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0.999968	Review: Slither \| ScreenRant I was really looking forward to watching Slither. It looked like one of those "wink at the audience" horror flicks, with the sense of humor found in Tremors and great NON-CGI special effects. Plus it starred Nathan Fillion of Serenity, and I've become a big fan of his laid back and slightly Southern acting style. Now don't get me wrong, I didn't hate it, I just didn't love it. Short version: Gory and gross, as it should be, but not as funny as it could have been. I was really looking forward to watching Slither. It looked like one of those "wink at the audience" horror flicks, with the sense of humor found in Tremors and great NON-CGI special effects. Plus it starred Nathan Fillion of Serenity, and I've become a big fan of his laid back and slightly Southern acting style. It was a great combination of a monster/alien/zombie movie and it did in fact elicit a few laugh out loud moments, but overall I thought it was just ok. It wasn't great enough to generate killer word of mouth ("you have GOT to go see it") and that probably accounts for its fairly abysmal box office. It may get a lift this weekend if word of mouth is good, but I wouldn't bet on it. It's a bummer too, as Fillion has now been in two movies that had pretty good expectations that were not lived up to as far as box office. I did say in an earlier post that I thought (based on what I'd read and seen at the time) that Slither would end up being a "sleeper"... that it would make it's money over time, and it will probably end up being a cult hit a few years done the road. Slither opens with a mysterious meteor heading towards Earth, it's target a sleepy little town. A very sleepy little town where a significant portion of the residents seem to be the result of cousins getting married. We're introduced to what seem to be the only two police officers in town, with Nathan Fillion playing Bill Pardy, the recently promoted man in charge. The meteorite crashes in the woods and with a tip of the hat to The Blob, cracks open revealing some gooey stuff. Cut to some background on key players in the movie including mayor Jack MacReady (played a bit too over the top by Gregg Henry), the always creepy Michael Rooker playing the wealthiest guy in town (Grant Grant, no that's not a typo), 20 years older than the high school beauty he married 10 years or so ago, and the beauty in question: Elizabeth Banks (as Starla Grant). The mayor is a foul-mouthed fellow whose favorite word is the F-bomb. Now I have to admit the first couple of times he used it, I thought it was pretty hilarious, but after I don't know, the 20th or 30th time I thought the "funny" was pretty much used up. He's a good ol' boy whose IQ is about 10 points higher than the average citizen in town (put that at about 70) so I guess that qualified him for mayor. Grant seems like an ok guy, but it looks like his marriage has headed a bit south and that Starla is craving something more. As a pre-teen she had dreams of running away to Hollywood to become a star, but she was turned back to reality by a young Bill Pardy. She's now a school teacher and is pretty numb to life. Bill is a stand-up guy, and smarter than he lets on (at least a little), and who has carried a torch for Starla ever since they were kids. At one point a frustrated Grant heads out to a bar and meets a local floozie that he hasn't seen since before she wore a bra. She's married (I think) and has a baby at home, but that doesn't keep her from expressing her true feelings for him. They get drunk and head out into the woods, where they find the slimy trail left by the creature that arrived in the meteorite. Of course one of them (ok, it's Grant) gets "infected" in a method similar to a scene from The Matrix. It's obvious that he's sharing his consciousness with an alien, and eventually his body starts to change (for the worse, of course). When he returns home that morning, Starla has had a change of heart and they make love. Apparently the creature inhabiting Grant has never experienced anything like this before and it imprints on his psyche in a big way (that comes into play later). Eventually it's apparent that it needs to reproduce in some way but it doesn't want to hurt Starla. Grant heads off to find the aforementioned floozie and proceeds to infect her with a couple of tendrils that come out of his torso and seem to be pumping something into her. To the director's credit, he managed to make the scene gross, repulsive and yet funny all at the same time. It also seems that the creature (and then the floozie) are incredibly, ravenously hungry so he goes on a killing spree of dogs, cats and cattle to be used as food. He is soon seen by Bill and it becomes apparent that something is up and the town is in danger. Unfortunately it's the beginning of deer hunting season, and much like in Jaws, the mayor doesn't want to do anything to upset commerce for the town. A posse is put together to go after the creature/Grant (which the mayor doubts exists) and they find it. It's gotten progressively bigger and uglier and at one point I wondered if they hired the makeup guy from Freaked to design the monster, as it was strikingly similar facially to a character from that film. One of the members of the posse is killed almost immediately (no suprise there) in a very, um... interesting way. It was the subtlety of the effects in that particular scene that made me squirm a bit. From there they find the transformed floozie in a barn (click on the image above for a larger version, and that turned out to be one of the funnier exchanges in the movie. It was at about this point that things finally got moving, which was welcome due to the fact that I thought that the film kind of dragged a lot up until this point. Anyway, I don't want to get into too many details, but the town ends up being overrun by the slugs you've probably seen in the posters and commercials. Folks end up acting kind of like the George Romero version of zombies, which was cool, and we find out what the creature's history/motivation is. There are a few neat surprises, lots of gore and goo and once in a while you'll probably laugh. In the end I wish that they had trimmed the film down a bit more to keep it moving at a better pace, and that they didn't milk the F-word into the ground. Really, it's funny a couple of times but after a while it just gets old. So it was fun, but not as fun as I had hoped.
0.999752	I want to share a strategy I follow with good results for years, that is based on monitoring and aspirations of up-and-coming teams. This strategy needs more information gathering than those based on pure statistics (which are often irrelevant when it comes to a team's present and expected performance). The principle of it is to identify and get as much information as possible about the so called second-line teams, which proposedly aim a good result in a season. Good example for them are smaller and previously weaker teams in a national league, that have pronounced their wish at the beginning of the season to reach an Europa League or even Champions League position at the end, behind or together with the big guns of the league. These teams are characterized by newly acquired key-players, their emphasis on defence and 1-2 quality strikers, more of which they can't afford, because of their relatively lower budget.
0.962248	Intelligence tests (IQ tests) are in the news lately as people banter about terms from many decades ago. IQ tests are widely used because they measure the ability of people to solve various problems, predict academic achievement, and help with job placement in some settings. The tests also help neuropsychologists assess functioning in people with impairments due to head injuries and brain diseases. During part of my childhood, I passed a facility where American IQ testing began. I saw people on swings and on the grounds of the Vineland Training school in Vineland NJ. It turns out that a little over 100 years ago, American psychologist, Henry Goddard, brought a test by French scientist, Alfred Binet, to the New Jersey Training School for Feeble-Minded Girls and Boys in Vineland, NJ. The test was modified and widely used in the U.S. What tests are used today? Today, a number of tests are available in the US and elsewhere. Popular American tests are the Wechsler Intelligence Scales and the Stanford-Binet Scale. The tests are regularly updated with new materials and tasks appropriate to people of different ages. Several other tests are also available such as the Kaufman Assessment Battery, Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability, and the Differential Ability Scales. A full scale test can last over an hour, so it is not surprising that a number of shorter tests are available. The shorter tests are considered "screening tests" because they include fewer subtests (or sets of tasks), to measure problem-solving skills. It is common to use a test of verbal ability such as vocabulary and a test of "nonverbal" ability such as tasks that require solving visually presented tasks. Intelligence tests yield a variety of scores that recognize people have different abilities. This fits with common sense as we observe people with different abilities--strong verbal skills, incredible abilities to design complex structures, create various artistic works, and so forth. Still, many people want to know their IQ-- a short hand way of identifying an overall general ability. The overall score is controversial but remains in use. In years past, the IQ (intelligence quotient) was measured as a ratio of chronological age to mental age. Mental age referred to a person's score on test tasks compared to others of the same age. As I posted previously, there are problems with age scores. Today, the scores on tests of intelligence compare people of similar ages to their age peers. For traditional reasons, the average IQ (or standard score) has an arithmetic average (M, mean) of 100 and a standard deviation (SD) of 15 points (read more about a few statistics). It turns out that despite different test tasks and scales, people earn similar scores. An IQ score or standard score on one test is likely within a few points of the same score on a different test. As people age, the scores are more reliable-- that is stable. So, if an adult earns a score of 110 today, she would likely have a score within a few points of 110 in 2-years--unless something happened. The stability of the scores make the tests useful when considering the effects of brain damage or disease. Of course, neuropsychologists use other tests as well (e.g., tests of memory, visual-spatial skills). That can be a trick question unless you clarify what you mean by intelligence. On tests that report standard scores, the average score is 100. Using the common standard deviation of 15 points, about 68% of our age peers will score beetween 85 and 115. Close to 95% of people the same age will have scores in the range of 70 to 130. As you can see, only a small percentage of people score above 130 or below 70. The test scores compare people to others of the same age. The skill levels develop rapidly in young children. Several months can make a difference in average scores. In adults, scores vary in how they change for people in large age brackets. Some abilities decline more rapidly than others. For example, young adults tend to be faster than older adults when solving tasks requiring eye-hand coordination. What are some problems with IQ tests? Test scores do not capture the range of abilities of people who are differently abled. For example, those with severe visual impairments cannot see visual test tasks. And those with severe hearing impairments may not respond well to spoken instructions or auditory tasks. Clearly, it would be wrong to assume something about a person's intelligence using tests that are not designed for people who have limited vision, hearing, or some other similar condition. Some clinicians fail to document vision, hearing, or other limitations. For example, many people show up for testing and leave their eyewear at home. A child may forget his glasses or hearing aids. People with temporary limitations cannot take tests as well as they could at other times. If you cannot use your dominant hand due to an injury, you will have difficulty on tests that require using your hands. People taking medication can respond differently when taking medicine that either helps or interferes with attention and concentration. Of course, illegal drugs can also affect the brain processes needed to remember instructions and solve problems. People who are not fluent in the language of the test may have a difficult time depending on their language skills. So called "nonverbal tests" measure different abilities than tests that include language so mistakes can be made when making judgments about general intelligence or ability. Clinicians make mistakes in recording information, scoring, or writing reports. Tests are not perfect measuring instruments. Even when administered to people under the best of circumstances, there is measurement error. Measurement error is usually more variable for children than for adults. Measurement error refers to a variation in scores from one administration to another. I suppose we will have a hard time escaping labels. The words used for people getting high scores or low scores have changed over the years--too many to cover in this post. Insulting words about a person's intelligence were terms used many decades ago. Today, clinicians and organizations like schools use a variety of terms focused on helping high scoring students learn in more challenging environments. And students who score very low on several tests, are elligible for services designed to help them maximize their potential. Insurance programs use cutoff scores and other criteria when awarding benefits to people with severely impaired abilities. A variety of professionals are qualified to administer, score, and interpret IQ tests. They are most commonly used by School Psychologists in schools and private practices. But other psychologists who specialize in neuropsychology also use IQ tests as part of their assessment. Many school counselors also have the necessary skills. In some cases, a psychological technician will administer the tests but the interpretation is left to the clinian holding an advanced degree along with the appropriate license or certification. Applied statistics: Concepts for counselors. You can also read more about the assessment of"thinking" in Creating Surveys.
0.928638	Sultan is a Near-Eastern term that connotes a variant form of Muslim governors emerging out of the Ottoman, Umayyad, and Abbasid practices of ruleship, power, and authority over Muslim societies. Sultanate implies a Muslim polity precluding the caliphal states. The Islamic political doctrine lays emphasis on the umma, whose internal organization was secured and defined by a common acceptance of and submission to the shari˓a and the temporary head of the community, the caliph or the sultan, who are religious leaders, representatives of the communities, and sometimes referred to as the successors of the Prophet, (khalifat rasul Allah), or commanders of the faithful (amir al-mu˒minin), but subordinate to the law. Muslims believe in the divine origins of government. Authority emanates from God and the shari˓a established the principles or roots of religion (usul al-din). Islamic law is immutable. The Islamic political theory assumes absence of legislative powers by humans and the state, but the state and rulers are expected to carry out the law. To disobey a law is to infringe on a rule of the social order. As such, it is an act of religious disobedience, a sin (fisq), involving a religious penalty. Consequently, the Islamic theory of government views man as khalifat rasul Allah and produced idealistic forms of government based on lineage illustrative of Max Weber's sultanism, which refers to Middle Eastern Muslim rulers who dominate their society through the establishment and development of administrations and military forces as purely personal instruments of the sultans. Sultanates are, therefore, geographical and political units that characterize Muslim power embodied in patronage, nepotism and cronyism. Nevertheless, not all regimes headed by a sultan were in fact "sultanism" in Weber's definition. Other scholarship refutes this view especially in the case of the Ottoman Empire, which had a political system that was much more bureaucratic, based on objective rules rather than being rapacious and despotic. Ottoman historian Halil Inalcik applied sultanism to the Ottoman Empire without ascribing negative connotations, thus minimizing its anti-Islamic tinge. Nineteenth to twenty-first century sultanates in Islamic communities are construed as polities based on personal rulership, where loyalty to the ruler is motivated not by embodying an ideology, or charismatic qualities, but by a mixture of fear and rewards to collaborators. Sultans exercise power at their own discretion and are unencumbered by rules, usually subverting bureaucratic administration by arbitrary personal decrees. Those who administer sultanates are chosen by the ruler, and may include family members, friends, or individuals who submit themselves to the ruler. Some sultanates are modern, but are nevertheless characterized by the weakness of their legal legitimacy. Twentieth-century examples of Muslim sultanates include the sultanate of Oman located on the southeastern Arabian Peninsula. Ruled on Ibadhi principles by the Al-Busaidi dynasty, the Ibadhis initially believed that the umma had priority over the ruler and could function without the superior authority because people could themselves apply the shari˓a. The Yarubi dynasty changed this with succession based on preference for members of current ruling families over claims of outsiders. The sultanate emerged in 1791 when Ahmad b. Sa˓id al-Busa˓idi seized control of Muscat from his brother Imam Said b. Ahmad and informally recognized a single ruling family, assuming the title of sayyid or sultan. In 1840, Sayyid Sa˓id b. Sultan b. Sa˓id al-Busa˓idi (1791–1856) acceded to the throne after the death of his father, Sayyid Sultan b. Ahmad. He moved his capital from Muscat to Zanzibar and established the sultanate of Zanzibar, which ruled the towns and settlements along the eastern coast of Africa through the nineteenth century. From the close of the seventeenth century, Zanzibar and its territories formed part of the Oman sultanate, then a powerful maritime regime. Sayyid Sa˓id's death in 1856 led to a succession dispute between his sons and division of the sultanate between the Muscat branch and the African dominions. European influences weakened the sultanate of Zanzibar, which became a British protectorate in 1890. In 1898 the minor Sayyid ˓Ali II ruled under a British regent. During the late nineteenth century, the sultanate of Zanzibar experienced severe racial tensions between the predominantly African population, Arab landowners, and Indian trading interests, which eventually escalated into open conflict. Reforms followed thereafter, including preparations to terminate the British protectorate when the sultanate became an independent constitutional monarchy. In 1964, the African populations revolted against Sultan Jamshid b. ˓Abdullah (b. 1929) and led Zanzibar to join mainland Tanganyika to form the Republic of Tanzania, thus ending one of Africa's Muslim sultanates. While Sultan Jamshid was deposed the Oman branch has continued with Sultan Qaboos b. Sa id (b. 1940) as the head. Other petty sultanates in the eastern coast of Africa include the Pate sultanate founded by Nabhani Arabs around 1205. Around 1858 former rulers of Pate founded the sultanate of Witu, which became a German protectorate in 1885 and a British protectorate in 1890. The Sokoto sultanate is a West African Islamic empire established by a Fulani cleric named ˓Uthman dan Fodio (1754–1817). By 1812 his jihads had conquered most Hausa states of northern Nigeria. As the territory of the sultanate extended, it was divided in 1817 into the emirate of Gwandu and the sultanate of Sokoto, each being overlord to a number of tributary emirates. The sultan of Sokoto remained over-lord of the empire. Dan Fodio was succeeded by his son Muhammad Bello (1781–1837). In 1885 the empire was conquered by the British but the sultans survived through indirect rule. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries subjects of the sultanate held important portfolios in Nigeria including the first premier of Northern Nigeria, Ahmadu Bello, and Shehu Shagari (b. 1925), the first executive president of Nigeria (1979–1983). In 2002, the sultan of Sokoto was Muhammad Maccibo ibn Abubakar (b. 1948). The sultanate of Brunei is located on the northern coast of the island of Borneo, in eastern Asia. Its people are Malay with Chinese and Indian minorities and a variety of indigenous communities such as the Dayaks, Iban, and Kelabit. Chinese annals of the sixth and seventh centuries indicate early Islamic influences, as evidenced by Jawi, a script derived from Arabic that had been in use as the written language before 1370. The late fourteenth century saw a widespread conversion to Islam in Brunei as Sultan Muhammad Shah, formerly Awang Alak Betatar, embraced Islam and became the first Muslim ruler around 1371. Islam spread rapidly when Sharif ˓Ali from Ta˒if, a descendant of the Prophet's grandson Husayn, became sultan (Seri Sultan Berkat) succeeding his father-in-law, Sultan Ahmad. From the sixteenth through nineteenth centuries Brunei was a powerful state ruling over the northern part of Borneo and the adjacent chain of islands. Its power declined when it became a British protectorate in 1888 and a British dependency in 1905. In 1959, Sultan ˓Umar ˓Ali Saifuddin III, who had nominal authority, promulgated the first constitution. In 1963 Brunei declined to join the Federation of Malaysia. In October 1967, Sultan ˓Umar ˓Ali Saifuddin Sa˓adul Khairi Waddin abdicated in favor of his eldest son, Sultan Haji Hassanatul Bolkiah Mu˓izzidin Waddaulah (b. 1946), who was coronated in August 1968. In 1979, a treaty was signed with the British, and Brunei became an independent sovereign state in January 1984. In 1991 Sultan Bolkiah introduced an ideology called Malay Muslim Monarchy that represented the monarchy as a defender of Islam. See alsoCaliphate ; Monarchy ; Succession . Binder, Leonard. "Al-Ghazali's Theory of Islamic Governments." The Muslim World 45, no. 3 (1955): 209–325. Chehabi, H. E., and Linz, Juan J. Sultanistic Regimes. Baltimore and London: The John Hopkins University Press, 1955. Guenther, Roth, and Wittich, Claus, eds., Max Weber, Economy and Society: An Outline of Interpretive Sociology. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1978. Haim, Gerber. State Society and Law in Islam: Ottoman Law in Comparative Perspective. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1994. Huntington, Samuel P. The Third Wave: Democratization in the Later Twentieth Century. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1991. Inalcik, Halil. "Comments on 'Sultanism': Max Weber Typification of the Ottoman Polity." Princeton Papers in Near Eastern Studies 1 (1992): 49–72. "Sultanates: Modern." Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World. . Encyclopedia.com. 26 Mar. 2019 <https://www.encyclopedia.com>.
0.999984	In what sounds like a scenario lifted from the script of a Hollywood disaster movie, two back-to-back hurricanes are currently moving their way toward Hawaii. Hailed as a meteorological first, its thought the island state will feel the brunt of torrential rain and 125mph winds later this week - though there are fears that the first of the two twisters could make land on Hawaii's 'Big Island', becoming the first such hurricane to do since weather records began being officially recorded for Hawaii. The Governor of Hawaii David Ige has issued an emergency warning for the state, outlining disaster relief in the case of flooding and wind damage expected as hurricane Madeline draws close to the south of the islands - which, due to the rotation of the hurricane, could batter Hawaii's south coast with waves and rain. It's expected to reach the main island between Wednesday 31 August and Thursday 1 September. The second of the two hurricanes, named Lester, is roughly 1,000 miles east of Madeline. Weather site Weather Underground has described it as taking on more of the characteristics of "an annular hurricane... which raises the odds of Lester remaining strong enough to affect Hawaii as a hurricane". It's thought that Lester could move north of Hawaii's islands by Saturday - but a direct strike has not yet been ruled out. Weather Underground meteorologist Bob Henson explained to Gizmodo that a rise in ocean temperatures is probably the cause of the unprecedented double hurricane. "Usually the waters [along this storm track] are on the edge of what’s needed to support hurricanes," Henson said. "Now, they’re just warm enough, and it’s making a big difference." As ocean temperatures around Hawaii have slowly risen in recent years, Henson believes the state could be in for more potentially damaging hurricanes in future decades if the atmospheric conditions line up in a similar manner.
0.99994	Liposuction is the removal of unwanted fat by means of cosmetic surgery. Liposuction can be performed on many areas of the body, and is used not only as a means of eliminating excess fat, but also as a way to improve the contours or shape of the body. The procedure is quite simple and does not take very long to perform. An incision, or sometimes multiple incisions, are made in the skin at the area to be improved, and a tube, referred to as a cannula, is inserted below the skin and used to prepare the fat for suction. The fat is removed and the body is sculpted into the desired look. Liposuction utilizes local anesthetics and can take less than an hour, or several hours, depending on the nature of the procedure. Liposuction has long been one of the most popular plastic surgery operations in the United States, and it continues to grow in popularity each year, with hundreds of thousands of procedures performed. Who chooses to have liposuction? There are many different reasons why individuals choose liposuction. Two of the most common reasons are to enhance or sculpt a target area on the body, and to eliminate problem areas that remain even after a regiment of diet and exercise. Liposuction is not a weight loss procedure, it is the removal of fat from a problem area, and is ideal for individuals at or near their target weight. The best candidates for the liposuction procedure are not trying to lose weight, they are trying to shape their bodies in a more flattering way. It is recommended that potential candidates for the procedure are non-smokers who maintain a healthy diet and exercise regularly. Both men and woman have found liposuction to be an effective choice for them. Some of the most common areas of the body for liposuction are the outer thighs, buttocks, hips, breasts, arms, neck, chin and abdomen. Liposuction is not a one size fits all procedure. There are different options and it is important that you research which type of liposuction would be the best fit for you. A few of the most common procedures are laser-assisted liposuction, ultrasound-assisted liposuction, and tumescent liposuction. All of these utilize different forms of technology to achieve the same desired goal. Some surgeons may prefer a technique that you had not yet considered, so the more information you have, the better. Just as important as researching how liposuction works is to find a doctor or a clinic that you trust. The goal is to make an informed decision on whether or not the liposuction procedure is right for you, and who you feel comfortable with performing the surgery. There are plenty of resources out there to help you learn more if you are looking for the best liposuction. Previous article Do you really need supplements for weight loss?
0.999998	I create maps as part of my writing process. While planning a new book, I map the whole of the Known World and percolate ideas for the upcoming story. Before drafting each section of the book, I also map an important or conceptually relevant area of my world. And before I revise each chapter of the book, I map an area featured within that chapter. This mapping serves as an inspiration tool, allowing me to ruminate over the upcoming content in a fun and productive way. During the long and arduous revision stage, mapping also provides a much-needed respite from my intense editing frenzy. And in many ways, creating a new map is my reward for completing edits on the previous chapter, motivating me to keep at it. Ultimately, mapping an area heightens my sense of the story's setting, regardless of my stage in the writing process. When I started Awakening, the first thing I did was sketch a map of the world. Then I invented my characters, using the map to help define cultural backgrounds and regional histories. After discovering the hidden details my first map evoked, I decided to integrate mapping into my writing process. Mapping my world helps bring my stories into sharper focus, and maps are a great way to share my passion with others. The images serve as a swift gateway for new fans to connect with my Tales of the Known World saga. And since mapping is such a powerful tool, I now provide cartography services to fellow storytellers, so they too can enjoy the awesome benefits of making a map.
0.904904	Is a mammogram right for me? When deciding about breast cancer screening there are several factors to consider. Here's the information you need to make an informed choice. This process will take less than 5 to 10 minutes to complete, and at the end you will receive a personalized printable Screening Guide. If you are ready to book a mammogram, call 1-844-GOHAVE1 (1-844-464-2831) and Go Have One. This website provides information for Canadian women and is not intended for women who have had breast or any other cancer or for those who are already participating in a high risk breast screening program. Information provided on the My Breasts, My Test website is intended for informational purposes only. It is not intended as, and therefore should not be interpreted as, medical advice, professional diagnosis, or medical opinion and should not be relied on in any such regard.
0.999999	Našli jsme další záznamy k osobě פריידה באסוב. פריידה באסוב je pohřben(a) na hřbitově New Kiryat Shmona Cemetery v místě zobrazeném na níže uvedené mapě. Tyto informace o GPS jsou k dispozici POUZE na stránkách BillionGraves. Naše technologie vám pomůže najít umístění hrobu a také další členy rodiny, pohřbené poblíž. פריידה באסוב was 16 years old when World War II: Nazi Germany and Slovakia invade Poland, beginning the European phase of World War II. World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although conflicts reflecting the ideological clash between what would become the Allied and Axis blocs began earlier. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. It was the most global war in history; it directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. In a state of total war, the major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease and the only use of nuclear weapons in war. פריידה באסוב was 22 years old when World War II: Hiroshima, Japan is devastated when the atomic bomb "Little Boy" is dropped by the United States B-29 Enola Gay. Around 70,000 people are killed instantly, and some tens of thousands die in subsequent years from burns and radiation poisoning. World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although conflicts reflecting the ideological clash between what would become the Allied and Axis blocs began earlier. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. It was the most global war in history; it directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. In a state of total war, the major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease and the only use of nuclear weapons in war. פריידה באסוב was 30 years old when Jonas Salk announced the successful test of his polio vaccine on a small group of adults and children (vaccination pictured). Jonas Edward Salk was an American medical researcher and virologist. He discovered and developed one of the first successful polio vaccines. Born in New York City, he attended New York University School of Medicine, later choosing to do medical research instead of becoming a practicing physician. In 1939, after earning his medical degree, Salk began an internship as a physician scientist at Mount Sinai Hospital. Two years later he was granted a fellowship at the University of Michigan, where he would study flu viruses with his mentor Thomas Francis, Jr. פריידה באסוב was 40 years old when The Beatles make their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, performing before a "record-busting" audience of 73 million viewers across the USA. The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. With members John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, they became widely regarded as the foremost and most influential music band in history. Rooted in skiffle, beat and 1950s rock and roll, the Beatles later experimented with several musical styles, ranging from pop ballads and Indian music to psychedelia and hard rock, often incorporating classical elements and unconventional recording techniques in innovative ways. In 1963, their enormous popularity first emerged as "Beatlemania"; as the group's music grew in sophistication, led by primary songwriters Lennon and McCartney, the band were integral to pop music's evolution into an art form and to the development of the counterculture of the 1960s. פריידה באסוב was 49 years old when Munich massacre: Nine Israeli athletes die (along with a German policeman) at the hands of the Palestinian "Black September" terrorist group after being taken hostage at the Munich Olympic Games. Two other Israeli athletes were slain in the initial attack the previous day. The Munich massacre was an attack during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, in which the Palestinian terrorist group Black September took eleven Israeli Olympic team members hostage and killed them along with a West German police officer. פריידה באסוב was 66 years old when Cold War: Fall of the Berlin Wall: East Germany opens checkpoints in the Berlin Wall, allowing its citizens to travel to West Berlin. The Berlin Wall was a guarded concrete barrier that physically and ideologically divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989. Constructed by the German Democratic Republic, starting on 13 August 1961, the Wall cut off West Berlin from virtually all of surrounding East Germany and East Berlin until government officials opened it in November 1989. Its demolition officially began on 13 June 1990 and finished in 1992. The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls, accompanied by a wide area that contained anti-vehicle trenches, "fakir beds" and other defenses. The Eastern Bloc portrayed the Wall as protecting its population from fascist elements conspiring to prevent the "will of the people" in building a socialist state in East Germany. פריידה באסוב was 66 years old when Nelson Mandela is released from Victor Verster Prison outside Cape Town, South Africa after 27 years as a political prisoner. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader, and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid by tackling institutionalised racism and fostering racial reconciliation. Ideologically an African nationalist and socialist, he served as President of the African National Congress (ANC) party from 1991 to 1997. פריידה באסוב was 78 years old when The September 11 attacks, a series of coordinated suicide attacks killing 2,996 people using four aircraft hijacked by 19 members of al-Qaeda. Two aircraft crash into the World Trade Center in New York City, a third crashes into The Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, and a fourth into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The September 11 attacks were a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda against the United States on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001. The attacks killed 2,996 people, injured over 6,000 others, and caused at least $10 billion in infrastructure and property damage. Additional people died of 9/11-related cancer and respiratory diseases in the months and years following the attacks.
0.957937	Think of the Palestine of the 1940’s: a land in the heart of the Arab world, a poor country with a weak government and an unaware nation and some neighbours installed by colonial powers. The wealthiest and most evil Western government with the greatest stockpile of arms and weapons, provoked by the Zionists, took it away from Muslims and entrusted it to a racist, belligerent and terrorist party which received support from all Western countries and from both of the world’s two political blocs that were at odds with each other. The Zionist regime openly and audaciously made threats to assassinate, kill and plunder, and notorious terrorists took power one after another in this regime, the last of whom was the infamous butcher of ‘Sabra and Shatila’. For tens of years, the usurper Zionist regime remained on the scene of Palestine with a violent, inflexible and invincible face. However, religious faith, to which the Palestinian nation strongly adheres, gradually created some bright spots on the dark and gloomy horizon, thanks to the firm determination of patient and persevering mujahedin, and gave rise to hopes and motivation. At this time, the sun of ‘Islamic Revolution’ suddenly rose in the east, and the hoisted flag of this divine revolution was embellished with the words ‘Allah’, ‘the Islamic Sharia’ and ‘Palestine’.
0.970216	How to install Big Dice Roller APK? 1. Check the Android version to verify compatibility of Big Dice Roller APK with your smart phone; Find Android version: go to Settings - About the phone - Android version. Make sure Big Dice Roller is compatible with your Android phone. 2. Click the download button to download Big Dice Roller. Once the download completed,find Big Dice Roller in your download folder or notification center and tap the icon to install the APK. 3. Find Big Dice Roller icon in your home screen then tap the icon to open it.
0.992313	Build Version: 0.0.31.23618 Severity on a scale of 1-5: 3 Reproduction: Start a game and try to navigate the system menu or try and read a description. OS Tested: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit Description: The scaling for The Universim menu system is broken. I have a monitor with the resolution of 3840x1080 and I can't see or do much of anything. The menus are broken in that I can't change the resolution to scale down to a lower format. There is no scroll bar in the menus so I can't see what options I am missing for "Graphics" and "Game." When attempting to use the scroll function on my mouse the menu just bounces back to the middle of the screen. Some graphic texture issues playing on 5k iMac at 1920 res (any larger and frame rate is too poor). Most in menu items, 4th one i get black square whenever theres a dead nugget lying on the surface. dev tree lines gone - they were there when save game file was first loaded, then on 3rd or 4th access they disappeared. Orbital Rings I am not sure if this is a bug of a feature. Things don't really "orbit" since orbital mechanics are not in the game, yet. But items dropped into place high enough just hang there. But if you get tired of trying to keep Nuggets alive you can build an orbital ring with rocks and trees (and Nugget corpses) around the planet. The trees not only spin in place but also change color with the season. Running into both trees and flying rocks will break the 'window pane' of the view into the game just like colliding with a mountain. Version of the current build: ALPHA V.0.0.18.7468 Operating System: Linux (openSuSE 42.2 Leap) Module: Mechanisms, Graphics Computer specs: Intel i7-6700K @ 4Ghz; 32GiB DDR4 RAM; 2x EVGA nVidia GTX 970 Brief BUG/Glitch Description: objects released far enough from planet 'hover' in place How do you replicate this issue EXACTLY (Required!): 1. pickup a tree, a rock or a Nugget corpse 2. fly away from the planet 3. release (not toss) object Expect object to fall back to the planet. Observe that the object spins in place. Objects tossed even lightly may travel ballistically around the planet and land somewhere. Nugget corpses let go too near the planet will slowly drift down to the ground. Client Version - Windows/PC Steam Game Version 0.0.8 after 15+ MByte update from 16.5. Game Repeatable: Don't know but guess yes Trees again in the lakes, thought this bug was fixed?
0.736014	Faith Yvonne Leech (31 March 1941 – 14 September 2013) was an Australian freestyle swimmer who won a gold medal in the 4×100–metre freestyle relay and bronze in the 100-metre freestyle at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. A tall and lean swimmer known for her elegant technique, Leech started swimming as a child to build strength after a series of stomach disorders in her infancy. She quickly rose to prominence after breaking a string of age group records. In 1955, she became the youngest swimmer to win an Australian title, claiming victory in the 110-yard freestyle at the age of 13. She twice broke the Australian record in the 100-yard freestyle in late 1955, thereby positioning herself as a leading contender for Olympic selection in 1956. Leech's preparation was hindered by illness, which forced her out of the 1956 Australian Championships, but she recovered to gain Olympic selection in both the 100-metre freestyle and the corresponding relay. Leech produced a late surge to take bronze in the individual event and seal an Australian trifecta, before swimming the second leg in the relay to help secure an Australian victory in world record time. Leech retired after the Olympics at the age of 15; she cited anxiety caused by racing as one of the main factors in her decision. The second child of Johnstone Melmore and Jessie Francis Leech, Leech was born in Bendigo in Australia. She was given the name Faith after her elder sister, who died from leukaemia at the age of two. A delicate child, Leech had an aversion to eating in the first two years of her life, so her mother fed her in small hourly doses. Leech was twice rushed from the family home to a Melbourne hospital. Conventional medicine failed to rectify Leech's dietary issues, so her mother put her on a fast for ten days at the recommendation of a naturopath. Leech was later placed on a diet of fruit, salad and vegetables, with an emphasis on beetroot juice and carrot juice. Leech's health improved, but she remained slight and frail, with a double curvature of the back. In an effort to help her gain muscle control and confidence, her parents sent her to start ballet dancing, before trying swimming, a sport her mother had competed in. Aged six, she was taken to swimming classes while the family holidayed in the Mornington Peninsula. Leech was coached by Gus Froelich, a former European swimming champion and coach of Australian Olympic medallist Judy-Joy Davies. After a difficult start, Leech improved in her second year. At the Victorian Championships, she showed her potential by setting a state record of 17.4 seconds (s) for the 25-yard freestyle in the under-8 division. The following year, she covered 25 yards in 15.7 seconds, three seconds faster than Davies had done at the same age. She progressed steadily, sweeping the state age titles from nine to 13, setting records that were often faster than those by boys of the same age. Living in Bendigo and studying at Camp Hill Primary School, Leech could only travel three times a year to train with Froelich, so she relied heavily on dry land simulations, such as a pulley attached to the kitchen door. When she was 12, she covered 110 yards in 1 minute (min) 7.1 seconds, setting an unofficial world record for her age group. This achievement prompted her parents to rent an apartment in Melbourne, so she could train with Froelich on a regular basis. Leech moved there with her mother, while her father stayed in Bendigo to look after the family's jewellery business. From 1954, Leech attended St. Michael's Girls' Grammar School and trained with Froelich on a daily basis at the City Baths. The regular sessions paid off at the 1955 Victorian Championships; Leech won the open 110- and 220-yard freestyle in times of 1 minute 7.2 seconds and 2 minutes 39.3 seconds, respectively, setting state records in both events. She proceeded to the Australian Championships, winning the 110-yard freestyle in 1 minute 7.6 seconds to become the youngest ever winner of an open title at the age of 13. Leech also won the national junior 110- and 220-yard events. Leech's regimen differed from most swimmers because Froelich was not an advocate of distance training, and designed shorter workouts for his students. She trained once a day, swimming no more than 3 km (1.9 mi). Froelich did not push her to continue swimming laps when she felt tired, but emphasised an efficient stroke mechanism, which Leech implemented with a long and graceful arm action. Leech stood 180 centimetres (5'11"), but weighed only 57 kg (126 lb), with broad shoulders, slim hips and large hands and feet. Her long streamlined action prompted observers to call her a "flying fish". Spinal problems caused by a back misalignment prevented her from using the optimal flip turn preferred by freestyle swimmers. Instead, she was forced to utilise the touch turn, which was slower. In August 1955, Leech set an Australian record of 1 minute 5.0 seconds for the 110-yard freestyle, before lowering it to 1 minute 4.8 seconds in October; this prompted newspapers to trumpet her as a prospect for the Melbourne Olympics. She did not get an opportunity to defend her Australian title in 1956 because she was hospitalised with illness. Leech recovered in time to win the national age title in the 100-metre freestyle in a time of 1 minute 4.6 seconds, just 0.1 of a second outside Dawn Fraser's world record. She then posted a time of 1 minute 4.6 seconds to defeat Fraser and Lorraine Crapp at another meeting in the following month. Leech was named in the Olympic squad and the Australian Swimming Union exempted her from travelling to the national training camp in Townsville so she could train with Froelich, who understood her special dietary requirements. She joined the squad for the final race trials in Melbourne in October before the Olympics. Fraser and Crapp were too strong in the 100-metre freestyle, with Leech finishing second and third in the two races. After combining with Fraser, Crapp and Margaret Gibson to break the world record for the 4×100-metre freestyle relay, Leech was selected as one of Australia's three entrants in the 100-metre freestyle events and one of six swimmers for the 4×100-metre freestyle relay squad for the Olympics. The Australian 4×100-metre relay team (second heat) at the 1956 Summer Olympics (left to right: Sandra Morgan, Margaret Gibson, Elizabeth Fraser, Leech). Having arrived at the Olympics, Leech made her debut in the 100-metre freestyle, an event in which she, Fraser and Crapp were regarded as the three strongest competitors, although the latter two were considered to be substantially stronger. All three won their heats. Leech won her heat by 1.6 seconds in a time of 1 minute 4.9 seconds. She was third fastest qualifier behind Fraser and Crapp, who were over 1.5 seconds faster. Drawn in Fraser's semifinal, Leech finished second in a time of 1 minute 5.2 seconds, and was the third fastest qualifier for the final behind her compatriots. The semifinals followed a similar pattern to the heats, with Fraser and Crapp more than two seconds ahead of the six remaining qualifiers, who were separated by just 0.8 of a second. This pattern was repeated in the final. Fraser and Crapp were far ahead of the field, finishing in 1 minute 2.0 seconds and 1 minute 2.3 seconds, respectively. Leech overtook the United States' Joan Rosazza in the final 25 metres to take bronze in 1 minute 5.1 seconds. The race for third place had been tight, with just 0.7 of a second separating Leech and the final finisher. The youngest swimmer in the field, Leech had come through to claim the last podium position. Leech said that it was an emotional occasion, having seen the Australian men take a trifecta in the corresponding event on the previous night of racing. As the Australians boasted the three fastest swimmers in the individual 100-metre freestyle event, they were clear favourites for the corresponding relay, especially as Fraser and Crapp were three seconds faster than all of the other swimmers. Leech was not assured of a place in the final quartet. In the heats, Fraser and Crapp were rested and the remaining four swimmers, Sandra Morgan, Elizabeth Fraser, Gibson and Leech qualified the team. Leech swam the second leg in 1 minute 5.9 seconds, the second fastest of the Australians, thereby securing her position in the final along with Sandra Morgan, who recorded a time of 1 minute 5.4 seconds. Australia won the second heat by 3.1 seconds to qualify quickest for the final. They were 1.8 and 2.3 seconds faster than South Africa and the United States, respectively, both of whom swam in the first heat. The selection of Leech and Morgan generated controversy. They were Australia's youngest swimmers and lacked experience at open level competition: Morgan had false started twice at the Australian Championships, and both had competed at national level only once. The winning quartet: Sandra Morgan, Dawn Fraser, Lorraine Crapp and Faith Leech. In the final, Australia made a poor start; Dawn Fraser almost stopped when she heard a second gunshot, believing that a false start had occurred. She finished her leg in 1 minute 4.0 seconds, two seconds slower than the world record she set in the individual 100-metre final, but with a 2.3-second lead over the United States' Sylvia Ruuska. Nevertheless, this meant that Australia had a smaller than expected advantage. Swimming the second leg, Leech maintained the lead in the first 50 metres but faded in the second half and finished with a split of 1 minute 5.1 seconds, with the Australian lead cut to 0.9 of a second. Even with the advantage of a flying start, Leech's leg was 0.4 of a second slower than her fastest time during the individual competition. Morgan was then overhauled and passed by Nancy Simons. With 25 metres left, Morgan took her head out of the water, and seeing the American a body length in front, dug deep to re-establish a lead of 0.7 of a second going into the final changeover. Crapp then extended the lead over the United States to 2.2 seconds to secure gold in a world record time of 4 minutes 17.1 seconds. The Melbourne Olympics was the only time that Australia has made a clean sweep of the 100-metre freestyle and the relay events for both men and women. This feat has only been equalled by the Americans at the 1920 Summer Olympics. The victory was Australia's only victory in a female swimming relay at the Olympics until the 2004 Summer Olympics. After the 1956 Olympics, Leech retired from competitive swimming at the age of 15. She was the first person from Bendigo to win an Olympic medal and was feted upon returning to her hometown. She regarded the experience of living in the Olympic Village as an unusual one; in addition to the large crowds and the pressure of an Olympics, it was the first time that she had been away from the family home. Physicians endorsed her decision to retire, feeling that she became too nervous prior to races. Leech briefly worked in Melbourne as a model, before returning to Bendigo to help run the family jewellery business. She took a leading role in the business after the death of her father in the 1970s, before handing control of the firm to her son. Leech married Mitch Tuohy and had two sons, Adam and Troy, whom she discouraged from entering competitive swimming, fearing the pressure and strain of racing. In retirement, she shunned competitive sport, but maintained her fitness and athleticism. She taught swimming to disabled children, some of whom represented Australia at the Special Olympics. Leech continued her involvement with the Olympic movement through volunteer work. In July 1999, Leech and Australia's then-oldest man and World War I veteran Jack Lockett were the guests of honour at a countdown celebration to the arrival of the Olympic Torch in Bendigo in July 2000. In 2001, she was diagnosed with a tumour in her neck, which was the size of a 50c coin. The tumour was removed in a seven-hour operation followed by six weeks of radiotherapy treatment. This experience prompted her to become a volunteer for the Cancer Council and help those who were diagnosed with the disease. In February 2003, Leech phoned quadruple Olympic champion Betty Cuthbert to comfort her during her recovery from a brain hemorrhage. In October 2006, Leech combined with 1956 teammate John Devitt to launch "50 Years On—The Melbourne Olympics", a series of stamps from the Australia Post. Leech is an inductee of the Path of Champions at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre. She died at her home on 14 September 2013, aged 72. ^ a b c "About Us". J. M. Leech Jewellers. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2008. ^ a b c d Howell, p. 133. ^ a b c Besley, Alan. "Our golden girl is still celebrating, 50 years on". Bendigo Weekly. ^ "SWIMMING". Cairns Post (10, 156). Queensland, Australia. 24 August 1934. p. 12. Retrieved 14 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia. ^ a b King, Travis (25 July 2012). "Faith Leech is Bendigo's golden girl". Bendigo Advertiser. Retrieved 14 September 2017. ^ "Miners Opposed to Communist Control". The Advocate (Tasmania). Tasmania, Australia. 19 May 1948. p. 1. Retrieved 14 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Howell, p. 134. ^ a b "The Host Is Best". Sports Illustrated. 19 November 1956. Archived from the original on 3 December 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2008. ^ a b c d e "Swimming at the 1956 Melbourne Summer Games:Women's 100 metres Freestyle". Sports Reference. Retrieved 8 September 2008. ^ a b c Andrews, p. 249. ^ a b c Howell, p. 131. ^ a b "Swimming at the 1956 Melbourne Summer Games:Women's 4 × 100 metres Freestyle Relay". Sports Reference. Retrieved 8 September 2008. ^ a b Howell, p. 132. ^ a b Howell, p. 135. ^ a b c d "'You have to be a fighter'". Herald Sun. 14 December 2003. News1 – First section. ^ Reed, Ron (26 February 2003). "Golden moment beckons Betty". Herald Sun. p. 76, Sport section. As Cuthbert is showing us the big bag of get-well cards and expressing her gratitude for the way people have rallied around, the phone rings. It is Faith Leech, who was a swimming gold medallist in 1956 and has remained a friend. She just wants to touch base, to make sure everything's OK. ^ "Australia Post marks time in Melbourne". MediaNet Press Releases. 31 October 2006. Archived from the original on 13 October 2008. Retrieved 4 November 2008. ^ "Path of Champions". Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre. Retrieved 13 November 2013. ^ "Bendigo mourns Olympic gold medallist". Bendigo Advertiser. 15 September 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2013. ^ "Australian Olympic Medalist Faith Leech Passes Away at 72". Swim Swam. 17 September 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2013. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Faith Leech.
0.999996	Will UAE and Iran resolve the three islands dispute? The United Arab Emirates has shifted its strategy from direct talks with Iran to calling for international mediation. London, United Kingdom - Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are once again at each others' throats over the three islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and the Lesser Tunb. This latest round of rhetorical warfare was instigated by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's official visit to the island of Abu Musa on April 11; a move that some described as "tactical", aiming to stir nationalist sentiment ahead of the nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 in Istanbul. Located in a strategic zone near the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, controlling these islands would enable one to dominate the sea-lanes entering and exiting the Gulf, and hence it is understandable why Tehran and Abu Dhabi are in fierce competition over them. Nevertheless, it would be simplistic to blame the ongoing rivalry between these two neighbours on the geopolitics of the islands' location. Instead, blame partly lies with Britain's "half-solution" to the dispute and its continuous refusal to either support or deny the sovereignty claims of either Iran or the UAE. It is also in Tehran and Abu Dhabi's opposing readings of history that one can find the root causes of their contemporary antagonism. If anything, it could be argued, their mutual geostrategic interest in the islands should have paved the way for their cooperation, not their competition. As the traditional regional power that once dominated its entire neighbourhood, and endowed with geographic depth, natural resources, independent armed forces, and a relatively large population size, Iran's approach towards the three islands dispute has been rigid and uncompromising. Since 1971, Tehran has repeatedly stated that its rule over the islands was "absolute" and "certain", while expressing a willingness to hold bilateral talks in order to "clear the misunderstandings". Tehran also insists that it had a "gentlemen's agreement" with the United Kingdom, whereby Iran retrieved its occupied islands in return for its acquiescence to Bahrain's independence. More recently, finally, reports have been circulated in the Iranian press that accuse Abu Dhabi of opportunism, describing its activism over Abu Musa as a "sober attempt to manipulate the issue, so to increase its own authority vis-a-vis that of Sharjah". To this end, Iranian officials allege that if the UAE was serious in its claims to the islands, it would have, at the very least, supported Iraq, Libya, South Yemen, and Algeria in the early 1970s when they, with the support of the Soviet Union, took the three islands issue to the UN Security Council. This is a charge that Emirati officials denounce outright, contending that it was literally impossible for the UAE government to back the Arab socialist camp, given the scale of intra-Emirate problems at the time of its unification in 1971/2, as well as the UAE's own concern with the pan-Arabist forces and discourses in that period. The UAE, on the other hand, has proved more flexible in its approach since 1992, when it began to pursue the issue wholeheartedly. Aware of its strategic need to accommodate its northern neighbour's needs and concerns as well as Iran's sensitivity over the issue, the UAE showed an initial preference for bilateral talks with Tehran - a preference which lasted until the end of Mohammad Khatami's presidency of Iran. Realising that Tehran was less interested in talks and more interested in giving history lessons, Abu Dhabi, since 2006, has changed its strategy by seeking to internationalise the dispute, thereby using Tehran's distorted international image to gain more backing for its efforts. Recent remarks by the UAE foreign minister - that tension between the two countries could have global consequences - is a testimony to this. The UAE government has also sought third party mediation by countries that are on good terms with the Iranian regime, hoping that they may be able to encourage Tehran to soften its stance on the issue of islands. Given close ties between Tehran and Beijing, for instance, the UAE took an extraordinary step in 2010 by asking Beijing to mediate between the two parties, while simultaneously calling on Tehran to take the issue to an international body for arbitration. However, even internationalisation and/or securitisation of the issue seems unlikely to cause a change in Tehran's stance, especially at this time of political change and strategic uncertainty in the region. To begin with, it is doubtful that Iran will respond positively to UAE calls for international arbitration - simply because doing so will, in retrospect, refute Tehran's claims about its "undeniable sovereignty" over the islands. "The UAE will need world powers' overt cooperation and support if it is to successfully induce Iran into discussions about the islands." What is more, Tehran knows all too well that any form of international negotiation, let alone compromise, over these islands will enflame the Iranian public and opposition who will certainly accuse it of endangering Iran's territorial integrity, and so will seek to challenge its legitimacy to rule. At a time when regime's popularity is at its lowest point, Tehran will undoubtedly do its best to avert such an eventuality. More importantly, the UAE will need world powers' overt cooperation and support if it is to successfully induce Iran into discussions about the islands. Nonetheless, there are good reasons to believe that such cooperation would not be forthcoming. Britain will be reluctant to support the UAE's cause at a time when London itself is locked in a heated dispute with Argentina over the Falkland Islands. China, too, will be hesitant to lend its backing to Abu Dhabi, as Beijing continues to utilise its long history as a justification for its sovereignty claims over a number of islands in the South China Sea. In other words, Beijing and London will be putting themselves in a very difficult position should they decide to support the UAE call for international adjudication, since any move in that direction will inevitably reduce their ability to refuse third party/international mediation in their own disputes. As for the US and the EU, suffice to say that they are more likely to prioritise a resolution to Iran's nuclear standoff with the West over the UAE's territorial claims, especially since they seem to be making encouraging progress in their talks with Tehran. Put differently, Washington and Brussels are likely to avoid antagonising Tehran, and thus limit their efforts to the issuance of general statements that would call on Iran to cooperate with the UAE; a call that will fall on deaf ears in Tehran. After all, the last thing Western powers want today is to alienate the Iranian public by backing the UAE over the three islands, as this will be seen as a direct threat to Iran's territorial integrity in the eyes of the Iranian populace. This in turn will not only enable the regime to mobilise popular support for itself, but could also hinder efforts to resolve Iran's nuclear standoff ahead of the Baghdad meeting. Looking ahead, there are strong grounds to assume that the ongoing tussle between Iran and the UAE will continue to complicate their bilateral relations in the coming years, but one can be certain that their rivalry is very unlikely to lead to a full-blown conflict. Putting aside the strong cultural and communal ties between the two nations, they both realise the detrimental effects of such an outcome on their mutually beneficial and somewhat inter-linked economies. Equally important, a full-out conflict is improbable because there is a broader geopolitical dimension to the three island dispute that deprives Abu Dhabi from the very international backing it needs to get concessions from Tehran. A glance through the historical evolution of the three islands quarrel from the 19th century through the 1970s, the 1990s and up until the present illustrates that the contemporary brawl between Tehran and Abu Dhabi has always been linked to the geopolitics of the Middle East and the role of global power therein. As such, the timing of the current flare-up makes it plausible to see the development as an indication of a changing geostrategic environment in the region; one that could benefit Iran above all the others if - and this is a big "if" - Iran and the P5+1 can come to an agreement in Baghdad. In this case, and as Washington begins to shift its focus to the Asia Pacific region, it is possible to envision the gradual emergence of a strategic relation between Tehran and Washington; one in which Iran enjoys a greater freedom of action in the conduct of its regional affairs, in return for its constructive contributions to securing, albeit silently, US interests in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Levant. Nima Khorrami Assl is a security analyst at the Transnational Crisis Project in London. Nima Khorrami Assl is a security analyst at Transnational Crisis Project, London.
0.999429	It sounds like (once again) the psychic was telling her what she wanted to hear by softening that your new partner is bad for you anyway and using you for money. Secondly, you and your wife should not be relying on and consulting psychics. They should really be viewed as entertainment services because people rely on what psychics say and get addicted calling up about exes and love interests when most of the time psychics are not psychic or get it scarily wrong. Going to psychics you should go for general readings a couple of times a year for general readings only to see what is coming up (possibly) and which loved ones want to come in and give you a message. Especially if you have mental health issues, calling psychics really is dangerous for you and I would strongly advise you only going to psychics for entertainment purposes and not take their words as gospel. Please seek advice from healthcare professionals and the appropriate people when you need it, unfortunately there are many phoney readers out there who will take your mental health issues and your vulnerability and expolit you. Please take care of yourself and be safe. Look after yourself please. And your wife went to psychics over you splitting with her and they told her that about your new partner to make her feel better, if you believe it to not be true then you know your new partner over anybody and it seems like your wife is jealous and taking revenge and mind games to make you second guess this new partner, very manipulative. Something that you don't need, especially when you can be fragile with your mental health. Don't get me wrong, your wife could be trying to look out for you by warning you perhaps of this woman manipulating you for money. But come on, it's likely to be that she wants you back and is trying to manipulate (or possibly could have even made up) about going to the psychic and what they told her about your new partner. Certainly when I was going to readers about my ex and they said he has a new partner but she isn't very nice and "isn't special like me" blah blah I didn't go messaging my ex telling him that he needs to watch out because his new partner is bad for him and it won't last, and that a psychic told me that.. I would have looked crazy. I would let him find that out himself! I am starting to get on top of my mental health and will beat it without doubt. It was the death part which scared me more than the rest and this stuck in my mind but I’ve been told face to face this is not true and I was concerned that if you start believing it would come true. (07-02-2019 08:46 PM)Darren cooke Wrote: Thank you . I remember your post from last year about the death predictions. It's tricky because not all readers are right and sometimes they miss details or get it slightly wrong. I had an ex who's mother was told by a fortune teller that their dad would be dead within 5 years and they were all stressed and got themselves into a right state about it. I don't think it's a good idea for readers to predict death at all, even the top readers have their off days or readings and could get it wrong. I'm glad that your mental health is getting better, lots of men are ashamed to admit that they have mental health issues because they're seen as weak. It's good that you acknowledge you have a few things to work on and that you're only human. Best of luck. Thank you . I would of been more concerned if they would of said five years but they did not pin point it and have since been told it’s not true. (07-02-2019 09:35 PM)Darren cooke Wrote: Thank you . I would of been more concerned if they would of said five years but they did not pin point it and have since been told it’s not true. No worries. I'm glad you're beginning to feel better and you're quite right, everybody has slight mental health issues like everyone is on the autistic spectrum.
0.726083	A hero (masculine) or heroine (feminine) is a real person or a main fictional character of a literary work who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, bravery or strength; the original hero type of classical epics did such things for the sake of glory and honor. On the other hand are post-classical and modern heroes, who perform great deeds or selfless acts for the common good instead of the classical goal of wealth, pride and fame. The antonym of a hero is a villain. Composed in verse, these narrative poems of moderate length (averaging 4000 lines ) were originally sung, or (later) recited, by minstrels or jongleurs. More than one hundred chansons de geste have survived in around three hundred manuscripts that date from the 12th to the 15th century. Claude Charles Fauriel was a French historian, philologist and critic. Bruno Paulin Gaston Paris was a French writer and scholar. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1901, 1902 and 1903. Émile Théodore Léon Gautier was a French literary historian. Marie-Paul-Hyacinthe Meyer, was a French philologist. Joseph Bédier was a French writer and scholar and historian of medieval France. Composed in Old French and apparently intended for oral performance by jongleurs, the chansons de geste narrate legendary incidents (sometimes based on real events) in the history of France during the eighth, ninth and tenth centuries, the age of Charles Martel, Charlemagne and Louis the Pious, with emphasis on their conflicts with the Moors and Saracens, and also disputes between kings and their vassals. A key theme of the chansons de geste, which set them off from the romances (which tended to explore the role of the "individual"), is their critique and celebration of community/collectivity (their epic heroes are portrayed as figures in the destiny of the nation and Christianity) and their representation of the complexities of feudal relations and service. The poems contain an assortment of character types; the repertoire of valiant hero, brave traitor, shifty or cowardly traitor, Saracen giant, beautiful Saracen princess, and so forth. As the genre matured, fantasy elements were introduced. Some of the characters that were devised by the poets in this manner include the fairy Oberon, who made his literary debut in Huon de Bordeaux ; and the magic horse Bayard, who first appears in Renaud de Montauban . Quite soon an element of self-parody appears; even the august Charlemagne was not above gentle mockery in the Pèlerinage de Charlemagne . Early chansons de geste were typically composed in ten-syllable lines grouped in assonanced (meaning that the last stressed vowel is the same in each line throughout the stanza, but the last consonant differs from line to line) stanzas (called laisses ). These stanzas are of variable length. If anyone is looking for the King, he doesn't need to be pointed out. Later chansons were composed in monorhyme stanzas, in which the last syllable of each line rhymes fully throughout the stanza. Later chansons also tended to be composed using alexandrines (twelve-syllable) lines, instead of ten-syllable lines (some early chansons, such as Girart de Vienne , were even adapted into a twelve-syllable version). N'enmaine que .ii. rois ens en sa conpaignie. Tres devant Anthioce ens en la prairie. He took only two kings in his company. Right in front of Antioch, down in the meadow. These forms of versification were substantially different than the forms found in the Old French verse romances (romans) which were written in octosyllabic rhymed couplets. The public of the chansons de geste—the lay (secular) public of the eleventh to the thirteenth centuries—was largely illiterate, except for (at least to the end of the 12th century) members of the great courts and (in the south) smaller noble families. Thus, the chansons were primarily an oral medium. Opinions vary greatly on whether the early chansons were first written down and then read from manuscripts (although parchment was quite expensive ) or memorized for performance, or whether portions were improvised, or whether they were entirely the product of spontaneous oral composition and later written down. Similarly, scholars differ greatly on the social condition and literacy of the poets themselves; were they cultured clerics or illiterate jongleurs working within an oral tradition? As an indication of the role played by orality in the tradition of the chanson de geste, lines and sometimes whole stanzas, especially in the earlier examples, are noticeably formulaic in nature, making it possible both for the poet to construct a poem in performance and for the audience to grasp a new theme with ease. More than one hundred chansons de geste have survived in around three hundred manuscripts that date from the 12th to the 15th century. Several popular chansons were written down more than once in varying forms. The earliest chansons are all (more or less) anonymous; many later ones have named authors. The listing below is arranged according to Bertrand de Bar-sur-Aube's cycles, extended with two additional groupings and with a final list of chansons that fit into no cycle. There are numerous differences of opinion about the categorization of individual chansons. The chief character is usually Charlemagne or one of his immediate successors. A pervasive theme is the King's role as champion of Christianity. This cycle contains the first of the chansons to be written down, the Chanson de Roland or "The Song of Roland". Chanson de Roland (c. 1100 for the Oxford text, the earliest written version); several other versions exist, including the Occitan Ronsasvals , the Middle High German Ruolandsliet and the Latin Carmen de Prodicione Guenonis . Les Enfances Ogier by Adenet le Roi (c. 1275) \| to Ogier the Dane. The central character is not Garin de Monglane but his supposed great-grandson, Guillaume d'Orange. These chansons deal with knights who were typically younger sons, not heirs, who seek land and glory through combat with the Infidel (in practice, Muslim) enemy. This cycle concerns traitors and rebels against royal authority. In each case the revolt ends with the defeat of the rebels and their eventual repentance. This local cycle of epics of Lorraine traditional history, in the late form in which it is now known, includes details evidently drawn from Huon de Bordeaux and Ogier le Danois. Not listed by Bertrand de Bar-sur-Aube, this cycle deals with the First Crusade and its immediate aftermath. The chansons de geste created a body of mythology that lived on well after they ceased to be produced in France. The French chanson gave rise to the Old Spanish tradition of the cantar de gesta . The chanson de geste was also adapted in southern (Occitan-speaking) France. One of the three surviving manuscripts of the chanson Girart de Roussillon (12th century) is in Occitan, as are two works based on the story of Charlemagne and Roland, Rollan a Saragossa and Ronsasvals (early 12th century). The chanson de geste form was also used in such Occitan texts as Canso d'Antioca (late 12th century), Daurel e Betó (first half of the 13th century), and Song of the Albigensian Crusade (c.1275) (cf Occitan literature). In the late 13th century, certain French chansons de geste were adapted into the Old Norse Karlamagnús saga . In Italy, there exist several 14th-century texts in verse or prose which recount the feats of Charlemagne in Spain, including a chanson de geste in Franco-Venetian, the Entrée d'Espagne (c.1320) (notable for transforming the character of Roland into a knight errant, similar to heroes from the Arthurian romances ), and a similar Italian epic La Spagna (1350–1360) in ottava rima. Through such works, the "Matter of France" became an important source of material (albeit significantly transformed) in Italian romantic epics. Morgante (c.1483) by Luigi Pulci, Orlando innamorato (1495) by Matteo Maria Boiardo, Orlando furioso (1516) by Ludovico Ariosto, and Jerusalem Delivered (1581) by Torquato Tasso are all indebted to the French narrative material (the Pulci, Boiardo and Ariosto poems are founded on the legends of the paladins of Charlemagne, and particularly, of Roland, translated as "Orlando"). The incidents and plot devices of the Italian epics later became central to works of English literature such as Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene ; Spenser attempted to adapt the form devised to tell the tale of the triumph of Christianity over Islam to tell instead of the triumph of Protestantism over Roman Catholicism. The Welsh poet, painter, soldier and engraver David Jones's Modernist poem In Parenthesis was described by contemporary critic Herbert Read as having "the heroic ring which we associate with the old chansons de geste". ↑ France, Peter (1995). The new Oxford companion to literature in French. Clarendon Press. ISBN 0198661258. 1 2 3 4 5 Hasenohr, 242. 1 2 La Chanson de Roland, 12. 1 2 3 Hasenohr, 239. ↑ La Chanson de Roland, 10. 1 2 3 Holmes, 67. 1 2 3 see also Hasenohr, 239. 1 2 3 La Chanson de Roland, 11. ↑ see also Hasenohr, 240. ↑ This three-way classification of mythology is set out by the twelfth-century poet Jean Bodel in the Chanson de Saisnes : for details see Matter of France. ↑ La Chanson de Roland, 16–17. ↑ Wittmann, Henri. 1995. "La structure de base de la syntaxe narrative dans les contes et légendes du créole haïtien." Poétiques et imaginaires: francopolyphonie littéraire des Amériques. Edited by Pierre Laurette & Hans-George Ruprecht. Paris: L'Harmattan, pp. 207–218. ↑ Dorfman, Eugène. 1969. The narreme in the medieval romance epic: An introduction to narrative structures. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Tusseau, Jean-Pierre & Henri Wittmann. 1975. "Règles de narration dans les chansons de geste et le roman courtois". Folia linguistica 7.401-12. 1 2 3 La Chanson de Roland, 14. ↑ Brault, 353 (note 166). ↑ La geste de Fierabras, le jeu du réel et de l'invraissemblable ed. André de Mandach. Geneva, 1987. ↑ "Fierabras and Floripas: A French Epic Allegory" ed. and trans. by Michael A.H. Newth. New York: Italica Press, 2010. ↑ Ed. F. Guessard, S. Luce. Paris: Vieweg, 1862. ↑ Jehan de Lanson, chanson de geste of the 13th Century ed. J. Vernon Myers. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1965. ↑ Ed. A. Thomas. Paris: Société des anciens textes français, 1913. ↑ Galiens li Restorés ed. Edmund Stengel (1890); Le Galien de Cheltenham ed. D. M. Dougherty, E. B. Barnes. Amsterdam: Benjamins, 1981. ↑ Aiquin ou la conquête de la Bretagne par le roi Charlemagne ed. F. Jacques. Aix-en-Provence: Publications du CUER MA, 1977. ↑ Ed. François Guessard, Henri Michelant. Paris, 1859. ↑ Ed. C. Wahlund, H. von Feilitzen. Upsala and Paris, 1895. ↑ Ed. W. Cloetta. Paris, 1906–13. ↑ R. Weeks, "Aïmer le chétif" in PMLA vol. 17 (1902) pp. 411–434. ↑ Ed. Jacques Normand and Gaston Raynaud. Paris, 1877. ↑ Hasenohr. Article: "Entrée d'Espagne", pp. 412–3. ↑ UK: /ˌʃɒ̃sɒ̃dəˈʒɛst/ , US: /ʃɑːnˌsɔːndəˈʒɛst/ , Old French: [tʃãnˈtsõn də ˈdʒɛstə] , ModernFrench: [ʃɑ̃sɔ̃ d(ə) ʒɛst] . Doon de Mayence was a fictional hero of the Old French chansons de geste, who gives his name to the third cycle of the Charlemagne romances dealing with the feudal revolts. Ogier the Dane is a legendary knight of Charlemagne who appears in many Old French chansons de geste. In particular, he features as the protagonist in La chevalerie Ogier, which belongs to the Geste de Doon de Mayence. The first part of this epic, the enfance[s] of Ogier, is marked by his duel against a Saracen from whom he obtains the sword Corte, followed by victory over another Saracen opponent from whom he wins the horse Broiefort. In subsequent parts, Ogier turns into a rebel with cause, seeking refuge with the King of Lombardy and warring with Charlemagne for many years, until he is eventually reconciled when a dire need for him emerges after another Saracen incursion. Maugris or Maugis was one of the heroes of the chansons de geste and romances of chivalry and the Matter of France that tell of the legendary court of King Charlemagne. Maugis was cousin to Renaud de Montauban and his brothers, son of Beuves of Aygremont and brother to Vivien de Monbranc. He was brought up by Oriande the fairy, and became a great enchanter. He won the magical horse Bayard and the sword Froberge which he later gave to Renaud. Ferragut was a character—a Saracen paladin, sometimes depicted as a giant—in texts dealing with the Matter of France, including the Historia Caroli Magni, and Italian romantic epics, such as Orlando innamorato by Matteo Maria Boiardo and Orlando furioso by Ludovico Ariosto. In the tales, he was portrayed as physically invulnerable except at his navel/stomach, and was eventually killed by the paladin Roland. Historia Caroli Magni or Historia Karoli Magni et Rotholandi, sometimes known as the Turpin Chronicle or the Pseudo-Turpin Chronicle, is a 12th-century Latin forged chronicle of legendary material about Charlemagne's alleged conquest of Spain. It is also called Book IV – The Conquests of Charlemagne of the Codex Calixtinus. The chronicle states it was written by Charlemagne's contemporary Turpin, Archbishop of Reims, but it was found out as a medieval forgery. The work was extremely popular, and served as a major source of material on Charlemagne in chronicles, fiction and iconography throughout Medieval Europe. Agolant or Agolante is a fictional character in Medieval and Renaissance romantic epics dealing with the Matter of France, including Orlando innamorato by Matteo Maria Boiardo and Orlando furioso by Ludovico Ariosto. He is a Saracen king from Africa. Entrée d'Espagne or L'Entrée d'Espagne or Entrée en Espagne is a 14th-century (c.1320) Franco-Venetian chanson de geste. The author is thought to be from Padua. The work has survived in only one manuscript, today in the Biblioteca Marciana in Venice. Based on material from the Pseudo-Turpin Chronicle and several other sources, the epic poem tells of Charlemagne's battles in Spain and the adventures of the paladin Roland. Aiquin, subtitled La conqueste de la Bretaigne par le roy Charlemaigne, is a medieval Old French chanson de geste about the rivalry between a Saracen king, Aiquin, and the Christian emperor Charlemagne. The French medievalist Joseph Bédier called it a "consolidation of history and legend in an imposing ensemble." It survives in one fifteenth-century manuscript, BnF fr. 2233, now in the Bibliothèque nationale de France. It is usually attributed to Garin Trosseboeuf, possibly a cleric of Dol, and was probably written in the late twelfth century. It is the oldest extant French text from Brittany. (in French) Antoine Adam, Georges Lerminier, and Édouard Morot-Sir, eds. Littérature française. "Tome 1: Des origines à la fin du XVIIIe siècle," Paris: Larousse, 1967. Jesse Crosland. The Old French Epic. New York: Haskell House, 1951. Urban T. Holmes Jr. A History of Old French Literature from the Origins to 1300. New York: F.S. Crofts, 1938. Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Chansons de Geste .
0.998842	Dear EarthTalk: What is being done about arsenic contamination in drinking water? Arsenic occurs naturally in our environment, and there are trace amounts of it in all living matter. In fact, arsenic is part of the Earth’s crust, and as a natural component of underground rock and soil it can work its way into our groundwater in amounts that pose little or no threat to human health. However, arsenic is also a by-product of industrial activity, such as coal burning, waste burning, copper smelting, and mining for gold and other metals. It is also an agricultural byproduct as it is a component of some pesticides and feed additives. U.S. smokestack and agricultural industries release thousands of pounds of arsenic into the environment each year—and as a result arsenic can show up in public water supplies in amounts that do pose health threats. According to a 1999 study by the National Academy of Sciences, excessive arsenic in drinking water can cause bladder, lung and skin cancer, and may cause kidney and liver cancer. The study also found that arsenic harms the central and peripheral nervous systems, as well as heart and blood vessels, and causes serious skin problems. It also may cause birth defects and reproductive problems. The U.S. government regulates arsenic content in drinking water by setting a maximum contaminant level which, for many years, was 50 parts per billion. After further and more recent study, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommended in 2001 that the maximum level be lowered to just 10 parts per billion. Initially, the Bush administration rejected the recommendation, arguing that there was no scientific consensus to justify the $200 million it would cost to change the standard. But pressure from environmental and public health organizations convinced the White House to change course and adopt the stricter standard, which will take effect in 2006. Although few if any municipal water systems in the U.S. exceed the present limit, it is estimated that many will have to install or upgrade treatment processes in order to meet the new stricter standard. Research by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) indicates that more than 34 million Americans drink tap water supplied by systems containing average levels of arsenic that pose unacceptable health risks. Consumers can determine the arsenic levels, if any, in their drinking water by reading the Drinking Water Quality Report (also known as the Consumer Confidence Report) issued in July every year by each municipal water utility. Individuals can reduce their exposure to arsenic in drinking water by using a water filter certified by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF). Consumers should also beware that bottled water is not necessarily any safer than tap water. According to NRDC, bottled water is often nothing more than tap water that may or may not have been filtered—so filtration is the only way to be sure that drinking water is arsenic-free. CONTACTS: U.S. EPA Arsenic in Drinking Water page, http://www.epa.gov/safewater/arsenic.html; EPA Consumer Confidence Report page, http://www.epa.gov/safewater/ccr1.html; Natural Resources Defense Council, (212) 727-2700, ; National Sanitation Foundation, (800) NSF-MARK, http://www.nsf.org. Dear EarthTalk: What is the modern meat industry’s impact on the environment? Why Are You Still Eating Meat?" author Jim Motavalli wrote, "Just about every aspect of meat production—from grazing-related loss of cropland and open space, to the inefficiencies of feeding vast quantities of water and grain to cattle in a hungry world, to pollution from "factory farms"—is an environmental disaster with wide and sometimes catastrophic consequences." Indeed, according to the Sierra Club, producing one pound of grain-fed beef requires about 16 pounds of wheat and—as staggering as it sounds—2,500 gallons of water. Furthermore, millions of acres of forest have been cleared worldwide to make room for the large areas of land needed for cattle grazing. In the United States, more than 260 million acres of forest have been cleared to grow crops to feed animals raised for meat, and an acre of trees disappears every eight seconds. Tropical rainforests are also being cut to create grazing land for cattle. Fifty-five square feet of rainforest may be destroyed to produce just one quarter-pound burger. Since trees absorb carbon dioxide, the leading "greenhouse gas," this significant loss of forest contributes to global warming as well. Soil erosion is also mostly due to the meat industry which, according to the Worldwatch Institute, is directly responsible for 85 percent of all soil erosion in the U.S. because so much grain is needed to feed the animals. Livestock is fed more than 80 percent of the corn and 95 percent of the oats grown by American farmers. The world’s cattle alone consume a quantity of food equal to the caloric needs of 8.7 billion people—more than the entire human population on Earth. A recent report prepared for the Senate Agricultural Committee concluded that animal waste is the largest contributor to pollution in 60 percent of the rivers and streams classified as "impaired" by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The report states that food animals produce waste at a rate of roughly 68,000 pounds per second. Major waste pollutants that make their way into our waterways include nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus that can cause massive fish kills, harmful bacteria and viruses, and toxic heavy metals, which are present in some commercial livestock feed. Critics also point to the fact that meat-based diets exacerbate world hunger. Harvard nutritionist Jean Mayer estimates that a 10 percent reduction in U.S. meat consumption would free up enough grain to feed 60 million people. Some 40 percent of the world’s grain harvest is fed to livestock, while nearly a billion people go hungry each day. While environmental groups recognize the benefits of vegetarianism as an alternative, few recommend it for everyone. Meat-loving environmentalists can look for small farms that feed livestock natural, organic diets, treat animals more humanely, and practice more sustainable land use. CONTACTS: E Magazine, January/February 2002 issue, http://emagazine.com/view/?142; Sierra Club, (415) 977-5500, http://www.sierraclub.org/factoryfarms ; Worldwatch Institute, (202) 452-1999, http://www.worldwatch.org.
0.999963	Article 1: To see if the voters will approve of the purchase of Cavendish Parcel #1Veo-196, a 0.33 acre village lot located at 601 Main Street, Proctorsville. This property abuts the Cavendish Town Elementary School lot to the east and is currently vacant. The purchase price is $24,900. The purpose of this procurement is to secure the property for good public uses including, but not limited to, use by the school. On June 17, the Select and CTES boards met to discuss the upcoming Town Meeting. Due to a fire in January, the property adjacent to the school, 601 Main Street, is available for sale. Because of the 16% charge that is added to anything the school would do, the Boards discussed at a previous meeting that it would be better if the Town purchased the now vacant lot and turn it over to the school for its use. To that end, the town has entered into a contract with the property owners to purchase the lot (a third of an acre) for $24,900 contingent on the approval of the Cavendish voters. In the 1950’s, when the current school building was constructed, the 601 Main Street site was not for sale but there was an expressed interest by the school in purchasing if it were to become available. In 2004, the house and lot became available, but the asking price was high, as would be the cost of retrofitting the house for school use, and so the school passed on it. The January fire and the subsequent removal of the house, has proved another opportunity for purchase at a considerably lower cost. It’s an affordable price and small village lots are few and far between. By owning it, the town controls what is built there, thereby keeping the integrity of the village intact. If the property were to be sold, the town could put a deed restriction on the property so that construction must be compatible with the neighborhood. Given the changing nature of the real estate market, it’s hard to predict what will happen, but there is the potential that the town could make money off its sale in future years. During the day when school is in session, the Cavendish Library does not meet the American Disability Act (ADA) standards for accessibility. Patrons who need handicap parking are forced to park on the street and walk across the playground-“walking the gauntlet” as some refer to it- to enter the building. Being able to reconfigure the playground space and parking, would allow the library to be ADA compliant. There was agreement among the board members that as many of the trees on the property should be kept. Selectmen George Timko pointed out that an ash tree on the corner of the lot was leaning towards the school building and suggested it be removed before it falls and causes damage to the school building. When it came to discussing how the school would use the additional space, it was apparent that planning with a landscape architect is needed. There are issues with parking and playground space. The new lot would provide additional opportunities, but exactly what would be the best configuration has yet to be determined. It will be up to the voters to decide whether the town should purchase the building. The Town Meeting will take place on June 23, Monday, 7 pm in the CTES multi purpose room. If you wish to vote on this issue, you must be present at the meeting as there is no absentee balloting.
0.992696	(CNN) - For the third week in a row, Mitt Romney's up with a new television commercial that claims President Barack Obama is altering the federal welfare-to-work program by dropping work requirements in the law. "Since 1996 welfare recipients were required to work. This bipartisan reform successfully reduced welfare rolls. On July 12th, President Obama quietly ended the work requirement, gutting welfare reform," says the narrator in the ad, which was announced Monday morning. "One of the most respected newspapers in America called it 'nuts,' saying 'If you want to get more people to work, you don't loosen the requirements – you tighten them. Mitt Romney's plan for a stronger middle class will put work back in welfare," adds the narrator. The newspaper touted in the spot is the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the primary daily newspaper for Virginia's capital city. Richmond is a major media market in the crucial battleground state. An independent and non-partisan fact-checking organization, PolitiFact, rated one of the Romney campaign's earlier ad's claim on welfare as "Pants on Fire." And the Obama campaign, the White House and former President Bill Clinton, who signed the original legislation into law, all attacked the earlier spots, saying the claims were false and misleading. The Obama campaign responded Monday to the new commercial. "Mitt Romney continues to run ads that independent news organizations, former President Clinton, and the Republican co-author of welfare reform have said are not true. The Obama administration has strengthened the welfare to work requirement, not weakened it. Just one week after pledging to run a substantive campaign, and whining about the negativity in this race, it's clear Mitt Romney has absolutely no intention of living up to that pledge," said Obama campaign spokeswoman Lis Smith. Friday the Obama campaign countered the Romney campaign commercial with a spot of their own, with the narrator in the ad saying "See this? Mitt Romney claiming the president would end welfare's work requirements? The New York Times calls it 'blatantly false'. The Washington Post says: 'the Obama administration is not removing the bill's work requirements at all.’" Regardless of the pushback, it's apparent that the Romney campaign is continuing to attack the president over welfare, with both Romney and House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, his running mate, highlighting the welfare claims in their campaign speeches last week. As is their practice, the Romney campaign would not reveal any details on where the new commercial will run or on the ad buy. Didn't these changes reflect what Romney and other governors asked for after this program started? what is it that people dont see, if you do everything for the people, you control the people and thats what obama wants, control of the people. If We The People dont kick obama out then you can guarantee that America will not see another president of a free world, but you will have the Dems and obama declaring themselves kings of America and your freedoms will be gone and you will become a slave to obama. This has been a proven LIE. Mr. Romney you need to follow your own advise and stop running these kind of ads. Again and yet again, I give you Romney America. At face value, a proven lier and cheat, over and over again. He constantly ignore the facts and cling to factual lies. I know you hate our president, but do you hate him enough to vote against your gut feeling about this Romney guy who could care less about you and america? Remember this guy Romney bets against you and america. He's betting against you as I type. Nuts. If you want to turn the country into a government controlled communist nation you get more people dependent on the government first, then you swoop in for the kill. Romney is such a lying sack of...you know what. Is he not aware that in 2012 we have the interwebz? would any America( not counting the AKIN like tea party politicians) EVER believe ROMNEY on Medicare, Welfare ...they are not dumb !!!! I just have one question. Why is this man not called out by the media over his constant lies?? Isn't this the third ad about the same lie?? Where are President Obama's attack ads? All I see are Willards constant lies. "Pants on fire" Romney was already caught lying by Politifact over his hypocritical welfare claim, yet Mitt sadly chooses to triple-down on his immoral lies. Not presidential material. Romney the liar. What more can you say. To get a waiver, a state must show that it's new approach to welfare will REDUCE THE WELFARE ROLLS BY AT LEAST 20%. The Republicans used to approve of that. It also pushes down the decision on how to run the welfare program to the states, RATHER THAN A COOKIE CUTTER APPROACH IMPOSED BY FEDERAL BUREAUCRATS. Republicans used to like that too. Their Obama-derangement syndrome is leading them to be against anything Obama is for regardless of whether it is a Republican idea. Maybe he should endorse Romney, eh? "This bipartisan reform successfully reduced welfare rolls." – No, it didn't. Look at Welfare program expenditures year over year since 1996. Look at the studies which have been done. The 1996 welfare reform was a flop. I like how Common Sense (2012 Version) presents a more detailed analysis of it. Ok, we all know this is not"TRUE" and to continue to lie about this is sad, the true message is the ryan/romney team are saying, "those lazy poor people, will never be worth sh**" but then they yell from the highest stoop, 1 in 6 people live in poverty, but then forget to mention(via) the ryan/romney budget there will be triple that amount in poverty. It is fantastic to see these last days of the Obama regime. The Liberals have been shown to be intellectually bankrupt and morally wanting. Hopefully we can get on to some responsible governance with Romney-Ryan after we sweep aside Obama and his cronies in November. More Romney lies being swallowed by the ignorant. This country is in serious trouble. These lies are a losing argument.... Makes you wonder why Romney is making it.
0.997934	The US environment for drug development and registration has evolved as a result of many significant and public events that span the course of the past century. In the early 1900s, public outcry following the exposure of deplorable conditions in meat packing plants and false claims about patented medicines prompted enactment of the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. This federal law ultimately provided the foundation for what is now the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In the 1930s, public awareness of the need for greater federal regulation of drug safety resulted from the sale of a poisonous elixir formulation of sulfanilamide: this national tragedy prompted Congress to pass the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938, which required premarket demonstration of a new drug's safety. The 1960s brought a similar public health scare when evidence of the teratologic effects of thalidomide became known. Although never approved for use in the US, thalidomide was available for use in some other countries and was being studied in the US. The Kefauver-Harris Amendments were subsequently passed by Congress, requiring premarket evidence of efficacy and safety of all new drugs, both prescription and OTC, and requiring adverse reaction reporting for the first time in US history. In the early part of the 21st century, another significant set of circumstances again led to increased public awareness about the safety of pharmaceutical products. Media, Congress, consumer advocates, watchdog groups and the pharmaceutical industry were engaged in dialogue. Would the existing drug development and FDA approval process prove to be sufficient to maintain public confidence in marketed drugs?
0.939079	Heavy metal music is perceived by many members of the goth subculture as the "crass, crude macho antithesis of everything that their music represents". In contrast to the "softer" and "more feminine" character of gothic music, the heavy metal genre is typically associated with aggression, sexism and masculinity. Despite this difference, "a few bold souls have identified Black Sabbath’s eponymous 1970 debut album as the first ever 'Goth-rock' record". The author Gavin Baddeley notes that the title track of the album "describes a satanic rite, complete with driving-rain and tolling bell sound effects, while the cover focuses on a black-cloaked, spectral-looking girl in a graveyard, shot through a sickly pale ochre filter". Other commentators have described Black Sabbath as the "absolute prototype gothic heavies" and observed that by separating the band's music "from their heavy metallic connotations", one "could cull a killer Goth album from their first five LP's, with every future reference point and requirement intact". The "vaguely medieval, minor-key sounds" of Rainbow, Dio and Judas Priest has also been described as "gothic" prior to "the emergence of goth rock as a post-punk genre". The bands Blue Öyster Cult and Iron Maiden have featured some gothic lyrics in their music on songs such as "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" and "Phantom of the Opera". Deep Purple's song "Stormbringer" has been called a "goth metal treasure". The Danish metal band Mercyful Fate had also demonstrated "a Gothic obsession with evil and the occult". Frontman King Diamond continued exploring his interest in gothic storytelling after establishing a solo career under his own moniker, issuing "a series of concept albums which told Gothic horror tales with sound effects and song". During the 1980s, the former Misfits frontman Glenn Danzig also "occupied the no man's land between Goth and heavy metal". With the dissolution of his second band Samhain in 1988 and the creation of his own eponymous act, Danzig went on to combine heavy metal riffs with "a heavily romanticized, brooding, gothic sensibility". The Swiss group Celtic Frost was another precursor to gothic metal, translating the influence they drew from gothic rock acts Bauhaus and Siouxsie & the Banshees into their own albums. The band's "radical fusion of violent black metal and elements of classical music" was dubbed "avant-garde" and had a huge impact "on the evolution of European heavy metal". Christofer Johnsson of the symphonic metal band Therion cites Celtic Frost's 1987 album Into the Pandemonium in particular for playing a key role in the development of the "gothic and symphonic wave of bands" in the 1990s, noting further that neither his group Therion nor Paradise Lost "would have sounded the way we did without Celtic Frost".
0.999999	Give three pieces of advice you would give to a caregiver. 1. “Secure your mask before helping others” – Yes, the line from the airplane safety presentation, but it’s true for all aspects in life, especially for caregivers. Remember you need to be at your best in order to help others, that includes being physically and emotionally healthy. I will admit my first time being a caregiver was stressful, the hospital care the first night was not as I would have liked. I could have slept overnight in my friends private room but I knew I would not get as good as rest as I needed, and I the next day when I arrived back to the hospital the morning nursing staff had everything in order, my friend was in good spirits and ready to go home. I was well rested and ready to get him settled at home. Seek out a caregiver support group, and try to have back-up help. I know at my last job there was a Caregiver Support Network. 2. Allow the patient to be as self-sufficient as possible – From my experience as both a patient and as a caregiver, both in short term care situations, the more the patient can do for themselves the healthier they are, and you will be also. (See #1) My mom is a nurse, and I am thankful she was able to stay with me after most of my major surgeries. As she would take care of drains, or bandages, she would explain to me what she was doing and why in case I needed to do it myself. Eventually she had me do it myself, I would joke that she was “a bad nurse” and she’d reply back “I’m making you self sufficient, it’s part of your recovery plan”. Of course not every patient is as able as I was, but encourage even small tasks, no one wants to feel helpless. It’s often difficult to accept help at all. I know as a caregiver I appreciated when the patient did for themselves. My friend had a minor unexpected complication, I joked that my nursing fee had increased. However, in actuality they were a great patient. I would arrive with lunch, and they had already emptied drains and documented information. The only thing I needed to do was change bandages in an unreachable area. I would bring over food that just needed to be heated for dinner. 3. Be an Advocate – But do not be a bother. There is a difference between advocating for someone and hounding hospital staff, especially if it’s not the correct hospital staff. Remember healthcare should be a TEAM endeavor. Patient, nurses, doctors all on the same team with the patients health as the goal. If you want respect as a family member or care giver, and you want the patient to get the best care, communicate with calm respect. I know it can be difficult, as with illness many emotions are involved. However, it is key to getting your end goals met. Yes, sometimes you need to be a squeaky wheel but remember a squeak can be still be respectful. I learned a lot from my mom being an RN. I understand the job the RN has, and the many other patients they have to care for in addition to me or my friend. Sorry I need a another…. 4. Make it Official – If you are the main caregiver in a serious medical situation, be sure the patient has given you the authority to make healthcare decision for them. Medical power of attorney, or healthcare surrogate. Do not ASSUME the patient’s wishes or your wishes will be honored at all times. Hospitals have laws to which they have to abide by, and often multiple family members want to chime in on what is best for the patient. Do not put the staff or your family in middle of a fight at a time when the focus should be on the patient. What advice do you have for caregivers or patients? National Health Blog Post Month – Day 5: Election Day! Votes are in-you won! If you got elected President, what are the 3 changes you would make to healthcare? I would create a single payer, government based system of healthcare. The best healthcare coverage I ever had was Medicaid. Seniors love their Medicare. Our health should not be profit based. I would increase funding for genetic and stem cell research to improve disease prevention and treatment. Lipedema is a congenital condition for which the gene has yet to be identified. I would mandate all adults to have a Living Will, at age 18 require the advisement of rights and assistance in creating a Living Will of end of life wishes. Can be reviewed and changed as needed, complete renewal at retirement age. I might not be able to enact those healthcare changes but I will continue to advocate for the passage of the Lymphedema Treatment Act and the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act.
0.68515	Where do Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn go when the paparazzi aren't looking? The pop star has been notoriously reclusive since the infamous Kim Kardashian tape broke last year, and since her relationship with actor Tom Hiddleston quickly sputtered out—rumored to be the result of both his desires to take their relationship public, and the watchful eyes of the paparazzi, who refused to leave the blissful couple be. So with her new man, the British actor Joe Alwyn, Swift has been hiding from the spotlight so they can get to know each other on more intimate terms than might usually be afforded one of the most famous people on the planet. This means a lot of covert shuttling from place to place, a cancelled Fourth of July bash (all apologies to her bouncy slide), an alleged ride in a roadie case (a story that, entertaining while it lasted, was since retracted by the photo service Splash News), and, now, a couples' retreat to the gym in matching hoodies to shield their faces from the flashbulbs. (It sort of proves her point, we'll admit, that even this outing was fastidiously documented by the paps.) Alwyn and Swift were seen exiting Swift's New York apartment en route to get their cardio in, having just returned from visiting friends Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds in Rhode Island. "She is in a happy place, even though she seems like she is hiding. She is taking care of her body and is really healthy," a source told E! News. (Spoken like a true captive.) "Taylor is just taking extra precautionary measures in this relationship so her life is not out to the world like her past relationships," the source added. This might be a fantasy, but given Swift and Alwyn have mostly been photographed together over the past couple of months—a coffee date in Nashville, joint outings to visit friends and family, co-excursions to the gym (could Alwyn have fit in that roadie case, too?)—I imagine the couple, when they've retreated from the eyes of photographers, asking each other 36 questions, staring deeply into each other's eyes, sipping tea in a concrete bunker worthy of 10 Cloverfield Lane—a crash course in relationship-ing. (They've already met each other's parents, who "love" them together. From time to time, they surface to restock their PG Tips, get some steps in, and assure family and friends that everything's fine, mom. Which sounds more stressful than simply going about their business—isn't there a middle ground between total seclusion and an "I HEART TS" tank? Not that I've though particularly hard about it. It must be bleak to be accosted by photographers as soon as you step out of your building, but hey, it beats hitching a ride in a large black case. It does leave one to wonder, where does Swift, who was just nominated for an MTV Video Music Award for her collaboration with Zayn Malik, fit in studio time? Where's the record, Taylor?? Related: Taylor Swift Raps About New Love on "...Ready For It?"
0.933633	IBM has released its annual "Commuter Pain Index," which ranks traffic congestion in 20 metropolitan areas around the world. According to IBM, the Commuter Pain Index includes 10 issues: "1) commuting time, 2) time stuck in traffic, agreement that: 3) price of gas is already too high, 4) traffic has gotten worse, 5) start-stop traffic is a problem, 6) driving causes stress, 7) driving causes anger, 8) traffic affects work, 9) traffic so bad driving stopped, and 10) decided not to make trip due to traffic." Each metropolitan area is given a score between 0 and 100, with the highest score indicating the worst traffic congestion (See Table). Favorable Urban Planning Characteristics Associated with Intense Traffic Congestion: The worst traffic congestion was recorded in the developing world metropolitan areas of Beijing, Mexico City, Johannesburg, Moscow, Delhi and Sao Paulo. In many ways, these metropolitan areas exhibit characteristics most admired by current urban planning principles. Automobile ownership and per capita driving is low. Transit carries at least 40% of all travel in each of the metropolitan areas. Yet traffic is intense. This is due to another urban planning "success," objective, high population densities. Higher population densities are inevitably associated with greater traffic congestion (and more intense local air pollution), whether in the United States or internationally. All six of these metropolitan areas scored 75 or above, where a score of 100 would be the worst possible congestion. The next five metropolitan areas have accomplished nearly as much from an urban planning perspective. Milan, Buenos Aires, Madrid, London and Paris all achieve more than 20% transit market shares, and their higher urban densities also lead to greater traffic congestion. Each scores between 35 and 52. Traffic congestion is less in the next group, which includes Toronto, Los Angeles, Berlin, Amsterdam and Montreal. With the exception of Berlin, transit market shares are less, though the urban densities in all are above average US, Canadian and Australian levels. Amsterdam, the smallest metropolitan area among the 20, scores surprisingly poorly, since smaller urban areas are generally associated with lower levels of traffic congestion. The Least Congested Metropolitan Areas: Four metropolitan areas scored under 20, achieving the most favorable traffic congestion ratings. New York scores 19, with its somewhat lower density (the New York urban density is less than that of San Jose). Even lower density Melbourne and Houston score 17, tying for the second best traffic conditions. Stockholm achieves the best traffic congestion score, at 15, despite its comparatively high density. Stockholm is probably aided by its modest size which is similar to that of Orlando (Florida). The Houston Advantage: Perhaps the biggest surprise is Houston's favorable traffic congestion ranking. Houston has the lowest urban density of the 20 metropolitan areas. Houston has the lowest transit market share, by far, at only 1%. Houston also has the highest per capita automobile use among the IBM metropolitan areas. Yet Houston scored better than any metropolitan area on the list except for much smaller Stockholm. As late as 1985, Houston had the worst traffic congestion in the United States, according to the annual rankings of the Texas Transportation Institute. Public officials, perhaps none more than Texas Highway Commission Chair and later Mayor Bob Lanier led efforts to improve Houston's road capacity, despite explosive population growth. Their initiatives paid off. By 1998, Houston had improved to 16th in traffic congestion in the United States. The population growth has been incessant, so much so that Houston has added more new residents since 1985 than live in Stockholm and more than half as many as live in Melbourne. While Houston had slipped to 11th in traffic congestion by 2007, the recent opening of a widened Katy Freeway and other improvements should keep the traffic moving in Houston better than in virtually all of the world's other large metropolitan areas. Submitted by ymouel on Mon, 05/25/2015 - 05:05. You have given more than visitors expectancy. This post is very helpful, edifying and in addition cool thoughts on the topic. Submitted by david watson on Sun, 05/10/2015 - 17:24. Submitted by xijozx1122 on Sun, 05/10/2015 - 08:24. Submitted by david watson on Thu, 05/07/2015 - 16:38. Submitted by abhkr4455 on Tue, 05/05/2015 - 03:15. Submitted by johnz308 on Sat, 05/02/2015 - 13:10. Submitted by xijozx1122 on Sun, 04/26/2015 - 08:17. Submitted by zac1 on Sat, 04/25/2015 - 03:30. Submitted by david watson on Wed, 04/22/2015 - 08:04. Submitted by xijozx1122 on Sat, 04/18/2015 - 03:19.
0.99996	If you’re in a hurry and don’t have time to go through all the reviews and buying advice compiled by our researchers but you do want to find the best cordless angle grinder money can buy, this short paragraph should tell you everything you need to know. We have gathered a lot of information about the best cordless angle grinder on the market by looking at owner feedback, expert review sites, overall brand quality and even social media activity. Out of the products we have looked at the Dewalt DCG412B is the best because it comes with a powerful 7,000 RPM motor that can cut, polish and grind most materials. The handle can be adjusted for maximum comfort and control, and you don’t need to find an extra tool whenever you change the wheel. If the Dewalt DCG412B is not available, you could consider the Makita XAG06Z as it is the second best option. The best cordless angle grinder reviews agree that choosing a tool with the right power and speed capabilities is crucial if you want to be able to finish your projects quickly and easily. The power refers to the amp and wattage ratings, and you can usually find this information listed in the product’s description. Angle grinders with lower power ratings are often less expensive and can be used for most household applications. The speed refers to how many rotations the disc can make in a minute, and it is generally between 5,000 to 10,000. While a higher RPM will allow you to finish faster, it can also increase your risk of injury if you are not careful. Some cordless angle grinders for sale are larger and heavier than other models and are typically used for industrial applications. For tasks around the home or in a workshop you will probably want to choose one that is compact and lightweight. Not only will it be more comfortable to use for longer periods of time, smaller tools also make it easier for you to work in cramped spaces. For added comfort while you are working you might want to choose an angle grinder with a handle that minimizes vibrations. There are a few features to consider, depending on your budget. Models that come with a battery and charger can often be used right out of the box, and this also means that you don’t have to spend money on replacements. You do want to look at battery life to make sure that it can power the tool longer enough for you to finish working. Discs that can be changed out without the use of tools are also convenient, and some higher priced models also come with one or two to help you get started. It should be noted that the number of features and accessories will affect the price, and deciding on a budget will help you determine which ones are necessary in order for you to finish your projects with a minimum amount of time and effort. An angle grinder is a convenient tool to have whenever you need to cut, grind or polish materials. The power and speed needed will vary depending on the application which means we can’t choose the right one for you. We do have the best angle grinders of 2019 showcased below so you can easily make an informed decision based on your needs and budget. If you are looking for an angle grinder with plenty of power that is still comfortable and easy to use the Dewalt DCG412B might be the perfect choice for you. The powerful motor is capable of up to 7,000 rotations per minute so you can grind, cut and polish a variety of materials without any problems. When it is time to change the disc out the “quick change wheel release” ensures that you don’t need to find an extra tool so you can get back to working without losing any time. You will appreciate the comfort and versatility you get with the two position handle. It is located on the side to give you improved control, and this also makes it easier for you to work in tight spaces. The trigger switch also comes with a “lock off” button for added comfort while you are working. You will appreciate its compact 14 ¼ inch size when you are working in cramped spaces and its ergonomic design helps to ensure it is comfortable to use. It is compatible with 18V lithium ion batteries, though it should be noted that this needs to be purchased separately. Where this model really stands out is its power which can cut, grind and polish a variety of materials, and it will automatically adjust the speed and torque while you are working to ensure a consistent performance. The brushless motor is designed to last longer, and since it is controlled electronically it can help conserve battery power. In some cases it can help the battery last up to 50 percent longer than other models so you can easily finish your task before it needs to be recharged. With the 4- pole motor capable of 10,000 RPM you have the speed and power you need to work with a variety of materials, including tile, metal and even some stone. It is also designed to help conserve battery power so you can work longer, and in some cases it can provide you with up to 25 percent more cuts than other leading models. Its compact 4 ½ size ensures that it is lightweight and easy to control, even when you are working in tight places. The discs are easy to change out when needed, and there is even room in the included case for their storage. The case not only makes storing the cordless angle grinder a breeze, it also helps to protect it from damage when it is not being used.
0.999998	How to choose the best DJ for your wedding? The trend of hiring DJs at weddings is very common and almost everybody hires one. The choice of DJ should be made wisely while taking under consideration a number of factors. First of all, you should visit those DJs who are well known and who are certain to make the event livelier according to your desires. You can consider DJs whose performance you have already seen in another wedding and admired. You can also ask your friends to recommend some good DJs who have enough knowledge about them. You should not take any risks while making this choice because music is one of the most noticeable parts of a wedding. After shortlisting two or three top list DJs, you should visit them yourself if you find time to do so; otherwise, you can also ask any reliable friend to do the job. Then you should definitely go for the best of them. After that, you must tell him about all your requirements related to music, such as when to play party music, when to play romantic music and so on. You can also specify the songs for different events of the wedding, like the music when the bride and groom enter the lace, when they cut the cake or do any other traditional activities. Similarly, for the reception and dances at the entrance and at the end of the wedding; the complete theme should be set and the DJ should be told about all the musical requirements clearly so that there are no mistakes made later. You should also specify the number of hours you will want the DJ to work during the wedding. Moreover, if there is a chance of the event getting finished late at night, he must be informed about that earlier as well. All the related matters should be sorted out and the charges must be finalized before the ceremony. If you want some additional services from the DJ, like focusing the spotlight on the bride, there would definitely be some additional charges but you should try considering the packages for weddings offered at affordable rates. On the wedding day, you should ask someone to check in on the DJ every once in a while to make sure everything is working nicely. The DJ should also be offered food and should be treated with respect like the other guests. It is okay to trust the choice of the DJ for the songs to be played randomly at the event at the time of dinner, as he knows about the music that is suitable for that specific time. However, you can also provide him with your own playlist that you like. All these things must be kept in mind while hiring a DJ in order to enjoy only the best services and make the wedding ceremony even more memorable.
0.999994	Why is [Ca] 3d^3 is not a valid configuration? not a valid configuration. The valid configuration is [Ca] 4s^2.
0.959901	"Are We There Yet??" "Almost, precious, give or take another twelve chapters." With those words, Sauron forged the One Ring, the vessel of his power and the pivot on which the fate of Middle-earth would turn for five thousand years—until the most unlikely of heroes did the one thing Sauron could never have imagined, and brought his dark tower tumbling down. The story was originally intended as a shorter sequel to The Hobbit, but as its author famously remarked, "the tale grew in the telling." The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien is too well-known, and too complex, to be summarised in full. Succinctly, it is by far the most recent addition to the Canon of Western epic literature and is, in the words of Jude Fisher, the "Ur fantasy trilogy", which set the stage for the entire modern genre that followed in its wake. The Lord of the Rings (Animated) - The Ralph Bakshi animated adaptation. The Return of the King (Animated) - The Rankin-Bass animated adaptation of the third part. The Lord of the Rings (Film series) - The Peter Jackson live action adaptation. Easily the most well-known version. In addition, there has been a BBC radio adaptation, three Tabletop RPGs set in Middle-earth, and several video games or mods. There is also a tabletop miniature game by Games Workshop, and a board wargame was published by Simulations Publications, Inc. in the late 1970's. The first attempt to make a screen version was made in 1958 by a certain Zimmerman, who wrote a film script for The Lord of the Rings. J.R.R. Tolkien looked through it and in his letter to Forrest Ackerman heavily criticized this feeble attempt. It turned out that the script didn't reflect many of Tolkien's thoughts and some of the characters lost their appeal. There was another aborted attempt by John Boorman to adapt the books in the 70's. It would've been live action and the notes from it might have suggested that adaptation might have looked like Zardoz. The Harvard Lampoon published a parody titled Bored of the Rings in 1969, which manages to cover the entire journey in under 200 pages. Black Speech: The language of Sauron and Mordor. Echoing Acoustics used to be named "Live from Khazad Dum". Kneel Before Frodo: Aragorn bows to Frodo and Sam at Cormallen during the honoring of the Ring-bearers. Mordor: Although only true for parts of it (Volcanic soil is usually very fertile). The south of Mordor has huge fertile farmlands, which are needed to keep the Mooks fed. Mythopoeia: Tolkien coined the term. Our Orcs Are Different: Formed the template that all modern fantasy copies from. Ring of Power: Several rings, but The One Ring is nicknamed this. Short Cuts Make Long Delays: Spoken first by Pippin. Walk Into Mordor: that dreaded thing, what which one does not simply do. You Shall Not Pass: Spoken first by Gandalf as "You cannot pass.", though the movie is the actual trope namer. The majority of tropes used in LotR are well-explained, unlike in the majority of its imitators. For instance, Mordor has large fertile areas offstage where food is grown, thus explaining how Sauron's armies survive in the volcanic hellscape around Barad-dur. The Ring is also more than just a convenient MacGuffin—its effects matter too much for that. This is largely due to the immensely elaborated Backstory and Tolkien's life-defining experiences in The Great War. There were, though, some tropes JRR Tolkien couldn't justify to his satisfaction, not helped by the fact that he updated his mythos constantly over a period of years, creating a minor Continuity Snarl at times but never quite reaching the Shrug of God. He spent years trying to decide how orcs could be Exclusively Evil without being born evil or soulless - since Eru would not give creatures born evil souls, on moral grounds, Morgoth was unable to create souls, and Tolkien believed anything without a soul would be a mere animal - but he never found any answer he liked. It was philosophical niggles like this that stopped him from publishing The Silmarillion in his lifetime. His son Christopher did it anyway, to the delight of all Tolkien scholars, and most of his readers. Please note that this is the page for tropes used in the book. See above for the links to pages for the movies. This page was last edited on 26 October 2018, at 00:42.
0.984754	If I haven't imported my RAW files into Lightroom with the sidecar files attached, how can I save/export the file so that another person can open the file and not have to re-do all my work? Probably one of the easier ways is to convert the file to DNG, which will allow the changes to be embedded in the file. Adobe has a writeup on how to do it. It does mean, however, that the recipient must have software that can handle DNG, but there are both commercial and free platforms that can do it. The latter 2 answers suggested to utilize DNG. The only other method would be to utilize sidecar files (.xml) files that lightroom provides. I've had recently had a lightroom catalog die on me. I had to create a new lightroom catalog. The sidecar files don't save your information about flagging or picks. I had to redo that. Brushes, exposure settings, etc were all saved! I would say you have two options. You can either export your library to DNG files, or generate XMP sidecar files for your catalogs. Either way should be effective, and ultimately both are probably similarly compatible. To export your images to DNG, simply go to Library mode, select the root folders of your collection, and change to grid view. Hit CRTL+A (Windows...not sure of the mac shortcut) to select all, then hit CTRL+SHIFT+E to export. You can either use the Lightroom preset "Export to DNG" and simply export...which will use the original names with new extensions, embed metadata, or you can customize and choose how you wish to name, what size preview jpeg to embed, whether to resize, etc. Exporting an entire catalog to DNG can take a while, especially if you have configured Lightroom to embed original RAW images in the DNG's as well. A quicker alternative might be to simply enable XMP sidecar files, and generate metadata for your library. Generating XMP sidecar files is pretty easy...simply right-click any root folder in any drive in your catalog, and select "Save Metadata". Lightroom will generate XMP sidecar files for every photo you currently have included in your catalog. In my catalog, which is about 8000 photos right now, it takes a couple minutes to generate XMP sidecars for every photo...all of which are RAW. My advice would also be to use DNG as DNG is a raw format. However, I believe that it if you tell Lightroom to write the chances to XMP it will create the sidecar file if needed, so rather than exporting all you need to do is right click, then show in Finder (or Explorer if you're using Windows) and then find the sidecar file. Your best best is to convert the files to Adobe's RAW format - DNG. This is a RAW format that keeps the edit information in the file itself. For me DNG is useless as most of my clients don't want this format. Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged lightroom raw or ask your own question. How do I backup raw files and lightroom metadata without running lightroom? Is there an quicker method (script/plugin) to export sidecar JPEG from Lightroom? What's the difference between using RAW or JPG with After Effects? Working on JPEG saved from RAW is this the same as working on RAW ? How do I convert multiple RAW files to jpeg in Photoshop Elements 11 without losing the RAW?
0.903506	Why not maglev or hyperloop? China built a short maglev line to the Shanghai airport to test the feasibility of the technology for longer trips. The result? They're sticking with traditional high-speed rail technology. The vast majority of high-speed rail systems around the world use conventional "steel wheel on steel rail" technology. This is the same basic concept that the world's first machine-powered railroad used in 1830. Since then, we've moved from steam to diesel to electric power. We've made curves and slopes more gentle, introduced advanced signaling systems and found other ways to improve safety, reliability and speed. But like 1830's Liverpool and Manchester railway, modern high-speed rail still rolls on two rails that are 4 feet, 8 and a half inches (1.435 m) apart. This doesn't mean the world hasn't tried other technologies. Since the beginning of the 20th century, magnetic levigation, or maglev, has perpetually been "the future" of rail. More than 100 years have passed since the first patents were issued, and maglev has yet to prove itself reliable or effective. The challenges in designing a functional maglev system seem to outweigh the potential benefits. China inaugurated the world's fastest commercial maglev line in 2004, connecting the Shanghai airport to the city's outskirts, where one must then transfer to the metro to continue to the city center or main rail station. The line was intended to be a test for a 105 mi (169 km) line from Shanghai to Hangzhou. After evaluating the airport line's high construction and operating costs, China opted to build the link to Hangzhou in 2010 using traditional high-speed rail technology. Hyperloop is an evolution of maglev that operates inside an airless tube, similar to the machine that shuttles items back and forth at a bank drive-through. Los Angeles to San Francisco in 30 minutes may sound appealing, but you have to do it strapped into a reclined seat in a windowless cylinder. Forget about seeing the scenery or going to the bathroom. Production of a full-scale, working hyperloop model is taking longer and costing more than expected. Transportation experts have also noted that hyperloop backers have wildly underestimated the costs of right-of-way acquisition, construction and operating. Beyond technical or financial snafus, the single biggest weakness of systems like maglev and hyperloop is that they can't take advantage of the vast network of railroads that already crisscross our country. They can't access the stations that are already nestled among the skyscrapers in our downtowns or on our small-town main streets. Around the world, successful high-speed rail systems are extentions and additions to existing railroad networks, which maglev or hyperloop simply cannot be.
0.998345	Stores the given value with the specified #Gadget3D item. This value can later be read with the GetGadgetItemData3D() function. This allows to associate a custom value with the items of a gadget. This value will remain with the item, even if the item changes its index (for example because other items were deleted). Item The item to set the data value. First item index starts from zero. Value The new value to associate with the 3D gadget item.
0.86393	On 15 September 2012, a protest by Salafi Muslims against perceived anti-Islamic film Innocence of Muslims was held in Sydney, New South Wales. While the protest started peacefully, violent confrontations between police and protesters began when protesters reached the United States Consulate General. In resulting clashes, six police officers and 19 protesters were injured. The violence was condemned by Australian political leaders, including Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Police arrested nine protesters in connection with the violence. The protest, through Pitt Street pedestrian mall and Martin Place, temporarily shut down parts of the city, instilling fear in members of the public (interviewed by live television crews), and was later brought under control by police. A protester carries a sign reading "behead all those who insult the prophet". The protest started at about midday when approximately 100 people gathered at the Sydney Town Hall before marching along George Street to Martin Place where the US Consulate is located. Conflict between the protesters and the police started when the former tried to enter the US Consulate. The police used capsicum spray to push the protesters back from the consulate. According to one protester this aggravated the crowd, as many had brought their children. The crowd then moved to Hyde Park, where around 300 people had gathered. Further clashes erupted as police used capsicum spray on protesters who at times threw bottles at police. Protesters chanted "Down, down USA" and carried Sunni Islamist flags and signs saying, "Behead all those who insult the prophet", "Our dead are in paradise, your dead are in hell", "Shariah will dominate the world", and "Obama Obama, we love Osama" and threw bottles and objects retrieved from construction sites at police officers. The police responded by spraying capsicum spray into the crowd. Six police officers were injured of which two were hospitalized. Police form a line in Hyde Park. As the crowd started to leave Hyde Park near St James, Public Order and Riot Squad officers equipped with batons and riot shields had already been stationed at the park exit. Protestors continued to throw stones, sticks and bottles at the police. Riot and mounted police pursued protesters down William Street towards Kings Cross. The already splintered crowd then broke up further, running through the back streets of Darlinghurst with police chasing after them. Police blocked several CBD streets, including the intersection of Martin Place and Castlereagh Street, parts of George Street and Market Street while protestors attempted to move through the city. Nine men were arrested. Police continued to investigate the event using photographs published by news networks to identify people who attended the protest, stating that not all those caught on camera were guilty of offences, but might be able to help identify those who had acted violently. The Counter Terrorism Squad reported that they had identified a number of men known to have criminal convictions, although not necessarily linked to terrorist groups. Mohammed Issai Issaka was convicted for riot and assaulting police, and after losing an appeal, was jailed in April 2014. Others received suspended sentences for affray and resisting arrest, fines or good behaviour bonds for offenses ranging from assault, damaging property, to offensive language. The Australian reported that several of the protestors were carrying the black flags of an organisation described as al-Qa'ida sympathisers. An unnamed Muslim leader was quoted in the paper as saying that the protest had been hijacked by a group known as "Sixth Pillar", the name being a reference to the "Five Pillars of Islam" with jihad being claimed by some to be the "sixth pillar of Islam". The group may be linked to the controversial Sydney Sheikh Feiz Mohammed. The protest group rallies in Hyde Park. The Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, condemned the violence saying, "Violent protest is never acceptable - not today, not ever." The Premier of New South Wales, Barry O'Farrell, condemned the violence and promised to hold the perpetrators accountable, and that he was "delighted there has been such a strong statement by Islamic leaders and scholars". The Federal Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott, also condemned the use of violence and called on the perpetrators to be prosecuted. Leaders of 25 Muslim organisations met on the Monday night and said that the protests over the film were "unacceptable and un-Islamic", and that they did not support even peaceful protest. The Board of Imams Victoria met on 17 September to discuss strategies to prevent riots in Melbourne. The President of the Australian National Imams Council emphasised the importance of correct education of the younger generation. The plan of the Board of Imams Victoria was that the same message of peace should be preached across Australia on Friday 21 September with parents being urged to stay at home with their children after Friday prayers. Sheik Azeim urged all young Muslims in Australia to remember that they are Australians first, and that facilities such as schools, hospitals and the social security organisation Centrelink did not question whether they were Muslim. An ABC Four Corners investigation "Plan of Attack" found that some leaders of the protest and prayers were involved in terrorist recruitment for ISIS and local planned terrorist operations. Among those involved with terrorist links were Khaled Sharrouf and Mohamed Elomar. ^ a b c Pearson, Nick; Meddows, Dave (15 September 2012). "Muslim protesters clash with police in Sydney". News.ninemsn.com.au. Archived from the original on 17 September 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012. ^ a b "Violent Sydney protest erupts". The Queensland Times. 17 September 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2012. ^ Gridneff, Ilya (15 September 2012). "Police gas Sydney protesters". Sydney Morning Herald. ^ Cooper, Hayden (17 September 2012). "Text messages and terror connections inflame Muslim protests - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)- Abc.net.au. Retrieved 17 September 2012. ^ AFP (15 September 2012). "Anti-Islam film protests spread to Sydney". youtube.com. Retrieved 30 September 2012. ^ "EDITORIAL: Respect absent in needless riot". couriermail.com.au. 17 September 2012. ^ Benson, Simon. "Behead banners belong in dark ages". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 September 2012. ^ Ritz, Erica. "HUNDREDS RIOT OUTSIDE U.S. CONSULATE IN SYDNEY: 'BEHEAD ALL THOSE WHO INSULT THE PROPHET'". theblaze.com. Archived from the original on 18 September 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2012. ^ Cooper, Hayden (18 September 2012). "Texts show origin of Sydney protest". ABC News. Retrieved 30 September 2012. ^ Bashan, Yoni (16 September 2012). "Arrests made after police officers injured at anti-Islamic film protest in Sydney CBD". Herald Sun. ^ a b "Islam video protest in Syd CBD". Sky News Australia. 15 September 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2012. ^ Morri, Mark. "Rioter Mohammed Issai Issaka's apology fails to reduce sentence for role in Hyde Park riot". The Daily Telegraph. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 December 2014. ^ "Sydney rioter Benjamin Homan given suspended sentence". The Australian. AAP. Retrieved 24 December 2014. ^ Bodkin, Peter. "Dog attack rioter Abdullah Traljesic spat the dummy". The Daily Telegraph. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 December 2014. ^ FIFE-YEOMANS, JANET. "Convicted Muslim rioter Omar Halaby clashes with police again, charged with using offensive language". The Daily Telegraph. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 December 2014. ^ Bodkin, Peter. "Protester Omar Halaby regrets 'reckless' actions during Muslim protests". The Daily Telegraph. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 December 2014. ^ Bashan, Yoni. "Arrests made after police officers injured at anti-Islamic film protest in Sydney CBD". News.com.au. Retrieved 16 September 2012. ^ Rachel Olding. "Sydney Muslim protests \| Muslims inundated with messages of hate". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 22 September 2012. ^ "How the Hyde Park riot fired up two Australian Muslim terrorists, Khaled Sharrouf and Mohamed Elomar". The Daily Telegraph (Sydney). 1 October 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2016. Aly, Waleed (17 September 2012). "The Incredible Muslim Hulk proves to be no friend of Islam either". smh.com.au. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
0.99917	"The King’s Speech" (El discurso del rey), un drama británico que narra los esfuerzos del monarca Jorge VI por superar su tartamudez antes del inicio de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, encabezó el martes las candidaturas a los Oscar con 12 nominaciones. "True Grit", un western sobre la intrépida tarea de una joven por encontrar a los asesinos de su padre, le sigue con 10 candidaturas. El thriller de ciencia ficción "Inception" y el drama sobre el origen de Facebook "The Social Network" aspiran a ocho estatuillas cada una. La edición 83 de la entrega de los premios de la Academia de las Ciencias y las Artes se celebrará en Hollywood el 27 de febrero. 1. Mejor película: "Black Swan", "The Fighter", "Inception", "The Kids Are All Right", "The King’s Speech", "127 Hours", "The Social Network", "Toy Story 3", "True Grit", "Winter’s Bone". 2. Actor: Javier Bardem, "Biutiful"; Jeff Bridges, "True Grit"; Jesse Eisenberg, "The Social Network"; Colin Firth, "The King’s Speech"; James Franco, "127 Hours". 3. Actriz: Annette Bening, "The Kids Are All Right"; Nicole Kidman, "Rabbit Hole"; Jennifer Lawrence, "Winter’s Bone"; Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"; Michelle Williams, "Blue Valentine". 4. Actor de reparto: Christian Bale, "The Fighter"; John Hawkes, "Winter’s Bone"; Jeremy Renner, "The Town"; Mark Ruffalo, "The Kids Are All Right"; Geoffrey Rush, "The King’s Speech". 5. Actriz de reparto: Amy Adams, "The Fighter"; Helena Bonham Carter, "The King’s Speech"; Melissa Leo, "The Fighter"; Hailee Steinfeld, "True Grit"; Jacki Weaver, "Animal Kingdom". 6. Director: Darren Aronofsky, "Black Swan"; David O. Russell, "The Fighter"; Tom Hooper, "The King’s Speech"; David Fincher, "The Social Network"; Joel Coen y Ethan Coen, "True Grit". 7. Película extranjera: "Biutiful", México; "Kynodontas" ("Colmillos"), Grecia; "Hævnen", Dinamarca; "Incendies", Canadá; "Hors-la-loi", Argelia. 8. Guión adaptado: Danny Boyle y Simon Beaufoy, "127 Hours"; Aaron Sorkin, "The Social Network"; Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton y Lee Unkrich, "Toy Story 3"; Joel Coen y Ethan Coen, "True Grit"; Debra Granik y Anne Rosellini, "Winter’s Bone". 9. Guión original: Mike Leigh, "Another Year"; Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson y Keith Dorrington, "The Fighter"; Christopher Nolan, "Inception"; Lisa Cholodenko y Stuart Blumberg, "The Kids Are All Right"; David Seidler, "The King’s Speech". 10. Largometraje animado: "How to Train Your Dragon", "The Illusionist", "Toy Story 3". 11. Dirección de arte: "Alice in Wonderland", "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1", "Inception", "The King’s Speech", "True Grit". 12. Cinematografía: "Black Swan", "Inception", "The King’s Speech", "The Social Network", "True Grit". 13. Mezcla de sonido: "Inception", "The King’s Speech", "Salt", "The Social Network", "True Grit". 14. Edición de sonido: "Inception", "Toy Story 3", "Tron: Legacy", "True Grit", "Unstoppable". 15. Música original: "How to Train Your Dragon", John Powell; "Inception", Hans Zimmer; "The King’s Speech", Alexandre Desplat; "127 Hours", A.R. Rahman; "The Social Network", Trent Reznor y Atticus Ross. 16. Canción original: "Coming Home" de "Country Strong", Tom Douglas, Troy Verges y Hillary Lindsey; "I See the Light" de "Tangled", Alan Menken y Glenn Slater; "If I Rise" de "127 Hours", A.R. Rahman, Dido y Rollo Armstrong; "We Belong Together" de "Toy Story 3", Randy Newman. 17. Vestuario: "Alice in Wonderland", "I Am Love", "The King’s Speech", "The Tempest", "True Grit". 18. Largometraje documental: "Exit through the Gift Shop", "Gasland", "Inside Job", "Restrepo", "Waste Land". 19. Documental corto: "Killing in the Name", "Poster Girl", "Strangers No More", "Sun Come Up", "The Warriors of Qiugang". 20. Edición: "Black Swan", "The Fighter", "The King’s Speech", "127 Hours", "The Social Network". 21. Maquillaje: "Barney’s Version", "The Way Back", "The Wolfman". 22. Cortometraje animado: "Day and Night", "The Gruffalo", "Let’s Pollute", "The Lost Thing", "Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary)". 23. Cortometraje: "The Confession", "The Crush", "God of Love", "Na Wewe", "Wish 143". 24. Efectos visuales: "Alice in Wonderland", "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1", "Hereafter", "Inception", "Iron Man 2".
0.95457	In the 1950's, a small group of students and researchers, working at Princeton University under Robert H. Dicke, probably first gave substance to the concept of what would become the technique of optical laser ranging [Alley, 1972]. In an attempt to probe the fundamentals of gravity, they suggested that powerful, pulsed searchlights on the Earth be used to illuminate optical corner retroreflectors placed upon an orbiting artificial Earth satellite. One could then precisely analyze the orbital characteristics of that satellite's motion by photographing its position against the background of fixed stars. The invention of the laser, with its precise wavelength and beam divergence characteristics, coupled with the technique of Q-Switching to produce laser pulse lengths on the order of only a few nanoseconds, caused a re-thinking of the artificial satellite photography experiment and ushered in the era of optical laser ranging. Procedures similar to those which were performed with microwave radars were upgraded to provide optical range measurements that had remarkable precision and accuracy. The initial such laser-to-target-and-return time-of-flight experiments were made at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland in the mid-1960's. Degnan has recently reviewed U. S. artificial satellite ranging efforts. The concept of receiving laser light echoes from the lunar surface proceeded more or less in parallel with the artificial satellite experiments. However, the spreading of a beam of outgoing laser light as it interacted with, and was reflected by, the moon's rough topography made ultra-precise distance determinations, as was done with artificial satellites, an impossibility. A number of such lunar experiments had been performed in the early 1960's, both at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and in the former Soviet Union, but with little success. A later, more refined concept recommended the deployment of a corner retroreflector package on the lunar surface as a part of one of the unmanned, soft-landing Surveyor missions. This was never brought to fruition, however. It was only in the late 1960's, with the birth of the NASA Apollo project for landing an astronaut safely on the moon, that the concept of laser ranging to a lunar surface corner retroreflector package became a reality. The first deployment of such a package on the lunar surface took place during the Apollo 11 mission in the summer of 1969 and lunar laser ranging (LLR) became a reality [Bender et al., 1973]. Additional retroreflector packages were landed on the lunar surface by NASA during the Apollo 14 and Apollo 15 missions. Two French-built retroreflector packages were soft-landed on the lunar surface by Soviet landers [Barker et al., 1975]. For historical completeness, it should be mentioned that the very first lunar laser ranging observations of the Apollo 11 retroreflector package were made with the 3.1-m telescope at Lick Observatory [Faller et al., 1969]. However, the ranging system at Lick was designed solely for quick acquisition and confirmation, rather than for an extended program. In those very early days, successful lunar laser range measurements were also reported by the Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories Lunar Ranging Observatory in Arizona [AFCRL, 1969] the Pic du Midi Observatory in France [Calame et al., 1970] and the Tokyo Astronomical Observatory [Kozai, 1972]. Over the past almost 30 years, lunar laser ranging has also been accomplished by stations in Maui, the former Soviet Union, Australia, and Germany. A new lunar capable station is being built by researchers in Italy. However, the only stations to produce these observations in a routine and continuous way are the McDonald station in the United States and the CERGA station in France. A paper describing the early efforts of the CERGA station can be found elsewhere in this volume [Veillet et al., 1993]. The emplacement of suitable targets upon the Moon's surface is only part of the task to be performed to accomplish LLR. In order to complete the experiment, suitable observing stations have to be present on the surface of the Earth. Such a station needs to have, in addition to a satisfactory optical telescope to both transmit the outgoing beam and gather in the few lunar reflected photons, a powerful laser, an accurate timing system, and a fast computer. These all have to be coordinated into a smoothly functioning unit and be staffed with a team of skilled personnel. Since, at the time of the NASA Apollo program, neither the time nor the money existed for the construction of such a dedicated station from the ground up, it was necessary to assess a number of presently existing optical observatories to see if at least a nucleus of suitable instrumentation could be had at an already existing site. Although such a station was eventually planned for a facility on top of Mount Haleakala on the island of Maui in the Hawaiian chain, very late in the planning stages for the Apollo 11 mission it was learned that logistical changes at the Hawaii site would make it impossible to install the necessary equipment and modifications, as well as bring everything up to operational status, in time for the Apollo 11 landing, planned for the summer of 1969. It was at this time that Harlan J. Smith, Director of the McDonald Observatory, located in west Texas, near Fort Davis, was approached by the LURE (Lunar Ranging Experiment) team. The new 2.7-meter McDonald reflecting telescope, funded largely by NASA for a major planetary observation program, had just become operational and a commitment to long-term LLR activities was a distinct possibility. In March of 1969, C. O. Alley and D. G. Currie, from the University of Maryland, met with R. G. Tull, of the McDonald Observatory staff, to look at the feasibility of such a project being carried out at McDonald. The present record tells us that the experiment was a magnificent success in that McDonald Observatory had become the premiere LLR station of the 1970's and early 1980's [Silverberg, 1974]. The 2.7-m system, using a Korad ruby laser system, routinely produced LLR normal point data with an accuracy in the range 10-15 cm [Abbot et al., 1973; Shelus et al., 1975; Mulholland et al., 1975]. After almost 16 years of continuous LLR operations at McDonald Observatory, the 2.7-m laser ranging system was de-commissioned and was superseded by a dedicated 0.76-m system [Shelus, 1985]. This new station is capable of ranging to artificial satellites as well as to the Moon. Using many of the plans and most of the equipment that was to be a part of a previously planned mobile LLR system, the MLRS was built to satisfy the following objectives: 1) provide for a continuing program of LLR observations at McDonald Observatory, taking advantage of the experience gained from more than a decade and a half of lunar observations, without requiring access to the 2.7m telescope; 2) take advantage of 15 years of progress in laser, timing, electronics, and computer technology to build a much more accurate station; 3) reduce the cost of McDonald LLR activity with a more highly automated system; 4) provide a permanent, first-quality artificial satellite laser ranging station at a good-weather site in the southwest U. S., sharing costs with the LLR facility; and 5) provide both lunar and artificial satellite observations close to one node of the National Geodetic Survey/International Radio Interferometric Surveying network (NGS/IRIS), permitting efficient comparisons between the laser and radio-interferometric techniques. The MLRS was built around a frequency-doubled neodymium-YAG laser and now produces LLR data approaching 1 cm normal point accuracy. This completely new station was originally positioned in the saddle between Mt. Locke and Mt. Fowlkes and preliminary lunar observations began in the summer of 1983. However, the MLRS saddle site proved to be problematical in several ways. Atmospheric seeing became an immediate problem and some uncertainties with the stability of the telescope's concrete support pad arose. A new site on top of Mt. Fowlkes was developed. The MLRS was moved to its present site in February 1988 and has operated at that site to the present day. Abbot, R. I., P. J. Shelus, J. D. Mulholland, and E. C. Silverberg, Laser observations of the Moon: identification and construction of normal points for 1969-1971, Astron. Jour., 78, 784-793, 1973. Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories, Bull. G�od�sique, 94, 443-444, 1969. Alley, C. O., Story of the development of the Apollo 11 laser ranging retro-reflector experiment, in Adventures in Experimental Physics, edited by B. Maglich, pp. 132-149, 1972. Barker, E. S., O. Calame, J. D. Mulholland, and P. J. Shelus, Improved coordinates for Lunakhod 2 based on laser observations from McDonald Observatory, Space Research, XV, 71-74, 1975. Bender, P. L., D. G. Currie, R. H. Dicke, D. H. Eckhardt, J. E. Faller, W. M. Kaula, J. D. Mulholland, H. H. Plotkin, S. K. Poultney, E. C. Silverberg, D. T. Wilkinson, J. G. Williams, and C. O. Alley, The lunar laser ranging experiment, Science, 182, 229-238, 1973. Calame, O., M.-J. Fillol, G. Gu�rault, R. Muller, A. Orszag, J.-C. Pourny, J. R�sch, and Y. de Valence, Premiers �chos lumineux sur la lune obtenus par le t�l�m�tre du Pic du Midi, Comptes Rendus Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. B, 270, 1637-1640, 1970. Degnan, J. J., Millimeter accuracy satellite laser ranging: a review, in Contributions of Space Geodesy to Geodynamics: Technology, AGU Geodynamics Series, Vol. 25, edited by D. E. Smith and D. L. Turcotte, pp. 133-162, 1993. Faller, J. E., I. Winer, W. Carrion, T. S. Johnson, P. Spadin, L. Robinson, E. J. Wampler, and D. Wieber, Laser beam directed at the lunar retro-reflector array: observations of the first returns, Science, 166, 99-102, 1969. Kozai, Y., Lunar laser ranging experiments in Japan, Space Research, XII 211-217, 1972. Mulholland, J. D., P. J. Shelus, and E. C. Silverberg, Laser observations of the Moon: normal points for 1973, Astron. Jour., 80, 1087-1093, 1975. Shelus, P. J., J. D. Mulholland, and E. C. Silverberg, Laser observations of the Moon: normal points for 1972, Astron. Jour., 80, 154-161, 1975. Shelus, P. J., MLRS: a lunar/artificial satellite laser ranging facility at the McDonald Observatory, IEEE Trans. on Geosci. and Rem. Sens., GE-234, 385-390, 1985. Silverberg, E. C., Operation and performance of a lunar laser ranging station, Appl. Opt., 13, 565-574, 1974. Veillet, C., J. F. Mangin, J. E. Chabaudie, C. Dumoulin, D. Feraudy, and J. M. Torre, Lunar laser ranging at CERGA for the ruby period (1981-1986), in Contributions of Space Geodesy to Geodynamics: Technology, AGU Geodynamics Series, Vol. 25, edited by D. E. Smith and D. L. Turcotte, pp. 133-162, 1993.
0.971474	Lamu txantslusam to na'rìngä frayioang a Yawä ngolop eltungawng. Poltxe muntxateru fayluta srake Yawäl poltxe san zenke yivom menga ta na'rìngä frautral sìk. The brainworm was wiser than all the animals of the forest which Jah created. He said to the wife these-words: Did Jah say, "You-two must not eat from any tree of the forest.?" It's been months since I looked at the language, so I'm trying not to forget everything. How did I do? Lamu txantslusam to na'rìngä frayioang a Yawäl ngolop eltungawngit. Poltxe muntxateru fayluta srake Yawäl poltxe san menga zenke yivom ta na'rìngä kea utral sìk. Poltxe with san/sìk behaves intransitively, so no casing here. As Na'vi can use multiple negation, I changed frautral to kea utral. In the first sentence, there is no need for fray-, because fraioang itself means every-animal, which is already effectively a plural form (animals). The word order "to fraioang na’rìngä" sounds better to me than "to na’rìngä fraioang", but both are correct. because yom needs an object, which we can consequently use as an anchor for subordinate clause "a ta kea utral na’rìngä".
0.963728	Has anyone tried washing microfiber covers in the washing machine? BEST ANSWER: I would recommend using the cleaning code provided: Lightly brush or vacuum frequently to remove dust and grime. Spot clean using a mild water-based solvent. Pre-test cleaning methods on a hidden surface. A professional cleaning service is recommended for an overall soiled condition. The washing machine may cause the covers to shrink.
0.996056	The 7th Cavalry Trail System is located on the Fort Meade Recreation Area and is readily accessible from four different access points on the eastern edges of Sturgis and just off I-90. The trail system is undergoing re-development as of early 2016 as part of a partnership between the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Black Hills area non-profit Black Hills Trails. The trail system is enjoyable today, and the changes, to include proper signage and maps is scheduled to be largely completed within the 2016 calendar year. To access the 7th Cavalry Trail System, a visitor can use the designated trailheads on BLM at the Alkali Creek Campground or Alkali Creek Horse Camp, or just east of Fort Meade the Fort Meade Trailhead. There is also trailhead access available at Lions Club Park in Sturgis, or on Old Stone Road near the Believers Fellowship church, just northeast of I-90 exit 30 on the southern end of town. The trail system on the Fort Meade Recreation Area provides access to the pre-eminent and best known trail in the Black Hills, which is also part of the 7th Cavalry Trail System. This trail, known as the Centennial Trail or Trail #89 extends for more than 100 miles from Bear Butte northeast of Sturgis and runs south connecting some of the most loved recreation opportunities in the Black Hills. The Centennial Trail connects or passes near to Dalton Lake, Nemo, Pactola Reservoir, Mount Rushmore, and Custer State Park to name just a few. How would you rate the 7th Cavalry Trail System in Sturgis? Hiked a loop around the Ft. Meade recreation area, partially on the 7th Cavalry trail and the rest on the Centennial trail. I started at Alkali Creek trail head and racked up close to 10 miles. Still a lot of trail left to explore.
0.995291	What’s the Difference Between Internal Audit & Internal Control? If you want to successfully manage risk, it helps to use the correct risk terms and expressions. Many people use risk terms without realizing that they may not be using the right terminology. It’s easy to become confused because sometimes the field of risk management uses similar terms for different purposes. For example, “Operational Risk Management” has a different meaning in the banking and insurance industry, compared to other industries (oil & gas, mining, manufacturing, chemicals, etc.). Similarly, the term “audit” can refer either to an internal audit conducted by an organization itself, or an external audit performed by an auditing firm hired by the organization. Some people confuse the two when using the term “audit”. This is important because an internal audit and external audit may assess different things, and have different frameworks and workflows. Recently, I came across another confusion between two terms: Internal Audit and Internal Control. The source of the confusion stems mainly from the fact that an internal audit assesses the effectiveness of controls put in place to mitigate risks. Let’s take a deeper look at both concepts. Many people in risk management use this simple formula to explain the difference between Internal Audit and Internal Control: Internal Audit is a function, while Internal Control is a system. Internal audits are performed at specific times to assess: 1) if the company has a good understanding of the risks that it faces, and 2) if the controls put in place to mitigate risks are effective. There is one very important distinction to be made: it is not the job of internal auditors to identify risks, nor to specify the controls that are needed. Internal Audit evaluates whether the process leading to the identification of risks is working well, checks whether controls already in place are working according to the way they are intended to, and evaluates an organization’s governance system and process. Internal Control is made up of procedures, policies and measures designed to make sure that an organization meets its objectives, and that risks that can prevent an organization from meeting its objectives are mitigated. While the Internal Audit function is performed by internal auditors, Internal Control is the responsibility of operational management functions. Another point of contrast is frequency. An internal audit is a check that is conducted at specific times, whereas Internal Control is responsible for checks that are on-going to make sure operational efficiency and effectiveness are achieved through the control of risks. Some risk experts even say that Internal Control is a part of a company’s day-to-day management and administration. Internal Control is part of the first line of defense because it is the responsibility of Operational Management, which itself is accountable to Senior Management. Internal Audit is part of the third line of defense. It even assesses the effectiveness of the first (Operational Management functions) and second (Risk and Compliance Management functions) lines of defense. Moreover, unlike Internal Control, Internal Audit may report directly to the Board of Directors and specifically the Audit Committee, in order to maintain a certain independence and objectivity when assessing other functions in the company that operate at the first two lines of defense. Finally, if you are considering software solutions for Risk Management, knowing the difference between Internal Audit and Internal Control becomes even more important, because both must be managed in different ways due to their unique characteristics. Make sure that the software under consideration addresses the unique needs of both. I didn’t know that auditors didn’t identify risks or specify the controls needed. It would make sense that you would want to have people who could look at what the company was doing and see if it was effective, not necessarily trying to see exactly what is going wrong. Internal auditing must be a really important part of running a business because it allows you to see if what you have done up to that point is working or if it needs to be improved further. It seems like it’s a great way to be able to prepare and prevent instead of waiting for a problem to happen. Thank you so much for this brilliant simple explanation.
0.999978	An infographic highlights reasons why people are moving to Austin. It’s no secret that Austin has become a hotspot for businesses in a range of industries and people looking to work for those businesses, and that Austin is one of the primary home for renters and buyers of Texas coast properties in Rockport, Port Aransas, Mustang Island and Padre Island. Austin is the fastest growing city in the U.S., and for good reason; it offers a fast growing economy and a cost of living that’s 15 percent below the national average. The crime rates are low, the housing market is healthy, and Austin ranks as one of the fittest cities in the U.S., with a population that loves being outdoors and having a great time.
0.97505	(B) Basic Question in .net(dotNet) What is a IL? Twist :- What is MSIL or CIL , What is JIT? Directions (Q. 1-5): In each of the following number series one of the given numbers is wrong. Find out the wrong number. 6. An angry Arjun carried some arrows for fighting with Bheeshm. With half the arrows, he cut down the arrows thrown by Bheeshm on him and with six other arrows he killed the Chariot driver of Bheeshm. With one arrow each he knocked down respectively the Chariot, the flag and the bow of Bheeshm. Finally, with one more than four times the square root of arrows he laid Bheeshm unconscious on an arrow bed. Find the total number of arrows Arjun had. In selection process there will b 3 rounds.. The written test composed of 3 sections. timing problem,sitting arrangement & time & distance.Practise of R.S Agarwal is sufficient for this. used in the CRT monitor.A firm & basic knowledge can easily help in the technical section. What is the procedure to join Indian Army? What is the Criteria for selection and also what are the qualifications required for admission? To join in Indian Army,you should have either complete 12th class or Graduation Degree. If you have complete 12th class recently,then you can appear for NDA exam.Through this exam,you can join Indian Army.Actually this exam take three different wings that Indian Air Force wings,Indian Navy wings and Indian Army wings.As you want to join in Indian Army,so here is eligibility criteria for NDA (Indian Army). And your age should be between 16 1/2 to 19 years. If you fulfill with this criteria,then you can appear for NDA exam of this year. Issuing of application form from 31st Dec 2011 to 30th Jan 2012. And exam will held on 15th April 2012. If You can prepare well to your study books then you can definitely get admission in NDA.You can prepare now GK portion and Mathematics portion. The selection procedure for NDA exam is 1) Written Test. 2) Personal Interview. What is the full form NDA ? Post Graduate Degree in any Science stream/ Mathematics/ Statistics/ Geography/ Computer Applications/ Environmental Science/ Applied Physics/ Oceanography/ Meteorology/ Agricultural Meteorology/ Ecology & Environment/ Geo- Physics/ Environmental Biology with minimum 50% marks in aggregate all papers put together (Provided Maths and Physics were studied at Graduation level, with a minimum of 55% marks in both). Applications are invited for the following project vacancy in ARDB sponsored Project. The position is purely temporary. A minimum of M. Tech. in either of Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering. The candidates with B. Tech in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering with 3 years of work experience in “combustion modeling” are also eligible for the advertised position. Essential: Profound knowledge of Programming, CFD, Grid generation, Combustion, Fluent. The candidates with most suitable background for the present project will be preferred. before 24th August, 2012. No email application will be entertained. Should possess three years Diploma of Junior Engineering or Mechanical Engineering or Electrical Engineering from a State Technical Education Board or from a recognized university or institution. Application Fee : Candidates need to pay application fee of Rs. 1000/- in case of unreserved candidates and Rs. 750/- in case of reserved candidates. A Linux developer works on various Linux and network infrastructure projects in order to improve the performance of the organization by delivering new features and services. S/he works with the business developers and the system administrators to plan and set up new infrastructures and also to modify the existing infrastructures. enterprise versions 4, 5 and 6. Seeking a job role as a Linux developer so that I can make use of my acquired skills in providing high quality software solutions to your organization. 1. Contact Information: First of all your web developer resume should have your contact Information which should be placed at the top with your contact number and email-id, so that the employer can contact you. Full NameComplete AddressContact NumberEmail id 2. Objective: This section is the most important section of your resume. This section includes a brief statement that why you want to join the company for the desired position, your goals and how can you benefits the company. amount of time,what is the speed of the stream? have none of their faces painted? at what price should he sell it? 4. A ball falls from a height of 8ft ,bounces back to half the distance & continues till it comes to rest. what is the total distance travelled by the ball? 5. Which of the following is the sum of 3 consecutive prime nos? 6. If the area of a square has increased by 69%,by what % has its side increased? 1. How many segment registers are there in the 8086 processor? ANS: b I am not sure of it. 3. What is the type of file system used in the CD ROM? 4) About CPU I think but answer is DMA. 5) If we double the clock speed, then? 6) Data recovery is done in which layer? ANS: swapping in and out the pages frequently from memory. 8) By using 3 nodes how many trees can be formed? 9) They give one tree, and ask the post order traversal for that tree? 1) They give one scenario and ask questions on that. that is easy. Those are 5 questions. Q. How much is the playing time of Indian National Anthem? Q. What is the name of the first month of National Calendar of India? Q. What kind of forests cover maximum area in India? Q. What is the stretch of India from north to south? Q. Which Veda gives the first classification of PRAN ( Respiration)? Q. What was the name of State Bank of India Before Nationalization? Q. Which Kind of Forests occupy the highest percentage in India Area Wise? Q. Who wrote the book Tehqiq-i-Hind? Q. What was the biggest building at Mohenjodaro? Q. Where does the term “GOTRA” occurs for the first time? How to Answer - Why should I hire you? Question 7Why should I hire you? We have already discussed about this question but still this is also an important, this can help you to understand, what is the TRAP behind the Questions or the reason why the employer is asking the question to you.. as this is the Killer question you are getting the chance to impress the interviewer by answering the question in the very unique and effective manner by considering the position and the requirement of the company.. TRAPS: Believe it or not, this is a killer question because so many candidates are unprepared for it. If you stammer or adlib you’ve blown it. in Sept month 2012 (2nd Round) . Can Get their CDS 2 II Admit card in August Month 2012 When UPSC Will be published on official site . How To Download CDS 2 II Admit card 2012 ? TRAPS:Beware – if you are unprepared for this question, you will probably not handle it right and possibly blow the interview.Thank goodness most interviewers don’t employ it.It’s normally used by those determined to see how you respond under stress. Here’s how it works:You answer an interviewer’s question and then, instead of asking another, he just stares at you in a deafening silence. How to Answer - Why are you leaving (or did you leave) this position? Question 5 :- Why are you leaving (or did you leave) this position?TRAPS:Never badmouth your previous industry, company, board, boss, staff, employees or customers.This rule is inviolable:never be negative.Any mud you hurl will only soil your suit. Especially avoid words like “personality clash”, “didn’t get along”, or others which cast a shadow on your competence, integrity, or temperament. (If you have a job presently)If you’re not yet 100% committed to leaving your present post, don’t be afraid to say so.Since you have a job, you are in a stronger position than someone who does not.But don’t be coy either.State honestly what you’d be hoping to find in a new spot.Of course, as stated often before, you answer will all the stronger if you have already uncovered what this position is all about and you match your desires to it. If you are interested in the field of software and want a career in that, then persistent systems is the place for you to be. But before trying in for the test you have to choose your subjects. There are placements for computer literates (for development) and for others too. The others are analyzed for quality and testing. The candidate must have attained 60% or above in 10th and 12th, along with pursuing a degree for engineering. To get into this you have to clear a three level test to get into it. The first round has multiple questions. The first 15 questions are based on percentage, age factors, ratio and proportion etc. The next 15 questions are based on C, to find the output and errors and with abcd options. Next 10 questions are related to data structure. Further 5 questions on operating system like UNIX, segmentation etc. 1.Display the first line of a file is using the "head" command. 2.Display the first 2 records of the file using the "head" command. 3.Another way can be by using "sed" command. Sed is a very powerful text editor which can be used for various text manipulation purposes like this. it just does not display those lines in standard output screen. So you only see the remaining line which is the 1st line. 4.Display the last line of a file using "tail" command. 5.Display the last line of a file using "sed" command. Question 4: Tell me about something you did – or failed to do – that you now feel a little ashamed of. HTML / XHTML If you want to study these subjects first, find the tutorials on our Language page. What is CSS?CSS stands for Cascading Style SheetsStyles define how to display HTML elementsStyles were added to HTML 4.0 to solve a problemExternal Style Sheets can save a lot of workExternal Style Sheets are stored in CSS files Styles Solved a Big Problem HTML was never intended to contain tags for formatting a document. HTML and CSS If you want to study these subjects first, find the tutorials on our Languages page. 1. Besides communication cost, what is the other source of inefficiency in RPC? (answer : context switches, excessive buffer copying). How can you optimize the communication? (ans : communicate through shared memory on same machine, bypassing the kernel _ A Univ. of Wash. thesis) 2. Write a routine that prints out a 2-D array in spiral order! 1. A version of the "There are three persons X Y Z, one of which always lies".. etc.. 2. There are 3 ants at 3 corners of a triangle, they randomly start moving towards another corner.. what is the probability that they don't collide. 3. Write an efficient algorithm and C code to shuffle a pack of cards.. this one was a feedback process until we came up with one with no extra storage. 4. The if (x == 0) y = 0 etc.. 6. C++ ( what is virtual function ? what happens if an error occurs in constructor or destructor. Discussion on error handling, templates, unique features of C++. What is different in C++, ( compare with unix). 7. Given a list of numbers ( fixed list) Now given any other list, how can you efficiently find out if there is any element in the second list that is an element of the first list (fixed list).
0.999976	Raman is making shapes using matchsticks. Which word shows an action in the sentence below? Ben dived down on stretched wings.
0.996035	The following is my email response to Seth Godin's blog post: Seven questions for leaders which he posted today. Seth is a world-famous marketing professional and business owner, who has appeared on TED Talks several times. I've been an avid follower of your blog for about a year now, since I saw one of your TED talks. I follow it because I believe it provides crucial information to what I do, ie. organizing the Energy Art Movement. Your last blog entry I felt spoke to me directly, clutching my conscience and dragging it in front of a mirror. So I felt that I must write you, because though you say there are no textbook answers, I kind of feel there should be moral solutions to these riddles. I'd like to ask for further clarification from you, as to what your opinion is on the "right" moral answers. > "Do you let the facts get in the way of a good story?" I'm not sure if I understand this question. I don't embellish stories, I always try to give the precise facts. I usually don't resurrect negative events, and leave them out of stories, unless they significantly affected the rest of the story. They can be very harmful to group motivation. > "What do you do with people who disagree with you... do you call them names in order to shut them down?" Depends. I have had members of the Movement disagree with me, and then I discussed it further with them. I did have to shut down ~3 people in the past (we have just over 100 members, and were founded in 2008). All three happened because they undermined the interests of the group - they caused significant trouble - not merely disagree. But as a consequence, that also meant they disagreed with me, since I always try to look at the interests of the group as a whole. > "Are you open to multiple points of view or you demand compliance and uniformity? [Bonus: Are you willing to walk away from a project or customer or employee who has values that don't match yours?]" I'm open to multiple points of view, but as it usually happens, I have already considered other viewpoints and discarded them, even before others have raised them. I tend to look at things from various angles when I'm planning something. As to the bonus question: it depends on the magnitude of the dissonance. Sometimes dissonance can work beautifully (Beethoven), often it's annoying and must be turned off. In general, I mostly put values/principles first. > "Is it okay if someone else gets the credit?" > "How often are you able to change your position?" You mean whether I ever allow myself to be convinced? I'm open to other ideas, but I only change my position if the other idea is the correct or better one, and then I definitely change it. > "Do you have a goal that can be reached in multiple ways?" All my plans or goals are like that. I only keep the destination in view, and have a couple of vague routes in mind to get there, which crystallize as I get closer. > "If someone else can get us there faster, are you willing to let them?" Yes! As long as it doesn't mean trampling over the group's values and other interests. I've written him the above as an email, looking for his opinion, though I was aware the questions were meant to be rhetorical. In any case, his reply was: "it was rhetorical, you're on your own". Thanks man, that helps! Enlightenment, originally uploaded by Giorgio Vaselli at 8 Mar '11, 5.34pm EST. A Being of Light connects with one lost in Darkness, not without risk to herself. Their multilevel Bond floats in dynamic stillness on the Astral Plane, engulfed by the turbulent exorcism. Can the Enlightenment of another be accomplished without peril to oneself? The painting invests in realism, impressionism, surrealism, expressionism, abstraction, visionary art, dark art, and energy art, striving towards an ideal combination for the theme.
0.999977	I am a filmmaker and I need an iconic logo created for my film production company. The hidden meaning behind the logo should represent the earliest history of the invention of cinema, or perhaps even pre-cinema (such as a reference to cave paintings as the earliest form of cinema. For example, read this article: [login to view URL]) Or, perhaps something pre-cinema oriented such as the birth of the moving image like Phenakistoscope optics or Phantasmagoria. Please examine other areas such as: vinyl strobe; Interactive Ombro cinema technique; magic lanterns; optical devices, etc. The image can be anything which is incredibly eye-catching and addictive. I am very open to ideas, but the image should be iconic and incredibly simple (or perhaps something more eye-catching, the way the Rolling Stones or Grateful Dead logos are). Something which can be easily branded and marketed, while being incredibly artistic at the same time. Add the words: "AWESOME LOGO" to the top of your response message so that I know you have read this message in its entirety.
0.999999	This article is about the screenwriter. For the politician, see John Fusco (politician). John Fusco is an American screenwriter, producer, and television series creator born in Prospect, Connecticut. His screenplays include Crossroads, Young Guns, Young Guns II, Thunderheart, Hidalgo, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron and The Highwaymen. He is also the creator of the Netflix series Marco Polo. Fusco is also a blues musician and a prose fiction author. John Fusco was raised in the small town of Prospect, Connecticut, leaving home and high school early to travel the American south as a blues musician and blue collar laborer. He later attended and graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts where his writing mentors were Waldo Salt, Ring Lardner, Jr., and Lorenzo Semple. He won back-to-back honors in national screenwriting competitions his junior and senior year, twice winning the top prize of a Nissan Sentra and a contract with the William Morris Agency. His bachelor's thesis became the Columbia Pictures Delta blues movie Crossroads (1986), directed by Walter Hill, and went into production while he was still a student at NYU. Fusco has gone on to write numerous motion-pictures, an ABC mini-series, a long-form TV series, and two novels. He created the Netflix original series Marco Polo, which ran for two seasons from 2014 to 2016. Fusco also wrote the screenplay for the Lionsgate film The Shack which premiered on March 3, 2017. The film was a modest hit, grossing nearly $100 million worldwide against a $20 million budget, and while it was panned by critics it earned favorable audience reviews. In 2013 it was announced that Fusco was adapting the acclaimed Peter Guralnick biography of Elvis Presley, Last Train to Memphis, for Fox 2000. Fusco wrote a draft for the feature adaptation of the novel The Alchemist which as of 2016 was being developed by TriStar Pictures. He is currently at work adapting the book series "Spirit Animals" for Universal Pictures and creating the sequel for the 2015 film Wolf Totem. After traveling in the southeast United States in search of obscure blues artists in the late 1970s, Fusco returned home to New England to co-found the Travis McComb Band, a southern rock ensemble that was popular in the New Haven, Connecticut music scene. Fusco played Hammond B3 organ, blues harmonica, was the lead vocalist, and wrote or co-wrote the band's originals. For a short time in 1979, he joined and toured with the Dixie Road Ducks from Northern Virginia, but soon left both bands to return to school and his pursuit of a screenwriting career. His first movie, Crossroads, was inspired by his love for the Delta blues and his travels in the south. The movie would have him collaborating with Ry Cooder, Steve Vai, Frank Frost, and blues harp legend Sonny Terry. He also collaborated with Jackson Browne on the music video "Rockin' the Rez" which was a companion to Fusco's 1992 movie Thunderheart. In recent years, Fusco has returned to music and released his debut LP The X-Road Riders on February 11, 2019. Recorded near Memphis with members of the North Mississippi All-Stars, the album has been critically acclaimed. Blues Rock Review has called the collection of original songs "an incredibly impressive and fun debut," while other music critics have praised Fusco's "smoky, soulful voice" and Hammond B3 organ skills. Fusco also plays Hammond B3 on Hill Country Revue's third LP 'HCR III' which was released on July 6, 2018, landing at #2 on the iTunes blues chart. While known for Western and Native American themed films, Fusco recently drew on his lifelong background in martial arts to write The Forbidden Kingdom, starring Jet Li and Jackie Chan. The movie opened #1 at the box office on April 18, 2008, and broke opening day box office records (at that time) in China. Fusco first studied Martial Arts at age 12 at the Association Of Korean Martial Arts (A.K.M.A) in Oakville, Connecticut under Romaine Staples and currently holds a black sash rank in Northern Shaolin Kung Fu. He is also a practitioner of Wing Chun, Jeet Kune Do, and has received an honorary black belt from the World Tang Soo Do Association for his work in promoting traditional martial arts values in film, television, and literature. He has been profiled in Black Belt Magazine, Inside Kung Fu, and Kung Fu/Tai Chi Magazine. Fusco has also studied traditional martial arts in Zhejiang Province, China under Sifu Yi ShenGuo. Fusco has stated in DVD special features that he is interested in the spiritual aspects of warrior cultures and acknowledges a "red thread" that runs through his interests in both Native American and Eastern philosophy. In 2007 he crossed Central Mongolia on horseback with his son, and Mongol nomads to conduct research on what would eventually develop into Marco Polo. Fusco is married to Richela Renkun, a graduate of NYU's Steinhardt School and an educator in the theater arts. They have one son, Giovanni. The family lives on a farm in Vermont. ^ "It's Official: Netflix Orders Series 'Marco Polo' From Weinstein Co". Deadline Hollywood. January 14, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2014. ^ "'Marco Polo' Canceled at Netflix After Two Seasons". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 1 April 2017. ^ "The Shack (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 1, 2017. ^ Kroll, Justin (September 3, 2013). "Director Kevin MacDonald Eyes Elvis Biopic For Fox, Mick Jagger". Variety. Retrieved 31 May 2018. ^ Fleming, Jr., Michael (September 30, 2016). "Paulo Coelho's 'The Alchemist' Movie To Be Made By TriStar & PalmStar". Deadline. Retrieved 31 May 2018. ^ "For Marco Polo creator John Fusco, Netflix offered a chance to trash the rules". digitaltrends.com. December 14, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2014. This page was last edited on 4 April 2019, at 03:35 (UTC).
0.998543	After each statement, please comment on why you agree or disagree. Thank you very much for taking the time to help us evaluate this resource, "Animal welfare-friendly pig housing systems". 1. It is easy to understand the objectives. 2. It is easy to navigate between the different parts of the learning resource. 3. The learning goals are clear and relevant. 4. The videos and scientific reports are interesting and relevant. 5. The references are informative and relevant. 6. The opportunity to make postings and comments in the learning resource makes it engaging. 7. The self-assessment is relevant and enhances learning.
0.950269	How can I determine how many IOPs I need for my AWS RDS database? I am migrating part of a mysql database into AWS. The data in question is 99% write, and each row has about 1k of varchar fields, a datetime and 4 ints. I estimate that we will need between 20-25k records inserted/hour during peak times. I ran iostat -h on the current database, and it reported around 40 tps. How do I figure out what type of IOPS I'll need? You'll have to test it. You could do some back of the envelope calculations to approximate the number of I/Os per insert, multiply it by the number of transactions per second, add in some buffer room etc, but it's much easier to just test it. The easiest thing to do is to allocate a best guess, then go back and increase or decrease it to match you're real world testing. This is one of the luxuries of using a cloud based environment, hardware changes are low in capital costs and such changes usually require only config updates. With EBS volumes you can't just increase the number of IOPS, you'd have to scale up the size of the volume as well1. You can always just create a new volume and copy your data over. There will be some downtime but if you're data isn't huge it shouldn't be much as it'd be a raw copy. Here's a guess at the number of I/Os necessary. Again it's just a guess though as the specifics depend on the number of indexes and whether your traffic flow will be smooth or spikey. At 25K tx/hour you've got ~7 tx/sec. The size of each row isn't particularly relevant as it's less than the size of a single I/O (4K). Each transaction will do somewhere between 1-5 IOP (primary insert plus a couple index tree inserts) so let's say ~35/s. I say start out with the bare minimum of 100 IOPS and scale up if necessary. I used the basic iostat (iostat -h) tool to get an idea of how many iops I was currently using. From that I extrapolated how much I'd use if I was under 4 times that amount of load and went with that amount. For me that worked out to 780 IOPS so I went with 800 IOPS. I use iostat to determine the amount of IOPS my application is performing. iostat reports this as tps. KB/t helps you determine if the amount of the transfer is less than the chunk size, 256 KiB. I run iostat with a one second wait time, i.e. iostat -w 1. Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged mysql amazon-rds or ask your own question. What's a good number for IOPS (RDS)? What can cause a rapid drop in RDS MySQL Database free storage space?
0.954638	This fine HBO series wrapped in 2014 after only three seasons. This quiz is about the cast and creator of the show. Warning: contains spoilers! Season three was the last for "The Newsroom". Reminisce with me about the the end of one of the best series on TV. This quiz is about events that occurred in the second season of HBO's series "The Newsroom", which ran from 2012-2014. If you've seen it, you'll ace it-if not, what are you waiting for? "The Newsroom" was a terrific TV series created and written by Aaron Sorkin. This quiz asks about some of the events that took place in its first season.
0.950434	Repairing Sprinkler Systems If you have a large lawn, a well-designed and programmed sprinkler system is the ideal way to keep your lawn watered and green and, aside from these, here are benefits you can get from installing sprinkler system: the right amount of water will transport to your whole yard without moving the sprinkler; fixing it can be done by yourself, so you can cut cost, since pipes are made of plastic and the electrical lines are low voltage. The operational set up of a sprinkler system is simple such that a controller device signals the start of watering the lawn through an electrical process by way of using the electrical wiring which is attached to control valves in the control valve box and, once the control valves open, water is sent through the underground water line, causing the sprinkler heads to pop up and spray. A sprinkler head can be broken if it is set up too high for a vehicle or lawn mower to run over it and the way to fix it is by replacing it with a new one which should be of the same type head. A broken sprinkler head is easily recognized by inspecting it and looking for cracked or broken plastic casing on the head, such that the head won’t pop up and water gushes out wildly or not at all. The way to fix a broken sprinkler head is first to dig around the sprinkler head to expose the riser, unscrew the broken sprinkler head, and install the new head tightly with your hands.
0.99999	Jack, backed by his loyal choir boys, attempts to gain control but the boys elect Ralph as their chief. On the way back from the castle the boys hunt. Who is, indeed, the boss? There are pigs and fish that they can eat, and different fruits. The next section of the book is when the dead parachutists lands on the island and all laws and rules do not seem to apply to the children anymore. He was in the Royal Navy. The boys had gone from a society with high expectations and quickly lost them after being on the island and this disappointed the naval officer. He is the first character introduced in the story and is a dominant leader throughout most of the book. It was written England and got p ublished in 1954. The jealousy between Ralph and Jack explodes when Jack compels those boys who to come hunting who are appointed to keep an eye on signal fire. Samneric were the first to see this creature, because they were tending the fire. Golding used the conch as a symbol to show how different characters would react to having power and order around them. The group holds a meeting at which Jack and Ralph tell the others of the sighting. During this time, Simon has ventured deep within the jungle all alone. The story, which takes place during an undefined war, begins when a group of English schoolboys survive a plane crash and find themselves stranded on a desert island without any adults. In the very beginning Golding speaks of a mysterious scar smashed into the island and we soon learn that a bunch of young boys are stranded there without any adults. He blows the conch and holds an assembly in which he is voted chief. When pigs stopped fulfilling their need for blood and broken flesh they turned on one another, taking their anger out in a violent rage. We are introduced to all the other characters at this first assembly. Ralph and Jack acquire huffy at each other in a meeting. His appearance puts everyone in a state of shock. Critique the book: Strong points in the book were that Golding used high vocabulary and with every line he wrote he made you feel like you were there with imagery. An assembly is called and the boys decide that the beast must live on the other side of the island in a rock formation the boys refer to as the castle. The book portrays their descent into savagery; left to themselves on a paradisiacal island, far from modern civilization, the well-educated children regress to a primitive state. The protagonist is, of course, Ralph. Later on, Ralph sees a plane base on balls operating expense. A ship travels by the island, but without the boys' smoke signal to alert the ship's crew, the vessel continues without stopping. In 1983, the author got a novel prize in literature Bruce, 1993. Simon has a natural human goodness. Angered by the failure of the boys to attract potential rescuers, Ralph considers relinquishing his position as leader, but is persuaded not to do so by Piggy, who both understands Ralph's importance and deeply fears what will become of him should Jack take total control. T see them because Jack and his group weren? When he wakes up, he goes to the mountain, where he sees the dead parachutist. Kansas City: Andrews and McMeel. He had learned how quickly people can snap and become someone they are not. A plane evacuating a group of schoolboys, from Britain, is shot down over a deserted island. He also reasons through problems, but he rarely works because of his obesity. Some of the marooned characters are ordinary students, while others arrive as a musical choir under an established leader. The boys are all chanting in a circle, poking at Robert who is pretending to be the pig. Jack's savages set fire to the forest while Ralph desperately weighs his options for survival. Ralph and Jack begin searching island for the beast. The island is not a pleasant place anymore. In the beginning Ralph would have probably put an end to that. Drawing from this premise, the greatest defect in human nature is that humans needed to learn compassion and if the majority of humans never learned compassion, the result is a savage society. Simon was crying out something about a dead man on a hill. The story takes a look at what would happen if a group of British school boys were to become stranded on an island. Although it did not have great success after being released—selling fewer than three thousand copies in the United States during 1955 before going out of print—it soon went on to become a best-seller. He is a small boy with incredible, silent, courage and strength. He has red hair and he has a skinnier build than Ralph. With Piggy's planning, Ralph's reluctant leadership and Jack's energy, the castaways establish a successful, thriving village, at least for a day or two. Jack organises his choir into a hunting party responsible for discovering a food source. Jack smacks Piggy and breaks one of his glasses lenses. They find it and they get scared and run. Ralph, Piggy, and Samneric go to castle rock the next day to retrieve them.
0.988503	Calculating RRT using a peak from a different injection? HI my standard is run separately in a different injection from my samples, is it possible to calculate RRT from the peak of this injection against the peak of another injection without having to do it in excel. If you have the run already processed then yes, add the label A on your standard injection through Alter Sample then save. Make sure the custom field is created in the project and then reprocess the sample set- custom fields only give results if they are in the project at the time of processing. Create the custom field in the project and then reprocess the run to get results. Also, in the custom field, be aware of your Search Order option, its best to pick "Result Set Only" if you normally batch process sample sets to generate result sets. If you manually process individual results, then a search order of Outside First may be more suitable. A custom field should do this. Set the peak that you want the RRT calculated off in the 'CCalRef1' field of processing method and set something simple like A in the sample set for the label of the standard. Then create a peak, real, calculated custom field of the formula: Retention Time/A.%.(CCalRef1[Retention Time]) which will give you RRT of all peaks off the standard peak in the standard labelled as A. If you are running this standard several times, label all as A and amend the formula to Retention Time/A.%..AVE(CCalRef1[Retention Time]) and set the function Summarize Custom Fields as the last line of sample set. In alter sample I would label that injection as standard correct? Then in label place an a? Do I need to add quantitate at the end or anything? Or label the injections I want to calculated with that same label?
0.991928	When is the next solar eclipse in Kuwait? The following table listens all solar eclipses, whose path is crossing Kuwait. It is crucial that the eclipse path touches the country. Solar eclipses which can only be seen partital are not considdered in the table below. With other words: The following table shows all solar eclipses, whose totallity or annularity can be seen in Kuwait. The next partial solar eclipse in Kuwait is in 422 days on Sunday, 06/21/2020. The next total solar eclipse in Kuwait is in 5442 days on Monday, 03/20/2034. The next annular solar eclipse in Kuwait is in 121054 days on Monday, 10/02/2350.
0.999994	Add these three nutrition-packed nuts into your diet. Nuts are an excellent source of lots of good stuff. They are usually packed with protein, healthy fats, fiber, and a variety of other nutrients that often are not as readily available from other sources. Another benefit to nuts is that they are portable, make a great, satisfying snack when you are on the go. Nuts are also readily available, year round. Most of the time, if you are traveling, it is not difficult to find some variety of healthy nuts, even at a convenience store, making them an excellent option for people who travel frequently. There really is not a lot to not like about nuts. Often, people stick to a small variety of nuts that they are used to, like almonds, cashews, and walnuts. These are a great option, obviously, and they all constitute something you should be including in your diet regularly. That said, there some other, less popular varieties of nuts that you should certainly be including, as well. Brazil nuts are delicious, nuts that are rich in healthy fats, fiber, and protein. Brazil nuts, too, are a good source of selenium, thiamine, and magnesium. Particularly selenium, which is a powerful antioxidant with benefits for the cardiovascular system. As an antioxidant, selenium also has benefits against cancer. Like Brazil nuts, macadamia nuts are loaded with healthy fat, protein, and fiber. Macadamia nuts are also rich in manganese, vitamin B1, vitamin A, and iron. Macadamia nuts may have some benefit for brain health and heart health due to the rich variety of inherent nutrients. Pecans too are a good source of healthy fat, protein, and fiber. The fat content of pecans may have some serious heart-health benefits, such as lowering cholesterol and blood pressure. Other nutrients in pecans may assist in lowering chronic inflammation, which is linked to a variety of health problems.
0.999871	I read this article and found it very interesting, thought it might be something for you. The article is called 15 Best Restaurants You Should Go in Los Angeles and is located at http://trip-n-travel.com/listicle/5135/. Los Angeles has some of the best restaurants of the country which makes it a great place experiencing excellent crafted cuisines from street foods to restaurants in luxurious settings. Restaurants in Los Angeles are among the nations most exemplary and some are most regarded one’s, as it offers an uncommon mix of flawlessness in cooking, quality ingredients and remarkable taste. While the city’s fine eating scene is impacting, there are a considerable measure of delicious, more sensible spots to eat in Los Angeles. It’s an incredible spot to eat, obviously, with its sea side area making it a simple access point for crisp ingredients. World Famous restaurants can be found in over the city, while Los Angeles shoreline area offer a percentage of the best oceanfront eating in Southern California. Here are some best eateries to eat in Los Angeles. Renowned Chef Alex Eusebio’s Cascabel Restaurant close Toluca Lake is a standout amongst the most popular Mexican food restaurant which brag of gourmet expert’s trademark Nuevo Latino cuisines. Interiors are spacious and the restaurant is beautifull built in Mexican style, the hues, high roof and wood furnishings makes it feel invigorating and pleasant. They additionally offer a combination of wines, mezcal, forte cocktails and tequila. Do attempt smoked bacon guacamole which is one of the best in Los Angeles. One of the most amazing and world renowned restaurant in Los Angeles , Chef Piero Selvaggio’s Valentino is one of the finest Italian restaurants in the United States. It has been a point dining spot for locals and Los Angeles most loved for over 40 years. Selvaggio conveys the freshest ingredients from ranch to restaurant, including numerous veggie lover and gluten free things and makes phenomenal dishes that are constantly creative and continually staggering. Valentino’s wine list boast of more than 1,200 wines and, of course, its wine collections are all around regarded by sommeliers and wine experts.The list contains one of the most diverse collection of exotic Italian wines throughout the world. Restaurant Maude is one of the most amazing restaurants in Los Angeles you have ever eaten with a blend of perfect cooking and fresh ingredients. The restaurant features a nine-course meal that changes every month and is enlivened by a chosen ingredient o the month, and this commended ingredient is inventively woven, to fluctuating degrees, through each course. For its 9 course meal along with the snacks you will need to pay about $100 and which are worth every penny. Overall it is a restaurant who loves the art of cooking to perfection, so make sure to visit this awesome restaurant for an amazing dining experience. Being rated as one of the top restaurants in United States, Providence Restaurant in Los Angeles is a must visit restaurant in the city in the event that you love food and especially seafood’s. It has kept up its name throughout these years totally committed to getting the finest seafood’s cuisines. The eatery offers 2 sorts of tasting menus. It’s Signature Menu features a 7 premium course meal while the Chef’s Menu is 20 courses feast. They likewise have an amazing wine list that offer wine by the glass or bottle. Situated in Downtown Los Angeles, Cicada Restaurant and Nightclub is one of the best place in Los Angeles to eat and dance together under same rooftop. Including the finest dance club of the city and live music, The Cicada Restaurant and Club is not at all like any night in the city you have ever experienced. With the exemplary musical hits from the thirties, The Cicada Restaurant and Club is a most one of a kind ordeal that takes you back so as to the captivating days of Hollywood’s brilliant time of dance club. One of the best steakhouse restaurant in Downtown Los Angeles, The Palm Restaurant is famous for prime hamburger, lobsters and Italian cuisines and is open throughout the week for dinner and lunch during weekdays. The Palm Restaurant’s menu highlights genuine, fulfilling dishes that are perfect blend of Italian and American styles – from prime matured steaks and lobsters to classic Italian cuisines such as Chicken Parmigiana and Veal Martini. From the minute it opened, this downtown eatery has fulfilled the requirement for a world-class seafood diner in Los Angeles. It is a standout amongst the most honored seafood restaurants in California. Water Grill has reliably offered astonishing fish cuisines cooked from finest and freshest quality of fishes. They also have a great list of wines, and cocktails drinks. Restaurants flawless service and their professional attitude towards art of cooking have made it a standout amongst the most loved seafood restaurant for local people here. A Japanese Restaurant in Los Angeles , Koi Restaurant and Lounge brags a refined interiors and atmosphere that is both cutting edge yet enlivened by Zen. It additionally houses one of Los Angeles most amazing patios. Enlightened by candles, Koi makes a romantic yet perfect eating environment. With the mix of International and neighborhood ingredients, Koi Restaurant presents to you the best of fish’s food. Koi’s sushi culinary specialists likewise display customary highest grades of fish, including day by day choices which are frequently celebrated by the advanced and bold sense of taste. Situated in Santa Monica, Rustic Canyon Wine Bar offers quality cuisines and wine , tables enlightened by candles to share the delight of a food made with perfection and passion. Rustic Canyon offers a frequently changing food menu with ingredients that originate from neighborhood ranchers, farmers, and anglers. Its drink program comprises of a constantly changing determination of occasional hand-made cocktails, artisanal lagers, and a broad wine list concentrating on boutique wineries from around the globe. Situated in Downtown Los Angeles, Chef Joachim Splichal’s Patina Restaurant is among the finest Michelin starred restaurant of the city with some best wine accumulations. Offering changing tasting menus, artisanal cheeses, and renowned list of wine. Serving as a perfect area for casual eating, an uncommon night, or to inspire visitors and customers, this French restaurant is really the zenith of sumptuous eating in Los Angeles. The name Spago is sufficient to know the quality , standard and service of this restaurant in Los Angeles. Situated in Beverly Hills , Spago is a chain eatery of world renowned Chef Wolfgang Puck which is the most famous restaurant of the city serving American Cuisines. The restaurant offers delightful regular menus cooked by local produces farmed organically, fresh seafood, and veggie lover choices. It additionally have most eminent and awarded accumulations of wines. Spago guarantees and conveys inventive Californian food, sparkling customers and top notch service in an excellent indoor-outside setting. Owned by one of the most famous Chef Sang Yoon of Los Angeles, Lukshon legitimate Asian Cuisine with a twist is known all around the Los Angeles. Appreciate a private supper under the privacy of a LA evening on the yard or celebrate in of the exquisite and agreeable booths , Lukshon has it all that makes it a standout amongst the most commended restaurants of Los Angeles city. The menu additionally serves a variety of wines , lagers, cocktails and Champagnes to world class Rieslings. Owned by Ludo Lefebvre a standout amongst the most regarded French Chef in Los Angeles, Trois Mec is a paradise for French Cuisine darlings. Started in 2013 in an old pizza restaurant in a strip shopping center, Trois Mec, which freely means “three folks”, offers a continually evolving five-course tasting menu and works on an uncommon ticketing system. But to dine at this restaurant is too difficult since it have ticket system and one the lucky ones are allowed to dine at this restaurant. Since opening in pizza parlour they haven’t changes the name outside which is unique in itself. Owned by one of the most famous and respected Chef Niki Nakayama, Restaurant n/naka is among the top restaurants in Los Angeles serving world class authentic Japanese Cuisines. Gourmet expert Niki Nakayama is a standout amongst the most well known Female Chefs around the globe and only kaiseki chef on the planet known for her expertise in Japanese cuisines. Restaurant features a 13-course tasting menus that exotic, flawlessly cooked foods. You need to book your seat through a credit card, and on the off chance that you book on the web, you’ll get a call a couple of days ahead of time to see which menu you’d incline toward: There are two alternatives, nine or 13 courses, in addition to a vegan options. Restaurant Black Market Liquor Bar has an unbelievable menu, with flavorful alternatives arranged by Chef’s Antonia Lofaso. Black Market Liquor Bar has a cool, elegant interiors. The menu changes day by day and offers one of a kind cuisines from around the world that is ameliorating to the soul. The menu signature cuisines includes house-made dill potato chips & deviled quail eggs . They also serves an array of drinks which are the result of perfect blending and inventive approach. Los Angeles has always been a great tourist destination with to of the world attractions, beaches, museums and yes restaurants too. Restaurants in Los Angeles are among the best in California county with numerous world renowned restaurants and chefs. If you are a food lover and appreciate the art of cooking than this is the perfect place to explore them. Los Angeles County, North America, U.S.A.
0.93014	What federal statute protects me from religious discrimination? Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects individuals against employment discrimination on the bases of their religion. It is unlawful to discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of his/her religion in regard to hiring, termination, promotion, compensation, job training, or any other term, condition, or privilege of employment. There are a number of state and local statutes that provide similar protection, and in the case of the New York City anti-discrimination laws, even greater protection. Are all employers covered by Title VII’s religion anti-discrimination rules? What types of religious discrimination actions are covered by Title VII? Discrimination against any employee or applicant for employment because of his/her religion in regard to hiring, termination, promotion, compensation, job training, or any other term, condition, or privilege of employment. It is also unlawful to retaliate against an individual for opposing employment practices that discriminate based on religion, or for filing a discrimination charge, testifying, or participating in any way in an investigation, proceeding, or litigation under Title VII. Can my employer force me to participate in religious activities? Employees cannot be forced to participate - or not participate - in a religious activity as a condition of employment. Is my employer required to accommodate my religious beliefs or practices? Yes. Employers must reasonably accommodate employees' sincerely held religious beliefs or practices unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on the employer. A reasonable religious accommodation is any adjustment to the work environment that will allow the employee to practice his religion. Flexible scheduling, voluntary substitutions or swaps, job reassignments and lateral transfers and modifying workplace practices, policies and/or procedures are examples of how an employer might accommodate an employee's religious beliefs. An employer is not required to accommodate an employee's religious beliefs and practices if doing so would impose an undue hardship on the employer’s legitimate business interests. An employer can show undue hardship if accommodating an employee's religious practices requires more than ordinary administrative costs, diminishes efficiency in other jobs, infringes on other employees' job rights or benefits, impairs workplace safety, causes co-workers to carry the accommodated employee's share of potentially hazardous or burdensome work, or if the proposed accommodation conflicts with another law or regulation. Maybe. Employers must permit employees to engage in religious expression if employees are permitted to engage in other personal expression at work, unless the religious expression would impose an undue hardship on the employer. Therefore, an employer may not place more restrictions on religious expression than on other forms of expression that have a comparable effect on workplace efficiency. What must my employer do to prevent harassment regarding religious beliefs? Employers must take steps to prevent religious harassment of their employees. An employer can reduce the chance that employees will engage unlawful religious harassment by implementing an anti-harassment policy and having an effective procedure for reporting, investigating and correcting harassing conduct. How long do I have to file a religious discrimination claim under Title VII? What relief can a court award me if I prove a claim of religious discrimination? Under Title VII, you may be entitled to: back-pay and benefits with interest, front-pay and benefits, punitive damages to punish your employer’s willful violation of Title VII, and compensatory damages for willful violations of Title VII to compensate you for mental anguish or other physical injuries suffered as a proximate cause of the employer’s conduct (punitive and compensatory damage awards are capped at a statutory amount, and is determined by the number of people employed by your employer). Reimbursement of your attorneys’ fees and expenses in bringing the Complaint are also available. New York City anti-discrimination laws do not impose a cap on punitive damages.
0.999941	Their jobs weren't done yet, though. As the sun was burning brighter, the team knew that they would have to hide the orca completely from its rays, or risk being severely burned. That's when the rescue team removed their shirts, soaked them in water, and placed them all over the beached whale. The team knew, that without a doubt, they would have to remain by the orca's side until the tide began to rise again. They sat there with the whale for eight incredible hours to ensure that the whale was staying wet. Talk about some amazing heroes! When the tide began to rise, the team took the shirts off of the whale. The whale began to wiggle with each rise of the tide. Finally, she was able to break free and as she swam away, the orca could be heard calling out for her family, letting them know that she was okay!
0.950927	We have previously shown that treatment of Zucker rats and mice with diet-induced obesity with dietary docosahexaenoic (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic (EPA) acids in the form of krill oil reduces peripheral levels of endocannabinoids, ectopic fat formation and hyperglycemia. We reported that such treatment reduces plasma endocannabinoid levels also in overweight and obese human individuals, in whom high triglycerides may correlate with high circulating endocannabinoid levels. In this study, we report the effects of krill powder, which contains proteins (34%) in addition to krill oil (61.8%), on these two parameters. We submitted 11 obese men (average BMI of 32.3 kg/m2, age of 42.6 years and plasma triglycerides of 192.5 ± 96.3 mg/dl) to a 24 week dietary supplementation with krill powder (4 g/day per os) and measured anthropometric and metabolic parameters, as well as blood endocannabinoid (anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol) and esterified DHA and EPA levels. Six subjects were included as control subjects and not given any supplements. The treatment produced, after 12 and 24 weeks, a significant increase in DHA and EPA in total plasma, a 59 and 84% decrease in anandamide plasma levels, and a 22.5 and 20.6% decrease in triglyceride levels, respectively. There was also a significant decrease in waist/hip ratio and visceral fat/skeletal muscle mass ratio at 24 weeks, but no change in body weight. These data confirm that dietary krill powder reduces peripheral endocannabinoid overactivity in obese subjects, and might ameliorate some parameters of the metabolic syndrome. Endocannabinoids are endogenous arachidonic acid (AA)- and phospholipid (PL)-derived mediators that activate the G-protein-coupled receptors for Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, known as cannabinoid receptors of type-1 (CB1) and −2 (CB2) . Overactivation of CB1 receptors by either of the two most studied endocannabinoids, i.e. N-arachidonoyl-ethanolamine (anandamide, AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), contributes to metabolic dysfunctions in both obese rodents and humans . Accordingly, plasma AEA and 2-AG levels, which reflect at least in part a spillover from peripheral organs involved in the control of lipid and glucose metabolism, are elevated in obese subjects [2–4]. Plasma AEA levels are sensitive to changes in the nutritional status, decreased after a meal in lean and obese humans and reduced by insulin infusion [2–4]. Plasma 2-AG levels, instead, positively correlate with intra-abdominal obesity, plasma triglyceride and markers of insulin resistance, and negatively with HDL-cholesterol [5, 6]. Weight loss in intra-abdominally obese men is accompanied by reduced AEA and 2-AG levels, and the decrease of the latter correlates with weight loss-induced amelioration of high triglycerides, insulin resistance and HDL-cholesterol levels . In mice, genetic deletion of the enzymes catalyzing endocannabinoid hydrolysis, i.e. fatty acid amide hydrolase and monoacylglycerol lipase, is followed by elevation of AEA and 2-AG levels, respectively. However, only deletion of fatty acid amide hydrolase is accompanied by increased body weight, and this phenotype is worsened by the occurrence of increased adipose tissue and triglyceride content in plasma, liver, skeletal muscle and adipose tissue following a high fat diet (HFD) [8–10]. Whilst acute or chronic elevation of peripheral endocannabinoid levels is accompanied by, and may contribute to, metabolic disorders in obese animals and human subjects, counteraction of CB1 activity with selective inverse agonists or antagonists reduces obesity and several ensuing metabolic disorders and counteracts the dysmetabolic effects of a HFD in rodents . Also inhibition of the biosynthesis of endocannabinoids, namely 2-AG, can reduce food intake and body weight in rodents fed with a HFD . Recently, we have shown that yet another strategy to reduce peripheral endocannabinoid overactivity in obese rodents and overweight/obese humans consists of the chronic supplementation with dietary docosahexaenoic (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic (EPA) acids in the form of krill oil [11, 13–16]. In the case of Zucker rats and mouse made obese with a HFD , this strategy was accompanied by a reduction of liver and heart ectopic triglyceride levels or of HFD-induced hyperglycemia, respectively. These effects were paralleled by the expected reduction of AA esterified into PLs, and by the finding of lower levels of AA-containing, direct endocannabinoid biosynthetic precursors in these tissues. Also in overweight/obese subjects the inhibitory effect of krill oil on endocannabinoid levels was correlated to a reduction of the n-6/n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA) ratio in plasma PLs . Alvheim and colleagues recently showed that dietary linoleic acid (LA), which is abundant in several western-type diets, increases AA levels esterified into PLs, and, subsequently, 2-AG and AEA levels in the liver, and favors the development of diet-induced obesity in mice in a manner prevented by dietary EPA and DHA from fish oil, which reduced the AA-PL pool and normalized endocannabinoid tissue levels. These data indicate that diets rich in n-3 LCPUFA, such as those provided by fish or krill oil and krill powder supplementation, might produce beneficial effects on the metabolic disorders ensuing from a western type-like diet via reduction of endocannabinoid biosynthesis in peripheral tissues. This study was conducted in human obese individuals to assess at the same time the effect of a krill preparation on peripheral endocannabinoid levels and different parameters of the metabolic syndrome. Twelve obese men were submitted to a 24 week treatment with 4 g/day (per os) of krill powder, which differs from krill oil since it also contains proteins. We measured various anthropometric and metabolic parameters, as well as plasma AEA and 2-AG levels and the incorporation of AA, DHA and EPA in plasma PL, at baseline and after 12 and 24 weeks. We also included in the study six untreated age- and BMI-matched subjects. We report that dietary krill powder reduces circulating AEA, but not 2-AG levels, and at the same time produces a beneficial effect on high triglycerides. This was a single-centre, open label, pilot study to explore effects of krill powder on overweight subjects. The study was performed at Momentum Pharma Services GmbH (Hamburg, Germany). Twelve subjects were given 4 g krill powder daily as 500 mg gelatin capsules (active treatment group) for 24 weeks. The krill powder capsules were obtained from Aker BioMarine ASA (Oslo, Norway), and the composition of the krill powder is shown in Table 1. Six subjects were included as controls and received no study products. All subjects included in the study were males between 30 and 55 years, BMI 30–35 kg/m2, healthy and non-smoking. Subjects with a known history or presence of a significant cardiovascular disease, allergy towards crustaceans, bleeding disorders, disturbed absorption due to changes in gastro-intestinal tract, history of drug or alcohol abuse, contraindications of an MRI procedure, or with a concomitant administration of any medication which were known to be lipid modifying agents, were excluded from the study. Active treatment group had to oblige to restrictions which included restriction of fatty fish or seafood meals (salmon, mackerel, eel, halibut, trout, herring) to only once per week, but not within 48 hours before clinic visits, prohibition of functional food like cholesterol-reducing products and lipid supplements. DHA: docosahexaenoic acid; EPA: eicosapentaenoic acid; FA: fatty acids; MUFAs: monounsaturated fatty acids; PLs: phospholipids; PUFAs: polyunsaturated fatty acids. At the screening visit, demographic data, medical history, diet, smoking and caffeine status was logged, and serology tests, urine drug screen and an alcohol breath test were performed. The screening was performed between 2 and 31 days before the treatment phase. At all visits throughout the study (screening, week 0, 12, and 24), subjects had their body weight, waist-hip ratio and body fat percentage measured. MRI scans (both breath-hold and respiratory-triggered) were performed and fasting glucose and insulin levels were measured at week 0, 12 and 24. At all visits, blood for the assessment of esterified fatty acids, lipids in serum (total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides) and endocannabinoids were collected from fasted subjects. Subjects in the control group were only assessed for fasting endocannabinoid levels at week 0, 12 and 24. Safety assessments were performed at screening and all visits in the study. Safety assessments included inquiry about adverse events and concomitant medication at all clinic visits and at phone calls (between all visits during treatment), measurement of vital signs (blood pressure, pulse rate, body temperature), physical examination, the recording of a 12-lead ECG, and a standard clinical laboratory assessment (urinalysis, haematology, clinical chemistry). The study was conducted in compliance with the ethical principles that have their origin in the Declaration of Helsinki and that are consistent with Good Clinical Practice (GCP), as described in Declaration of Helsinki and ICH Harmonized Tripartite Guidelines for Good Clinical Practice. The final protocol and the Informed Consent Form (ICF) were approved by the Ethics Committee of the Ärztekammer (Medical Chamber), Hamburg, Germany. The Investigator ensured that subjects were given full and adequate oral and written information about the nature, purpose, possible risks, and benefits (comprehensive medical screening) of the study. Subjects were also notified that they were free to discontinue their participation in the study at any time. Subjects were given time for consideration and to have the opportunity to ask questions. The subject’s signed ICF was obtained before conducting any procedure related to the study. Subjects had their body weight, waist-hip ratio and body fat percentage measured at Screening, baseline and 12 and 24 weeks (±1 week). Subjects were measured barefoot in light underwear following manufacturer’s instructions. The body fat percentage was measured using BC-545 Segmental Body Composition Analyser (Tanita Europe GmbH, Sindelfingen, Germany). This device uses an 8 electrode segmental Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) to monitor multiple components of overall health. Measurements included weight, body fat %, body water %, muscle mass, and visceral fat rating. Manufacturers’ equations were used to predict body fat %, body water %, muscle mass, and visceral fat rating. Abdominal body fat was measured by using the Siemens Magnetom Avanto (76 × 18) Q-engine, SW B15 system. MRI scans (both breath-hold and respiratory-triggered) were performed at baseline and after 12 and 24 weeks of treatment at Radiologische Praxis Altona (Hamburg, Germany) by using the Dixon technique. The technique acquires two separate images with a modified spin echo pulse sequence. One is a conventional spin echo image with water and fat signals in-phase and the other is acquired with the readout gradient slightly shifted so that the water and fat signals are 180 degrees out-of-phase. From these two images, a water only image and a fat-only image could was generated, and the availability of both the water-only and fat-only images allowed direct image-based water and fat quantitation. The total volume of the target region was determined in cm3 as an outcome . For the fasting blood glucose and insulin assay, a 7.5 ml serum monovette was used after being left 30 min standing at room temperature and then centrifuged for 15 min at 2500xg at room temperature. The sample was divided in aliquots sent ambient to Bioscientia (Hamburg, Germany) for analysis of glucose and insulin. Plasma samples were thawed in fridge overnight, vortexed, centrifuged and pipetted into vials. Internal standard (triheptadecanoin) is added and samples are methylated with 3N MeOH HCl. FAMEs were extracted with hexane, then samples are neutralized with 3N KOH in water. After mixing and centrifuging the hexane phase is injected into the GC-FID. Analysis was performed on a 7890A GC with a split/splitless injector, a 7683B automatic liquid sampler, and flame ionization detection (Agilent Technologies, Palo Alto, CA). Separations were performed on a SP-2380 (30 m × 0.25 mm i.d. × 0.25 μm film thickness) column from Supelco. Lipids were extracted from plasma (5 ml) and AEA and 2-AG pre-purified and quantified by isotope dilution- liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization- mass spectrometry (LC-APCI-MS) as described previously [19–21]. Also the endogenous AEA congeners, palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) and oleoylethanolamide (OEA), were measured using the same methods, and as described previously . Data were analyzed as the means of the percent changes from baseline (beginning of study) levels. For statistical testing, a paired T-test was used. The 12 and 24 week measurements were tested against baseline values. Significance levels were set to P < 0.05. All statistical tests were performed with JMP 10.0.2 (SAS Institute). One subject in the active treatment group was excluded from the analysis, since he was lost to follow-up in the middle of the study. A number of 11 subjects in the active treatment group and all 6 subjects in the control group completed the study. There were no major protocol deviations or serious adverse events in the study, and the study product was well tolerated. Dietary supplementation with 4 g/day (per os) of krill powder produced a significant increase in esterified DHA and EPA after both 12 and 24 weeks (P < 0.05) (Table 2). Therefore, percent wise, there was a reduction in the levels of esterified AA (as well as other fatty acids) relative to DHA and EPA (Table 2). Krill powder also produced: 1) a ~22.5 and 20.6% decrease in triglycerides levels after 12 and 24 weeks, respectively, although this was statistically significant (P < 0.05) only at 24 weeks (Table 3), and 2) a ~2.9% decrease in waist/hip ratio, also statistically significant at 24 weeks. No effect on any of the other metabolic or biochemical parameters was observed. Krill powder supplementation also produced a non-statistically significant, time-dependent trend towards decreased visceral fat, measured by the 3D three-point Dixon MRI, at both 12 and 24 weeks (Table 3). Interestingly, this trend became significant at 24 weeks if normalized by the percent change in skeletal muscle mass (Table 3). Eight subjects out of 11 showed slight reductions in the measured abdominal body fat (not shown). Slight increases were noticed in mean values of total muscular mass as well as total water content after 24 weeks of active treatment. In addition, mean computed integral liver fat peak value, measured by the Proton liver SVS, also showed non-statistically significant reductions from baseline to week 24 (Table 3). At week 12, 4 subjects showed a decrease in the measured liver density, whereas 5 subjects showed a decrease in the measured liver density at week 24 (not shown). There was no effect on body weight at any time point. Data are expressed as mean g/100g FAME in plasma ± S.D. P-value was calculated at week 12 and 24 vs. baseline using a paired T-test. , P < 0.05; , P < 0.01; *, P < 0.005 vs baseline. VAT: visceral adipose tissue. P-value was calculated at week 12 and 24 vs. baseline using a paired T-test. P-value < 0.05 vs baseline. Concomitantly to these changes, krill powder supplementation produced a 59 and 84% statistically significant decrease in AEA plasma levels at 12 and 24 weeks, respectively (Figure 1). There was also a statistically significant, albeit smaller, decrease in PEA and OEA levels. The levels of 2-AG were not altered (Figure 1). No change in the levels of these compounds in the control group was observed at any time point (data not shown). No statistically significant correlation was found between endocannabinoid, OEA or PEA and triglyceride levels at any time. Effect of 4 g daily krill powder supplementation on plasma anandamide (AEA), 2-arachidonoyl-glycerol (2-AG), palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) and oleoylethanolamide (OEA) levels in obese men after 12 and 24 weeks (N = 11). , P < 0.05; , P ≤ 0.01; **, P < 0.005 vs baseline (paired t-test). We have reported here that dietary supplementation to obese men of DHA and EPA, in the form of krill powder, efficiently and persistently reduces high triglycerides independently from any overall effect on body weight, and at the same time lowers plasma AEA levels, i.e. a marker of obesity thought to contribute, via peripheral CB1 receptor overactivation, to obesity-associated dysmetabolism . The effect of krill powder on high triglyceride levels appeared to be maximal already after 12 weeks of supplementation, and persisted until the end of the study, i.e. at 24 weeks. This suggests that this effect was of a relatively rapid onset, sustained and not merely due to subjects undergoing periodic medical control. Unlike triglycerides, the effect on plasma levels of the endocannabinoid AEA was already significant after 12 weeks, but was maximal after 24 weeks of supplementation. Thus, possibly also due to the relatively low number of subjects recruited for this study, no correlation was found between plasma AEA and triglyceride levels, either before, in the middle or at the end of the dietary supplementation. Interestingly, previous studies showed that, of the two endocannabinoids, AEA and 2-AG, it is rather the plasma levels of the latter compound that, in overweight/obese individuals, directly correlate with plasma triglycerides, as well as with other anthropometric and metabolic parameters, such as visceral adipose tissue, insulin resistance and low HDL-cholesterol [5, 6]. Furthermore, weight loss in abdominally obese men after one year of lifestyle (caloric restriction and exercise) intervention caused a reduction of the levels of both AEA and 2-AG, but only the latter: 1) correlated with weight loss-induced reduction in visceral adipose tissue, plasma triglycerides, insulin resistance and low HDL-cholesterol, and 2) through multivariate analyses was found to be an independent predictor of some of the observed reduction in plasma triglycerides . Krill powder supplementation in this study: 1) reduced AEA, but not 2-AG, levels, this effect becoming maximal after the effect on triglyceride levels; and 2) produced only a trend towards the reduction of intra-abdominal fat. Therefore, it is tempting to speculate that krill oil-induced reduction of AEA levels is an effect that either occurs independently from the effect on triglycerides, or contributes, via reduced CB1 activation in peripheral organs, only to the sustained reduction of triglyceride levels. On the other hand, it was surprising to find that a reduction in plasma triglyceride levels (~20-22%) similar to the one (22.2%) previously shown to be accompanied by reduced 2-AG levels, did not produce a similar effect in the present study, despite the fact that, as mentioned above, 2-AG is considered an independent predictor of at least part of plasma triglyceride levels in intra-abdominally obese men. It is possible that such correlation holds true only after weight loss, an effect not observed here, or following stronger reductions in intra-abdominal fat, or only in intra-abdominally obese men, as were the subjects of the previous study (who exhibited an average BMI of ~30 at the beginning of the study). Alternatively, it is also possible that the low number of obese men who underwent krill powder treatment (n = 11), a limitation of the present study, or the shorter duration of the present treatment as compared to the 1 year lifestyle intervention used in the previous study , prevented us from observing a reduction in 2-AG levels. However, it must be pointed out that a statistically significant, albeit small, effect on waist/hip ratio and visceral fat (if normalized to skeletal muscle mass) was observed here with krill powder. The former effect is in agreement with the previous finding of an association between high plasma AEA levels and waist circumference in mixed gender (predominantly female) non-obese and obese cohorts with average BMI of 21 and 42, respectively . Whilst dietary supplementation of DHA and EPA in the form of fish oil had been already shown to reduce triglycerides in human subjects with signs of the metabolic syndrome [22–26], before the present report no such human data existed with regard to krill preparations. Importantly, in order to obtain a decrease of triglycerides similar to that found in the present study, higher doses of EPA plus DHA (3–4 g/day) in the form of fish oil are required . It has been claimed that fish oil exerts its effect through PPARα activation in the liver by DHA, thus strongly increasing fatty acid β-oxidation and reducing hepatic triglyceride formation and release . Krill oil and krill powder, however, differ from fish oil as they contain DHA and EPA mostly esterified to PLs rather than triglycerides. More than 80% of the EPA and DHA in krill oil/krill powder are associated with PLs, and the remaining is in triglyceride form . Interestingly, both dietary krill oil and n-3 LCPUFAs supplemented as PLs were recently shown to produce stronger beneficial effects than fish oil or n-3 LCPUFAs supplemented as triglycerides, respectively, on ectopic triglyceride accumulation, inflammation and other metabolic dysfunctions in obese Zucker rats and DIO mice [15, 30]. In these previous animal studies, krill oil or n-3 LCPUFAs supplemented as PLs were also found to be more effective at reducing endocannabinoid levels in peripheral organs, and, in Zucker rats, a stronger effect was found on AEA rather than 2-AG levels [15, 29]. On the other hand, in a cohort of mostly women with average BMI of ~31, administered with dietary krill oil at a dose of 2.5 g/day, the endocannabinoid the plasma levels of which were reduced after 4 weeks treatment was 2-AG and not AEA. This effect was more efficacious than with an n-3 LCPUFA-equivalent amount of fish oil, which, in fact, did not produce any effect . Therefore, it is possible that treatments with different formulations of krill oil, in different cohorts of subjects, and for a shorter duration, may produce different effects on plasma endocannabinoid levels. However, regardless of the type of formulation, protocol of administration and subjects or animal model of obesity undergoing the supplementation, the effect of krill oil on the peripheral levels of AEA and/or 2-AG is always accompanied by a reduction in the levels of esterified AA relative to EPA and DHA levels. This effect was observed also in the present study and we hypothesize that it may lead to an overall reduction of AEA biosynthetic precursor, N-arachidonoyl-phosphatidylethanolamine, which in turn would be responsible for the observed reduction in plasma AEA levels. Indeed, in the previous study in which n-3 LCPUFAs were supplemented as PLs to DIO mice , the reduction in white adipose tissue AEA levels was found to be accompanied by an equivalent elevation of the levels of its DHA- and EPA-derived congeners. Therefore, rather than, or in addition to, activation of PPARα, dietary EPA and DHA, especially in the form of krill preparations, might produce their effects on fasting triglycerides in obesity by re-equilibrating endocannabinoid levels and CB1 receptor tone. Interestingly, a decrease of the LCPUFA n-6/n-3 ratio in the plasma of hypercholesterolemic and overweight subjects, obtained with a different dietary intervention, was recently reported to be still accompanied by a 40% decrease in plasma AEA levels, but to be associated, instead, with a significant decrease of LDL-cholesterol . Moreover, krill powder also contains astaxanthin which could theoretically cause biological effects, but the concentration is believed to be too low to be of any relevance (approximately 200 μg in 4 g krill powder). It was interesting to find here how the levels of two AEA-related metabolites, OEA and PEA, changed in the same direction as AEA following dietary krill powder supplementation. These two compounds are inactive at cannabinoid receptors but can stimulate peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α and transient receptor potential vanilloid type-1 channels , two lipid-sensitive proteins which have been involved in the control of metabolism. In a previous study in human lean, obese and type 2 diabetes obese subjects, the plasma levels of AEA, OEA and PEA were found to correlate with each other , which is not surprising since these three compounds share similar, although not fully overlapping, biosynthetic and degrading routes and enzymes (see [18, 19] and references cited therein). Therefore, we hypothesize that the small but significant reduction in the plasma levels of PEA and OEA might be due not only to the decrease of esterified palmitic and oleic acid relative to DHA and EPA, but also to alterations in the expression of their metabolic enzymes, as previously observed in osteoblasts , and that this might have contributed also to AEA, but not 2-AG, level reduction. In conclusion, we have shown here that dietary supplementation with a krill powder persistently ameliorates high triglycerides without weight loss in obese men, to an extent similar to that observed following lifestyle-induced weight loss in a previous study in dyslipidemic overweight/obese men , and in a shorter period of time (12–24 weeks vs. one year). The understanding of whether or not this metabolic effect of dietary DHA and EPA is due to its concomitant reduction of plasma AEA levels, i.e. a potential index of peripheral CB1 receptor activity in humans, and of its subsequent action on lipid metabolism and triglyceride clearance evidenced in rodents [9, 10], will probably require further investigations with larger cohorts of subjects, varying doses of krill powder and several different time points. At any rate, given the ever increasingly established role of high triglycerides as an early determinant of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk in overweight and obese subjects, the present data suggest that dietary krill powder supplementation might represent a novel preventive strategy for these disorders. KB and NH are employees of Aker Biomarine, Norway. KB, NH, IM, SB and VD designed the study. IM contributed to the performance of the trial. FP and CS performed plasma endocannabinoid analyses. KB, SB and VD wrote the paper. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
0.961616	Known as 'America's National Pastime', and also very popular in Japan, Baseball is the seventh-most popular sport in the world, with a fan base of 500+ million. The key equipment used in baseball are the bat, gloves, mask, and the ball itself. The evolution of this equipment can be traced from the 19th century itself, right from the conception of the game. However, in those times no helmets were used. Gloves gained popularity in the late 1880s, and the ball has retained the same dimensions, weight, and leather pattern since 1872. The look and feel of the 19th century bats was very different from the present day's bats. The handles were heavier and thicker, and had more of a gradual taper to the barrel. Bats were made with or without knobs on the handle, and 'rings' were painted on various parts of the bat to reflect the team color. The bat dimensions were finally agreed during the first baseball convention in 1857. The dimensions were described as round, not to be more than 2.5 inches around in its thickest part, and the length could be decided according to the suitability of the striker. However, during the 1868 season, it was decided that the bat could not be longer than 42 inches. The gloves in the 19th century started out as merely a leather work glove, with or without full fingers, and gradually padding was added to it. Though it is not possible to pinpoint the first player to wear a glove, but reports indicate that it was as early as 1860 when catchers wore them. In 1885, Arthur Irwin, in order to protect his two broken fingers, added 'padding' to his buckskin glove. This is probably the first instance of a player introducing noticeable padding to a glove. As the evolution of the glove progressed, the National League and American Association of Baseball Clubs instituted a rule in 1895, which stated, "The catcher and the first baseman are permitted to wear a glove or mitt of any size, shape or weight. All other players are restricted to the use of a glove or mitt weighing not over ten ounces, and measuring in circumference around the palm of the hand not over fourteen inches." This would be the rule for the rest of the 19th century. The catcher's mask was first worn by Jim Tyng of the Harvard University Baseball Club in a 7-6 exhibition game loss against the Boston Red Stockings in May 1876. It is said that Tyng's roommate and team captain Fred Thayer invented the mask in 1875. Thayer modified a fencing mask, which enabled Tyng to move closer to home base and receive the ball without fear of being struck in the face. Tyng also wore a small padded glove in the game. The Knickerbocker Baseball Club introduced the uniform on April 24, 1849. It consisted of long blue woolen pants, leather belts, white flannel shirts with a full collar, and straw hats. At the end of the 1850s, many teams adopted the flannel shirt with the button on shield style, which contained the team's emblem, name, or both. The full-length pantaloon pants were in fashion throughout the 1860s, but presented a problem, as the players would get their feet caught on the legs of the pants when running. Hence, players were forced to wrap them tight to their shins and use tape or a small belt to hold them. In 1868, Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first team to wear knickers. These pants were less restrictive, and as a result their stockings or socks, were now visible. The uniforms are probably the only aspect of the game that has evolved so drastically from the game's conception to the present era. The ball was a very important part of the development of the early game of baseball. The hand-made ball allowed their makers to become identified as making a live, medium, or dead ball, and was used by the visiting team to decide their strategy. The size and weight of the baseball changed radically in 1857, and continued to change in the 1860s. The same type of ball is used today as in 1872. The ball would contain some form of stuffing. The cover was a single piece cover, usually in the form of brown leather. The balls were hand-made by local merchants and players, and hence, had no standard size or weight. During the first baseball convention in 1857, the diameter of the ball was voted on to be between ten and ten and one-quarter inches in circumference, and weigh between six and six and one-quarter ounces.
0.97572	Hello are there any countries Germany can not deport you to? I hear a typical example is Somalia. This is a very important question, so thank you for asking. I've done some research and still find it hard to say what countries Germany cannot deport you to. In principle, if your claim has been rejected, you don't have a legal status and are asked to leave the country, Germany can delay or even suspend your deportation. According to asylum law, the legislator is allowed to recognize certain countries as "safe states". That is only possible, if it's clear no political persecution and no inhumane/ humiliating treatment or punishment of people takes place in these countries. So: in principal, if there are cases of political persecution against certain population groups, the country is not allowed to be recognized as a "safe state of origin". Currently, the German government wants to extend the list to include Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Georgia (it's not official yet). This may not have been the answer you are looking for, but I hope the sources and information I shared here with you help to understand the current political situation in Germany and how it may affect people seeking asylum. If your asylum application has been denied, and then you asked BAMF to reconsider, will you be exempt from deportation?
0.999793	Are you kidding me? The question is what DON'T we do for winter sports! I don't know a lot about jeeps and snowmobiles but I know people do a lot of snowmobiling up the Poudre Canyon/Cameron Pass. I love snowshoeing and cross-country skiing and there are a ton of places to do that in nearby Rocky Mountain National Park and the Poudre Canyon/Cameron Pass area. There is a trail guide database available at Snowshoe & Crosscountry Trail Guide \| The Coloradoan \| coloradoan.com . These areas are also great for tubing and there is even a tubing hill with tow ropes located not far up Poudre Canyon. And do I need to mention world-class skiing and snowboarding!?! Additionally, we have great sporting events located in and around Fort Collins. If you are interested in those, there's a list located here Finally In Fort Collins: Fort Collins - a sport addict's mecca . Hope this is helpful - enjoy.
0.956595	Zeno of Citium was a Hellenistic philosopher born in the 3rd century BC in the town of Citium, a Greek colony on the island of Cyprus which also had a large Phoenician population; Zeno himself may well have been of Phoenician ancestry. None of his writings survive and what is known of his life and his works come down to us through the accounts of others. The major source being Diogenes Laërtius who wrote "The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers" in the 3rd century B.C. This is a compilation of facts, myths, rumors and excerpts from other writers and contemporaries concerning the life and work of Zeno. The son of a merchant and a merchant himself, it is said he was exposed to philosophy later in life after a shipwreck off the coast of Attica deposited him in Greece and from there he made his way to Athens. It is also suggested that he was not shipwrecked at all but that he may already have been a student of philosophy. His father was a merchant who had travel to Greece and may have returned with works for his son to study, that on a trade mission to Greece, he simply sold all his cargo at Athens and decided to stay to continue his study of philosophy. Regardless of how he came to Athens, while there he met the Cynic philosopher Crates who would become his first instructor. he would eventually study under other teachers of the time such as Stilpon, Xenocrates and Polemon until he founded his own school, the Stoa Poikile, around 300 B.C. His school was named for his teaching platform, located on the north side of the Ancient Agora of Athens, the Painted Porch ("stoa" is Greek for "porch"). Laërtius states that he came to Athens when he was twenty-two years and Apollonius says that he presided over his school for forty-eight years. His teachings were the beginning of Stoicism which was partly based on ideas taught to him by Crates and other Cynic philosophers whose founding father, Antisthenes, had been a disciple of Socrates. Zeno preached that "man conquers the world by conquering himself." He lectured his students on the value of apatheia, which he explained to be the absence of passion. Only by controlling one's emotion and physical desire, he argued, could we develop wisdom. Central to his teachings was the law of morality being the same as nature. Zeno often challenged prohibitions, traditions, and customs and emphasized love for all other beings. Stoicism was the first philosophical school of thought to morally condemn slavery. He developed the concept of Kathekon meaning befitting or appropriate actions and states that one must always act in accordance with Nature. Zeno's most influential follower was Chrysippus who further developed and taught Stoicism which would later be adopted by thinkers such as Cicero, Seneca the Younger, Marcus Aurelius, Cato the Younger, Dio Chrysostom, and Epictetus. Other philosophers who succeeded Zeno as leaders of the Stoa were Cleanthes, Zeno of Tarsus, Diogenes the Babylonian, Panaetius of Rhodes, Posidonius, and Hecaton. As he left the school, he tripped, fell and broke a toe. Hitting the ground with his hand, he cited words of Niobe: "I am coming, why do you call me thus?" Since the Stoic sage was expected to always do what was appropriate (kathekon) and Zeno was very old at the time, he felt it appropriate to die and consequently strangled himself. Zeno himself never denied that he was a native of Cittium. For that when on one occasion, there was a citizen of that town who had contributed to the building of some baths, and was having his name engraved on the pillar, as the countryman of Zeno the philosopher, he bade them add, "Of Cittium." he was thin, very tall, of a dark complexion; in reference to which some one once called him an Egyptian. Of his disposition and way of life it is reported: For in reality he did surpass all men in this description of virtue, and in dignity of demeanor, and, by Jove, in happiness. He was a person of great powers of abstinence and endurance; and of very simple habits, living on food which required no fire to dress it, and wearing a thin cloak. there were also a lot of dirty beggars always about him writing: Till he collected a vast cloud of beggars, Who were of all men in the world the poorest, and the most worthless citizens of Athens. And he himself was a man of a morose and bitter countenance, with a constantly frowning expression. He was very economical, and descended even to the meanness of the barbarians, under the pretence of economy. He is reported to be the author of the following works —The Republic, A treatise on a life according to nature, one on Appetite, on the Nature of Man; on Passions, on Duty, on Law; on the usual Education of the Greeks, on Sight, on the Whole, on Signs, on the Doctrines of the Pythagoreans, on Things in General, on Styles, five essays on Problems relating to Homer, one on the reading of the Poets. There was also an essay on Art, and two books of Solutions and Refutations, Reminiscences, and one called the Ethics of Crates. "Fate is the endless chain of causation, whereby things are; the reason or formula by which the world goes on." "No evil is honorable: but death is honorable; therefore death is not evil." "We have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen more than we say." "tranquility can best be reached through indifference to pleasure and pain" Cyprus is the third-largest island in the Mediterranean which lies off the southern coast of Turkey and the western shore of Syria. The island has been inhabited for more than 12,000 years, first by prehistoric hunter-gathers, later by small farming villages until Mycenaean, Greek and Phoenician culture is believed to arrive in the bronze age around 1600 BC. Soon after the island inhabitants came into contact, and began trade with, Egypt. In the 6th century Cyprus was conquered by Amass of Egypt until Cambyses conquered Egypt and it fell into the hands of the Persians. Alexander the great claimed the island for the the Macedonians and then the Ptolemies of Egypt controlled it for a time until Rome annexed it in 58-57 BC. It then became a part of the Byzantine empire in 395 which would rule the island for more than 800 years until King Richard I of England captured the island in 1191 during the Third Crusade. In 1192, the French knight Guy of Lusignan purchased the island, in compensation for the loss of his kingdom, from the Templars. The Republic of Venice took control in 1489 until it was conquered by the Ottoman Turks under the command of Lala Kara Mustafa Pasha in 1570 who sacked its palaces, public buildings and churches and massacred more than 20,000 Nicosian Greeks. Under Ottoman rule the island saw its first major influx of of turkish immigration to the island as those who moved there and stayed were rewarded with money and land. Greek Christians were allowed their own communities but forced to pay steep taxes to Ottoman rulers giving rise to opposition and bloody uprisings. By 1760 the situation in Cyprus was intolerable for both Turk residents and Greek alike. In addition to heavy tax burdens a terrible epidemic of plague, bad crops and earthquakes drove many to leave the island. Cyprus was placed under British control in 1878 as a result of the Cyprus Convention, which granted control of the island to Britain in return for British support of the Ottoman Empire in the Russian-Turkish War. Cyprus was formally annexed by the United Kingdom in 1913 since Turkey had joined the Central Powers. Many Cypriots signed up to fight in the British Army in both World Wars with the promise that when the war finished Cyprus would be united with Greece. The British balked at giving Cyprus its independence spawning resistance and opposition movements until, after seemingly endless posturing and debate, Cyprus was declared an independent state on August 16, 1960 with Archbishop Makarios as it president. The terms of its independences and the two ethnic communities at odds with each other made a peaceful workable government all but impossible. Tensions rose and the populations segregated. Greek citizens looked to unify with Greece, Turkish residence looked to unify with Turkey. Animosity grew and the island fractured culminating in a Greek led coup d'etat and Archbishop Makarios was overthrown in a military coup led by the Cypriot National Guard. Soon after Turkey invaded Cyprus claiming it was asserting its right to protect the Turkish Cypriot minority. Turkey gained control of 30% of northern Cyprus and displaced some 180,000 Greek Cypriots. Talks in Geneva involving Greece, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the two Cypriot factions stalled and Turkish forces continue its military actions on the island. 200,000 Greek Cypriots were displaced from their home land and as reprisal, the entire Turkish Cypriot male population of Tokhni was massacred by Greek Cypriot paramilitaries. A UN-sponsored cease-fire was established on July 22, and Turkish troops were permitted to remain in the north. In December of 1974, Makarios again assumed the presidency. The following year, the island was partitioned into Greek and Turkish territories separated by a UN-occupied buffer zone. The events of the summer of 1974 have dominated Cypriot politics ever since and have been a major point of contention between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, as well as the countries of Greece and Turkey. Turkish Cypriots proclaimed a separate state under Rauf Denktash in the northern part of the island on Nov. 15, 1983, naming it the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.” The UN Security Council declared this action illegal and called for withdrawal. No country except Turkey has recognized this entity. In May 2004 Cyprus was admitted into the European Union and Turkish Cyprus elected pro-reunification leader Mehmet Ali Talat as their president, ousting longtime leader Rauf Denktash, who staunchly opposed reunification which lends hope to future unification. In 2005, Turkish Cypriots demolished the part of the wall along the boundary that for decades has split its capital and in March 2007, Greek Cypriots demolished the part of the wall on the Greek side. Cyprus is well known as the island of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, who, according to legend, was born there. Throughout ancient history, Cyprus was a flourishing centre for the cultic worship of Aphrodite.
0.99962	Design Help Window treatments can serve many different purposes in a room. Before you fall in love with one particular style, it's best to determine what you hope to achieve when decorating your windows. Privacy: Sheers that cover the window, operable drapes or shades all offer privacy from neighbors and passers by. You may think your home is secluded or off the street enough that this isn't an issue, but at night, with all the lights on, it's much easier for people to see right into your living room! Bedrooms and bathrooms most often have privacy needs. Light control: Different treatments can work to either filter the daylight coming in (to protect furnishings or soften the sun's brightness), or to completely block daylight, streetlights and car headlights. This is often the case in bedrooms and media rooms. In many cases, treatments are planned to maximize the light coming into a room. Insulation: Here in the northeast, insulation is a big factor in window treatment planning, especially if you are the lucky owner of large picture windows and glass sliders. Well designed drapes or shades, often with an additional layer of interlining can significantly add to the overall insulation of your home cutting down on both heating and air conditioning bills. Design factors: Valances, stationary panels, curtains and shades can all work to solve design problems in a room. Windows can be made to look bigger or smaller with the right choice of treatment. Several smaller windows can be grouped with one treatment to give the impression of one larger window. The most attractive window in your home can be highlighted with a spectacular treatment, while a less attractive window can be minimized with a plainer treatment. Using matching or complementary fabrics on all the windows in one area can tie together multi use spaces such as a kitchen that flows into a dining area. If one room has varying sizes and styles of window, using the same fabric in different types of treatment will serve to unify the look. Draperies or Curtains can be stationary or operable. Often hung from decorative rod and rings, they can also hang from traversing rods, or utility rods hidden under valances. They can be pleated, gathered or flat panels. There are many different pleat styles, some work better for traversing panels while others are purely decorative. Valances are decorative top treatments that can cover the mounting hardware of drapes or shades. They can also stand alone. Pleated, gathered, flat, arched, straight or shaped, the possibilities are endless! Cornices are upholstered box shapes covered in fabric and trim. The bottom edge can be shaped in many different ways. They are mounted above the window and can conceal other mounting hardware. Fabric Shades come in many shapes and sizes. They usually raise and lower by a system of rigged cords or a spring loaded roller. Roman Shades and their many variations tend to be flat or pleated horizontally. They raise in horizontal folds. Balloon or Cloud Shades gain fullness from pleats or gathers and have a softer, pouffed appearance when raised. Shades are usually attached to a covered mounting board that is attached either inside or outside the window trim. Some styles can be mounted on decorative poles. Swags & Cascades. Stationary swags of fabric can be combined and overlapped on a decorative pole or covered dust board. They can be pleated and formal or relaxed and casual. They are often combined with cascades ( also known as jabots or tails) at each end of the window. Call Liz today and get started with your new project! "I am enjoying working with Liz. Liz is very patient and interested in making sure we end up with a look we're completely happy with. Sometimes, I am ready to order right away, and sometimes I need more time or to consider more fabrics. Either way, we're making progress! Liz has a ton of flexible fabric and design options, and she can custom design with ease as well. If she doesn't have something, she will find it." "When I first contacted Liz about making a custom window treatment for my bathroom I wasn't sure what to expect. I had never ordered a custom window treatment and thought that it would be out of my reach financially. I had recently renovated my bathroom and had searched high and low for that perfect window treatment at countless department stores. I was frustrated and decided to call Liz and find out what she might be able to do for me. Liz arranged an appointment to come to my home and take a look at the the window that I needed help with. She made a great suggestion to have the cornice match the same curve as my vanity top. I asked if she could then cover the cornice with the same material as my store bought shower curtain and Liz happily accommodated that request. She also allowed me to go to her workshop and help design how the pattern would be laid out. The end result was PERFECT!!! I now have a one of a kind window treatment that looks AMAZING and I was pleasantly surprised at how affordable it was!!!
0.96175	A commercial bank is a type of bank that provides services such as accepting deposits, making business loans, and offering basic investment products. Commercial bank can also refer to a bank or a division of a bank that mostly deals with deposits and loans from corporations or large businesses, as opposed to individual members of the public (retail banking). In the United States the term "commercial bank" was often used to distinguish it from an investment bank due to differences in bank regulation. After the great depression, through the Glass–Steagall Act, the U.S. Congress required that commercial banks only engage in banking activities, whereas investment banks were limited to capital market activities. This separation was mostly repealed in the 1990s. Some have suggested, the word traces its origins back to the Ancient Roman Empire, where moneylenders would set up their stalls in the middle of enclosed courtyards called macella on a long bench called a bancu, from which the words banco and bank are derived. As a moneychanger, the merchant at the bancu, did not so much invest money as merely convert the foreign currency into Imperial Mint, the only legal tender in Rome. Providing documentary credit, guarantees, performance bonds, securities underwriting commitments and other forms of off-balance sheet exposure. Traditionally, large commercial banks also underwrite bonds, and make markets in currency, interest rates, and credit-related securities, but today large commercial banks usually have an investment bank arm that is involved in the aforementioned activities[clarify]. A secured loan is a loan in which the borrower pledges some asset (e.g., a car or property) as collateral for the loan, which then becomes a secured debt owed to the creditor who gives the loan. The debt is thus secured against the collateral — in the event that the borrower defaults, the creditor takes possession of the asset used as collateral and may sell it to regain some or all of the amount originally lent to the borrower, for example, foreclosed a portion of the bundle of rights to specified property. If the sale of the collateral does not raise enough money to pay off the debt, the creditor can often obtain a deficiency judgment against the borrower for the remaining amount. The opposite of secured debt/loan is unsecured debt, which is not connected to any specific piece of property and instead the creditor may only satisfy the debt against the borrower rather than the borrower's collateral and the borrower. In the past, commercial banks have not been greatly interested in real estate loans and have placed only a relatively small percentage of assets in mortgages. As their name implies, such financial institutions secured their earning primarily from commercial and consumer loans and left the major task of home financing to others. However, changes in banking laws have allowed commercial banks to make more home mortgage loans. In acquiring mortgages on real estate, these institutions follow two main practices. First, some of the banks maintain active and well-organized departments whose primary function is to compete actively for real estate loans. In areas lacking specialized real estate financial institutions, these banks become the source for residential and farm mortgage loans. Second, the banks acquire mortgages by simply purchasing them from mortgage bankers or dealers. In addition, dealer service companies, which were originally used to obtain car loans for permanent lenders such as commercial banks, wanted to broaden their activity beyond their local area. In recent years, however, such companies have concentrated on acquiring mobile home loans in volume for both commercial banks and savings and loan associations. Service companies obtain these loans from retail dealers, usually on a non-recourse basis. Almost all bank/service company agreements contain a credit insurance policy that protects the lender if the consumer defaults. Corporate credit spreads may alternatively be earned in exchange for default risk through credit default swaps, which give an unfunded synthetic exposure to similar risks on the same "Reference Entities". However, quite volatile credit default swaps "basis" make the spreads on credit default swaps and the credit spreads on corporate bonds be significantly different. Commercial banks perform many functions. They satisfy the financial needs of the sectors such as agriculture, industry, trade, communication, so they play very significant role in a process of economic social needs. The functions performed by banks, since recently, are becoming customer-centred and are widening their functions. Generally, the functions of commercial banks are divided into two categories: primary functions and the secondary functions. Commercial banks provide loans and advances of various forms, including an overdraft facility, cash credit, bill discounting, money at call etc. They also give demand and demand and term loans to all types of clients against proper security. Credit creation is the most significant function of commercial banks. While sanctioning a loan to a customer, they do not provide cash to the borrower. Instead, they open a deposit account from which the borrower can withdraw. In other words, while sanctioning a loan, they automatically create deposits, known as a credit creation from commercial banks. Along with primary functions, commercial banks perform several secondary functions. The secondary functions of commercial banks can be divided into agency functions and utility functions. To collect and clear checks, dividends and interest warrant. To act as trustee, attorney, correspondent and executor. ^ Matyszak, Philip (2007). Ancient Rome on Five Denarii a Day. New York: Thames & Hudson. p. 144. ISBN 0-500-05147-X. Khambata, Dara (1996). The practice of multinational banking: macro-policy issues and key international concepts (2nd ed.). New York: Quorum Books. p. 320. ISBN 978-0-89930-971-2.
0.99994	This article is about the street in Virginia. For the fictional faster-than-light propulsion system, see warp drive. Warp Drive is a short street in Sterling, Virginia, United States.[a] It is located in an industrial park off Atlantic Boulevard, and primarily serves as the address for the aerospace company, Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems. The street ends at a circle where an off-ramp from Virginia State Highway 28 joins from the opposite direction. Originally named Steeplechase Drive, the street was renamed in 2011 at the request of the company. The managers at Orbital were avid fans of Star Trek and wanted an address that reflected that. They requested that the Loudoun County supervisors vote to rename their street after the warp drive that allows ships in the Star Trek universe to travel faster than light. The supervisors voted to do so unanimously, several of them using catchphrases associated with the franchise as they did so. Warp Drive's eastern terminus is a signalized three-way intersection with Atlantic Boulevard, roughly one half-mile (800 m) north of its southern terminus at Church Road (Virginia State Route 625) at Sterling. The area is developed in a pattern typical of eastern Loudoun County's edge-city suburban sprawl. On either side of Atlantic at the intersection are office buildings surrounded by parking lots, all facilities of Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems, with some newer residential subdivisions to the southeast and, across the Cabin Branch of Broad Run, the east. The Washington & Old Dominion Trail runs to the immediate southwest. To the northeast is another office building with an artificial pond. The northwest corner of the intersection, and the entire north side of Warp Drive, is a large undeveloped parcel. From the intersection, the street runs 300 ft (100 m) west, divided by a grass median strip, to a small traffic circle that gives access to driveways into Orbital's facilities on the north and south. On the west side is the end of a one-way offramp that gives access to Warp from Sully Road (Virginia State Route 28), roughly 500 feet (150 m) to the west. Orbital Sciences Corporation was founded in 1982 to provide rocket engines and parts to aerospace and defense customers public and private. It has always been headquartered in Northern Virginia, like many other defense contractors. In 1993 it moved into its current complex in Sterling. At that time the short street where Orbital was located was known as Steeplechase Drive. In 2011 the company's executives, who were fans of Star Trek, asked the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors to formally rename the street Warp Drive, after the faster-than-light "warp drive" propulsion technology used by the franchise's starships. At the last meeting of the year, the board voted unanimously to grant the request. Officially, the county said the change was made to "improve the identity and to better integrate the Orbital campus." But supervisors were less formal when discussing the issue, which had originally been on a consent agenda. Several cast their votes with catchphrases from the original Star Trek series. "To Orbital, live long and prosper," said Steven Miller, who lived in Sterling. "Can you give me any speed, Scotty?", incorrectly using a Scottish accent as he did so. One supervisor, Jim Burton of Blue Ridge, tried to be serious. He reminded the board that "warp" had other meanings. "You need to think about it before you vote on it" he warned. "Would you prefer 'Beam me up, Scotty?'", the board's chairman replied. In the end the vote was unanimous. "What more uplifting motion could there possibly be than something that will literally make law out of a Star Trek joke?" concluded Miller. "It's a great idea. I look forward to driving on Warp Drive myself." Orbital agreed to reimburse the county for the approximately $500 it would cost to replace the street sign. The online Ashburn Patch noted how the name change reflected the changes to Loudoun County in the past two decades. While the western portion of the county has stayed largely rural and agricultural, as evoked by the street's original name of Steeplechase Drive, eastern Loudoun has grown tremendously during that same time as many businesses, in particular high-tech defense contractors like Orbital, have located in the area. "So Orbital's request to change the name of the road along its perimeter from Steeplechase Drive to Warp Drive brings to mind the county’s dichotomy," it observed. "Out with the horse-racing theme and in with space." On September 18, 2017, Northrop Grumman announced plans to purchase Orbital for $7.8 billion in cash plus assumption of $1.4 billion in debt. Orbital shareholders approved the buyout on November 29, 2017. The FTC approved the acquisition with conditions on June 5, 2018, and one day later, Orbital was absorbed and became Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems. ^ A Warp Drive is also found in a Turlock, California, subdivision where other streets are named after the United Federation of Planets and characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation such as Jean-Luc Picard, Beverly Crusher and William T. Riker. The headquarters campus of Bigelow Aerospace in North Las Vegas, Nevada, also has a Warp Drive that intersects with a Star Wars-themed street, Skywalker Way. ^ Google Maps (March 9, 2016). "Warp Drive in Turlock, CA" (Map). ACME Mapper. ACME Laboratories. Retrieved March 9, 2016. ^ Google Maps (March 9, 2016). "Warp Drive in North Las Vegas, NV" (Map). ACME Mapper. ACME Laboratories. Retrieved March 9, 2016. ^ a b c Owens, Crystal (December 6, 2011). "Orbital boldly goes with new street name". Loudoun Times-Mirror. Retrieved March 8, 2016. ^ "Best Street Name Ever? Virginia's Warp Drive". Slate. March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2016. ^ a b Google Maps (March 9, 2016). "Warp Drive in Dulles, VA" (Map). ACME Mapper. ACME Laboratories. Retrieved March 8, 2016. ^ "Milestones". 2014. Archived from the original on April 5, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2016. ^ a b c d Smith, Dusty (December 8, 2011). "For Loudoun's Steeplechase, It's Warp Drive". Ashburn Patch. Retrieved March 9, 2016. ^ "Northrop Grumman to Acquire Orbital ATK for $9.2 Billion" (PDF) (Press release). Falls Church and Dulles, Virginia: Northrop Grumman Corporation. September 18, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 27, 2018. ^ "Orbital ATK Shareholders Vote to Approve Acquisition by Northrop Grumman". Northrop Grumman Newsroom (Press release). Falls Church, Virginia: Northrop Grumman Corporation. November 29, 2017. Retrieved July 23, 2018. ^ "FTC Imposes Conditions on Northrop Grumman's Acquisition of Solid Rocket Motor Supplier Orbital ATK, Inc" (Press release). Federal Trade Commission. June 5, 2018. Retrieved June 6, 2018. ^ Erwin, Sandra (June 5, 2018). "Acquisition of Orbital ATK approved, company renamed Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems". SpaceNews. Retrieved July 23, 2018. This page was last edited on 1 March 2019, at 02:30 (UTC).
0.999972	compare mobile phones and decide which is better You can quickly compare Lava Iris X1 Selfie and smartphones just by looking at their ratings and results showing "winner" and "runner up." There is also a short analysis comparing different features of Lava Iris X1 Selfie and . You can also look at each hardware feature individually to perform your analysis while comparing mobile phones.
0.962169	If you are reading this, chances are that you need a little help in the bedroom and or are looking for a way to achieve a more fulfilling intimate encounter. The reality is that while there is prescription medication available such as the famous little blue pill, prescription pills are risky in that they can lead to a variety of side effects such as heart problems, vision issues, hearing issues, and dizziness. These male enhancement products were developed to help improve overall sexual performance and help maintain a healthy lifestyle, but without the need for a prescription, and without costing consumers a fortune.
0.9999	Meet the Secura 6-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker – a revolutionary cooking device that, despite usually being categorized as a pressure cooker, is a real multi-tasker! Equipped with a micro-computerized temperature and time control system, this ingenious gadget can be used as a regular pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, soup maker and sauté pan – as well as a steamer, provided that you get the steamer basket which is usually sold separately. Below, we take a look at some of the benefits of using the Secura multi-cooker, plus provide a brief summary of pros and cons that frequently pop up in user reviews of this multi-cooker. Steamer: Provided that you get a matching steamer basket or steamer rack, which are usually sold separately, your Secura 6-in-1 Multi-Cooker can also be used to create healthy steamed meals. And the best thing is, your new electric steamer is naturally BPA-free as both the standard cooking pot and the optional steamer inserts are made of stainless steel instead of plastic! The standard cooking pot of the Secura's 6-quart 6-in-1 multi-cooker is made of high-quality, grade 18/10 stainless steel, and it is dishwasher safe (an optional non-stick pot can be purchased separately). Like other stainless steel pans, it is naturally free of Bisphenol-A (BPA), which is often found in plastic cookware, and Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), which is used to create non-stick cookware. While the debate over the safety of BPA and PTFE continues, worried consumers are eager to get PTFE-free and BPA-free versions of rice cookers, electric steamers, and the like – which is probably one of the reasons why this multi-cooker has been such a success. Secura's 6-quart multi-cooker has received a lot of great reviews on Amazon, and at the time of writing, the vast majority of the reviews suggest that this multi-cooker does exactly what it's supposed to do. It has also scored high marks for its delay timer (which can be used to delay cooking by up to 24 hours), solid construction, and stainless steel pot. On the negative side, some reviewers complain that the gasket absorbs odors from the food, and that the user manual is of poor quality.
0.746635	Fawzi Selu (1905–1972) (Arabic: فوزي السلو‎) was a Syrian military leader, politician and head of state (December 3, 1951–July 11, 1953). He studied at the Homs Military Academy and joined the French-sponsored Troupe Speciales that was created when France imposed its League of Nations mandate on Syria in July 1920. He had a successful military career, and when Syria became fully independent in 1946, he became the director of the academy. He was given a command in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War where he became close to chief of staff Husni al-Za'im. When Za'im came to power in a coup in March 1949, he appointed Selu military attaché to the Syrian-Israeli armistice talks, and he became the principal architect of the cease-fire that was signed in July of that year. Selu, supported by Za'im, demonstrated a willingness to pursue a comprehensive peace settlement with Israel, including a final border agreement, Palestinian refugees, and the establishment of a Syrian embassy in Tel Aviv. However Za'im was overthrown and killed, and civilian rule was restored with the administration of the nationalist Hashim al-Atassi. Atassi upheld the armistice agreement, but refused to consider peace with Israel. Selu then allied himself with military strongman general Adib al-Shishakli, who contrived to have Selu appointed minister of defense in three cabinets under president Atassi. Shishakli finally launched a coup in November 1951, but could not persuade the popular Atassi to stay on as president, who resigned in protest. As a result, Shishakli appointed Selu as president, prime minister and chief of staff, while retaining real power for himself with the less public role of deputy chief of staff. The two men ran a police state and suppressed virtually all opposition. Under the direction of Shishakli, Selu improved relations with Jordan, opening the first Syrian embassy in Amman and befriending King Talal. He also sought better relations with Lebanon, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. On July 11, 1953 Shishakli finally dispensed with Selu and appointed himself as president. Selu fled to Saudi Arabi and became an advisor to King Saud and then his brother King Faisal. When Shishakli was overthrown in February 1954, a military court in Damascus charged Selu with corruption, misuse of office, and unlawful amendment of the constitution. He was sentenced to death in absentia. Sami Moubayed "Steel & Silk: Men and Women Who Shaped Syria 1900-2000" (Cune Press, Seattle, 2005).
0.942933	For the Red Flag album, see Naïve Art (album). Henri Rousseau's The Repast of the Lion (circa 1907), is an example of naïve art. Naïve art is usually defined as visual art that is created by a person who lacks the formal education and training that a professional artist undergoes (in anatomy, art history, technique, perspective, ways of seeing). When this aesthetic is emulated by a trained artist, the result is sometimes called primitivism, pseudo-naïve art, or faux naïve art. Unlike folk art, naïve art does not necessarily derive from a distinct popular cultural context or tradition; indeed, at least in the advanced economies and since the Printing Revolution, awareness of the local fine art tradition has been inescapable, as it diffused through popular prints and other media. Naïve artists are aware of "fine art" conventions such as graphical perspective and compositional conventions, but are unable to fully use them, or choose not to. Naïve art is recognized, and often imitated, for its childlike simplicity and frankness. Paintings of this kind typically have a flat rendering style with a rudimentary expression of perspective. One particularly influential painter of "naïve art" was Henri Rousseau (1844–1910), a French Post-Impressionist who was discovered by Pablo Picasso. The definition of the term, and its "borders" with neighbouring terms such as folk art and outsider art, has been a matter of some controversy. Naïve art is a term usually used for the forms of fine art, such as paintings and sculptures, but made by a self-taught artist, while objects with a practical use come under folk art. But this distinction has been disputed. Another term that may be used, especially of paintings and architecture, is "provincial", essentially used for work by artists who had received some conventional training, but whose work unintentionally falls short of metropolitan or court standards. Naïve art is often seen as outsider art that is by someone without formal (or little) training or degree. While this was true before the twentieth century, there are now academies for naïve art. Naïve art is now a fully recognized art genre, represented in art galleries worldwide. An equal accuracy brought to details, including those of the background which should be shaded off. Simplicity rather than subtlety are all supposed markers of naïve art. It has, however, become such a popular and recognizable style that many examples could be called pseudo-naïve. Whereas naïve art ideally describes the work of an artist who did not receive formal education in an art school or academy, for example Henri Rousseau or Alfred Wallis, 'pseudo naïve' or 'faux naïve' art describes the work of an artist working in a more imitative or self-conscious mode and whose work can be seen as more imitative than original. Strict naïvety is unlikely to be found in contemporary artists, given the expansion of Autodidactism as a form of education in modern times. Naïve categorizations are not always welcome by living artists, but this is likely to change as dignifying signals are known. Museums devoted to naïve art now exist in Kecskemét, Hungary; Riga, Latvia; Jaen, Spain; Rio de Janeiro, Brasil; Vicq France and Paris. Examples of English-speaking living artists who acknowledge their naïve style are: Gary Bunt, Lyle Carbajal, Jonathan Kis-Lev, Gabe Langholtz, Gigi Mills, Barbara Olsen, Paine Proffitt, and Alain Thomas. "Primitive art" is another term often applied to art by those without formal training, but is historically more often applied to work from certain cultures that have been judged socially or technologically "primitive" by Western academia, such as Native American, subsaharan African or Pacific Island art (see Tribal art). This is distinguished from the self-conscious, "primitive" inspired movement primitivism. Another term related to (but not completely synonymous with) naïve art is folk art. There also exist the terms "naïvism" and "primitivism" which are usually applied to professional painters working in the style of naïve art (like Paul Gauguin, Mikhail Larionov, Paul Klee). Nobody knows exactly when the first naive artists appeared on the scene, as from the very first manifestations of art right up to the days of the "Modern Classic", naive artists quite unconsciously bequeathed us unmistakable signs of their creative activity. At all events, naive art can be regarded as having occupied an "official" position in the annals of twentieth-century art since - at the very latest - the publication of the Der Blaue Reiter, an almanac in 1912. Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc, who brought out the almanac, presented 6 reproductions of paintings by le Douanier' Rousseau (Henri Rousseau), comparing them with other pictorial examples. However, most experts agree that the year that naive art was "discovered" was 1885, when the painter Paul Signac became aware of the talents of Henri Rousseau and set about organizing exhibitions of his work in a number of prestigious galleries. The Earth Group (Grupa Zemlja) were Croatian artists, architects and intellectuals active in Zagreb from 1929 to 1935. The group was Marxist in orientation and was partly modelled on "Neue Sachlichkeit", leading to more stylized forms, and the emergence of Naive painting. The group included the painters Krsto Hegedušić, Edo Kovačević, Omer Mujadžić, Kamilo Ružička, Ivan Tabaković, and Oton Postružnik, the sculptors Antun Augustinčić, Frano Kršinić, and the architect Drago Ibler. The Earth group searched for answers to social issues. Their program emphasised the importance of independent creative expression, and opposed the uncritical copying of foreign styles. Rather than producing art for art's sake, they felt it ought to reflect the reality of life and the needs of the modern community. Activities at the group's exhibitions were increasingly provocative to the government of the day, and in 1935 the group was banned. A term applied to Croatian naive painters working in or around the village of Hlebine, near the Hungarian border, from about 1930. At this time, according to the World Encyclopedia of Naive Art (1984), the village amounted to little more than ‘a few muddy winding streets and one-storey houses’, but it produced such a remarkable crop of artists that it became virtually synonymous with Yugoslav naive painting. Hlebine is a small picturesque municipality in the North of Croatia that in 1920s became a setting against which a group of self-taught peasants began to develop a unique and somewhat revolutionary style of painting. This was instigated by leading intellectuals of the time such as the poet Antun Gustav Matoš and the biggest name in Croatian literature, Miroslav Krleža, who called for an individual national artistic style that would be independent from Western influences. These ideas were picked up by a celebrated artist from Hlebine – Krsto Hegedušić and he went on to found the Hlebine School of Art in 1930 in search of national “rural artistic expression”. Ivan Generalić was the first master of the Hlebine School, and the first to develop a distinctive personal style, achieving a high standard in his art. After the Second World War, the next generation of Hlebine painters tended to focus more on stylized depictions of country life taken from imagination. Generalić continued to be the dominant figure, and encouraged younger artists, including his son Josip Generalić. The Hlebine school became a worldwide phenomenon with the 1952 Venice Biennale and exhibitions in Brazil and Brussels. Some of the best known naive artists are Dragan Gaži, Ivan Generalić, Josip Generalić, Krsto Hegedušić, Mijo Kovačić, Ivan Lacković-Croata, Franjo Mraz, Ivan Večenaj and Mirko Virius. The Domino Players (Juego de Domino), Oil on canvas, by Cuban artist José Rodríguez Fuster. An anonymous painter from Pernambuco, Brazil: Landscape. An anonymous painter from Kharkiv: Papa Gueye. ^ a b Benedetti, Joan M. (19 April 2008). "Folk Art Terminology Revisited: Why It (Still) Matters". In Roberto, K. R. Radical Cataloging: Essays at the Front. McFarland. p. 113. ISBN 978-1-4766-0512-8. ^ Risatti, Howard (15 September 2009). "Aesthetics and the Function/Nonfunction Dichotomy". A Theory of Craft: Function and Aesthetic Expression. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. p. 223. ISBN 978-0-8078-8907-7. OCLC 793525283. ^ Levy, Silvano (2008). Lines of Thought: The Drawings of Desmond Morris. Kettlestone: Kettlestone Press. p. 138. ISBN 978-0-9560153-0-3. OCLC 377804527. ^ Walker, John Albert (26 April 1992). Glossary of Art, Architecture, and Design Since 1945. London: Library Association Publishing. p. 433. ISBN 978-0-85365-639-5. OCLC 26202538. ^ Matulka, Denise I. (2008). "Anatomy of a Picture Book: Picture, Space, Design, Medium, and Style § Naïve Art". A Picture Book Primer: Understanding and Using Picture Books. Westport: Libraries Unlimited. p. 80. ISBN 978-1-59158-441-4. OCLC 225846825. ^ Wertkin, Gerard C. (2004). "Introduction". In Wertkin, Gerald C. Encyclopedia of American Folk Art. New York, London: Routledge. pp. xxxiv–xxxvi. ^ Geller, Amy. "Lure of the Naïve" (PDF). amygellerillustration.com/. Retrieved July 12, 2016. ^ [translation, [text] Natalia Brodskaia ;; Darton], adaptation Mike (2000). Naïve art. New York: Parkstone Press. p. 74. ISBN 1859953352. Retrieved July 12, 2016. ^ "Gary Bunt, English Village Life". www.artistsandart.org. Retrieved July 12, 2016. ^ "Lyle Carbajal: Painting". www.notey.com. Retrieved July 12, 2016. ^ "Gabe Langholtz Naive Modern". www.saatchiart.com. Retrieved July 12, 2016. ^ "Gigi Mills". www.askart.com. Retrieved July 12, 2016. ^ "Biography Barbara Olsen". www.barbaraolsen.com. Retrieved July 12, 2016. ^ "All Work: Paine Proffitt". www.acframinggallery.co.uk. Retrieved July 12, 2016. ^ "Alain THOMAS, an artist in the Garden of Eden". www.alain-thomas.com. Retrieved July 12, 2016. ^ "WetCanvas: Articles: Jan and Adrie Martens: An Introduction to Naive Art". www.wetcanvas.com. Retrieved 2016-03-17. ^ "I_CAN - Texts - page sent at 2005/04/13 17:54". www.c3.hu. Retrieved 2016-03-17. ^ "Hlebine School - oi". ^ "Hlebine School of Art: More than peasant doodles". MoonProject. Retrieved 2016-03-17. ^ Otvorena.hr, Otvorena mreza -. "The Croatian Museum of Naive Art - Guide to the Permanent Display". www.hmnu.org. Retrieved 2016-03-17. ^ DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Croatia. Penguin. 2015-04-07. ISBN 9781465441737. ^ "Croatian Museum of Naive Art". Retrieved 25 February 2011. ^ "Gallery of Croatian Naive Art". ^ "Musée international d'Art naïf Anatole Jakovsky". Cote.azur.fr. ^ "International Museum of Naive Art". Midan.org. Archived from the original on 2001-12-02. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Naïve art.
0.929562	I have a VMware workstation 12 running the latest Kali Linux image, downloaded from offensive-security.com, by default recommended image size is 40GB, but now I have exceeded the memory and I needed to expand the size of the image's disc. While attempting to do so I have encountered a problem running the pvcreate command resulting in the following error: Device /dev/sda3 not found (or ignored by filtering). How do I resolve this problem and what is causing it? I believe I am using ext4 as the filesystem on my kali linux machine, (would be glad if someone specify me the right way to check this, i believe this might cause the problem as the VMWare website mentions the steps were specified for ext3 filesystem). It was published here by Znik (a lot of thanks to him @Znik) and it solved my problem. I even read somewhere about solving this out with a graphical interface using the tool gparted, but it was not convenient to me (less than the fdisk tool atleast). Firstly I expanded the allocated machine size on vmware settings, very simple. You'll get prompted you need to adjust the guest settings to support that allocated space. press p to view all the partitions for that disc. Delete all the partitions by pressing d and following the instructions. (data won't be erased you only erase the table that point each partition what sectors on the hard disc it should use, it is saved in the memory and can be undone by type q at anytime while still running fdisk). Then you should take the allocated space you have and substract the size of the swap partition, for example in my case: 100 GB allocated space - 2 GB swap partition = 98 GB of ext4 partition. create new partition by typing n and set it's number to 1,make it a primary partition by typing p, leave the starting sector as default (2048 in my case), and calculate the number of blocks with the size of the ext4 you calculated before (98GB in my case), I used this website. create another partition numbered 2, and make it extended by using e instead of p. the last step should create you a /dev/sda2 partition with the id of 5 and type - extended and /dev/sda5 with id of 83 and type - linux. reboot the system in order to take change (if you can't take the down time you can try to use partx /dev/sda1 command) but if that fails you'll have to reboot. last step is to resize the file system to the partition size, ext4 has a command for that resize2fs /dev/sda1. Congratulations!! You have successfuly expanded your VMWare linux machine disc size. Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged linux kali-linux vmware or ask your own question.
0.95272	What is the best online service to track SEO rankings for a website? I want to regularly track my startup’s SEO results across multiple keywords and search engines. I would prefer to use an online service instead of a program. Regularly emailed reports and suggested keywords or tactics would be helpful. While there are a lot of articles about SEO tools, we are lucky enough to have the essential features explained by some of the amazing people behind each tool. Who else can explain these feature so well as one of their very own? Without further ado, let’s dive in on what’s the best service they can offer. Related: 2017 Best SEO Trends You Must Read! Simple and Advanced keyword, backlinks, or traffic reports that can be sent to anyone at any time, automatically. An average of daily keyword rankings appears in the dashboard that allows you to toggle between mobile and desktop rankings. It also integrates your Google Analytics profile so you have all the different traffic sources available for comparison to your organic keyword results. You can add in your own competitors or simply enable the auto-tracking competitors feature to establish what keyword overlap percentage a real competitor has. It also updates the list at specific intervals that you can determine yourself. Once you have your competitors, you can enable them in the graph and see a side-by-side comparison for as many as you want You’ll also be able to see a singular comparison in blocks below the graph. Here, you can add or delete keywords and see their individual desktop/mobile rankings, SERP links, competition, search volume, and any groups you have put them in, to keep track of any keyword campaigns separately if need be. By clicking on one of the keywords, you’ll get a graph of its desktop and/or mobile rankings over the dates you choose along with it’s comparison to competitor rankings over the same time. The application will tell you when there are any on-page issues, for as many singular web pages as you want, so you can be as search-engine friendly as possible. With a complete backlink profile, you’ll be able to monitor where you’re strongest links are coming from and the strength of your backlink profile in aggregate. You can also find any lost or no-follow links, the domains and their corresponding countries in which the links are coming from, and see the anchor text associated with the link. Create simple, advanced, link, or traffic reports that you can send to anyone at any time. They can be automated to ensure that the people you need to be informed are done so at the rate you need. With Unamo SEO, you’ll have all the SEO functionalities you need under one roof to streamline and monitor your strategies from a single platform. Plans start at 19$/mo up, they are suitable for any large business to bolster their SEO capabilities. There are several tools available for Keyword Rank Tracking / SEO Rankings. You can check SERPed for your keyword rank tracking requirements. SERPed offers 5 different rank tracker tools. 1) Global Tracking – It is vital that you track your rankings in the countries you want to rank. This tool allows you to track the rankings of your sites in specific countries in Google, Yahoo! and Bing. Therefore, if you are targeting one country, select that one country. If you are targeting broad terms and multiple countries, you can select up to 5. It also provides you with an overview of your rankings, graphs so you can track your progress as well as notes, so you can see when the latest algorithm changes happened and if they affect your rankings. 2) Local Tracking – For Local SEO; tracking your rankings is important, but tracking them where it matters is even more useful. This tool allows you to track the rankings of your site in specific cities on Google. 3) Instant Check – This tool allows you to instantly check your rankings on Google, Yahoo! and Bing. You have the choice between having the results delivered within minutes or within a few hours, if you aren’t in a rush. 4) YouTube Tracker – This tool allows you to track the rankings of your YouTube videos with ease. Nothing prevents you from tracking the rankings of your competitors too, so you know where they’re at and what can be done to outrank them. We made it super easy for you to have an overview of your YouTube rankings. Also graphs, where you can track progress over time. 5) Amazon Tracker – This tool allows you to track the rankings of your Amazon products. As I wrap up, You get one of the most comprehensive Rank Tracker tool suites with SERPed. With just one SERPed account, You get access to 40+ advanced SEO tools that help you dominate the search engines ranking. Writer: Ivan Filimonov, CBDO of Serpstat.com Keyword Research Tool for SEO/PPC and Competitor Analysis. Serpstat is the premium all-in-one SEO platform with the lowest prices on the market. It has five powerful modules: Rank Tracking, Backlink Analysis, SEO-audit, Keyword Research and Competitor Analysis. Take a look at Cyfe.com. It’s an all-in-one dashboard app that helps you monitor all your business data in one place. It includes a ton of out of the box integrations from third party services like SEOmoz, Google Analytics, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, WordPress, and more. There’s also an included SERPs widget which allows you to monitor daily keyword ranking information alongside all your other marketing metrics (e.g. SEO, SEM, social, email, analytics). It can also pull in data from your website or company’s internal databases. Writer: Scott Krager, SERPs.com founder & competitive webmaster for 7+ years. If you want just straight-up rankings reports, http://authoritylabs.com is your answer. Any time you try to track more than a dozen or so keywords from your local machine, you are going to run into issues, so it’s worth paying for a service. We are using AuthorityLabs to power the rankings aspect of https://serps.com (as are Raven and other SEO tools). Finding the best SEO tool for your website may be a perplexing problem. We hope that after reading this article, and learning about the best features of each tool, you will be able to ascertain the perfect one for your website. What do you think about these SEO tools? Have you tried any of them yet? Share your insights in the comment section. DevriX works with multinational organizations across the world providing technical, creative, business development, marketing, and support services.
0.945095	Which city is the MOST "French"? I have the opportunity to attend a language school for college credit hours. I have a choice of schools in Quebec, Montreal and Toronto. I know absolutely zero about Canada. Which one of those cities is the most "French"? Where will I encounter the most French speakers? Secondly, does anyone know a good source for finding reasonably priced furnished apartments for short term rental? Since I will be spending a couple of months over the summer, I would like to bring my two children with me. Thanks for a kick start to my search. I am getting a rather late start in finalizing my plans. There's no doubt about it, Québec city is by far the most French, and certainly the best place to learn French. Toronto has only a very small French speaking population, and Montréal is so bilingual that you would have a hard time avoiding English, which you will want to do if you really want to learn. As well Québec is a delightful place, full of history (some would say, too full of history). Quebec City is the most 'French' of the three. Much of Quebec City is a very quaint, European style walled city. Realize that it is much smaller than Montreal or Toronto, however. Monteal is a close second as far as 'Frenchness' but it is a large, very hip cosmopolitan city. Most of it's 3 million residents are bi-lingual. As a college city, Montreal would be hard to beat, it's a very vibrant city. In my opinion, Toronto would be a distant 3rd if you want to be immersed in the French language. Definitely Quebec City. I've read that just over 50% of Toronto was born in another country - that could be a European country, a Caribbean island, somewhere in Asia. Toronto is very multi-cultural so there are many languages spoken in Toronto, but not all that many 'native' French speakers. In the touristy areas within Old Quebec, you'll find people who speak English, but that won't be their first choice. It would be a wonderful place to spend a couple of months. Of course, Québec is also a college city, with Université Laval, whose origins go back to 1663. Go with Quebec City - no doubt about it! Less than 2% of the people in Toronto speak French, so you would have a difficult time finding them!! In fact, after English, more people speak Cantonese, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Polish and Philipino than speak French in Toronto!!! (I looked this up on the Stats Canada website). Although Canada has two official languages, in actual fact, not many people are truly bilingual in both of them. The province of Quebec and large parts of New Brunswick are francophone, most of the rest of the country is unilingual English. Welcome to Canada - I hope that you enjoy your stay here!!!! Definitely Quebec City. Though, Montreal is the more cosmopolitan destinatinon, in my opinion, and you can always visit Quebec City while there. Thank you, each and every one of you! Yours were some of the most positive posts I've ever read on Fodor's. I so desperately wanted to spend my summer improving my French in France, but the severe decline of the dollar against the euro has just made that so prohibitive. So my prof suggested I try one of the three schools in Canada that my university has a relationship with for credit transfer. I am having a hard time convincing myself to do the Canada route, but you have all changed my outlook. One of the reasons I had been discouraged was all the posts I've read that say more than three days in Québec is too many. If that's the case, how can I survive it for two months? Now I need to hear from some Québecois to suggest ways to fill the afternoons and weekends for that period of time! And I need some leads on finding a short term rental. I guess maybe I should start another thread! A colossal idea! Try getting out from Quebec! Towns like Chicoutimi or Tadoussec are almost anti English speaking. And those isolated villages along the shores of the Gaspe Peninsula are French speaking as well. I ran into several situation where the locals did not speak English to amount to anything, and did not want to. There was even one story in the newspaper about a pet shop owner in Chicoutimi who had a parrot who only spoke English. Protests were raised about the bird because it did not speak French!
0.998503	Do you sometimes wonder why you do what you do, think and feel the way you think? We are all born with a set of unconscious behavior patterns called archetypes. Most of us are probably unaware when an archetype is influencing the way we relate to the people and situations in our lives (good or bad). Becoming aware of our personal archetypes allows us to understand and cultivate them to create a richer and more satisfying life. Once discovered these archetypes act as a blueprint for your life, giving you a greater understanding of how to manifest your abundance and work through obstacles.
0.861889	This article is about the Newtonian type of reflecting telescope. For the optical telescope at Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on La Palma, see Isaac Newton Telescope. Newton's idea for a reflecting telescope was not new. Galileo Galilei and Giovanni Francesco Sagredo had discussed using a mirror as the image forming objective soon after the invention of the refracting telescope, and others, such as Niccolò Zucchi, claimed to have experimented with the idea as far back as 1616. Newton may even have read James Gregory's 1663 book Optica Promota which described reflecting telescope designs using parabolic mirrors (a telescope Gregory had been trying unsuccessfully to build). A replica of Newton's second reflecting telescope, which he presented to the Royal Society in 1672. Newton built his reflecting telescope because he suspected it could prove his theory that white light is composed of a spectrum of colours. Colour distortion (chromatic aberration) was the primary fault of refracting telescopes of Newton's day, and there were many theories as to what caused it. During the mid-1660s with his work on the theory of colour, Newton concluded this defect was caused by the lens of the refracting telescope behaving the same as prisms he was experimenting with, breaking white light into a rainbow of colours around bright astronomical objects. If this were true, then chromatic aberration could be eliminated by building a telescope which did not use a lens – a reflecting telescope. In late 1668 Isaac Newton built his first reflecting telescope. He chose an alloy (speculum metal) of tin and copper as the most suitable material for his objective mirror. He later devised means for shaping and grinding the mirror and may have been the first to use a pitch lap to polish the optical surface. He chose a spherical shape for his mirror instead of a parabola to simplify construction; even though it would introduce spherical aberration, it would still correct chromatic aberration. He added to his reflector what is the hallmark of the design of a Newtonian telescope, a secondary diagonally mounted mirror near the primary mirror's focus to reflect the image at a 90° angle to an eyepiece mounted on the side of the telescope. This unique addition allowed the image to be viewed with minimal obstruction of the objective mirror. He also made the tube, mount, and fittings. Newton's first version had a primary mirror diameter of 1.3 inches (33 mm) and a focal ratio of f/5. He found that the telescope worked without colour distortion and that he could see the four Galilean moons of Jupiter and the crescent phase of the planet Venus with it. Newton's friend Isaac Barrow showed a second telescope to a small group from the Royal Society of London at the end of 1671. They were so impressed with it that they demonstrated it to Charles II in January 1672. Newton was admitted as a fellow of the society in the same year. Like Gregory before him, Newton found it hard to construct an effective reflector. It was difficult to grind the speculum metal to a regular curvature. The surface also tarnished rapidly; the consequent low reflectivity of the mirror and also its small size meant that the view through the telescope was very dim compared to contemporary refractors. Because of these difficulties in construction, the Newtonian reflecting telescope was initially not widely adopted. In 1721 John Hadley showed a much-improved model to the Royal Society. Hadley had solved many of the problems of making a parabolic mirror. His Newtonian with a mirror diameter of 6 inches (150 mm) compared favourably with the large aerial refracting telescopes of the day. The size of reflecting telescopes subsequently grew rapidly, with designs doubling in primary mirror diameter about every 50 years. Newtonian optical assembly showing the tube (1), the primary mirror (2), and the secondary diagonal mirror support (also called a "spider support") (3). They are free of chromatic aberration found in refracting telescopes. Newtonian telescopes are usually less expensive for any given objective diameter (or aperture) than comparable quality telescopes of other types. Since there is only one surface that needs to be ground and polished into a complex shape, overall fabrication is much simpler than other telescope designs (Gregorians, cassegrains, and early refractors had two surfaces that need figuring. Later achromatic refractor objectives had four surfaces that have to be figured). A short focal ratio can be more easily obtained, leading to wider field of view. The eyepiece is located at the top end of the telescope. Combined with short f-ratios this can allow for a much more compact mounting system, reducing cost and adding to portability. Newtonians, like other reflecting telescope designs using parabolic mirrors, suffer from coma, an off-axis aberration which causes imagery to flare inward and towards the optical axis (stars towards edge of the field of view take on a "comet-like" shape). This flare is zero on-axis, and is linear with increasing field angle and inversely proportional to the square of the mirror focal ratio (the mirror focal length divided by the mirror diameter). The formula for third order [[tangentialis 3θ / 16F², where θ is the angle off axis to the image in radians and F is the focal ratio. Newtonians with a focal ratio of f/6 or lower (f/5 for example) are considered to have increasingly serious coma for visual or photographic use. Low focal ratio primary mirrors can be combined with lenses that correct for coma to increase image sharpness over the field. A large Newtonian reflector from 1873 with structure to access the eyepiece. Newtonians have a central obstruction due to the secondary mirror in the light path. This obstruction and also the diffraction spikes caused by the support structure (called the spider) of the secondary mirror reduce contrast. Visually, these effects can be reduced by using a two or three-legged curved spider. This reduces the diffraction sidelobe intensities by a factor of about four and helps to improve image contrast, with the potential penalty that circular spiders are more prone to wind-induced vibration. For portable Newtonians collimation can be a problem. The primary and secondary can get out of alignment from the shocks associated with transport and handling. This means the telescope may need to be re-aligned (collimated) every time it is set up. Other designs such as refractors and catadioptrics (specifically Maksutov cassegrains) have fixed collimation. The focal plane is at an asymmetrical point and at the top of the optical tube assembly. For visual observing, most notably on equatorial telescope mounts, tube orientation can put the eyepiece in a very poor viewing position, and larger telescopes require ladders or support structures to access it. Some designs provide mechanisms for rotating the eyepiece mount or the entire tube assembly to a better position. For research telescopes, counterbalancing very heavy instruments mounted at this focus has to be taken into consideration. A Jones-Bird reflector telescope (sometimes called a Bird-Jones) is a mirror-lens (catadioptric) variation on the traditional Newtonian design sold in the amateur telescope market. The design uses a spherical primary mirror in place of a parabolic one, with spherical aberrations corrected by sub-aperture corrector lens usually mounted inside the focusser tube or in front of the secondary mirror. This design reduces the size and cost of the telescope with a shorter overall telescope tube length (with the corrector extending the focal length in a "telephoto" type layout) combined with a less costly spherical mirror. Commercially produced versions of this design have been noted to be optically compromised due to the difficulty of producing a correctly shaped sub-aperture corrector in a telescope targeted at the inexpensive end of the telescope market. ^ Hall, A. Rupert (1992). Isaac Newton: Adventurer in Thought. Cambridge University Press. p. 67. ISBN 9780521566698. ^ VandeWettering, Mark T. (2001). "Telescope Basics". ^ Fred Watson (2007). Stargazer: The Life and Times of the Telescope. Allen & Unwin. p. 108. ISBN 978-1-74176-392-8. ^ Derek Gjertsen (1986). The Newton Handbook. Routledge & Kegan Paul. p. 562. ISBN 978-0-7102-0279-6. ^ Michael White (1999). Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer. Basic Books. p. 169. ISBN 978-0-7382-0143-6. ^ Henry C. King (1955). The History of the Telescope. Courier Corporation. p. 74. ISBN 978-0-486-43265-6. ^ Michael White (1999). Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer. Basic Books. p. 170. ISBN 978-0-7382-0143-6. ^ Stephen Parkinson (1870). A Treatise on Optics. Macmillan. p. 112. ^ Raymond N. Wilson (2007). Reflecting Telescope Optics I: Basic Design Theory and its Historical Development. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 9. ISBN 978-3-540-40106-3. ^ Racine, René (2004). "The Historical Growth of Telescope Aperture". The Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 116 (815): 77. Bibcode:2004PASP..116...77R. doi:10.1086/380955. ^ Knisely, David (2004). "Tele Vue Paracor Coma Corrector for Newtonians" (pdf). Cloudy Nights Telescope Review. Retrieved 29 November 2010. ^ Alex Hebra (2010). The Physics of Metrology: All about Instruments: From Trundle Wheels to Atomic Clocks. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 258–259. ISBN 978-3-211-78381-8. ^ Antony Cooke (2009). Make Time for the Stars: Fitting Astronomy into Your Busy Life. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-387-89341-9. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Newtonian telescopes. This page was last edited on 8 April 2019, at 23:56 (UTC).
0.999998	Alright, so speed can be defined as "the distance covered in a unit of time," or basically "how fast something is moving." It, like distance, is a scalar quantity, and doesn't show distance. Velocity, on the other hand, is a vector and is essentially speed with direction. We can also define velocity as "the rate of change of displacement," whereas speed is simply "the rate of change of distance." Velocity, as a vector, can be added or subtracted, an idea that we will explore in more detail when we get to the topic of relative motion. Speed and velocity is usually defined over an interval, but in some cases, we might need the instantaneous speed and velocities, which, as the name suggests, is basically the speed or velocity at a single given time, so it can't be calculated with distance or displacement over a time interval, since there is no interval. Assuming Person A (Justin) and Person B (Howard) both reach the set destination (which is equal distance from each of them) in the same amount of time, Justin would have a much higher speed, but in terms of velocity, Justin and Howard were the same. Now we also have something called acceleration which is essentially an object's change in velocity over a given time. Again, acceleration, just like all other vectors, can be added or subtracted. Now remember, this is the change in the displacement over time, so we must take into account the direction. Typically we find acceleration in problems with linear motion, but must remember that the change in velocity also happens when an object turns. Observe below. If we consider the three cases above: Car A driven by Joycelyn, Car B by Enyu, and Car C by Abigail, where Joycelyn is driving at the same speed as speed as Abigail, and it takes Enyu the same amount of time to complete a full lap as Joycelyn. It is understood that both Enyu and Abigail as a higher acceleration than Joycelyn, due to more change in velocity, one due to a greater velocity in terms of displacement over time, and another due to a greater velocity in terms of more change in direction. Then we have something called free fall. It's a lot simpler than it sounds. Simply put, it's the work of the gravity exerted by the planet Earth. This force of gravity causes all objects to have a downward acceleration of 9.80665 m/s^2 (This number is typically rounded to 9.8 or even 10 in calculations). Just like in horizontal linear motion, the same ideas apply, the object is just moving in a different direction. Consider the graph below, which are just a number of different ways of portraying the same act of free fall. Below you'll find a race between a Yamaha R1, a Porsche 911, and a typical European fighter jet. Which has the largest acceleration? Final velocity?
0.998249	Identify the material that you claim is infringing the copyrighted work listed in item #1 above.Provide information reasonably sufficient to permit us to contact you (email address is preferred). Designated Agent for Claimed Infringement: Contact: Quinn M Kofford Address: 43 North 470 West, American Fork, UT 84003 Phone: (801) 492-9505 You acknowledge and agree that upon receipt of a notice of a claim of copyright infringement, we may immediately remove the identified materials from our site without liability to you or any other party and that the claims of the complaining party and the party that originally posted the materials will be referred to the United States Copyright Office for adjudication as provided in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. All notices to a party shall be in writing and shall be made either via email or conventional mail. Notices to us must be sent to the attention of Customer Service at [email protected], if by email, or at Canopy Mortgage, a Division of Nudge Funding, LLC 380 Technology Court Suite 105 Lindon, Utah 84042 if by conventional mail. Notices to you may be sent to the address supplied by you as part of your Registration Data. In addition, we may broadcast notices or messages through the site to inform you of changes to the site or other matters of importance, and such broadcasts shall constitute notice to you at the time of sending.
0.996016	What is Environmental Economics ? "Environmental Economics" deals with the impact of the economy on the environment, the significance of the economy to the environment, and the appropriate way of regulating economic activity so that balance is achieved among environmental, economic and other social goals. Although the field of environmental economics probably dates back to the late 1950s and early 1960s, its roots are in the externality theories of Marshall and Pigou, the public goods theories of Wicksell and Bowen, the general equilibrium theory of Walras, and the applied field of benefit-cost analysis, foreshadowed by Dupuit but cultivated to maturity by economists in the water resource agencies of the US Government. The 1990s has seen the influence of environmental policy. Marketable permits for pollution control are now widely embraced and valuation has become an integral part of environmental economics. Environmental economics involves adapting concepts developed in other branches of economics (particularly Public finance and Industrial organization) and applying them to environmental problems. But there are some aspects of environmental economics like non-market valuation, which are unique to this field but have the potential to be applied in other branches of economics. Non-market valuation involves developing methods of measuring the demand for goods for which there is no market, for example, measuring the value of the ecosystem service that a forest provides is a non-market valuation. The markets for this service do not exist but it provides benefit to the ecosystem and hence a value is placed on this service. The field is often divided into different areas, partly due to the respective historical development. For instance, economic environmental research took "pigouvian" taxes and subsidies for the correction of negative external effects as its starting point. Another early branch 'natural resource economics' examined the exploitation of limited natural resources over time. Similarly, social cost-benefit calculus began to be applied to environmental problems in the 1960s. Pigovian taxes are treated as one of many economic measures, comparable to deposits, "tradable permits", damages, and insurance.
0.999868	Who Is the Current Prime Minister of China? The Chinese prime minister, known as Premier, is Li Keqiang. Born in 1955 in Anhui province, he was 57 years old when he was elected in 2013. He is the son of a local official. Attending Peking University to study Law, Li became head of the university's student federation in 1978, holding the position until 1972. Li has a PhD in economics. According to BBC News, he is married and has a daughter, but not much is known publicly about his personal life. The media site also claims that some believe Li to be a cautious and passive leader with a friendly approach as a politician.
0.949417	What would cause a cop to beat a clown? The clown tackled the cop! The crazy brawl was luckily captured on video by a passerby, otherwise, who would believe this happening on a busy downtown street? They say the clown is a local activist who protests in front of government buildings. There were some complaints that the clown was chasing after cars with a squirt gun. How wacky is that? He was arrested outside city hall and charged with resisting arrest.
0.991461	Is it Islam alone that allows polygamy ? Polygamy is not a practice limited to the religion of Islam; rather, it is something well-known in the history of the People of the Book, the Jews and the Christians, as well. It is only in the later times that their religious men frowned upon it or forbade it outright. However, when we looks into the early history of the religions, we will find that it was at least an acceptable practice, if not encouraged. Polygamy existed among the Israelites before the time of Moses, who continued the institution without imposing any limit on the number of marriages which a Hebrew husband might contract. The Jewish Encyclopedia states "While there is no evidence of a polyandrous state in primitive Jewish society, polygamy seems to have been a well-established institution, dating from the most ancient times and extending to comparatively modern days " Another common practice was the taking of concubines. In later times, the Talmud of Jerusalem restricted the number by the ability of the husband to maintain the wives properly. Some rabbis, however, counseled that a man should not take more than four wives. Polygamy was prohibited in Judaism by the rabbis, not God. Rabbi Gershom ben Judah is credited by forbidding polygamy in the 11th century . yet polygamy is still in practiceamong the 180,000 Bedouin of Israel. It is also frequent among Jews living in Yemen, rabbis permitting Jews to marry up to four wives. In modern Israel, where a wife cannot bear children or is mentally ill, the rabbis give a husband the right to marry a second woman without divorcing his first wife. History says that Polygamy was practiced among the Christians , it seems that there were some human resolutions that stopped it . In the eighth century Charlemagne, holding power over both church and state, in his own person practiced polygamy . St. Augustine seems to have observed in it no intrinsic immorality or sinfulness, and declared that polygamy was not a crime where it was the legal institution of a country. He wrote in The Good of Marriage (chapter 15, paragraph 17), that polygamy …was lawful among the ancient fathers…….." He declined to judge the patriarchs, but did not deduce from their practice the ongoing acceptability of polygamy . During the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther said, “I confess for my part that if a man wishes to marry two or more wives, I cannot forbid him for it does not contradict the Scripture.”African churches have long recognized polygamy. Early in its history, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints practiced polygamy in the United States. Splinter groups left the Church to continue the practice after the Church banned it. Polygamy among these groups persists today in Utah, neighboring states, and the spin-off colonies, as well as among isolated individuals with no organized church affiliation. According to Father Eugene Hillman, ‘Nowhere in the New Testament is there any explicit commandment that marriage should be monogamous or any explicit commandment forbidding polygamy.’ The Church in Rome banned polygamy in order to conform to Greco-Roman culture that prescribed only one legal wife while tolerating concubinage and prostitution. In the Bible , Jesus never reject the old testament but even said " "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law (the Old Testament) or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." (Matthew 5:17-18) . New Testament insists on monogamy only for bishops and deacons. No church council in the earliest Christian centuries opposed polygamy. St. Augustine clearl)' declared that he did not condemn it. Luther tolerated it and approved of the bigamous status of Philip of Hesse. In 1531 the Anabaptists preached polygamy and the Mormons of today believe in it (see Abd al Ati, The Family Structure in Islam, American Trust Publications, 1977, p 114 : Until this very day, the church in some African countries conducts the marriage of men to more than one wife. In Europe, the attempt to legally enforce monogamy and outlaw polygamy took place as late as the late sixth and early seventh centuries. In Matthew 19:3 , Jesus was asked " whether or not it is allowed for a man to divorce his wife. Jesus immediately referred to the Old Testament for the answer in Matthew 19:4. According to this , man becomes a one flesh with his wife in Matthew 19:5-6, this doesn't mean that the man can't be one flesh with another woman. He can be one flesh with his first wife, and one flesh with his second wife, and one flesh with his third wife and so on. In Matthew 22:24-28, the Jews referred to Deuteronomy 25:5 from the Old Testament where it states that if a woman's husband dies, and she didn't have any kids from him, then she must marry his brother regardless whether he had a wife or not. When the Jews brought this situation up to Jesus in Matthew 22:24-28, Jesus did not prohibit at all for the childless widow to marry her husband's brother (even if he were married). Instead, Jesus replied to them by saying that we do not marry in heaven, and we will be like angels in heaven (Matthew 22:30). Jesus' parable allows polygamy between 1 man (the bridegroom) and 10 virgins (5 became his wives and slept with him)! Unlike other religions the question of polygamy is clear in Islam and restricted . Though Islam permitted polygamy , there are certain restrictions concerning this matter . Before the advent of Islam , polygamy was widely a spread custom and the number of wives was limitless , it was Islam that restricted that number . Multiple marriages lay a heavy responsibility on men, which is why Allah allowed having more than one wife only if the husband treats his wives equally. If a man has more than one wife, he must treat them all in an equal manner, emotionally and financially. For example, he has to provide separate living accommodation for each of his wives. Since it is very difficult to be just with all wives, in practice, most of the Muslim men do not have more than one wife. Therefore polygamy is not a rule or an order but an exception. Many people are under the misconception that it is compulsory for a Muslim man to have more than one wife. However men are prohibited from cheating on their wives, meaning a man can't marry another woman without the knowledge of his wife. He should tell her, for she might refuse such situation, and in this case it's totally her right if she asked for divorce. Marriage is a matter of mutual consent. Only that woman can be made a second or a third wife who is willing to be so. And when this matter rests wholly on the willingness of the woman, there is no cause for objection. The verse of polygamy was revealed after the invasion Uhad where a lot of Moslems were martyred and where a large number of widows and orphans were left liable to hardships of life . The reason for multiple wives in Islam was not mainly to satisfy men’s desire and that's it, but for the welfare of the widows and the orphans of the wars. During war times, many women are unable to find husbands, and they might prefer to be a co-wife than no wife. studying of mortality shows that the rate is higher for men than for women. This disparity is in evidence from early childhood to extreme old age. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica: "In general, the risk of death at any given age is less for females than for males." 1988), 82,000 Iranian women and about 100,000 Iraqi women were widowed. All in the space of ten years. 2- Imprisonment : In the U.S , no less than 1,300,000 people are convicted daily for one crime or anther. A number of them - 97% of whom are men - are obliged to serve lengthy prison sentences.Work accidents and street accidents are also among the these reasons . According to data collected in 1967, in that year a total of 175,000 people died as the result of accidents in fifty different countries. Most of these were men. For reasons of this nature, women continue to outnumber men. This difference persists in even the most developed societies e.g. in America. According to data collected in 1967, there were nearly 7,100,00 more women than men. This means that even if every single man in America got married 7,100,00 women would be left without husbands. In facts , some nations do not practice polygamy as this is an act against man-made laws but they really did , the possibility of transferring biological fatal diseases are so high , such communities suffer from ADS , an innocent wife or husband may be the victim . social ills are rampant . The question is which is better to solve this problem ? The best answer is " let's go back to God's solution " A dark picture is awaiting , unless we stop outdoor-relations . During the Second World War, in which several western countries such as Germany, France, Britain, etc. took part, a large number of men were killed. As a result, women far outnumbered men at the end of the hostilities. Permissiveness then became the order of the day, to the extent that boards with such inscriptions as "Wanted: A Guest for the Evening" could be seen outside the homes of husbandless women. This state of affairs persisted in western countries in various forms, even long after the war, and is now largely prevalent because of industrial and mechanical accidents.
0.972213	How can I give the player gravity with a character controller? I tried using transform.translate as well as charactercontroller.move, but they don't seem like the best methods. googling that comes up with this page. Please answer the question instead of trying to be smart. If you have nothing to add please just move on. The answer on the first link : The CharacterMotor script does this stuff, including gravity. The answer on the second link is by Aldo, and if he said I could breathe underwater, then I would believe it! You havn't given enough detail as to your Character Controller setup (what components/scripts have you tried), and from what you have tried you have no explanation for the statement but they both seem like bad methods , what does this mean / what have you read ? Transform.translate doesn't even work. The player does not process that it is grounded on game start, so the player just falls right through the floor. Thanks, that comment was posted 11 months ago ;) Aldo has given a great answer that should help future users. If not, the search should yield other results. The CharacterController must be moved only with Move or SimpleMove. SimpleMove applies gravity automatically, but you can't control the vertical movement (no fly, no jump). The parameters passed to each function are different: SimpleMove receives the desired velocity vector (Y is ignored), while Move receives the displacement since last frame. Notice that vSpeed is a member variable (declared outside any function): it stores the current vertical speed, what is necessary to produce physically correct effects when jumping or falling - the vertical velocity grows downwards while in mid air due to the gravity, like in the real world. Does 'Time.deltaTime' create smoother transformations? Time.deltaTime is the time elapsed since last frame. As a rule of thumb, anything expressed in something per second should be multiplied by Time.deltaTime to become independent of the frame rate (which varies a lot!). In the case above, Rotate should rotate the character at a fixed speed in degrees per second - thus the actual angle to be rotated must be multiplied by Time.deltaTime. The same applies to the Move speed, since it's expressed in meters per second (or miles, yards, feet etc.). It's different in the SimpleMove case because this method expects the moving velocity itself, and the multiplication is done internally. What if I didn't want the player's velocity to increase. Could this work? The variable speed defines the horizontal velocity - just modify it to get different velocities. CharacterController.Move sets isGrounded to false, so I used Raycast to check the distance to ground. Like, every CharacterController script tutorial already does this. That is basically what I had. So character.move would be a good method? You must use Move (or SimpleMove) to move the CharacterController. Translate ignores collisions, and should not be used with a CharacterController. You may instead use SimpleMove: it automatically applies gravity, but you're not allowed to modify the vertical movement - thus use Move if you plan to jump or fly. Actually, you're considering gravity as a constant speed, not an acceleration. Thus it will fall at a constant speed, instead of falling faster each time. But that's exactly what I have in my answer. I've approved this answer because someone may find the code sample helpful; however, this question is now 5+ years old and "dude" is not a helpful answer.
0.963332	Why is it important to establish the worker's monthly wage? The department or self-insurer is required to establish a monthly wage that fairly and reasonably reflects workers' lost wages from all employment at the time of injury or date of disease manifestation. This monthly wage, which is calculated using the formulas in RCW 51.08.178, represents the worker's lost earning capacity. This monthly wage is used to calculate the rate of the worker's total disability compensation or beneficiary's survivor benefits under Washington's Industrial Insurance Act.
0.982759	Anti-Jewish Violence In Poland, 1944–1946 refers to a series of violent incidents that immediately followed the end of the Second World War in Poland and influenced postwar history of Jews in Poland as well as Polish Jewish relations. The exact number of Jewish victims is a subject of debate but the range is estimated as 1,000 to 2,000 Polish citizens of Jewish ethnicity — largely those returning to Poland after surviving the war on Soviet territory, but also those who survived the Holocaust in Nazi-occupied Europe, — were murdered, constituting 2 to 3 percent of the total number of victims of postwar violence in the country.[4 ] The incidents ranged from individual attacks to pogroms. Partly as a result of this violence, about one half of the Jewish population (100,000–120,000 out of 180,000–240,000) left Poland by 1948. Reasons for those deaths have been attributed to rampant and often indiscriminate postwar banditry and civil war, which cost the lives of tens of thousand of people on Polish lands. Jan T. Gross notes that "only a fraction of [the Jewish] deaths could be attributed to anti-semitism", but sometimes Jews were indeed targeted due to their ethnicity, because of the pre-war and Nazi-inspired anti-Semitism (including the blood libel rumors),, because of the concerns that returning Jews would reclaim their property, and resentment towards Jews, seen as overrepresented and supporting the consolidation of power of Soviet and Polish communist regimes, responsible for the repressions against the Polish civil society since 1939, Due to that last motive, among the Jewish victims of violence were the numerous Stalinist functionaries of the new communist regime, assassinated by anti-communist underground without racial motives, but simply due to their political loyalties. After the war, Poles and Jews constituted two communities with two different but both tragic war experiences, however the relations between Polish and Jewish communities worsened after the Soviet takeover of Poland in 1945. Polish Jewish survivors of the Nazi Holocaust returning home were confronted with fears of being physically assaulted, robbed and even murdered by certain elements in the society. The situation was further complicated by the fact that there were more Jewish survivors returning from the Soviet Union than those who managed to survive in occupied Poland, thus leading to stereotypes holding Jews responsible for the imposition of Communism in Stalinist Poland. Members of the former Communist Party of Poland (KPP) were returning home from the Soviet Union as prominent functionaries of the new regime. Among them, was a highly visible number of Poles of Jewish origin, who became active in the new Polish Communist party and the Ministry of Public Security of Poland. Their representation in Bolesław Bierut's apparatus of political oppression was considerably higher than their share in the general Polish population. Hypothesis emerged that Stalin had intentionally employed some of them in positions of repressive authority in order to put Poles and Jews "on a collision course." The underground anti-communist press held them responsible for the murder of Polish opponents of the new regime, thus fuelling the anti-Jewish sentiments among ordinary Poles who in general had anti-Communist/anti-Soviet attitudes and further strengthening mythology of "Żydokomuna" in Poland. Accusations that Jews are being supportive of the new communist regime and constituted a threat to Poland came also from some high officials of the Roman Catholic Church in Poland. Pogroms spurred by blood libel rumours among lumpenproletariat — accusing Jews of kidnapping and ritual murder of Polish children — erupted in Krakow, Kielce and other Polish towns. Acts of anti-Jewish violence were also recorded in villages and small towns of central Poland, where the overwhelming majority of attacks occurred. The perpetrators of the anti-Jewish actions were seldom punished and shortly after the Kielce pogrom, violence against Jews had ceased. By the spring of 1947 the number of Jews — in large part repatriated from the Soviet Union — declined from 240,000 to 90,000 due to mass migration to the West and to Israel, coupled with the post-Holocaust absence of Jewish life in Poland. "The flight" of Jews from Poland was mainly motivated by antisemitism and political struggle between the Communist regime and the strong opposition to it. Sporadic public anti-Jewish disturbances or riots were enticed by spread of false blood libel accusations against Jews in a dozen Polish towns - Krakow, Kielce, Bytom, Bialystok, Bielawa, Czestochowa, Legnica, Otwock, Rzeszów, Sosnowiec, Szczecin, Tarnow The Kraków pogrom of August 11, 1945, was the first anti-Jewish riot in postwar Poland. Rumours of alleged attempt by Jewish woman to kidnap and murder Polish child and alleged discovery of thirteen or even eighty corpses of Christian children that supposedly had been found in Kupa Synagogue served as a pretext to start the pogrom. During the riot, Jews were attacked in Kazimierz, and other parts of Old Town, resulting in one death. Fire was set in Kupa Synagogue. A pogrom (the causes of which are still somewhat controversial) , coupled with the ritual murder accusations, erupted in Kielce on July 4, 1946. The rumour that Polish boy was kidnapped but managed to escape from Jewish captivity, and that other Polish children had been ritually murdered by the Jews ignited violent public reaction directed at the Jewish Center. Actions against Jewish residents of Kielce was provoked by units of the communist militia and Soviet controlled Polish Army who confirmed the rumors of the kidnapped Polish child. The police and soldiers were also the first to fire shots at the Jews giving civilians a pretext to join the fray. Pogrom in Kielce resulted in 37 people being murdered and many more injured[4 ] but the number of victims does not reflect committed atrocities. Kielce pogrom was a turning point for the postwar history of Polish Jews where many concluded that there was no future for Jews in Poland. Soon after, Communist authorities allowed Polish Jews to leave Poland without visas or exit permits. and Jewish emigration from Poland increased dramatically. A number of historians, including Antony Polonsky and Jan T. Gross cite the figures originating from Dobroszycki's 1973 work. Dobroszycki wrote that "according to general estimates 1500 Jews lost their lives in Poland from liberation until the summer of 1947" , but Jan Gross, the author who cites Dobroszycki, says that only a fraction of these deaths can be attributed to antisemitism and that most were due to general post war disorder, political violence and banditry. David Engel of New York University stated that Dobroszycki "offered no reference for such 'general estimates'" which "have not been confirmed by any other investigator" and "no proof-text for this figure" exists, not even a smaller one of 1000 claimed by Gutman. Engel wrote that "both estimates seem high." Other estimates include those of Anna Cichopek claiming more than 1000 Jews murdered in Poland between 1944 and 1947 while Dr Lidiya Milyakova of Russian Academy of Sciences placed that number at 1500-1800. Similarly, according to a Jewish historian Stefan Grajek around 1000 Jews were murdered in the first half of year 1946. Polish historian Tadeusz Piotrowski cites 1500-2000 victims between the years 1944 and 1947 due to general civil strife that came about with Soviet consolidation of power, constituting 2 to 3 percent of the total number of victims of postwar violence in the country. A statistical compendium of "Jewish deaths by violence for which specific record is extant, by month and province" was compiled by the Yad Vashem Shoah Resource Center's International School for Holocaust Studies. The study used as a starting point a 1973 report by historian Lucjan Dobroszycki, who wrote that he had "analyzed records, reports, cables, protocols and press-cuttings of the period pertaining to anti-Jewish assaults and murders in 115 localities" in which approximately 300 Jewish deaths had been documented. "[Dobroszycki] did not report the results of that analysis except in the most general terms, nor did he indicate the specific sources from which he had compiled his list of cases. Nevertheless, a separate, systematic examination of the relevant files in the archive of the Polish Ministry of Public Administration, supplemented by reports prepared by the United States embassy in Warsaw and by Jewish sources in Poland, as well as by bulletins published by the Central Committee of Polish Jews and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, has lent credibility to Dobroszycki's claim: it has turned up more or less detailed descriptions of 130 incidents in 102 locations between September 1944 and September 1946, in which 327 Jews lost their lives." The data from the Yad Vashem study are reproduced in the table below. Engel wrote that the compilation of cases is not exhaustive, suggesting that cases of anti-Jewish violence were selectively reported and recorded, and that there was no centralized, systematic effort record these cases. He cites numerous incidental reports of killings of Jews that for which no official reporting has survived. He concludes that these figures have "obvious weaknesses" and that the detailed records used to compile them are clearly deficient and lacking data from Białystok region. For example, Engel cites one source that shows a total of 108 Jewish deaths during March 1945, and another source that shows 351 deaths between November 1944 and December 1945. ^ a b (Polish) Stefan Grajek, Po wojnie i co dalej? Żydzi w Polsce, wlatach 1945−1949, translated by Aleksander Klugman, Żydowski Instytut Historyczny, Warszawa 2003, ss. 240. Citation in Polish: Żydzi byli zabijani nie tylko przez niektóre organizacje prawicowego podziemia, ale też przez pospolitych bandytów [oraz] jako funkcjonariusze komunistycznego państwa, bez dodatkowego motywu rasistowskiego. Wedle Aliny Całej, liczba Żydów zabitych w latach 1944−1947 przekracza tysiąc osób (Alina Cała, "Mniejszość żydowska", [w:] Piotr Madajczyk (red.), Mniejszości narodowe w Polsce. Państwo i społeczeństwo polskie a mniejszości narodowe w okresach przełomów politycznych (1944−1989), Warszawa 1998, s. 252). Page 254. ^ a b Joanna B. Michlic. The Holocaust and Its Aftermath as Perceived in Poland: Voices of Polish Intellectuals, 1945-1947. In: David Bankier, ed. The Jews are Coming Back: The Return of the Jews to Their Countries of Origin After WW II. Berghahn Books, 2005. ^ a b David S. Wyman, Charles H. Rosenzveig. The World Reacts to the Holocaust. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996. ^ A. Stankowski, Studia z historii Zydow w Polsce po 1945 roku, Warszawa 2000, pp.107-111. ^ a b c Natalia Aleksiun. Jewish Responses to Antisemitism in Poland, 1944-1947. In: Joshua D. Zimmerman, ed. Contested Memories: Poles and Jews During the Holocaust and Its Aftermath. Rutgers University Press, 2003. ^ Jan T. Gross. After Auschwitz. The reality and Meaning of Postwar antisemitism in Poland. In: Jonathan Frankel, ed. Studies in Contemporary Jewry. Oxford University Press US, 2005. ^ Daniel Blatamn. The Encounter between Jews and Poles in Lublin District after Liberation, 1944-1945. East European Politics & Societies. 2006, Vol. 20, No. 4, 598-621. ^ Manus I. Midlarsky. The Killing Trap: Genocide in the Twentieth Century. Cambridge University Press, 2005. ^ Bozena Szaynok. The Role of Antisemitism in Postwar Polish-Jewish Relations. In: Robert Blobaum, ed. Antisemitism and Its Opponents in Modern Poland. Cornell University Press, 2005. ^ Joanna B. Michlic. Poland's Threatening Other: The Image of the Jew from 1880 to the Present. University of Nebraska Press, 2006. ^ Tadeusz Piotrowski, Poland's Holocaust, page 130, (ibidem) Published by McFarland, 1998. ^ Daniel Blatamn. The Encounter between Jews and Poles in Lublin District after Liberation, 1944-1945. East European Politics & Societies. 2006, Vol. 20, No. 4, 598-621. Pages 601-602. ^ Aleksander Hertz (1988). The Jews in Polish Culture. Northwestern University Press. pp. 1. ^ Dariusz Libionka, Antisemitism, Anti-Judaism, and the Polish Catholic Clergy during the Second World War, 1939-1945. In: Robert Blobaum, ed. Antisemitism and Its Opponents in Modern Poland. Cornell University Press, 2005. ^ István Deák; Jan Tomasz Gross, Tony Judt (2000). The politics of retribution in Europe : World War II and its aftermath. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press. pp. 111. ISBN 0691009538. OCLC 43840165. http://books.google.com/books?id=s82F2H0FEHQC&pg=PA111&lpg=PA111&ots=TzLGIZi_-H&sig=j6pqJCW76yOyez2H5XhhDBkDxCk. ^ David Engel, "Patterns Of Anti-Jewish Violence In Poland, 1944-1946", p. 21 (second paragraph) Yad Vashem Studies Vol. XXVI. Yad Vashem, Jerusalem. (PDF 198 KB file). ^ Aleksiun, Natalia (2003). "Jewish Responses to Antisemitism in Poland 1944-1947". in Joshua D. Zimmerman. Contested Memories: Poles and Jews During the Holocaust and Its Aftermath. Rutgers University Press. pp. 248. ^ Gross, Jan T. (2005). "After Auschwitz: The Reality and Meaning of Postwar Antisemitism in Poland". in Jonathan Frankel. Studies in Contemporary Jewry. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195182243. ^ a b Tadeusz Piotrowski (sociologist) (1997). "Postwar years". Poland's Holocaust. McFarland & Company. p. 136. ISBN 0-7864-0371-3. http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0786403713&id=A4FlatJCro4C&pg=PA136&lpg=PA136&dq=Kielce+pogrom+UB&sig=mQYXdHi4C0gr3egZn2SzVqmYzWk. ^ Cichopek, Anna (2003). "The Cracow pogrom of August 1945: A Narrative Reconstruction". in Joshua D. Zimmerman. Contested Memories: Poles and Jews During the Holocaust and Its Aftermath. Rutgers University Press. pp. 224. ^ a b Robert B. Pynsent, ed (2000). The Phoney Peace: Power and Culture in Central Europe, 1945-49. University of London School of Slavonic and East European Studies. ISBN 0903425017. ^ Kochavi, Arieh J. (2001). Post-Holocaust Politics: Britain, the United States & Jewish Refugees, 1945-1948. The University of North Carolina Press. pp. 175. ISBN 0807826200. ^ Marrus, Michael Robert; Aristide R. Zolberg (2002). The Unwanted: European Refugees from the First World War Through the Cold War. Temple University Press. pp. 336. ISBN 1566399556. "This gigantic effort "accelerated powerfully known by the Hebrew code word Brichah(flight) accelerated powerfully after the Kielce pogrom in July 1946"" ^ István Deák; Jan Tomasz Gross, Tony Judt (2000). The politics of retribution in Europe : World War II and its aftermath. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press. pp. 106–107. ISBN 0691009538. OCLC 43840165. http://books.google.com/books?id=s82F2H0FEHQC&pg=PA106&sig=-d4IdHYrS-YpmClMx8NaajRKvKM. ^ See, e.g., Antony Polanski. My Brother's Keeper? Routledge, 1989; Meyer Weinberg. Because They Were Jews: A History of Antisemitism. Greenwood Press, 1986; Jan Tomasz Gross. Revolution from Abroad: The Soviet Conquest of Poland's Western Ukraine and Western Belorussia. Princeton University Press, 2002; Natalia Aleksiun. Jewish Responses to Antisemitism in Poland, 1944-1947. In: Joshua D. Zimmerman, ed. Contested Memories: Poles and Jews During the Holocaust and Its Aftermath. Rutgers University Press, 2003. ^ Yisrael Gutman. The Jews in Poland after World War II (Hebrew), (Jerusalem: Merkaz Zalman Shazar, 1985). ^ Cichopek, The Cracow pogrom of August 1945, p. 221. ^ Tadeusz Piotrowski (1998). Poland's holocaust : ethnic strife, collaboration with occupying forces and genocide in the Second Republic, 1918-1947. McFarland and Company. pp. 130. ISBN 0786403713. OCLC 37195289. http://books.google.com/books?id=A4FlatJCro4C&pg=PA130&ots=0IlRM2OGVU&dq=1,500-2,000+jews+between+1944+and+1947&sig=84o9Z9cKWyrW65b6fIZmcBdgIWg#PPA130,M1.
0.999804	Hacer una elección: "Interior: Lined","Size and number of Pages: 95 X 140 mm (Mini), 144p.","Closure: Elastic Band" "Interior: Unlined","Size and number of Pages: 95 X 140 mm (Mini), 144p.","Closure: Elastic Band" "Interior: Unlined","Size and number of Pages: 130 X 180 mm (Midi), 144p.","Closure: Elastic Band"
0.988896	The hallmark of an influential and inspirational leader is one who has the ability to comprehend how their actions and behaviors positively or negatively impact others. Additionally they have the ability to create an atmosphere of calm in the midst of chaos and exponential change for themselves and other. To achieve this, Fortune 500 and other well-established companies are providing personal and executive leadership development programs grounded in mindfulness and self-awareness, with great success. This workshop will introduce participants to strategies and tools for slowing down to actively engage in self-reflection and self-awareness in order to build a personal leadership practice and vision. It will also challenges participants to consider their own biases, attitudes, and assumptions and recognize the validity of other perspectives, reducing the personalizing stance that causes a victim mentality and exacerbates office politics. What do I need to know about myself that impacts my leadership practice? Participants will practice strategies for fostering a calming work environment in the midst of chaos and change (mindful leadership). They will also develop awareness as to how personal actions, decisions, and behaviors can influence self, others, and the work environment (emotional intelligence). Lastly participants will identify personal vulnerabilities and strengths as they relate to creating a personal leadership vision. Participants will explore the detrimental reactive patterns that negatively influence the workplace and will learn to recognize their capacity to choose positive actions and behaviors that will positively influence others in difficult situations. Additionally participants will explore personal values as related to personal leadership practice and begin building a personal leadership vision and purpose. Improve personal and workplace wellness by way of reduced absenteeism, presenteeism, etc. Participants with the desire to develop their personal leadership capacity. It is especially ideal for emerging, front-line, and senior leaders who want to develop their emotional intelligence and lead more mindfully and intentionally for optimum results.
0.999741	Slippery elm bark is a bark of the elm tree, which is well-known for its soothing and healing properties. Know more about slippery elm bark benefits and uses. Slippery elm, also known as Ulmus fulva, red elm, sweet elm, or moose elm, is a tree belonging to species of elm and native to Appalachian mountains of eastern North America. It is a medium-sized, deciduous tree that grows up to a height of 50 feet, and possesses spreading branches, forming an open crown. Its foliage is 12 - 18 cm long, having a rough texture, coarsely double serrate margin and an inclined base. The tree blooms flowers in early spring at the tips of the branches in a dense, cluster form. It has a dark brown, rough, and fissured outer bark, while its mucilaginous inner bark, which comprises the main health benefits is white with a distinctive scent. The major uses and benefits of this tree lie in the bark's mucilage, a sticky, viscous substance that oozes from the bark when comes in contact with water. This mucilage is enriched with numerous nutrients and some non-toxic, easy-to-digest complex carbohydrates. It comprises vitamins and minerals like beta-sitosterol, campesterol, tannin, calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, zinc, beta-carotene, and vitamins B1, B2, B3, and C. In spring, the bark is collected, dried and converted into either a coarse powder form used as poultices or a fine powder used to prepare a mucilaginous drink. ► For its soothing and softening properties, it is commonly used as a mucilaginous herb to smooth the mucous membranes, which helps curing and soothing cough and sore throat. ► For its healing properties, it is generally used as an effective poultices or medical dressing to reduce pain and inflammation caused by wounds, boils, ulcers, burns, and any other type of injury. ► Being high in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, it is ground and often used as a porridge. It has a taste and consistency just like an oatmeal, and so, many people have incorporated it in their routine diet. ► Its powder is often used as a home remedy or herbal medicine for tooth decay and pain. All you need to do is to put a pinch of this powder into a hollow tooth, and within a couple of days, the pain as well as the decaying will stop. ► It is extremely useful in treating various gastrointestinal problems and imbalances. It neutralizes the stomach acids, boosts the adrenal glands, soothes the irritation or ulceration of the stomach and intestines by forming a protective barrier between the ulcer and the infected or damaged stomach acid. ► It also aids in digestion, and helps clean the colon which further helps in relieving the pain or inflammation due to colon or stomach ulcers. Hence, it is used in treating numerous intestinal imbalances or disorders, including duodenal ulcers, gastritis, diarrhea, colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, hemorrhoids, and heartburn. ► Besides these, the bark is also used to prepare burial caskets, rope, chords, fence posts, furniture, and even some musical instruments, like drums. This beneficial bark can also be used to treat cancer, heart disease, and diseases related to female organs. Another key feature is that it possesses no known side effects, especially if consumed under a doctor's supervision. Now that you know what its benefits are, you will not forget to incorporate this essential herb in your lifestyle.
0.98934	I used a 72% dark chocolate and it could use a bit more than 2 tablespoons sugar, I would say 3-4, but if you use the 60% cacao the recipe below should be fine. Before serving, whisk remaining 1/4 cup cream in a small bowl until soft peaks form; dollop over mousse. Top with chocolate shavings and crushed roasted hazelnuts. Preheat oven to 350°. Place hazelnuts in a single layer on baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, remove from oven and wrap hazelnuts in a towel, allow to sit for 10 minutes or so, then rub and shake off loose skins. To crush I generally place them in a ziplock bag and crush them with a meat pounder.
0.924346	Who is to blame for students failing in school? Summary: This extra is from The Lottery, a documentary that examines the controversy around public schools, charters schools, and the educational reform movement. It follows the lives of four families in New York City who applied to the lottery to enter one of the best charter schools in the city. This short clip features person-on-the-street style interviews, where everyday people describe their views on why students don't succeed in schools (or watch the full film). Some of the responses include: "the only thing from stopping you from making it is your own self ... you can't blame the system. You blame yourself"; "the problems with our educational system are cultural"; "in one city you can have garbage schools up in our neighborhood, and then down there, amazing schools. and you can't tell me that's not race-based"; "if my school had been better, then I believe I wouldn't be on the streets." Viewers can be encouraged to consider which of the response reflect the sociological imagination, as compared with purely individualistic explanations. The clip could also be used to examine the role of ideology in American society. Individualistic explanations of schooling failures reflect the ideology of the American Dream, in which anyone can succeed if they work hard enough (and that the US functions as a meritocracy). This strong form of individualism serves to reinforce schooling inequalities by shifting the blame from structural forces (e.g. the distribution of school funding, class inequality) to individuals (children or their parents). This ideology obscures the reality, as shown in this Oprah clip and this mini-documentary, that dramatic inequalities in our public school system lead to different outcomes for students based on class, and often race. As the full film shows, thousands of students try to opt out of the failing public school system by entering the lottery, but only a small number will win the arbitrary process. On the other hand, wealthier families can purchase homes in better school districts or send their children to private schools; while winning the lottery is entirely by luck, the class system and educational funding are not. George Wallace, pro-segregationist Alabama Governor. Summary: This three-hour PBS special documentary, titled George Wallace: Settin' the Woods on Fire, chronicles the life and career of Alabama Governor, George Wallace, well known for being the leader of pro-segregation policies during the 1960s. However, before his election as governor, he first ran for office in the 1950s and was considered a moderate who spoke against the Klu Klux Klan. In this election, Wallace's focus was on economic inequality instead of race relations, and he was endorsed by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). This focus resulted in Wallace's loss to opponent John Patterson. The film goes on to document Wallace's transition into a leader of segregation throughout Alabama and the United States. The film's website offers additional educational resources, including a timeline of his life and political career, election maps, relevant people and events, and a teacher's guide. Additional resources, including transcripts, primary source documents, and a list of suggested reading, are also available on the film's website. George Wallace: Settin' the Woods on Fire won the Sundance 2000 Film Festival Special Jury Prize. Film explores whether the US is immune to tyrannical rule. Summary: As stated on the film's website: "There are many perfect examples in our recent history which undoubtedly show that dictatorial regimes impose subjection, blackmail, servitude, intimidation, abuse, persecution and execution upon innocent people. However, many Americans are strongly convinced and assuredly assert that such a thing could never happen in the United States. But is this just desirous reasoning? Or, is there something essentially disparate about the United States that makes it resistant to the despotic abuse that has afflicted every other considerable empire in history? The primary step in scrutinizing the assertion that it can't happen here is to recognize and describe what "IT" is. Many people have distorted, almost comic-book-type, impression of dictatorship. In the real world autocracy has always crept in under the pretense of safeguarding the nation, defending the people, and establishing law and order. A dictator, in order to acquire and hold power, must demand the support of the people. An effective oppressor cannot publicly display malevolence and desire for power but must design his approach so as to persuade the people that his goals are righteous, that he wants honesty and fairness to abound, and that the most desirable way to make that true is to give him or her dominance and authority. Tyrannical governments develop by abusing people's fears - economic uncertainty, crime, foreign aggressors and so on and persuading the people that the quick-fix is for a political leader to be legally given absolute jurisdiction so he can shield the people from the wickedness of the world. This is always the pattern out of which autocracy is born. No matter how cruel or bloodthirsty regime becomes those in charge will persist to claim noble intentions and will dictate that an extreme government powers are required to protect the people and to create justice and order. Every time mankind has taken a step away from democracy and towards autocracy it was done in the name of defending the country and the people."
0.999995	Hi. My name appears at the bottom of this article, but please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Neal Murthy, and my title at Nefer Games is Final Boss. There’s a lot of things that come with that title, but the most important thing is accountability. This post is about just that. I love games – especially tabletop games, which I’ve loved since I can remember anything. I was given a Pachisi set by my grandfather 30 years ago, which set off a lifelong love of not only playing games, but creating them too. Until recently, my creations have been shared only with close friends and family, but my good friend Mike Korupp and I decided to create a company – this company, Nefer Games – to bring some of these games to market. We’re starting with Sedis, a tile-based game system with which players can play a multitude of games of their own or others’ (including our) creation. Sedis tiles have an arrangement of pips and blanks (dots and circles) around the outer edge. The arrangement of these pips is developed using a method quite different from that of dominoes and playing cards, which rely primarily on the intersection of two things (two sets of numbers, 0-6, in the case of double-sixes dominoes, and ranks and suits, in the case of standard playing cards). Sedis is developed using a different application of mathematics. Now, I have a mathematics background, and I often see the world through this perspective, so… despite the visual similarity between Sedis and dominoes, I asserted that it was not a derivative of dominoes (such as Tri-ominoes or others), but rather a wholly new game system unto itself. To validate my claim, I sought responses from gamers I know and around the country, and they validated it. So, it was my public assertion that this thing was wholly different from dominoes or playing cards – and as such, was something totally new to the world after hundreds of years. Regrettably, I did not seek further guidance from others such as those gamers on Reddit or BoardGameGeek (two important communities). Recently, we launched our Kickstarter campaign. As part of this campaign, I had an interview with a local magazine. My claims were stated, and the magazine published them – with an even more hyperbolic title: Did This Houstonian Just Reinvent the Board Game? My answer to this query-formatted title is “No,” but I still stood by the claim that Sedis was a different thing than dominoes and playing cards. Then, the internet took over. The claim was chewed up by online communities at BoardGameGeek, Reddit and Facebook (along with the article itself). Naturally, I tried to defend the claim, but the response was (generally) thoughtful and critical rebuttal. Overall, I was using a highly non-standard classification and my assertion was based on this. It’s important to note here that things like classifications and language as a whole is not something to be chalked up to “differences in semantics;” these things are tools of communities, and they’re extremely important to these communities. I was not using the standards of the community I was hoping to serve. You poor brown piece of s*. Go back to whatever country you came from. Your bulls* is not wanted in America. Kill yourself you f**** sack of worthless garbage. I hope our family dies in a car accident. Your family deserves to die and you deserve to be alone you c*. Now, I want to be very clear here. There were snarky comments on Reddit. There were comments which were personal in nature. But, there was nothing like this on the public thread. This was my first exposure to Reddit and I was appalled. One of the moderators on the subreddit had messaged me, so I brought this to his attention. The response was swift; this was not acceptable in the Reddit community, and it would be dealt with severely. At the same time as this message arrived, I also recognized my ill-informed hubris. The members of these communities generally turned from critique to mentorship. They were supportive of Sedis – just not the way I was messaging the claims. And, I was humbled. I then quickly stated my regret and intention to change our messaging. We’ve now done so, for the most part, and Sedis stands on its own merits. And, that’s the thing. If a game or any other product is created, it should stand on its own merits. The comparisons and contrasts with other things will come on their own. Nefer Games is all about social connections through play in the physical-social space – forging cultural connections and norms, and developing real skills and experiences. But, you know, sometimes the digital world ain’t so bad. It connects people with vast experiences across vast distances. I’m grateful to now be a member of these wonderful online communities, and I hope that they will welcome me back – a changed man. I’ve been fortunate to build two software companies and a decent consultancy. But, now I’m starting at the beginning, learning to be a commercial game designer and the head of a game company. Thank you, anonymous Reddit/FB/BGG members, for making me a better person. I hope I can return the favor one day. This is exactly what we’re trying to change. Our global culture has over the past 30-odd years assumed a perspective that “game” is synonymous with video games and that “play” is associated primarily with children. This wasn’t always the case. For nearly all of human history, games were a means of bringing people – family members, neighbors, even rulers – together… to share, to learn, to engage with one another in important ways. This has happened for thousands of years. But things have changed over time. In the modern era, one significant change came about at the time – and possibly as a result of the actions of the Parker Brothers around the time of the late-19th/early-20th century. Prior to the founding of their company, games were serious things. Sure, they were fun and entertaining ways to engage with others, but they also generally had valuable lessons such as the development of skills in strategy (e.g., chess, Go) or even morality and religious tenets. For example, the modern game of Chutes and Ladders was originally a game called Gyan Chaupar, which taught Dharmic-religious players about the cycle of reincarnation. Chutes and Ladders. Photo credit: Wikipedia, Fair Use. Another change has occurred in the brief period since personal computers and their descendants – laptops and mobile devices – have become a part of our being. We at Nefer Games are not Luddites; each of us owns a smartphone, and we can find ourselves glued to its screen for unexpected lengths of time. We enjoy this and other forms of modern technologies. But they are no substitute for playing a tactile game with friends and family. It is unfortunate that we are trending toward a society in which we increasingly don’t play with each other; we now play with the computer. Sure, there are “social” games online. But we don’t talk with each other when we play – and we certainly don’t see the nonverbal cues which purportedly make up 80+% of our communication. Most online social play is focused on our explicit interactions in the game itself – not the important peripheral social interactions through which we learn about each other as human beings. Friends playing Rings with Sedis in the physical-social space. Nefer Games is partly founded on a principle that people should play together, in what we call the physical-social space – not just through the digital pathways that connect us. In addition to Sedis, we have 21 tactile games under development which are being designed to challenge players’ minds while engaging them with each other. Our goal isn’t to stop people from playing Candy Crush or Farmville, but instead to increase the frequency with which they play tactile games in the physical-social space, and where they can talk with each other, learn from one another, and compete or collaborate to their heart’s content. Another game under-development at Nefer Games. Whether it’s with our games or others, we encourage you to play with others. Now, go play! Subscribe to be notified of our inaugural launch, Sedis. As we scale the mountain that is the launch of our first product, Sedis, I find myself thinking back to how we got here. As mentioned in the evolution of Sedis, it was early-2012 when I awakened at 3am from a dream with an image burning in my mind. I rushed from my bedroom to my home office – nearly falling down the stairs in the process – and quickly sketched the illustration of the tile below. I believe we all have these dreams – the ones which have the potential to change our lives and maybe the lives of others – and opportunities which might otherwise drift past us during our waking hours. But, dreams are like wild horses; they are amazingly beautiful creatures and their beauty does not diminish when tamed, but they must be tamed if they are to be useful to us humans. If you’ve read my blog post about the structure of Sedis tiles, you may notice that the above tile’s configuration does not conform to what eventually became the system of pips which defines Sedis. In their original form, I thought of the pips on these tiles as having a random configuration. But, that simply was infeasible. If this were to be anything of use to anyone, I understood that there would need to be some systematization to it. My college studies were primarily in applied mathematics and economics, with an emphasis on game theory. Despite the name, the focus of game theory is less about games per se and more about understanding human behavior through mathematical models. Nevertheless, my interest in game theory certainly stemmed from a lifelong love of games, including nearly ten years (then) of hobbyist game design experience. It was in those wee hours of that morning that order was brought to chaos. A random pip configuration became a highly-structured system of tiles through the application of a basic understanding of mathematics. Some people believe in luck. I believe that opportunity is all around us – in our dreams, and in our interactions with the world – but we must rise to grab hold of these opportunities through the application of our awareness and our skills and talents. Sedis represents one means by which I feel that I’ve done this, but its ultimate fate will be determined by those who obtain and use it. Perhaps the world does not need a fourth generic game device, but it seems that we continue to cherish the three others – dice, dominoes, and playing cards – and I hope that the world will cherish Sedis in a similar manner. In developing Sedis, I have embraced the belief that such things are important to humanity. I hope you feel the same. Subscribe to be notified of the Sedis launch. Tactile games have been a part of human history since the early days of civilization. The most ancient games pieces found thus far seem to be a set of 49 carved and painted stones found at a 5,000-year-old burial mound in Turkey, discovered in 2013 by a team led by Haluk Sağlamtimur of Ege University. The discovery confirms that board games likely originated and spread from the Fertile Crescent regions and ancient Egypt, a region known for ancient toys. It further asserts that play is an intrinsic part of human culture – something we at Nefer Games firmly believe. The gentleman to the right in the photo below with me is Dr. Irving Finkel. He is a curator in the Middle East department of the British Museum with specific expertise in the domain of Ancient Mesopotamia. He also happens to be a renowned expert in the matter of ancient games, being the discoverer of the rules of the Royal Game of Ur, a Sumerian game dating back to roughly 2500 BCE, and a collector of several others. I had the fortune of meeting Irving when he gave a talk at the Houston Museum of Natural Science on ancient games last November. I’ve been reading his work on ancient games for more than a decade, and the experience was both wonderful and timely, given our work toward launching Nefer Games. As you might expect, decoding the rules to an ancient game requires interdisciplinary knowledge: anthropology, game design, archaeology and language – and Dr. Finkel excels in this realm. In fact, Dr. Finkel has determined that the Royal Game of Ur underwent an important transition throughout its history: its board layout changed, and it’s had at least two distinct sets of rules. This evolution is common among ancient games, as flaws in game design or opportunities to expand the richness of play were discovered organically through the iterations of play over centuries. A similar transition occurred for chess, the history of which likely began around 1500 years ago in India in the form of a game called chaturaṅga, which uses pieces related to but somewhat distinct from those of modern chess. The actual rules of chaturaṅga may be lost to history, but various scholars have speculated on them on the basis of artifacts and later rule evolutions, such as its successor shatranj. Attention to aesthetics: Ancient games tended to be built from natural base materials (stone, wood, etc) as well as natural enhancements (e.g., pigments) with attention placed on artistry as much as function. Focus on mental and social engagement: Indeed, until the 1930s – i.e., for thousands of years – games were not solely used for entertainment, but were primarily tools of teaching skills and morals both to children and adults. Solid game theory: While not initially designed with modern principles of game theory in mind (to my knowledge), games evolved over hundreds of years to address issues of gameplay and interaction in a way which not only adhere to these principles today, but in fact are much of the basis for our understanding of modern game theory. An important distinction to be made in the context of solid game theory is that between complexity versus complication in game design. My own philosophy of these concepts is grounded in systems theory, which understands complexity as the emergence of a condition of richness which comes from the interactions between the parts of the whole, but does not rely on those parts necessarily being numerous, while complication does rely on the existence of numerous elements which may not interact in rich ways with one another. Many games I see being developed in recent years rely on complication rather than complexity, which – to me – renders a far lesser experience to players. While ancient games such as the Royal Game of Ur and chess have few elements with complex interactions, a resurgence of this principle of game design can also be found in some modern games – especially so-called Eurogames, such as the popular games Settlers of Catan and Carcassone. At Nefer Games, we currently have 22 games in various stages of development (and another 50 or so on the back burner). Our first product is Sedis, the fourth generic game device in history. Like many ancient games, all of these games adhere to our three principles of game design and are inspired by the phrase “a minute to learn, a lifetime to master.” Subscribe to be notified on when Sedis is launched. As noted in previous blog posts, Sedis is a “generic gaming device” – in fact, only the fourth in history. By our definition, this means it is a set of similar game pieces with which multiple games with differing game mechanics and rules may be played. Me: Exactly. You don’t play cards; you play games with cards. Similarly, you don’t play Sedis; you play games with Sedis… like Rings, Honeycomb or Bloom. And more mechanics are being discovered as we move forward – by us and our fans! We have around a dozen games for which we’ll be releasing instructions over the next weeks. Our ultimate goal, though, is to build a community of Sedis players to create and share their own games. And, if you tell us about your game, we’ll publish it on our site for the world to see and attribute it to you! We’ll introduce games week by week, so sign up for our newsletter and/or follow Nefer Games on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Get ready for a variety of imagination, logic and fun coming soon in the form of a set of sixty hexagonal tiles. In a mountain near Van Horn, Texas, on land owned by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, a clock like no other is being built. It is the first of many clocks that its creator, Danny Hills, and his staff hope will be built around the world: the Clock of the Long Now, an audacious experiment in human ingenuity and vision. The Clock of the Long Now is conceived as a clock which will function for at least 10,000 years. Let’s put this in some perspective: The notion of ‘civilization’ dates back to the emergence of systematic agriculture as a human institution. Agriculture developed in different parts of the world at different times, over a period of thousands of years, so we’ll use the domestication of cattle as our marker. This occurred in areas of the Middle East – Turkey and Pakistan – approximately 10,000 years ago. And, many of the civilizations which we attribute the term ‘ancient’ – such as that of Egypt, China, the Indus Valley and Greece – all emerged within the past 5,000 years. So, the Clock of the Long Now is designed to last into our future for as long as human civilization has existed to today. That’s a very long time, and that is precisely the point of the Long Now project – to signify that we can think into the long-future. I like things which are intended to last – to be passed down generation to generation: ideas, stories and objects. Sedis, the generic game system we’ve developed and are launching as our first product, is designed with this in mind. It’s made of wood; birch and cherry are our initial choices. Sure, plastic may technically last longer, but the point is also for people to want to hand it down to their kids and grandkids. This is where my own audacity is manifested. You see, humanity is slowly becoming a space-faring species. We’ve been to the Moon, and we may send humans to Mars in the near future. For these longer trips, astronauts need tools of play; I see no reason why Sedis can’t be one of those on these flights. And, as we continue to expand the reach into space, I’d like Sedis to be carried with us – across the galaxy, if we can ever achieve that. So, we can continue to play. Oh, and if we ever happen to chance upon other sentient lifeforms in our space travels, I’d like us to give them a nice Sedis set as a gesture of goodwill, friendship and play. I doubt that this will happen in my lifetime, but I can dream. Previously, I asserted (and validated) that Sedis is only the fourth extant “generic gaming device” – a system of of game tiles, with similar and deliberate piece design, with which a large variety of games can be played. Now, I want to delve further into of how Sedis is actually designed. But, first, let’s start with a brief history of how the other three generic gaming systems – dice, dominoes, and playing cards – are designed. Dice is the simplest gaming device, because historically each die is identical in configuration to the others within a set. There are exceptions to this, especially in the modern era of role-playing games. The traditional die is a cube, with each of six faces showing a different number of pips/dots, indicating the number represented, thus ranging from one to six. Dice are typically used as a random device in the context of whatever game is being played. Dice likely originated in the ancient Middle East and ancient dice have been found at archaeological sites such as Sumeria1, Egypt2, the Roman Empire3, China4 and India5. Dominoes are derived from dice and show the same pip configurations as if two dice were thrown simultaneously, thereby eliminating duplicate combinations. Dominoes are thought to have originated in ancient China in the 12th century CE6. Chinese dominoes, which consist of 21 tiles, are somewhat different in their configuration than the more widespread European dominoes which, while derived from the Chinese set, added tiles with blanks (essentially, zero pips), bringing the tile count to 28 in the 18th century7. Both of these sets can be referred to as double-six sets, as the highest-ranked tile generally consists of two halves with six pips each. Later, double-nine and double-twelve sets were introduced, but the double-six sets continue to be the most used8. An important note is that, unlike dice, a dominoes set consists of individual members which are derived from the same underlying method but differ from each other slightly. Playing cards have a long and interesting history. Like dominoes, cards likely originated in China – in this case, in the 11th century CE or before9. There is some ambiguity around this, as the first playing cards likely depicted a Chinese domino pack, but Chinese dominoes are not thought to have existed until the 12th century CE. Regardless, Chinese dominoes were split into two distinct (but unequal in number) suits. The notion of more suits entered into playing cards through Persia, in the form of the Ganjifa – and later, in the form of the Mamluk cards of Egypt10. The modern, international deck of 52-playing cards (13 ranks across 4 suits) seems to have been developed in Europe in the 14th through 17th centuries CE and likely evolved from the Mamluk cards. The most common deck in use today is called the French deck (52 cards), which is comprised of the familiar 13 ranks (Ace, 2-10, Jack, Queen, King) across four suits (spades, clubs, hearts, diamonds). Like dominoes, the modern playing card deck consists of a systematized approach with each card a unique member derived from the same underlying method of configuration. Before I go into Sedis, let me offer a warning: many people may read what is below and be fearful of the ‘mathematics’ behind the design of Sedis. This is exactly the opposite of what I hope for; you do not need to understand the method by which Sedis tiles are designed in order to enjoy – and do well at – playing the games using the set. The following is offered only to inform the reader who is interested in how the system of tiles is developed. So, please… don’t let what’s ahead in this post scare you away from Sedis! Sedis has a more complex derivation than these previous generic gaming devices, but a complete set of sixty tiles was still developed using a basic system of design, and each tile is unique in its configuration. Each Sedis tile consists of six sides, and each side has five spaces (also called indicia). Of these five spaces, between one and three on each side are darkened, called pips (as per the dots on dice and dominoes). Furthermore, only one side on each tile – the top side in the drawing below – has three pips; the others have one or two pips. First, let’s introduce a convention of naming the spaces. Let’s scan the tile from its center outward, then label the spaces left-to-right as 1 to 5, as in the illustration below. This particular tile has, on its 3-pip side, pips in the 2nd, 4th and 5th spaces. Let’s call this a 2-4-5 side on this tile. Every Sedis tile has one side with three pips – its primary side – and there are ten possible combinations. So, the entire set of 60 Sedis tiles can be broken down into ten ‘families’ – with each family consisting of six tiles which share the same primary side. The illustration below shows the primary sides of the ten families. Now, let’s rotate the tile and look at each of the sides. First, we’ll look at the three 1-pip sides. The illustrations below show the same tile as above but rotated by 1/6, 3/6 and 5/6 counter-clockwise rotations. (Check for yourself.) Now, here’s something interesting. Recall that the 3-pip side on this tile had pips in the 2nd, 4th, and 5th positions. The 1-pip sides on the same tile each has one of these pips (from left to right in the illustration below, Pips #4, #2 and #5. In fact, this is not a mere coincidence. It’s part of the method of how Sedis is designed; every tile has three 1-pip sides, each of which is a unique pip from the primary side of the same tile. Given that there are three sides/places for these three pips, there are six unique configurations of any three pips along these sides. (I won’t go into the details here, but you can verify this yourself, if you’re so inclined.) Now, recall that there are ten families – sets of tiles with the same primary side. Combined with six unique configurations of distributing the three pips to the three 1-pip sides, we get 60 tiles total (ten families with six tiles each). But, we’re not done. There are still two sides to each Sedis tile – the 2-pip sides. Let’s rotate the above tile a bit more (in this case, 2/6 and 4/6 of a full rotation from the original orientation). Note that each 2-pip side lies adjacent to two 1-pip sides – again, by design. The pips on the 2-pip sides are simply derived by combining the pips on each of the adjacent sides. So, you have what appears in the following illustration; for example, in the left image, the 2-pip side labeled 2-4 is simply the combination of the adjacent 1-pip sides, with pips in the 4th and 2nd position. In summary, each tile contains a primary, 3-pip side. These three pips are then distributed individually (and without duplication) to the three 1-pip sides. The 2-pip sides are derived by combining the single pips on the adjacent 1-pip sides. This results in 60 unique tiles with interesting properties. Second, this system of configuration allows for interesting game mechanics and game rules, as well as interesting visual effects. One example of this is the game Rings, in which players attempt to create rings, each consisting of six Sedis tiles, by matching pips along adjacent tiles using only the 1-pip sides. Because the 1-pip sides only appear on alternating sides along the tiles, this creates aesthetically-pleasing geometric shapes, as in the photo below. And, that’s the point of Sedis – to be an interesting, useful evolution of ‘generic gaming devices’. Laird, Jay (2009). Encyclopedia of Play in Today’s Society. SAGE Publications. pp. 171–173. Lo, Andrew. “The Game of Leaves: An Inquiry into the Origin of Chinese Playing Cards,” Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Vol. 63, No. 3 (2000): 389-406. Rodney P. Carlisle (2 April 2009). Encyclopedia of Play. SAGE. p. 181. Hoyle, Edmond; Dawson, Lawrence Hawkins (1950). Hoyle’s games modernized. Routledge & Kegan Paul. Wilkinson, W.H. (1895). “Chinese Origin of Playing Cards”. American Anthropologist. VIII (1): 61–78. The first (printed) version of Sedis — Note that the pips are arranged incorrectly on the two-pip sides. The first plastic resin version of Sedis, made by our friend and Hollywood prop designer William Hawk Edwards — It took a little while to apply the black dots to the indentions using fine-pointed black markers – 600 dots across the entire set. The first wood version of Sedis — This one is printed with a lacquer coating to preserve the ink. It’s a 1/4″ thick and 2-1/2″ wide on birch. Final [smaller] engraved wood version of Sedis – with lacquer, but now 1/8″ thick and 2-1/8″ wide on birch. Beautiful, clear tiles which can be used by kids and adults. And, so, we were done. Pretty plain, unfortunately. What will we do with these? Well, playing cards have a mark on their back, often with the logo of the manufacturing company. So, we did that – and then we did it again, with some premium cherry tiles (instead of the birch). So, here’s where we are, with the birch tiles on the left and the cherry on the right. The logo on the birch tiles needed to be bigger, so we increased it on the later cherry ones – and we like it, so we’ll be including the larger logo on all the sets we’re taking to market through our product launch in December. So, there you have it: Our Sedis journey thus far. Through its development, Edison’s message certainly feels true, even if it’s only taken a dozen or so tries to get it right. That’s the nature of bringing a new product to market, and we’ll continue to refine Sedis and our other products for our customers as we move forward.
0.999863	List of famous people named Donald, along with photos. How many celebrities named Don can you think of? The famous Donalds below have many different professions, as this list includes notable actors named Donnie, athletes named Don, and even political figures named Donald. Did we forget your favorite famous person whose name is Don? Add them to the list. Don Hutson was the first modern receiver in the National Football League in history. He played for the Green Bay Packers and, up until 2012, had held many football records since the 1940's. Don Cheadle is an award winning actor. Some of his credits include Ocean's Eleven and Hotel Rwanda, which earned him an Academy Award nomination. He most recently received a Golden Globe win for House of Lies, as well. One Don that's been all over the news is Donald Trump. He is currently running as a republican candidate for presidency. He is known for his outrageous and controversial comments. He's also known for his reality show The Apprentice and for his billionaire company, The Trump Organization. Don Pepijn Schipper, also known as Don Diablo, is a Dutch DJ and producer of electronic dance music. He is known for his eclectic style of production and vocalizing in most of his songs.
0.980323	A new approach to data clustering is presented in this paper. The approach consists of three steps. First, preprocessing of raw sensor data was performed. Intelligent Automation, Incorporated (IAI) used Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) in the preprocessing stage to extract the significant frequency components of the sensor signals. Second, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to further reduce the dimension of the outputs of the preprocessing stage. PCA is a powerful technique for extracting the features inside the input signals. The dimensionality reduction can reduce the size of the neural network classifier in the next stage. Consequently the training and recognition time will be significantly reduced. Finally, neural network classifier using Learning Vector Quantization (LVQ) is used for data classification. The algorithm was successfully applied to two commercial systems at Boeing: Auxiliary Power Units and solenoid valve system. In this paper we propose a new clustering framework for transactional data-sets involving large numbers of customers and products. Such transactional data pose particular issues such as very high dimensionality (greater than 10,000), and sparse categorical entries, that have been dealt with more effectively using a graph-based approach to clustering such as ROCK. But large transactional data raises certain other issues such as how to compare diverse products (e.g. milk vs. cars) cluster balancing and outlier removal, that need to be addressed. We first propose a new similarity measure that takes the value of the goods purchased into account, and form a value-based graph representation based on this similarity measure. A novel value-based balancing criterion that allows the user to control the balancing of clusters, is then defined. This balancing criterion is integrated with a value-based goodness measure for merging two clusters in an agglomerative clustering routine. Since graph-based clustering algorithms are very sensitive to outliers, we also propose a fast, effective and simple outlier detection and removal method based on under-clustering or over- partitioning. The performance of the proposed clustering framework is compared with leading graph-theoretic approaches such as ROCK and METIS. A great amount of information about a classification problem is contained in those instances falling near the decision boundary. This intuition dates back to the earliest studies in pattern recognition, and in the more recent adaptive approaches to the so called boundary hunting, such as the work of Aha et alii on Instance Based Learning and the work of Vapnik et alii on Support Vector Machines. The last work is of particular interest, since theoretical and experimental results ensure the accuracy of boundary reconstruction. However, its optimization approach has heavy computational and memory requirements, which limits its application on huge amounts of data. In the paper we describe an alternative approach to boundary hunting based on adaptive labeled quantization architectures. The adaptation is performed by a stochastic gradient algorithm for the minimization of the error probability. Error probability minimization guarantees the accurate approximation of the optimal decision boundary, while the use of a stochastic gradient algorithm defines an efficient method to reach such approximation. In the paper comparisons to Support Vector Machines are considered. Extracting and optimizing rules from continuous or mixed- mode data directly for pattern classification problems is a challenging problem. Self-organizing neural-nets are employed to initialize the rules. A regularization model which trades off misclassification rate, recognition rate and generalization ability is first presented for refining the initial rules. To generate rules for patterns with lower probability density but considerable conceptual importance, an approach to iteratively resolving the clustering part for a filtered set of data is used. The methodology is evaluated using Iris data and demonstrates the effectiveness of technique. The problem of image mining combines the areas of content- based image retrieval (CBIR), image understanding, data mining and databases. Image mining in remote sensing is more challenging due to its multi-spectral and spatio-temporal characteristics. To deal with the phenomena that have imprecise interpretation in remote sensing applications, images should be identified by the similarity of their attributes rather than exact matching. Fuzzy spatio-temporal objects are modeled by spatial feature values combined with geographic temporal metadata and climatic data. This paper focuses on the implementation of a remotely sensed image databased with fuzzy characteristics, and its application to data mining. A comprehensive series of calibrated, geo- registered, daily observations, and biweekly maximum NDVI composite AVHRR images are processed and used to build the database. The particularity of the NDVI composite images that our experiments are conducted on is that they cover large geographic areas, and are suitable to observe seasonal changes in biomass (greenness). Based on the characterization of land cover and statistical analysis of climatic data related to NDVI, spatial and temporal data mining such as abnormality detection and similar time sequences detection were carried out by fuzzy object queries. This paper demonstrates the capability of a set of image search algorithms and display tools to search large databases for multi- and hyperspectral image cubes most closely matching a particular query cube. An interactive search and analysis tool is presented and tested based on a relevance feedback approach that uses the human-in-the-loop to enhance a content-based image retrieval process to rapidly find the desired set of image cubes. In today's business world there is an abundance of available data and a great need to make good use of it. Many businesses would benefit from examining customer habits and trends and making marketing and product decisions based on that analysis. However, the process of manually examining data and making sound decisions based on that data is time consuming and often impractical. Intelligent systems that can make judgments similar to human judgments are sorely needed. Thus, systems based on fuzzy logic present themselves as an option to be seriously considered. The work described in this paper attempts to make an initial comparison between fuzzy logic and more traditional hard or crisp logic to see which would make a better substitute for human intervention. In this particular case study, customers are classified into categories that indicate how desirable the customer would be as a prospect for marketing. This classification is based on a small set of customer data. The results from these investigations make it clear that fuzzy logic is more able to think for itself and make decisions that more closely match human decision and is therefore significantly closer to human logic than crisp logic. The advent of e-commerce gives an opportunity to shift the paradigm of customer communication into a highly interactive mode. The new generation of commercial Web servers, such as the Blue Martini's server, combines the collection of data on a customer behavior with real-time processing and dynamic tailoring of a feedback page. The new opportunities for direct product marketing and cross selling are arriving. The key problem is what kind of information do we need to achieve these goals, or in other words, how do we model the customer? The paper is devoted to customer modeling and simulation. The focus is on modeling an individual customer. The model is based on the customer's transaction data, click stream data, and demographics. The model includes the hierarchical profile of a customer's preferences to different types of products and brands; consumption models for the different types of products; the current focus, trends, and stochastic models for time intervals between purchases; product affinity models; and some generalized features, such as purchasing power, sensitivity to advertising, price sensitivity, etc. This type of model is used for predicting the date of the next visit, overall spending, and spending for different types of products and brands. For some type of stores (for example, a supermarket) and stable customers, it is possible to forecast the shopping lists rather accurately. The forecasting techniques are discussed. The forecasting results can be used for on- line direct marketing, customer retention, and inventory management. The customer model can also be used as a generative model for simulating the customer's purchasing behavior in different situations and for estimating customer's features. With the increase in popularity of the Internet, the latency experienced by an individual, while accessing the Web, is increasing. In this paper, we investigate one approach to reducing latency by increasing the hit rate for a web cache. To this effect, we developed a predictive model for pre- fetching and a modified Least Recently Used (LRU) method called AssocLRU. This paper investigates the application of a data mining technique, called Association rules to the web domain. The association rules, predict the URLs a user might reference next, and this knowledge is used in our web caching and pre-fetching model. We developed a trace driven cache simulator to compare the performance of our predictive model with the widely used replacement policy, namely, LRU. The traces we used in our experiments were the traces of Web proxy activity taken at Virginia Tech and EPA HTTP. Our results show that our predictive pre-fetching model using association rules achieves a better hit rate than both LRU and AssocLRU. A fuzzy logic based expert system has been developed that automatically allocates electronic attack (EA) resources in real-time over many dissimilar platforms. The platforms can be very general, e.g., ships, planes, robots, land based facilities, etc. Potential foes the platforms deal with can also be general. The initial version of the algorithm was optimized using a genetic algorithm employing fitness functions constructed based on expertise. A new approach is being explored that involves embedding the resource manager in a electronic game environment. The game allows a human expert to play against the resource manager in a simulated battlespace with each of the defending platforms being exclusively directed by the fuzzy resource manager and the attacking platforms being controlled by the human expert or operating autonomously under their own logic. This approach automates the data mining problem. The game automatically creates a database reflecting the domain expert's knowledge, it calls a data mining function, a genetic algorithm, for data mining of the database as required. The game allows easy evaluation of the information mined in the second step. The measure of effectiveness (MOE) for re-optimization is discussed. The mined information is extremely valuable as shown through demanding scenarios. The paper deals with discovering qualitative and functional dependencies among attributes that describe a complex technical object. The database contains data which are values of control parameters applied in the experiment and multiple features of vibration signals. These signals can be acquired by a multi-sensor measuring system. Information carried by signals acquired from different sensors is in some sense complementary. However, since correlation between signals observed by some sensors is likely, some redundancy in the data may be achieved. Since redundancy may yield reliability and better quality of predictions, it is reasonable to take it into consideration in the model. The attempt depends on selection of the right combination of attributes and then on recursive application of the Equation Finder in order to find functional equations containing control and dependent attributes. Further on, the equations may be inverted providing the opportunity to obtain predictions of values of control attributes, that is the task of the diagnostics of the object. Such knowledge may then be applied in a diagnostic expert system. XML is a new standard for representing and exchanging information on the Internet. An XML data is a data that is tagged by XML elements. Such an XML data can be retrieved not only by a Boolean connection with keywords on the Internet. Keyword-based information retrieval does not precisely result in user requests partly because user requests cannot be properly conveyed. Either too many or too few matches are produced. It is not trivial to formulate what to retrieve for a good-sized query-result. In conventional approaches, a database schema is useful for users to formulate queries and for query processing. Likewise, this paper proposes a method of schema extraction for XML data collection. Obtaining one single schema is not sufficient to serve for the good size of information retrieval and adaptively for the various requests from Internet users. To support this, schemas are then levelized with respect to the frequency of topological data structures in a database. The topological structural information of these schemas is used to formulate queries and further to rewrite queries for relaxation and restriction. Without modification, the method proposed in this paper is used not only for multimedia XML data collections but also for general XML databases. Visualization has proved to be a suitable paradigm for the analysis and exploration of datasets. In the data mining cycle, visualization has been mainly focused on data visualization and output generation. However, besides datasets, many other entities need to be explored and understood by users and analysts. In this paper, we describe the role of visualization in the data mining process, and we present a model to support the interaction between users and data mining entities. We discuss visualizations of datasets, parameter spaces of data mining algorithms, models induced from datasets, and patterns generated by the application of data mining algorithms to datasets. We have developed a Java-based testbed, that implements the extended data mining model with visual support to interact with datasets, models, parameter spaces, and patterns. Experimental results based on several public datasets, data mining algorithms, multidimensional visualization techniques, and other novel visualizations, show clearly the benefits of the integration of visualization in the data mining process. The role of data-centric information is becoming increasingly important in our everyday professional and personal lives. The advent of laptops, palmtops, handhelds, and wearable computers is also making ubiquitous access to large quantity of data possible. Advanced analysis of distributed data for extracting useful knowledge is the next natural step in the world of ubiquitous computing. However, this will not come for free; it will introduce additional cost due to communication, computational, security among others. Distributed data mining techniques offer a technology to analyze distributed data by minimizing this cost to maintain the ubiquitous presence. This paper adopts the Collective Data Mining approach that offers a collection of different scalable and distributed data analysis techniques. It particularly focuses on two collective techniques for predictive data mining, presents some experimental results, and points the readers toward more extensive documentations of the technology. It is common that text documents are characterized and classified by keywords that the authors use to give them. Visa et al. have developed a new methodology based on prototype matching. The prototype is an interesting document or a part of an extracted, interesting text. This prototype is matched with the document database of the monitored document flow. The new methodology is capable of extracting the meaning of the document in a certain degree. Our claim is that the new methodology is also capable of authenticating the authorship. To verify this claim two tests were designed. The test hypothesis was that the words and the word order in the sentences could authenticate the author. In the first test three authors were selected. The selected authors were William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, and George Bernard Shaw. Three texts from each author were examined. Every text was one by one used as a prototype. The two nearest matches with the prototype were noted. The second test uses the Reuters-21578 financial news database. A group of 25 short financial news reports from five different authors are examined. Our new methodology and the interesting results from the two tests are reported in this paper. In the first test, for Shakespeare and for Poe all cases were successful. For Shaw one text was confused with Poe. In the second test the Reuters-21578 financial news were identified by the author relatively well. The resolution is that our text mining methodology seems to be capable of authorship attribution. The problem of finding maximal patterns in databases has been an intensive search area in recent years. The Max-Miner algorithm has been presented as an efficient pattern-mining algorithm which extracts maximal frequent itemsets from databases. Although Max-Miner produces only the set of maximal patterns, it does generate many candidate maximal patterns that need to be discarded at the end of the mining process. In this paper, we propose a set of enhancements to Max-Miner algorithm in order to address this issue. The new version of the algorithm uses new pruning strategies combined with adequate data structures to both speed up the process of counting the support of itemsets and avoid the processing of a larger number of non-maximal patterns. These new features translate directly into a considerable gain in performance. The proposed algorithm also has important features such as requiring a constant number of database passes, and supporting a pipeline structure which enables to output patterns as soon as they are identified as maximal patterns. This paper presents the results of a trial application of a data mining algorithm to a multi-sensor data base. The data base structure is assumed to consist of a single dependent variable and an unspecified number of independent variables (if the data base contains more than one dependent variable, a separate model is built for each dependent variable). Given a set of values for the independent variables, the fuzzy logic model estimates the value of the dependent variable, and the error in the estimated value. The algorithm re-organizes the data records into a multi- dimensional partition tree. The tree is binary (each node is partitioned into exactly two disjoint nodes) and unbalanced (the two child nodes do not have the same number of members). The partitioning algorithm is greedy: each node is partitioned independently, and at each node the algorithm searches to find the independent variable and partition threshold that best accounts for variance in the dependent variable. Partitioning stops when the variance in the dependent variable at a node is less than some user- specified threshold. Fuzzy logic rules are constructed from the leaf nodes. The algorithm compresses the data base into a set of fuzzy logic rules. The set of fuzzy logic rules is a model of the information in the data base. We conducted meta-analysis of the relationships between the independent and dependent variables by studying how the independent variables are used in the fuzzy logic model, i.e., the number of rules that use each independent variable and the number of data records in the training data to which those rules apply. Rough set based rule induction methods have been applied to knowledge discovery in databases. The empirical results obtained show that they are very powerful and that some important knowledge has been extracted from datasets. However, quantitative evaluation of induced rules are based not on statistical evidence but on rather naive indices, such as conditional probabilities and functions of conditional probabilities. In this paper, we introduce a new approach to induced rules for quantitative evaluation, which can be viewed as a statistical extension of rough set methods. For this extension, chi-square distribution and F- distribution play an important role in statistical evaluation. Information and energy are at the core of everything around us. Our entire existence is a process of gathering, analyzing, understanding and acting on the information. For many applications dealing with large amount of data, pattern classification is a key element in arriving at the solution. Engineering applications like SONAR, RADAR, SEISMIC and medical diagnosis require the ability to accurately classify the recorded data for controlling, tracking and decision making respectively. Although modern technologies enable storage of large streams of data, we do not yet have a technology to help us to understand, analyze, or even visualize the hidden information in the data. Data Mining is now the emerging field attracting all research communities. Pattern classification is one particular category of Data Mining, which enables the Discovery of Knowledge from Very Large Databases (VLDB). Modern developments in hardware and software technologies have paved way for developing the software for analyzing and visualizing the data. This development is based on the application of data mining concept. Artificial Neural Networks are used to mine the data base which has better noise immunity and less training time. The paper aims mainly at classification accuracy with reduction in learning time using self-organizing neural networks. The newness in the concept of Adaptive Resonance Theory (ART) makes this as the best and efficient approach for classification. Rough Set is a valid mathematical theory developed in recent years, which has the ability to deal with imprecise, uncertain, and vague information. It has been applied in such fields as machine learning, data mining, intelligent data analyzing and control algorithm acquiring successfully. Many researchers have studied rough sets in different view. In this paper, the algebra view and information view of rough set theory are analyzed and compared with each other systematically. Some equivalence relations and other kind of relations such as inclusion relations are resulted through comparing study. For example, the reduction under algebra view will be equivalent to the reduction under information view if the decision table is consistent. Otherwise, the reduction under information view will include the reduction under algebra view. These results will be useful for designing heuristic reduction algorithms. In the automotive and the aerospace industry large amounts of expensively gathered experimental data are stored in huge databases. The real worth of these databases lies not only in easy data access, but also in the additional possibility of extracting the engineering knowledge implicitly contained in these data. As analytical modeling techniques in engineering are usually limited in model complexity, data driven techniques gain more and more importance in this kind of modeling. Using additional engineering knowledge such as dimensional information, the data driven modeling process has a great potential for saving modeling as well as experimental effort and may therefore help to generate financial benefit. In a technical context, knowledge is often represented as numerical attribute-value pairs with corresponding measurement units. The database fields form the so-called relevance list which is the only information needed to find the set of dimensionless parameters for the problem. The Pi- Theorem of Buckingham guarantees that for each complete relevance list a set of dimensionless groups exists. The number of these dimensionless parameters is less than the number of dimensional parameters in the dimensional formulation, thus a dimensionality reduction can easily be accomplished. Additionally, dimensional analysis allows a hierarchical modeling technique, first creating models of subsystems and then aggregating them consecutively into the overall model using coupling numbers. This paper gives a brief introduction into dimensional analysis and then shows the procedure of hierarchical modeling, its implications, as well as its application to knowledge discovery in scientific data. The proposed method is illustrated in a simplified example from the aerospace industry. Asymmetric threats differ from the conventional force-on- force military encounters that the Defense Department has historically been trained to engage. Terrorism by its nature is now an operational activity that is neither easily detected or countered as its very existence depends on small covert attacks exploiting the element of surprise. But terrorism does have defined forms, motivations, tactics and organizational structure. Exploiting a terrorism taxonomy provides the opportunity to discover and assess knowledge of terrorist operations. This paper describes the Asymmetric Threat Terrorist Assessment, Countering, and Knowledge (ATTACK) system. ATTACK has been developed to (a) data mine open source intelligence (OSINT) information from web-based newspaper sources, video news web casts, and actual terrorist web sites, (b) evaluate this information against a terrorism taxonomy, (c) exploit country/region specific social, economic, political, and religious knowledge, and (d) discover and predict potential terrorist activities and association links. Details of the asymmetric threat structure and the ATTACK system architecture are presented with results of an actual terrorist data mining and knowledge discovery test case shown. Since early 1980's, the rapid growth of hospital information systems stores the large amount of laboratory examinations as databases. Thus, it is highly expected that knowledge discovery and data mining (KDD) methods will find interesting patterns from databases as reuse of stored data and be important for medical research and practice because human beings cannot deal with such a huge amount of data. However, there are still few empirical approaches which discuss the whole data mining process from the viewpoint of medical data. In this paper, KDD process from a hospital information system is presented by using two medical datasets. This empirical study shows that preprocessing and data projection are the most time-consuming processes, in which very few data mining researches have not discussed yet and that application of rule induction methods is much easier than preprocessing. The explosion of Information Technology (IT) in the commercial sector in the 1990's has led to billion dollar corporations overtaking the US Government (e.g., DARPA, NSF) as the leaders in IT research and development. The tenacity of the IT industry in accelerating technology development, in response to commercial demands, has actually provided government organizations with a unique opportunity to incorporate robust commercial IT into their individual applications. This development allows government agencies to focus their limited funds on the application aspects of their problems by leveraging commercial information technology developments. This paradigm applies directly to counterdrug enforcement and support. This paper describes a system that applies the state-of-the-art in information technology to news and information exploitation to produce a Multi-media Agent Monitoring and Assessment (MAMA) system capable of tracking information for field agent use, identifying assets of organizations and individuals for seizure, and disrupting drug shipping routes. Competitive Intelligence (CI) is a systematic and ethical program for gathering and analyzing information about your competitors' activities and general business trends to further your own company's goals. CI allows companies to gather extensive information on their competitors and to analyze what the competition is doing in order to maintain or gain a competitive edge. In commercial business this potentially translates into millions of dollars in annual savings or losses. The Internet provides an overwhelming portal of information for CI analysis. The problem is how a company can automate the translation of voluminous information into valuable and actionable knowledge. This paper describes Project X, an agent-based data mining system specifically developed for extracting and analyzing competitive information from the Internet. Project X gathers CI information from a variety of sources including online newspapers, corporate websites, industry sector reporting sites, speech archiving sites, video news casts, stock news sites, weather sites, and rumor sites. It uses individual industry specific (e.g., pharmaceutical, financial, aerospace, etc.) commercial sector ontologies to form the knowledge filtering and discovery structures/content required to filter and identify valuable competitive knowledge. Project X is described in detail and an example competitive intelligence case is shown demonstrating the system's performance and utility for business intelligence. Decomposition is a tool for managing complexity in data mining and enhancing the quality of knowledge extracted from large databases. A typology of decomposition approaches applicable to data mining is presented. One of the decomposition approaches, the structure rule-feature matrix, is used as the backbone of a system for informed decision- making. Such a system can be implemented as a decision table, a decision map, or a decision atlas. The ideas presented in the paper are illustrated with examples and a medical case study. In image similarity retrieval systems, color is one of the most widely used features. Users who are not well versed with the image domain characteristics might be more comfortable in working with an Image Retrieval System that allows specification of a query in terms of keywords, thus eliminating the usual intimidation in dealing with very primitive features. In this paper we present two approaches to automatic image annotation, by finding those rules underlying the links between the low-level features and the high-level concepts associated with images. One scheme uses global color image information and classification tree based techniques. Through this supervised learning approach we are able to identify relationships between global color-based image features and some textual decriptors. In the second approach, using low-level image features that capture local color information and through a k-means based clustering mechanism, images are organized in clusters such that images that are similar are located in the same cluster. For each cluster, a set of rules is derived to capture the association between the localized color-based image features and the textual descriptors relevant to the cluster. Time series analysis is considered as a crucial component of strategic control over a broad variety of disciplines in business, science and engineering. Time series data is a sequence of observations collected over intervals of time. Each time series describes a phenomenon as a function of time. Analysis on time series data includes discovering trends (or patterns) in a time series sequence. In the last few years, data mining has emerged and been recognized as a new technology for data analysis. Data Mining is the process of discovering potentially valuable patterns, associations, trends, sequences and dependencies in data. Data mining techniques can discover information that many traditional business analysis and statistical techniques fail to deliver. In this paper, we adapt and innovate data mining techniques to analyze time series data. By using data mining techniques, maximal frequent patterns are discovered and used in predicting future sequences or trends, where trends describe the behavior of a sequence. In order to include different types of time series (e.g. irregular and non- systematic), we consider past frequent patterns of the same time sequences (local patterns) and of other dependent time sequences (global patterns). We use the word 'dependent' instead of the word 'similar' for emphasis on real life time series where two time series sequences could be completely different (in values, shapes, etc.), but they still react to the same conditions in a dependent way. In this paper, we propose the Dependence Mining Technique that could be used in predicting time series sequences. The proposed technique consists of three phases: (a) for all time series sequences, generate their trend sequences, (b) discover maximal frequent trend patterns, generate pattern vectors (to keep information of frequent trend patterns), use trend pattern vectors to predict future time series sequences. This paper describes a bitmap approach to clustering and prediction of trends in time-series databases. Similar trend patterns, rather than similar data patterns, are extracted from time-series database. We consider four types of matches: (1) Exact match, (2) Similarity match, (3) Exact match by shift, and (4) Similarity match by shift. Each pair of time-series data may be matched in one of these four types if this pair is similar one to another, by similarity (or sim) notion over a threshold. Matched data can be clustered by the same way of matching. To improve performance, we use the notion of center of a cluster. The radius of a cluster is used to determine whether a given time-series data is included in the cluster. We also use a new notion of dissimilarity, called dissim, to make accurate clusters. It is likely that a time-series data is in one cluster rather than in another by using both notions, sim and dissim: a data is similar to one cluster while it is dissimilar to another. For a trend sequence, the cluster that is dissimilar to that sequence is called dissimilar- cluster. The contribution of this paper includes (1) clustering by using not only similarity match but also dissimilarity match. In this way we prevent any positive and negative failures. (2) Prediction by using not only similar trend sequences but also dissimilar trend sequences. (3) A bitmap approach can improve performance of clustering and prediction. In this paper, a fuzzy logic based method for single or multi-dimensional Chaotic Time Series (CTS, hereafter) predictions is proposed. The fundament characteristic of CTS is that it demonstrates both stochastic behavior in time domain and determined behavior in phase space. The motivation of this research is two fold: (1) embedding phase space track of CTS data has proven to be a quantitative analysis of a dynamic system in different embedding dimensions; (2) Fuzzy Logic (FL) not only has capability of handling a much more complex system, but its superiority in time convergence has also proven to be a valuable asset for time critical applications. The process of using the proposed method for CTS predictions includes the following steps: (1) reconstructing a phase space using CTS; (2) using known phase space points to construct the input-output pairs; (3) using a fuzzy system to predict the unknown embedding phase space points; (4) predicting the CTS data by converting the phase space points to the time domain. A C++ program is written to simulate the process. The simulation results show that the proposed method is simple, practical and effective. Information and energy are at the core of everything around us. Our entire existence is a process of gathering, analyzing, understanding and acting on the information. For many applications dealing with large amounts of data, pattern classification is a key element in arriving at the solution. Engineering applications especially like medical diagnosis require the ability to accurately classify the recorded data for controlling, tracking and decision making. Although modern technologies enable storage of large streams of data, we do not have technology to help us to understand, analyze, or even visualize the hidden information in the data. Data mining is the emerging field that helps us to understand and analyze the hidden information from Very Large Databases (VLDB). In this paper, two important mining tools (i.e.) Neural networks and Genetic algorithm have been used for mining the database through pattern classification. The processing methodology consists of three major phases: Network construction and training, Pruning, Rule extraction and validation. The networks used are namely Adaptive Resonance Theory 1.5, Adaptive Resonance Theory 3 and Multi Channel ART (MART). These networks belong to the Adaptive Resonance Theory (ART) family, which is a self-organizing neural network capable of clustering arbitrary sequence of input patterns into stable recognition codes. The pruning phase aims at removing redundant links and units without increasing the classification error rate of the network. The pruning methods adopted are Local pruning and Threshold pruning.
0.999998	Imagine you want to get to know someone and you can ask only five questions. What would you ask? What would you most want to know? Obviously it depends on the context--you'd ask different questions of someone you're dating vs. a job interviewee vs. a customer vs. someone your daughter is dating. But I wonder, should the questions we ask our users be that different from the ones we'd ask our dates? 2) How big is your budget? 3) Are you "the decider"? In other words, "How useful are you to our advertisers and sponsors?" Those surveys say to me, "The only thing we care about is how much you can buy." 2) What gender are you? 3) How old are your kids? 4) What's your total household income? In other words, "The only thing we care about is selling more things to you and other people who fit your demographics." Those questions tell you little about me as a person. If we want passionate users, shouldn't we care about what they care about? Obviously there are personal questions that might not be appropriate for customers, but most of us here are trying to have a more personal connection with users, and that means doing more to get to know them as individual people. 1. What was the last remodeling project you've done? 1) The most fun work I've ever done is teaching drummers in the high school marching band. Nothing beats showing young people just how much they can achieve when they really work at it. 2)A. I used to seek out every possible opportunity to practice my Russian, but I haven't had a conversation or read a book in Russian in over a year now. B. I've always wanted to learn to fly - get a pilots license - but just haven't done it yet. 3)A. I would like to learn to memorize - to remember quotes and poems and scripture and names and dates and other things that are always sort of there but not quite. B. I would want to learn from Jesus Christ, and I would want to learn whatever he wanted to tell me. 4) My family would probably describe me as "talented," "smart," and "tall." I WISH I could be described as "friendly," and "generous." 5) My top three passions are - in no particular order, Church, Music, and Family. I kind of surprised myself that computers, programming, technology, or money didn't make that list. 6) "When was the last time you let nature, art, or some other beautiful thing move you to tears?" For me, it was watching a play - Peter Schaffer's Amadeus. I had been involved as the "music expert" in putting on the play, and so had seen many rehearsals, but the final dress rehearsal, with lights and costumes and everything, was magical. When Mozart died and Costanze's cries coincided with the height of the Lacrymosa from Mozart's mass, I cried. And it was good. 1) The most fun? Probably teaching Covey's 7 Habit seminars those weeks when everything clicked. What's better than a three-day conversation about how you became you and how you'd change that? 2)What do I wish I still did? Regularly jog through the redwoods on campus at UC Santa Cruz, coming out of the grove to see the ocean below. 3A) I'd like to write like Csikszentmihalyi or Anne LaMott - or a cross between them. I'd also like to play a musical instrument. 3B) I'd like to take a course from Thomas Jefferson or Martin Luther or Henry VIII or Wilhelm Humboldt on social transformation and creating new institutions. 5) My top three passions are humor, decoding the mystery of how people fell in love or found a calling, and social evolution. 6)Question I'd ask: What shape would you make earth if not a globe? My answer: I think that a cube might allow more interesting experiments in separation - keeping otherwise feuding folks from contact. It might work. 6) Do you think the ultimate state of humanity is a state of sustainable joy or extinction? How does that change your sense of responsibility towards the future? P.S. Regardless of whether you rode a skateboard or blog, it looks like you'd attract a following. * Q. Why do you live where you live? * A. The people are off beat and involved with each other, near the beach, relaxed and easy going. * Is what I'm doing fair and going to make the world better? 1. teaching CAD macro-language programming courses. 3a. being at ease in social settings, and recognizing an opportunity when it arises. 3b. I would like Bill Gates to teach me how to write and sell software profitably. 6a. "Have you ever actually thought about your beliefs, or did you just inherit them?" 6b. Well, the balance is getting better every day. The unexamined life is indeed not worth living, or at least should be lived with one's mouth firmly closed. Happy New Year, Kathy. I hope it's a better one for you (and all of us) than 2006 was. 0) What's your name and website URL? 1) What's the most fun work you've ever done, and why? I opened an internet café with my friends. I was in control of how things were run, and I got to spend long hours playing games on my computer. 2) A. Name one thing you did in the past that you no longer do but wish you did? B. Name one thing you've always wanted to do but keep putting it off? Put that soldering iron to more use. 3) A. What two things would you most like to learn or be better at, and why? How to talk to girls. Haha. B. If you could take a class/workshop/apprentice from anyone in the world living or dead, who would it be and what would you hope to learn? I'd like to be Edison's apprentice, to learn to be more creative and use the creativity practically. 5) What are your top three passions? 6) What have you regretted saying the most? Play guitar in a band - or being a DJ. I would like to play tennis more often. And to have more time with my four children. It would have been nice to meet Andy Warhol in his factory. What will you do during 2007 to make life better for as many people on earth as possible? a. I want to learn body language in a more serious way, it's important for understanding others and even yourself. Though this question doesn't really fit me... I think I just like to learn almost everything. 4) hmmm... their world is theirs, I can't really answer this question... too subjective. 6) I used to take hitch hikers and ask from them a "payment" for the ride... I used to ask from them to tell me something that THEY found interesting/amusing (even if it's the egg that they ate at the morning). Thanks for this gr8 blog! 0) Karen (aka Cab Sav) from Infinite Diversty (and Tech Writer) over at http://www.infinitediversity.com.au. 1) Actually, I'm really enjoying the job I have now. Technical and writing combined. 2) A. I wish I still exercised. 3) A. Singing, because I love music, and can't sing. Ditto, drawing. B. Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio--a screenwriting apprentice. 5) Top three passions -- writing, environment, travel. 6) If you could give up your job and do whatever you wanted to, what would you do? Answer: Travel the world. [Bonus question] If you could choose to live your life again, would you? 1. If you could have dinner/conversation with any one person, who would it be? 2. What's the biggest mistake you've ever made? 5. How did you end up where you are? Some of the most fun I've ever had was spending time with you guys at the first "Head First" bootcamp. That's also where I knit my first pair of socks (which Brian captured in the inset). I've been getting email this morning from people who said they didn't know I knit. I had no idea why this had suddenly come up until I read my morning blogs including yours. (1) teaching mathematics is the most fun I've ever had and that's saying something. I've had a lot of magic jobs but being in a room with students is an excitement I will return to before I'm done. (2) a) I miss radio and am working on getting back to it. b) I've always wanted to see if I can write fiction but it scares me. I can reach and move people writing non-fiction - could I with fiction? (3) a) I want to learn to draw to express myself there and want to improve telling short audio stories. Answer - I don't know but I've been thinking a lot about this this year. Blog in English with some unknown friends for a time. But since the website finally crashed, I quit. Reading "the 21st Century" English newspaper every week. Communicate more with my father since we haven't talked with each other for a long time. I wish to learn from W. Richard Stevens for his elegant programming and writing. 6) Would you pursue a unrealistic dream? For me, I would (miss a gril yy1984). I really like reading your blog. Thank you! My name is Virginia and my answers are at my Web Teacher site. 1) Most fun work: Anything intensely creative -- acting/singing on Broadway, writing novels, the Flash course on presentations I created last year. 2) A. Wish I did again? Running marathons. B. Keep putting off? Learning to play the piano. 3) A. Two things to learn/be better at? 1) Keep improving as a dad, because my kids deserve as good a start in life as I can give them. 2) Learn piano, or get back to a tap class, or both, because I LOVE music. 4) A. Three words: happy, outgoing, involved. 5) Top three passions: my sons; creative endeavors; trying to make a difference. 6) One question YOU would ask: "What was the best day of your life (excluding epics like your wedding or the birth of a child), and why?" For now, I'm skipping the ones that take more than a couple of minutes to think of anything for ... why waste the space and/or your time? 1) Shooting a tongue-in-cheek video with some friends, because we all were on the same wavelength that day, and made the best use of what little we had to get it done. 2) A. I'm still an active musician, but since I've been out of school I never get a chance to play a real acoustic piano anymore. B. Make my rock opera into a (mostly animated or "animated looking") film. 3) A. I'd like to learn to make GUIs for my C++ programs; I'd like to learn more about how to write code that uses other code and/or interacts with other software, as opposed to only writing stand-alone terminal apps from scratch. 4) A. Creative, funny, moody. 5) Music composition & recording/producing, generative art, the creative process in general. 1) What's the most fun work you've ever done, and why? (two sentences max): I learned to draw Japanese-style and made a manga in my last year of high school. B. Name one thing you've always wanted to do but keep putting it off? (one sentence max): Go to the library, where I know there's just so much knowledge. 3) A. What two things would you most like to learn or be better at, and why? (two sentences max): Public speaking, because I love to inspire people. B. If you could take a class/workshop/apprentice from anyone in the world living or dead, who would it be and what would you hope to learn? (two more sentences, max): Any humanitarian president (or presidential candidate), because they have been to so many places and have heard from so many people. 4) A. What three words might your best friends or family use to describe you?: Driven, idealistic, philanthropist. B. Now list two more words you wish described you...: Outgoing, courageous. 5) What are your top three passions? (can be current or past, work, hobbies, or causes-- three sentences max): Software, anime, CUSEC (Shameless plug: http://2007.cusec.net/ Jan 18-20 2007 baby!). 6) (sue me) Write--and answer--one more question that YOU would ask someone (with answer in three sentences max): What would you do with 20 copies of yourself who all thought exactly as you do? I would change the world based on the principle of philanthropy. [Bonus: What is one question you wish people would ask themselves?]: "What am I thinking?" Ron) Do you think the ultimate state of humanity is a state of sustainable joy or extinction? How does that change your sense of responsibility towards the future?: The ultimate state of humanity is responsible thoughtful teamwork in the pursuit of Gross National Happiness. I live this philosophy every day. John S) Have you ever actually thought about your beliefs, or did you just inherit them?: I've thought of them, and now believe differently than my parents. Ryan) What have you regretted saying the most?: "No." Avoid saying anything that could rob you a chance to change your life for the better. David) What will you do during 2007 to make life better for as many people on earth as possible?: I will question my previous beliefs. Yonatan) What would you ask a hitchhiker?: "What is your story?" Cab) If you could give up your job and do whatever you wanted to, what would you do?: If I had a lot of money, I would volunteer and give presentations. Otherwise, I would probably continue working in software. Daniel) If you knew your time was short, how would you spend it?: While with most people, this question is inspiring, with me it is absolutely depressing. Even if I knew I was going to die, I would probably continue living my life as I am now. Haitao) Would you pursue a unrealistic dream?: My logical mind says no, but my heart says yes. John W) What was the best day of your life (excluding epics like your wedding or the birth of a child), and why?: Ignoring moments of being overwhelmed with love, the greatest day of my life was the first time I brought 30000 lines of untested code to life with a game GUI. It was my first real game, and it was absolutely addictive. I played it all day online with my friends. I’m Patti Digh and my site is www.37days.typepad.com. My most fun work ever was working in the Morganton Burke Public Library when I was a teenager because I was surrounded by books and people asking me odd research questions. I used to make Polaroid image transfers and want to create a studio space in my house so I can do it again. I’ve always wanted to learn to fly, but I’m scared of birds, so I’m going to learn how to create stitched threadscapes and textile maps instead. I’d like to be a more natural cook, able to throw together dinner for a crowd without sweating and a complete reliance on recipes, and I’d like to learn to make daguerreotypes. I’d like to apprentice with Billy Collins just so I could listen to him read his poetry real slow. My friends would call me wise, funny, and generous; I wish I were athletic and well-rested. My passions are my two daughters and the man who made them possible, eliminating racism and other “isms”, and writing. The question I would ask others is “what would you be doing today if you only had 37 days to live?” My answer? I wouldn’t be on the computer, but outside with my family, exploring, talking, laughing, eating too much bread pudding. The auxiliary question is “why aren’t you doing that?” I wish people would ask themselves what they want to create and what they want to let go of…thanks for asking! I love how you've opened up this meme! I'm Terrie Miller and my site is Critter Geek - http://crittergeek.com/. I posted the rest of the answers there. The question I'd like to ask of people? "If you could pick three animals to observe in their natural wild habitat for an extended period of time, what would they be?" Living History Project; creating battle re-enactments for public performance and entertainment. Being paid to take weapons training, run around in costume and educate people on historical events just can't be beaten in my book. Horse Riding and Showjumping. I miss it because it was a passion and I don't do it because I haven't the time. Travel more and live overseas. Languages and linguistics because the possibilities and mysteries of human language excite me. Aikido - because I always enjoyed it and there is so much to it beyond the physical. Robert M. Pirsig - I believe that a lot can be learned from the philosophers of our time, the least part of which is how to write engagingly and beautifully. B. Now list two more words you wish described you? 6) Write--and answer--one more question that YOU would ask someone? I would ask, "If you could know any one thing for certain: What would you want to know - and why?" My own answer would be, "I want to know for certain if no two snowflakes ever will be (or ever have been) the same. That level of infinite possibility is just so amazing." Each person should regularly ask themselves "What makes me happy?" (or "What would make me happy?") because just consciously acknowledging that there are things that make us happy and what those things are - leads toward a better path. Check out my post here. Great post, Kathy, and Happy New Year!!!! 3) A. Two things I would most like to learn or be better at are music reading and playing on my instruments, and computer science/IT. Music because it is such a beautiful thing and I want to be able to create it and share it with others that they might experience some of the same feelings that it evokes in me, and computer science/IT because it has so many challenges and the better I get at it the more engaging the problems seem to become. 3) B. If I could take a class/workshop/apprentice from anyone in the world living or dead, who would it be and what would I hope to learn? (I promise that I'm not just kissing up here...) I would want to take a class, workshop, or better yet, an apprenticeship with the Head First authors and team. I'd hope to learn more about all of the technologies that they are involved with, and about communicating not just the information of those technologies but the passion that they have for them. 4) A. Three words my best friends or family might use to describe me are enthusiastic, brilliant, and patient. 4) B. Two more words that I wish described me are socially confident. 6) One additional question that I would ask someone is, "What is one more thing that you could be doing currently to move your life in the direction that you would like it to go?" My answer is that I could start taking some music lessons (which is currently a little bit terrifying because of how bad I think I am) and getting involved in some local technology groups. 1) Best job ever was a year I did as news writer at KGW-TV in Portland, OR. All of the lovely writing news on deadline that I love, with none of the icky ratings responsibility, plus regular M-F 9-5 hours and a fabulous cafeteria. 2) A. I used to be able to sing beautifully; heart medication ruined my voice (ACE inhibitors) and I'm still trying to get it back. B. I keep meaning to learn how to use a real live loom and haven't done it yet. 3) A. I want to learn more about herbal medicine and homeopathy, and I would love to learn real knife skills--cooking-wise, that is. B. If I were physically stronger/younger, I'd love to apprentice to Ianto Evans, who's a cob house builder here in Oregon. Being me with my current age/strength, I'd take an apprenticeship with Priscilla Gibson-Roberts, the master knitter/spinner. 4) A. Funny, smart, loving. 5) Writing, fiber arts and mothering. 6) What do you hope to teach others? I hope to teach people that they are the authorities for their own lives. They can, and must, learn from others but ultimately they have to listen for the still small voice inside themselves, and depend on that. 0) Currently no website or blog to point to. Work as in employment? My current job as a Content Manager. Work as in building something? Theatre performances I put on and/or coached. Writing in my spare time. Writing and directing because the endorphine buzz of creation is just incredible - and I hope to have to offer something to the world. A Creativity/Writing/Teaching workshop with Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, Robin Williams, Keith Johnstonen, and the Head First team. It would be more of a discussion, a mutual exploration based on the question: Please describe honestly what is going on in your mind. I'm constantly talking to myself, hearing sound bites of music or TV shows in my head, seeing all kinds of pictures in my head. Is this normal? Do you work the same way? Am I seriously wanting to do this?
0.993719	Describe the severe sepsis/septic shock resuscitation bundle. Recognize commonly encountered pitfalls in the implementation of the resuscitation bundle. List best practices to reduce sepsis-related mortality. A 72-year-old woman with pulmonary hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on home oxygen, and coronary artery disease presented to the hospital with left-sided abdominal pain and shortness of breath. She had been hospitalized for an exacerbation of her COPD 3 weeks prior but had been doing well at home on home oxygen. In the emergency department, she was ill appearing and in some respiratory distress. Her vital signs were notable for a temperature of 38.6° C, heart rate of 115 beats per minute, blood pressure of 104/68 mm Hg, respiratory rate of 28 breaths per minute, and oxygen saturation of 86% on her baseline 2 liters. She was found to have decreased breath sounds at the left base and appeared dehydrated. She had a white blood cell count of 21.4 x 109/L, creatinine of 2.1 mg/dL (up from a baseline of 1.3 mg/dL), a lactate of 3.9 mmol/L, and an international normalized ratio (INR) of 1.5. A chest radiograph revealed an infiltrate in the left lower lobe and she was diagnosed with pneumonia. The patient was given 1 liter of normal saline in the emergency department. However, because of her history of pulmonary hypertension and coronary artery disease, she was not given any additional intravenous fluids. Blood cultures were drawn, and she received levofloxacin (administered approximately 3 hours after presentation). She was admitted to the transitional care unit but slowly worsened. Twenty-four hours after admission, her blood cultures were growing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin was added to her antibiotic regimen. Despite the antibiotics and additional intravenous fluids, she continued to deteriorate. The patient developed respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation as well as septic shock requiring vasopressors. Her illness progressed and in discussions with her family, the decision was made to withdraw life-sustaining therapies and allow her to die peacefully. She died on hospital day 4 with her family at her bedside. Currently, sepsis is defined by the presence of at least two elements of the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) with a documented or suspected infection. Elements of SIRS include abnormalities in temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, white blood cell count, and glucose (Table 1). Severe sepsis is defined as sepsis plus evidence of end-organ damage likely related to the location of the infection or from a dysregulated host response (Table 2). Septic shock is defined as severe sepsis with lactate ≥ 4 mmol/L or hypotension (mean arterial pressure [MAP] < 65 mm Hg; systolic blood pressure < 90 mm Hg) not responsive to fluid bolus.(4) In this case, the patient presented to the ED with severe sepsis (fever, tachycardia, suspected pulmonary infection, multiple end-organ dysfunction), but not septic shock as she was not hypotensive and her lactate level was less than 4 mmol/L. The initial management of severe sepsis and septic shock involves treatment with the resuscitation bundle. The bundle, recently updated in 2013 by the Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) and endorsed by multiple medical societies, includes numerous elements that must be completed in a timely manner.(4) Based on an initial protocol performed by Rivers and colleagues (5), the bundle includes measuring serum lactate levels, drawing blood cultures (preferably before the initiation of antibiotics), treating with appropriate broad-spectrum antibiotics, and in cases of septic shock, targeting central venous pressure (CVP) to 8–12 mm Hg, MAP ≥ 65 mmHg, and superior vena cava oxygen saturation (ScvO2) to 70%. In the ED, antibiotics should be started within 3 hours from the time of presentation. For inpatients, antibiotics should be started within 1 hour from the time of presentation. Regardless of patient location, in the presence of shock, the CVP, MAP, and ScvO2 goals should be achieved within 6 hours. An initial fluid bolus of 30 mL/kg (typically 2–3 liters) is recommended for all patients in septic shock, adding vasopressor(s), starting with norepinephrine, to achieve the MAP goal if fluid resuscitation is not sufficient despite reaching the targeted CVP. In this case, the patient was not initially in septic shock, so initial fluid management was at the discretion of her providers. The initial treatment for severe sepsis requires early administration of appropriate broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy. Empiric antibiotic therapy should be based on local resistance patterns and organism prevalence. In addition, patients with an elevated risk of health care–associated infections or who reside in an area of increased community prevalence of MRSA should be empirically covered with vancomycin or linezolid.(6) Ordering and administering broad-spectrum antibiotics may well be the most important element of the bundle. One study showed that in patients with septic shock, for every hour that appropriate antibiotic therapy was delayed there was an increase in mortality of 7%.(7) In this case, although the timing of the antibiotic administration was appropriate (the patient was in the ED for which the guideline provides a 3-hour window for antibiotic administration), the initial choice, or lack thereof, was not. She should have been immediately started on vancomycin or linezolid as she had been hospitalized 3 weeks prior to her current presentation and was at risk for hospital-acquired organisms, including MRSA.(6) In addition, if she had received levofloxacin during her past hospitalization, an alternative broad-spectrum antibiotic for gram-negative rods from another class should have been chosen (e.g., cefepime or piperacillin/tazobactam). The time pressure to implement the bundle, especially for inpatients, is real. It is common for a patient to receive all bundle elements, but not within the specified timeframe. In order to maximize timely adherence to the bundle, institutions have created sepsis teams. At the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), we have created an inpatient sepsis team comprised of a critical care nurse practitioner, a rapid response nurse, and a pharmacist. The primary goal of the critical care nurse practitioner is to communicate with primary physicians and facilitate the ordering of the bundle elements. They also help the primary bedside nurse and rapid response nurse implement the orders within 1-hour as set forth by the guidelines. The pharmacist facilitates rapid antibiotic administration. Since the creation of our sepsis team in fall 2012, our inpatient bundle compliance has increased from less than 5% to near 80%, and sepsis mortality in our institution has fallen from just over 20% to approximately 12%. In the same time period, bundle compliance in our ED has increased from 40% to more than 90% (Figure 1). Initial recognition is a frequently encountered difficulty in severe sepsis management. Practitioners may often attribute early symptoms to other conditions such as pain, delirium, or medication effects. In addition, severe sepsis and septic shock can mimic other serious conditions such as pancreatitis, cardiogenic shock, and hemorrhagic shock. To mitigate this, the use of a sepsis screening tool is recommended by the SSC. The earlier a patient with severe sepsis is identified, the earlier therapy can be started. The hope is that early recognition and treatment then lead to a decrease in sepsis-related morbidity (new or worsening end-organ dysfunction) and mortality. The SSC provides an example of a screening tool on its Web site (http://www.survivingsepsis.org), but they do not state how often it should be performed or who should perform the screen. I suspect that many institutions that screen for severe sepsis and septic shock have the bedside nurse to complete a checklist at least once a shift. The specific elements of the screening tool are not as important as the fact that it reminds providers to always be vigilant for patients with severe sepsis. UCSF Medical Center has created a real-time electronic surveillance program to monitor vital signs and laboratory values filed into the electronic medical record (EMR) to generate an alert to nurses and providers when severe sepsis criteria are met, regardless of patient location (ED, ward, ICU). For example, if a patient care assistant entered a patient's vital signs into the EMR with a temperature of 39° C, respiratory rate 18 breaths per minute, heart rate of 104 beats per minute, and blood pressure 80/40 mm Hg, the EMR would generate a sepsis alert. When the patient's chart is subsequently entered by a nurse or other provider, the alert stating the possibility that this patient could have severe sepsis or septic shock (elevated temperature and heart rate with hypotension) would appear (Figure 2).While the automated screening is not perfect, our internal data analysis shows that our alerts have a positive predictive value of around 70%. Institutions should work to develop systematic ways to screen patients in the ED and inpatient units to allow for earlier detection of sepsis. Lastly, data on bundle compliance and clinical outcomes can be essential to improving sepsis care. Hospital data can be collected and analyzed and feedback on performance should be provided to individuals, units, and the institution as a whole. This can be done via the Patient Quality and Safety Department found in most organizations. In this case, the ED may or may not have had a severe sepsis or septic shock treatment protocol in place. In many institutions, pre-established protocols and guidelines provide specific recommendations. Had this been the case, the patient would likely have received the appropriate initial antibiotic therapy. Doing so could have dramatically altered her hospital course; whereby she might not have deteriorated and been admitted to the ICU. The case is a reminder of the morbidity and mortality that can be associated with severe sepsis and septic shock and the need for a systematic approach to this disorder. Sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock are on a continuum and are commonly referred to as sepsis. Sepsis is a very heterogeneous disease that is difficult to diagnose in its early stages and difficult to treat in its later stages; however, routine screening may aid in early identification. In sepsis, early and timely intervention via a well-established bundle (antibiotics, source control, fluid resuscitation, maintenance of MAP) can attenuate its course, thereby possibly decreasing associated mortality, but the mainstay of treatment is supportive care. Institutions should create robust patient safety and quality improvement programs to ensure appropriate screening and severe sepsis/septic shock bundle compliance. To be successful, it must have a multidisciplinary approach involving nurses, providers, and hospital administration. Faculty Disclosure: David Shimabukuro has declared that neither he, nor any immediate member of his family, have a financial arrangement or other relationship with the manufacturers of any commercial products discussed in this continuing medical education activity. In addition, the commentary does not include information regarding investigational or off-label use of pharmaceutical products or medical devices. Reprinted from (4) with permission from Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. Figure 1. UCSF Bundle Compliance and Mortality (Includes All Adult Inpatients and the Emergency Department). Figure 2. Example of UCSF Severe Sepsis/Septic Shock EMR Alert.
0.986997	Text Georgiana Martha KING was my great-great-aunt, being the sister of Elizabeth KING, my great-grandmother, who married my great-grandfather, Henry Whinfield HORA, in 1850. Georgiana and Elizabeth were the daughters of Rev. George KING, Congregationalist Minister of Islington, and his wife Martha CHAPMAN. I am therefore also related to the descendants of Walter and Georgiana, including Walter Royes de Hougham GILL. I have Rev. George KING's family Bible. I also have a letter dated 1914, sent by Walter and Georgiana GILL's daughter, Georgiana Martha GILL, junior, to her aunt Elizabeth (my great-grandmother)in which she says "The Walter Gills are flourishing, Royes is now the happy father of 2 daughters and is living at Lowestoft." These 2 daughters would be Eveline Alice and Diana Royes, born 1912 and 1913, to Royes and Eva Le Fleming ENSOR. Georgiana also says "My dear sister Katie is still a sad invalid" - this would be her half-sister, Mary Catherine GILL (daughter of Mary QUICK), who died 1920. Georgiana also mentions Royes' sisters, Ida (Mary Ida GILL), and Vera (Alice Vera GILL), and "Mrs. Fulford and Janie". Mrs. Fulford was Emma Sarah GILL who first married John William SHERRIFF (died 1891), then Robert Medley FULFORD. Janie was Jane Taylor GILL ("Deaf and dumb from birth", like her brother Walter George). Walter George's wife, Alice Mary Turner Bravo, was alive on the 1911 Census, "Deaf and dumb from age 5"). Georgiana also mentions "cousin Fred" - this was my grandfather, Frederick Rudolph Hay HORA, one of the 6 sons (there were also 3 daughters) of Henry Whinfield HORA and Elizabeth KING. Georgiana signs her letter "Your loving Niece, Georgie M. ALKEN". Georgiana Martha GILL first married Charles IRVING (died 1889), then Rev. Henry Seffrien ALKEN.
0.958672	The Foraminifera, ("Hole Bearers") or forams for short, are a large group of amoeboid protists with reticulating pseudopods, fine strands of cytoplasm that branch and merge to form a dynamic net. They typically produce a test, or shell, which can have either one or multiple chambers, some becoming quite elaborate in structure. These shells are made of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) or agglutinated sediment particles. About 275,000 species are recognized, both living and fossil. They are usually less than 1 mm in size, but some are much larger, and the largest recorded specimen reached 19 cm. Although as yet unsupported by morphological correlates, molecular data strongly suggest that Foraminifera are closely related to the Cercozoa and Radiolaria, both of which also include amoeboids with complex shells; these three groups make up the Rhizaria. However, the exact relationships of the forams to the other groups and to one another are still not entirely clear. Modern forams are primarily marine, although some can survive in brackish conditions. A few species survive in fresh water and one even lives in damp rainforest soil. They are most commonly benthic, and about 40 morphospecies are planktonic. This count may however represent only a fraction of actual diversity, since many genetically discrepant species may be morphologically indistinguishable. A number of forms have unicellular algae as endosymbionts, from diverse lineages such as the green algae, red algae, golden algae, diatoms, and dinoflagellates. Some forams are kleptoplastic, retaining chloroplasts from ingested algae to conduct photosynthesis. The foraminiferal cell is divided into granular endoplasm and transparent ectoplasm from which a pseudopodial net may emerge through a single opening or through many perforations in the test. Individual pseudopods characteristically have small granules streaming in both directions. The pseudopods are used for locomotion, anchoring, and in capturing food, which consists of small organisms such as diatoms or bacteria. The foraminiferal life-cycle involves an alternation between haploid and diploid generations, although they are mostly similar in form. The haploid or gamont initially has a single nucleus, and divides to produce numerous gametes, which typically have two flagella. The diploid or schizont is multinucleate, and after meiosis fragments to produce new gamonts. Multiple rounds of asexual reproduction between sexual generations is not uncommon in benthic forms. The form and composition of the test is the primary means by which forams are identified and classified. Most have calcareous tests, composed of calcium carbonate. In other forams the test may be composed of organic material, made from small pieces of sediment cemented together (agglutinated), and in one genus of silica. Openings in the test, including those that allow cytoplasm to flow between chambers, are called apertures. Tests are known as fossils as far back as the Cambrian period, and many marine sediments are composed primarily of them. For instance, the limestone that makes up the pyramids of Egypt is composed almost entirely of nummulitic benthic foraminifera. Production estimates indicate that reef foraminifera annually generate approximately 43 million tons of calcium carbonate and thus play an essential role in the production of reef carbonates. Genetic studies have identified the naked amoeba "Reticulomyxa" and the peculiar xenophyophores as foraminiferans without tests. A few other amoeboids produce reticulose pseudopods, and were formerly classified with the forams as the Granuloreticulosa, but this is no longer considered a natural group, and most are now placed among the Cercozoa. Foraminifera are found in the deepest parts of the ocean such as the Mariana Trench, including the Challenger Deep, the deepest part known. At these depths, below the carbonate compensation depth, the calcium carbonate of the tests is soluble in water due to the extreme pressure. The foraminifera found in the Challenger Deep thus have no carbonate test, but instead have one of organic material. Dying planktonic foraminifera continuously rain down on the sea floor in vast numbers, their mineralized tests preserved as fossils in the accumulating sediment. Beginning in the 1960s, and largely under the auspices of the Deep Sea Drilling, Ocean Drilling, and International Ocean Drilling Programmes, as well as for the purposes of oil exploration, advanced deep-sea drilling techniques have been bringing up sediment cores bearing foraminifera fossils by the millions. The effectively unlimited supply of these fossil tests and the relatively high-precision age-control models available for cores has produced an exceptionally high-quality planktonic foraminifera fossil record dating back to the mid-Jurassic, and presents an unparalleled record for scientists testing and documenting the evolutionary process. The exceptional quality of the fossil record has allowed an impressively detailed picture of species inter-relationships to be developed on the basis of fossils, in many cases subsequently validated independently through molecular genetic studies on extant specimens. Larger benthic foraminifera with complex shell structure react in a highly specific manner to the different benthic environments and, therefore, the composition of the assemblages and the distribution patterns of particular species reflect simultaneously bottom types and the light gradient. In the course of Earth history, larger foraminifera are replaced frequently. In particular, associations of foraminifera characterizing particular shallow water facies types are dying out and are replaced after a certain time interval by new associations with the same structure of shell morphology, emerging from a new evolutionary process of adaptation. These evolutionary processes make the larger foraminifera prone to be fossil index for the Permian, Jurassic, Cretaceous and Cenozoic (e.g. Lukas Hottinger). Because of their diversity, abundance, and complex morphology, fossil foraminiferal assemblages are useful for biostratigraphy, and can accurately give relative dates to rocks. The oil industry relies heavily on microfossils such as forams to find potential oil deposits. Calcareous fossil foraminifera are formed from elements found in the ancient seas they lived in. Thus they are very useful in paleoclimatology and paleoceanography. They can be used to reconstruct past climate by examining the stable isotope ratios of oxygen, and the history of the carbon cycle and oceanic productivity by examining the stable isotope ratios of carbon; see δ18O and δ13C. Geographic patterns seen in the fossil records of planktonic forams are also used to reconstruct ancient ocean currents. Because certain types of foraminifera are found only in certain environments, they can be used to figure out the kind of environment under which ancient marine sediments were deposited. Foraminifera can also be utilised in archaeology in the provenancing of some stone raw material types. Some stone types, such as chert, are commonly found to contain fossilised foraminifera. The types and concentrations of these fossils within a sample of stone can be used to match that sample to a source known to contain the same "fossil signature". ^ a b c d Hemleben, C.; Spindler, M.& Anderson, O.R. (1989). Modern Planktonic Foraminifera. Springer-Verlag. pp. 363. ^ Kennett, J.P.; Srinivasan, M.S. (1983). Neogene Planktonic Foraminifera: A Phylogenetic Atlas. Hutchinson Ross. pp. 265. ^ Cavalier-Smith, T. (2003). "Protist phylogeny and the high-level classification of Protozoa". European Journal of Protistology 34 (4): 338–348. doi:10.1078/0932-4739-00002. ^ a b c d Sen Gupta, B.K. (1983). Modern Foraminifera. Springer. pp. 384. ^ Kucera, M.; Darling, K.F. (2002). "Genetic diversity among modern planktonic foraminifer species: its effect on paleoceanographic reconstructions". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London A360 (4): 695–718. ^ Bernhard, J. M.; Bowser, S.M. (1999). "Benthic foraminifera of dysoxic sediments: chloroplast sequestration and functional morphology". Earth Science Reviews 46: 149–165. doi:10.1016/S0012-8252(99)00017-3. ^ Langer, M. R.; Silk, M. T. B., Lipps, J. H. (1997). "Global ocean carbonate and carbon dioxide production: The role of reef foraminifera". Journal of Foraminiferal Research 27 (4): 271–277. doi:10.2113/gsjfr.27.4.271. ^ Adl, SM; Simpson, AG; Farmer, MA; Andersen, RA; Anderson, OR; Barta, JR; Bowser, SS; Brugerolle, G et al. (2005). "The new higher level classification of Eukaryotes with emphasis on the taxonomy of Protists". Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology 52 (5): 399–451. doi:10.1111/j.1550-7408.2005.00053.x. PMID 16248873. ^ a b New organic-walled Foraminifera (Protista) from the ocean's deepest point, the Challenger Deep (western Pacific Ocean) A. J. Gooday, Y. Todo, K. Uematsu, and H. Kitazato, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 153, 399–423. ^ Boardman, R.S. (1987). Fossil Invertebrates. Blackwell. pp. 714. ^ Zachos, J.C.; Pagani, M., Sloan, L., Thomas, E., and Billups, K. (2001). "Trends, Rhythms, and Aberrations in Global Climate, 65 Ma to Present". Science 292 (5517): 686–693. doi:10.1126/science.1059412. PMID 11326091. Illustrated glossary of terms used in foraminiferal research is the Lukas Hottinger's glossary published in the OA e-journal "Carnets de Géologie - Notebooks on Geology" FORAMINIFERA, in zoology, a subdivision of Protozoa, the name selected for this enormous class being that given by A. D'Orbigny in 1826 to the shells characteristic of the majority of the species. He regarded them as minute Cephalopods, whose chambers communicated by pores (foramina). Later on their true nature was discovered by F. Dujardin, working on living forms, and he referred them to his Rhizopoda, characterized by pseudopodia given off from the sarcode (protoplasm) as organs of prehension and locomotion. W. B. Carpenter in 1862 differentiated the group nearly in its present limits as " Reticularia "; and since then it has been rendered more natural by the removal of a number of simple forms (mostly freshwater) with branching but not reticulate pseudopods, to Filosa, a distinct subclass, now united with Lobosa into the restricted class of Rhizopoda. FIG. 1A. - Lieberkiihnia, with reticulate pseudopodia. Protista Sarcodina, with simple protoplasmic bodies of granular surface, emitting processes which branch and anastomose freely, either from the whole surface or from one or more elongated processes (" stylopods "); nucleus one or more (not yet demonstrated in some little known simple forms), usually in genetic relation to granules or strands of matter of similar composition, the " chromidia "scattered through the protoplasm; body naked, or provided with a permanent investment (shell or test), membranous, gelatinous, arenaceous (of compacted or cemented granules), calcareous, or very rarely (in deep sea forms) siliceous, sometimes freely perforated, but never latticed; opening by one or more permanent apertures (" pylomes ") or crevices between compacted sand-granules, often very complex; reproduction by fission (. only in simplest naked forms), or by brood formation; in the latter case one mode of brood formation (A) eventuates in amoebiform embryos, the other (B) in flagellate zoospores which are exogamous gametes, pairing but not with those of their own brood; the coupled cell (" zygote ") when mature in the shelled species gives rise to a very small primitive test-chamber or" microsphere." The adult microspheric animal gives rise to the amoebiform brood which have a larger primitive test (" megalosphere "); and megalospheric forms appear to reproduce by the A type a series of similar forms before a B brood of gametes is finally borne, to pair and reproduce the microspheric type, which is consequently rare. The shells require special study. In the lowest forms they are membranous, sometimes encrusted with sand-grains, always very simple, the only complication being the doubling of the pylome in Diplophrys (fig. 2, 1), Shepheardella (fig. 2, 3-5), Amphitrema (fig. 2, is), Diaphorophodon (fig. 2, 12). The marine shells are, as we have seen, of cemented particles, or calcareous, glassy, and regularly perforated, or again calcareous, but porcellanous and rarely perforate. These characters have been used 1, Adult, containing two diatom 2, Adult encysted and segmented. frustules,and threeTintinnid 3, Flagellate zoospore just freed ciliates, with a large Dinofrom cyst. flagellate just caught by the 4, Zoospore which has passed expanded reticulate pseudointo the amoeboid state. podia. as a guide to classification; but some sandy forms have so large a proportion of calcareous cement that they might well be 'called encrusted calcareous genera, and are also not very constant in respect of the character of perforation. The porcellanous genera, however, form a compact group, the replacement of the shell by silica in forms dwelling in the red clay of the ocean abysses, where calcium carbonate is soluble, not really making any difficulty. Moreover, the shells of this group show a deflected process or neck of the embryonic chamber (" camptopyle ") at least in the megalospheric forms, whereas when such a neck exists in other groups it is straight. The opening of the shell is called the pylome. This may be a mere hole where the lateral walls of the body end, or there may be a diaphragmatic ingrowth so as to narrow the entrance. It may be a simple rounded opening, oblong or tri-multi-radiate, or branching (fig. 4, 1); or replaced by a number of coarse pores (" ethmopyle ") (fig. 3, 5a). Again, it may lie at the end of a narrowed tube (" stylopyle "), which in Lagena (fig. 3, 9) may project outwards (" ectoselenial "), or inwards (" entoselenial "). In most groups the stylopyle is straight; but in the majority of the porcellanous shells it is bent down on the side of the shell, and constitutes the " flexopyle " of A. Kemna, which being a hybrid term should be replaced by " camptopyle." The animal usually forms a simple shell only after it has attained a certain size, and this " embryonic chamber " cannot grow further. In Spirillina and Ammodiscus there is no pylomic end-wall, and the shell continues to grow as a spiral tube; in Cornuspira (fig. 3, 1) there is a slight constriction indicating the junction of a small embryonic chamber with a camptopyle, but the rest of the shell is a simple flat spiral of several turns. In the majority at least one chamber follows the first, with its own pylome at the distal end. This second chamber may rest on the first, so that the part ,on which it rests serves as a party-wall bounding the front of z, Diplophrys archeri, Barker. a, Nucleus. Marine. The protoplasm is retracted at both ends into the tubular case. c, The yellow oil-like body. 5, Shepheardella taeniiformis; Moor pools, Ireland. X 15; with pseudopodia 2, Allogromia oviformis, Duj. fully expanded. a, The numerous nuclei; near 6-so, Varying appearance of the these the elongated bodies nucleus as it is carried along represent ingested diatoms. in the streaming protoplasm Freshwater. Figs. 2, 3, I I, within the tube. 12 belong to Rhizopoda 11, Amphitrema wrightianum, Filosa, and are included Archer, showing membranous here to show the character shell encrusted with foreign istic filose pseudopodia in particles. Moor pools, Irecontrast with the reticulate land. spread of the others. 12, Diaphorophodon mobile, 3, Shepheardella taeniiformis, Archer. [land. Siddall (Quart. Jour. Micr. a, Nucleus. Moor pools, Ire- Sci., 1880); X 30 diameters. the newer chamber as well as the back of the older; and this state prevails for all added chambers in such cases. In the 4 FIG. Is. - Protomyxa aurantiaca, Haeck. (After Haeckel.) 10 A 7 8 FIG. 2. - Allogromiidea. highest vitreous shells, however, each chamber has its complete " proper wall "; while a " supplementary skeleton," a deposit of shelly matter, binds the chambers together into a compact whole. In all cases the protoplasm from the pylome may deposit additional matter on the outside of the shell, so as to produce very characteristic sculpturing of the surface. Compound or " polythalamic " shells derive their general form largely from the relations of successive chambers in size, shape and direction. This is well shown in the porcellanous Miliolidae. If we call the straight line uniting the two ends of a chamber the " polar axis," we find that successive chambers FIG. 3.-Various forms of Calcareous Foraminifera. 1, Cornuspira. 8, Orbiculina (spiral). 14, Textularia. 2, Spiroloculina. 9, Lagena. 15, Discorbina. 3, Triloculina. 10, Nodosaria. 16, Polystomella. 4, Biloculina. 11, Cristellaria. 17, Planorbulina. 5, Peneroplis. 12, Globigerina. 18, Rotalia. 6, Orbiculina (cyclical). 13, Polymorphina. 19, Nonionina. 7, Orbiculina (young). have their pylomes at alternate poles; but they lie on different meridians. In Spiroloculina (fig. 3, 2) the divergence between the meridians is 180°, and the chambers are strongly incurved, so that the whole shell forms a flat spiral, of nearly circular outline. In the majority, however, the chambers are crescentic in section, their transverse prolongations being termed " alary " outgrowths, so that successive chambers overlap; when under this condition the angle of successive meridians is still 180° we have the form Biloculina (fig. 3, 4), or with the alary extensions completely enveloping, Uniloculina; when the angle is 120° we have Triloculina, or 144°, Quinqueloculina. Again in Peneroplis (figs. 3, 5, and 4) the shell begins as a flattened shell which tends to straighten out with further growth and additional chambers. In some forms (Spirolina, fig. 22, 3) the chambers have a nearly circular transverse section, and the adult shell is thus crozier-shaped. In others (which may have the same sculpture, and are scarcely distinguishable as species) the chambers are short and wide, drawn out at right angles to the axis, but in the plane of the spiral, and the growing shell becomes fanshaped or " flabelliform " (figs. 3, 5, 4, 2). This widening may go on till the outer chambers form the greater part of a circle, as in Orbiculina (fig. 3, 6-8) where, moreover, each large chamber is subdivided by incomplete vertical bulkheads into a tier of chamberlets; each chamberlet has a distinct pylomic pore opening to the outside or to those of the next outer zone. In Orbitolites (figs. 5, 6) we have a centre on a somewhat Milioline type; and after a few chambers in spiral ?II"r'?_?i?r?' ?a? f i t ? ? 1 j?. js;1 ' 'o??'/?11?????j?1? ' '., "....;1070 , I ' .IJ ??y.rJ..?° FIG. 5.-Shell of simple type of Orbitolites, showing primordial chamber a, and circumambient chamber b, surrounded by successive rings of chamberlets connected by circular galleries which open at the margin by pores. succession, complete circles of chambers are formed. In the larger forms the new zones are of greater height, and horizontal bulkheads divide the chamberlets into vertical tiers, each with its own pylomic pore. The Cheilostomellidae (fig. 3,13) reproduce among perforate vitreous genera what we have already seen in the Miliolida: Orbitoides (fig. 10,2) and Cycloclypeus, among the Nummulite group, with a very finely perforate wall, recall the porcellanous Orbiculina and Orbitolites. In flat spiral forms (figs. 22, 1, 7; 3, 2, 16, 19, &c.) all successive chambers I 2 FIG. 4.-Modifications of Peneroplis. 1, Dendritina; 2, Eu-Peneroplis. FIG. 6.-Animal of simple type of Orbitolites, showing primordial segment a, and circumambient segment b, surrounded by annuli of sub-segments connected by radial and circular stolon-processes. the chambers may be freely exposed; or the be wider transversely than their predecessors ' becoming " nautiloid "; in extreme cases only the last turn or whorl is seen (fig. II). When the spiral axis is conical the shell may be " rotaloid," the larger lower chambers partially concealing the upper smaller ones (fig. 3, 12, 15, or they may leave, as in Patellina, a wide central conical cavity - which, in this genus, is finally occupied by later formed " supplementary" chambers. When the successive chambers are disposed around a longitudinal cent r a l axis they may be said plant. If the arrangement a FIG. 7. - Section of Rotalia showing the canal system, a, b, substance of the intermediate d, tubulated chamber-wall. verging branches of the meridional canals. d', d 2, Three turns of one of the spiral canals. e 1, 2 Three of the meridional canals. f 1, f 2 , Their diverging branches. to " alternate " like the leaves of a beccarii, c, in the skeleton; FIG. 8. - Internal cast of Polystomella craticulata. is distichous we get such forms as Polymerphina, Textularia and Frondicularia (fig. 3, 13, 14), if tristichous, Tritaxia. Such FIG. 9. - Operculina laid open, to show its internal structure. a, Marginal cord seen in cross interseptal canals, the section at a'. [chambers. general distribution of b, b, External walls of the which is seen in the septa c, c, Cavities of the chambers. e, e; the lines radiating c', c', Their alar prolongations. from e, e point to the d, d, Septa divided at d', d', and secondary pores. at d", so as to lay open the g, g, Non-tubular columns. an arrangement may coexist with a spiral twist of the axis for at least part of its course, as in the crozier-shaped Spiroplecta. Two phenomena interfere with the ready availability of the characters of form for classificatory ends - dimorphism and multiformity. The majority of foraminiferal shells show two types, the rarer with a much smaller central chamber than that of the more frequent. The chambers are called microsphere 2 wcs ss FIG. to.-1, Piece of Nummulitic Limestone from the Pyrenees, showing Nummulites laid open by fracture through the median plane; 2, vertical section of Nummulite; 3, Orbitoides. and megalosphere, the forms in which they occur microsphaeric and megalosphaeric forms, respectively. We shall study below their relation to the reproductive cycle. Many of the Polythalamia show different types of chamber-succession at different ages. We have noted FIG. I I. - Vertical section of portion of Nummulites, showing the investment of the earlier whorls by the alar prolongations of the later. b, Chamber of outer whorl. c, c, Whorl invested by a. d, One of the chambers of the fourth whorl from the margin. [closed whorls. e, e', Marginal portions of the en n this phenomenon in such crozier forms as Peneroplis, as well as in discoid forms; it is very frequent. Thus the microspheric Biloculina form the first few chambers in quinqueloculine succession. The microspheric forms attain to a greater size when adult than the megalospheric; and in Orbitolites the microsphere has a straight, Q outlet, orthostyle, instead of the deflected camptostyle one, so general in porcellanous t y p e s; and the spiral succession is continued for more turns before reaching the fan-shape d and finally cyclic stage. Globigerina, whose chambers are nearly spherical, is sometimes seen to be enclosed in a spherical test, perforate, but without a pylome, and known as Orbulina; the chambered Globigerina-shell is attached at first inside the wall of the Orbulina, but ultimately disappears. The ultimate fate of the Orbulina shell is unknown; but it obviously marks a turning-point in the life-cycle. The protoplasm is not differentiated into ectoand endosarc, although it is often denser f, Investing portion of the outer whorl. g, g, Spaces left between the investing portions of successive whorls. h, h, Sections of the partitions dividing these. FIG. 12. - Internal surface of wall of two chambers, a, a, of Nummulites, showing the orifices of its minute tubuli. b, b, The septa containing canals. c, c, Extensions of these canals in the intermediate skeleton. in the central part within the shell, and clearer in the pseudopodial ramifications and the layer (or stalk in the monothalamic forms) from which it is given off. In pelagic forms like Globigerina the external layer is almost if not quite identical in structure with the extracapsular protoplasm of Radiolaria, being differentiated into granular strands traversing a clear jelly, rich in large vacuoles (alveoli), and uniting outside the jelly to form the basal layer of the pseudopods; these again are radiolarian in character. Hence E. R. Lankester justly enough compares the shell here to the central capsule of the Radiolarian, though the comparison must not be pushed too far. The cyto ? ?,? plasm contains granules of 6 o Q on ° ^ ? o?oo og?a0000 0 various kinds, and the in ? o o ° ooh = ..° ? ternal protoplasm is some ?- times pigmented. The Chrysomonad Flagellate, Zooxanthella, so abundant in its resting state - the so-called " yellow cells " - in the extracapsular protoplasm of Radiolaria (q.v.) also occurs in the outer protoplasm of many Foraminifera, not only pelagic but also bottomdwellers, such as Orbitolites. The nucleus is single in the Nuda and Allogromidia and in the megalospheric forms of higher Foraminifera; but microspheric forms when adult contain many simple similar nuclei. The nucleus in every case gives off granules and irregular masses (" chromidia ") of similar reactions, which play an important part in reproduction. During the maturation of the microsphere the nuclei disappear; and the cytoplasm breaks up into a large number of zoospores, each of which is soon provided with a single nucleus, whether entirely derived from the parent-nucleus or from the coalescence of chromidia, or from both these sources is still uncertain. These zoospores are amoeboid; they soon secrete a shell and reveal themselves as megalospheres, the original state of the megalospheric forms. In the adult megalosphere the solitary nucleus disappears and is replaced by hosts of minute vesicular nuclei, formed by the concentration of chromidia. Each nucleus aggregates around it a proper zone of dense protoplasm; by two successive mitotic divisions each mass becomes quadri-nucleate, and splits up into four biflagellate, uninucleate zoospores. These are pairing-cells or gametes, though they will not pair with members of the same brood. In the zygote resulting from pairing two nuclei soon fuse into one; but this again divides into two; an embryonic shell is secreted, and this is the microspheric type, which is multinuclear from the first. F. Schaudinn compares the nuclei of the adult Foraminifera with the (vegetative) meganucleus of Infusora (q.v.) and the chromidial mass with the micronucleus, whose chief function is reproductive. Since megalospheric forms are by far the most abundant, it seems probable that under most conditions they also give rise to megalospheric young like themselves; and that the production of zoospores, FIG. 14. - Vertical section of tubulated chamber-walls, a, a, of Nummulites. b, b, Marginal cord; c, cavity of chamber; d, d, nontubulated columns. pairing to pass into the microspheric form, is only occasional, and possibly seasonal. This life-history we owe to the researches of Schaudinn and J. J. Lister. In several species (notably Patellina) plastogamy, the union of the cytoplasmic bodies without nuclear fusion, has been noted, as a prelude to the resolution of the conjoined protoplasm into uninucleate amoebulae. Calcituba, a porcellanous type, which after forming the embryonic chamber with its deflected pylome grows into branching stems, may fall apart into sections, or the protoplasm may escape and break up into small amoebulae. Of the reproduction of the simplest forms we know little. In Mikrogromia the cell undergoes fission within the test, and on its completion the daughter-cells may emerge as brflagellate zoospores. The sandy shells are a very interesting series. In Astrorhiza the sand grains are loosely agglutinated, without mineral cement;. they leave numerous pores for the exit of the protoplasm, and there are no true pylomes. In other forms the union of the grains by a calcareous or ferruginous cement necessitates the existence of distinct pylomes. Many of the species reproduce the varieties of form found in calcareous tests; some are finely perforated, others not. Many of the larger ones have their walls thickened internally and traversed by complex passages; this structure is called laby FIG. I 5. - Cycloclypeus. rinthic (fig. 19, g, h). The shell of Endothyra, a form only known to. us by its abundance in Carboniferous and Triassic strata, is largely composed of calcite and is sometimes perforated. It is noteworthy that though of similar habitat each species selects its own size or sort of sand, some utilizing the siliceous spicules of sponges. Despite the roughness of the materials, they are often so laid as to yield a perfectly smooth inner wall; and sometimes. the outer wall may be as simple. As we can find no record of a deflected stylopyle to the primitive chamber of the polythalamous. Arenacea, it is safe to conclude that they have no close alliance with the Porcellanea. Classification. I. NuDA. - Protoplasmic body without any pellicle or shell save in the resting encysted condition, sometimes forming colonial aggregates by coalescence of pseudopods (Myxodictyum), or even plasmodia (Protomyxa). Brood-cells at first uniflagellate or amoeboid from birth. Fresh-water and marine genera Protogenes (Haeckel), Biomyxa (Leidy), Myxodictyum (Haeckel), Protomyxa (Haeckel) (fig. Is). This group of very simple forms includes many of Haeckel's Monera, defined as " cytodes," masses of protoplasm without a nucleus. A nucleus (or nuclei) has, however, been demonstrated by improved methods of staining in so many that it is probable that this distinction will fall to the ground. II. Allog Romidiaceae (figs. I A, 2). - Protoplasmic body protected in adult state by an imperforate test with one or two openings (pylomes) for the exit of the stylopod; test simple, gelatinous, membranous, sometimes incrusted with foreign bodies, never calcareous nor arenaceous; reproduction by fission alone known. Freshwater or marine genera Allogromia (Rhumbl.), Myxotheca (Schaud.), Lieberkiihnia (Cl. & L.) (fig. IA), Shepheardella (Siddall) (fig. 2, 3 - Diplophrys (Barker), Amphitrema (Arch.) (fig. 2, r 1), Diaphorophodon (Arch.) (fig. 2, 12), are possibly Filosa. This group differs from the preceding in its simple test, but,. like it, includes many fresh-water species, which possess contractile vacuoles. III. Astrorhizidiaceae. - Simple forms, rarely polythalamous (some Rhabdamminidae), but often branching or radiate; test arenaceous, loosely compacted and traversed by chinks for pseudopodia (Astrorhizidae), or dense, and opening by one or more terminal pylomes at ends of branches. Marine, 4 Fam. The test of some Astrorhizidae is so loose that it falls to pieces when taken out of water. Haliphysema is. remarkable for its history in relation to the " gastraea theory." Pilulina has a neat globular shell of spongespicules and fine sand. Genera, Astrorhiza (Sandahl). a 1..an 011?? i Tm i b b b FIG. 13. - Internal cast of two chambers, a, a, of Nummulites, the radial canals between them passing into b, marginal plexus. Lagenidaceae.-Shells vitreous, often sculptured, monoor polythalamic, finely perforate; chambers flask-shaped, with a protruding or an inturned stylopyle; Lagena (Walker & Boys) (fig. 4, 9); Nodosaria (Lamk.) (figs. 23, 4; 4, 10); Polymorphina (d'Orb.) (fig. 4, 13); Cristellaria (Lamk.) (fig. 4, //); Frondicularia (Def.) (fig. 2 3, 3). Globigerinidaceae.-Shells vitreous, coarsely perforated; chambers few spheroidal rapidly increasing in size; arranged in a trochoid or nautiloid spiral. Globigerina (Lamk.) (23, 6; 4, 12); Hastigerina (Wyville Thompson) (fig. 23, 5); Orbulina (d'Orb.) (fig. 23, 8). X. Rotalidaceae.-Shells vitreous, finely perforate; walls thick, often double, but without an intermediate partylayer traversed by canals; form usually spiral or trochoid. Discorbina (Parker & Jones) (fig. 4, 15); Planorbulina (d'Orb.) (fig. 4, 17); Rotalia (Lamk.) (figs. 23, 1, 2; 7, 21); Calcarina (d'Orb.) (fig. 23, 10); Polytrema (Risso) (fig. 23, 9). (fig. 22), Pilulina (Carptr.) (fig. 19), Saccammina (Sars) (fig. 19), Rhabdammina (Sars), Botellina (Carptr.), Haliphysema (Bowerbank) (fig. 22). IV. LITu0LIDACEAE.-Shell arenaceous, usually fine-grained, definite and often polythalamic, recalling in structure calcareous forms. Lituola (Lamk.) (fig. 19), Endothyra (Phil.), Ammodiscus (Reuss), Loftusia (Brady), Haplophragmium (Reuss) (fig. 22), Thurammina (Brady) (fig. 22). V. Miliolidaceae.-Shells porcellanous imperforate, almost invariably with a camptostyle leading from the embryonic chamber; Cornuspira (Schultze) (fig. 3); Miliola (Lamk.), including as subgenera Spiroloculina (d'Orb.) (figs. 3 and 22); Triloculina (d'Orb.) (fig. 3); Biloculina (d'Orb.) (fig. 3); Uniloculina (d'Orb.); Quinqueloculina (d'Orb.); Peneroplis (Montfort) (figs. 22, 3; 3), with form Dendritina (fig. 4, I); Orbiculina (Lamk.) (fig. 3, 6-8); Orbitolites (Lamk.) (figs. 5, 6); Vertebralina (d'Orb.) (fig. 22); Squamulina (Sch.) (fig. 22); Calcituba (Schaudinn). VI. Textulariadaceae.-Shells perforate, vitreous or (in the larger forms) arenaceous, in two or three alternating ranks (distichous or tristichous). Textularia (Defrance) (fig. 21). VII. Cheilostomellaceae.-Shells vitreous, thin, the chambers doubling forwards and backwards as in Miliolidae. Cheilostomella (Reuss). a b FIG. 18.-Biloculina depressa d'Orb., transverse sections showing dimorphism. (From Lister.) a, Megalospheric shell X 50, showing uniform growth, biloculine throughout. b, Microspheric shell X 90, showing multiform growth, quinqueloculine at first, and then multiform. XI. Nummulinidaceae.-As in Rotalidaceae, but with a thicker finely perforated shell, often well developed, and a supplementary skeleton traversed by branching canals as an additional party-wall between the proper chamber-walls. Nonionina (d'Orb.) (fig. 4, 19); Fusulina (Fischer) (fig. 20); Polystomella into (Lamk.) (figs. 4, 16; 8); Operculina (d'Orb.) (fig. 9); Heterostegina (d'Orb.) (fig. 16); Cycloclypeus (Carptr.) (fig. 15); Nummulites (Lamk.) (figs. 10, II, 12, 1 3, 14) "Eozoon canadense," described as a species of this order by J. W. Dawson and Carpenter, has been pronounced by a series of enquirers, most of whom started with a belief in its organic structure, to be merely a complex mineral concretion in ophicalcite, a rock composed of an admixture of silicates (mostly serpentine and pyroxene) and calcite. Distribution Vertical Space.-Owing to their lack of organs for active locomotion the Foraminifera are all crawling or attached, with the exception of a few genera (very rich in species, however) which float near the surface. of the ocean, constituting part of the pelagic plankton. Thus the majority are littoral or deep-sea, sometimes attached to other bodies or even burrowing in the tests of other Foraminifera; most of the fresh-water forms are sapropelic, inhabiting the layer of organic Young megalospheric individual. Adult decalcified. Later stage, resolving itself into two flagellate gametes. Conjugation. [zygote. Microspheric individual produced from The same resolved itself into pseudo 1, Modified from F. Schaudinn, in Lang's Zoologie. FIG. 17.-Life Cycle of Polystomella crispa. podiospores which are growing new megalospheric individuals. Principal nucleus, and 2, . subsidiary nuclei of megalospheric form. Nuclei in multiple division. Chromidia derived from 4. debris at the surface of the bottom mud ditches of pools, ponds and lakes. The deep-sea species below a certain depth cannot possess a calcareous shell, for this would be dissolved; and it is in these that we find limesalts sometimes replaced by silica. The pelagic floating genera are also specially modified. Their shell is either thin or extended many times by long slender tapering spines, and the protoplasm outside has the same character as that of the Radiolaria (q.v.), being differentiated into jelly containing enormous vacuoles and traversed by reticulate strands of granular protoplasm. These coalesce into a peripheral zone from which protrude the pseudo FIG. 19. - Arenaceous Foraminifera. a, Exterior of Saccammina. f, Nautiloid Lituola, exterior. b, The same laid open. g, Chambered interior. c, Portion of test more highly h, Portion of labyrinthic chammagnified. ber wall, showing component d, Pilulina. [magnified. sand-grains. e, Portion of test more highly pods, here rather radiate than reticulate. Most genera and most species are cosmopolitan; but local differences are often marked. Foraminifera abound in the shore sands and the crevices of coral reefs. The membranous shelled forms decay without leaving traces. The sandy or calcareous shells of dead Foraminifera constitute a large proportion of littoral sand, both below and above tide marks; and, as shown in the boring on Funafuti, enter largely into the constituents of coral rock. They may accumulate in the mud of the bottom to constitute Foraminiferal ooze. The source of these shells in the latter case is double: (I) shells of bottom-dwellers accumulate on the spot; (2) shells of dead plankton forms sink down in a continuous shower, to form a layer at the bottom of the ocean, during which process the spines are dissolved by the sea-water. Thus is formed an ooze known as " Globigerina-ooze," being formed largely of that genus and its ally Hastigerina; below 3000 fathoms even the tests themselves are dissolved. Casts of their bodies in glauconite (a green ferrous silicate, whose composition has not yet been accurately determined) are, however, frequently left. Glauconitic casts of perforate shells, notably Globigerina, have been found in Lower Cambrian (e.g. Hollybush Sandstone), and the shells themselves in Siberian limestones of that age. It is only when we pass into the Silurian Wenlock limestone that sandy shells make their appearance. Above this horizon Foraminifera are more abundant as constituents, partial or principal of calcareous rocks, the genus Endothyra being indeed almost confined to Carboniferous beds. The genus Fusulina (fig. 20) and Saccammina (fig. 19) give their names (from their .FIG. 20. - Section of Fusulina Limestone. respective abundance) to two limestones of the Carboniferous series. Porcellanous shells become abundant only from the Lias upwards. The glauconitic grains of the Greensand formations are chiefly foraminiferal casts. Chalk is well known to consist largely of foraminiferal shells, mostly vitreous, like the north Atlantic globigerina ooze. In the Maestricht chalk more littoral conditions prevailed, and we find such large-sized FIG. 2 i. - Microscopic Organisms in Chalk from Gravesend. a, b, c, d, Textularia globulosa; e, e, e, e, Rotalia aspera; f, Textularia aculeata; g, Planularia hexas; h, Navicula. species as Orbitoides (vitreous) and Orbitolites (porcellanous; figs. 5, 6), &c. In the Eocene Tertiaries the Calcaire Grossier of the Paris basin is mainly composed of Miliolid forms. Nummulites occur in English beds and in the Paris basin; but the great beds of these, forming reef-like masses of limestone, occur farther south, extending from the Pyrenees through the southern and eastern Alps to Egypt, Sinai, and on to north India. The peculiar structure occurring in the Lower Laurentian limestone, as well as other limestones of Archean age described as a Nummulitaceous genus, " Eozoon," by Carpenter and Dawson, and abundantly illustrated in the 9th edition of his encyclopaedia, is now universally regarded as of inorganic origin. " Looking P ,? ": i, Spiroloculina planulata, Lamarck, showing five "coils"; porcellanous. 2, Young ditto, with shell dissolved and protoplasm stained so as to show the seven nuclei n. 3, Spirolina (Peneroplis); a sculptured imperfectly coiled shell; porcellanous. 4, Vertebralina, a simple shell consisting of chambers succeeding one another in a straight line; porcellanous. 5, 6, Thurammina papillate, Brady, a sandy form. 5 is broken open so as to show an inner chamber; recent. X 25. 7, Haplophragmium canariensis, a sandy form; recent. 8, Nucleated reproductive bodies (bud-spores) of Haliphysema. 9, Squamulina laevis, M. Schultze; X 40; a simple porcellanous Miliolide. lo, Protoplasmic core removed after treatment with weak chromic acid from the shell of Haliphysema tumanovitzii, Bow. n, Vesicular nuclei, stained with haematoxylin. (After Lankester.) rr, Haliphysema tumanovitzii; X 25 diam.; living specimen, showing the wineglass-shaped shell built up of sand-grains and sponge-spicules, and the abundant protoplasm p, issuing from the mouth of the shell and spreading partly over its projecting constituents. 12, Shell of Astrorhiza limicola, Sand.; X i; showing the branching of the test on some of the rays usually broken away in preserved specimens (original). 13, Section of the shell of Marsipella, showing thick walls built of sand-grains. z, Spiral arrangement of simple chambers of a Reticularian shell, as in small Rotalia. 2, Ditto, with double septal walls, and supplemental shell-substance (shaded), as in large Rotalie. 3, Diagram to show the mode in which successively-formed chambers may completely embrace their predecessors, as in Frondicularia. 4, Diagram of a simple straight series of non-embracing chambers, as in Nodosaria. 5, Hastigerina murrayi, Wyv. Thomson. a. Bubbly (vacuolated) protoplasm, enclosing b, the perforated Globigerina-like shell (conf. central capsule of Radiolaria). From the peripheral protoplasm project, not only fine pseudopodia, but hollow spines of calcareous matter, which are set on the shell, and have an axis of active protoplasm. Pelagic; drawn in the living state. 6, Globigerina bulloides, d'Orb., showing the punctiform perforations of the shell and the main aperture. 7, Fragment of the shell of Globigerina, seen from within, and highly magnified. a, Fine perforations in the inner shell substances; b, outer (secondary) shell substance. Two coarser perforations are seen in section, and one lying among the smaller. 8, Orbulina universe, d'Orb. Pelagic example, with adherent radiating calcareous spines (hollow), and internally a small Globigerina shell. It is probably a developmental phase of Globigerina. a, Orbulina shell; b, Globigerina shell. 9, Polytrema miniaceum, Lin.; X 12. Mediterranean. Example of a branched adherent calcareous perforate Recticularian. zo, Cakarina spengleri, Gmel.; X io. Tertiary, Sicily. Shell dissected so as to show the spiral arrangement of the chambers, and the copious secondary shell substance. a 2, a 3, 'a' 4, Chambers of three successive coils in section, showing the thin primary wall (finely tubulate) of each; b, b, b, b, perforate surfaces of the primary wall of four tiers of chambers, from which the secondary shell substance has been cleared away; c', c', secondary or intermediate shell substance in section, showing coarse canals; d, section of secondary shell substance at right angles to c'; e, tubercles of secondary shell substance on the surface; f, f, club-like processes of secondary shell substance. at the almost universal diffusion of existing Foraminifera and the continuous accumulation of their shells over vast areas of the ocean-bottom, they are certainly doing more than any other group of organisms to separate carbonate of lime from its solution in sea-water, so as to restore to the solid crust of the earth what is being continuously withdrawn from it by solution of the calcareous materials of the land above sea-level." (E. R. Lankester, " Protozoa," Ency. Brit. 9th ed.) Historical. - The Foraminifera were discovered as we have seen by A. d'Orbigny. C. E. Ehrenberg added a large number of species, but it was to F. Dujardin in 1835 that we owe the recognition of their true zoological position and the characters of the living animal. W. B. Carpenter and W. C. Williamson in England contributed largely to the study of the shell, the latter being the first to call attention to its multiform character in the development of a single species, and to utilize the method of thin sections, which has proved so fertile in results. W. K. Parker and H. B. Brady, separately, and in collaboration, described an enormous number of forms in a series of papers, as well as in the monograph by the latter of the Foraminifera of the " Challenger " expedition. Munier-Chalmas and Schlumberger brought out the fact of dimorphism in the group, which was later elucidated and incorporated in the full cytological study of the life-cycle of Foraminifera by J. J. Lister and F. Schaudinn, independently, but with concurrent results. Literature. - The chief recent books are: F. Chapman, The Foraminifera (1902), and J. J. Lister, " The Foraminifera," in E. R. Lankester's Treatise on Zoology (1903), in which full bibliographies will be found. For a final resume of the long controversy on Eozoon, see George P. Merrill in Report of the U.S. National Museum (1906), p. 635. Other classifications of the Foraminifera will be found by G. H. Theodor Eimer and C. Fickert in Zeitschr. fur wissenschaftliche Zoologie, lxv. (1899), p. 599, and L. Rhumbler in Archiv fir Protistenkunde, iii. (1903-1904); the account of the reproduction is based on the researches of J. J. Lister, summarized in the above-cited work, and of F. Schaudinn, in Arbeiten des kaiserlichen Gesundheitsamts, xix. (1903). We must also cite W. B. Carpenter, W. K. Parker and T. Rymer Jones, Introduction to the Study of the Foraminifera (Ray Society) (1862); W. B. Carpenter, " Foraminifera," in Ency. Brit., 9th ed.; W. C. Williamson, On the Recent Foraminifera of Great Britain (Ray Society), (1858); H. B. Brady, " The Foraminifera," in Challenger Reports, ix. (1884); A. Kemna, in Ann. de la soc. royale zoologique et malacologique de Belgique, xxxvii. (5902), p. 60; xxxix. (1904), p. 7. The Xenophyophoridae are a small group of bottomdwelling Sarcodina which show a certain resemblance to arenaceous Foraminifera, though observations in the living state show that the character of the pseudopodia is lacking. The multinucleate protoplasm is contained in branching tubes, aggregated into masses of definite form, bounded by a common wall of foreign bodies (sponge spicules, &c.) cemented into a membrane. The cytoplasm contains granules of BaSO 4 and pellets of faecal matter. All that is known of reproduction is the resolution of the pellets into uninucleate cells. (taxonomy) A taxonomic subphylum within the phylum Retaria — the foraminifers. Longet, D.; Pawlowski, J. 2007: Higher-level phylogeny of Foraminifera inferred from the RNA polymerase II (RPB1) gene. European journal of protistology, 43: 171-177. Pawlowski, J.; Holzmann, M. 2002: Molecular phylogeny of Foraminifera - a review. European journal of protistology, 38: 1-10. Foraminifera or forams, as they are called, are an important group of tiny single-celled eukaryotes. They are mostly marine, though a few live in fresh-water, and even on damp land areas. In the sea, they live both in the plankton (pelagic), and in the deeper water (the benthos). They have tests (like shells) made of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). starsand project - The starsand project: welcome!
0.998939	Find Alabama daycares and preschools. Daycares provide information on licensed infant and child care assistance, 24 hour and weekend day care centers, montessori, private, and public facilities. Daycare is a service that supervises and cares for children too young to be left alone during periods when parents or guardians are unavailable due to work or other commitments. Daycare services are typically used for children too young to attend school or preschool, or for school-aged children that need supervision immediately before or after school hours. Daycare services come in a variety of forms, including Daycare Centers operated by private businesses, non-profit and religious organizations, and government agencies, as well as Home Daycares run by individuals. While Daycare usually refers to the supervision and care of children, somewhat comparable services for elderly or disabled adults also exist, which are usually referred to as Adult Daycares. All Daycare services are regulated extensively by state agencies. The regulation and licensing of Daycare services usually falls within a state's Human Services Department or the Office of Early Childhood. Regulations concerning Daycare services address staffing levels, the design and safety of physical spaces, accessibility, food, and programming. Background checks of all staff members are almost universally required. Daycare Centers are operations that provide daycare in a setting other than a private home. They are typically larger and provide a classroom-style format that groups children by age. Most Daycare Centers offer structured programming, and many are accredited as providers of early learning programs. State regulations determine how many adult staff members are required per child, based on the children's age. Infants typically require at least one adult for every three infants. The ratio of children to adults increases with the children's age to a maximum of approximately ten children per adult staff members, though this varies by state. Daycare Centers are usually owned and operated by private businesses, non-profit organizations, or religious organizations. Government involvement in Daycare is usually limited to subsidizing Daycare costs for low-income families, though there are some examples of government owned and operated Daycare Centers. Home Daycares are run by an individual and provide childcare in a home. The licensing requirements and regulations for Home Daycares differ somewhat from Daycare Centers. In addition to adult to children ratios, many states impose a total maximum number of children that can be cared for in a single home. Safety and design requirements also differ from Daycare Centers.
0.98438	How good is new Sting musical? Musician Sting is known for being an activist, so it should be no surprise that his musical The Last Ship has political undertones. The world-famous singer was at New Alexandra Theatre to oversee the opening night of the show in Birmingham, but was it all smooth sailing? The Last Ship is something of a labour of love for Sting as it is heavily inspired by his childhood memories of growing up in the North East, in the shadow of a shipbuilding yard in Wallsend. Audiences in the UK and Ireland are getting their first chance to see the show this year as part of a tour, which I caught at Birmingham's New Alexandra Theatre during its stay from April 16 to 21. I had high expectations as its stint in America a few years' ago (with a slightly different version) had gained it two Tony Award nominations for Best Original Score and Best Orchestrations. It's a somewhat grim but striking plot for a musical about a community under threat, protesting as politicians move in to shut the yard, one of whom looks and sounds eerily similar to Maggie Thatcher. At the same time, there's an equally dreary storyline about a young man returning home to find his childhood sweetheart after 17 years away, during which time his father has died. Okay, the show is far from hearts and flowers and leaping around in love, but this is a slice of reality from one of the most respected music artists in the world. There's death, betrayal, heartbreak and most of all, a desperation to escape a life laid out for you when you have something more ambitious in mind. That comes through in several songs - particularly Dead Man's Boots - and are probably the most meaningful to Sting as he's openly talked about that being how he felt growing up in the North East. As expected, the soundtrack by Sting is excellent with a folk influence to the foot-stamping tunes. There's also a choral element to the group numbers, similar to that of the all-male choirs found around the old mining communities. In comparison, the solo numbers have a distinctive Sting sound, especially as actor Richard Fleeshman is heavily channelling a Sting impersonation in many of his numbers with rasping vocals. The main pull for audiences will obviously be the music, but there's much more to this production than that. The stage set and design is hugely impressive and you can almost taste the salty air from the North Sea as huge screens display everything from roaring waves to stars amid a backdrop of cranes. The digital set also quickly transforms the scene from a ropy pub to a beautiful stained glass church and it's a huge bonus to the viewer. The gritty plot is powerful and unpretentious too. The essence of it is people working and fighting together to protect what's important to them. Be warned, it does suddenly morph into a political call to arms in the final scene, expanding the message to not just the shipbuilding industry but to the NHS. Actor Joe McGann adds some gravitas to the plot as foreman Jackie White while Charlie Hardwick, known for her stint in Emmerdale, plays his wife Peggy and is exceptional on stage with a rousing singing voice. Richard Fleeshman, playing the returning naval officer Gideon, has an impressive voice, so it's understandable that he has been given some of the best and most emotional songs in the show including The Night The Pugilist Learned How To Dance. Frances McNamee as Gideon's love interest Meg and Katie Moore as Ellen are both worth a mention for their strong vocals too. The First Act is the stronger of the two and the only drawback was that it was sometimes hard to understand characters with the strongest North East accents. The Last Ship is a welcome first musical from Sting, who has combined his history, musical talent and political astuteness to create a moving piece of theatre. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of his move into the theatrical world.
0.976626	Status change explanation: Macedonia’s status declined from Partly Free to Not Free due to revelations indicating large-scale and illegal government wiretapping of journalists, corrupt ties between officials and media owners, and an increase in threats and attacks on media workers. Macedonia’s media landscape is deeply polarized along political lines. Self-censorship among journalists is common, due primarily to pressure from media owners with particular business or political interests and, more recently, concerns about surveillance. Journalists are poorly paid and face threats and harassment for engaging in investigative or critical reporting. In February 2015, opposition leader Zoran Zaev alleged that the government of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski oversaw a massive wiretapping operation that targeted more than 100 journalists, along with thousands of other parties. The findings of a European Commission–backed investigation provided support for Zaev’s claims. Zaev also released a series of recorded conversations suggesting that government officials had a role in decisions on content at public and some private media outlets. Numerous journalists received threats or suffered physical attacks during the year. The Macedonian constitution includes basic protections for freedom of the press and freedom of expression, but the authorities do not uphold them impartially. The use of criminal laws to restrict journalistic activity drew international attention in 2013, when Nova Makedonija reporter Tomislav Kezarovski was convicted on dubious charges of revealing the identity of a protected witness in a murder case; the charges were linked to an article he had written about police corruption. Kezarovski received a prison sentence of four and a half years, but was transferred to house arrest after a short period behind bars. In January 2015, an appeals court reduced his sentence to two years and ordered that he serve the remaining four months in prison. Kezarovski was consequently transferred back to prison, but days later he was granted conditional release following domestic and international pressure. Although defamation was removed from the penal code in 2012, a parallel change to the civil defamation law authorized large fines for reporters, editors, and media owners. Many defamation suits are dropped or settled out of court, often because defendants yield to the threat of crippling financial penalties. While courts have ruled in favor of journalists in a number of recent defamation suits, the Association of Journalists of Macedonia (ZNM) has noted that courts frequently consider defamation allegations in which the plaintiffs have failed to produce any evidence for their complaint, sometimes postponing preliminary hearings multiple times to allow the accusers to gather material. The association also reports that defendants are sometimes not promptly informed when cases are filed against them. The law on open access to public information is unevenly and selectively enforced, with officials delaying responses and shunning independent or critical media outlets. Enforcement of media regulations is weak, and the licensing process is subject to undue political and economic influence. Under 2013 media laws, a government-dominated media regulator, the Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services, is empowered to impose heavy fines and revoke broadcast licenses for content that threatens vaguely defined interests such as “public order” and “health or morals.” Amendments to the laws, adopted in 2014, exempted online outlets from regulation, minimized the obligations of print media, allowed the ZNM to nominate one of the regulator’s seven council members, and inserted language to ensure that all future content rules comply with standards set by the European Court of Human Rights. Critics of the original laws said the changes, passed under international pressure, were inadequate. In February 2015, Zaev, head of the opposition Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM), announced that he had obtained evidence that the government had engaged in illegal wiretapping of up to 20,000 Macedonian citizens, including more than 100 journalists. He subsequently released a series of audio recordings that not only suggested the existence of such a wiretapping campaign, but also appeared to reveal government officials issuing directives regarding content at several media outlets, including Sitel, a private, progovernment television station with national reach, and the public television network, Macedonian Television (MTV). Zaev also claimed to possess wiretap recordings of journalists’ conversations, but did not release them publicly, instead inviting the affected reporters to pick up transcripts at the SDSM’s headquarters. In what was viewed as an attempt to discourage reporting on the recordings’ content, the public prosecutor’s office in February issued a statement suggesting that it was illegal to publish material that could become evidence in criminal court proceedings, an apparent reference to existing charges against Zaev, who faced allegations of plotting a coup. A report prepared by independent experts and released by the European Commission in June supported Zaev’s claims that the security services had carried out the wiretapping campaign at the government’s request. The Macedonian Association of Journalists (MAN) is affiliated with the government, while the ZNM is more aligned with the opposition. The ZNM documents media freedom violations more rigorously than its counterpart, but it has been silent on some issues involving pressure against media workers at progovernment outlets. In 2014, the parliament amended the Law on Audio and Audiovisual Media Services to give one of the ZNM’s two seats on the board of the public broadcaster to the MAN. The Media Ethics Council, a self-regulatory body, was established in 2014 to hear complaints about the media; frequently the cases it receives are filed by journalists against other journalists. Members of the Trade Union of Macedonian Journalists and Media Workers (SSNM) have faced dismissal and other forms of pressure from officials and employers. Macedonia’s media laws do not recognize bloggers and citizen journalists as professional journalists. The Macedonian media landscape is heavily polarized. Most private media outlets are tied to political or business interests that influence their content, and state-owned media tend to support government positions. The government continued to exercise undue political influence over the content of public outlets and control over their supervisory bodies during 2015. The public broadcaster, Macedonian Radio and Television (MRT), mostly ignored the wiretapping scandal, while the recordings themselves appeared to reveal direct government influence over the broadcaster’s reporting. The recordings also suggested a government role in the programming decisions of at least one private television outlet, and in determining the content of several newspapers. Many private outlets are owned by businesspeople who use their media holdings as tools to promote commercial interests or curry favor with the government. Such outlets are often reluctant to pursue stories that would reflect poorly on Gruevski’s administration. For example, many outlets did not cover a series of teachers’ strikes during 2015, or omitted key details, such as the teachers’ grievances and demands, from their reporting. Moreover, as early elections in 2016 grew more likely, the most prominent private television outlets escalated progovernment reporting and criticism of the opposition. Journalists have reported high rates of self-censorship, as they experience pressure not to publicize information that could harm their employers’ business interests. The problem was exacerbated in 2015 by the wiretapping scandal, which revealed how closely many media figures were being monitored. Journalists faced increased levels of physical violence and harassment in 2015. Borjan Jovanovski, a prominent critical journalist for Nova TV, received a death threat in April. The sender used the name of a long-dead nationalist figure associated with the ruling party, suggesting a political motive. In May, Branko Tričkovski, a columnist for the opposition paper Sloboden Pečat, received death threats after he posted remarks on Facebook that were critical of police officers who participated in an operation against insurgents in an ethnic Albanian area of Kumanovo; eight officers were killed during the clash. Tričkovski’s vehicle was set on fire that month. Around the same time, the car of well-known political journalist Sašo Ordanoski was also set ablaze. Separately in May, Saše Ivanovski, the owner of the news website Maktel, was banned from a club for members of parliament after questioning Gruevski on the subject of his personal wealth. Days later, Ivanovski was beaten by two unidentified assailants in Skopje. Ivanovski was physically attacked again in July, this time by the deputy prime minister for economic affairs, Vladimir Peševski, after he approached Peševski on the street and questioned him about the wiretapping program. And in June, a Macedonian police officer attacked an Austrian journalist and attempted to confiscate her equipment as she sought to report on the movement of refugees at the border with Greece. Macedonia has a large number of broadcast and print outlets for its population, but progovernment media—including the public MRT and several private television stations and newspapers—hold a dominant position in the market. A small number of outlets, such as Telma TV, 24 Vesti, Sloboden Pečat, and Fokus, carry more balanced or critical coverage. Broadcast outlets run by members of Macedonia’s ethnic Albanian minority, some of which provide content in both Albanian and Macedonian, often produce news that is more objective than their Macedonian-language counterparts; observers have suggested that this is because they are somewhat removed from the political wrangling between the two main parties, which are composed primarily of ethnic Macedonians. Ownership transparency is undermined by the use of proxies and silent partners. Foreign investment in the media is largely limited to Serbian companies. A Serbian-owned media group has a virtual monopoly on newspaper printing and distribution, and its owner has ties to high-level security officials. Foreign media content is not restricted. Access to the internet is constrained only by cost and infrastructural obstacles, with around 70 percent of the population accessing the medium in 2015. Use of social media continues to increase, and news sites and blogs have expanded, but most news content originates in traditional media. The government has faced criticism for its liberal use of promotional advertising, which increases the media’s financial dependence and favors progovernment outlets. The government is one of the country’s largest advertisers, and the ruling party benefits from deep pricing discounts from friendly outlets, particularly during election campaigns. In the summer of 2015, the government issued a moratorium on official advertising amid the growing political crisis; however, the measure did not extend to all public institutions or to allied private institutions, allowing the government to retain an indirect influence over the media through advertising contracts. The state also subsidizes content production for national television broadcasters under amendments to the media law adopted in 2014, creating another mechanism for the dispersal of official funds to friendly media. Many media outlets rely on financial support from private owners’ other businesses. Journalists face low salaries, a lack of job security, and poor working conditions, leaving them more vulnerable to editorial pressure from owners.
0.984209	The California Gold Rush was a pivotal event in United States history. It helped shift attention westward, brought incredible prosperity to San Francisco and resulted in a tremendous amount of the yellow metal entering the marketplace. Miners and merchants were eager to convert the raw gold into money—and the United States government responded accordingly with three new coinage denominations and a minting facility. Almost immediately after the yellow metal was discovered in 1848, California gold was being converted into money. The only problem, however, was that turning the metal into federally-issued currency was difficult. Although a small amount of California gold reached the Philadelphia Mint in 1848, most of the Gold Rush metal remained in San Francisco. There, private minters and assayers turned the gold into ingots, bars and coins. While the assayers were generally accurate in terms of purity levels and weights, most merchants preferred federally-issued coins over privately-issued pieces. Just because an assayer was well-respected in San Francisco did not mean their bars would be accepted in, say, San Juan. Merchants wanted US coins that would be universally accepted, both in the states and abroad. The US government responded first by opening an assay office in San Francisco, followed by a full-fledged mint in 1854. In addition, Congress authorized three new gold denominations: the gold dollar, three dollar gold piece and twenty dollar double eagle. These three new issues helped soak up the huge influx of gold that entered the marketplace. The gold dollar and three dollar pieces saw limited success, but the double eagle became a wildly popular coin. Immense quantities of $20 double eagle gold pieces were struck from 1850 onward—it became the coin of choice for large transactions, institutional trades and bank holdings. Its popularity extended beyond the United States, as evidenced by the huge amount of European bank reserves that (even to this day) are held in $20 double eagles. The numismatic effects of the gold rush would last many decades. The gold dollar and three dollar gold pieces were made until 1889, the double eagle was produced continuously until 1933, and to this day there is still a United States Mint in San Francisco. The privately-issued coins, bars and ingots have also become coveted numismatic items. Depending on rarity and gold cent they trade anywhere from a few hundred dollars all the way to six figures per coin. In summary, the California Gold Rush had a profound effect on American numismatics. It was the spark behind numerous privately-minted items, three federally-issued coin denominations and the US Mint at San Francisco. Just as the Gold Rush is considered an extremely significant event in our country’s history, the coins from that era are similarly regarded as highly desirable and historic.
0.998516	The Biographies of distinguished personalities are brief. Swami Omkarananda's life could be summed up in three sentences: He was born with high spirituality. He lives the Truth and cannot be separated from it. He works intensively to spread the light of Truth. Swami Omkarananda was abundantly gifted for the realization of the Divine from his early childhood. In fact at the time of birth a strong nimbus of light seen by everyone present surrounded the head of the baby. From the time he was thirteen Swamiji was blessed with a growing number of divine visions of greatest mystics and sages. Decisive and intimate experiences of the divine omnipresence started revealing themselves ever more dominating his young life. He went on maintaining daily diaries. Several such diaries were filled with the constantly flowing, inspiring divine thoughts. Then one day in an experience of the inner spirit as the author of everything that was and will be written, he consigned all his diaries to Ganga. They were lost for ever. In 1946, at the age of sixteen, Swamiji disappeared from his from his home in South India, and reached the banks of Ganga in Rishikesh at the foothills of the Himalayas. Looking at the boy, full of transcendental wisdom, advaita bhava, fiery spirit of renunciation, perpetual inner peace and joy, one of the greatest sages of our times, H.H. Shri Swami Shivananda Saraswati, lovingly called him a Bala-Yogi and Bala-Gyani and initiated him into Sannyasa. The period from 1950 to 1962 was characterized by tireless work. Swamiji became the author and editor of numerous great literary masterpieces. Through his monumental works in the English language, embracing his intensive studies and research work in Eastern and Western philosophies, arts, sciences, education, psychology and sociology, he won international public and academic recognition as a writer of unusual gifts. In 1954, the degree of M. Phil. was conferred upon Swami Omkarananda by the Yoga Vedanta Forest University. In 1957 he was elected Member of The International American Institute, and he got the Honorary Ph.D., Litt.D., I.A.I., Washington, D.C. From 1962 to 1965, Swami Omkarananda plunged himself into intensive inner spiritual silence. This was the time in which he withdrew himself completely from outer intellectual and literary activities only to open and explore by inner experience other dimensions of the supreme Divine Reality. In 1965 Swami Omkarananda came to the West for the first time at the invitation of a group of Swiss scientists and seekers after Truth. On 11th October, 1966, the Omkarananda Ashram was established in Winterthur, Switzerland. Since that time a continuous stream of literature on various aspects of modern thinking has been issuing from the Ashram, born out of the awareness of the Divine. As an author the Swami possesses that intellectual power, literary ingenuity, mental brilliance and cultural background which are necessary to meet the challenges of modern life. Swami Omkarananda's exceptional knowledge of both Eastern and Western culture, religion, art, science and general tendencies particularly fitted him for the task of presenting a synthesis of Eastern wisdom and spirituality with Western culture and civilization. The timeless infinite Power operates in and through him; thus he is in a position to unify in himself all religions, and to present a supra-religious synthesis which is established solely in the eternal Truth, the Truth that transcends the psychological realm and touches the ultimate Reality, yet is immediately present and can be directly experienced. A personality of outstanding humility and modesty, of profound knowledge and wisdom, an aesthetic, open-minded towards art, beauty and culture, Swami Omkarananda considers himself in the first place a servant to the individual and to mankind, whose noblest concern is the never-ending help poured out to each and everyone. He knows in a wonderful way how to place himself in the soul of others and to align himself to the needs and mentalities of those seeking his help and advice, so that he meets the scientist as a scientist, the artist as an artist, the seeker after Truth as the spiritual light on his path to God-realization. Nobody ever leaves him without having obtained that type of mental nourishment which particularly suits his need.
0.999686	Please email your resume to [email protected] with subject: HR/Technical Recruiter, and answer the following question: What do you think the single most significant difference is between a well-executed and designed recruiting campaign vs. a mediocre one? BenchPrep is currently seeking an HR/Technical Recruiter to join our growing team. We work hard, eat well, and have lots of fun. We work at BenchPrep because we’re dedicated to its mission and approach each day as an opportunity to be challenged and learn. This will be the very first HR role at BenchPrep, and so we are looking for a high performing and motivated professional who is willing to build out the HR function from the ground up. Managing candidate pipeline and communication process to ensure that there is a positive candidate experience, regardless of the outcome. At BenchPrep, we are committed to supporting a culture that is inclusive and diverse. Our colleagues foster an environment that is warm, supportive, and helpful where we treat each other exceptionally well. We are looking to add curious, driven, and creative individuals to our team who are ready to grow with us!

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