As a friend of the poor who was loved by God's creatures, Saint Francis invited all of creation – animals, plants, natural forces, even Brother Sun and Sister Moon – to give honor and praise to the Lord. The poor man of Assisi gives us striking witness that when we are at peace with God we are better able to devote ourselves to building up that peace with all creation which is inseparable from peace among all peoples."
Pope John Paul II concluded that section of the document with these words, "It is my hope that the inspiration of Saint Francis will help us to keep ever alive a sense of 'fraternity' with all those good and beautiful things which Almighty God has created."
Francis of Assisi Francisco de Zurbarán. Saint Francis' feast day is observed on October 4. The Evangelical Church in Germany, however, commemorates St. Francis' feast day on his death day, October 3.
Saint Francis' feast day is observed on October 4. A secondary feast in honor of the stigmata received by St. Francis, celebrated on September 17, was inserted in the General Roman Calendar in 1585 (later than the Tridentine Calendar) and suppressed in 1604, but was restored in 1615. In the New Roman Missal of 1969, it was removed again from the General Calendar, as something of a duplication of the main feast on October 4, and left to the calendars of certain localities and of the Franciscan Order. Wherever the traditional Roman Missal is used, however, the feast of the Stigmata remains in the General Calendar.
On June 18, 1939, Pope Pius XII named Francis a joint Patron Saint of Italy along with Saint Catherine of Siena with the apostolic letter "Licet Commissa". Pope Pius also mentioned the two saints in the laudative discourse he pronounced on May 5, 1949, in the Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva.
St. Francis is honored in the Church of England, the Anglican Church of Canada, the Episcopal Church USA, the Old Catholic Churches, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and other churches and religious communities on October 4. The Evangelical Church in Germany, however, commemorates St. Francis' feast day on his death day, October 3.
On 13 March 2013, upon his election as Pope, Archbishop and Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina chose Francis as his papal name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi, becoming Pope Francis.
Canticum Fratris Solis or Laudes Creaturarum; Canticle of the Sun.
For a complete list, see The Franciscan Experience.
Saint Francis is considered the first Italian poet by literary critics. He believed commoners should be able to pray to God in their own language, and he wrote often in the dialect of Umbria instead of Latin. His writings are considered to have great literary and religious value.
The anonymous 20th-century prayer "Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace" is widely but erroneously attributed to St. Francis.
The Franciscan Order promoted devotion to the life of Saint Francis from his canonization onwards, and commissioned large numbers of works for Franciscan churches, either showing St Francis with sacred figures, or episodes from his life. There are large early fresco cycles in the Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi, parts of which are shown above.
Statue of St. Francis in front of the Catholic church of Chania.
Sant Francesc (Saint Francis, 1895), a book of forty-three Saint Francis poems by Catalan poet-priest Jacint Verdaguer, three of which are included in English translation in Selected Poems of Jacint Verdaguer: A Bilingual Edition, edited and translated by Ronald Puppo, with an introduction by Ramon Pinyol i Torrents (University of Chicago, 2007). The three poems are "The Turtledoves", "Preaching to Birds" and "The Pilgrim".
Saint Francis of Assisi a Doubleday Image Book translated by T. O'Conor Sloane, Ph.D., LL.D. in 1955 from the Danish original researched and written by Johannes Jorgensen and published in 1912 by Longmans, Green and Company, Inc.
John Tolan, St. Francis and the Sultan: The Curious History of a Christian-Muslim Encounter. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
Vita di un uomo: Francesco d'Assisi (1995) a book by Chiara Frugoni, preface by Jacques Le Goff, Torino: Einaudi.
Francis, Brother of the Universe (1982), a 48-page comic book by Marvel Comics on the life of Saint Francis of Assisi written by Father Roy Gasnik O.F.M. and Mary Jo Duffy, artwork by John Buscema and Marie Severin, lettering by Jim Novak and edited by Jim Shooter.
"Universal Man", an illumination from a 13th-century copy of Hildegard von Bingen's Liber Divinorum Operum ("Book of Divine Works", c. 1165).
In Rubén Darío's poem Los Motivos Del Lobo (The Reasons Of The Wolf) St. Francis tames a terrible wolf only to discover that the human heart harbors darker desires than those of the beast.
In Fyodor Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamazov, Ivan Karamazov invokes the name of 'Pater Seraphicus,' an epithet applied to St. Francis, to describe Alyosha's spiritual guide Zosima. The reference is found in Goethe's "Faust," Part 2, Act 5, lines 11918–25.
Rich Mullins co-wrote Canticle of the Plains, a musical, with Mitch McVicker. Released in 1997, it was based on the life of St. Francis of Assisi, but told as a western story.
Bernard Malamud's novel The Assistant (1957) features a protagonist, Frank Alpine, who exemplifies the life of St. Francis in mid-20th-century Brooklyn, New York City.
Canticle of the Sun is a prayer by St. Francis.
Prayer of Saint Francis is not a prayer by St. Francis.
^ On the day of his election, the Vatican clarified that his official papal name was "Francis", not "Francis I". A Vatican spokesman said that the name would become Francis I if and when there is a Francis II.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Brady, Ignatius Charles. "Saint Francis of Assisi." Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
^ a b c d e f g h i j 12px Paschal Robinson (1913). "St. Francis of Assisi". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
^ a b c d e f Cross, F. L., ed. (2005). "Francis of Assisi". The Oxford dictionary of the Christian church. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0199566712.
^ Tolan, John (2009). St. Francis and the Sultan: The Curious History of a Christian-Muslim Encounter. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199239726.
^ Cross, F. L., ed. (2005). "Stigmatization". The Oxford dictionary of the Christian church. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0199566712.
^ a b "Blessing All Creatures, Great and Small". Duke Magazine. November 2006. Retrieved 2007-07-30.
^ "St. Francis of Assisi – Franciscan Friars of the Renewal". Franciscanfriars.com. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
^ under subheading "The Crib (Creche) or Nativity Scene"
^ a b Englebert, Omer (1951). The Lives of the Saints. New York: Barnes & Noble. p. 529. ISBN 978-1-56619-516-4.
^ Robinson, P. (2009). St. Francis of Assisi. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved 2011-10-17 from New Advent.
^ a b Chesterton, Gilbert Keith (1924). "St. Francis of Assisi" (14 ed.). Garden City, New York: Image Books. p. 158.
^ Bonaventure; Cardinal Manning (1867). The Life of St. Francis of Assisi (from the Legenda Sancti Francisci) (1988 ed.). Rockford, Illinois: TAN Books & Publishers. p. 190. ISBN 978-0-89555-343-0.
^ Fioretti quoted in: St. Francis, The Little Flowers, Legends, and Lauds, trans. N. Wydenbruck, ed. Otto Karrer (London: Sheed and Ward, 1979) 244.
^ Steven Runciman, History of the Crusades, vol. 3: The Kingdom of Acre and the Later Crusades, Cambridge University Press (1951, paperback 1987), pp. 151–161.
^ e.g., Jacques de Vitry, Letter 6 of February or March 1220 and Historia orientalis (c. 1223–1225) cap. XXII; Tommaso da Celano, Vita prima (1228), §57: the relevant passages are quoted in an English translation in Tolan, pp. 19f. and 54 respectively.
^ e.g., Chesterton, Saint Francis, Hodder & Stoughton (1924) chapter 8. Tolan (p.126) discusses the incident as recounted by Bonaventure which does not extend to a fire actually being lit.
^ Péter Bokody, "Idolatry or Power: St. Francis in Front of the Sultan," in: Promoting the Saints: Cults and Their Contexts from Late Antiquity until the Early Modern Period, ed. Ottó Gecser and others (Budapest: CEU Press, 2010), 69-81, esp. at pp. 74 and 76-78. The views of Panofsky (idols: see Renaissance and Renascences in Western Art, New York 1972, p.148, n.3) and Tolan (undecided: p.143) are cited at p.73.
^ Ugolino Brunforte (Brother Ugolino). The Little Flowers of St. Francis of Assisi. Calvin College: CCEL. ISBN 1-61025212-8. ISBN 978-1-61025212-6. Quote.
^ Pope John Paul II (November 29, 1979). "Inter Sanctos (Apostolic Letter AAS 71)" (PDF). Retrieved August 7, 2014.
^ Pope John Paul II (December 8, 1989). "World Day of Peace 1990". Retrieved October 24, 2012.
^ Pope Francis (March 16, 2013). "Audience to Representatives of the Communications Media". Retrieved August 9, 2014.
^ "Pope Francis explains decision to take St Francis of Assisi's name". London: The Guardian. 16 March 2013. Archived from the original on 16 March 2013.
^ a b "New Pope Fra[n]cis visits St. Mary Major, collects suitcases and pays bill at hotel". NEWS.VA. 14 March 2013. Archived from the original on 16 March 2013.
^ Michael Martinez, CNN Vatican analyst: Pope Francis' name choice 'precedent shattering', CNN (13 March 2013). Retrieved 13 March 2013.
^ "Pope Francis wants 'poor Church for the poor'". BBC News (BBC). 16 March 2013. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
^ Alpert, Emily (13 March 2013). "Vatican: It's Pope Francis, not Pope Francis I". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 16 March 2013.
^ Brand, Peter; Pertile, Lino, eds. (1999). "2 - Poetry. Francis of Assisi (pp. 5ff.)". The Cambridge History of Italian Literature. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-52166622-8. ISBN 978-0-52166622-0.
^ Chesterton, G.K. (1987). St. Francis. Image. pp. 160 p. ISBN 0-385-02900-4.
^ Renoux, Christian (2001). La prière pour la paix attribuée à saint François: une énigme à résoudre. Paris: Editions franciscaines. ISBN 2-85020-096-4.
^ Renoux, Christian. "The Origin of the Peace Prayer of St. Francis". Retrieved August 9, 2014.
Englebert, Omer (1951). The Lives of the Saints. New York: Barnes & Noble.
Robinson, Paschal (1913). "St. Francis of Assisi". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 12px "St._Francis_of_Assisi". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913.
Tolan, John (2009). Saint Francis and the Sultan. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Friar Elias, Epistola Encyclica de Transitu Sancti Francisci, 1226.
Pope Gregory IX, Bulla "Mira circa nos" for the canonization of St. Francis, July 19, 1228.
Friar Tommaso da Celano: Vita Prima Sancti Francisci, 1228; Vita Secunda Sancti Francisci, 1246–1247; Tractatus de Miraculis Sancti Francisci, 1252–1253.
Friar Julian of Speyer, Vita Sancti Francisci, 1232–1239.
St. Bonaventure of Bagnoregio, Legenda Maior Sancti Francisci, 1260–1263.
Ugolino da Montegiorgio, Actus Beati Francisci et sociorum eius, 1327–1342.
Fioretti di San Francesco, the "Little Flowers of St. Francis", end of the 14th century: an anonymous Italian version of the Actus; the most popular of the sources, but very late and therefore not the best authority by any means.
Acocella, Joan, "Rich Man, Poor Man: The Radical Visions of St. Francis", The Critics: Books, The New Yorker 88, no. 43 (January 14, 2013): 72-77 (accessed January 23, 2015).
St. Francis of Assisi at the Christian Iconography web site.
"All Creatures of Our God and King"
"Légende No. 1: St François d'Assise" |
0.993113 | , laws that shift the composition of the electorate have the impact of shifting resources away from low-turnout communities towards higher turnout communities. That makes these laws all the more worrying as 2016 approaches.
A number of earlier studies have already suggested that voter ID laws are motivated by voter suppression. Political scientists Keith Bentele and Erin O'Brien found the laws were, "highly partisan, strategic, and racialized affairs." Later, Bentele and Ian Vandewalker found that, anti-Black stereotyping is "strongly associated" with the proposal of voter ID laws, though share of the population that are Black and turnout among people of color predict the passage of such laws. In an early study, political scientists Daniel Smith and Seth Mckee found that, "where elections are competitive, the furtherance of restrictive voter ID laws is a means of maintaining Republican support while curtailing Democratic electoral gains."
In their new study, with political scientist William Hicks, they instead examine what predicts support for voter ID laws among individual legislators. They find, unsurprisingly, that partisan identification is the strongest predictor. However, the also find that, "Democratic lawmakers representing substantial black district populations are more opposed to restrictive voter ID laws, whereas Republican legislators with substantial black district populations are more supportive." This is powerful evidence that voter suppression is at heart of support for voter ID.
Another strand of studies examine what leads individuals to support voter ID laws. A study by McKee and other scholars finds that, "racial resentment appears to have the strongest impact on attitudes toward strict photo ID laws, and the effect is seen among both Republicans and Democrats." An earlier study by political scientists David Wilson and Paul Brewer finds that racial resentment increases support for voter ID laws (see chart), as does regular Fox News viewership and believes that fraud is widespread. A more recent study by nearly half a dozen scholars finds that, "racial resentment appears to have the strongest impact on attitudes toward strict photo ID laws, and the effect is seen among both Republicans and Democrats."
, the impact of these laws is all the more important.
to believe that ID laws would skew turnout, because research indicates people of color, young people and low-income people are less likely to have necessary identification.
These studies are key in that they make a very persuasive case that voter ID laws are exactly the type of racially-biased shenanigans that the Voting Rights Act was meant to prevent. As I've argued, politicians should actually be pushing for policies that make it easier, not harder to vote. The evidence is strong that AVR would be the most consequential voting rights reform in decades. Recently, I wrote about a 1976 political science dissertation that strengthens the case. It turns out that when registration laws were first being implemented, in many cases the burden of compiling lists fell on town and county officials, rather than on potential voters. It counties where officials compiled lists, turnout was higher than in counties where individuals had to register themselves.
This, combined with all of the evidence that registration is a key barrier to political participation and that policies that ease the burden of registration boost turnout, suggests automatic voter registration could dramatically change our nation's political system. Demos recently released a report showing that automatic voter registration could bring at least 27 million new voters into the system (I worked on the numbers). Already in Oregon, the new Automatic Voter Registration system is having a big impact. NPR reports that, "More than 4,000 new voters were registered in the first six days -- compared to an average 2,000 new registrations each month under the old system." In addition, it is becoming increasingly clear that the preclearance provision of the Voting Rights Act, which was re-authorized by overwhelming majorities in Congress is necessary. Ginsburg was indeed correct: the Court threw out the umbrella, and we now face a torrent of voter ID laws. |
0.977565 | Every March, top lawmakers and political advisors gather in the capital from all over the country to attend the "lianghui," or "two meetings" where they review the performance of the government over the past year and hear new policies and major economic targets.
The two parts of the "lianghui" are the National People's Congress (NPC), which is the country's top legislature, and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), a body that advises the government on a range of issues. The meetings typically last about 10 days.
Premier Li Keqiang delivers a report on the government's work to the 3,000 delegates on the first day of the NPC conclave, which this year begins March 5. His press conference on the final day (March 15) is also closely watched because he fields questions from foreign journalists. The report Li delivers will announce China's targeted GDP growth for the year and other key figures, such as the national defense budget.
Compared to the Communist Party's big meetings, the "lianghui" is more visible, perhaps intended to provide the public with a bit of political theater.
Technically it is the highest organ of state power. Its roughly 3,000 delegates meet once a year to ratify or approve policies, laws, the budget and top government personnel changes, which are mostly placed before it by other official organs. A 175-member NPC Standing Committee runs the legislature and passes laws between the annual meetings. It is chaired by Zhang Dejiang, No. 3 in the Communist Party after Xi Jinping and Li.
Has the NPC ever rejected legislation?
It has never voted down a proposed law, which has raised questions as to its function. However, since the legislature held its first meeting in 1954, there have been increasing instances of a lack of consensus. In 1982, three delegates abstained from a vote for the first time. The first "no" vote was cast six year later when Taiwan delegate Huang Shunxing voted against a nomination for chairman of the NPC's Education, Science, Culture and Public Health Committee. Then in 1992, only two-thirds of the legislature voted for the Three Gorges Dam project. More recently, hundreds of delegates have voted against or abstained from voting on the work reports given by the head of top prosecutor's office and the chief judge of the Supreme People's Court.
Who can be an NPC member?
Delegates are elected to five-year terms mostly by provincial people's congresses, who themselves are elected by lower-level assemblies. Only delegates at the lowest level – the county level or equivalent – are directly elected by the public. The People's Liberation Army also picks some members. The NPC has 2,943 members this year, meaning each one represents about 670,000 people. Some 406 delegates represent China's 55 ethnic minorities.
Then what does the CPPCC do?
The CPPCC is a collection of advisors that give party and government bodies suggestions on economic, political, cultural and societal issues. The membership is more varied than the NPC, and not everyone is a party member. Many CPPCC members are leading figures in fields such as academics, the legal profession and the business world. The body also has some star power, with luminaries like former NBA star Yao Ming and Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan holding posts.
China’s cold chain logistics industry, which now enjoys special status under the Chinese government’s macro economic control policy, will continue to strengthen and improve, while maintaining rapid operational growth. The industry was chosen as a favored industry because of its importance in maintaining public health and food security. At the same time, disposable incomes in China are rising, and food safety is becoming more of a concern for individual consumers.
According to recent studies conducted by the International Cold Storage Association, only 15% of products requiring temperature control were handled correctly in China, and only 10% of vehicles that are used for perishable products are equipped with cold storage equipment, not just ice cubes or ice bricks. Most of the logistics systems do not have any temperature control at all. As a result, more than 30% of the agricultural products produced in China are wasted during transportation. Due to lack of proper handling, product quality of the remaining 70% is in question. Food safety is becoming more of a concern for consumers and a complete system for cold chain logistics is in demand.
In 2015, meat production in China exceeded 80 million tons, vegetable 700 million tons, fruit 260 million tons, dairy products 27 million tons and seafood 60 million tons. Besides, large amounts of meat and frozen food are produced every year in China too. Temperature fluctuation in cold storage and transport is one of the main reasons for food quality decline. To ensure those perishable foods' freshness and quality, cold chain logistics is needed.
At the end of 2014, China had a freezer capacity of about 120 million cubic meters and less than 60, 00 refrigerator vehicles, lagging far behind developed countries in per capital terms.
As a high-end sub-industry of logistics, cold chain logistics will become the focus of many investors in the next few years. As e-business develops in China, e-business enterprises operating fresh food are springing up and the supporting cold chain infrastructure. Many e-business companies in China have got into the field of fresh food, for example, large e-business enterprises like Tmall and JD have published their own fresh food strategy. Besides, logistics enterprises like SF Best of SF Express are conducting e-business and a bunch of professional fresh food e-business enterprises like Too Too Organic Farm are developing fast too. According to CRI's estimation, the market size of fresh food e-business was about CNY 100-120 billion and CAGR during the period of 2016-2020 will exceed 50%.
Currently fresh food e-busines companies hardly invest in cold chain equipment but they indirectly force the construction of cold chain distribution networks. Enterprises such as JD and Tmall are still weak in cold chain warehouse, logistics delivery system and door to door delivery where they mainly cooperate with a third party cold chain logistics companies.
The cold chain logistics network can be divided into two parts: cold chain home delivery and cold chain artery, the former belonging to express and less-than-carload logistics while the latter involving supply chain management and third party logistics. Cold chain logistics is a sub-industry of logistics, with the largest potential market despite its complex operation and high barrier to entry. Cold chain logistics will be one of the fastes growing sub-industries of logistics in China in the next few years.
With sustained consumer growth, a fast increase in demand for food, drugs and cosmetics: the cold chain logistics industry in China will undergo a transformation enableling investment opportunities in China for cold chain equipment manufacturers and cold chain logistics enterprises.
47 qualified companies currently vie in the competition for refrigerated trucks. Among the top players including CIMC (Shandong), Zhengzhou Hongyu, Henan Bingxiong, Henan Frestec, Zhenjiang Speed Auto and KF Mobile, CIMC (Shandong) occupies the Shandong market, and seizes market share in Guangdong, Zhejiang, Hubei and other places; Henan Bingxiong performs outstandingly in Northeast China, Shanxi and Inner Mongolia; Zhenjiang Speed Auto and KF Mobile focus on East China and dominate the East refrigerated truck market. Zhengzhou Hongyu not only takes a favorable position via giants such as Shuanghui, Yurun, Topin, Sanquan and Synear in Henan, but also makes some achievements in Beijing, Hebei, Ningxia, Jiangsu and other markets.
CPC Central Committee's Proposal on Formulating the Thirteenth Five-year Plan on National Economic and Social Development - sets out the goals, principles and targets for China’s development in the next five years, and will have significant business implications, not only for China, but also for the world, given the size and global influence of China’s economy.
Becoming the world’s second largest economy, the largest trading nation, the largest destination for foreign direct investment and the third largest global investor, together with the largest foreign exchange reserves.
Achieving average GDP growth of 7.8% over the past five years, 48.1% of which was contributed by the services sector of the GDP, exceeding manufacturing and construction.
Reaching an urbanisation rate of 55%, lifting over 100 million people have out of poverty in the past five years.
government over-regulation and poor quality services.
China’s economic growth has slowed down to 6.9% in the first three quarters of 2015.
In the words of CPC leadership, China’s economic growth model is “unbalanced, uncoordinated and unsustainable”, and must be changed.
The 13th FYP is the first five-year plan formulated under President Xi Jinping's leadership and considered strategically important as the year 2020 will be the centennial anniversary of the founding of the CPC and the deadline for realising China's goal of becoming "a moderately prosperous society in all respects". In other words, China needs to double its 2010 GDP and per capita income of both urban and rural residents by 2020 – an enormous task given the current economic uncertainties.
strenuously promote environmental protection and low carbon growth.
President Xi Jinping later elaborated that, to achieve the goal, China would need to maintain an average annual GDP growth rate of 6.5% until 2020. This growth rate, coupled with a smooth transition to a growth model primarily driven by consumption and services, will hopefully guide the economy into its “new normal” period and help China avoid the “middle-income trap”.
The CPC proposed the following specific action points and targets for each aspect of the 13th FYP.
In declaring China’s future development “must rest on the basis of innovation”, the CPC has made clear the strategic importance of innovation in the 13th FYP.
Build a ubiquitous and fast mobile information network to balance improvements to the transportation and mail delivery networks.
Manufacturing remains the keystone of China’s economic growth and the basis for building an innovation-driven nation as well as for overseas expansion.
Establish a green development fund to promote clean production through clean energy, green transportation, control of carbon emissions in major industries and a circular economy.
Push for pilot projects on Near Zero Emission Zones.
Control and reduce agricultural pollution.
Ban commercial logging of natural forest and improve forest growing stock. The country will also strengthen protection of endangered species through breeding centres and gene banks, while improving management and control of wildlife imports and exports including ivory.
As stipulated in the new environmental law, the 13th FYP reconfirms that government officials will be audited upon leaving their posts on the balance sheets of natural resources.
Construct energy storage and smart grid and develop distributed power.
Raise the energy conservation standards for buildings and promote green building and green building materials.
Boost low-carbon public transportation with an improved rail transport system.
Promote cycling and new energy vehicles to encourage a "green" and sustainable lifestyle.
In line with its international commitments; According to official statistics, China is planning to invest US$6.6 trillion in the coming decade on low carbon technology, renewables, energy efficiency and emission reduction products, generating huge business opportunities for Chinese and foreign companies along the way.
Improve SOE vitality, controlling power, influence and resilience.
Strengthen its supervision over state assets by shifting its focus to capital management.
Encourage more state capital to be invested into the sectors and industries that are of significance to national security and the national economy.
Reduce government intervention in the operation of enterprises, reduce administrative approvals, break regional market segmentation and sectoral monopolies and create a fair competitive environment for all enterprises.
China is still at the early stage of urbanisation. The CPC anticipates over 100 million of farmers will become city dwellers, generating a market of US$6 trillion relating to their settlements and employment in the next five years.
Coordinate regional development to achieve balanced growth, by improving infrastructure development in the western region while rejuvenating the north-eastern industrial hub and facilitating the rise of the central region.
Enhance support to less developed regions, such as ethnic minority communities and border areas as well as resource-strained and ecologically degraded regions, and help shift excess industrial capacity from the affluent coastal cities to developing western regions.
Support the development of a series of city clusters across the country.
Call for proper and green city planning and industrial layout designs, and integrated growth of urban and rural areas.
Support the enhanced connectivity of inter-city transport and communications as well as the development of green cities, smart cities and forest cities.
Further reform the household registration systems (hukou system) to enable rural families to settle in cities and enjoy equal rights and the same treatment as city dwellers.
Draw up plans to open up the competitive businesses of power, banking, transport, telecommunications, oil and gas and public utilities.
Adopt a two-child policy so as to promote the balanced development of the Chinese population. It is estimated that under this new policy, 6 million more babies will be born each year, generating an infant-related goods and services consumption market worth US$16 billion.
Gradually postpone the statutory retirement age.
Make elderly care services a fully open market.
Encourage the private sector to invest and provide diversified education services.
Adjust the country’s income distribution system and narrow the income gap so as to "significantly" increase the wages of the low-income population, and increase the proportion of middle-income group.
Promote the mechanism of collective negotiations for wages and further increase the minimum wage levels.
Take a more positive approach by launching a free professional skills enhancement programme for the peasant workers and people from unprivileged backgrounds.
Remove barriers and restrictions for employment, and encourage more people to start their own businesses.
China has made remarkable progress in poverty relief. It was the first developing country to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) target of reducing the population living in poverty by half ahead of the 2015 deadline. Despite this, China still has 70 million people in the countryside living below the country's poverty line of 2,300 yuan (US$376) annual income by 2010 price standards.
A distinctive feature of the 13th FYP is that it’s the first five-year plan that shifts from the traditionally domestic focus to a much wider international perspectives by including more cross-border issues, in line with China’s rising position in today’s global economy.
Promote the development of local industrial capabilities.
Collaborate with international financial institutions, such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the New Development Bank, together with China’s Silk Road Fund, to attract worldwide financial support.
Actively participate in the UN climate change negotiations and cut its emissions.
Expand the scale of foreign aid to developing countries and contribute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
These statements and plans, while demonstrating China’s commitments as a responsible player of the international community, reflect China’s confidence as a world power and its rising global perspectives and aspirations.
Fully implement a pre-establishment national treatment to foreign investors.
Support will be given to coastal areas to participate in global economic cooperation.
Establish advanced manufacturing bases and economic zones, and continue to improve border and cross-border economic cooperation zones.
Encourage Chinese companies to invest overseas and sell more Chinese equipment, technology, standards and services to foreign countries.
Encourage Chinese companies to further their cooperation with foreign peers to improve their equipment manufacturing capabilities, added value and technological competitiveness.
Further integrate into the world’s supply chains and value chains through establishing overseas production bases and financial services platforms.
Transform the banking system into a multi-level and diverse system, and provide more financial support to small and micro-sized businesses and rural regions and impoverished areas.
Relax restrictions and allow more private entities to establish banks.
Provide strong support to green finance, including the issuance of green bonds.
In October, the Agricultural Bank of China issued its landmark listing of Renminbi and dollar-denominated green bonds with a total value of $1billion at the London Stock Exchange. The issue was four times oversubscribed.
Establish a standard financing mechanism for local governments.
Continue to press ahead with capital account liberalisation and the internationalisation of the Renminbi, which is already the world’s second currency for global trade finance and became the fourth most-used world payment currency in August 2015.
Actively push for wider international support for the inclusion of the Renminbi in the IMF Special Drawing Right (SDR) basket.
Increase the exposure and wide usage of the currency in international markets.
The government has vowed to promote the administration of rule of law, innovate its ways of macroeconomic control and social governance, and continue to fight corruption.
Cement achievements made in the anti-corruption campaign and tighten supervision and checks over power, in addition to working out an effective mechanism to stem corruption.
According to China’s political process, the CPC is responsible for formulating a proposal document that maps out the goals, principle and targets for the next five-year plan. The State Council will then add flesh to the bones and work out a more detailed outline, which will then be submitted to the top legislature – the National People’s Congress - for review and ratification in March 2016.
Following that, each province and central government ministry will accordingly formulate its own five year plan and be responsible for implementations.
The Johannesburg Summit and the 6th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) were held in Johannesburg from 3 to 5 December 2015. Heads of State and Government, Heads of Delegation, the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission and Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Ministers in charge of economic cooperation from China and 50 African countries (hereafter referred to as "the two sides") attended the Summit and Ministerial Conference respectively.
The two sides reviewed with satisfaction the development of relations between China and Africa and applauded the positive contribution FOCAC had made over the past 15 years since its inception in advancing the comprehensive and in-depth development of China-Africa relations, and agreed that FOCAC had become both a key platform for collective dialogue between China and African countries, and an effective mechanism for practical cooperation.
The two sides share the view that, as China works for the Two Centenary Goals and as Africa implements Agenda 2063 and its First 10-Year Implementation Plan, the current development strategies of China and Africa are highly compatible. The two sides shall make full use of their comparative advantages to transform and upgrade mutually beneficial cooperation focusing on better quality and higher efficiency to ensure the common prosperity of our peoples.
The two sides are satisfied with the effective implementation of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Action Plan (2013-2015) adopted at the 5th Ministerial Conference of FOCAC, and decide, in the spirit of the Johannesburg Declaration of the Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, to jointly establish and develop comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership between China and Africa featuring political equality and mutual trust, economic cooperation for win-win results, exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and African civilizations, mutual assistance in security affairs, as well as solidarity and cooperation in international affairs.
In order to implement the outcomes of the Summit and the Conference, and chart the course of China-Africa friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation in all fields in the next three years under the theme of "China-Africa Progressing Together: Win-Win Cooperation for Common Development", the two sides jointly formulate and adopt with consensus this Action Plan.
The two sides will continue to encourage high-level mutual visits and dialogue in order to consolidate traditional friendship, enhance political mutual trust and deepen strategic consensus and coordination.
2.2.1 So as to enhance the planning and implementation of relations and cooperation between China and African countries, the two sides agree to improve and encourage mechanisms such as bilateral joint commissions, strategic dialogues, foreign ministries' political consultations, and joint/mixed commissions on economic and trade cooperation.
2.3.1 The two sides will enhance exchanges and cooperation between the National People's Congress of China and African national parliaments, regional parliaments, the Pan-African Parliament and the African Parliamentary Union, to consolidate the traditional China-Africa friendship and promote mutually beneficial cooperation.
2.3.2 The two sides will expand and enhance exchanges and cooperation between the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and African national parliaments, regional parliaments, the Pan-African Parliament and the African Parliamentary Union.
2.3.3 The two sides will deepen exchanges between the China Economic and Social Council, the AU Economic, Social and Cultural Committee, and the economic and social councils and other relevant institutions in African countries.
2.3.4 The two sides will increase the frequency of high-level contacts between political parties, enhance cooperation on personnel training, deepen bilateral and multilateral political dialogues, and increase experience sharing on governance and national development.
2.3.5 The two sides will promote exchanges and cooperation between local governments, and support the establishment of more sister provinces/cities relationships, as well as the institutionalization of the China-Africa Forum on Cooperation between Local Governments.
2.4.1 The two sides recognize the important role of the African Union in safeguarding peace and stability in Africa, promoting the development of Africa, and advancing the integration process of Africa. The two sides, furthermore, acknowledge with appreciation the efforts and contributions made by China to support Africa's peaceful and stable development and integration.
2.4.2 The two sides appreciate the comprehensive development of relations between China, sub-regional and pan-african organizations and the African Union, agree to maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges, continue to improve the strategic dialogue mechanism, and enhance strategic mutual trust and practical cooperation.
2.4.3 China appreciates the adoption of Agenda 2063 and its First 10-Year Implementation Plan by the African Union, and will continue to support the African Union in its efforts to build a united, integrated and prosperous Africa that is at peace with itself and the world.
2.4.4 The Chinese side appreciates the positive role of the African Union Commission since it became a member of the FOCAC, and will also continue to strengthen cooperation with and support for the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).
2.4.5 The two sides agree to actively implement the Memorandum of Understanding on the Promotion of China-Africa Cooperation in the Fields of Railway, Highway, Regional Aviation Networks and Industrialization, making good use of existing cooperation mechanisms such as the Joint Working Group of Transnational and Trans-regional Infrastructure Cooperation in Africa, and to promote practical cooperation between China and the African Union in priority fields.
2.4.6 The African Union appreciates the establishment of the Mission of China to the AU in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. China invites the African Union to establish a representative office in Beijing at an early date.
2.4.7 The Chinese side will further support the capacity building of the African Union and sub-regional organizations in Africa in various forms, such as through human resources development.
2.4.8 The Chinese side will establish and improve mechanisms of economic and trade cooperation with regional and sub-regional organizations in Africa, enhance economic and trade cooperation between China and Africa at regional and multilateral levels. The Chinese side welcomes and supports African initiatives regarding the creation of free trade zones and will study the possibility of establishing free trade zone cooperation.
3.1.1 The two sides agree that realizing agriculture modernization in Africa by strengthening China-Africa agricultural cooperation is an important way to contribute to food security in Africa, and should be given priority in the context of China-Africa cooperation projects. The cooperation will enhance agricultural transformation and upgrading, increase agricultural production, processing and income, and safeguard food security in Africa bearing in mind the prevailing regulatory requirements.
3.1.2 The two sides will continue to strengthen cooperation in the fields of agricultural policy consultation, planning and design, and support the implementation of the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) through assisting to build agriculture technology demonstration centres, sending professionals for technical cooperation, and training agricultural technicians. In this regard, the African side appreciates the support already rendered by the Chinese government for African countries to implement the CAADP.
3.1.3 The Chinese side will carry out agricultural demonstration projects in Africa, build or upgrade agricultural technology demonstration centres, make effective use of such centres focusing on agricultural research, demonstration and training, expanding training, transferring breeding and plantation technologies and cooperate with African countries to increase agricultural unit productivity.
3.1.4 The Chinese side will continue to send 30 teams of senior agriculture experts and teachers to provide vocational education to African countries, as well as to increase the number of African personnel trained in agro-technology and administration in China, in order to improve overall agricultural technology and management.
3.1.5. The Chinese side will help African countries develop water conservancy and irrigation projects, implement the project of "Agriculture Leads to Prosperity" in 100 African villages, provide African countries with emergency food assistance.
3.1.6 The two sides will actively cooperate in agricultural project designing, financing and management under the framework of the CAADP, as implemented through the AU and NEPAD, and offer support to feasibility studies on agricultural infrastructure construction.
3.1.7 The Chinese side will continue to work with African countries to jointly implement high quality and high yield agricultural demonstration projects, encourage and guide China's agro-science research organizations and enterprises to work with their African counterparts to carry out experimental demonstrations for high-quality and high-yield agriculture, establish "10+10" cooperative mechanism among China-Africa agro-science research institutions, focus on facilitating joint research on breeding and the production of seeds as well as plant protection, specifically focusing on increasing outputs of grain, cotton and other key crops in African countries.
3.1.8 The Chinese side will encourage and support Chinese enterprises to invest in agriculture in Africa; implement cooperation projects focusing on technical support in grain planting, storage, sanitary and phytosanitary requirements, animal husbandry, agro-processing capacity, forestry, and fisheries to create a favourable environment for African countries to realize long-term food security supported by national agricultural production and processing.
3.1.9 The two sides will encourage the trade of agricultural products, improve trade policies, assess methods to promote agricultural trade, and continuously scale up the trade of agricultural products between China and Africa.
3.1.10 The Chinese side will continue to strengthen agricultural cooperation with Africa under the framework of the UNFAO "Special Programme for Food Security", and explore prospects of working with other institutions and countries to realise further agricultural cooperation with Africa.
3.1.11 The African side pledges to cooperate with the Chinese side in key fields such as exchanges on agricultural policies, agricultural infrastructure improvement, development of systems of agricultural support services, modern agricultural development capacity building, and investment in the complete value chain of agriculture to improve Africa's agricultural production and strengthen its capability to ensure food security. It will create an enabling environment for Chinese enterprises to invest and trade in agriculture in Africa, and offer support that includes preferential policies in agriculture, land, agricultural infrastructure, fiscal financing and insurance service, in accordance with local laws.
3.2.1 The two sides believe that industrialization is an imperative to ensure Africa's independent and sustainable development. There are mutual needs for industry partnering and industrial capacity cooperation between China and Africa. Both sides enjoy respective advantages and will bring opportunities to each other. The two sides are ready to combine China's competitive industries and high-quality industrial capacity with Africa's industrialization and economy diversification to promote bilateral cooperation aimed at comprehensive transformation and upgrading.
3.2.2 The two sides commit to following a balanced approach to interests and principles, win-win cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, market-based cooperation, and will actively carry out industry partnering and industrial capacity cooperation, while never pursuing development at the cost of the long-term interests and environments of their host countries.
3.2.3 The two sides will make full use of the existing multilateral and bilateral cooperation mechanisms, enhance planning, policy coordination and industry partnering, and promote the mutually beneficial development of industrial capacity.
3.2.4 The Chinese side is willing to give priority to Africa in industrial partnering and industrial capacity cooperation. The African side welcomes the transfer of labour-intensive competitive industrial capacities of China to Africa in an orderly way, assisting Africa to increase employment, taxation and foreign exchange, and achieving technology transfer and common development. The two sides agree to select several African countries to set up pilot and demonstration programmes, jointly establish or upgrade a number of industrial parks and support the development of infrastructure and public services facilities to accumulate experience, explore effective methods and offer a cooperation model for driving forward China-Africa industrial partnering and industrial capacity cooperation in a comprehensive and orderly fashion.
3.2.5 The Chinese side will set up a China-Africa production capacity cooperation fund, with an initial pledge of US$10 billion, to support China-Africa industry partnering and industrial capacity cooperation.
3.2.6 The Chinese side will send senior government experts and consultants to Africa countries to offer advice and assistance on industrialization layout, policy planning, operation and management.
3.2.7 African countries will continue to improve laws, regulations and infrastructure, introduce preferential policies and improve government services wherever possible, so as to create enabling conditions and an environment to attract investment by Chinese companies and support industries and industrial capacity from China, where mutually beneficial.
3.3.1 The two sides agree that underdeveloped infrastructure is one of the bottlenecks hindering independent and sustainable development of Africa. The two sides will take concrete measures and give priority to encourage Chinese businesses and financial institutions to expand investment through various means, such as Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT), to support African countries and the African flagship projects, in particular the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa and the Presidential Infrastructure Championing Initiative, in their efforts to build railroad, highway, regional aviation, ports, electricity, water supply, information and communication and other infrastructure projects, support African countries in establishing 5 transportation universities and facilitate infrastructure connectivity and economic integration in Africa.
3.3.2 According to the plan of building transnational and trans-regional infrastructure in Africa, the two sides will explore and cooperate on the planning and construction of projects to achieve sub-regional connectivity and integration. The two sides will combine the national development demands and the projects' economic benefits, and drive Africa's infrastructure construction in a balanced and orderly way.
3.3.3 The two sides will enhance planning and coordination on the construction and renovation of highway networks in Africa, in particular promoting construction of transnational highway networks in Africa.
3.3.4 The two sides will jointly formulate the China-Africa Railway Cooperation Action Plan (2016-2020), promoting the construction of railway networks in Africa.
3.3.5 The two sides will implement the China-Africa regional aviation cooperation programme, actively supporting the establishment of transnational regional aviation networks linking African countries, and enhancing coordination and cooperation in standards, planning consultation, special training, improving aviation infrastructure, operating joint venture airlines, and offering regional civil airlines, taking into consideration local employment, sourcing, human capacity building and the transfer of technology.
3.3.6 The two sides will support each other on aviation market access, encourage and support more flights and shipping links between China and Africa by their airlines and shipping companies. The two sides encourage and support investment by competitive Chinese enterprises in ports, airports, and airline companies in Africa.
3.3.7 The Chinese side will explore the possibility of establishing a China-Africa civil aviation school in Africa, build infrastructure for aviation ground services, and enhance training of African civil aviation professionals, including technology transfer.
3.3.8 The two sides encourage and support the participation of Chinese businesses in investment, construction and operation of power projects in Africa through multiple means, including expanded cooperation in water resources, coal-fired power, solar energy, nuclear energy, wind power, biomass power generation, power transmission and transformation, and grid construction and maintenance.
3.3.9 The two sides will enhance exchanges and cooperation between departments in charge of information, communications, radio and television, and will increase personnel training in the information field, share experiences of development in information and communication, and work together to safeguard information security.
3.3.10 The two sides encourage Chinese enterprises to assist African countries' efforts to put in place digital radio and TV broadcasting systems, to promote digitalization of radio and TV services, and to benefit more people in the rural areas in Africa.
3.3.11 The two sides encourage and support the participation of competitive Chinese enterprises of information, communication, radio and TV in building information infrastructure in Africa, such as cable networks and interconnection networks, and their involvement in mutually beneficial construction, operation and offering of services with African businesses in order to assist Africa to build information networks covering the whole continent.
3.3.12 The two sides will actively explore and push forward cooperation in information and communication technology, help African countries to build "Smart Cities", and enhance the roles of information and communication technology in safeguarding social security, and fighting against terrorism and crime.
3.3.13 The two sides will cooperate with international organizations such as International Telecommunication Union, narrow the digital divide in Africa, and promote the building of an information society in Africa.
3.4.1 In view of the strong complementarity and cooperation potential between China and Africa in energy and natural resources, the two sides will encourage cooperation in the exploitation of resources, and support joint development and proper use of the energy and natural resources of the two sides, including beneficiation at the source.
3.4.2 The two sides will enhance African countries' capacity for intensive processing of energy and natural resource products during their cooperation, ensuring increased local employment and value addition of primary products, while protecting the local eco-environment.
3.4.3 The two sides will encourage energy and resources cooperation, support Chinese and African enterprises and financial institutions to conduct mutually beneficial cooperation, in particular encouraging these enterprises to assist the African side with beneficiation technologies through technology transfer and capacity building, thus helping African countries to translate their energy and natural resources potential into real socio-economic development.
3.4.4 The two sides agree to establish a training programme for the capacitation of African energy practitioners through research and development exchanges.
3.4.5 The two sides will encourage the establishment of a forum on energy and natural resources under the framework of FOCAC.
3.5.1 The African side welcomes the Chinese side's championing "the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road", which includes the African continent, and the two sides will promote mutually beneficial cooperation in the blue economy.
3.5.2 The two sides will enhance experience sharing in offshore aquaculture, marine transportation, shipbuilding, construction of ports and port industrial parks, the surveying and exploitation of offshore oil and gas resources, marine environment management, marine disaster prevention and reduction, marine scientific research, blue economy development, and support mutually beneficial cooperation between Chinese and African enterprises, in order to assist Africa to cultivate new economic growth drivers.
3.5.3 The Chinese side will enhance marine exchanges and technology cooperation with African countries, launch capacity building, and actively explore the possibility of jointly building marine observation stations, laboratories, and cooperation centres.
3.5.4 The two sides will encourage the establishment of a Ministerial Forum on marine economy under the framework of FOCAC.
3.6.1 The two sides will expand cooperation in tourism to encourage opening more direct air routes and tourism investment, increase tourism safety and quality, expand personnel exchanges aimed at skills training, and cultivate new economic growth drivers for Africa.
3.6.2 The two sides will continue to facilitate travels by their nationals between China and Africa and support tourism promotion activities in each other's countries and regions.
3.6.3 The Chinese side welcomes more eligible African countries to apply for the Approved Destination Status for Chinese tourists.
3.6.4 The two sides encourage and support the establishment of tourist offices in China and Africa, encourage and support investment by Chinese enterprises in tourism infrastructure in Africa, such as hotels and construction of tourist attractions.
3.7.1 The Chinese side will scale up its investment in Africa, and plan to increase China's stock of direct investment in Africa to US$100 billion in 2020 from US$32.4 billion in 2014.
3.7.2 The two sides will continue to encourage and support mutual investment, urge for negotiations and implementation of measures on the Promotion and Protection of Investment, ensure a conducive environment for mutual investment, promote investment cooperation, and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of investors.
3.7.3 The two sides will actively carry out tax cooperation, negotiate and implement agreements on the avoidance of double taxation, and agree to resolve cross-border tax disputes to promote a favourable tax environment for China-Africa investment, economic exchanges and trade. The Chinese side will actively advocate signing the memorandum of bilateral tax cooperation with African national tax authorities, and support African countries to improve tax collection and administration capacities through technology assistance and transfer, and human capacity development.
3.7.4 The Chinese side will continue to support the development and operation of overseas business cooperation zones, special economic zones and industrial parks by competitive Chinese enterprises, while respecting the host countries' market rules and industrialization processes. The two sides will continue to give support and offer necessary facilitation and services to those overseas business cooperation zones that are already built or operated, taking into consideration local procurement and employment, as well as technology transfer in the countries in which they invest.
3.7.5 The two sides agree to ensure a conducive environment for increased mutual investment and to foster enterprise cooperation. The Chinese side will support the African side in its efforts to build industrial park zones and special economic zones, help African countries to attract investment, encourage and support the involvement of Chinese enterprises in the planning, designing, construction, operation and management of such zones. Local procurement and employment as well as technology transfer in the countries of investment will be taken into consideration.
3.7.6 The two sides will encourage industrial partnering and industrial capacity building to assist Africa to industrialize. The two sides will also encourage and support China's labour-intensive industries to move to Africa, cooperate on import-substitution and export-orientation, increase local employment, technology transfer, human capacity development and enhance export earning capacity.
3.7.7 The two sides will cooperate with international financial institutions and support the holding of Investing in Africa Forum and the establishment of Investing in Africa Think Tank Union, to share China's development experience, promote investment cooperation in Africa, and realize common development.
3.8.1 The two sides will scale up trade and try to elevate the China-Africa trade volume to US$400 billion in 2020 from US$220 billion in 2014 ensuring that the rate of growth is maintained in overall trade figures and that balance in trade is the desired outcome.
3.8.2 The two sides encourage and support the establishment of logistics centres by Chinese enterprises in Africa, standardize and improve quality of commodities exported from China to Africa, promote China's trade with Africa and encourage Chinese enterprises to engage in processing and manufacturing in Africa, ensuring local employment, technology transfers and human capacity development.
3.8.3 The two sides will enhance cooperation in entry-and-exit inspections and quarantine of animals and plants, and food safety and phytosanitary supervision, and promote the entry of food and agricultural products into each other's markets.
3.8.4 The Chinese side will implement 50 trade-promotion assistant programmes, supports the trade liberalization process in Africa and will continue to help African countries to improve facilities for trade and transport, for the beneficiation of African countries' products at the source, and to promote exports of products from Africa to China.
3.8.5 The Chinese side will continue to help African countries to strengthen capacity building in the trade in services, cultivate more professionals in various sectors of the service outsourcing industry, and expand exchanges, cooperation and training in the service outsourcing industry.
3.8.6 The Chinese side will continue to actively fulfil its pledge of giving zero-tariff treatment to the least developed African countries for most of their commodities exported to China, and gradually give zero-tariff treatment to products under 97% of all tariff items from the Least Developing Countries in Africa having diplomatic relations with China, according to the respective bilateral exchanges of letters.
3.8.7 The Chinese side will establish with African countries cooperation mechanisms on customs, inspection and quarantine standards, as well as the verification, certification and administration of imports and exports, in order to promote bilateral trade facilitation, and enhance law-enforcement cooperation to combat smuggling and fraud and to improve the quality of goods exported from China to Africa.
3.8.8 The Chinese side will conduct e-commerce cooperation with Africa, continue to help improve the local management capability and capacity of exporting African countries, develop and construct an internet visa system, introduce electronic certificates of origin, and promote paperless customs clearance of certificates of origin.
3.9.1 The Chinese side will offer African countries US$35 billion of loans of concessional nature on more favorable terms and export credit line, create new financing models, optimize favorable credit terms and conditions, expand credit scales, and support China-Africa industrial capacity cooperation, infrastructure building, and development of energy resources, agriculture, and manufacturing in Africa.
3.9.2 The Chinese side will encourage Chinese financial institutions to provide financing and insurance support for China-Africa cooperation in energy, mining, agriculture, processing manufacturing, shipping, metallurgy, construction materials, information and communication technology, electricity, railways, highways, ports and airports.
3.9.3 The Chinese side will enhance cooperation in currency exchanges and financial services, and encourage both Chinese and African enterprises to invest and trade in local currencies. The Chinese side welcomes central banks of African countries to invest in China's inter-bank bond market and include RMB into their foreign exchange reserves.
3.9.4 The Chinese side will encourage and support Chinese and African financial institutions to strengthen cooperation, including opening more branches in respective countries and enhancing exchanges and cooperation ensuring mutual benefit, as well as encouraging and supporting cooperation among financial institutions primarily supporting development to further enhance China-Africa financial cooperation.
3.9.5 The Chinese side will gradually expand the China-Africa Development Fund from US$5 billion to US$10 billion.
3.9.6 The Chinese side will gradually expand the Special Loans to Support Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in Africa from US$1 billion to US$6 billion.
3.9.7 The Chinese side will enhance cooperation with the African Development Bank and the sub-regional financial institutions, utilizing optimally the China-Africa Development Fund, Africa Growing Together Fund, and Special Loans to Support Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in Africa, also exploring and innovating cooperation mechanisms, supporting the development of infrastructure, agriculture and industrialization processes in Africa.
4.1.1 The African side highly appreciates China's longstanding assistance for social development and humanitarian assistance, without any political conditions, in diverse forms that help Africa to eradicate poverty and improve people's livelihood under the framework of South-South cooperation. The African side applauds the establishment of the Assistance Fund for South-South Cooperation by China to support African countries in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
4.1.2 The Chinese side will continue to gradually scale up its assistance to African countries within its capacity, giving priority to enhanced cooperation with African countries in areas pertaining to people's livelihoods such as agriculture, health, infrastructure, education and human resources development, wildlife and environmental protection, while increasing the effectiveness of assistance, and supporting economic and social development of African countries.
4.1.3 The Chinese side will exempt the outstanding intergovernmental interest-free loans due by the end of 2015 owed by the least developed countries, land-locked countries and small island developing countries in Africa.
4.2.1 The African side expresses its appreciation for China's continued assistance to countries in need. In particular, the African side expresses its deep appreciation for China's rapid response to the Ebola Virus Disease crisis in West Africa and commends the latter for its selfless service and deployment of its expertise and resources to arrest and reverse the spread of this disease. The African side further appreciates China's continued support to reconstruct public health, economic and societal systems of affected countries during the Post-Ebola period.
4.2.2 The Chinese side will assist Africa to develop public health systems and policies, help African countries to improve the public health, surveillance, epidemiological and prevention systems, strengthen prevention and treatment of malaria and other common infectious and communicable diseases in Africa, enhance the assistance in maternal and child health, reproductive health and other major public health fields in Africa, support cooperation between 20 hospitals of China and Africa from each side on demonstration projects, upgrade hospital departments, and will continue to train doctors, nurses, public health workers and administrative personnel for African countries.
4.2.3 The Chinese side will support the building of an African Union Disease Control Centre and regional medical research centres, reinforce laboratory and diagnostic capacities and encourage the African Union Commission to play a leading role as the custodian of Africa's continental initiatives in the health sector.
4.2.4 The Chinese side will continue to send medical teams to Africa, including short-term medical teams consisted of clinical experts to African countries, and conduct the "Brightness Action" surgeries and other short-term free medical services in Africa, and provide Africa with doses of anti-malaria compound artemisinin.
4.2.5 The Chinese side will support the investment by Chinese medical and health care enterprises in Africa, encourage Chinese medical institutions and enterprises to jointly operate hospitals and produce medicines in Africa, improve health information systems, help Africa to improve the availability of health and diagnostic services and commodities, and improve Africa's capacity for independent and sustainable development in the field of medical care and health, support Africa's continental health initiatives.
4.2.6 The Chinese side will improve health infrastructure in Africa through the construction, renovation and equipping of medical facilities.
4.2.7 The Chinese side will continue to strengthen high-level exchanges in health, build an institutionalized high-level dialogue between China and Africa and agree to incorporate the Ministerial Forum on China-Africa Health Cooperation as an official sub-forum under the framework of FOCAC.
4.3.1 The two sides agree that the shortage of professional and skilled persons is another major bottleneck constraining Africa's independent and sustainable development. Both sides will further strengthen cooperation in education and human resources development.
4.3.2 The Chinese side will offer 2,000 degree education opportunities in China and 30,000 government scholarships to African countries, welcome more African youths to study in China, innovate and expand more ways for training, and train more African professionals on economic development and technical management.
4.3.3 The Chinese side will train for Africa senior professionals on government administration for national development through the South-South Cooperation and Development Institute.
4.3.4 The two sides will continue to implement the 20+20 Cooperation Plan for Chinese and African Institutions of Higher Education, improve the cooperation mechanism between Chinese and African institutions of higher education, encourage Chinese and African universities to carry out cooperation in regional and country studies, and support African universities in establishing China research centres and vice versa.
4.3.5 The Chinese side welcomes the inclusion by African countries of Chinese language teaching as part of their national education systems and will support more African countries in their efforts to establish Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms.
4.3.6 The Chinese side will assist African countries to renovate existing as well as build more vocational and technical training facilities, establish a number of regional vocational education centres and colleges for capacity building in Africa, train 200,000 local African vocational and technical personnel and provide Africa with 40,000 training opportunities in China; help the youth and women improve their employment skills to enhance the self-development ability of Africa.
4.3.7 Having noted the successful UNESCO-China Funds-In-Trust established in UNESCO by the Chinese side, the two sides support the continued implementation of funds-in-trust and its extension by two years (2016-2017).
4.4.1 The two sides will use the "Programme for Strengthening Cooperation on Poverty Reduction between the People's Republic of China and the African Union" jointly published in 2014, as a guide to further strengthen experience sharing in poverty eradication and practical cooperation.
4.4.2 The two-sides agree to continue to jointly organize the China-Africa Poverty Eradication and Development Conference and to endorse it as an official sub-forum under the framework of FOCAC, in order to explore in-depth poverty eradication strategies and policies, and to gradually establish a multi-level inter-governmental and inter-society dialogue mechanism for poverty eradication.
4.4.3 The Chinese side will continue to host the workshop on poverty eradication policies and practice tailored to the needs of African countries, offer educational programmes with degrees on poverty eradication and development for African countries, and help Africa to train specialized personnel in the field of poverty eradication and development.
4.4.4 The Chinese side will, in conjunction with African countries carry out village-community-level small-scale demonstration projects on poverty eradication and cooperate to implement village-community-level comprehensive development projects, help implement Satellite TV projects in 10,000 villages in Africa.
4.4.5 The Chinese side will work with African countries and relevant institutions to launch joint research projects, offer consultancy services on poverty eradication policies for African countries, and send experts and/or volunteers for technical support.
4.4.6 The two sides will mobilize resources including non-governmental organizations to implement in Africa 200 "Happy Life" projects and poverty reduction programmes focusing on women and children.
4.5.1 The two sides will continue to promote the implementation of the "China-Africa Science and Technology Partnership Plan", build joint laboratories / joint research centres in the priority fields of common interest, jointly build agriculture science and technology demonstration parks and assist outstanding African youths and technical personnel to participate in exchanges to and training in China.
4.5.2 The two sides attach importance to knowledge sharing and technology transfer, and will carry out exchanges in technological innovation policies and the building of science and technology parks and encourage research institutions and enterprises to have intensive cooperation.
4.5.3 The two sides will actively launch cooperation in the field of space sciences, and the Chinese side will train professional personnel and share development experience with African countries.
4.5.4 The parties will continue to implement joint research and technology demonstration projects. The two sides will also step-up cooperation in research exchanges through their institutions of higher learning.
4.5.5 China will continue its support of the Square Kilometre Array project, which is a flagship science and technology project of the African continent. The two sides will design joint research projects around the SKA and facilitate the participation of their scientists in the project.
4.6.1 The two sides are satisfied with the progress of cooperation in environmental protection and addressing climate change and will continue to strengthen dialogue on these areas of interest, as well as work closely together on the management of border facilities, search, seizure, and destruction of poached resources, and intelligence gathering to undermine the responsible syndicates, acknowledging their linkages to international organized crime.
4.6.2 To enhance China-Africa environmental cooperation and promote African countries' green development, the Chinese side will introduce the "China-Africa Green Envoys Programme", set up the China-Africa Environment Cooperation Centre, and launch the China-Africa Green Innovation Project under the framework of "China South-South Environmental Cooperation-Green Envoys Programme". China will cooperate with the African side to launch environmental friendly technology cooperation, redouble its efforts to provide training for Africa in the fields of eco-environment protection, environment management and pollution prevention and treatment, push forward dialogue and cooperation on China-Africa green finance, and explore a model of environmental cooperation between Chinese and African governments and non-governmental capital.
4.6.3 The two sides will work together to promote the development of the "China-Africa Joint Research Centre" project and cooperate in biodiversity protection, prevention and treatment of desertification, sustainable forest management and modern agriculture demonstration. The Chinese side will support Africa in implementing 100 clean energy and wild life protection projects, environment friendly agricultural projects and smart city construction projects.
4.6.4 The African side highly appreciates that the Chinese government supports Africa in its efforts to protect wildlife resources. The two sides will strengthen cooperation in the area of wildlife protection, help African countries to improve the protection capabilities, build the capacity of environmental rangers, provide African countries with training opportunities on environmental and ecological conservation, explore the possibility of cooperating on wildlife protection demonstration projects and jointly fight against the illegal trade of fauna and flora products, especially addressing endangered species poaching on the African continent, in particular elephants and rhinos.
4.6.5 The two sides agree to work together to improve management of water resources, and rehabilitate disused mines.
4.6.6 China will advance cooperation with African countries in environmental surveillance, continue to share with African countries the data from the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite and promote the application of the data in land use, weather monitoring and environmental protection in Africa, discuss the establishment of meteorological satellite data receiving and processing application system.
4.6.7 The two sides will strengthen the policy dialogue on climate change, deepen China-Africa cooperation in tackling climate change, in particular climate change monitoring, risk and vulnerabilities reduction, strengthening resilience, promoting adaptation, support for mitigation in terms of capacity building, technology transfer as well as financing for monitoring and implementation and improve the China-Africa consultation and collaboration mechanism on climate change.
4.6.8 The African side welcomes the announcement by the Chinese side that it will make available 20 billion Renminbi Yuan for setting up the China South-South Cooperation Fund to support other developing countries to combat climate change, including to enhance their capacity to access Green Climate Fund funds. The two sides agree to enhance China-Africa South-South cooperation on climate change, in order to strengthen and add greater content to the cooperation with African countries to enhance their capacity to implement climate change mitigation and adaptation actions.
4.6.9 The two sides will set up a multi-level disaster reduction and relief cooperation and dialogue mechanism, expand exchanges in post-disaster response and recovery, risk assessment, disaster preparedness and recovery education programmes.
4.6.10 In times of emergency disaster responses, the Chinese side will provide rapid mapping service for disaster emergencies based on space technology at African countries' request.
5.1.1 The two sides will promote dialogue between the Chinese and African civilizations and mutual learning between the cultures of the two sides, while respecting the cultural uniqueness of each, work together to uphold the diversity and progress of human civilization and contribute to the development and prosperity of world culture.
5.1.2 The two sides appreciate that events such as the China-Africa Forum on Cultural Heritage Protection and China-Africa Cultural Industry Round-table provide an effective platform for bilateral exchanges in cultural policies, and will continue to hold similar dialogues.
5.1.3 The two sides agree to maintain the momentum of high-level inter-governmental mutual visits and dialogue in the cultural field and will continue to follow through on the implementation plan of the China-Africa bilateral government cultural agreements.
5.1.4 The two sides will continue to build brand activities such as "Happy Spring Festival", "Chinese and African Cultures in Focus", "Experience China" and hold large-scale cultural exchange activities such as "Africa Arts Festival" at an appropriate time.
5.1.5 The two sides appreciate the hosting of a "Country Year" in their respective countries and encourage more eligible African countries to hold "Country Year" activities with China to deepen understanding of and exchanges between each other.
5.1.6 The two sides will continue to implement "the Programme of China-Africa Mutual Visits between Cultural Personnel" and "China-Africa Cultural Partnership Programme" and support the exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and African culture and art managers, artists and cultural institutions.
5.1.7 The two sides will encourage and support the participation by Chinese and African art and culture groups and artists in international culture and art activities.
5.1.8 The two sides will continue to advocate for the establishment of cultural centres in China and Africa. The Chinese side will help build 5 cultural centres for Africa, and to establish more permanent platforms for cultural exchanges and cultural cooperation.
5.1.9 The two sides will strengthen human resources training in the cultural field. The Chinese side will establish ten major "Culture Training Bases for Africa" and execute the "One Thousand People Programme" for culture training in Africa.
5.2.1 The Chinese side will continue to implement the China-Africa Press Exchange Centre programme, continue to hold training and capacity building seminars for African countries' news officials and reporters, promote more exchanges and mutual visits between Chinese and African journalists and press professionals, train 1,000 African media professionals each year and support exchanges of reporters by more media organizations.
5.2.2 The Chinese side will actively provide technology support and personnel training for the digitalization of radio and TV services and industrial development in Africa. The African side welcomes the involvement of Chinese enterprises in investment and cooperation in building and operating radio and TV transmission broadcasting networks and the marketing of programmes, while ensuring local human capacity building and employment.
5.2.3 The two sides will provide films and TV programmes to each other's respective national broadcasting agencies, explore a long-term cooperative model, continue to participate in film and TV festivals and exhibitions held in their countries, encourage activities of holding film and TV programme exhibitions, and actively launch joint production of documentaries, films and TV programmes. The Chinese side further encourages African countries to produce programmes, conduct exchanges and promote African films and programmes in China.
5.2.4 The Chinese side will continue to take an active part in international book fairs in Africa and carry out cooperation in English book publishing. The Chinese side will encourage Chinese publishing enterprises to donate books on Chinese language learning and other Chinese publications to prestigious African public libraries and the libraries of higher and secondary learning institutes that address fields such as health, agricultural technology, culture and education. The two sides will hold a Forum on China-Africa Publishing Cooperation at an appropriate time.
5.2.5 The Forum on China-Africa Media Cooperation serves as an important platform for China-Africa media cooperation and cultural exchanges. The two sides agree to institutionalize the Forum as an official sub-forum of FOCAC.
5.3.1 The two sides note with satisfaction that the "China-Africa Joint Research and Exchange Plan" has been successfully implemented, which has effectively strengthened cooperation and exchanges between scholars and think tanks of the two sides and provides strong academic support to China-Africa cooperation.
5.3.2 The two sides will continue to hold "FOCAC-Think Tank Forum" and support the building of long-term and stable cooperation between the Chinese and African academia. The two sides further encourage the Forum and research institutions to conduct joint research on themes such as China-Africa industry partnering and industrial capacity cooperation and African industrialization and agricultural modernization to provide strong intellectual support and innovation to China-Africa's win-win cooperation and common development.
5.3.3 The two sides will continue to implement the "China-Africa Think Tank 10+10 Partnership Plan" and encourage think tanks from both sides to expand cooperation, and invite 200 African scholars to visit China each year.
5.3.4 The two sides welcome and encourage support by Chinese and African enterprises, financial institutions and academic institutions for academic interactions and people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and Africa.
5.4.1 The two sides take note of the successful holding of the 3rd and 4th China-Africa People's Forum, and believe that the institutionalization of the Forum has played an active part in boosting friendship between the Chinese and African peoples.
5.4.2 The two sides appreciate that the "China-Africa People-to-People Friendship Action" and the "China-Africa People-to-People Friendship Partnership Plan" have yielded positive results. The two sides agree to continue small and micro social livelihood projects, promote mutual visits by non-governmental organizations, and encourage and support extensive people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between these organizations.
5.4.3 The two sides appreciate the institutionalization of the China-Africa Young Leaders Forum, which serves as an important platform for China-Africa youth dialogue and cooperation.
6.1.1 The Chinese side continues to support the African Union, its Regional Economic Communities and other African sub-regional institutions that play a leading role in coordinating and solving issues of peace and security in Africa and further continues to support and advocate for African solutions to African challenges without interference from outside the continent.
6.1.2 The Chinese side will provide the AU with US$60 million of free military assistance over the next three years, support the operationalization of the African Peace and Security Architecture, including the operationalization of the African Capacity for the Immediate Response to Crisis and the African Standby Force.
6.1.3 The two sides will maintain the momentum of mutual visits by defence and military leaders, continue to deepen exchanges on technologies and expand personnel training and joint trainings and exercises.
6.1.4 The two sides will strengthen information and intelligence exchanges and experience sharing on security, and will share this information timeously to support mutual efforts in the prevention and fight against terrorism, in particular its symptoms and underlying causes.
6.1.5 The two sides will enhance cooperation in preventing and combatting the illegal trafficking of humans, fauna and flora products, marine products, narcotics, psychotropic substances and precursor chemicals.
6.1.6 The two sides will continue to support the United Nations (UN) in its efforts to play a constructive role in helping resolve regional conflicts in Africa and will intensify communication and coordination with the UN Security Council. The Chinese side will continue to take an active part in UN peacekeeping missions in Africa, offer the African side support on peacekeeping training and intensify communication and coordination with Africa in the UN Security Council, in adherence to UN Security Council Resolution 2033 that recognizes the importance of an enhanced relationship between the United Nations and the African Union, as well as a strengthened capacity of regional and sub-regional organizations, in particular the African Union, in conflict prevention and crisis management, and in post-conflict stabilization.
6.1.7 The African side appreciates the efforts of the Chinese government's Special Representative for African Affairs to actively engage in mediation efforts in Africa, and welcomes his continued constructive role in Africa's peace and security endeavours.
6.1.8 The African side appreciates China's counter-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Guinea and in waters off the coast of Somalia in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council. The two sides will strengthen cooperation on safeguarding the security of shipping routes in the waters concerned and peace and stability in the region. In this regard, the two sides agree that emphasis should also be placed by the international community on addressing the root causes of piracy, namely poverty, underdevelopment and illegal fishing.
6.2.1 The two sides will strengthen consular cooperation and actively carry out consultations on consular matters.
6.2.2 The two sides will strengthen cooperation between immigration departments and jointly fight against illegal immigration and to protect environmental resources from illegal exploitation. The Chinese side will support African countries in enhancing anti-riot capacity.
6.2.3 The two sides will explore the signing of Criminal Judicial Assistance and Extradition Treaties and strengthen cooperation in the fields of combatting and preventing transnational crimes, human trafficking, corruption and the illegal trade in fauna, flora and associated products, while strengthening narcotics control, fugitive extradition, repatriation of illicit funds and asset recovery, cyber security, and law enforcement capacity building.
6.2.4 The two sides will promote exchanges and cooperation in the judicial, law enforcement and legislative fields, including preventing and fighting transnational organized crimes in accordance with bilateral treaties and multilateral conventions.
6.2.5 The two sides will improve exchanges and cooperation on the judiciary, obtain in-depth understanding of respective legal systems, and promote mutual recognition and application of laws and regulations, so as to provide legal support and a law-based environment for personnel exchanges and the protection of legitimate rights and interests.
6.2.6 The two sides will improve the institutionalization of the "FOCAC-Legal Forum", continue exchanges and training of legal professionals, work together to establish a "China-Africa Joint Arbitration Centre", develop the Professionals Legal Training Base and China-Africa Legal Research Sub-Centre in Africa, and facilitate lectures by law experts from China and Africa. The two sides will actively support the implementation of "China-AALCO Research and Exchange Programme on International Law".
At present, international relations and the global landscape are undergoing and will continue to undergo profound and complex changes, including in terms of globalization and the spread of information. It serves the common interests of China and Africa to strengthen international coordination and to establish a new model of global development that is based on equality, accountability, mutual respect and that is more balanced, stable, inclusive and harmonious.
The two sides are committed to supporting each other in international fora and further strengthen cooperation in areas of trade, finance, environmental protection, peace and security, cultural exchanges, economic and social development and the advancement of human rights, while maintaining the sovereignty to choose their developmental paths.
8.1 The two sides are satisfied that, since the 5th FOCAC Ministerial Conference, the political consultation between Chinese and African Foreign Ministers on the side-lines of the UNGA, the Senior Officials Meeting (SOM), and consultations between the Secretariat of the Chinese Follow-up Committee and African diplomatic missions in China have continued to operate in an efficient and smooth manner.
8.2 The two sides agree that the Co-chairs, in cooperation with the Chinese FOCAC Follow-up Mechanism and the Group of African Ambassadors in Beijing, should conduct a review of FOCAC and develop recommendations to further strengthen FOCAC, drawing on the experience of the last 15 years, including relating to the optimal follow-up mechanism, the functioning of the various agreed FOCAC Sub-Forums including the establishment of certain new sub-forums, and the promotion of the institutionalization of existing sub-forums.
8.3 Following the FOCAC follow-up mechanism procedures, the two sides decided to hold the 7th Ministerial Conference in Beijing in 2018 and, before that, the 12th and 13th SOMs in Beijing in 2017 and 2018 respectively. The 4th political consultations between Chinese and African Foreign Ministers on the side-lines of the UNGA will be held in New York in September 2016.
The slow down of Chinese economy has been making headlines around the world, however there are a number of Chinese emerging cities where the economy is not only growing, but by double digits and accelerating.
Guiyang is the capital of Guizhou province in Southwest China. Guizhou has traditionally been a poor province with an economy heavily relying on state owned enterprises. With the population of 2.8 million, it is now fast becoming a hub of operations for Chinese telecom companies and “Big Data”. Private companies are also following the lead with Alibaba setting up cloud-computing facilities in the city.
Guiyang also serves as an important transportation hub for South Western China: the Guiyang–Guangzhou High-Speed Railway began operations in December 2014. Three more high-speed rail lines to Chongqing, Kunming, and Changsha will commence operations within the next few years. Whilst disposable income per person is currently around USD 5,100/year, almost half of China’s average of USD 9,800/year, this is quickly rising..
The city of Guiyang is one of China's three largest phosphate ore bases, with phosphate ore reserves of 428 million tons and more than 70 percent of the country's phosphate ore. The ore reserves in Kaiyang county alone amount to 390 million tons, or a third of the nation’s high-grade ore. The high-grade phosphorus pentoxide ore accounts for 78 percent of China's total. It also has three chemical industry bases -- the Kaiyang Phosphorus and Coal Chemical Ecological Industrial Demonstration Base, Xifeng Phosphorus and Coal Chemical Ecological Industrial Demonstration Base, and Qingzhen Coal Chemical Base. Total output value of the phosphorus-coal-based chemical sectors in Guiyang, in 2011, was 26.3 billion yuan ($4.29 billion).
The phosphorus-coal-based chemical industry is focused on improving output and efficiency, combining its phosphorus, coal, water, and electricity resources.
With proven reserves of 424 million tons of bauxite resources the province is a major Aluminum producer. Leading enterprises and producers are: Aluminum Corp of China (Chalco), Guizhou Aluminum Industrial Base, Galuminium Group and R&D institutes such as the Guiyang Aluminum Magnesium Design and Research Institute and the Chalco Guizhou Branch. The industry can produce 3 million tons of bauxite annually, as well as 1.2 million tons of alumina, 450,000 tons of electrolytic aluminum, 300,000 tons of carbon for aluminum use, 50 million tons of refined aluminum, and 200,000 tons of high purity aluminum.
Developing the downstream aluminum industry is a current focus in the province. The start of the Chalco aluminium strips project in 2010, with total amount of 150,000 tons and a total investment of 700 million yuan, marked a significant breakthrough in the aluminum deep processing industry in Guiyang.
In 2015 Geely Holding Group Co began construction of its new-energy car manufacturing base in Guiyang. The 0.6-square-kilometer factory consists of a modernized production line of punching press, welding, painting and assembly, and will make methanol-powered automobiles. Geely has made a total investment of around 10.2 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) and expects the first car off the production line in 2017.
Guiyang's Cigarette Factory, a subsidiary of the China Tobacco Guizhou Industrial Co, is a leading provincial enterprise. In the food sector, Guiyang has 47 food companies, covering poultry, chili peppers, corn, soybeans, rapeseed, peanuts, ginger, onions, and garlic, and 10 other product categories, with hundreds of types of food.
The Nanming Food Industry Park and Wudang Food Industry Park are leaders in the food sector in Guiyang. Work on the Longdongbao Food and Light Industry Park, on a 903 hectare space, began in September 2010 and will be completed in 2017. It is expected to pull in 13.6 billion yuan in investment. Work continues on the Wudang Food Industry Park and is expected to bring in nine enterprises during Phase I, and have 1 billion yuan in output value.
Guiyang's equipment manufacturing sector is rapidly and becoming a pillar of industry. Guiyang has a comprehensive array of mid-sized to large equipment manufacturers. The Guizhou Jonyang Kinetics Co is a domestic leader in hydraulic excavators, Guizhou Xianfeng Industrial Co is one of the Top 10 producers of large slide grinders and forging equipment and the Guiyang Xintian Oetech Co. focuses on the production of high-tech optical instruments. With its abundance of skilled workforce R&D capacity and production strengths, Guiyang has been able to build an industrial capacity that covers seven equipment manufacturing industries. It has industrial clusters in construction machinery, automobiles and automobile parts and electronic components.
With the support of the municipal government, Guiyang's logistics sector has grown and is playing an important role in the local economy. Guiyang is headed to become a regional logistics center with it`s two logistics hubs -- the Guizhou Mengguan International Logistics Center and Longdongbao International Aviation Logistics Park (and three regional logistics parks: Zhazuo Logistics, Qingzhen Logistics, and Jinhua Logistics). It further expects to build: cargo logistics, more distribution centers, dry ports and a bonded zone.
Guizhou province is known for its herbal medicines and has turned its pharmaceutical sector into a pillar of industry over the past decade It now has 74 pharmaceutical companies and an industrial structure that covers a diverse range of biological products, Chinese patent medicines, pharmaceutical chemicals, medical consumables, and Chinese medicinal decoctions.
China Telecom will invest 4-billion yuan ($469 million) in optical network construction, cloud computing, and big data development over the next three years. The aim being to turn Guiyang into a major data center for China: the municipal government sees the big data industry as key to its future economic development and has already established preferential policies for big data entrepreneurs.
The China Telecom Cloud Computing Guizhou Information Park covers an area of (33.3 hectares) in the Gui'an near the city. The first phase of the park , already completed, comprises eight datacentres, one power centre and two support centres. It is expected to accommodate one million servers.
By the end of 2017, cities and towns in the province are expected to have 100-megabyte broadband coverage and a fourth generation network in rural and urban areas and, at the same time, the two will cooperate in a Guiyang cloud computing platform, a municipal data sharing platform, and a Guizhou Internet exchange center.
1. Encouraged industries located in West China are levied corporate income taxes at a discount of 15 percent. Resource taxes for those enterprises are levied via ad valorem instead of specific duties.
2. Qualified high-tech enterprises located in the high-tech industrial development zone approved by the State Council are levied corporate income taxes at a discount of 15 percent.
3. Enterprises established in the different districts and industrial development zones within Guiyang can enjoy local preferential policies.
As of last year, the Shanghai municipal government has revised its restricted industries list for foreign investors and updated it for the Free Trade Zone (FTZ). Amendments made to current list are not considered a major change but a revision to the 2014 initiatives. The list below outlines industries where foreign investors are treated differently to domestic companies. There are number of changes where we believe there are various opportunities for new investors in the three FTZs.
- Agriculture, crop seeds, fishery and animal husbandry is a critical subject and remains sensitive to Chinese citizens. Fishing in certain waters is due to approval from Chinese government.
-All initiatives needs to be approved by concerned government bodies.
-rare earths, radioactive materials, tungsten, molybdenum, tin, antimony and fluorite is prohibited. It is restricted for lithium, precious metals and graphite.
- Multiple restrictions in manufacturing industry is now lifted. These includes, the processing of rice, corn, edible oils, tea, alcohol, tobacco and chemicals, anesthesia and blood products are now allowed.
- Construction vehicles, motorcycles and new energy vehicle batteries is lifted.
- It is still prohibited to operate news websites, online publications, online audiovisual programs or broadcasting of information on the internet. Except for music and those sectors that have been lifted as China’s membership of the World Trade Organization.
- If a domestic enterprise cooperates with a foreign enterprise to create official online content and news, needs prior approval from National Security Review.
- Foreign investors can now set up e-commerce companies in Fujian, Guangdong, Tianjin as well as Shanghai.
- Foreign banks may not conduct the following activities, also included in the Commercial Banking Law: acting as an agent to issue, honor and underwrite government bonds, issuance of bank cards and the acting as an agent for receipt and payments of funds. Apart from taking time deposits for Chinese nationals of less than 1 million RMB, foreign banks in China may not engage in RMB activities for Chinese nationals.
- The parent company of a foreign invested bank in China must provide its operational funds free of charge. The foreign invested bank must operate with an eight percent RMB capital reserve. Banks providing RMB services must follow the minimum required business hours.
- Foreign law firms may only be present in China through a representative office, which is subject to approval. Foreign nationals may not advice on Chinese law or become partners of a Chinese law firm. Representative offices of foreign law firms may not hire Chinese legal professionals, and its support staff may not provide legal advice.
- Market research is restricted to contractual or joint ventures with Chinese controlling interest.
- Foreign entities may not independently establish schools and educational institutions mainly enrolling Chinese nationals. This does not include "non-academic vocational training"
- Medical institutions can be set up as an equity or contractual joint venture.
- Sino-foreign productions of television and film series are subject to a licensing.
- Foreign news agencies may set up a representative office in China and employ foreign reporters upon approval of the Chinese government.
- Foreign press agencies may provide news services in China upon approval of the Chinese government.
- The establishment of performing arts groups in China is prohibited, and performance agencies must have Chinese controlling.
Beijing`s satellite townships are now in the spotlight in view of the Governments aim for the integrated development of Beijing, Tianjing and Hebei provinces, know as Jing-Jin-Ji. Over the next 15 years it is planed to transfer non-essential functions out of Beijing to the new townships.
A 40 minute metro ride east of Beijing`s CBD area is Tongzhou (pop.1.3 million est.), where construction of a new CBD area and Universal studios theme park are well under way: built at the intersection of the Beijing & Hangzhou Grand Canals, the new town is expected to cover over 80 square kilometers. Tongzhou will also be home to the new Beijing city Municipal Governmental Offices at Lucheng town: some 6km east of the new CBD. Also expected to relocate are state-owned-enterprises, hospitals and universities. Planners hope the area will draw in a further million people, the first phase of the project due to be opened in 2017.
The local government has agreed to fund 86 key projects in the area, setting aside over 160 Billon RMB. Currently housing prices run in the 30,000-40,000 rmb/sqm range.
As part of a move to connect and integrate transport, Beijing is to build its third civil airport, Daxing International Airport, located adjacent to Daxing district in Beijing and Langfang in Hebei province. It is due to be completed by the end of 2017 and operational in 2018 it is expected to carry 120 million passengers by 2050.
The Biomedical base is 60 minutes, via metro, from Bejing`s CBD area with numerous office and residential complexes already completed. As part of the district's growth, a new 391,000 sq m above- and belowground mixed-use development—dubbed the Vanke-Shoukai Mixed-Use Development Daxing—is also under way, scheduled to be completed in 2017.
Beijing will remain the national center of political, cultural, and international exchange activities as well as a technological innovation center.
Tianjin municipality will be a national research and development base for advanced manufacturing industry, a shipping hub for north China, a demonstration area for financial innovation, and an experimental area for further reform and opening up.
Hebei province will be an important national base for trade and logistics, an experimental area for industrial transition and upgrading, a demonstration area of modern urbanization and coordinated development of urban and rural areas, and an ecological buffer zone.
A medium-term aim of the strategy is to control the permanent population of Beijing within 23 million and to relieve air pollution and congestion. Long term, the strategy aims to form an integrated region of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, with a better economic structure, a cleaner environment and improved public services.
Industrial Parks in the Jing-Jin-Ji area.
Established in 2006, Tongzhou Industrial Park covers two industrial bases: Opto-Mechatronics Industrial Park and Jinqiao Science and Technology Industrial Base. The park has a total planned area of 14.5 square kilometers of which 11.41 square kilometers have already been developed. 360 enterprises have accessed the park, including 30 high and new-tech enterprises at national level and 76 at Zhongguancun park level.
Tongzhou Park prioritizes world-class industries of optic-mechanical integration, environmental protection and new energy, high-end equipment manufacturing. The park features microelectronics, optoelectronics, automotive electronics, avionics, advanced equipment manufacturing, intellectual instruments, laser technology, numerical control machine, printing machinery, medical equipment, semiconductor material, environmental protection equipment and auto parts.
The park project has so far invested 2.2 billion yuan ($346.28 million) to construct essential infrastructure and thus creates a favorable environment for production and R&D,.
Daxing Biomedicine Industrial Base is a biotechnology industrialization base built by the Beijing Municipal Government to revitalize its modern manufacturing industry. Being a bio-industry cluster area for the Bohai Economic Zone and the entire northern region, the base holds industrial functions such as biotechnology indigenous innovation, product R&D, industrialization of technical achievements, R&D and producer services in Beijing.
Situated in Daxing New Town in Beijing, 20 kilometers away from the urban area, 50 minutes' drive to Beijing Capital International Airport. The base is not far from Subway Line No.4 and the new international second capital airport.
The base has four development and support priorities – biopharmaceutical projects centering on vaccine and protein drugs; the import of modernized and internationalized TCM enterprises to drive the growth of medicine, health care products; the introduction of medical instrument programs to consolidate the leading position of Beijing in the field of instrument and diagnosis; and last but not least is to bring in innovative drugs and high-end generic drug industrialization projects to form preparation products that meet international certification standards.
Fengtai Science and Technology Park was established in 1991. It was listed as a national high and new-tech zone in April 1994 and was one of the earliest three sub-parks of the Zhongguancun Science and Technology Park.
Fengtai S&T Park realized a total revenue of 195 billion yuan ($30.69) in 2010, and has obtained strong industrial agglomeration effects. The major industries in the park include: electronic information, biomedicine, new materials, new energy, as well as engineering services, rail transit, military aerospace, cultural and creative industries and producer service industry. With more than ten years of development, the park has gradually formed the headquarters of an economic zone and is playing an increasingly important role in the development of southern Beijing.
The Beijing Economic Technological Development Area (Yizhuang) is the only state-level economic and technological development zone in the city, a core region for high-tech and modern manufacturing industries. It will become a cluster for the high-tech manufacturing and strategic-emerging industries in southern Beijing.
In 2010, the administrative resources of Daxing District and the BDA were integrated to form an industrial development pattern of "one base and six parks" with the BDA as an industrial development main platform to stimulate the planning and construction of six special parks: Daxing Biological Medicine Base, New Media Industrial Park, New-Energy-Vehicle Industrial Park, Military-Civilian Combination Industrial Park, Manufacturing Services Industrial Park and New Airport Industrial Park.
By the end of 2011, more than 4,800 enterprises from more than 30 countries and regions had come to the BDA, along with more than 100 projects invested in by 77 of the global top 500 corporations, along with high quality, domestically funded projects.
The leading industries are electronic information, bio-medicine, equipment manufacturing and automobile production industries; a communications industry cluster led by Nokia, a display industry cluster led by BOE, a microelectronics industry cluster led by SMIC, a medical equipment industry cluster led by GE, a bio-pharmaceutical industry cluster led by Bayer and an automobile industry cluster led by Beijing Mercedes have also been established.
Yanqing Park, a sub-organization of Zhongguancun Science Park, was founded in October 2010. Located in the northwest of Beijing the park covers an area of 4.91 square kilometers.
Part of the Beijing new energy base, the park has founded a high-end service industry area with the development of high-end equipment manufacturing, general aviation and modern service industries, finance and insurance background services, and research and development training.
Fangshan Park is composed of Beijing Petrochemical New Materials High-Tech Industry Base, Beijing High-end Manufactureing Industry Base, Liangxiang Economic Development Area, Beijing Haiju Foundation and Higher Education Park. It has an area of 15.73 square kilometers.
(1) Beijing Petrochemical New Materials High-tech Tech Industry Base.
It is one of the first 62 new industrialization demonstration bases in China. It is an important carrier of strategic cooperation between the Beijing municipal government and Sinopec and one of five industry bases under planned construction in Fangshan district.
The East District focuses on fine chemistry, petrochemical new materials and crucial projects. The West District is the core area of Yanshan Petrochemical.
(2) Beijing High-End Manufacturing Industry Base.
Changan Automobile, BWI Group, China CNR Corporation Limited, National Energy and Jinpengpa Unmanned Aerial Vehicle have settled here.
Haiju Base is a new effort to adjust the industry structure in the district. It complies with the National Thousands of Talents Plan and Beijing Haiju Project and is a focal point for leaders in the city and district.
Currently, there are eight projects in the base, including Beijing Feihang Jida Aviation Technology, the Environmental Protection of Xishan district project, Ntong Technology Co, Beijing Grish Co and Beijing Dongfang Xupu Technology Co.
It is one of the two higher education parks approved by the Beijing municipal government. The park is divided into the college park, central landscape area, central device area and allocation area.
There are six colleges and universities in the park. The construction of the graduate school of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing Institute of Technology, Capital Normal University, and Beijing Technology and Business University in the first stage has been completed with over 27,000 students and teachers. Plans are underway to construct Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and Beijing Vocational College of Transportation.
Supply Chain Leaders: YTO Express.
Founded in 2000, China`s largest and fastest growing express delivery company, YTO now employs more than 180,000 workers in 20,000 delivery centers across China. YTO delivered 14 billion packages last year. It`s services cover warehousing, distribution and special transport. In 2014 it launched it`s 90% owned subsidiary YTO Cargo Airlines which initially began operations, out of its Hangzhou hub.
Shanghai Yuan Tong Express Co., Ltd. (YTO Express) is now the largest express delivery business, by market share, in China after taking advantage of the booming domestic e-commerce industry. Yu Weijiao, YTO chairman, has turned the company into a market leader in China. With 84 centers in Beijing alone and 20,000 country-wide, the group is taking advantage of the government's decision to realign the economy from cheap, mass-produced exports toward more sustainable consumer-fuelled domestic growth.
In 2015 the company's revenue reached 204 billion yuan ($37.79 billion), up 42% compared to the same period in 2013, during a time of slowing economic activity, up to 19 billion yuan of which was indirectly generated by express delivery services, and that figure is expected to reach 60 billion yuan by 2020.
During the 2015 Singles' Day on Nov. 11th, the company received a record-breaking 53.28 million orders across China. The group handled more than 30.59 million packages, or roughly 21 percent of the industry's total.
Key to YTO's success has been expansion: from YTO's humble beginnings in 2000 when it started with a meager investment of 50,000 yuan and employed 17 staff the group now employs 180,000 staff and operates a network that covers about 93 percent of the counties across the country. In 2014, YTO delivered 2.1 billion packages, generating revenue of 24.6 billion yuan. The maximum number of parcels handled in a single day last year hit 25 million.
With huge growth potential in the Express delivery sector amid strong competition from competing companies only the strongest companies are expected to survive, while smaller players are likely to link up with the leading companies such as YTO.
As the State Council approved a proposal to promote the development of the express delivery sector, which will be worth 800 billion yuan by 2020, the key is to increase international competitiveness and expanded air delivery capacity facilitating the rapid rise of cross boarder e-commerce.
YTO also plans to expand its air cargo operations as the company completed the maiden flight of its first aircraft in September 2014. It hopes to have a cargo fleet of 50 aircraft by 2020 and 100 in 2025.
Although YTO has plans to take the company public, a timetable has yet to be announced, as the company is aiming at building a highly competitive international network first: last year, the group set up an overseas business department and the company has registered its trademark in more than 100 countries.
They plan to establish about 20 overseas branches in countries including South Korea, Australia, the United States, Thailand, India, Russia and France.
Designed to provide financial support for infrastructure development and regional connectivity in Asia the bank is headquartered in Beijing, China. Its first President, Mr Jin Liqun was elected in January 2016. The purpose of the Bank is twofold: to foster sustainable economic development, create wealth and improve infrastructure connectivity in Asia by investing in infrastructure and other productive sectors; and secondly promote regional cooperation and partnership in addressing development challenges by working in close collaboration with other multilateral and bilateral development institutions.
Under its Articles of Agreement, the AIIB's functions include: (i) promoting public and private investment in the Asia region for development, in particular for infrastructure and other productive sectors; (ii) utilizing the resources at its disposal for financing such development in the region; and (iii) encouraging private investment that contributes to economic development in the Asia region, in particular in infrastructure and other productive sectors, and supplementing private investment when private capital is not available on reasonable terms and conditions.
As of January 2016 the founding members are: Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao PDR, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
The authorized capital stock of the AIIB will be US$100 billion, divided into 1 million shares having a par value of US$100,000 each. The original authorized capital stock will be divided into 20% paid-in shares and 80% callable shares.
The basic parameter for allocation of capital stock to members is the relative share of the global economy of members (based on GDP) within the regional and non-regional groupings, with the understanding that the GDP share is indicative only for non-regional members.
What are AIIB's key financial instruments?
The AIIB will focus principally on financing specific projects or specific investment programs, equity investments; and guarantees. It may: (i) make, co-finance or participate in direct loans; (ii) invest in the equity capital of an institution or enterprise; (iii) guarantee loans for economic development; (iv) deploy Special Funds resources in accordance with the agreements determining their use; or (vi) provide other types of financing as may be determined by the Board of Governors. Special Funds would be donor funds that are given to the Bank for use consistent with its purpose and functions.
In addition to the capital subscribed by members, the AIIB will raise funds primarily through the issuance of bonds in financial markets as well as through the inter-bank market transactions and other financial instruments. The AIIB may raise funds, through borrowing or other means, in member countries or elsewhere, in accordance with relevant legal provisions.
Hainan Airlines is the fourth largest carrier in China in terms of fleet size. However, it is the only airline based in the People’s Republic to earn a five star rating from Skytrax (not counting Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific).
Much of Hainan’s service is focused on its namesake island, which is becoming a major tourist destination for both domestic and international travelers. In addition to its main base in Hainan’s provincial capital, Haikou, the carrier has a hub in Beijing and a number of focus cities around China (including in economic hotspots like Chongqing and Shanghai).
Now, the upstart airline is trying to take its five-star reputation to the bank by continuing to expand its international route offerings. The carrier plans to launch service to both Tel Aviv and Manchester, England starting next year.
Hainan has adopted a strategy that has become rather popular amongst up-and-coming airlines. In Manchester, they have found a market that has yet to be tapped. London residents already have nonstop connections to Beijing, but Manchester does not yet have such a service. Hainan’s goal is to create a new “air bridge” between Northern England and China. This kind of service is often appreciated by people in “secondary” cities because it means they do not have to travel to another hub in order to fly overseas.
This is not the first long-haul route that the airline has added to Hainan’s map. In fact, the Manchester service, slated for takeoff in June of 2016, will be the sixth major transcontinental route launched in recent times. The airline’s Beijing-San Jose flight is another example of trying to develop service in a new, underserved marketplace. Today, most transpacific flights take off from SFO, requiring a train or taxi trip north for travelers from San Jose and other parts of the Southern Bay Area.
Hainan Airline’s other new long-haul routes are Chongqing-Rome, Shanghai-Boston, Shanghai-Seattle and Beijing-Prague.
According to the carrier, more intercontinental flights are in the works. Hainan is banking on its image as a premium airline to differentiate itself from others in the crowded Chinese marketplace. They claim to have better food, better service and more spacious seating than the competition. These claims are backed up to a certain extent by the Skytrax rating, which is based on flier survey results. Billing itself as a premium airline has always worked quite well for one of Hainan’s main competitors, Cathay Pacific.
Hainan has also become a major player on the domestic front. It has snapped up or launched a number of regional carriers including business-oriented Beijing Capital Airlines, Fuzhou Airlines and Kunming-based Lucky Air. They are also a minority stakeholder in Hong Kong Airlines.
Hainan Airlines is obviously focused on leaving its niche behind and becoming one of the major players in China’s long-haul and domestic marketplaces. The strategy of expanding into underserved destinations like Manchester could work in the airline’s favor. At the very least, it is a welcome trend both for Chinese travelers (and East Asian fans of Manchester’s two popular soccer franchises) and for English fliers who are heading to China and don’t want to have to connect through London or another European hub.
The business of selling airline tickets and resort vacations to China's holiday-happy middle class is now a battleground for Internet giants, following a deal that brings Ctrip.com International Ltd. to the fore.
Ctrip was already the country's biggest online travel agency before announcing a share-swap agreement on October 27th that gave it virtual control of traveler services provider Qunar Cayman Islands Ltd., a subsidiary of the Internet search giant Baidu Inc.
In the deal, Baidu transferred 45 percent of its stake in Qunar to Ctrip. In turn, Baidu got a 25 percent stake in Ctrip. The swap strengthened Ctrip's grip on what market research institution iResearch says is China's 270 billion yuan online travel agency market. Ctrip already owns 37 percent of eLong Inc. and 6 percent of Tuniu Corp.
The tie-up of the two Nasdaq-listed companies with a combined market value of US$ 18 billion set the stage for a three-way travel market battle pitting Baidu and its new partner Ctrip against the nation's dominant social media company Tencent Holdings Ltd. as well as e-commerce leader Alibaba Group.
Tencent has an online travel information section on its qq.com platform, an instant messenger. The company has also invested US$ 84 million in travel service provider eLong in 2011 and US$ 78 million in LY.com in 2014.
Alibaba, meanwhile, has had one foot in the travel agency door since 2010 by selling ticket and hotel booking services through its Tmall and Taobao websites. It's also invested millions of U.S. dollars in several online travel sites including qyer.com and baicheng.com. And in October 2014, Alibaba formally launched its own travel service division called Alitrip.
But through their new partnership, Ctrip and Qunar now account for nearly 70 percent of all revenues generated through the country's online travel market.
Alitrip's is pitching it`s service as an open platform through which travelers and qualified service providers can find each other. Future plans call for offering various traveler conveniences, such as hotel room deposit waivers based on a client's credit record with Alibaba. In its first year of operations the company signed up more than 100 million members and averaged more than 10 million daily webpage views. But it's still lags behind Ctrip and Qunar.
And although big brands rule the market, a number of new players have recently joined the online travel services game. One is the group-buying website company Meituan.com, which for the second half of this year reported 5.3 billion yuan worth of hotel bookings as well as 1.8 billion yuan worth of other travel-related deals. Meituan established a new division in July aimed at expanding its services.
China is also seeing traditional, storefront-based travel agencies increasing their online exposure opportunities through a growing number of new websites.
Nevertheless, the country's online travel giants have fortified their market positions in ways that should keep their new rivals at bay for a long time. For several years the market had anticipated a Ctrip-Qunar merger.
The main focus of the merger is as a way to streamline business and counteract competitive pressure since many domestic companies in this industry are running in the red.
For the second quarter, Qunar reported an 816 million yuan loss. Elong.com registered a 356 million yuan loss and Tuniu said it lost 292 million yuan in the same period.
Ctrip outperformed its rivals by posting a 143 million yuan net profit for the second quarter, a 5.9 percent increase from the same period last year.
Baidu, meanwhile, has been singled out by market analysts as the biggest winner in the deal between Ctrip and Qunar. The search engine had controlled Qunar since buying a 62 percent stake for US$ 306 million in July 2011, just a few months after expanding into what was then a fledgling market for online travel services.
Ctrip and Qunar will likely continue to operate separately yet complement one another. Ctrip will focus on the business traveler, hotel and ticketing operations, while Qunar will function mainly as a platform for a variety of travel services based on packages, search and price comparisons.
But the merger also presents challenges for the companies involved. Baidu, for example, must figure out how to integrate and distribute traffic and resources between Ctrip and Qunar. In the short term Ctrip and other travel booking sites are expected to continue relying on investments to keep their businesses growing whilst being forced by the competitive environment to offer services at discounted rates. |
0.967473 | Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water (VSMOW) is a water standard defining the isotopic composition of fresh water. It was promulgated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (based in Vienna) in 1968, and, since 1993, continues to be evaluated and studied by the IAEA along with the European Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements and the American National Institute of Standards and Technology. The standard includes both the established values of stable isotopes found in waters and calibration materials provided for standardization and interlaboratory comparisons of instruments used to measure these values in experimental materials.
The designation ocean water refers only to the evaporation of ocean waters in the water cycle as the original source of fresh surface and ground waters and precipitation, but VSMOW is not a standard for seawater. Fresh distilled VSMOW water is also used for making high accuracy measurement of water's physical properties and for defining laboratory standards since it is considered to be representative of average ocean water, in effect representing all water on Earth.
Before VSMOW was defined, average ocean water and melted snow were used as references. These conventions were refined in the 1960s by the standardized definition of Standard Mean Ocean Water (SMOW). The U.S. National Bureau of Standards (now the National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST) created physical water standards for global use. However, the physical integrity of the U.S. standards came into question. The use of the SMOW standard was discontinued.
VSMOW is a recalibration of the original SMOW definition and was created in 1967 by Harmon Craig and other researchers from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego who mixed distilled ocean waters collected from different spots around the globe. VSMOW remains one of the major isotopic water benchmarks in use today.
2O is extremely rare in normal water.
2O is a somewhat less than the 1 in 6420-squared expected by probability.
Very pure, carefully distilled VSMOW water is important in the manufacture of high-accuracy temperature measurement reference standards. Both the Kelvin and Celsius scales are defined by the triple point of water (273.16 K and 0.01 °C). Due to differences in isotopic composition, water samples from various sources may exhibit slight differences in physical properties, such as density, boiling point, and vapor pressure. Consequently, snow, river water, and rainwater, all of which are recently evaporated ocean water, tend to be enriched in the lighter isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen, causing water to evaporate more quickly.
Temperature reference cells filled with water of improper isotopic composition can cause errors of several hundred microkelvin in the measured triple point.
To address this issue, the Comité International des Poids et Mesures (CPIM), also known as the International Committee for Weights and Measures, affirmed in 2005 that for the purposes of specifying the temperature of the triple point of water, the definition of the Kelvin thermodynamic temperature scale would refer to water with a composition of the nominal specification of VSMOW.[notes 1] The decision was welcomed in 2007 by Resolution 10 of the 23rd CGPM.
(approximately 36.61% thermodynamically hotter). When adhering strictly to the two-point definition for calibration, the boiling point of VSMOW water under one standard atmosphere of pressure is actually 373.1339 K (99.9839 °C). When calibrated to ITS-90 (a calibration standard comprising many definition points and commonly used for high-precision instrumentation), the boiling point of VSMOW water is slightly less, about 99.974 °C.
This boiling–point difference of 16.1 millikelvins between the Celsius scale's original definition and the current one (based on absolute zero and the triple point) has little practical meaning in real life because water's boiling point is highly sensitive to variations in barometric pressure. For example, an altitude change of only 28 cm (11 in) causes water's boiling point to change by one millikelvin.
^ (669 kB PDF) CIPM 2005 report Archived November 2, 2006, at the Wayback Machine See pg. 235 of the document (Pg. 107 of the PDF) for Clarification of the definition of the kelvin, unit of thermodynamic temperature. The CIPM's adoption of the VSMOW standard was based upon a recommendation of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) in their publication Atomic Weights of the Elements: Review 2000 (IUPAC Technical Report), J. R. de Laeter et al., Pure and Applied Chemistry, 75, Issue 6, Pg. 683–799.
^ Hornberger, George M. (1995). "New manuscript guidelines for the reporting of stable hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen isotope ratio data". Water Resources Research. 31 (12): 2895–2895. Bibcode:1995WRR....31.2895H. doi:10.1029/95WR02430. |
0.963924 | How Do Economists Define Statistical Discrimination?
The phenomenon of statistical discrimination is said to occur when an economic decision-maker uses observable characteristics of individuals, such as the physical traits that are used to categorize gender or race, as a proxy for otherwise unobservable characteristics that are outcome relevant. So in the absence of direct information about an individual's productivity, qualifications, or even criminal background, a decision-maker may substitute group averages (either real or imagined) or stereotypes to fill the information void. As such, rational decision-makers use aggregate group characteristics to evaluate individual characteristics that may result in individuals belonging to certain groups being treated differently than others even when they are alike in every other respect.
According to this theory, inequality may exist and persist between demographic groups even when economic agents (consumers, workers, employers, etc.) are rational and non-prejudiced.This type of preferential treatment is labeled "statistical" because stereotypes may be based on the discriminated group's average behavior.
Some researchers of statistical discrimination add another dimension to the discriminatory actions of decision-makers: risk aversion. With the added dimension of risk aversion, statistical discrimination theory could be used to explain actions of decision-makers like a hiring manager who shows a preference for the group with the lower variance (perceived or real). Take, for example, a manager who is of one race and has two equal candidates for consideration: one who is of the manager's shared race and another who is a different race. The manager may feel more culturally attuned to applicants of his or her own race than to applicants of another race, and therefore, believe that he or she has a better measure of certain outcome-relevant traits of the applicant of his or her own race. The theory holds that a risk-averse manager will prefer the applicant from the group for which some measurement exists that minimizes risk, which may result in a higher bid for an applicant of his or her own race over an applicant of a different race all other things equal.
Unlike other theories of discrimination, statistical discrimination does not assume any sort of animosity or even preference bias toward a particular race or gender on the part of the decision-maker. In fact, the decision-maker in statistical discrimination theory is considered to be a rational, information-seeking profit maximizer.
It is thought that there are two sources of statistical discrimination and inequality. The first, known as "first moment" statistical discrimination occurs when the discrimination is believed to be the decision maker's efficient response to asymmetric beliefs and stereotypes. First-moment statistical discrimination may be evoked when a woman is offered lower wages than a male counterpart because women are perceived to be less productive on average.
The second source of inequality is known as "second moment" statistical discrimination, which occurs as a result of the self-enforcing cycle of discrimination. The theory is that the individuals from the discriminated group are ultimately discouraged from higher performance on those outcome-relevant characteristics because of the existence of such "first moment" statistical discrimination. Which is to say, for example, that individuals from the discriminated group may be less likely to obtain the skills and education to equally compete with other candidates because of their average or assumed a return on investment from those activities is less than non-discriminated groups. |
0.923349 | The success or failure of the bilingual/bicultural approach to educating children who are deaf depends on the relationship between ASL proficiency and English literacy. If no such relationship exists, or if a negative relationship exists, the bi/bi approach will be unlikely to succeed.
Bilingual advocates often present Jim Cummins' Linguistic Interdependence Theory in support of a bilingual approach to education. According to the Linguistic Interdependence Theory, a language user possesses an underlying set of cognitive and language abilities that are similar to the base of an iceberg. The surface features of a language are similar to the caps of an iceberg. If a person knows two languages, it is like having a two ice caps with a common underlying base. As the theory goes, if you already have a language base, it is easier to acquire a second language (Cummins, 1989).
The question though is, does a knowledge of signed ASL enhance or expedite the acquisition of English literacy?
Not only is ASL a different language than English, it is also expressed via a different mode. English is expressed via speaking and writing. ASL is signed. Hearing, English-speaking people tend to develop inner speech that is for the most part similar to their spoken or outer speech. Writing is based on a person's inner speech. If a Spanish speaker wants to become literate in English, he can use his underlying proficiency in Spoken Spanish to expedite his acquisition of spoken English. He then has two bridges to written English. One is to bridge from spoken English to English based-inner-speech, then to written English. The other bridge is to utilize his underlying proficiency in writing Spanish as an aide to learning written English. Both of these bridges (acquisition of spoken English and transference of pre-existing writing skills) are, for the most part, not available to deaf children (Chamberlain, Morford, & Mayberry, 2000).
Since ASL has no widely established written form, (with a nod, tip of the hat, and polite applause to the Sutton's and their Signwriting system) it would be difficult to establish that there are any "reading and writing" skills to be transferred and applied to the acquisition of English reading and writing skills by deaf students.
In the absence of transfer of reading and writing skills, what then is the benefit of a deaf child learning ASL or using a bi/bi approach in the pursuit of English literacy? It seems fairly obvious that since ASL is expressed visually and gesturally that it is acquired by individuals who are deaf more readily than are spoken languages. The acquisition and use of a language enhances and promotes an individual's cognitive and metalinguistic abilities. These same cognitive and metalinguistic abilities then help facilitate the acquisition of written English.
Michael Strong and Philip Prinz conducted a three year study of 155 deaf students in which they found a statistically significant positive correlation between a high degree of ASL fluency and English literacy. What is interesting about their study is that they ranked their participants at three levels of ASL proficiency: low, medium, and high. Those participants who had low levels of ASL proficiency, having a deaf parent corresponded to higher English literacy skills than students with hearing parents. The participants who had medium or high levels of ASL proficiency had correspondingly good English literacy skills regardless of the hearing status of their parents (Chamberlain et. al., 2000).
Cummins, J. (1989). Empowering minority students (1st ed ed.). Sacramento, Calif. (926 J St., Suite 810, Sacramento 95814): California Association for Bilingual Education.
Emmorey, K., Lane, H. L., Bellugi, U., & Klima, E. S. (2000). The signs of language revisited an anthology to honor Ursula Bellugi and Edward Klima. Mahwah, N.J Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. |
0.933154 | What are you saying "hello" to this Monday?
We are counting our blessings here. I think the biggest thing we are saying hello to is the sunshine!
I enjoyed the walk through your day! |
0.999922 | For the American boxer, see Duane Thomas (boxer).
Duane Julius Thomas (born June 21, 1947) is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins. He played college football at West Texas State University.
Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Thomas was an exceptional running back at its Lincoln High School in the mid-1960s. He continued his success at West Texas State University in Canyon, playing fullback alongside Mercury Morris, while tearing up defenses for Joe Kerbel's teams.
In 1970 he played in the Coaches All-America Game.
Thomas was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round (23rd overall) of the 1970 NFL draft. As a rookie, even though he didn't start until the fifth game of the season, he led the team in rushing, while finishing eighth in the newly merged 26-team league with 803 rushing yards (second in the National Football Conference behind NFL rushing champion Larry Brown of the rival Washington Redskins) on 151 carries (5.3 yards per carry) and 5 touchdowns. At the end of the season, already being compared to Jim Brown, he was named the NFL rookie of the year.
During the 1971 offseason, because of a contract dispute (he requested for his 3-year contract to be rewritten) and refusing to report to training camp, he was traded to the New England Patriots, alongside Halvor Hagen and Honor Jackson, in exchange for Carl Garrett and the Patriots' No. 1 draft choice in the 1972 NFL draft. Within a week, because of problems with the Patriots and head coach John Mazur, in an unprecedented move NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle voided part of the trade, sending Thomas and Garrett back to their original teams. The Patriots kept Hagen and Jackson in exchange for a second (#35-Robert Newhouse) and third round (possibly 1972 #64-Mike Keller) draft choices in the 1972 NFL draft. Thomas returned to the Cowboys, but decided to keep silent all season long, refusing to speak to teammates, management, and the media.
In October 1971, Thomas scored the first touchdown in the new Texas Stadium playing against the Patriots. That same season, Thomas led the league in rushing and total touchdowns with eleven rushing and thirteen overall. He also was named All-Pro and led the Cowboys with 95 rushing yards and a touchdown in Dallas' first franchise Super Bowl victory, a 24–3 win over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VI.
Before taking part in Super Bowl VI, Thomas was asked about playing in the ultimate game. His response was: "If it's the ultimate game, how come they're playing it again next year?". In a postgame interview following that Super Bowl, CBS television announcer Tom Brookshier noted Thomas' speed and asked him, rhetorically, "Are you that fast?" Thomas responded, "Evidently".
Thomas was reportedly voted as the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player by an overwhelming margin. Thomas, however, had boycotted the media throughout the season as well, and Larry Klein, editor of Sport, which presented the award, didn't know how Thomas would act at a banquet in New York. With this in mind Klein announced quarterback Roger Staubach as the winner.
During the 1972 offseason he became even more isolated and insubordinate, so he was traded in early August to the San Diego Chargers in exchange for Mike Montgomery and Billy Parks.
In 2004, he was inducted into the Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame.
Thomas began his stint with the Chargers by earning a 20-day suspension for failing to report to the team, and matters escalated from there. He never played a game for the Chargers, as the team placed him on the reserve list, making him ineligible for the rest of the 1972 season.
On July 20, 1973, the Chargers traded Thomas to defending NFC champion Washington in exchange for the Redskins' first draft choice (#22-Mike Williams) in the 1975 NFL draft and their second draft choice (#46-David Hill) in 1976.
Thomas played with the Washington Redskins in 1973 and 1974, rushing for a total of 442 yards. On August 13, 1975, he was waived because of conflicts with the team.
In August 1975, Thomas was signed by the The Hawaiians of the World Football League to replace an injured Calvin Hill, although the Philadelphia Bell claimed they owned Thomas negotiating rights after being released by the Washington Redskins. He was with the team for only 1½ months and was released in early October, just weeks before the league folded.
On May 1, 1976, the Dallas Cowboys signed Thomas again for a comeback, but he was waived before the season started.
Thomas signed with the British Columbia Lions in 1977 and was placed on waivers after just a couple of weeks.
In March 1979, Thomas was signed by the Green Bay Packers, but was waived before the season started. He finished his NFL career with 2,038 rushing yards, 453 carries and 21 touchdowns. He also caught 38 passes for 297 yards and 3 touchdowns.
With the help of freelance sportswriter Paul Zimmerman in 1989, Thomas wrote Duane Thomas and the Fall of America's Team, a memoir of Thomas' time playing for the Dallas Cowboys. A reviewer of the book commented, "The title implies, although the text nowhere suggests, that there is a relation between the fate of running back Thomas and the decline in the fortunes of the Dallas Cowboys. Thomas, when he appeared on the professional football scene in 1970, was acclaimed as an outstanding player but within two years was stigmatized as an "emotionally disturbed misfit", largely because of his periods of total silence.
Before he was out of football, Thomas got a job at Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation in the Legal Department and decided to go back into football. He was called by the Green Bay Packers and went there to try out, but they used him mainly as a blocking back during that preseason and he did not make the team. In August 2008, Thomas visited the Cowboys at their training camp in Oxnard, California.
The 2010 book The Ones Who Hit the Hardest by Chad Millman and Shawn Coyne on the Pittsburgh Steelers and their great 1970s rivalry with the Dallas Cowboys offers a critical assessment of Thomas. They note that Thomas was highly regarded by the Cowboys when he first arrived, and that he was an avid team player who worked very hard and produced spectacular results on the field. Unfortunately an agent who Thomas contracted to look after his financial matters so he could concentrate on football, pocketed large amounts of his cash and failed to cover his bills. A looming divorce also added to the runner's woes. Thomas' sterling play however helped Dallas to Super Bowl V where they faced the Baltimore Colts. In a game marked by poor Dallas performance and turnovers, (including 10 penalties for more than 100 yards) the authors hold that Thomas fumbled in the third quarter, 2 yards shy of a touchdown, in a disputed referee call. Coach Tom Landry, the authors contend, abandoned the running game in favor of action by quarterback Craig Morton. With plenty of time remaining, the Cowboy offense stalled, and Morton threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter, dooming Dallas' chances of a win. After the lost game, Landry in public comments blamed the 3rd quarter fumble by Thomas as the reason for the loss. This embittered the running back intensely, who felt his 1,116 yards that year, and his scoring of the only Cowboy touchdown in the game deserved better.
Relations deteriorated after that, state Millman and Coyne, and Thomas resented Landry's perceived lack of appreciation the following year. The pending divorce, and looming IRS audits and claims for back taxes added further pressure on the 23-year-old running back. Thomas became dissatisfied with his salary and demanded a renegotiation. The authors however note that Thomas was not the only player to run into financial difficulties or attempt to modify his contract.
"No one produced like Duane Thomas had in 1970. The evidence was incontrovertible.. Thomas understood that playing out his option was a ludicrous choice. The average career of an NFL player is less than five years. The Dallas Cowboys would get the best years of his football career and then he'd still be at the mercy of the owners and their commissioner. Thomas reconsidered their offer to extend their contract and realized that the new deal would cover his debts and alimony, but would leave him only subsistence wages. He'd be a star on the field but a lackey off of it. Sharing his personal problems with the Cowboys gave them the opportunity to punch his situation into one of their computers. It spit out the best possible deal for the organization- keeping its star running back under their thumb at the lowest price... [they] had him just where they wanted him- insecure about his position and saddled with debt. Some of the greatest players in the history of professional football- Lee Roy Jordan, Bob Lilly, Rayfield Wright – had faced the same circumstances before Thomas had. They had cowered and taken the Cowboy contract extensions."
Thomas attempted to get football great Jim Brown to intervene on his behalf to no avail. In 1971, his bitterness exploded in a training camp press conference, in which he dared to rail against Landry and management. Rumors spread through training camp that Thomas and the Black Muslims were in sync to kidnap Tex Schramm, after observers noted a small dark man "with only one name" shadowing Thomas. The controversy churned with his trade to the Patriots and the subsequent return to the Cowboys. Thomas had alienated many of his teammates, nevertheless Landry generously took him back on the special teams where he performed well, and eased him back into the running back slot. His performance was better than ever, although he refused to speak to reporters (who dubbed him 'The Sphinx") or to shake hands with some teammates after making outstanding plays. His quality play however culminated in an excellent Super Bowl performance and likely MVP award, but this was denied due to his previous conduct. Millman and Coyne quote some Dallas players who still admired Thomas for standing up to management. Despite the victory, Thomas was traded to the San Diego Chargers in 1972, who later traded him to the Washington Redskins in 1973. The Cowboys did not win another Super Bowl until the coming of another running sensation, one Tony Dorsett. Dorsett claims that late one night early in his career he was at a house party when the doorbell rang. There, outside in the darkness stood the spectral figure of Duane Thomas. The ex-Cowboy favorite and the new sensation stared at one another for a long moment. Dorsett gestured, but no words were exchanged, only a brief nod, one running back to another. Then Thomas began to slowly melt back into the night, as mysteriously as he had come. Symbolically, it seemed, the torch had passed. As to his undoubted talent, Millman and Coyne maintain that Cowboy coach Landry learned to manage gifted players better, without heavy micro-management, as a result of Duane Thomas: "Landry had learned the hard Lesson with Duane Thomas. Sometimes you have to leave the gifted alone."
1 2 3 Aiello, Greg (June 11, 1976). "New Duane Thomas: Finally I know where I'm going". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Florida. (Los Angeles Times / Washington Post). p. 3F.
↑ "Duane Thomas Unhappy With 3 Year Contract". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
↑ "Pats Routed". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
↑ "Cowboys trade Duane Thomas". Victoria Advocate. Texas. Associated Press. August 2, 1972. p. 1B.
↑ "Ex-Cowboy Duane Thomas 'found peace in the game'". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
↑ Reid, Ron (August 27, 1973). "Staring and starring". Sports Illustrated. p. 16.
↑ "Redskins release Duane Thomas". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. August 14, 1975. p. 31.
↑ "Duane Thomas playing for Hawaiians". Tuscaloosa News. Alabama. Associated Press. August 25, 1975. p. 11.
↑ "Thomas refuses to take cut". St. Petersburg Independent. Florida. Associated Press. October 10, 1975. p. 2C.
↑ "Cowboys Sign Duane Thomas". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
↑ "Green Bay Packers cut Duane Thomas". Lakeland Ledger. Florida. August 21, 1979. p. 4D.
↑ "Thomas cut as Packers trim roster". Milwaukee Sentinel. August 21, 1979. p. 1, part 2. |
0.998825 | Fences can be made out of a wide variety of materials, but two of the most durable and long lasting are steel and aluminum. Both offer a structurally sound fencing option that can provide privacy and security for an extended period of time. However, there are a number of key differences between the two types of fencing materials, and knowing what those disadvantages are gives you the knowledge necessary to make an educated decision about which type of material is best for your fence.
Aluminum is extremely durable, but it is also extremely lightweight, which makes it very easy to transport and install. Additionally, aluminum fences will not corrode, which means that you will not have to worry about rust damaging and eventually bringing down your fence. When compared to steel, aluminum is much less expensive. Furthermore, aluminum fencing is completely recyclable, which means that there are no environmental concerns associated with an aluminum fence.
However, a major concern of aluminum fencing is the fact that it can be easily bent or rent apart, which means that it is not ideal for a security fence. Additionally, its malleability means that it can be easily dented, which can be a concern with children or in areas where heavy precipitation and hail are common.
Steel fencing is made out of galvanized steel, which is coated in zinc to prevent it from rusting. Steel is incredibly dense and strong, and will not be easily damaged by any sort of impact. Steel fences can last years of enduring the weather without any concern to the structural stability of the fence. Steel fencing also provides an aesthetic that is very similar to wrought iron at a cheaper cost, making it ideal for those who want to have a fence that appears to be wrought iron but who are unable to afford the cost.
However, over time the zinc coating on steel fences can break down, which can result in rust developing on your fence. This can ruin the aesthetic of the fence, but also make it unstable, which can be a safety concern. This means that steel fencing is not well suited to coastal areas, where salt water is prevalent. Also, steel fencing costs significantly more than aluminum fencing, making it less than ideal for those on a tight budget. Finally, steel fencing is much harder and costly to install due to its weight, though this can be seen as a security benefit. |
0.989643 | An easy to prepare appetizer that is bursting with flavor, this exotic starter is full of Asian-inspired flavors. Prepare the night before and marinade overnight for an easy treat, or whip up a batch to wow last minute guests.
In large, shallow bowl combine mustard, soy sauce, honey, lime juice, garlic and ground red pepper. Whisk until blended. Remove and reserve ½ c. of marinade and set aside.
Add beef to marinade and toss to coat. Cover and marinate for 20 minutes.
Remove beef from marinade. Discard marinade. Place beef and onions onto metal skewers, alternating meat and onions.
Place skewers on prepared grill. Grill, uncovered for 10-12 minutes, basting frequently with reserved ½ c. marinade until meat is cooked through. Serve immediately.
This was really nice, the beef steak soaked up the marinade beautifully. I will make again.
Average rating of 5.00 stars based on 1 reviews.
Summary: An easy to prepare appetizer that is bursting with flavor, this exotic starter is full of Asian-inspired flavors. Prepare the night before and marinade overnight for an easy treat, or whip up a batch to wow last minute guests. |
0.957359 | Ptolemy II encourages the Jewish residents of Alexandria to have their Bible translated into Greek. Because around seventy translators are used to achieve this, the translation is known as the Septuagint.
Following the death of the King of Cyrene, Magas, Queen Apama II, Magas' widow, and Antigonus II arrange the marriage of Antigonus' half-brother Demetrius the Fair to Berenice of Cyrene, daughter of Magas and Apama. However, when Demetrius the Fair arrives, Apama becomes his lover. In response, Berenice leads an uprising in which Demetrius is killed in Apama's bedroom.
In the Punic War, the Romans shift their attention to the southwest of Sicily. They send a naval expedition toward the Carthaginian city of Lilybaeum. En route, the Romans seize and burn the Carthaginian held cities of Selinous and Heraclea Minoa. The Romans then begin the siege of Lilybaeum.
According to tradition (Horace, Odes, iii. 5), after the defeat of the Carthaginians at the Battle of Panormus, the Carthaginians release Marcus Atilius Regulus from prison and he is sent to Rome on parole to negotiate a peace or an exchange of prisoners. However, on his arrival, he strongly urges the Roman Senate to refuse both proposals and continue fighting. He then honours his parole by returning to Carthage where he is executed by being placed in a spiked barrel, which is then let roll down a hill.
Andragoras, a Seleucid satrap of the province of Partahia (Parthia), tries to gain independence from the Seleucid Kingdom under Antiochus II.
According to the Theravāda commentaries and chronicles, the Third Buddhist Council is convened by the Mauryan king Ashoka at Pataliputra (modern Patna), under the leadership of the monk Moggaliputta Tissa. Its objective is to purify the Buddhist movement, particularly from opportunistic factions which are being attracted by the royal patronage.
The Mauryan sculpture Didarganj Yakshi holding a Fly Whisk, from Patna, Bihar in India, is made (approximate date). It is now kept at the Patna Museum in Patna.
The Mauryan Lion Capital of Asoka, is erected as part of a pillar at Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh in India (approximate date). It is now preserved at the Sarnath Museum in Sarnath.
Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "250 BC" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on original research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.
This page was last modified 08:36, 29 July 2010. |
0.962651 | 1. Tammy is competing in a 10-mile race. She bicycled 4 miles in 36 minutes. Assuming she keeps racing at the same speed, how long will it take her to complete the entire race.
Sorry, the answer is 90 minutes. This question is taken from a seventh-grade standardized test. It's asking a student to apply knowlede he should have learned in school. However, many of the other questions on standardized tests ask students to utilize information gained at home. Even if a student answered every question related to what he's learned in school correctly, he still might receive a poor score. This is unfair to the student who works hard at school, but whose home life is lacking in academic stimulus.
Sorry, the answer is 90 minutes. This question is taken from a seventh-grade standardized test. It's asking a student to apply knowlede he should have learned in school. However, many of the other questions on standardized tests ask student to utilize information gained at home. Even if a student answered every question related to what he's learned in school correctly, he still might receive a poor score. This is unfair to the student who works hard at school, but whose home life is lacking in academic stimulus.
Sorry, the answer is 90 minutes. This question is taken from a seventh-grade standardized test. It's asking a student to apply knowlede he should have learned in school. However, many of the other questions on standardized tests ask students to utilize information gained at home. Even if a student answered every question related to what he's learned in school correctly, he still might receive a poor score. This is unfair to the student who works hard at school, but who's homelife is lacking in academic stimulus.
Way to go! This question is taken from a seventh-grade standardized test. It's asking a student to apply knowlede he should have learned in school. However, many of the other questions on standardized tests ask students to utilize information gained at home. Even if a student answered every question related to what he's learned in school correctly, he still might receive a poor score. This is unfair to the student who works hard at school, but whose home life is lacking in academic stimulus.
2. Which of the following countries is located on the same continent as Brazil?
Sorry, it's Argentina. This question is taken from a sixth-grade standardized test. Once again, this question tests school smarts. Many questions on standardized tests not only test school smarts but also assess knowledge gained at home. This is unfair to the child who has an unsatisfactory home life. If all the questions on standardized tests assessed a child's school smarts, it would even the playing field. However, equality transltes into a lesser range of scores. A large range of scores is what test-makers are shooting for.
Congrats, you're right. This question is taken from a sixth-grade standardized test. Once again, this question tests school smarts. Many questions on standardized tests not only test school smarts but also assess knowledge gained at home. This is unfair to the child who has an unsatisfactory home life. If all the questions on standardized tests assessed a child's school smarts, it would even the playing field. However, equality transltes into a lesser range of scores. A large range of scores is what test-makers are shooting for.
3. A plant's fruit always contains seeds. Choose the item below that's not a fruit.
Sorry, it's celery. This question is taken from a sixth-grade standardized test and is testing knowledge that a child usually gains at home. A child whose parents can routinely afford to purchase fresh fruits and buy a fresh pumpkin to carve before Halloween is at an advantage.
You're right, but a child who's from a more affluent family gets a break on this item. This question is taken from a sixth-grade standardized test and is testing knowledge that a child usually gains at home. A child whose parents can routinely afford to purchase fresh fruits and buy a fresh pumpkin to carve before Halloween is at an advantage.
Sorry, it's carpenter. This question is taken from a fourth-grade standardized test and it's also too dependent on a child's background. If a child comes from a well-to-do family that has been able to do some home remodeling, that child will be well-versed in a carpenter's use of a saw. So once again, the child with the higher socioeconomic status is at the advantage.
You're right, but this question may not be fair to some students. This question is taken from a fourth-grade standardized test and it's also too dependent on a child's background. If a child comes from a well-to-do family that has been able to do some home remodeling, that child will be well-versed in a carpenter's use of a saw. So once again, the child with the higher socioeconomic status is at the advantage.
5. Larry wants the total of numbers in circle A to be equal to the total of numbers in circle B. Which two number tiles should he trade?
Sorry it's B -- tiles 4 and 2. This question isn't fair for many students. It's taken from a seventh-grade standardized test and it assesses a child's number smarts. People have many different kinds of intelligences -- mathematical, musical, linguistic -- to name a few. Standardized tests often only asses one or two of the seven intelligences. The child who may be musically or spatially gifted never gets to show his smarts.
You're right! However, this question isn't fair for many students. It's taken from a seventh-grade standardized test and it assesses a child's number smarts. People have many different kinds of intelligences -- mathematical, musical, linguistic -- to name a few. Standardized tests often only asses one or two of the seven intelligences. The child who may be musically or spatially gifted never gets to show his smarts.
6. Which of the animals has moved the most from Scene A to Scene B?
The correct answer is the elephant. This question is taken from a fourth-grade standardized test and it assesses a child's picture-smarts. This question isn't fair to the child whose spatial intelligence is weak but whose linguistic or artistic intelligence may be very strong. People have many different kinds of smarts and standardized tests only assess a select few.
You're right -- you must have a high spatial intelligence. This question is taken from a fourth-grade standardized test and it assesses a child's picture-smarts. This question isn't fair to the child whose spatial intelligence is weak but whose linguistic or artistic intelligence may be very strong. People have many different kinds of smarts and standardized tests only assess a select few.
The correct answer is to write on both sides of a piece of paper. This question is taken from a sixth-grade standardized test and assesses a child's word-smarts. In order for a child to answer this question correctly, he needs to know that "conserve resources" means to save them. A child who's linguistic skills are weak but whose interpersonal or spatial skills are strong is at a disadvantage.
The correct answer is to write on both sides of a piece of paper. This question is taken from a sixth-grade standardized test and assesses a child's word-smarts. In order for a child to answer this question correctly, he needs to know that "conserve resource" means to save them. A child who's linguistic skills are weak but whose interpersonal or spatial skills are strong is at a disadvantage.
You're right. This question is taken from a sixth-grade standardized test and assesses a child's word-smarts. In order for a child to answer this question correctly, he needs to know that "conserve resources" means to save them. A child who's linguistic skills are weak but whose interpersonal or spatial skills are strong is at a disadvantage. |
0.997846 | The origins of fads are usually untraceable as they gain instant popularity overnight. Numerous fads have graced the world’s history. Their popularity has ranged from a few months to many years. However, they are quick to be pushed into oblivion as well as disappear without any trace. Here is a list of the top 10 crazy fads that dominated the world and were gloriously burned to the ground. Find out what was popular when your parents were kids, or take a nostalgic trip down memory lane from your own childhood.
1. Sagging Pants: Sagging pants fashion originated from the United States prisons where belts are not allowed.
Made famous by hip-hop artists and skaters in the 1990s, this fad is considered to be part of the evolution of urban, hip-hop culture over the past three decades. These sagging pants originated in the United States prison systems were belts are often prohibited due to safety concerns and lack of appropriately sized clothing. Sagging pants were exclusively a part of the urban male fashion industry.
2. Fanny Pack: Every traveler went gaga with these small, fabric pouches usually secured with a zipper and worn by use of a strap around the hips or waist.
Considered to be a rage in the 1990s, fanny packs are small, fabric pouches that are secured around the hips. The pack was usually strapped to the front of the body to protect them from bandits. Since these packs are worn in the front, it is safer from pickpockets. The modern version gained popularity in the 1980s and is worn by every tourist to store their essentials.
3. Emo: Emo fashion included people wearing skinny jeans, tight t-shirts with names of emo bands, poker straight hair, studded belts, converse sneakers, vans, and black wristbands.
Emo style is normally characterized by music that is considered to be highly emotional, angry, and vulnerable. It is usually associated with the image of dark and dramatic fashion. The “emo style” is regarded as having a sweeping fringe, loose black clothes, and heavily lined eyes. The phase was further fuelled by mid-1980s hard-core punk movement in the United States. The emotional intimacy between the bands and their fans became a fully-fledged underground movement.
Grills, also commonly known as “grilz,” “fronts,” or “golds,” is a type of jewelry that is worn over the front teeth. They are usually made of metal and are easily removable. The trend started in the early 1980s and was made famous by hip-hop artists in New York City. Grills were synonymous with top hip-hop stars who used them to show off their wealth and success.
5. Rachel Haircut: Many women in the 1990s started cutting their hair in the same hairstyle as Jennifer Aniston’s character “Rachel” on the popular television sitcom Friends.
The world of haircuts has gone through a tremendous change, but nothing can beat the popularity of the “Rachael” haircut. This iconic haircut was debuted by Jennifer Aniston on the set of Friends in 1995. Named after the character, the haircut features a bouncy, layered style. The popularity of the haircut coincided with the popularity of Friends during the mid-90s.
6. Platform shoe: Shoes with thick soles, they were invented to be worn to prevent your feet from getting wet during rain.
Platform shoes are shoes, boots or sandals with a thick sole. The platform shoes can also be considered as high heels. The heels are significantly raised higher than the ball of the foot. These shoes were invented in the 15th century in Venice to prevent your feet from getting wet when it rained. The platform shoes enjoyed major popularity in the United States during the 1960s to 1980s.
The Aqua Net hairspray was a rage among celebrities and normal people with big hair. The hair spray was considered to be a crucial tool used along with a ubiquitous mousse. Using this versatile spray, both men and women were able to achieve gravity-defying hairstyling feats. Only a half a can of Aqua Net was enough to achieve any style of any height.
8. Budweiser Wassup Commercial: Budweiser beer commercial started a new trend in the ’90s. People were answering their own phones and saying, “Wassup?!.” There are many different mocked versions all over the internet.
In December 1999, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. created a trend of sorts by releasing a very popular television campaign. Considered as the most successful television advertisement ever, the Budweiser campaign “Whassup?!” reached new heights. The campaign resonated with the new, youthful audience and became a pop-culture phenomenon.
9. Goatee Beards: Goatee beards really joined the mainstream men’s fashion, and no longer just for bikers, wrestlers, and Satan.
Goatees were a popular facial hairstyle in the 1990s and sported by professionals, students, and everyone else. The goatee seemed to suit everyone and was very easy to maintain. It was mostly preferred by men who struggled with a patchy or uneven beard. It provided an illusion of fullness, shape, and was good at masking thin lips.
10. Bowl Haircuts: People have been hating bowl cuts since everyone in the ’70s but gave their kids one. It was one of the go-to insults in the schoolyard in the late ’70s and ’80s.
Popular among the European men from the 12th to 15th century, it was one of the simplest hairstyles. The short hairstyle was mostly sported by soldiers and religious leaders. The bowl cut is a simple and short haircut where the hair is cut with a straight fringe on the front. The rest of the hair is cut short on the sides and the back. |
0.93837 | Francis Xavier was born in the castle of Xavier, in the Kingdom of Navarre, on 7 April 1506 according to a family register. He was the youngest son of Juan de Jasso y Atondo, who belonged to a prosperous farming family and had acquired a doctorate in law at the University of Bologna,and later became privy counselor and finance minister to King John III of Navarre (Jean d'Albret). Francis' mother was Doña Maria de Azpilcueta y Aznárez, sole heiress of two noble Navarrese families. He was thus related to the great theologian and philosopher Martín de Azpilcueta. Notwithstanding different interpretations on his first language, no evidence suggests that Xavier's mother tongue was other than Basque, as stated by himself, and confirmed by the sociolinguistic environment of the time.
In 1512, Ferdinand, King of Aragon and regent of Castile, invaded Navarre, initiating a war that lasted over 18 years. Three years later, Francis' father died when Francis was only nine years old. In 1516, Francis's brothers participated in a failed Navarrese-French attempt to expel the Spanish invaders from the kingdom. The Spanish Governor, Cardinal Cisneros, confiscated the family lands, demolished the outer wall, the gates, and two towers of the family castle, and filled in the moat. In addition, the height of the keep was reduced by half. Only the family residence inside the castle was left. In 1522 one of Francis's brothers participated with 200 Navarrese nobles in dogged but failed resistance against the Castilian Count of Miranda in Amaiur, Baztan, the last Navarrese territorial position south of the Pyrenees.Until he left for studies in Paris in 1525, Francis' life was surrounded by this war, which ended with Spanish conquest of Navarre in 1530.In 1525, Francis went to study at the Collège Sainte-Barbe, University of Paris, where he would spend the next eleven years. In the early days he acquired some reputation as an athlete and a fine high-jumper.
n 1529, Francis shared lodgings with his friend Pierre Favre. A new student, Ignatius of Loyola, came to room with them. At 38, Ignatius was much older than Peter and Francis, who were both 23 at the time. Pierre was won over by Ignatius to become a priest, but Francis had aspirations of worldly advancement. At first Francis was not much taken with Ignatius. He regarded the new lodger as a joke and was sarcastic about his efforts to convert students. Only after Pierre left their lodgings to visit his family, when Ignatius was alone with the proud Navarrese, was he was able to slowly break down Francis's stubborn resistance. According to most biographies Ignatius is said to have posed the question: "What will it profit a man to gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" However, according to James Broderick such method is not characteristic of Ignatius and there is no evidence that he employed it at all. In 1530 Francis received the degree of Master of Arts, and afterwards taught Aristotelian philosophy at Beauvais College, University of Paris. Church of Saint-Pierre de Montmartre, Paris. On 15 August 1534, seven students met in a crypt beneath the Church of Saint Denis (now Saint Pierre de Montmartre), in Montmartre outside Paris. They were Francis, Ignatius of Loyola, Alfonso Salmeron, Diego Laínez, Nicolás Bobadilla from Spain, Peter Faber from Savoy, and Simão Rodrigues from Portugal. They made private vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience to the Pope, and also vowed to go to the Holy Land to convert infidels. Francis began his study of theology in 1534 and was ordained on June 24, 1537. In 1539, after long discussions, Ignatius drew up a formula for a new monastic order, the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). Ignatius's plan for the order was approved by Pope Paul III in 1540.
In 1540 King John of Portugal had Pedro Mascarenhas, Portuguese ambassador to the Vatican, request Jesuit missionaries to spread the faith in his new Indian possessions, where the king believed that Christian values were eroding among the Portuguese. After successive appeals to the Pope asking for missionaries for the East Indies under the Padroado agreement, John III was encouraged by Diogo de Gouveia, rector of the Collège Sainte-Barbe, to recruit the newly graduated youngsters that would establish the Society of Jesus. Loyola promptly appointed Nicholas Bobadilla and Simão Rodrigues. At the last moment, however, Bobadilla became seriously ill. With some hesitance and uneasiness, Ignatius asked Francis to go in Bobadilla's place. Thus, Xavier accidentally began his life as the first Jesuit missionary.
Leaving Rome on 15 March 1540, in the Ambassador's train, Francis took with him a breviary, a catechism, and De Institutione bene vivendi by Croatian humanist Marko Marulić, a Latin book that had become popular in the Counter-Reformation. According to a 1549 letter of F. Balthasar Gago in Goa, it was the only book that Francis read or studied. Francis reached Lisbon in June 1540 and four days after his arrival, he and Rodrigues were summoned to a private audience with the King and the Queen. Francis Xavier devoted much of his life to missions in Asia, mainly in four centers: Malacca, Amboina and Ternate, Japan, and China. His growing information about new places indicated to him that he had to go to what he understood were centers of influence for the whole region. China loomed large from his days in India. Japan was particularly attractive because of its culture. For him, these areas were interconnected; they could not be evangelized separately.
He left Lisbon on 7 April 1541, Xavier's thirty-fifth birthday, along with two other Jesuits and the new viceroy Martim Afonso de Sousa, on board the Santiago. As he departed, Francis was given a brief from the pope appointing him apostolic nuncio to the East. From August until March 1542 he remained in Portuguese Mozambique, and arrived in Goa, then capital of Portuguese India on 6 May 1542, thirteen months after leaving Lisbon. Following quickly on the great voyages of discovery, the Portuguese had established themselves at Goa thirty years earlier. Francis' primary mission, as ordered by King John III, was to restore Christianity among the Portuguese settlers. According to Teotonio R. DeSouza, recent critical accounts indicate that apart from the posted civil servants, "the great majority of those who were dispatched as "discoverers" were the riff-raff of Portuguese society, picked up from Portuguese jails." Nor did the soldiers, sailors, or merchants come to do missionary work, and Imperial policy permitted the outflow of disaffected nobility. Many of the arrivals formed liaisons with local women and adopted Indian culture. Missionaries often wrote against the "scandalous and undisciplined" behavior of their fellow Christians.
The Christian population had churches, clergy, and a bishop, but there were few preachers and no priests beyond the walls of Goa. Xavier decided that he must begin by instructing the Portuguese themselves, and gave much of his time to the teaching of children. The first five months he spent in preaching and ministering to the sick in the hospitals. After that, he walked through the streets ringing a bell to summon the children and servants to catechism. He was invited to head Saint Paul's College, a pioneer seminary for the education of secular priests, which became the first Jesuit headquarters in Asia. Xavier soon learned that along the Pearl Fishery Coast, which extends from Cape Comorin on the southern tip of India to the island of Manaar, off Ceylon (Sri Lanka), there was a Jāti of people called Paravas. Many of them had been baptized ten years before, merely to please the Portuguese, who had helped them against the Moors, but remained uninstructed in the faith. Accompanied by several native clerics from the seminary at Goa, he set sail for Cape Comorin in October 1542. First he set himself to learn the language of the Paravas; he taught those who had already been baptized, and preached to those who weren't. His efforts with the high-caste Brahmins remained unavailing.
He devoted almost three years to the work of preaching to the people of southern India and Ceylon, converting many. Many were the difficulties and hardships which Xavier had to encounter at this time, sometimes because the Portuguese soldiers, far from seconding his work, hampered it by their bad example and vicious habits. He built nearly 40 churches along the coast, including St. Stephen's Church, Kombuthurai, mentioned in his letters dated 1544. During this time, he was able to visit the tomb of St. Thomas the Apostle in Mylapore (now part of Madras (Chennai) then in Portuguese India). He set his sights eastward in 1545 and planned a missionary journey to Makassar on the island of Celebes (today's Indonesia). As the first Jesuit in India, Francis had difficulty achieving much success in his missionary trips. His successors, such as de Nobili, Matteo Ricci, and Beschi, attempted to convert the noblemen first as a means to influence more people, while Francis had initially interacted most with the lower classes (later though, in Japan, Francis changed tack by paying tribute to the Emperor and seeking an audience with him).
In late August 1552, the Santa Cruz reached the Chinese island of Shangchuan, 14 km away from the southern coast of mainland China, near Taishan, Guangdong, 200 km south-west of what later became Hong Kong. At this time, he was accompanied only by a Jesuit student, Álvaro Ferreira, a Chinese man called António, and a Malabar servant called Christopher. Around mid-November he sent a letter saying that a man had agreed to take him to the mainland in exchange for a large sum of money. Having sent back Álvaro Ferreira, he remained alone with António. He died at Shangchuan from a fever on 3 December 1552, while he was waiting for a boat that would agree to take him to mainland China.
He was first buried on a beach at Shangchuan Island, Taishan, Guangdong. His incorrupt body was taken from the island in February 1553 and was temporarily buried in St. Paul's church in Portuguese Malacca on 22 March 1553. An open grave in the church now marks the place of Xavier's burial. Pereira came back from Goa, removed the corpse shortly after 15 April 1553, and moved it to his house. On 11 December 1553, Xavier's body was shipped to Goa. The body is now in the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa, where it was placed in a glass container encased in a silver casket on 2 December 1637. This casket, constructed by Goan silversmiths between 1636 and 1637, was an exemplary blend of Italian and Indian aesthetic sensibilities.
A crab restores his crucifix which had fallen into the sea.
He preaches in the island of Moro.
The right forearm, which Xavier used to bless and baptize his converts, was detached by Superior General Claudio Acquaviva in 1614. It has been displayed since in a silver reliquary at the main Jesuit church in Rome, Il Gesù. Another of Xavier's arm bones was brought to Macau where it was kept in a silver reliquary. The relic was destined for Japan but religious persecution there persuaded the church to keep it in Macau's Cathedral of St. Paul. It was subsequently moved to St. Joseph's and in 1978 to the Chapel of St. Francis Xavier on Coloane Island. More recently the relic was moved to St. Joseph's Seminary and the Sacred Art Museum. In 2006, on the 500th anniversary of his birth, the Xavier Tomb Monument and Chapel on the Shangchuan Island, in ruins after years of neglect under communist rule in China was restored with the support from the alumni of Wah Yan College, a Jesuit high school in Hong Kong. |
0.999998 | Nepal is a beautiful country which is well known for its exquisite culture, flora and fauna, its people, and glorious mountains. Luxury Kathmandu Chitwan Pokhara Tour is a fantastic way of exploring some of the best locations of Nepal in a limited period of time. From the cultural Kathmandu to adventurous Chitwan and breathtaking Pokhara, this tour offers all kinds of experiences that can be enjoyed in the country. In other words, the three main touristic cities of Nepal are the perfect blend of culture, nature, and adventure. The tour will be a laid-back experience without having to worry about the planning while experiencing the thrill and embracing the natural beauty in exotic locations.
The tour starts with a guided day tour around Kathmandu city, the capital of Nepal, which has fascinating cultural diversity, rich hospitality, historical temples, stupas, and shrines. From the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu, we move towards Chitwan, the city which will mesmerize you with its wildlife and exotic vegetation. We will visit Chitwan National Park and enjoy the pleasure of watching many rare animals and plants in their natural habitat. Finally, we move on to the calm and serene city of Pokhara, situated at the lap of Mt. Machhapuchhre (6997m). There are rarely any locations that offer a diverse range of natural beauty like Pokhara. From enchanting lakes to enthralling views of Himalayan peaks like Dhaulagiri (8167m), Himchuli (6441m), Machhapuchhre (6997m), Annapurna range and others, Pokhara is exceptionally beautiful. This Tour can be planned for any time of the year.
For anyone seeking to unravel the sublime diversity in the country, this tour is an ideal choice. This tour by Amazing Nepal Trek and Expedition will be a lifetime experience immersing into the culture and spirituality, taking pleasure in the breathtaking views of Himalayas and enjoying the sight of rare wildlife all the while staying in luxurious hotels and tasting local delicacies. So, join us to make it your next adventure, which will definitely provide an experience you will cherish forever.
After your arrival in Kathmandu, you will be received by our company representative and transferred to the selected hotel. Welcome dinner is held in the hotel and a short brief about your trip is given. Overnight stay at a hotel in Kathmandu.
On this day, we head out to explore the sites of major cultural and religious importance in the valley. On the tour, we visit several of the world heritage sites as enlisted by UNESCO. Pashupatinath, Swayambhunath, Boudhanath, and Kathmandu Durbar Square are some of the premium destinations. These sites are not just the tourist hotspots but are a part of the Nepali lifestyle. Overnight stay at a hotel in Kathmandu.
After an early breakfast at the hotel, we leave for a 5-hour drive to Chitwan. It will be a picturesque drive along the Trishuli rives passing various villages. Upon arrival at Chitwan for lunch and a brief time for taking rest, our representative will give you a brief about the Chitwan Jungle Safari Program. Chitwan National Park is a home to animals like elephant, rhinoceros, tiger, leopard, deer, and many more including over 500 species of birds. This national park is also enlisted in the UNESCO’s Natural Heritage Site. Overnight stay at a hotel in Chitwan.
There are several exciting recreational activities to be done in the Chitwan jungle such as elephant riding, canoe drifting, and jungle safari which will give you the thrill of spotting the rare Bengal tigers, rhinoceros, wild elephants, crocodiles, and other wildlife in their natural habitat. Our mahout or local guide will help to locate the animals in the park and give you information about the journey. Then, you will visit the Elephant Breeding Center. After a short break, you will visit the Tharu village where you may enjoy a Tharu cultural show. Tharu’s are the aboriginal people of the area who have their own language, culture, and tradition. Overnight stay at a hotel in Chitwan.
After breakfast, we continue our trip with a 5-hour drive to the beautiful lake city of Pokhara. You can rest for a while and in the evening, we go for boating in the stunning Phewa lake and stroll around lakeside which is popular for its pubs with good beer and live music. Overnight stay at a hotel in Pokhara.
We wake up early in the morning to take a one hour drive to Sarangkot to see the glorious sunrise over the majestic Annapurna range. We get back to the hotel for breakfast then go sightseeing in Pokhara valley. We will visit the major attractions of Pokhara such as Devi's fall, Bindyabasini temple, Seti River Gorge, Mahendra cave, Peace Pagoda, Tibetan Monastery, and so on. Overnight stay at a hotel in Pokhara.
From Pokhara, we take a 25-minute scenic flight over the superb panorama of the Himalayas and lush hills to Kathmandu. On arrival, you will be transferred to the hotel. In the remaining time, we can stroll around some popular locations in the city such as Thamel or do some souvenir shopping. Overnight stay at a hotel in Kathmandu.
Our representative will drop you to Tribhuvan International Airport approximately 3 hours before your flight schedule. We certainly hope that you enjoyed the Luxury Kathmandu Chitwan Pokhara Tour and look forward to seeing you for another adventure soon. |
0.961845 | THE Reverend Ndabaningi Sithole, who has died aged 80, was a black nationalist who played a prominent role in Zimbabwe's struggle for independence from the white minority regime of Ian Smith.
Sithole was one of the founding members of the Zimbabwe African National Union (Zanu), the roots of President Mugabe's Zanu PF, and was an early advocate of armed struggle. In the years before independence, he played a leading role at many of the peace talks and negotiations held to end the war in the then Rhodesia, while Robert Mugabe remained in exile in the Mozambique bush.
But his hopes of power were to be dashed. In 1978 Sithole agreed to participate in the transitional four-man executive council. This was a prelude to the first black majority government, headed by Bishop Abel Muzorewa, the leader of the United African Council. Muzorewa's government was seen by many black Africans as a puppet of the white minority regime.
Sithole's dealings with Smith compromised him in the eyes of many of his supporters, and though he took part in the Lancaster House talks which led to Zimbabwe's independence in 1980, in the elections that followed his rival Robert Mugabe swept to power and Sithole's Zanu (Ndonga) faction failed to win a single seat.
Ndabaningi Sithole was born on July 1 1920, the son of an illiterate carpenter. He paid his way through his primary education at the Dadya Mission School by working as a chef's assistant. The school's headmaster was Garfield Todd, later Rhodesia's Prime Minister. In 1939 Sithole won a scholarship to Waddilove Training Institute, where he took a teaching diploma in 1941. For the next 14 years he worked as a teacher.
A deeply religious man, in 1955 he enrolled at Newton Theological College, Massachusetts, and on his return to Rhodesia was ordained a minister of the Congregationalist Church at Mount Selinda. Sithole's political career began when he was elected in 1959 to head the African Teachers' Association. The same year he published African Nationalism, in which he called for equality between the races. In a foreword to the book, Garfield Todd described Sithole as "a young African who has struggled against odds which would have dismayed most men".
Sithole resigned as president of the African Teachers' Association in 1960 to devote himself full time to politics as treasurer of the National Democratic Party. When the party was banned the following year, he joined Joshua Nkomo in the new Zimbabwe African People's Union (Zapu). In 1963, however, he split from Nkomo and formed Zanu, becoming its first president, with Mugabe as his second-in-command. Together they called for armed struggle against white oppression.
The next year Sithole was jailed for 12 months for circulating a "subversive" letter. Although he won on appeal, he was kept in prison until 1965, when he was sent into political detention for a further three years at the Wha Wha restriction camp.
He was allowed out on two occasions: in 1965 for talks with the visiting British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson; and again three years later for talks with the Commonwealth Secretary, George Thomson. A day before he was due to be released in 1968, police claimed to have found a letter in his cell from him urging an anonymous recipient to murder Ian Smith, who had just declared UDI from Britain in defiance of the United Nations. In February 1969, Sithole was found guilty of incitement to assassinate Smith and sentenced to six years' hard labour.
He was released in 1974 after a total of 10 years in detention, only to be re-arrested two months later on charges of plotting to assassinate fellow black leaders. After a further month in jail, he was again released by Mr Smith after an appeal by Bishop Muzorewa and following pressure from neighbouring countries.
Sithole then went into exile in Zambia, pledging to step up the guerrilla war, but his views began to change towards a more moderate position and he fell out with his deputy, Mr Mugabe. In 1977 Smith agreed to revoke a detention order against Sithole, in return for his agreement to issue a public condemnation of terrorism, and he returned to Rhodesia. At about the same time, Mugabe ousted him as president of Zanu.
In 1978, with Bishop Muzorewa and Chief Jeremiah Chirau, Sithole signed an agreement with Ian Smith to bring in black majority rule. In Rhodesia's first one-man one-vote elections held the following year, Bishop Muzorewa became the country's first black Prime Minister after his United African National Council won 51 of the 72 black seats.
Sithole, who had hoped to win, angrily claimed that the elections had been rigged, but his willingness to involve himself in elections which had been boycotted by other black leaders fatally damaged his prospects in the first post-independence elections held in 1980. In 1983, Sithole went into self-imposed exile in America, claiming that his life was in danger from political enemies.
He returned to Zimbabwe in 1991 and re-entered the political arena as the head of Zanu (Ndonga); he was elected to Parliament for his tribal stronghold of Chpinge in south-eastern Zimbabwe in 1995. By this time, Mugabe's government had become deeply unpopular and Sithole's party proved a small but troublesome thorn in its side. In 1996, he stood against Mugabe in the presidential elections, polling 2.4 per cent of the vote.
The next year he was tried and convicted for conspiring to murder Mugabe and disqualified from attending the Harare parliament. Most observers believed that the charges were part of a personal vendetta waged by Mugabe. He was granted the right to appeal, but no appeal was filed and the case was set aside as his health deteriorated.
Ndabaningi Sithole is survived by his wife, Vesta, and by their five children. |
0.999324 | How should I adjust the vehicle seat belt to properly fit my child when riding in a belt-positioning booster?
• Your child should sit with their bottom and back flat against the child restraint.
• The shoulder belt should lay snugly across the center of the child’s shoulder and across the chest (not on their face or neck). The lap belt should lay snugly across the child’s upper thighs (not on the stomach).
• To help position the shoulder belt, you may need to utilize the shoulder belt-positioning guide provided on your seat*.
• Never place the shoulder belt under the child’s arms or behind their back.
*Read user manual for your specific model regarding instructions for belt routing and use of different belt-positioner styles as needed. |
0.890925 | What two pieces of equipment do you use to control your buoyancy?
An object will be more buoyant in _____ than it will be in _____.
When you exhale, your lung volume decreases. This means you have _____ buoyancy.
Pressure changes in water for a given ascent or descent are much more substantial than the same distance ascent or descent in air because water weighs more.
Equalization is adding air to an air space as you descend so the pressure in an air space equals the surrounding water pressure. |
0.999996 | Should I give my baby the fathers last name even though we are not married?
I love my boyfriend very much. And normally I wouldnt have thought of this until my mother had told me not to give the baby his last name unless we were getting married because it would cause confusion later down the road if he is no longer around. I thought it was out of line for her to say but it did make me think. Would that be in my best interest or not?
Very personal question... I'd say do what works for you and your child, and not worry about what others think. Personally, I think it's good to have *both* the mom & dad's last names, even if only legally (i.e., they only use one of the last names commonly, but the other one is there on legal documents), that way if things go wrong, there is no need to "change names" and go through that hassle, as the other name is already there. Also that way, the little one can grow up being accustomed to having both names, so if later on you do lean toward only one last name and not the other, it's not a "shock" where your child will think "that's not my name".
Would you regret giving your child his last name if things didn't work out between the two of you? Its really a personal choice that you should talk to him about. Many women and their kids have the same last namt and then the couple divorces and the mom goes back to her maiden name so I don't see the difference. Do what you are comfortable with and don't let your mom sway your decision.
The biological father to my 5 yr old dd and I are not married. We were together when she was born but we gave her my last name. I feel that was best for us. Yes, it is easier for dd and I to have the same last name. Look at it this way: Baby's last name can be changed if you guys get married. You have to decide what you want to do hun. There's no right or wrong answer.
I think that you and your boyfriend should do what you think is right. This is your child. I know plenty of moms that have gone either way and are happy! Don't let it stress you out. Your baby's name like your baby him/herself is yours! Enjoy.
When i lost my daughter from a still birth at 23 weeks , i was forced to deliver her and name her so i gave her my b.fs last name for some odd reason . now im pregnant again and I am not comfortible with giving the baby a different last name . i personaly want to use my last name but everyone thinks im wrong and that its right to give the babys fathers last name . im afraid if it dont work out between us then i will be stuck with this last name for my child ! would i be wrong to use my last name? were not married and i doubt we ever will be ! |
0.995923 | How long should you paper trade, and how much should you fund a live account?
I wanted to know if you have any recommendations on the rule of thumb for adding funds to a live algo account. I have seen some ppl post on the forums after 3 months or 100 trades , to add funds. But then i also hear contradicting statements like "past performance does not indicate future performance", so how much can i trust my code ? Right now i'm using 50$. I'm not a coder by trade, so i don't understand the fundamentals but i know that code only does what I tell it to do. But unforseen circumstances happen. I guess the proof is in the pudding, and i just need to trust the results. My current plan is to stick with 50$ and increase with small amounts every week since i'm using forex, the position sizes are very low. |
0.91985 | Classical era music is a style of Western music composed from approximately 1750 to 1820, with the period falling between the Baroque and the Romantic ages.
In the middle of the 18th century, Europe began to move toward a new style in architecture, literature, and the arts, generally known as Classicism, and this sought to emulate the ideals of Classical antiquity and especially those of Classical Greece. The new classical music style had a lighter, clearer texture than Baroque music and was less complex. The typical orchestra size also increased.
The new style was also pushed forward by changes in the economic order and in social structure. As the 18th century progressed, the nobility became the primary patrons of instrumental music, and this led to changes in the way music was performed. Forms such as the concerto and sonata were more heavily defined and given more specific rules, and the symphony was created in this period. |
0.999716 | Use the Health Fabric app to access a self-help plan if you have a long-term health condition like diabetes or high blood pressure, or if you want self-help advice on weight loss or stress management.
You can also keep a health diary that tracks healthcare measurements like blood pressure readings, glucose levels and oxygen saturation.
Health Fabric is for people with a long-term health condition who want to improve their health and wellbeing.
Health Fabric has a variety of self-management plans for a range of long-term conditions, including diabetes and high blood pressure, and is designed to help you manage your condition better.
The diary can be used to store your healthcare measurements, such as blood pressure readings, glucose levels and oxygen saturation.
You earn points towards rewards when you complete daily tasks associated with your health plan, and you can share your progress with other people on Skype, Facebook and WhatsApp.
You can also pay for additional training, monitoring and support from coaches and health professionals.
The app is free to download from the App Store and Google Play. It can be accessed on any device that connects to the internet, such as a computer, smartphone or tablet.
The app can also be integrated into wearable devices, such as those from Withings. |
0.992377 | Make room on your Thanksgiving dining table for this classic and colorful dish consisting of an array of seasonal vegetables, like squash, beans, and corn.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. On 1 rimmed baking sheet, toss butternut squash with 2 teaspoons oil. Roast butternut squash 15 minutes, stirring once halfway through. On another rimmed baking sheet, toss onion with 1 teaspoon oil. Roast onion and butternut squash another 15 to 20 minutes or until squash is tender, stirring once halfway through.
Meanwhile, in 5-quart saucepot, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil on medium. Add garlic, thyme, and 1/4 teaspoons salt. Cook 2 minutes, stirring. Add corn and edamame. Cook 4 to 5 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
In small bowl, whisk vinegar, mustard, and 1/4 teaspoons each salt and pepper; stir into corn mixture along with roasted squash and onions. |
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