Split (1)

train · 1.09M rows

proba float64 0.5 1	text stringlengths 16 174k
0.99997	following steps add a bottom border to the paragraph containing address, phone, and Web information. Border gallery (Figure 3– 33). Border in the Border gallery.
0.999999	Does Deforestation can contribute to changes in flooding intensity and frequency? Deforestation has caused mainly from human activities such as fires, illegal land reclamation, pasturing, etc. (Kotoulas, 1980). Deforestation promotes flooding and land degradation and reduces freshwater availability. Forest cover absorbing rainwater and reducing subsequent flooding (Brown et al. 2005). In my point of view, the restoration or creation of forested land help to decrease runoff. Numerous field studies (Robinson et al., 2003) indicate significant flood increases as a result of deforestation. This is attributed to decreased interception storage in the canopy, decreased litter storage on the ground as well as changes in soil related to infiltration capacity. Indeed, deforestation can be associated with a reduction in soil infiltration capacity. This causes more rainfall to runoff over the surface, and particularly where drains and roads enhance the accumulation and transfer of water into the stream, this can increase peak flows considerably. After forest removal if the soil can retain less of the infiltrated water, provided that the excess water rapidly finds its way to the stream. Soil water use rates tend to decrease after deforestation. The removal of trees from a large portion of a watershed, particularly if it involves increases in channelization or impervious surfaces, would increase that area's flooding tendency (Tollan, 2002). There are numerous factors related to forest cover that have been found to inhibit the frequency and magnitude of flooding. These include a higher infiltration rate associated with forest soil, the ability of forest ground litter to absorb certain amounts of rainfall or snowmelt, and the capacity of the tree canopy to intercept precipitation, thus increasing the time it takes for water to reach the surface (Davie, 2003). It can reasonably be argued that deforestation was part of a process that led to reduced infiltration and greater sediment generation, respectively. Ferreira and Ghimire (2012) analyzed that there is a widespread belief that forest management can prevent or reduce rainfall-induced flooding. There are three simple items in this regard: First, forests have higher levels of evapotranspiration, and the water that returns to the sky is not available to cause flooding. Second, deforestation is frequently associated with a reduction in soil infiltration capacity that results in more water runoff. In addition, retention of infiltrated water tends to decrease after deforestation. Third, forests are generally associated with lower levels of soil erosion, resulting in less soil filling up streams and rivers which would make them shallower and easier to flood. Removal of trees is likely to exacerbate severe flooding in developing countries. Bradshaw et al. (2007) investigated country-level data from 56 developing countries on flood characteristics, forest cover, and geophysical characteristics, and concluded that deforestation amplifies reported flood frequency in developing countries.
0.999639	The optional fragment component allows for indirect identification of a secondary resource, as defined in Section 3.5 of RFC 3986. The fragment identifier is separated from the rest of the URI prior to a dereference; fragment identifiers are processed client-side and are not included in CoAP requests. The original text shows the syntax of coap:// URIs _after_ separating the fragment identifier, which leaves ambiguity as to whether fragment identifiers are supported or not. The corrected text shows the syntax of CoAP URIs _before_ separating the fragment identifier, which makes clear that fragment identifiers are supported. The optional fragment component allows for indirect identification of a secondary resource, as defined in Section 3.5 of RFC 3986. The fragment identifier is separated from the rest of the URI prior to a dereference; fragment identifiers are processed client-side and are not included in CoAP requests. The original text shows the syntax of coaps:// URIs _after_ separating the fragment identifier, which leaves ambiguity as to whether fragment identifiers are supported or not. The corrected text shows the syntax of CoAP URIs _before_ separating the fragment identifier, which makes clear that fragment identifiers are supported. is also collectively referred to as the "Cache-Key". CoAP servers may return error responses in reply to requests that are invalid at the CoAP level (e.g., 4.02 Bad Option if the client includes an unrecognized option) or at the application level above (e.g., 4.00 Bad Request if the client includes a malformed payload according to application semantics). If the error response does not depend on the request payload, then it is desirable that repeated requests that differ only in the payload can be satisfied with the same cached response. E.g., repeated requests for a non-existing resource should result in a cached 4.04 Not Found response as often as possible, regardless of the payload, rather than hit the server every time. If the error response depends on the request payload, then it is not desirable that cached responses are reused for repeated requests that differ only in the payload. E.g., a client should not receive an error response for a valid request payload because another client sent an identical request but with a malformed request payload. In this case, including the request payload in the Cache-Key would give the expected result. The original text does not include the request in the Cache-Key, which may lead to unexpected results. The corrected text changes that. be rejected (Sections 4.2 and 4.3). The Location-* options are used in responses. A client cannot return a 4.02 (Bad Option) response in reply to a response. The correct behavior is to reject the response. codes, indicating that multiple content-formats are available. "DQUOTE" are defined as in [RFC6690]. Insert a sentence that says that the code MUST NOT appear more than once. This appears to be what was intended, but not stated, by the authors since it supports the space separated values to appear in a single attribute value. in use for a given source/destination endpoint pair are unique. endpoint pair. The OLD text is thus broken. could have been called a "request ID". but MUST replace or update the existing one. with additional address information of the corresponding endpoint. Acknowledgement or Reset message by the recipient. same endpoint) within the EXCHANGE_LIFETIME (Section 4.8.2). to make successful off-path attacks on the protocol less likely. Without any restrictions on how Message IDs are generated, an implementation of CoAP duplication detection must be prepared to receive a random sequence of Message IDs. One simple implementation strategy would be to store the received Message IDs along with a timestamp when they were received. If a 16 bit time stamp would be used, 4 Bytes per tracked Message ID would be required. If additionaly a CoAP server expects requests to be received at a rate of 1 message per second, at least 247 * 4 Byte or approximately 1 KiB have to be allocated per client. A class 1 (see RFC 7228 Section 3) server could handle at most 10 clients in parallel, if anything apart duplicate detection could be implemented without using any memory at all. If instead Message IDs have to be generated by incrementing a (global or per endpoint/network prefix/...) counter variable, duplicate detection can be implemented in a time and memory efficient way without limiting the rate of the message exchange between to nodes. Note that these rules completely resolve any percent-encoding. The current specification for decomposing a URI into CoAP Options (Section 6.4) is correct; however the text may still be unclear to implementers who may think that the phrase "not including the delimiting slash characters" means simply omitting a trailing slash character in the URI path. This is incorrect. See the discussion outcome in email thread https://www.ietf.org/mail-archive/web/core/current/msg08223.html . Therefore, a minor clarification is proposed in the notes after the parsing steps. separate Content-Format identifier for each is to be registered. as level, can be defined for a CoAP Content-Format entry. A CoAP Content-Format is the combination of an Internet Media Type with an HTTP Content Coding, as correctly explained in the first paragraphs of Section 12.3. However, the next paragraph (the original text above) incorrectly uses the term "content-encoding". The correct term is "content-coding", as shown in the corrected text. - media type "text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1" with content-coding "deflate" - media type "application/example+xml" with content-coding "exi"
0.999342	Le Hoang, Tianzhu was described to be completely conquered by the Yuezhi, yet you say that Tianzhu was the Ganges Basin. When did Yuezhi conquer all of the Ganges Basin? Provide evidence of that. But oh, you don't need to because the Ganges Basin was somehow MORE Buddhist than Northwestern India? Excuse me, did the passage describe Tianzhu as the MOST Buddhist place, or just a Buddhist place? Your reasoning here is junk, as your priorities is lopsided. Le Hoang, you haven't answered: You say Dongli was around Nepal, yet Dongli was described to be Southeast of Tianzhu. If Tianzhu is the Ganges Basin as you say, you are saying Nepal is Southeast of the Ganges Basin? Please explain how Nepal is Southeast of the Ganges Basin. You say Tiaozhi is the Rameswaram Peninsula of India, yet Tiaozhi was described to be FAR to the West of Tianzhu and Dongli. Yet you say Tianzhu and Dongli are the Ganges Basin and Nepal. How is the Rameswaram Peninsula FAR to the West of Nepal and the Ganges Basin? Please explain. But oh, you don't need to because explain how it's thousands of km away from where Tiaozhi was described to be, because SOME of the wildlife mentioned for Tiaozhi matches with that in the Rameswaram Peninsula? (Nevermind the ostriches or rhinos which certainly don't match). Daqin, Tiaozhi, Anxi, Da Yuezhi, Tianzhu, Dongli. So Daqin was put furthest to the West whereas Dongli was put furthest to the East in the list of five states listed above. However, Le Hoang insists that Daqin/Tiaozhi/Anxi is in Southern India, which don't fit with what the Hou Han Shu said at all because that would put all three states East, not West, of the Yuezhi. And how do Le Hoang justify this? Because half(not most) of the description of animal production matches with the wildlife of Southern India, and some places were described as hot and humid....., and that's why he don't have to explain how the geographic location of these alternative places are thousands of miles in the wrong direction. I wonder what ancient geographers were more likely to get right and wrong? Whether a country is West or East of them, or descriptions of the exported wildlife that a country produces? It's very clear,even with Indian children but someone like you don't read any text relate to Buddhism.Buddha born in Ganges Basin,he research and found out basic theory in Ganges Basin and he died in Ganges Basin,too.It likes Mecca was centre of Islam,Jerusalem was centre of Christ.All people know that,except you. I said that Dongli should be in southern border of Tibet,not Nepal and you are pretending that you don't know. When Da Qin = Padya ; Tiaozhi = Rameswaram and surrounding place,Anxi = Chedi Kalinga kingdom,Yuezhi = Kashmir to north Nepal,Tianzhu = Ganges basin,it is suitable with Hou Hanshu : Pandya is in west of Rameswaram,Chedi Kalinga is in west of Rameswaram and Kashmir to North Nepal is in west of Chedi Kalinga. Tianzhi was only described to be Buddhist, it was NOT described to be MORE Buddhist than anywhere else in India. Le Hoang is cutting off my quotes to change the meaning of what I said. Le Hoang, where in the Hou Han Shu did it say Tianzhi was the MOST Buddhist place in India? How am I twisting your words on this? Why accuse me I am twisting your words on Dongli? But this is just a smokescreen that is besides the point. Dongli was described to be well Southeast of Tianzhu. If Tianzhu was the Ganges Basin as Le Hoang claimed, then Dongli could not be around Nepal as that's nowhere near Southeast of the Ganges Basin. Nowhere around Nepal would make it well Southeast of the Ganges Basin, so whether Dongli was Nepal or around Nepal does not change the fact that Le Hoang's statement is still contradictory to the passage. 1. Da Yuezhi was in Central Asia, so your entire list of geographic locations is based off of a false premise, an incorrect opinion that you treat as fact in order to make more incorrect opinions. I showed you a map of where the Da Yuezhi were located, you have nothing but your incorrect opinion and expect others to take your word for it. 2. Anxi was describe to have conquered Tiaozhi, and it was described that their conquerors (Anxi) where from the East of Tiaozhi. Since when did the ancient Kalinga kingdom conquer Rameswaram peninsula? By the time of Han explorer Gan Ying, the Kalinga kingdom was conquered by the Mauryan empire well beforehand many years ago, and the Mauryan empire was to the West of Kalinga kingdom. 3. You say that the Dongli was "Around Nepal", yet the Dongli was described to be far to the East of the Yuezhi, so how could the Da Yuezhi be in Nepal? 4. You also contradict yourself. Tiaozhi was said to be conquered by Anxi. You say Tiaozhi was the Rameswaram peninsula and Anxi was the Kalinga kingdom. The Kalinga kingdom didn't conquer the Rameswaram peninsula. The Pandyan kingdom had the Rameswaram peninsula, but you say the Pandyan kingdom was Daqin, rather than Anxi. Ergo your claims contradict each other. 5. You claim Tianzhu was the Ganges Basin and the Da Yuezhi was in Nepal. Yet the Tianzhu was described to be East of the Yuezhi, how is the Ganges Basin to the East of Nepal? 6. In summary, you claim Tianzhu is the Ganges Basin. But the Dongli was described to be East of Tianzhu, yet you say the Dongli is in South Tibet which is not East of the Ganges Basin. The Yuezhi was described to be West of Tianzhu yet you say the Yuezhi is in Nepal which is not West of Tianzhu. Daqin/Tiaozhi/Anxi are all described to be far, FAR to the West of Tianzhu, yet you put Daqin/Tiaozhi/Anxi to be directly South of the Ganges Basin. The Hanshu says Anxi is West of Kashgar. You claim Anxi is the Kalinga kingdom, but that is EAST of Kashgar, not West. The Hanshu says Tiaozhi is West of Kashgar. You claim Tiaozhi is the Rameswaram peninsula, which is EAST of Kashgar, not West. Because the Hanshu says Anxi is West of Kashgar, then Daqin is West of Kashgar too because Daqin is West of Anxi. Yet you say Daqin means the Pandyan Kingdom, which is not West of Kashgar. I suspect Le Hoang is going to deny where Kashgar is and make a new region for it, just like Da Yuezhi. “[to the northwest of the state of Xiuxun] is a distance of 920 li [383 km]to the state of Dayuan, and 1,610 li [669 km]to the west, the the Da Yuezhi. Ergo the Da Yuezhi is further West than Dayuan, and Dayuan was already described to be West of Kashgar. You claim the Da Yuezhi is in Nepal, is Nepal West of Kashgar? No, it is not. Really?Perharp you have never read anything about Mauryan empire. Mauryan empire was collapsed many years before travel of Zhang Qian(130 - 110BC).However,your information supported idea that Anxi could built in old Maurya because another name of Mauryan empire is Peafowl empire.It may be a strong argument because there were few big kingdom or empire called themshelves countries by name of a bird species(like Tiaozhi,a part of Anxi).Thank you very much.Kalinga became independent from 2nd century BC.They even attacked many other countries. It was very clear that ancient Chinese went around desert and mountain areas and made results very differents from now. Le Hoang, you just proved that by the time of Gan Ying, Kalinga kingdom was conquered by the Mauryan empire long ago. However, you say Kalinga kingdom was conquered by a power to the East of the Kalinga Kingdom, Mauryan empire is to West of the Kalinga Kingdom, ergo your interpretation of the Hou Han Shu is wrong. You say Kalinga kingdom was independent afterwards, yet this meant Kalinga could not be Tiaozhi as you say, because when the CHinese explorers came visiting Tiaozhi was not independent but conquered by Anxi. Ergo you are wrong to say that Kalinga is Tiaozhi, because Kalinga was independent as you admitted, whereas Tiaozhi was not. And when Kalinga was conquered, the conquerors came from the West not the East, whereas the conquerors of Tiaozhi came from its East. So I wouldn't be surprised if Le Hoang got the distances from Khotan wrong as well. So in summary, some of the wildlife described for Tiaozhi exists in Rameswaram Peninsula, so Le Hoang thinks Tiaozhi is in the Rameswaram Peninsula, and Daqin/Anxi/Yuezhi must be in India/Nepal in order to force-fit this narrative. The fact that the description of the cardinal direction of these countries is explained away by claiming that Han geographers are wrong. OK, Le Hoang, thinks that Han geographers were wrong that Tiaozhi was West of Anxi, Han geographers were wrong that Anxi was West of Yuezhi, Han geographers were wrong that Yuezhi was West of Kashgar, BUT Han geographers were right about Tiaozhi's wildlife? And not even all the wildlife listed matches with that in South India anyways. He really thinks Han geographers got something as basic as the cardinal direction of the country wrong, but somehow got the information on the country's local wildlife as correct? That's like knowing calculus without knowing algebra. This is just shameless cherry-picking to an extreme degree. Hackneye tried to hide a half of truth.He supported distance in car road while ancient Chinese didn't know them. Even modern day distances measure by road, why do Le Hoang think ancient Chinese are capable of measuring the distance between cities in a straight line by airplane flightpath Le Hoang thinks Han dynasty is advanced enough to have airplanes? Again, Le Hoang is pretending that just because they got the exact distance wrong, somehow means they got the cardinal direction wrong. Except they didn't. In summary, if Le Hoang thinks the Han didn't know the exact distance between city A and city B, then the Han didn't know whether city A is West of city B. So it's basically a smokescreen to hide the fact, but not even school-children would think that. On the other hand, if Han geographers really did get something as basic as the cardinal geographgy of a region to be wrong, then it's almost guaranteed that they got more specific things wrong like the regions humidity/wildlife/environment, and the descriptions which was recorded don't really match with Le Hoang's thesis anyway even if they were correct. Again, it's just shameless cherry picking from Le Hoang. Also, Le Hoang, starting from post 28 you used distances between places as a way to justify your thesis. However, you now admit that Hou Han Shu could be wrong in recording the distances between places, so you need to retract those previous argument of yours. All I did was to use the book as a way to show whether a place is West or East of other places. Le Hoang, you are the one who used the exact distance between places to justify your argument. Rusicade(Skidda) to Cirta(Constantine) : 48 Roman miles = 71 km;straight line = 61 km; car road = 87,8 km. Cyrene(Shahhat) to Ammonium(Siwa) : 400 Roman miles = 592 km;straight line = 530 km;car road = 910 km. Le Hoang, you say Han geographers can get the distance between cities wrong, so why can't Roman geographers? Also Pliny said tons on the distances between places, and you picked the two that you needed and discarded the rest, how is that not cherry-picking? Also, Le Hoang says this :If we place Sibin in Chidambaram,it is very logical.A river is Kaveri river, Chidambaram to Pamban is 241 km in flight distance and around 390 - 400 km on sea road.So Yuluo is Pamban or some places near it. The recorded distance from Susa to Yuluo as you admit is 399 km, not 241 km which is the flight distance. So Le Hoang, why use ground distance when it suits you, but flight distance at other times when it suits you? Pick one and stick with it, you are shamelessly moving the goalpost back and forth here. On the other hand, Le Hoang admits that Han geographers could be wrong in regards to the distance in kilometers between far-away places.... in an attempt to discredit Han geographic accounts of the DIRECTION of states (ie West of Kashgar, Southeast of Tianzhu, West of Yuezhi, etc, etc....), except Han geographers got the direction of states correct but he ignores that. But who is the only one in this thread to justify their pet theory using the recorded distance provided by Han geographers? Le Hoang, not anyone else. He did this starting in post 28. Now Le Hoang, why do you in post 64 say that Han geographers were wrong in regards to the distance between places? Because their description about the DIRECTION (not distance) of cities don't agree with you? Then maybe you should retract your pet theories because your 'evidence' rely on those distances given by Han geographers. Why do you use those recorded numbers when you admit that they can be wrong? You are the only one here using these recorded numbers as 'evidence'. ^I use this because your argument regarding Han geographers being wrong about distance between places only negatively impact YOUR argument, my argument do not depend on whether the Han geographers were right or wrong in this regard. ^You treat Han geographer's recorded distance as distance on the ground when it suits you, and later on treat it as flight distance when it suits you. The descriptions that Han explorers made of different states are determined to be right or wrong in accordance to how much the descriptions fit your narrative, rather than how likely they were to be right/wrong as according to the context of their situation. You argue that Han geographers were wrong about whether a place was West or East from other places, but you act as if they correctly determined the specific distance in kilometers between two different places (whenever it suits your argument [post 28, 35, 40], that is). That's like knowing how to do calculus without knowing how to do basic algebra. Ridiculous.
0.999487	Are you looking for a vacation that doesn't involve standing in long lines under the heat of a blazing sun, waiting for your chance to experience what the sign claims is a ride of a lifetime? You can by choosing to visit Yellowstone National Park, instead of those crowded, you seen one you've seen them all amusement parks! Let your sense for adventure out with a visit to this wondeful nature's Park. It has nearly 3,500 square miles of unspoiled land and scores of animals roaming free, and spreads through three states of the United States of America, just like nature intended it to be. Those 3 gloriously natural states are Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Yellowstone National Park was the world's first national park and is a proud and treasured landmark of the United States. Here is where our national anthem echoes loudly: The land of the free and the home of the brave. Get reacquainted with life of yesteryear. Back before high-rise buildings, power-meetings, cell phones, automobiles, and organized children's sports overtook our lands and our lives. Shed those business suits and dress shoes and slide into a pair of jeans and a good pair of hiking boots. Get out along one of Yellowstone National Park's many marked trails and breathe-in the natural air, and scenery around you. Leave the demands of work behind at the office and just let yourself become one with the nature around you. When you head back to your everyday life-you'll feel refreshed and ready to tackle the things you have to. Don't forget to visit one of the most famous features , Old Faithful. And its daily, without fail eruptions of water. The area also contains hot springs (warm pools of water) and you can see many animals taking advantage of their steamy-soothing properties. As you make your way along the nature trails of Yellowstone National Park you will see glimpses of such wildlife as elk, buffalo, grizzly bears, and sometimes the elusive wolf or wolf pack. It is important to note here that as you're hiking, remember to make some noise in order not to surprise animals that are up ahead of you. Animal attacks, namely attacks from grizzly bears are rare, but Mother Grizzlies are extremely protective of their young cubs and might attack if surprised by your sudden appearance. A little noise alerts her to move along with her babies safely in tow. The park also strongly discourages anyone from wandering off the marked walking/hiking trails as this heightens the risk of an unpleasant encounter with a wild animal. Can't get enough of this natural-stuff now that you've set your spirit free? Not to worry. You can pitch a tent and build a campfire at many campsites located in various locations throughout the park. Fry up the fish you caught in one of the lakes over a campfire and shares stories about the gigantic fish that got away from you for a good time with family and friends. A visit to Yellowstone National Park will offer you and your family the opportunity for a vacation different from many you have most likely already experienced. Those vacations spent trudging through crowds for overpriced food and amusements that often leave you more frustrated, and broke, than entertained.
0.845347	Will it be an “ASSET” sale or a “STOCK” sale? The first (and most fundamental) question when structuring either an internal or external transition of any agency, is whether it will be structured as an “asset” sale or a “stock” sale. Since most agencies are either corporations, or LLCs taxed as a corporation, this discussion will refer to corporations. If your agency is a sole proprietorship or partnership, your situation will be similar to an “S” corporation. Most sales are structured as an “asset” sale. In some cases a “stock” sale is more appropriate, although the parties to the sale may not realize this. There are major legal and tax issues involved, and they impact the buyer and the seller differently. The difference can be profound, with major operational, legal and tax ramifications. Although the starting point for most attorneys will be to favor an “asset” sale, the legal issues are complex and varied. There is much more involved than just potential carry-over liability, and other issues can sometimes favor a stock sale instead of an asset sale. For instance, favorable contracts of all kinds are often much easier to preserve in a stock sale. Legal issues are covered in more detail in other chapters. In some cases the seller will be taxed much more heavily in an “asset” sale. In these cases sellers will strongly prefer a “stock” sale. The extra tax can be so high that it will actually kill the deal unless either the sale is structured as a “stock” sale, or some other way can be found to reduce the tax. Basic Steps in an Asset Sale: In an “asset” sale, the assets of the agency corporation are sold directly by the corporation -- not by its shareholders personally. The primary asset sold is the agency’s book of business (an “intangible” asset). The stock of the corporation is not sold – that would be a “stock” sale. (1) The buyer is often an existing agency that is already incorporated. That corporation is the “buyer”; not the shareholder(s) of that corporation. If seller financing is involved, the shareholder(s) of the buying corporation will generally be required to guarantee payment of the purchase. (1.a.) NOTE: If the buyer is an individual who intends to operate the agency as a corporation, that buyer should form the buying corporation PRIOR to the acquisition. (2) The buying corporation pays the selling corporation for those assets. The money and/or seller financed promissory Note goes to the corporation, not directly to the selling corporation’s shareholders. (2.a.) The buying corporation may need to renegotiate various legal agreements, such as leases, contracts with carriers, etc. These negotiations are often started prior to closing of the sale, particularly if a favorable lease or critical carrier contracts are involved. Taxes this high can obviously be disastrous to a seller. Worse, the impending tax hit may not be known by the parties until the seller's C.P.A. is brought in just before closing. All parties (particularly the seller) are dismayed by the taxes about to be owed, but it can be difficult to re-structure a sale at that late date. But if the tax problem cannot be solved, it can rightfully become a “deal killer”. From a tax standpoint, an asset sale is most appropriate when the draconian tax at the corporate level can be avoided. This is most likely when the selling agency is either not incorporated at all, or is an “S” corporation that was never a “C” corporation in the first place. In each of these cases, the corporate level income tax on the sale of the book of business can be avoided. There may still be other taxes, but this avoids what is usually the worst tax hit at the corporate level. If the selling agency is an “S” corporation that used to be a “C” corporation, then the date of the conversion is crucial. A “C” corporation that converts to an “S” corporation must wait 10 years before most of the tax at the corporate level goes away. However, if 10 years have not gone by since the switch, an “S” corporation may have just as big a problem as it would have had if it were still a “C” corporation. For “S” corporations in this situation, the corporate level income tax will be on what the IRS refers to as “built-in gains”. All shareholders are taxed in an asset sale, even if they are not selling their own shares. Hence, if one shareholder is selling but the agency as a whole is not being sold, then an “asset” sale is rarely appropriate. Shareholders not involved in the sale would not appreciate having to pay taxes just because someone else sold. This situation is almost always a “stock” sale of that shareholder’s shares. The primary “asset” being sold by an agency is its customer accounts. The price paid for this asset will be amortized (i.e., deducted for tax purposes) by the buyer over a 15-year period regardless of the length of time over which payments for it will be made. Obviously, a tax deduction spread out over 15 years is not worth as much as a deduction that the buyer gets to take right away; but it is still worth having. If the buyer subsequently re-sells that book of business, the amortization that was taken each year will have to be “recaptured”. In most cases, this means the deductions taken each year must be reversed and treated as income in the year of sale. This “phantom income” in the year of the subsequent sale generates tax at the corporate level that must all be paid in the year of that sale! This is a major future tax that the buyer should consider and plan for at the time that book is originally purchased. Amortization of intangibles (such as an agency’s book of business) is covered by Section 197 of the tax code. In 2005, the rules were changed on how this amortization is “recaptured”. The intent was to collect more money (naturally). Under the new rules, it is very difficult to avoid “recapture” of the entire amount previously amortized when a purchased book of business is resold. Obviously, this has the potential to be a major unexpected tax hit in an “asset” sale even for an “S” corporation. There appear to be ways to avoid full amortization recapture. They are more likely to work if they are planned for at the time the book of business is purchased rather than after the fact when the book of business is sold. These methods appear to be entirely consistent with tax law, but are a “facts and circumstances” issue that cannot be guaranteed. To your authors’ knowledge, they have not been tested in court. Many sellers would rather not sell at all than pay taxes this high. If the seller has this tax predicament, several basic tools are available to at least partially remedy the situation. They will be explained further in subsequent chapters. In prior chapters, we’ve discussed how to get ready before starting negotiations to buy or sell an agency. Now it’s time for the first meeting (or two). Both buyer and seller should think through very carefully, in advance, what they are willing to disclose to help establish mutual interest. For instance, the seller may be willing to disclose overall commissions and contingent bonus numbers, but not profitability or who the company’s best accounts are. Until mutual interest is established, a Confidentiality Agreement is generally not signed and confidential information is not exchanged. Hence the first meeting may not include an exchange of confidential information. Although confidential information is probably not exchanged at this point, the first meeting is very important. · Why the seller’s agency is for sale? · What is most important to the seller in the sale transaction? · What the seller will do to help the buyer post-sale with key account retention? · Generally speaking, what is most important to the buyer in this potential acquisition? · What makes the buyer a strong potential candidate to buy this specific agency? The first meeting is generally NOT the time to talk price. Instead, we recommend starting with only a general discussion of the items above. Both sides must believe the sale will be a mutual “win” for them. Never let negotiations become a contest to see who “wins”. In almost every case, BOTH sides will lose as soon as EITHER side believes they have “lost”. It is rare for a buyer to feel they simply must buy the seller’s specific agency. Most of the time, a buyer can simply walk away if the proposed sale becomes a “lose” for the buyer. Likewise, few sellers feel they have only one potential buyer. Even if only one potential buyer is currently at the table, the seller often has the option of simply not selling. Even in those situations when it seems the seller simply MUST sell to one specific buyer, your authors have encountered many prospective sellers who would rather just hang on to their agency and “retire in place” to milk it for years, than feel like a “loser” in the negotiations. Even if circumstances are such that the “loser” decides not to withdraw from the negotiations altogether, there will almost certainly be multiple ways the “loser” can try to even the score. Everyone loses once this kind of thing starts, including the side that thought they “won”. Rule #2: The sale must “work” for both sides. Both buyer and seller should agree to cooperate to improve the overall aggregate tax effects of the transaction for both sides. The seller should cooperate to structure the sale in ways that will “pencil-out” for the buyer. If the sale must be an “all-cash deal”, the seller should recognize the buyer must still justify the money spent based on the cash flow the buyer expects to be available. Rule #3: Both sides will control their respective professional advisors. The technicalities of the sale of a closely held business can be very complex. Both sides are likely to need their own attorneys and C.P.A.s and perhaps others to be involved in the process. The principals involved in the negotiations on both sides need to insist that all of their respective advisors respect rules #1 and #2 above. Your advisors know more about the technicalities than you do, or you would not need them. They will want you to get the “best” deal you can, and sometimes work a little too hard to “improve” on the results the buyer and seller have been negotiating. Although your advisors are virtually certain to find a few things to argue about, don’t let their discussions about the fine points of a deal turn a win/win into a win/lose. Your advisors do not know as much about your specific business as you do, and they will not be the ones living with the results. This material will help you become an “issue spotter” even if you are not an attorney or CPA. And although you may not know all the technicalities, you are likely to know more than many professional advisors do about the practical side of buying or selling an insurance agency. The cliché about “deal killer” attorneys or C.P.A.s can easily become more than a cliché. It is the opinion of your authors that trying to get the last 2% out of a deal is absolutely not worth the damage that pushing for that last concession may cause. In particular, letting an advisor talk you into changing something that the principals have already agreed on with a handshake can be quite damaging to the overall negotiations. Attorneys often prove to be in love with their documents, and they love to make revisions to the other side’s revisions – and so on and so forth, often costing many thousands of dollars in wasted legal fees hassling over style points that really don’t matter in the overall scheme of the deal. Without direction from you, they can easily end up “majoring in the minors”, with their precious documents taking on a life of their own. They are not businessmen, and often behave more like professional gladiators. Tell your counsel in advance that that’s not what you want to happen, and that you will terminate their services if you feel it’s going in that direction. In fact, it’s often advisable not to use the services of your usual attorney who helps with your estate planning or zoning issues or trial work; instead, ask around to find an experienced “transactional” attorney whose main focus is doing business deals, hopefully having done hundreds of these. After all, they specialize just like you do within your industry – so a general practice attorney can rarely match-up against specialized transactional counsel. The same applies with C.P.A.s. For example, most C.P.A.s have no business doing valuations of agencies; but virtually all of them will tell you they can do it. Just like specialized legal counsel, you need a C.P.A. or comparable valuation expert who has credentials and/or extensive experience not only in agency valuations if that is part of what’s needed in the deal, but also with broad tax background in business purchases and sales who can advise you on the optimal structuring of your deal. There can easily be tens of thousands or even millions of dollars left on the table merely because of the way a business sale is structured. The bottom line: Professional advisors are absolutely necessary in the purchase and sale of virtually any agency; but you need to use them wisely and control them. Talking “price” too early in the negotiations can lead to expectations that are too high or money left on the table if things end up looking better than expected. Either one can kill what would otherwise have been a successful sale. Therefore, once the buyer and seller have mutually decided that proceeding to the next step is justified and the basic “rules” for the negotiations have been agreed upon, the next step is for the buyer to sign a “Confidentiality Agreement”. The buyer will need to see a lot of sensitive and confidential information before deciding if even making an offer is really justified, much less what that offer should look like. However, the seller should not let this very sensitive and confidential information be seen unless the buyer is willing to commit in a signed writing to keeping it strictly confidential. This is a normal and reasonable part of all business sales. It is so basic that a buyer who will not sign a reasonable Confidentiality Agreement should not be considered a serious buyer. These agreements are generally considered simple and straight forward, but that is not always the case. A well prepared buyer or seller may even bring to the first meeting a Confidentiality Agreement they consider acceptable. Because these are such a standard part of a closely held business sale, it is common for a buyer to sign this type of agreement on the spot if they have in mind to push hard to close a transaction. That is not always wise. It is perfectly reasonable for a buyer or seller to want the Confidentiality Agreement to be looked over by their attorney first. A typical Confidentiality Agreement will bind the buyer and sometimes even the advisors the buyer chooses to share the information with. If the buyer is an individual, this is often all that is needed. If the buyer is a separate entity such as a corporation or an LLC, then this is not always broad enough. The key employees of the buying entity should also execute the Confidentiality Agreement personally if they are potential competitive threats to the seller, and the buyer entity should take responsibility if such an employee violates the agreement. When a closely held business is sold, it is common for the buyer to be another closely held business. If that is the case, it may make sense for the mutual Confidentiality Agreement to also bind the owners of the buying agency individually as well as corporately. Note: Providing confidential information without insisting on an agreement to protect that confidentiality could jeopardize the legal status of the information. The seller could accidentally have turned confidential information into publicly available information that can no longer be legally protected at all. The seller is quite likely to be asked to offer seller financing for part of the purchase price. If so, the seller is perfectly justified in asking for information sufficient to justify extending credit to the buyer just as a commercial lender would do. Depending on the information requested, it may be perfectly appropriate for the buyer to insist on a Confidentiality Agreement covering that information before providing it. Another very useful route if the prospective buyer is reticent to share personal financials, is to have the buyer provide all such information directly to the seller’s C.P.A. instead of to the seller, with a written agreement that the C.P.A. shall not share that material with anyone else, but will simply evaluate the buyer’s credit worthiness on this prospective transaction and then return all such confidential materials directly to the buyer and simply render an opinion to the seller as to credit worthiness. Your authors have rarely encountered a prospective buyer who refused such an arrangement. Once a Confidentiality Agreement has been signed, the seller can then begin collecting the information needed to assess the opportunity prior to making an offer. The information needed at this stage is not as extensive as will be needed to complete the buyer’s due diligence later in the process. Since no two sales are exactly the same, it is not possible to create a practical checklist of what information to collect regarding the selling agency. The typical minimum requirement at this stage includes five years of financial data including both internal company statements and company tax returns, carrier appointments and volume information as well as loss ratios, etc., copies of any key employee non-competes, plus whatever extra information may be needed based on specific agency details. The representations and warranties ("rep's & warranties") in almost all Purchase & Sale Agreements require the seller to proactively disclose all material items. This is going to have to be done sometime during the process, and we recommend that sellers voluntarily disclose every item the seller thinks may be material early in this process. The buyer can then decide what additional information will be needed prior to making an offer, and can incorporate the results into the offer. Buyers will often walk away if they conclude that a seller has been trying to hide something material, and failure to disclose a material item which the buyer does not discover until after the sale is consummated can be cited later as grounds to rescind the entire transaction. Withholding key information about the company will almost always backfire on the seller, sometimes in devastating fashion. This is also the time to bring up all items the seller considers essential to an offer. Leaving sensitive items until late in the negotiation process in hopes that momentum will carry the day when they do eventually come to light is a high risk strategy and basically a waste of everyone's time. Much more information will be needed to complete the buyer’s due diligence if an acceptable offer is ultimately made. This will be discussed at length in a later chapter. At this point, an offer is not yet on the table; but both buyer and seller should be consulting their respective professional advisors. The way a sale is structured can have an enormous impact on the final results, and it is much easier to avoid pitfalls if your advisors are included early in the process rather than consulting them at the 11th hour and discovering that you’ve made some serious mistakes in how you’re approaching the transaction. It can be extremely awkward to have to back-up and correct these, can seriously disrupt the momentum of your deal, and sometimes even kill it completely. Taxes. In the wrong circumstances with a poorly designed sale, the combined taxes on the buyer and seller can easily exceed 50% of the overall available cash flow from the target agency. It is quite common for your advisors to be able to restructure the sale in ways that greatly reduce the overall tax burden. For example, some of the total “consideration” for the sale may be allocated to an agreement by the selling shareholders personally (as contrasted with their corporation) not to compete with the buyer after the sale. This is likely to have tax as well as legal effects, and can often result in lower overall taxation on the sale. Post-sale employment can also be a major tool to help improve the overall sale. It must be “real work for real pay”, and cannot be sham “employment” of the former owner. In some cases the oddities in the tax code make it possible to LOWER the price and simultaneously improve after-tax cash flow for both sides. A lower price and better after-tax cash flow can be a win/win/lose (the loser being the IRS). Risk. Risk can be even more important than price. Most sellers could reduce taxes by not being cashed-out, but are afraid they may not get paid if they don't get all their cash at the front end. Most buyers would be willing to pay more if they were confident they would succeed. It is common to see a variable price formula-based “earn-out” that pays the seller more if future results of the purchase are good. Terms. The payment terms are the key to reducing taxes and risk. Creative terms can easily end up more important than the supposed “price”. The culmination of this phase of the negotiations is normally memorialized in what’s called a non-binding “letter of intent” or “terms sheet” outlining all of the key elements of the proposed deal. We will discuss these further in later chapters. In prior chapters, we’ve discussed how to get ready before starting negotiations to buy or sell a business. Both buyer and seller should think through very carefully, in advance, what they are willing to disclose to help establish mutual interest. For instance, the seller may be willing to disclose overall revenue numbers, but not profitability or who the company’s best accounts are. Although confidential information may not be exchanged at this point, the first meeting is very important. · Why the seller’s business is for sale? · What the seller will do to help the buyer post-sale? · What makes the buyer a strong potential candidate to buy this specific business? Both sides must believe the sale will be a mutual “win” for them. Never let negotiations become a contest to see which side “wins”. In almost every case, BOTH sides will lose as soon as EITHER side believes they have “lost”. It is rare for a buyer to feel they simply must buy the seller’s specific business. Most of the time, a buyer can simply walk away if the proposed sale becomes a “lose” for the buyer. Likewise, few sellers feel they have only one potential buyer. Even if only one potential buyer is currently at the table, the seller often has the option of simply not selling. Even in those situations when it seems the seller simply MUST sell to one specific buyer, your authors have encountered many prospective sellers who would rather shut the business down, than feel like a “loser” in the negotiations. The technicalities of the sale of a closely held business can be very complex. Both sides are likely to need their own attorneys and CPAs and perhaps others to be involved in the process. Your advisors do not know as much about your specific business as you do, and they will not be the ones living with the results. This material will help you become an “issue spotter” even if you are not an attorney or CPA. And although you may not know all the technicalities, you are likely to know more than many professional advisors do about the practical side of buying or selling your specific business. The cliché about “deal killer” attorneys or CPAs can easily become more than a cliché. It is the opinion of your authors that trying to get the last 2% out of a deal is absolutely not worth the damage that pushing for that last concession may cause. In particular, letting an advisor talk you into changing something that the principals have already agreed on with a handshake can be quite damaging to the overall negotiations. The same applies with CPAs. For example, most CPAs have no business doing valuations of businesses; but virtually all of them will tell you they can do it. Just like specialized legal counsel, you need a CPA or comparable valuation expert who has credentials and/or extensive experience not only in business valuations if that is part of what’s needed in the deal, but also with broad tax background in business purchases and sales who can advise you on the optimal structuring of your deal. There can easily be tens of thousands or even millions of dollars left on the table merely because of the way a business sale is structured. The bottom line: Professional advisors are absolutely necessary in the purchase and sale of virtually any business; but you need to use them wisely and control them. When a closely held business is sold, it is common for the buyer to be another closely held business. If that is the case, it may make sense for the mutual Confidentiality Agreement to also bind the owners of the buying business individually as well as corporately. Another very useful route if the prospective buyer is reticent to share personal financials, is to have the buyer provide all such information directly to the seller’s CPA instead of to the seller, with a written agreement that the CPA shall not share that material with anyone else, but will simply evaluate the buyer’s credit worthiness on this prospective transaction and then return all such confidential materials directly to the buyer and simply render an opinion to the seller as to credit worthiness. Your authors have rarely encountered a prospective buyer who refused such an arrangement. Since no two sales are exactly the same, it is not possible to create a practical checklist of what information to collect regarding the selling business. The typical minimum requirement at this stage includes five years of financial data, including both internal company statements and company tax returns, copies of any key employee non-competes, plus whatever extra information may be needed based on specific company details. The representations and warranties ("rep's & warranties") in almost all Purchase & Sale Agreements require the seller to proactively disclose all material items. This is going to have to be done sometime during the process, and we recommend sellers voluntarily disclose every item the seller thinks may be material early in this process. The buyer can then decide what additional information will be needed prior to making an offer, and can incorporate the results into the offer. Buyers will often walk away if they conclude that a seller has been trying to hide something material, and failure to disclose a material item which the buyer does not discover until after a sale is consummated can be cited later as grounds to rescind the entire transaction. Withholding key information about the company will almost always backfire on the seller, sometimes in devastating fashion. Taxes. In the wrong circumstances with a poorly designed sale, the combined taxes on the buyer and seller can easily exceed 50% of the overall available cash flow from the business. It is quite common for your advisors to be able to restructure the sale in ways that greatly reduce the overall tax burden. Prior chapters covered big picture issues that buyers and sellers should be familiar with before they start the process of buying or selling any agency. Buying or selling an agency is a lot of work, very time consuming and expensive, and the outcome is never certain. You can raise the odds of success if both sides are ready before the process starts. Many successful agency owners, especially founding entrepreneurs, have an intense emotional tie to their business. This is generally good, and may even be a key part of their success thus far; but it can also interfere when the time comes to sell. It is surprisingly common to find a seller who is so emotionally tied to the agency that no offer and/or buyer will ever actually be good enough. · Are you really a willing seller? Why is your agency for sale? Why now? If you cannot answer these questions quickly and easily, you are probably not ready to sell. · Who are your best potential buyers? Your agency is worth more to some than to others due to the potential for higher contingent bonuses or profit sharing from overlapping carriers. But if you are really ready to sell, then you owe it to yourself and to your family to do the job right. Never lie or misrepresent; but be ready to clearly show a prospective buyer the true financial benefits of ownership plus all the other reasons why buying your particular agency makes sense for that particular buyer. What are your (and your own present agency’s) strengths and weaknesses? In light of that, what other agencies could you buy that result in a combined agency worth more than the sum of its parts (i.e., 1+1 = 3 (or 4))? Given the cost (both time and money) and the risk (all business acquisitions are risky), you might not want to buy at all if 1+1 is not going to be more than 2. Most likely, if you are interested in buying a particular agency, then someone else is too. It’s not all about the money. Why should the seller sell to YOU? Are you ready to “sell” yourself and your agency as the best option for the seller to choose? Especially if you already have an agency to run, do you have the time and management depth to make sure the acquired agency is a success post-sale as well? Are you strong enough financially? Do you have a good enough banking relationship to borrow the down payment, or enough cash from your own resources to fund it? If borrowed funds or seller financing are involved, are you (and your spouse) willing to personally guarantee payment of the purchase price? Most agencies have key customer and/or carrier relationships that must be preserved, and specialized knowledge that must be taught to the buyer. Sellers should commit to helping the buyer with these key items. This reduces the risk for the buyer, and raises the chance that the sale will actually be completed. It may justify a higher price as well. Risk can be more important than price for both the buyer and the seller. The buyer’s risk is well known (most buyers assume Murphy was an optimist…). But sellers are heavily influenced by risk as well. When a seller demands a large down payment, the reason is often their concern about not getting paid if the agency does not do well after the sale – so what is it that’s behind that concern? There are at least three parties to every sale: The buyer, the seller, and the IRS. The IRS thinks it is entitled to a big part of the seller’s cash sale proceeds, plus a big part of the buyer's cash as well. In a worst case scenario, the seller’s taxes alone can exceed half the value of the agency, with the entire tax bill due before the cash to pay the taxes has even been received by the seller (we’ll explain how this can happen, and how to reduce the problem, in later chapters)! The agency only generates so much cash flow. If both buyer and seller recognize that the sale must make financial sense for the buyer, and they agree on the basic reasonableness of the assumptions in the scenario, then the basic reasonableness (or lack thereof) of the proposed price and payment terms will become conspicuously self-evident from running those numbers. Besides providing a much needed reality check on the price and terms, this kind of testing can even reduce haggling dramatically. It becomes hard for a seller to insist on a particular price/terms combination when scenario testing demonstrates that that price and terms clearly cannot work out mathematically for the buyer even when using assumptions the seller agrees are reasonable. IMPORTANT NOTE: Sellers should be careful not to make any promises or even predictions about future results for the agency in the hands of the buyer. If the seller supplies the numbers and/or the analytical framework, be certain to include a very strong and clear disclaimer. Otherwise, you may have inadvertently "guaranteed" at least a minimum result and may even be vulnerable to rescission of the entire transaction later on! It’s better for the seller to simply provide historical information for the buyer, and let the buyer and his or her professional advisors come up with their own projections of future performance of the agency. No one wins if the seller does not get paid, and taking back a wrecked agency is generally a lose/lose proposition for everyone involved. Cash flow scenario testing coupled with creative use of payment terms can dramatically reduce the chances of that happening, and we’ll be discussing those a lot in later articles. In the previous chapters, we talked about sellers who are in the process of considering a sale. The focus in this third chapter starts instead with the BUYER, and then moves on to look at the big picture aspects of the PRICE. A critical question worth repeating as we move on to rules for buyers is: Do you really have a willing seller? Or, is the seller so emotionally tied to the business that no buyer will ever actually be good enough to pass muster? Is the seller reluctantly willing to sell -- but only if the price/terms are unrealistically high? Potential sellers should think these things through very carefully before spending a lot of everyone’s time and money on a seemingly desirable deal that is unlikely to actually take place. Once it becomes apparent to you as a potential buyer that the seller is not really ready to sell, then it's time to politely walk away. Don’t burn your bridges though; the seller may very well be more ready at some point in the future and you can resurrect the deal at that point. Just don't waste time and money before the overall timing is right. The first rule for buyers is: Know what YOU are looking for. Buying a business is risky, expensive, and a LOT of work for the buyer. Do your homework first. Not every business is worth the same to you as it is to other potential buyers. What business would fit the best with what you already own? What can YOU bring to the table to enhance its value after the purchase? This is so important, that if the resulting effect of 1+1 is not more than 2, then perhaps you should not buy it at all. Another rule for buyers is: YOU are for all practical purposes "selling" yourself personally and/or your existing company to the seller at this point as well. That’s because if you really want to buy that target business, someone else probably does also. It’s about a lot more than just price and terms. So, why should this seller sell to YOU? Be ready to sell yourself and/or your company as the most appropriate buyer for that particular business. The seller is almost always looking for a buyer he or she feels comfortable with personally and believes will take proper care of the business, its employees and its customers post-sale. If you fail this unspoken test, you can lose the opportunity before you ever get to issues such as price and terms. The third rule for buyers: Be ready. Be ready financially -- a strong balance sheet, good banking relationships, and enough uncommitted cash flow with which to do the transaction are essential. Be ready with your own time -- if your time is already fully committed, how are you going to handle the additional management burdens? Another rule for buyers: Consider the basic steps in a business sale. Is there a business broker involved, and if so, on which side does their allegiance lie? Which party pays the commission? If I as the seller sign a listing agreement, can I get out of it, and how long does it last? What if I bring the buyer to the table myself, do I still owe a commission to my broker under an “exclusive right to sell” agreement? Can or should both sides use the same attorney or C.P.A. in order to save professional fees? Should you sign a confidentiality agreement up-front? At what point? Will this deal be seller-financed in whole or in part, or do I need to get a banker on-board early and see if financing is available beyond what cash I have for the down payment? Am I willing to personally guarantee all or part of my company's promissory Note to the seller for the balance of the purchase price, or to pledge additional collateral? How much cash will I need for working capital until the cash flow situation in the new business settles down following closing? Do I need a business valuation, and if so should it be a full-blown appraisal or just an opinion letter? Will my banker require an appraisal in order to loan me the down payment or all of the purchase price as the case may be? What role does a letter of intent (an "LOI" or "terms sheet") play? What kind of LOI should you create? Should it be binding on both parties or non-binding, or should only portions of it be binding? Will the seller request a good-faith cash deposit up-front, perhaps paid into escrow? Refundable or non-refundable? What due diligence is needed, and when, and should the other party pay part of the cost if they back out prematurely for no good reason? What contracts are likely to be needed, and which side should have the subtle advantage of drafting first and controlling the documents (customarily the buyer, since it has the most risk in how the transaction is structured and written up)? Will an independent third-party professional escrow be necessary for the eventual closing? The fifth rule for buyers: Know the legal basics. What are the crucial legal distinctions between an "asset sale" and a "stock sale" that will determine the overall structure of the entire deal? What additional risks do I effectively assume if I buy the stock of the seller's corporation, as opposed to buying the assets out of that corporation and thereby shedding most of those risks? What to do with the employees? Does the target company already have those crucial non-competes in place with key employees, and if so are they enforceable and transferable? You need to know the basics, but you will definitely need professional help to get this right. Another critical rule: Know the tax basics! If I personally buy the company's stock from the seller, I'll have no tax deductibility on the purchase price. Does that matter to me, or would I rather have that higher tax basis and thereby pay less tax when I re-sell the company sometime in the future? Or, should I have my own company buy that same stock instead? Can my corporation or LLC buy stock in another without causing serious tax consequences? Am I comfortable with the hidden or unknown risks in this industry or this particular company that come along with a stock purchase format, including the risk of prior taxes unpaid or under-paid by the target corporation; or do I want to insist on an asset purchase format instead and thereby try to “shed” most of those potential liabilities? Can I mitigate that risk by having the selling stockholder indemnify me for all or part of those taxes, interest and penalties, or even other unknown and/or unexpected exposures? Never forget, there are three parties to every business sale -- the seller, the buyer and the IRS. A sale can be a lose/lose/win (guess who the losers are…); or, the same sale can be re-structured to constitute a win/win/lose. If there is a “loser” in this deal, you want it to be the IRS. The taxes on sale of a business can exceed 50% of the total sale proceeds if the sale is structured wrong! The seller can even end up owing more to the IRS at the front end than he receives as the down payment from the buyer . . . a particularly unfortunate (and generally avoidable) result of poor tax planning. You don’t need to be a tax expert; but you do need to know there are ways to mitigate this kind of tax disaster and also be able to point the seller in the right direction for professional help. You need to be willing to work with the seller to resolve what may be critical issues to the success of the sale. You need to know the basics, but you will need professional help to get this right. The seventh rule for buyers: Know how to use your own professional advisors, and when to bring them into the picture (earlier is better, even up to a year or more under some circumstances). CONTROL your professionals in order to keep expenses down and prevent them from killing your deal. It’s YOUR transaction, not theirs. Get advice from them, but do not let them renegotiate the sale. Keep relationships cordial. You will almost certainly need help of some kind from the seller after the sale closes, so don’t let your professional advisors poison that well. MOST IMPORTANTLY: The most important rule for buyers (and for sellers too for that matter): The sale must be perceived as a “win” on both sides. In most cases, neither side is compelled to do the transaction. If either side concludes that the sale is a “lose” for them, then the deal is likely off at that point. You work with these key employees every day. You probably already know they have the basic talent to run the business, or you would not even consider selling to them. They may already have been running it for many years already from a practical standpoint. Only money seemingly stands in the way. The heart of an entrepreneur is an intangible that can’t really be measured or pinned down; but if your key employees have what it takes to be one, then you can probably arrange win/win terms that work financially for them and give you a better long-term after-tax price than you could receive from an outside third-party sale. As always, YOUR expectations need to be reasonable. Just as with a third-party sale, the price and terms must “pencil-out” for the buyers in any internal succession. The down payment is likely to be less, and the seller financing will probably run for more years. Terms are likely to include a way to split the fruits of future success. We’ll discuss this more in subsequent chapters, but suffice it to say that if your key employees have what it takes to succeed after you are out of there, then internal succession can be your best exit strategy financially. It can also be an excellent way to attract and retain top-notch employees with an expectation of participating in the buying group and a way to ensure a satisfactory sale of your business when the time is just right in the future. Family sales are a particularly difficult kind of internal sale. All the usual considerations of internal succession apply, plus uniquely complex tax considerations. The IRS is deathly afraid parents will do something nice for their children. So an entire chapter of the tax code is devoted to making sure the IRS gets its “fair” share (they consider about half the total value of the business to be “fair”). Needless to say, this adds to complexity. Intra-family dynamics can be even more complex. Just because a child has the talent, does not mean that he or she has the experience to run the business. And talent + experience still do not mean the child has the intangible heart of an entrepreneur. Even establishing the price can be more difficult than in an arms-length sale since a child can find negotiating with a parent over price and terms to be essentially impossible. Ultimately, the “Price” must be justified by (i) the future cash flow the buyer can reasonably expect from the acquired business, and (ii) the risk the buyer must take in order to receive that cash flow. But “Price” is much more than just money to a seller. It can even be seen by him or her as a reflection of their individual worth as a person. A buyer overlooks this only at their great peril. Starting the conversation with comments designed to push down the price can be fatal to an emotional negotiation like this. You are not haggling over the price of a car here. “It will have to pencil-out, of course, but it’s probably worth quite a bit…” is often a good starting point comment for you as a buyer. Emphasize creating a “win/win” transaction overall. Remember, the seller most likely does not HAVE to sell, and likewise you do not HAVE to buy. As soon as either party perceives the transaction to be a "lose" for them, the sale will die. An emphasis on AFTER-TAX cash to the seller is also extremely helpful. Thanks to our overly-complex tax laws, it is often possible to restructure a sale with a lower stated “price”, but more actual after-tax cash for both the seller and the buyer. An “all-cash” deal is low risk for the seller, but much riskier for the buyer. Therefore, the price is almost always significantly lower in an all-cash transaction in order to compensate for this mismatch in the risk area. Terms are not as emotional, but in a practical sense can be even more important than price. In fact, your authors are fond of saying "The price is not the price . . . terms are everything!" Terms determine how the sale will “pencil-out” for the buyer. For example, seller financing over a period of 10 years is much easier for the buyer to pay for out of ongoing cash flow from the business, and thus justifies a higher price. Terms can also dramatically affect taxes for both sides. Since it only counts if you get to keep it, this consideration alone can be more important than price. Terms affect the risk for both sides. Terms so stiff that the sale cannot possibly pencil-out will obviously raise the risk for the buyer. Less obvious, the seller may incur more risk from draconian terms like this as well. An upside down buyer is much more likely to look for an excuse to rescind a sale or some way to sue the seller for misrepresentation or a breach of the seller's representations and warranties in the purchase and sale agreement. Terms can be massaged to share the risk, thus lowering the effective risk for the buyer. Lower risk translates to a higher price. It is fairly common for part of the price to be dependent on future results and retention of business (called a partial "earn-out"), which is a great way to share risk and reward. Other factors will affect the price as well. For example, do key employees have, or can you create at closing, enforceable non-competes (see our later chapter entitled NON-COMPETES)? What about major customer accounts? Will key vendors terminate their contracts when the "founder" of the business is no longer around? What about the building occupied by the company? Does the target company’s owner also own that building? Is the Lease transferable, and/or how much longer will it run? Are there any options to extend or to buy the building and not have to incur major expenses in moving the entire business later on? Is the business owner a personal guarantor on that existing Lease, and will the landlord release him or her from that guarantee at closing or simply execute a brand new Lease with the new owner? Is rent likely to be raised post sale? Finally, it’s not all about “Price” anyway. Price certainly matters; but is rarely the key to a sale. A seller is likely to have other “hot buttons” that can make or break the deal. Some are obvious, such as how key employees will be treated post-sale in all respects. The seller may want to see to it that a couple of his "pet" long-term employees are retained for a number of years at the buyer's expense. Other hot buttons can be quite unusual. Your authors well remember a sale that hinged on providing a parking space on company property for the retiring seller’s yet to be purchased RV. The buyer initially balked, which would have killed the sale. It has been many years now since the closing, and the seller never did quite get around to parking his RV in that spot that seemed so crucial to him at the time. A critical question worth repeating as we move on to rules for buyers is: Do you really have a willing seller? Or is the seller so emotionally tied to the agency that no buyer will ever actually be good enough to pass muster? Is the seller reluctantly willing to sell -- but only if the price/terms are unrealistically high? Once it becomes apparent to you as a potential buyer, that the seller is not really ready to sell, then it's time to politely walk away. Don’t burn your bridges though; the seller may very well be more ready at some point in the future and you can resurrect the deal at that point. Just don't waste time and money before the overall timing is right. The first rule for buyers is: Know what YOU are looking for. Buying an agency is risky, expensive, and a LOT of work for the buyer. Do your homework first. Not every agency is worth the same to you as it is to other potential buyers. What agency would fit the best with what you already own? Another rule for buyers is: YOU are for all practical purposes "selling" yourself personally and/or your existing company to that seller at this point as well. That’s because if you really want to buy that target agency, someone else probably does also. It’s about a lot more than just price and terms. Be ready to sell yourself and/or your company as the most appropriate buyer for that particular agency. The seller is almost always looking for a buyer he or she feels comfortable with personally and believes will take proper care of the agency, its employees and its customers post-sale. Another rule for buyers: Consider the basic steps in an agency sale. Am I willing to personally guarantee all or part of my agency's promissory Note to the seller for the balance of the purchase price, or to pledge additional collateral? How much cash will I need for working capital until the cash flow situation in the new agency settles down following closing? Do I need an agency valuation, and if so should it be a full-blown appraisal or just an opinion letter? Will my banker require an appraisal in order to loan me the down payment or all of the purchase price as the case may be? Does the target company already have those crucial confidentiality agreements and non-piracy agreements in place with key employee producers and/or independent contractors, and if so are they enforceable and transferable? Am I comfortable with the hidden or unknown risks in this industry or this particular agency that come along with a stock purchase format, including the risk of prior taxes unpaid or under-paid by the target corporation, or do I want to insist on an asset purchase format instead and thereby try to “shed” most of those potential liabilities? Can I mitigate that risk by having the selling stockholder indemnify me for all or part of those taxes, interest and penalties, or even other unknown and/or unexpected exposures? Never forget, there are three parties to every agency sale -- the seller, the buyer, and the IRS. A sale can be structured as a lose/lose/win (guess who the losers are…); or, the same sale can be re-structured to constitute a win/win/lose. If there is a “loser” in this deal, you want it to be the IRS. The taxes on sale of an agency can exceed 50% of the total sale proceeds if the sale is structured wrong! You work with these key producers every day. You probably already know they have the basic talent to run the agency, or you would not even consider selling to them. They may already have been running it for many years already from a practical standpoint. Only money seemingly stands in the way. The heart of an entrepreneur is an intangible that can’t really be measured or pinned down; but if your key producers have what it takes to be one, then you can probably arrange win/win terms that work financially for them and give you a better long-term after-tax price than you could receive from an outside third-party sale. We’ll discuss this more in subsequent chapters, but suffice it to say that if your key producers have what it takes to succeed after you are out of there, then internal succession can be your best exit strategy financially. It can also be an excellent way to attract and retain top-notch producers with an expectation of participating in the buying group and a way to ensure a satisfactory sale of your agency when the time is just right in the future. The IRS is deathly afraid parents will do something nice for their children. So an entire chapter of the tax code is devoted to making sure the IRS gets its “fair” share (they consider about half the total value of the agency to be “fair”). Needless to say, this adds to complexity. Intra-family dynamics can be even more complex. Just because a child has the talent, does not mean that he or she has the experience to run the agency. And talent + experience still do not mean the child has the intangible heart of an entrepreneur. Even establishing the price can be more difficult than in an arms-length sale since a child can find negotiating with a parent over price and terms to be essentially impossible. Ultimately, the “Price” must be justified by (i) the future cash flow the buyer can reasonably expect from the acquired agency, and (ii) the risk the buyer must take in order to receive that cash flow. Emphasize creating a “win/win” transaction overall. Remember, the seller most likely does not HAVE to sell, and you likewise do not HAVE to buy. As soon as either party perceives the transaction to be a "lose" for them, the sale will die. Terms are not as emotional, but in a practical sense can be even more important than price. In fact, your authors are fond of saying "The price is not the price . . . terms are everything!" Terms determine how the sale will “pencil-out” for the buyer. For example, seller financing over a period of 10 years is much easier for the buyer to pay for out of ongoing cash flow from the agency, and thus justifies a higher price. Terms can be massaged to share the risk, thus lowering the effective risk for the buyer. Lower risk translates to a higher price. It is fairly common for part of the price to be dependent on future results and retention of key target accounts (called a partial "earn-out"), which is a great way to share risk and reward. Other factors will affect the price as well. For example, do key employees have, or can you create at closing, enforceable non-competes (see our later chapter entitled NON-COMPETES)? What about the major customer accounts? Will key carriers terminate their contracts when the "founder" of the target agency is no longer around? What about the building occupied by the agency? Does the agency’s owner also own that building? Is the Lease transferable, and/or how much longer will it run? Are there any options to extend or to buy the building and not have to incur major expenses in moving the entire agency later on? Is the agency owner a personal guarantor on that existing Lease, and will the landlord release him or her from that guarantee at closing or simply execute a brand new Lease with the new owner? Is rent likely to be raised post sale? Other hot buttons can be quite unusual. Your authors well remember a sale that hinged on providing a parking space on the agency’s property for the retiring seller’s yet to be purchased RV. The buyer initially balked, which would have killed the sale. It has been many years now since the closing, and the seller never did quite get around to parking his RV in that spot that seemed so crucial to him at the time. Non-competes can literally constitute the primary value of certain types of companies, by protecting trade secrets and confidential information as well as preventing key employees from competing with the company in either a narrow or fairly broad marketplace niche depending on the situation. In order to be enforceable, however, they must be "reasonable" in all respects in light of the facts and circumstances of both your company and the particular employee's personal situation; otherwise, they will likely be thrown out or severely limited by a court. Nevertheless, contrary to rumor and supposition, they are very enforceable if well drafted. Signing one carelessly can virtually cost an employee their career in that industry for all practical purposes. Having a non-compete in place for each key employee can result in a company being worth multiple times what it might be otherwise to a prospective purchaser of the business; whereas lack of a non-compete or an inadequate one can literally destroy the value of a company to a prospective purchaser.
0.999985	Know five things about wine in New York City: first, its residents consider it the centre of the US wine universe, even though very little wine is made there. Second, there’s a fair amount of truth to that, given that New York is home to some of the country’s most important retailers, importers and critics. And third, what’s true for the city’s borough of Manhattan is not necessarily true for the borough of Brooklyn, which considers itself more hip, more au courant, and generally more interesting. Fourth, there are more than 20m people in the New York City metro area, which makes it bigger than many countries. Fifth, it’s constantly making itself over, so what was true six months ago may not be true six months from now. Talk about disparate: the most influential wine writers in the New York City area include Alice Feiring, perhaps the leading evangelist for natural wine in the US; New York Times wine critic Eric Asimov, so well-known that he is just “Eric” when his name comes up in conversation with the city’s leading retailers; the wine writers at Grub Street, New York magazine’s food and wine blog, who write stories about pairing wine with ramen, or about what wine to drink with birthday cake. The iconoclastic John Gilman, who seems to delight in giving 65 points to a wine that his colleagues have given 95 points, publishes the View From the Cellar newsletter. Also worth noting: New York is home to the Wine Spectator, still the most influential wine magazine in the United States, its sister trade publication Market Watch, and the website Shanken News Daily. The company’s publisher, Marvin Shanken, remains a key figure in US wine, wielding power not just through his magazines, but through the company’s consumer tasting road shows. New York is dominated by Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, the local branch of the largest wholesaler in the world, and by Empire Merchants, which is the fourth largest distributor in the US, even though it operates only in the New York City area. Southern often flexes its political muscle and recently tried unsuccessfully to require that state-licensed wholesalers have warehouses in New York. Many of its smaller competitors have warehouses in New Jersey, where rents are less expensive. It was also beaten back in its attempt to limit purchases by retailers from private collections. Frederick Wildman & Sons has existed in one form or another since the end of Prohibition, and remains one of the country’s top importers. Its portfolios include high-end Burgundy, Rioja and Barolo. But there are literally dozens of smaller companies with interesting and intriguing books, often focusing on specific market niches. Three well-regarded smaller family owned importers, which also have some distribution in the rest of the country, are David Bowler Wine, which includes Louis/Dressner Selections; Skurnik Wines, with 500 producers and the Terry Theise portfolio; and Polaner Selections, which looks for small producers and wines made with less-known grapes. Jenny & François Selections specialises in natural wine from nine countries and is well-respected in one of the most demanding natural wine markets in the world. Crystalline Wines represents small family wineries in four European countries that, the company says, would probably not be able to find an importer otherwise. Politics is a spectator sport in New York and wine is no exception. One reason for this is the state’s unique retail law. It forbids anyone to own more than one store, and if a wine shop is part of a supermarket, the shop needs an entrance separate from the supermarket. That means Amazon-owned Whole Foods Market, the country’s pre-eminent natural grocer, has 21 stores in the state, but only one – on the city’s uber-affluent upper west side – sells wine. And it is called the Upper West Side Wine Store to distinguish it from the grocery store. Vincent G. Bradley, the chairman of the New York State Liquor Authority, oversees all of this. He is a former state and local prosecutor who worked with narcotics and labour racketeering squads in New York City, prosecuting a number of high-profile cases. Before his appointment in 2015, the liquor authority had been mired in controversy after fining an upstate retailer, even though the retailer had not apparently violated state law. Bradley, say several New York City retailers, has brought a more restrained and even-handed approach to liquor enforcement, which is also much welcome. Daniel Posner, who owns Grapes The Wine Company in suburban White Plains, is the president of the National Association of Wine Retailers, a trade group working to reform the US’s Prohibition-era liquor laws. Not surprisingly, New York City’s sommeliers offer not just quality and quantity (13 master sommeliers, nine masters of wine) but variety. In this, they do more than run beverage programs, but also consult, import and distribute, and sell wine off-premise. One MS, Pascaline Lepeltier (who has written a book with Feiring called “The Dirty Guide to Wine”) put together one of the world’s great natural wine lists when she oversaw the beverage program at Rouge Tomate in Chelsea. She left last autumn to take time off to decide what to do besides the grind of a daily restaurant. Chad Walsh of Agern, a Food & Wine Sommelier of the Year in 2017, boasts an all-US wine list – an interesting choice for the restaurant’s New Nordic menu. Patrick Cappiello has owned restaurants, wine brands (the controversial Forty Ounce Wines among them) and wine bars, and still works with restaurants in Manhattan and Philadelphia. His newest venture is a wine brokerage, part of wholesaler Verity Wines. In fact, it’s difficult to separate the city’s top wine bars from sommeliers. Not all of them are sommelier-owned – it just seems that way. Paul Grieco, who owns the Terroir wine bars, created the Summer of Riesling in 2008. Every white wine by the glass, each summer, is Riesling. Says one distributor: “He is a mad man and truly passionate about Riesling.” Meanwhile, Thomas Carter, working with chef Ignacio Mattos, opened Flora Bar in the Met Breuer museum, taking the wine bar in a direction it has rarely been before, reports the food critic at the New York Times. Also notable: CorkBuzz, with three locations in the metro area; Grape and Grain and Local and Vine, both in lower Manhattan and focusing on local wine; June in Brooklyn, with its emphasis on natural wine; and Aldo Sohm of Le Bernadin, whose self-named wine bar sits next to the iconic restaurant. One of the consequences of the state’s no-chain law is that the city’s wine shops are neighborhood-oriented, diverse and competitive. Plus, many of them rank among the best in the world. Sherry-Lehmann on Park Avenue has been one of the leading wine retailers in Manhattan almost since it opened in 1934 (legend has it founder Jack Aaron was a respected bootlegger during Prohibition). Zachys in suburban Scarsdale and Morrell & Company at One Rockefeller Center are among the retailers which also hold wine auctions and do internet sales. Union Square Wines offers wine by the glass from Eno dispensers. Astor Wines & Spirits has been in Greenwich Village since 1946, while Chambers Street Wines, founded in 2001, specialises in smaller producers from France, Piedmont, Austria and Germany. This doesn’t include a new generation of wine shops, spreading out to Brooklyn and beyond. Among those are Flatiron Wines & Spirits, which also has a store in San Francisco and boasts of “hundreds of wines” costing $20 or less, and Crush in mid-town Manhattan, also offering less expensive wines. Dandelion Wine, in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, showcases organic and hard-to-find wines from small producers. Traditional auction houses, with locations in New York City thanks to its prominence in art and finance, also play key roles in wine. Sotheby’s will hold a Romanée-Conti sale in October, while Acker Merrall & Condit sold $5.75m worth of wine in a May auction. New York is the fourth biggest wine producing state in the US, and Brooklyn is home to a handful of professional producers who work with New York and East Coast grapes. Alie Shaper’s Brooklyn Oenology Winery started in 2006 and was one of the first. Red Hook Winery buys grapes from Long Island and the Finger Lakes in upstate New York, so that means Riesling and Bordeaux varietals. Rooftop Reds is just what it seems – an urban rooftop vineyard near the Brooklyn Navy Yard, while the Brooklyn Winery in Williamsburg uses New York state grapes as well. This article first appeared in Issue 4, 2018 of Meininger's Wine Business International magazine. For more great content, why not subscribe?
0.925989	After the unification of Germany under Emperor Wilhelm I in 1871, elections were held to the German Reichstag or "Imperial Assembly", which supplanted its namesake, the Reichstag of the Norddeutscher Bund. The Reichstag could be dissolved by the Kaiser or, after the abdication of Wilhelm II in 1918, the Reichspräsident. With the Weimar Republic's Constitution of 1919, the voting system changed from single-member constituencies to proportional representation. The election age was reduced from 25 to 20 years of age. Women's suffrage had already been established by a new electoral law in 1918 following the November Revolution of that year. Following the Nazi seizure of power in January 1933, another national election was held on March 5. This was the last competitive election before World War II, although it was neither free nor fair. Violence and intimidation by the Sturmabteilung, SS and Stahlhelm had been underway for months against trade-unionists, communists, social democrats, and even centre-right Catholics. On February 27th, just prior to the election, the Reichstag Fire Decree suspended freedom of the press and most civil liberties. Mass arrests followed, including all Communist (KPD) and several Social Democrat (SPD) delegates to the Reichstag. 50000 members of the Hilfspolizei (auxiliary Nazi police) "monitored" polling places on election day to further intimidate voters. While the NSDAP performed better than it had in the elections of November 1932, it still won only 43% of the vote. By placing their rivals in jail and intimidating others not to take their seats, the Nazis went from a plurality to the majority. Just two weeks after election, the Enabling Act of 1933 effectively gave Hitler dictatorial power. Three more elections were held in Nazi Germany before the war. They all took the form of a one-question referendum, asking voters to approve a predetermined list of candidates composed exclusively of Nazis and nominally independent "guests" of the party. The federal legislature in Germany has a one chamber parliament—the Bundestag (Federal Diet); the Bundesrat (Federal Council) represents the regions and is not considered a chamber as its members are not elected. The Bundestag is elected using a mixed member proportional system. The Bundestag has 598 nominal members, elected for a four-year term. Half, 299 members, are elected in single-member constituencies by first-past-the-post voting, while a further 299 members are allocated from party lists to achieve a proportional distribution in the legislature, conducted according to a form of proportional representation called the Mixed member proportional representation system (MMP). Voters vote once for a constituency representative, and a second time for a party, and the lists are used to make the party balances match the distribution of second votes. Overhang seats may add to the nominal number of 598 members: for example, in the 2009 federal election there were 24 overhang seats, giving a total of 622 seats. This is caused by larger parties winning additional single-member constituencies above the totals determined by their proportional party vote. In the German Democratic Republic, elections to the Volkskammer were effectively controlled by the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) and state hierarchy, even though multiple pro forma parties existed. The 18 March 1990 election were the first free ones held in the GDR, producing a government whose major mandate was to negotiate an end to itself and its state. Prior to the Fall of the Berlin Wall, East Germany did not have free elections. Polling places were under surveillance by the state security apparatuses and the ruling party, the SED, presented voters with a slate of proposed candidates. Voters could optionally enter a booth to strike any candidates the voter did not want; a voter who agreed with the SED's full list simply folded the unmarked ballot in half and placed it into the ballot box. Entering a voting booth was considered suspicious and was noted by the state security apparatuses, which could lead to consequences later for the voter. East German voters commonly referred to the act of voting as "folding" (German: falten). Election outcomes prior to 1990 commonly saw 99% of voters in favor of the suggested slate of candidates. On top of this, the government engaged in electoral fraud and commonly falsified both results and voter turnout percentages, even as late as the May 1989 municipal elections. ^ Evans, Richard J., The Coming of the Third Reich, Penguin Press, New York, 2004. ^ von Götz, Irene. "Violence Unleashed". Berlin.de. Retrieved March 18, 2017. ^ "Bundestag: Deutschland hat ein neues Wahlrecht". Die Zeit (in German). 22 February 2013. ISSN 0044-2070. Retrieved 26 January 2017. ^ Weber, Hermann (2012). "Oldenbourg Grundriss der Geschichte". Die DDR 1945–1990 (in German). Band 20 (5 ed.). München: Oldenbourg. p. 32. ISBN 9783486523638. Kitschelt, Herbert (October 2003). "Political-economic context and partisan strategies in the German federal elections, 1990-2002". West European Politics. 26 (4): 125–152. doi:10.1080/01402380312331280718. Manow, Philip (January 2007). "Electoral rules and legislative turnover: Evidence from Germany's mixed electoral system". West European Politics. 30 (1): 195–207. doi:10.1080/01402380601019852. The Federal Returning Officer. Official Site of the Federal Returning Officer.
0.999649	I tried to order Three Broadband but I received a message about you being unable to do credit check, what should I do next? Dear oh dear. We’re very sorry that you’re experiencing difficulty in signing up to Three Broadband, please call us on 0330 686 6008 and we’ll be able to help process your order.
0.98847	Each moment, our senses are bombarded with information from many sources. How do networks of neurons in the brain rapidly process this information in order to make sense out of the world and choose appropriate actions? The McGinley lab approaches this question by studying neural mechanisms of auditory perceptual decision making behaviors, in mice. We primarily use whole-cell recording and two-photon imaging in head-fixed mice while they perform auditory perceptual decision-making tasks. The lab also utilizes computational and engineering approaches, optogenetics, multi-channel extracellular recording, pupillometry, and histological methods. We are currently focused on three related projects regarding the cellular, synaptic, and neuromodulatory mechanisms of auditory perceptual decision making: 1) Neuromodulatory mechanisms of attentional effort; 2) Improved perceptual learning with peripheral nerve stimulation; and 3) Brain circuits for navigation in acoustic virtual reality. McGinley MJ, David SV, and McCormick DA. "Cortical membrane potential signature of optimal states for sensory signal detection.." Neuron. 2015;87:179-192. Wen H, Linhoff MW, McGinley MJ, Li GL, Corson GM, Mandel G, and Brehm P. "Distinct roles for two synaptotagmin isoforms in synchronous and asynchronous transmitter release at zebrafish neuromuscular junction.." PNAS. 2010;107(31):13906-11. McGinley MJ, Liberman MC, Bal R, and Oertel D. "Generating synchrony from the asynchronous: compensation for cochlear traveling wave delays by the dendrites of individual brainstem neurons.." J Neurosci. 2012;32(27):9301-11. McGinley MJ, and Westbrook GL. "Hierarchical excitatory synaptic connectivity in mouse olfactory cortex.." PNAS. 2013;110(40):16193-8. Zagha E, Casale, AE, Sachdev RNS, McGinley MJ, and McCormick DA. "Motor cortex feedback influences sensory processing by modulating network state.." Neuron. 2013;79(3):567-78. Tovar KR, McGinley MJ, and Westbrook GL. "Triheteromeric NMDA receptors at hippocampal synapses.." J Neurosci. 2013;33(21):9150-60. McGinley MJ, Vinck M, Reimer J*, Batista-Brito R, Zagha E, Cadwell CR, Tolias AS, Cardin JA, McCormick DA. "Waking State: rapid variations modulate neural and behavioral responses.." Neuron. 2015;87(6):1143-61.
0.999816	I support the idea of maintaining a healthy population of game animals. In order to ensure a growth in the moose population in Alaska, some not very bright people have decided to hunt wolves from airplanes. That doesn't make sense. Wolves hunt for survival -- for food only. Wolves are smart, they hunt the animals that are easiest to catch -- the sick and the weak. Wolves help to maintain a healthy moose population by weeding out weak animals from the productive gene pool. Human hunters on the other hand are after the big, healthy animals. Human hunters are detrimental to the long-term health of game animal populations by removing the best breeding genes from the gene pool. To build a healthy population of moose, we should consider an aerial shoot of the hunters -- not wolves.
0.999417	This section focuses on the risks and opportunities associated with the developments described in the banking industry scenarios above. Graph 6 below lists the new opportunities and risks identified for banks and the banking system based on a survey of existing publications on FINTECH. Traditional banking risks (such as operational or liquidity risks) are only considered to the extent that FINTECH developments add a new dimension or specific features to the existing ones. Many of the findings and observations in this paper are based on forward-looking scenarios and assumptions emanating from emerging financial technologies and business models. Implication 1: The nature and scope of banking risks as traditionally understood may significantly change over time with the growing adoption of fintech, in the form of new technologies that can affect bank business models. While these developments may give rise to new and additional risks, they may also open up new opportunities for consumers and banks. Consideration 1: While bank supervisors must remain focused on ensuring the safety and soundness of the banking system, they should be vigilant for opportunities to enhance both safety and soundness and financial stability while monitoring for current practices that might unduly or unintentionally hamper beneficial innovations in the financial industry. • Financial inclusion: Digital finance has improved access to financial services by under-served groups. Technology can reach remote locations. Only six out of 10 adults have a bank account, but there are more mobile devices than people in the world.16 The promise of digital finance to reach scale, reduce costs and, if coupled with the appropriate financial capability, broaden access is unprecedented. Financial services could be provided to more people with greater speed, accountability, and efficiency. • Better and more tailored banking services: Banks are already regulated and know how to bring products to a regulated market. FINTECH companies could help the banking industry improve their traditional offerings in many ways. Banks may, for example, provide white-label robo-advisors to help customers navigate the investment world and create a better and tailored customer experience. Partnerships with FINTECH companies could also increase the efficiency of incumbent businesses. • Lower transaction costs and faster banking services: Innovations from FINTECH players may speed up transfers and payments and cut their costs. For instance, in the area of cross-border transfers, FINTECH companies in some cases can provide faster banking services at lower cost. • Improved and more efficient banking processes: Innovation may allow the conduct of operations in a safer environment thanks to the use of cryptographic or biometric technologies and more interoperable systems decreasing the chances of failure. • Potential positive impact on financial stability due to increased competition: The entry of new players competing with incumbent banks could eventually fragment the banking services market and reduce the systemic risk associated with players of systemic size, as also analysed by the FSB.17. • Regtech: Fintech could be used to improve compliance processes at financial institutions. Regulation is increasing globally but the effective development and application of “regtech” (see Box 5 below) could create opportunities to, for example, automate regulatory reporting and compliance requirements as well as facilitate more cross-sectoral and cross-jurisdictional cooperation for improved compliance (eg AML/CFT). Innovative technologies can help financial institutions comply with regulatory requirements and pursue regulatory objectives (prudential requirements including reporting, consumer protection, AML/CFT). In this context, regtech may provide banks with more effective ways to improve their compliance and risk management. It may also be a means of coping with change in the regulatory environment and driving down the costs involved in meeting the corresponding requirements. Regtech could result in new processes, new distribution channels, new products or new business organisations that help banks comply with regulatory requirements and manage risk more effectively and efficiently. Some regtech firms offer compliance and risk management solutions to banks, through outsourcing or insourcing processes. Examples include the FundApps automated monitoring service for regulatory changes in the United Kingdom, and Fintellix in India, which offers data management for compliance with accounting rules.18 Regtech may open up opportunities for digital transformation of control and support functions within banks (risk, compliance, legal, finance, IT). Regtech could address a wide array of requirements related to regulatory reporting, financial crime, operational risk (including cyber-security and fraud detection), consumer protection and data protection regulation. Examples in these domains include BearingPoint’s Abacus solution for compliance with the European supervisory reporting requirements, and Trulioo’s and Qumran’s “know your customer” solutions in Canada and Switzerland, respectively, for compliance with AML/CFT rules.19 In Italy, anti-money laundering requirements for the opening of a new online account can be met by making a transfer from any bank account the customer holds at any other bank. All other necessary information and documents can be exchanged between the customer and the bank using e-mail, webcam, chat and other online tools. The technologies used include IT (software, cloud computing, API, automation and AI), data technologies (big data, machine learning, risk scoring, real-time monitoring), identity technologies (biometrics, vocal recognition) or new technologies such as the DLT that combines cryptography and IT solutions. Another potential use of regtech includes risk data reporting capabilities. During the financial crisis, firms were unable to aggregate risk data and perform analytics to aggregate risk exposures in response to events in a timely fashion. These failures influenced the FORFIRM’s compilation of the Principles for risk data aggregation and reporting. Regulators have placed increased expectations on firms to be able to accurately and completely aggregate risk data, with a view to improving their risk management and also facilitating supervisory requests, such as supervisory stress testing. Use of AI, advanced data analytics and other emerging technologies could improve firms’ ability to provide coherent and timely risk data. While there are clear benefits from FINTECH, as noted above, innovation cannot be supported at the expense of safety and soundness. Banks and bank supervisors should consider maintaining similar focus on risk management, control standards and protections over new emerging delivery channels and services being introduced by financial institutions through FINTECH. However, prescriptive standards and rules, developed well before many of the technologies in use today were even considered possible, could potentially create undue or unintentional barriers. • Staff development processes that ensure that bank personnel have the appropriate awareness and capability to manage fintech risks • Sound new product approval and change management processes to appropriately address changes not only in technology, but also in business activities • Risk management processes in line with the portions of the Basel Committee’s Principles for sound management of operational risk (PSMOR) that are relevant to fintech developments • Processes for monitoring and reviewing new products, services or delivery channels for compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, including, as appropriate, those related to consumer protection, data protection and anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT). While the rise of cyber-risks has been identified by both banks and supervisors as a major area of focus, this paper focuses on the broad implications of fintech beyond specific risks. In addition, this document assesses the concerns and opportunities brought by fintech in the cyber space through a broader analysis of business models and disruption risks. Fintech developments could lead to more competition for incumbent banks from non-traditional players in an already challenging market environment, which could impact the sustainability of banks’ earnings. They could also put pressure on banks to improve digital interfaces to better meet customer expectations. Incumbent banks may find it increasingly difficult to respond quickly and competitively to emerging technologies so as to keep control of customer relationships. The proliferation of innovative products and services may increase operational complexity and risks. Many of the challenges outlined above are consistent with risk principles addressed in the existing PSMOR. Below are potential applications of PSMOR to current and future fintech developments, for the reference of both incumbent and new banks, as well as their third-party service providers. Overview of risks using scenario analysis The FORFIRM used the five banking scenarios described in Part II.E and case studies to obtain a better understanding and overview of the individual risks, their likelihood under each scenario and their impact on individual banks, the financial sector, and consumers and society more broadly. The size and scale of many incumbent banks may make it difficult to effectively modernise and digitise their current processes to achieve cost-effective operations as well as to provide innovative products for customers within an acceptable timeframe. If neo-banks were to gain significant scale, the combination of customer drain to challenger banks, lower profitability on reduced revenues, and investors moving funds to more profitable challenger banks could raise safety and soundness issues for incumbent banks. The key risks highlighted in most of the case studies for the distributed bank scenario focus on banks’ and bank supervisors’ ability to monitor and manage end-to-end transactions across one or multiple third parties. Effective third-party risk management processes would be essential for banks. Whether fintech companies are service providers, business partners or provide the primary customer interface, banks will need processes in place to conduct appropriate due diligence, contract management and ongoing control assurance and monitoring of outsourced services operations in order to safeguard themselves and their customers. Also, questions on ownership of the customer relationship and the use of customer data with regard to consumer protection and data protection regulations were raised as part of the distributed bank scenario. Finally, there might be questions about risk management functions as a consequence of weaker, less stable and more fragmented customer relationships. The loss of the customer relationship can result in loss of revenue and cross-selling opportunities. Also, on the compliance side, banks will need to have appropriate AML/CFT monitoring processes in place if they process transactions on behalf of FINTECH companies’ customers. From a financial stability perspective, the distributed bank scenario may reduce the “too big to fail” issue, since increased competition and a sharing of the value chain is likely to lead to a more fragmented banking sector. On the other hand, the distributed bank scenario is associated with increased interconnectedness between financial institutions and the dilution of accountability. In this scenario, banks become a back office service provider for front office customer-facing platforms, with banks providing the necessary licences, access to payment networks and maintaining deposits and access to funding. There is a risk that banks and bank supervisors will have limited ability to monitor end-to-end transactions and systemic risk. As in the distributed bank scenario, the loss of the customer relationship and the dependence on these new platforms that channel financial products may have adverse consequences for risk management functions and revenue streams (revenues would need to be shared with the new intermediaries). Front office customer platforms are also expected to accentuate competition between banks, which may further accelerate customer mobility, deposit transfer speeds and aggressive pricing on loan offers. This scenario raises also significant issues for consumer protection, since the customer relationship will be handled by new platforms, which would be based on automated processes and extensive and innovative uses of consumer data. In addition to data privacy and data security issues, inappropriate marketing practices could emerge under this scenario. If the number of new platforms is low, concentration risk will increase, especially if bigtech firms gain a large market share. This would also lead to “too-big-to-fail” issues. The disintermediated bank scenario is considered unlikely to gain significant scale in the short to medium term. Indeed, large-scale use of public distributed ledgers for processing payments is still impeded by many technological and legal factors. P2P lending platforms also face difficulties in matching lending and borrowing, which underlines the continuing economic need for balance sheet intermediation. Moreover, P2P lending platforms are currently pivoting to a business model where institutional investors such as banks, pension funds or insurance companies progressively replace retail investors in the investor base. However, these scenarios were covered as there is a potential risk that banks could be disintermediated from certain aspects of financial services. The key risk in these scenarios would be that financial activities taking place outside regulatory environments would be subject to looser standards and oversight, and as a result be inherently less controlled and secure. Bank supervisors could potentially find that their ability to monitor systemic areas of risk in the financial industry is eroded. • Strategic risk: The potential for rapid unbundling of bank services to non-bank fintech or bigtech firms increases risks to profitability at individual banks. Existing financial institutions could stand to lose a substantial part of their market share or profit margin if new entrants are able to use innovation more efficiently and deliver less expensive services that better meet customer expectations. In today’s environment, a deterioration of profitability due to a lack of anticipation and agility, and the loss of profitable direct customer relationships and/or margin compression might weaken the ability of incumbent institutions to weather future business cycles, for example, if banks react to falling profits by engaging in riskier activities, such as moving down the credit spectrum. • High operational risk – systemic dimension: The rise of fintech leads to more IT interdependencies between market players (banks, fintech and others) and market infrastructures, which could cause an IT risk event to escalate into a systemic crisis, particularly where services are concentrated in one or a few dominant players. The entrance of fintech firms to the banking industry increases the complexity of the system and introduces new players which may have limited expertise and experience in managing IT risks. protection. This is particularly the case if banks are less efficient in applying the required standards and controls to manage those risks, or where fintech firms may not be subject to the same stringent security standards. In addition, use of third party service providers could increase banks’ step-in risks: banks may find themselves in the position of having to support a provider in financial distress or face discontinuation of critical services that they provide. • Increased difficulties in meeting compliance requirements and especially AML/CFT obligations: Banks will need appropriate AML/CFT monitoring processes in place if they process transactions on behalf of fintech companies’ customers. If the customer makes payments with a bank card or account, the bank currently has some level of responsibility for authenticating the customer and may be responsible for covering fraudulent transactions under several regulatory regimes. The higher level of automation and distribution of the product or service among banks and fintech companies can result in less transparency on how transactions are executed and who has compliance responsibilities. This can increase conduct risk for banks as they may be held accountable for the actions of fintech partners if a customer suffers loss or compliance requirements are not met (see Box 6 below for further details). • Compliance risk with regard to data privacy: The risk of not complying with data privacy rules may increase with the development of big data, more outsourcing due to tie-ups with FINTECH firms, and the associated competition for ownership of the customer relationship. • Outsourcing risk: If more parties are involved in the offering of financial products and services than at present (distributed bank, relegated bank, disintermediated bank), ambiguity could arise regarding the responsibilities of the various actors in the value chain, potentially increasing the likelihood of operational incidents. Within banks, a proliferation of innovative products and services from third parties could increase operational complexity and risks, if controls fail to keep pace. A key challenge for financial institutions will lie in their ability to monitor operations and risk management activities that take place outside their organisations at third parties. Outsourcing risk would be even more prominent if some part of the services provided by third parties were to become dominated by globally active players, resulting in a concentration of risk. Where specialised FINTECH companies are the service providers, business partners or provide the primary customer interface, incumbent banks will need to consider the appropriate processes to conduct appropriate due diligence, contract management and ongoing control assurance and monitoring of operations in order to safeguard the bank and its customers. • Cyber-risk: Cyber-risk is likely to rise in all scenarios. New technologies and business models can increase cyber-risk if controls do not keep pace with change. Increased interconnectivity between market players can create benefits for banks and consumers, while amplifying security risks. Heavier reliance on APIs, cloud computing and other new technologies facilitating increased interconnectivity with actors or sectors not subject to equivalent regulatory expectations could potentially make the banking system more vulnerable to cyber-threats, and expose large volumes of sensitive data to potential breaches. This emphasises the need for banks, FINTECH firms and supervisors to promote the need for effective management and control of cyber-risk. • Liquidity risk and volatility of bank funding sources: The use of new technology and aggregators creates opportunities for customers to automatically change between different savings accounts or mutual funds to obtain a better return. While this can increase efficiency, it can also affect customer loyalty and increase the volatility of deposits. This in turn could lead to higher liquidity risk for banks. Risks and opportunities of fintech for anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) Increased risk: Digital finance raises news risks and challenges with regard to AML/CFT. New areas of vulnerability might develop because of new financial products (virtual cryptocurrencies) and new technologies (eg a permissionless distributed ledger based on anonymous users and on decentralised governance without accountability). Digital finance gives rise to an increasing number of financial players and eases cross-border transactions, which makes the monitoring of transactions more complex for financial institutions and public authorities. Finally, while new financial players are reshaping the financial sector, they may be outside the scope of banking sector regulation and subject to less stringent AML/CFT rules than are banks. If not proportionate to the AML/CFT risks, these regulatory gaps or loopholes may lead to some distortion of competition, which may violate the level playing field principle and lead to increased potential for financial crime. Innovative solutions: New technologies may support greater efficiency for AML/CFT policy. Regtech companies are especially keen to enter this field, which could attract significant investment by banks. Analytics of non-structured data (big data) associated with machine learning and AI can support banks’ financial crime divisions in the monitoring and reporting of suspicious transactions. While non-face-to-face relationships are usually considered as a “high risk” for AML/CFT, requiring enhanced due diligence (see Financial Action Task Force’s 2012 report on money laundering),20 technologies such as biometry (eg fingerprints, iris or vocal recognition, touch ID etc), and scanning technologies may also help identify fraud in a digital environment and promote remote but secure customer identification and authentication processes. E-identification and e-signatures may provide new secure opportunities to facilitate the digital on-boarding of customers and non-face-to-face business relationships. Initiatives in a number of countries involving the use of innovative technologies for identification services are in different stages of development. For example, the UK government is promoting e-identification through its Verify programme,21 to which banks such as Barclays contribute by certifying the identity of their customers. In Canada, SecureKey,22 a private sector company that includes a number of banks as investors, proposes to use a third-party blockchain as an identity and authentication provider to simplify consumer access to online services and applications. Similarly in the Netherlands, a service called IDIN,23 supported by seven Dutch banks, was launched in 2016 to enable customers to identify themselves to other organisations online using bank authentication credentials. Both the UK and Canadian initiatives are supported, to some degree, by governments. In these identity “ecosystems”, banks may provide identity information, subject to customer consent, as well as receive it. Some regtech providers and countries would like to set up shared KYC utilities for due diligence using cloud and online platforms. The BCBS acknowledges such utilities for conducting customer due diligence in its revised guidelines on the sound management of risks related to money laundering and financing of terrorism.24 However, jurisdictions may follow different approaches in promoting innovative business models and emerging technologies, while mitigating and addressing associated money laundering and terrorist financing risks. Implication 3: Banks, service providers and other fintech firms are increasingly adopting and leveraging advanced technologies to deliver innovative financial products and services, such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), advanced data analytics, distributed ledger technology (DLT), cloud computing and application programming interfaces (APIs). While these innovative technologies present opportunities, they may also pose new sources of risks. Considerazione 3: le banche che fanno affidamento su queste tecnologie innovative dovrebbero assicurarsi di disporre di processi IT e di gestione del rischio e di ambienti di controllo efficaci che affrontino efficacemente nuove fonti di rischio. I supervisori bancari, da parte loro, potrebbero migliorare la sicurezza e la solidità garantendo che le banche adottino tali processi di gestione del rischio e ambienti di controllo. Three fintech-enabling technologies, namely AI/ML/advanced data analytics, DLT and cloud computing, have been analysed in detail in industry publications that were reviewed to assess the impact that their development may potentially have on the banking industry. These enabling technologies are not new financial products or services themselves, but instead are the catalyst that allows for the development of new innovative products and for fintech companies to enter the banking markets. These technologies may lower barriers for entrants by allowing for low-cost infrastructure and access to direct delivery channels to customers, thus bypassing traditional channels. AI makes possible advanced analytical tools that, by leveraging the capability to process large volumes of data, support innovative solutions for business needs. This capability enables the development of multichannel customer access, increased self-service by customers, ability to gain greater insight into customer needs and the provision of more tailored or customised services. There is an increasing use of AI/ML for the termination of credit limits, although the accuracy and validity of these models is as yet unproven. Many fintech companies have leveraged these capabilities to provide data collection, aggregation and storage services, advanced data analytics and personal finance management directly to customers. In modernising and digitising incumbent banks, most of these services support a better bank scenario where banks use advanced data analytics to research customer needs, provide real-time service delivery and enhance their risk management. Fintech companies based on data aggregation business models, or bigtech companies, monetise customer data and use them to gain an in-depth knowledge of their users (through search history, personal data and preferences shared on social media, consumption and spending habits etc) and tend to compete directly with banks for ownership of the customer relationship (the distributed, relegated and disintermediated bank scenarios). Many data aggregators provide customers with the opportunity to manage diverse financial accounts on a single platform with limited need for direct contact with multiple financial service providers. The answers to questions such as who owns customer data, the conditions under which personal data can be used, and for what purposes, will likely shape developments in advanced data analytics and big data. These legal questions are being debated in several jurisdictions. As an emerging technology, DLT solutions tend to be more complex than other enabling technologies and have the potential to be applied for multiple purposes. DLT is being considered for a large number of use cases. Some DLT developments focus on facilitating value transfer exchanges between parties without the need for intermediation, such as central counterparties and central securities depositories, while others target the efficiency of the intermediary functions, without challenging the role of intermediaries, by reducing settlement times or improving the transparency of recordkeeping and reporting. Some DLT solutions also focus on banks’ back office operations. Thus, better information-sharing via DLT could also benefit banks’ business processes. Depending on the DLT solution, other benefits could include eliminating data duplication and reducing maintenance costs to support different databases. DLT developments, although still heterogeneous and immature, could trigger concerns as some solutions still display limited scalability, and a lack of data privacy or harmonised industry standards, with little in the way of interoperability and recourse mechanisms. Exploratory investments are being made by financial institutions, with some projects achieving limited internal deployment for intragroup purposes with the aim of improving services. Examples of DLT platforms moving into testing or production include platforms for trade finance, syndicated loans, repo clearing, and derivatives recordkeeping and processing. Cloud computing allows the sharing of on-demand computer processing resources in a way that promotes efficiencies and economies of scale. Such cost-cutting may be attractive for banks, but concerns over safety and privacy seem to have initially inhibited banks from using cloud computing infrastructure. Now, however, many banks are experimenting with public cloud operations.27 For new entrants, cloud solutions often allow easier access to back office infrastructure that incumbents spent decades building, helping to engage in operations at a lower cost. Cloud-based services can take many forms, ranging from infrastructure only to fully fledged software solutions (including white-labelled banking solutions), as shown in Graph 9 below.28 While responsibility for managing cloud operations (see Graph 9) would be located variously in each of the different scenarios depicted, banks continue to retain risk management and oversight responsibilities for all their activities, including those outsourced. Cloud computing as a service provider to banks can act as an enabler in all fintech-related scenarios, and need not in itself cause business models to be disrupted. However, while cloud computing helps both incumbent banks and new players, it is more of an enabler for new players and therefore fits scenarios that challenge the current banking system (all scenarios apart from the better bank). Incumbent banks can be considering the use of cloud computing to develop new solutions and migrate away from legacy systems. In doing so they may face the challenge of integrating the new technology with the old, which is usually not an easy task. For new players, on the other hand, cloud computing could be a pure enabler as they would have traditionally had to invest time and money in building up their own infrastructure. The use of cloud computing could therefore allow them to focus on their business and increase their scale as the business grows. Banks’ dependence on technologically complex systems could increase significantly, including the use of cloud-based services and infrastructure (all scenarios), requiring an enhanced technological expertise to understand and supervise effectively. In cases where banks outsource important parts of their operational processes, especially in the case of internationally active players, concerns may arise regarding, for instance, geographical location of data storage. Implication 4: Banks are increasingly relying on third-party service providers for operational support of technology-based financial services; as a result, the delivery of these services has become more modular and commoditised. The primary drivers of outsourcing are cost reduction, operational flexibility and increased security and operational resilience. While operations can be outsourced, the risks and liabilities associated with those operations remain with the banks. Consideration 4: Safety and soundness and financial stability can be enhanced by implementation of supervisory programmes to ensure that banks have appropriate risk management practices and processes over any operation outsourced to or supported by a third party, including FINTECH firms, and that controls over outsourced services are maintained to the same standard as those applied to operations that the bank itself conducts. Relevant practices and processes include due diligence, operational risk management, ongoing monitoring and appropriate execution of contracts with third-party service providers that set out the responsibilities of each party, agreed service levels and audit rights. • When engaging a service provider or FINTECH partner, banks and new entrants should consider the Basel principles addressing operational risk and outsourcing risk, such as the Basel Committee’s Core principles for banking supervision (2012), the PSMOR (2011)29 and the guiding principles established by the Joint Forum about Outsourcing in financial services (2005). Some of the principles address corporate governance frameworks in general, which is relevant not only for incumbent banks but maybe also for new entrants including non-financial ones. Others addressing risk culture and risk appetite/tolerance could be applicable to all financial services firms. However, it is uncertain whether emerging FINTECH players will adhere to these principles. The larger the gap of “risk culture” and “risk tolerance” among entities participating in the financial system, the more likely it is that weaknesses will develop in the operational risk control framework. • Banks can mitigate risk by extending their risk management culture to third parties performing operational activities on behalf of the bank, particularly those supporting fintech technologies or dependent products. • A bank’s operational risk framework is expected to be able to identify emerging risks and to enable a timely response to any developments that materially change existing operational risks, or introduce new risks. • Periodic reviews of the framework should also assess whether banks’ risk functions are capable of maintaining effective oversight of the emerging risks posed by new technologies, which may require specialist competencies to address. • Business impact assessments should take account of relevant business disruption scenarios, which should then be reflected in the firm’s business continuity and disaster recovery plans, and incident management procedures. From the point of view of banking supervision, the use of third-party service providers poses operational risks that need to be specifically addressed. Where such services are critical to the performance of the banking business globally, common, global standards could aid in ensuring auditability and ease compliance with due diligence requirements. In addition, common standards could provide financial institutions with more consistent points of comparability between providers. At the same time, there are concerns that direct regulation of this sector could hinder the growth of innovative models. The range of supervisory oversight of third-party providers is provided in Annex 2.
0.999714	Diabetes is a chronic disease associated with an increased risk of microvascular complications. In the United States, 13% of adults have diabetes and an additional 30% of adults are at high risk of developing diabetes. Nontraditional glycemic markers glycated albumin (GA), fructosamine, and 1,5-anhydroglucitol (1,5-AG)) may provide additional prognostic information to identify individuals at high risk of developing diabetes and microvascular complications. GA, fructosamine, and 1,5-AG reflect short-term hyperglycemia and have been shown to exhibit physiologic effects, including the initiation of signaling pathways, that are active in the development of diabetes microvascular complications. Moreover, important racial differences in GA, fructosamine, and 1,5-AG levels have been reported with African-Americans having higher GA and fructosamine and lower 1,5-AG levels than whites among individuals with and without diabetes. The aims of this research project are: 1) to evaluate the association of GA, fructosamine, and 1,5-AG with incident diabetes; 2) to evaluate the association of GA, fructosamine, and 1,5-AG with prevalent and incident albuminuria; and 3) to evaluate racial differences in the association of GA, fructosamine, and 1,5-AG with diabetes and albuminuria. To address these aims, this study proposes to measure GA, fructosamine, and 1,5- AG using stored specimens from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study and build upon the existing infrastructure of this prospective cohort study that has an extensive collection of socio- demographic, lifestyle, and clinical variables. The findings from this study may be used to improve risk stratification and inform the development of new therapeutic targets to prevent diabetes and microvascular complications. This research project will also be instrumental in helping the candidate gain expertise in the relation of glycemic markers and metabolomics with diabetes complications for establishing research independence. To foster the candidate's research training and career development, specific training activities are proposed in: 1) diabetes and renal pathophysiology; 2) advanced statistical methods in risk prediction; 3) metabolomics; and 4) research recruitment, data collection, and study management which will facilitate the candidate's transition to an independent investigator. In summary, this Mentored Research Scientist Development Award will foster the candidate's professional development as an independent scientist by providing an opportunity to gain expertise in glycemic markers and metabolomics and their effects on diabetes and albuminuria risk. Nontraditional glycemic markers (glycated albumin, 1,5-anhydroglucitol, and fructosamine) are short-term glycemic markers that have demonstrated biologic effects. This study will examine the association of these markers with diabetes and albuminuria to determine if these nontraditional markers may be used to identify individuals with an increased risk of diabetes and renal disease.
0.999873	On the 14th of August, rebellious punks rioted with police outside the First Unitarian Church on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia where " Pointless Fest 2006" , a multi-day punk festival , was being held . During the riot cops clobbered a number of individuals with their clubs and among those so wounded was our own local L.E.S. Jewels who received a nasty , large gash above his left eye . Jewels , now back from Philly might hope to relax and enjoy the lazy days of late summer in TSP but for the fact that cops here arrested him in Tompkins Square Park for an "un-opened " beer yesterday . Now after having spent a night in jail and back out in the street , he must prepare for a day in court tomorrow where a judge hearing another set of charges against him from a month ago will determine his near future which will possibly include some more time in jail . In a recent post on this blog I noted that Jewels had broken a glass recklessly in the near presence of an NYU student and for this action was charged with reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct ,both of which charges can earn Jewels some free room and board downtown ... if the judge so decides . P.S. 26 August 2006: It seems that we may have been mislead by a witness and in reporting the facts of the above post we were stating things that were possibly not true , thus the above post requires some elaboration and possibly some correcting . According to some witnesses to the riot in Philly , though Jewels ,who may have participated in the instigating of the riot , was struck over the back with a cops club , it was not a clubbing to his face that created the large gash above his eye . There was Mace or some such gas that was used on the crowd and as most of those rioting , Jewels ran from the scene to be clear of the gas . Jewels ran for a few blocks to Paradise City ,a Philly squat , to escape from the police that were chasing him . Running into the building he somehow ran into a door cutting a gash above his right eye . Which version , if either , is true is hard to say but Jewels does have one hell-of -a gash above his left eye and due to a judge's decision in a court here today may be in jail tonight . I did not see him on the street tonight . In the last 2 days a number of arrests ,perhaps as many as a dozen , have been made in Tompkins Square Park , on avenue A and on 1st avenue . In the neighborhood , some have been for the arrests saying that they are justified and proper and some have been against them saying that they are for nothing but suspect and trivial infractions .Some see the arrests as a proper and just cleaning up of the neighborhood and some see them as an unfair harassment that is intended to drive them out of what they feel is their own neighborhood .Needless to say that among the the freinds and associates of those arrested there is considerable anger and also some considerable uneasiness since they fear that they may be targeted unfairly for a next series of arrests in the coming days . Tonight Jim was at work on a new mosaic that when finished will be photographed for use on a CD insert for some one's new album . Jesse Jane was asleep at his feet and his assistant for his larger projects ,John Dolan , was reading the paper not far away . They all intend to sleep on the sidewalk tonight at 120 St. Marks Place . Today in the afternoon police officers,I believe including a sergeant , told Jim that he could not sleep on the sidewalk at 120 St. Marks Place . Who knows whether they will enforce their order tonight . We certainly hope not . As we all know cities change and neighborhoods change ; sometimes for the better , sometimes for the worse. The piece of filthy , stained and cluttered sidewalk and the kind of folks that have gathered on it in front of Ray's Candy Store certainly has not been an exception . This special stretch of sidewalk , still filthy and cluttered , which was once a political hotbed has changed considerably and today shows little sign of any political expression .There is still loud crazieness and certainly much drunkeness and drugs but not much is said political . This was not the case as the pictures above , from 5 to 10 years ago, show .This little place was a forum in the classical sense , hosting almost everyday ,at least in warm weather , a demonstration of something .Regularly someone was expressing a particular political affiliation or treatise for any passer-by that would listen . But for an occasional cop or two , free speach was the rule . Pretty much all of the extreme gamut of political alternatives was proselytized ,no matter how strange , radical , rediculous or offensive .One night I actually witnessed some of the local communists and Nazis drinking 40 oz. Buds together ,shaking hands , strangely reprising the Hitler/ Stalin comradeship. But people were not always freindly and they often argued and even fought physically over their differences . Those participating in this forum frequently drank,often buying illegally their 40 oz. Buds from un-licensed Ray's , with the drinking usually making the confrontations and resulting conflict all the more intense . For the last few days Jim , with Jesse Jane , has been living and working on the roof of a building east of Tompkins Square Park repairing and expanding a mosaic covering for the building's parapet . This job is limited in scope and extent and will end soon . It is not clear what is going to happen at the Village Pour House ,the mosaic construction there is on hold . Jim and Jesse Jane may go to Vermont for a couple of weeks to work but beyound that there is little that is certain .Jim seems to have a number of possible future jobs but money is in short supply for Jim since many people see Jim as desparate and thus seem to feel free to exploit that condition offering as little as possible as pay for his labor . The overall situation for Jim and Jesse Jane is very difficult . Recently , on several nights , Jim and Jesse Jane were back at 120 St. Marks Place .Though friends still come by occasionly to socialize , Jim and Jesse Jane still must later sleep on the sidewalk as others surrounding them stand outside a bar engaged in spirited and loud bar conversations . Saturday night , it was clear , was a dud of an evening ,little of nothing going on ,the East Village was dead. I was standing in front of Ray's candy store as is usual , but with nothing to do and no one to talk to .Nothing was happening anywhere and thus nothing of significance to photograph. All of a sudden I heard some loud music ,I looked up towards the sound and saw a roof filled with people ,many hanging over the railing looking down over the street and yelling . It was a party . At the corner of 7th and avenue A , above the bar Niagara on top of the building there was a huge party with loud music playing and lots of people drinking lots of beer . With nothing else to do , it seemed like the only alternative at the time ,I headed to where it was all happening , up on the roof . The street level door to the building was open , so like many,many others I just walked in and climbed the beer bottle strewn and drunk lined stairs to the roof . The crowd was large to the point of overflowing , indeed , people were hanging over the railing ,beers were falling to the street and some individuals were climbing to the roof of the building next door to find a relatively private place to urinate . This couldn't, of course , go on forever un-noticed by the neighbors and the authorities . Someone would certainly call the police . A short time after I reached the summit and was confronted with a daunting crowd to navigate my way through ,the police arrived . I.D.s were checked and checked and.... people left ,perhaps half the crowd left for one reason or another right away . Afterall who wants to drink beer with cops around especially if you are underage ...right? Well ...eventually the cops left and the party picked up a bit .With fewer people, there was now room to maneuver ,enjoy the veiw and the party .... and it was also less likely that the overloaded roof structure would collapse . The band ,"The Scurvy Pirates" played their version of pirate rock and the crowd , now smaller , drank on. This is how it was this last Saturday night in this neighborhood .
0.982963	without cause. There is no legal discrimination I can prove. "Would this position be in line with ____" is good too. present in the most positive light for my own situation. situations are worth sticking around to try to change.
0.999927	When you go to a new location for a tour with some friends, you will have the need to eat and drink, and it is important that you identify a decent restaurant where you can gather after a busy day outdoors so that you have your meals and relax before getting back to other activities. There are many great restaurants that you can find where you are visiting as long as you take time and use the right tips to establish the place where you are likely to get the best food items and customer services that will fulfill your desires for the vacation you are having. First, make sure that you visit Google maps where you can see the location of known restaurants close to the area that you will be touring so that you can pick out the best among them for consideration when you finally reach that area and desire to get refreshments. Other details you can get from such online maps include the distances between different restaurants and the lodging place where you have selected to be staying for the duration of the tour since you need to select the restaurant which is at a convenient distance. Secondly, you should make sure that you try to establish if any of the restaurants you might wish to visit has a business website because there are valuable details that you can get on a website to help you decide if the services and meals advertised are good enough. When you are on a restaurant’s website, you can also tell if they offer great meals and customer experiences by reading some reviews made by other clients who have had their meals at the restaurant because their opinions can help you to decide if they have quality for customers. Thirdly, you should try and look for one restaurant that is located at a place which is surrounded by beautiful landscapes because you will have a great experience getting refreshments within an environment that is filled with scenery that relaxes your mind completely. When you find one restaurant that is found close to appealing natural features such as mountains, you can go out and have fun on the hills without worrying about food because you can get back down quickly and rush to the restaurant for a meal and a few drinks that will make you feel refreshed. Lastly, you should look at the list of foods that are cooked at a particular restaurant so that you use that to select one that provides all the delicacies you ever dreamt of eating.
0.988009	Where can I find a list of mortgage companies that have closed as a result of the mortgage market meltdown in 2007? While I can't think of any good reasons one would ever wish to track such a gruesome thing (other than for cruel sport), the list of mortgage companies that have either scaled back lending or ceased operation altogether over the past 9-months grows longer each day. To date, there is no official source of information about this from any sanctioned entity we know of. One site that comes to mind (and the top of some search-results pages) is the "Implode-o-Meter" located at ml-implode.com. This site presents a rather mean-spirited look at the macabre scene unfolding in the mortgage lending arena. Some State Web sites have begun posting pages dedicated to making information available to concerned mortgage holders. Speaking of body counts, investment bank Lehman brothers and popular consumer brand Capital One today (9/22/2007) announced the closures of BNC Mortgage and GreenPoint Funding, respectively, adding to the year's carnage. On the positive side, spurred on by newly lowered rates available at the Federal Reserve's Discount Window (...now serrrrving #B356!), a syndicate of 40-private banks, lead by Bank of America, today announced the extension of $11B in expanded terms (a.k.a. "just pay us back when you can") credit to Countrywide Financial, the nation's largest mortgage holdings company. As for plans to offer similar credit terms to Joe Q. Pubic, the banks could not be reached for comment.
0.993311	Any logic to character dismissal? Status: offline I have disasters and random events off. I assume character dismissal is not part of that but just in case, I've disabled that. Anyway, question - is there any rhyme / reason to how or why one of your characters are dismissed / removed? Spies make complete logical sense - you lose a spy when you undertake risky mission, or just bad roll of the dice. Either way, it is for me to decide whether my spy has a lower or greater chance to survive a mission. But it seems, almost always early in the start of game, one of my fairly important characters is always dismissed 'for incompetence and grumpiness' or something like that lol. Like my chief scientist or my good colony governor. It's random, but very consistent in that someone you really don't want to lose, just gets randomly dismissed. a) is this dismissal in any way controllable by the player? b) if not, is it just truly random who it picks and when it does the dismissal? Status: offline Partially race based. XHumans seem to dump characters left and right, one of the achievements is for one of the races to win with the same ruler in place they started with. I have had scientists dumped that were inspiring and heavy bonused, while the git with Traitor is kept forever. Status: offline Certainly an annoying feature of the game and one I hope is either refined or removed from dw2. Status: offline Some governments draw from existing character pools. Technocrats elect scientists, Monarchies draw from Governors, Dictatorships draw from Generals/ Admirals. Some governments don't draw from an existing pool but effectively replace an existing leader with a character that didn't exist until it was brought in to replace the older leader. Some races like Ketarov have a race event which replaces a character with an intelligence operative (It's called Security Concerns and is Race Event 15 I think). There is also assassination but that is straightforward, other than these I can't think of anything that would cause random and automatic dismissal of characters unless you are allowing the AI/ Automation to police your characters. The only time I've seen characters dismissed that weren't killed or kicked out by myself directly was when the Automation was turned on for that part of the game and that is me speaking as someone who regularly as sandbox matches that last 200+ years. -game starts, within first year it seems or fairly soon, random guy gets dumped. -maybe its an ikkuro thing but when i have a leader and colony governor, the governor almost always plots and schemes against the ruler, and after my leader has gotten some good level ups - the coup d'etat happens and the governor kills the leader. But then it kind of settles down, some more random dismisals later in game, but it seems the early ones almost seem scripted. It reminds me of the hero shuffle in endless space, except there, you never lose a hero you actually picked, just the ones in your unpicked pool. If DW had a pool of chars you could pick from at game start, I'd much prefer that - and have the random dismissals be from the shuffle pool. Status: offline Check empire policy to see if it's set managing characters to auto. Status: offline Coups, Elections, Replacements are all just leader change events. The only real reason for the 3 distinctions is a combination of RP/ Thematic and temporary impact, in the game elections are typically marked by periods of bonus and growth, replacements are sort of indifferent and Coups are followed by a period of negativity and instability. Each government type as differing intensities on these (Monarchs have a disruption of 0.4 but Feudal is like 1.6 but both are coup governments). Republics will never have replacements or coups only elections, Hives never have anything other than replacements and Monarchies are always coups...etc. That said it is fully possible to mod governments so that Democracy is changed to be coup based, have both bonus and disruption and draw from scientists only if you wanted to. As for character pools, some mods do away from scratch random characters and replace them with more realistic premade characters some even go as far as to make the characters come in some sort of order or chronology. As for "eternal leaders" that requires changing race file info, Gizurean and Visareen are the only widely known races that operate with eternal leaders but you can make any race have them but it can lead to some "balance" issues on occasion depending on character skills. It really does sound however that you have some measure of automation that is making these calls for you, I agree with Herp double check your automation settings. Status: offline You can turn automation off but the real issue is the ai seems to randomly dismiss competent or even critical characters instead of the deadwood which makes the feature pointless as no real empire is going to get rid of a yamamoto or einstein or lincoln because he was having a pissy day. Assassination otoh would be fine as they are prime targets of any rival empires.
0.951563	A look at the countries with confirmed and suspected weapons capabilities. The world's current stockpile of nuclear bombs and warheads is enough to destroy humanity several times over, but the exact number of weapons in existence remains unknown. This is because most countries guard the numbers as closely held national security secrets. Nonethess, in the decade and a half since the Cold War ended, the world's combined stockpile remains high with non-proliferation analysts estimating there are currently around 23,000 weapons in existence - nearly half of which are operational, or ready to use at any time. According to data and estimates compiled by the Federation of American Scientists, the following is a breakdown of the countries that possess - or are believed to possess - nuclear weapons. Russia is believed to have the world's largest nuclear arsenal, with as many as 12,000 warheads. As the former Soviet Union, it was the second country to develop a nuclear weapon, conducting its first test in 1949. In 1961 it tested the world's most-powerful weapon, a hydrogen bomb dubbed the 'Tsar Bomba', with a blast equivalent of more than 50 megatons of TNT. The United States possesses the second largest nuclear arsenal, with a total inventory of around 9,400 nuclear bombs and warheads. It developed the first atomic weapon during World War Two, under the top secret "Manhattan Project", and tested the world's first nuclear weapon in 1945. The US remains the only country to have used nuclear weapons against another nation - Japan. France has an estimated 300 nuclear arms, having conducted its first nuclear test in 1960. Most of its weapons are believed to be deployed on submarines or on air-launched missiles. China is said to possess around 240 warheads, although it remains unclear how many are fully operational and how many are in storage. The country first tested a nuclear device in 1964 and is believed by the Pentagon to have about 20 nuclear armed intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of hitting the US. The United Kingdom has around 185 nuclear weapons, and first tested a device in 1952. All of the UK's nuclear forces are deployed on missiles carried on the Trident submarine fleet. One Trident submarine is kept on constant deployment at any one time. Pakistan is believed to have around 90 warheads and is thought to have begun covert development of nuclear weapons in the late 1970s after rival India conducted its first "peaceful" nuclear explosion. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the country's then prime minister, had said a decade earlier that if India built nuclear weapons, Pakistan would do the same, "even if we have to eat grass". India possesses an estimated 80 warheads and staged its first nuclear test in 1974 using what it called a "peaceful nuclear explosive". It then conducted a series of tests in 1998, triggering the first nuclear tests by neighbouring Pakistan in response. North Korea was a member of the NPT, but withdrew in 2003 after the US accused it of having a secret uranium enrichment programme. It is thought to have conducted two nuclear tests in October 2006 and May 2009, but the degree of success of both tests remains in question. Analysts say there is also little evidence to suggest that North Korea so far has the ability to "weaponise" a nuclear device, to use in an attack on another country. Israel is not a member of the NPT and refuses to officially confirm or deny having a nuclear arsenal, or having developed nuclear weapons. Although the government says that the Negev Nuclear Research Centre, located near the town of Dimona is a "research reactor", no reports based on what work is carried out there have ever been published. Analysts however, estimate that the country holds up to 80 nuclear warheads.
0.999999	You can easily purchase goods through online platforms and as well run your business in an efficient and broad way after embracing online marketing tools that can help to capture the attention of a large number of customers. In the essence of helping business holders to boost their online marketing strategies, the best SEO companies have come up with a perfect platform where impressive SEO services can be offered that will in the end satisfy the clients to some considerable level. As a result, individuals with an aim of promoting their online marketing tactics are advised to go through the newly updated reviews where they can identify SEO professionals with excellent reviews. The new technology often comes along with auto SEO calculators that can help to compute and track down ranks, traffic and rate of conversions, bearing in mind that detailed online forms are guaranteed where clients can fill their details with ease. The excellent SEO tools usually provided social media followers with quality blogs and web pages that are tend to capture their attention to a level of helping them to learn about the marketed services and products, leading to increased conversion of leads to prospective customers. A business that has embraced the excellent keywords can easily improve online visibility, bearing in mind that they quality keywords guarantee the best and faster results which may end-up developing the best platform where new leads can be generated and converted. In many cases, the best SEO companies make a point of obtaining improved licenses from the government to guarantee legal operations, while the acquired certification with regulatory boards guarantee quality SEO services that have been scrutinized fully. Incredibly, the best SEO companies usually satisfy the clients with improved content either in understandable and simplified options or in custom choices which can guarantee easier navigation from one page to another. Improved email and messaging systems are often ascertained by qualified SEO companies to ensure that the latest messaging and emailing platforms are availed to a level of helping the clients to closely track the generated leads for easier conversion to potential customers. The amazing SEO services are provided at competitive price options as well as enjoyable discounts, making it possible for all willing clients to afford at no much hassle to an extent of building a mutual relationship. More so, premium SEO services can be conveniently offered by the committed support staff that is on call at all times so as to satisfy the clients with twenty-four hour services, making it easier for a prompt reply to be guaranteed for any live chat, phone call or email. In a nutshell, the best SEO services are satisfied via the cutting-edge websites that hold custom icons, helping the clients to choose the relevant SEO solutions with ease, be able to book appointments with SEO experts and also receive the latest updates.
0.944488	What would videogames be like if their development was completely unfettered by market concerns? To find out, 14 renegade programmers gather once a year in a remote California barn for a weekend of fevered coding. Last year, they set 100,000 characters loose onscreen. This spring, they tried using moving bodies as controllers. At the end of the Indie Game Jam, there were scads of prototypes - some playable, all provocative. (For complete session results - and open source code for the games - visit www.indiegamejam.com.) We asked three attendees what big idea keeps them up at night. The cred: Programmer, Oddworld Inhabitants, Brooklyn, New York. Worked on Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee. The idea: A solar yacht race that requires control of complex physical factors (light, motion, gravity) and navigation. Ships maneuver by silver sails, which gather momentum from the sun's rays. You gain the upper hand by putting your opponent in the shadows. The spark: "The system should be hard enough that mastering it is rewarding. When you're really cooking along with a task and in tune with the game's tools, it gives you a sense of power." The cred: Programmer, Ion Storm, Austin, Texas. Working on Thief 3 and Deus Ex: Invisible War. The idea: A multiplayer cyberpunk crime simulation. You and five accomplices knock over a bank. The team engineers the job, with one or more players handling the physical action (busting in with guns) and others hacking behind the scenes (disabling the security system). The spark: "Sound is the only component of a game that we can currently simulate at a level completely indistinguishable from the real world. Until the graphics and interface catch up, I want to join the real and virtual in the game." The cred: Programmer and Indie Game Jam cofounder, Oakland, California. The idea: A rock-climbing adventure that captures the rhythm of the sport. Use the mouse to move a limb, then test if your fingers or toes can hold onto an outcropping's thin ledge. It's like tapping the science of physical exertion. The spark: "Physics has the potential to increase the richness and subtlety of a player's interaction with the game world. At the same time, it must stay airtight and consistent, so we maintain a suspension of disbelief."
0.943174	Earrings, ornaments decorating the ears, have been one of the principal forms of jewelry throughout recorded history. The term usually refers to ornaments worn attached to the earlobes, though in the late twentieth century it expanded somewhat to include ornaments worn on other parts of the ear, such as ear cuffs, and is used to describe pieces of jewelry in earring form, even when they are worn through piercings in other parts of the body (for example, in the nose). The most common means of attaching earrings to the earlobes has been to pierce holes in the lobes, through which a loop or post may be passed. But a variety of other devices have also been used, including spring clips, tensioning devices such as screw backs, and, for particularly heavy earrings, loops passing over the top of the ear or attaching to the hair or headdress. In many cultures and contexts, earrings have traditionally been worn as symbols of cultural or tribal identity, as markers of age, marital status, or rank, or because they are believed to have protective or medicinal powers. Even when they have served other purposes, however, the primary function of earrings has been a decorative one. As earrings are so prominently placed near the face, and at the juncture between costume and coiffure, they, perhaps more than any other element of jewelry, have been particularly responsive to changes in fashion; as hairstyles, hats, collars, and necklines have risen and fallen, earrings have correspondingly increased and decreased in size and prominence, and during many periods they have been instrumental in balancing and tying together the desired fashionable appearance. In antiquity, earrings were one of the most popular forms of jewelry. The crescent-shaped gold hoops worn by Sumerian women around 2500 B.C.E. are the earliest earrings for which there is archaeological evidence. By 1000 B.C.E., tapered hoop (also known as boat-shaped) earrings, most commonly of gold but also of silver and bronze, had spread throughout the Aegean world and Western Asia. In Crete and Cyprus, earrings were embellished with twisted gold wire, clusters of beads, and pendants stamped out of thin sheet gold. In Egypt, earrings were introduced about 1500 B.C.E. and were later worn by both men and women. Many Egyptian earrings took the form of thick, mushroom-shaped studs or plugs, which required an enlarged hole to be stretched in the earlobe; these could be of gold, with a decorated front surface, or of humbler materials such as colored glass or carved jasper. Ear studs consisting of two capped tubes that screwed together could be worn alone, but some also had elaborate pendants of gold cornflowers, or falcons with flexible tail feathers inlaid with glass. In the first millennium B.C.E., Etruscan and Greek goldsmiths brought new refinement and artistry to earrings, which were valued as both an adornment and a sign of wealth. Variations on the hoop were the so-called leech earring, a thick tube secured by a hidden wire, and the Etruscan box-type earring, which encased the earlobe in a wide horizontal cylinder. Disk earrings, with pendants in the form of amphorae (ancient Greek jars), figures of Eros, and decorative beads and chains, were another popular form, joined about 330 B.C.E. by twisted gold hoops with animal-head finials. All of these forms were stamped out of thin sheets of gold and decorated with fine palmettes, scrolls, and flowers in twisted wire and granulation; such earrings were fairly light in weight, but gave an extremely rich effect. Roman earrings were similar to Etruscan styles until the first century C.E., when new styles with disks and pendants mounted on s-shaped ear hooks appeared. Colored stones and pearls were favored, and earring styles proliferated to satisfy the Roman taste for ostentatious display. At its height, the Roman Empire had the effect of standardizing styles of jewelry over much of the known world; after the center of influence shifted to Byzantium (Constantinople) in C.E. 330, and Roman influence began to decline, local variations once more emerged. Characteristic Byzantine earrings were plain gold hoops with multiple pearl pendants hung on chains, and crescent-shaped earrings of gold filigree. In Europe, earrings virtually disappeared between the eleventh and sixteenth centuries, as hairstyles and headdresses that completely covered the ears, and later high ruff collars, made them impractical. Earrings finally began to revive in the late sixteenth century, as ruffs gave way to standing collars. At first, complex enameled designs were popular, but improved techniques of gem cutting soon shifted the emphasis to faceted diamonds. In the seventeenth century, large, pear-shaped pearl pendants were a favorite earring style, and those who could afford to do so wore two in each ear. It was also fashionable to wear pendant earrings on strings or ribbons threaded through the earlobes and tied in bows, and to tie ribbon bows at the tops of earrings to achieve the same effect. Similar earring styles were also worn by fashionable gentlemen, but usually in one ear only. By the late seventeenth century, earrings had become an essential element of dress, and larger and more elaborate forms began to develop. Two of these became the dominant styles of the eighteenth century: the girandole, in which a single top cluster branches out like a chandelier to support three pear-shaped drops, and the pendeloque, a top cluster with a long single pendant. New sources of diamonds, along with new methods of cutting them, developed early in the eighteenth century, made them the material of choice for jewelry, and high-quality paste imitations were also available. Glittering girandoles and pendeloques, visually tied to the ears by stylized ribbon bows of diamonds set in silver, effectively balanced the high, powdered hairstyles of the period. Despite their refined and delicate appearance, such large earrings were quite heavy; some had additional rings soldered to the tops, permitting the wearer to take some of the weight off of her ears by tying the earrings to her hair. When the neoclassical style of dress and simpler hairstyles came into fashion at the end of the eighteenth century, earrings became lighter and simpler. Jewelry of cut steel, seed pearls, Berlin iron, and strongly colored materials such as coral and jet, harmonized well with neoclassical fashions, and classically inspired cameos and intaglios were set in all kinds of jewelry. Heavy girandoles gave way to pendant earrings composed of flat, geometric elements connected by light chains. "Top-and-drop" earrings, composed of a small top element attached to the ear wire, from which a larger, often teardrop-shaped element is suspended, also came to the fore around 1800, and remained the most popular earring style throughout the nineteenth century. Matched sets of jewelry, known as parures, assumed new importance in the nineteenth century, and they were available even to women of modest means. These sets usually included at least a matching necklace or brooch and earrings, but could also include bracelets, buckles, and a tiara or tiara-comb. In the 1810s and 1820s, the trend toward lighter and more delicate jewelry continued, and settings of gold filigree or elaborate wirework (known as cannetille) were very popular. In the 1820s, a romantic interest in the past also inspired jewelry designers to revive historical styles from the ancient world to the eighteenth century, and a modified version of the girandole earring returned, along with elaborate gothic tracery and rococo-revival scroll-work. As hairstyles became more elaborate in the 1830s, earrings became more prominent, with small tops and long drops reaching nearly to the shoulders. In spite of their size, these earrings were fairly light in weight, owing to lightweight settings of gold cannetille or of repoussé (embossed relief raised from behind with a hammer), which had largely replaced cannetille by the 1840s. Earrings with long, torpedo-shaped drops of carved gemstones with applied gold filigree were also popular, many with detachable drops to allow the tops to be worn alone. In the late 1840s and through the 1850s, a new hair-style, with hair parted in the middle and gathered to the back of the head in loops that covered the ears, caused a virtual disappearance of earrings. Around 1860, once again owing to a return to upswept hairstyles, long pendant earrings made a comeback, and through the 1860s and 1870s they were produced in an astonishing variety of styles. One major theme was historical revival, with Egyptian and Classical styles particularly popular. Some revival earrings, such as those produced by the Castellani family in Rome, were fairly faithful reproductions of recent archaeological discoveries; others were fanciful pastiches of classical earring forms, architectural elements, and other motifs such as amphorae. Earrings with carved classical reliefs of coral or lava, or Roman glass micro-mosaics, were very fashionable, and were often brought back as souvenirs by travelers to Italy. Other popular styles were naturalistic renditions of leaves, flowers, insects, and birds' nests in gold, enamel, and semiprecious stones; enameled renaissance-revival styles; and, for more precious gems, floral sprays and cascades. A new style in the 1870s was the fringe or tassel earring, with a graduated fringe of pointed drops suspended from a large oval pendant. In the last two decades of the nineteenth century, large pendant earrings went out of fashion, in part because they were incompatible with the newly fashionable high dress and blouse collars, and with the elaborate "dog collar" necklaces worn for evening, which almost completely covered the neck. Small single-stone and cluster earrings, either firmly mounted to the ear wire or mounted as pendants to move and catch the light, were the most commonly worn style through the early twentieth century. The most fashionable earrings of all were diamond solitaires, which became more available after the opening of the South African diamond fields in the late 1860s. New cutting machines and open-claw settings, both of which increased the amount of light reflected by diamonds and made solitaire earrings more appealing, were developed in the 1870s. To prevent valuable diamond earrings from being lost, catches were added to secure the bottoms of the ear wires. Another innovation, first patented in 1878, was the earring cover, a small hinged sphere of gold, sometimes finished in black enamel, which could be snapped over a diamond earring to protect it from loss or theft. By the end of the century diamond ear studs (also called screws), with a threaded post passing through the ear, and held securely in back by a nut screwed onto the post, were also popular. By 1900, as earrings declined in size and importance, many women stopped wearing them altogether. Some commentators denounced ear-piercing as barbaric, and women who pierced their ears were considered "fast," or not quite respectable. (In the United States, some of the reaction against pierced ears may be credited to the desire of "native" Americans to distinguish themselves from the large numbers of immigrant women, almost all with pierced ears, who were arriving from Europe at the time.) In spite of piercing's negative image, small screw earrings continued to be worn, and new screw-back fittings, which could be tightened onto unpierced earlobes, were available for those who did not wish to pierce their ears. Around 1908, pendant earrings were revived, but with light, articulated drops of smaller stones rather than single-stone drops; diamonds, pearls, and stones matching the color of the costume were the most popular materials. The earring revival continued into the 1910s, aided considerably by a growing acceptance of costume jewelry. Jewelry could now be selected for its decorative value rather than its intrinsic value, and women could afford to own many pairs of earrings to match particular costumes; the rise of costume jewelry also made ear piercing less necessary, as women were less concerned about losing inexpensive earrings. (Many women, as was still true in the early 2000s, also had adverse reactions to the cheaper metals used in costume jewelry, which made pierced earrings seem less practical.) The fashion for the Oriental and exotic inspired by Paul Poiret and the Ballets Russes was reflected in bead necklaces and long drop earrings of Chinese amber, jade, black and red jet (glass), and carved tortoiseshell. Empire-revival fashions also inspired a revival of nineteenth-century jewelry styles and materials, including cut steel and cameos. By the early 1920s, earrings were again almost universally worn, and the range of exotic styles had expanded to include hoop and pendant earrings of Spanish or Gypsy inspiration, Egyptian styles inspired by the discovery of King Tutankhamen's tomb in 1922, nineteenth-century antiques, and picturesque "peasant" styles from around the world. As reported by the New York Times in 1922, in the 1920s earrings could "no longer … be considered as an article of jewelry; they are the article of jewelry." With dress styles now comparatively simple, and many women bobbing their hair, earrings were considered an essential finishing touch-a means both of filling in the area between the ear and shoulder and of expressing the wearer's personality. Bold geometric pendant earrings, made of diamonds and platinum contrasted with strongly colored materials such as onyx and lapis lazuli, were displayed at the Exposition International des Arts Décoratifs in 1925, and this style, which became known as Art Deco, remained popular for both precious and costume earrings for the remainder of the decade. In the early 1930s, although there was no sudden change in style, earrings began to move closer to the head again, partly in response to smaller, close-fitting hats and the return of high, tied and ruffled collars. Another major influence was the introduction, in 1931, of clip fastenings for earrings, which made it possible to concentrate ornamentation over the earlobe, and compact designs following the line of the ear soon became popular. Matching earrings, bracelets, and other jewelry made of brightly colored bakelite were another signature 1930s look. For evening, long earrings in Art Deco style were still popular, but earrings with white stones (diamonds or pastes) were now the most popular, and the pendants now added volume by branching out to the sides, in a modern version of the girandole, or "chandelier," style. In the 1940s, compact clips or screw backs, often made with a matching brooch, were the dominant earring style. Gold, strongly colored stones, and bolder, more sculptural forms were now preferred, in keeping with the padded shoulders and highly structured coiffures of the period. Close-to-the-ear styles, with clip or screw backs, continued to be the most popular in the 1950s, but settings became more delicate, to harmonize with the more deliberately feminine fashions in the years following Christian Dior's 1947 "New Look" collection. An important look of the 1950s was the matched set of choker necklace and button earrings, and these were produced in a wide variety of styles and materials, including newly developed plastics. White and colored rhinestones were popular, as were beads and faux pearls of all kinds, colors, and finishes, often looped in multiple strands around the neck, and fastened with a clasp of clustered beads matching the earrings. Ear piercing, while still not common, began to revive in the early 1950s; in the United States, the trend began as a fad among college girls, and Queen Elizabeth II set an example for many in England when she had her ears pierced in order to be able to wear diamond earrings she received as a wedding present in 1947. In the 1960s, as in the 1920s, clean-lined dresses and hairstyles, including the long, straight hair popular later in the decade, provided an ideal background for large and decorative earrings. Earrings were again among the most important of accessories, and were often designed to stand alone, rather than as part of a matched set. In both fine and costume jewelry, abstraction was popular, and creative design, visual impact, and wit were often considered more important than the intrinsic value of jewelry. Hoop earrings were one of the signature styles of the decade, and they appeared in designs inspired by tribal jewelry, enormous space-age styles of chrome and plastic, and kinetic designs of concentric, articulated rings. Ethnic styles, particularly from India and the Near East, were also popular, and delicate dangling earrings helped to propel handcrafted sterling silver jewelry, which had been growing in popularity since the 1940s, into the fashion mainstream. By the early 1970s, the new fashionable ideal was the "natural look," and large costume earrings disappeared in favor of smaller and more delicate earrings, usually of silver or gold, and almost always worn in pierced ears. In terms of design, earrings remained fairly inconspicuous throughout the decade, though they were given new prominence by the fashion for multiple piercings in the same ear, which began as a teenage fashion around the middle of the decade, and continued into the twenty-first century to be a popular way to wear earrings. Earrings worn in the upper part of the ear, and ear cuffs, which grip the edge of the upper ear, were fashions introduced late in the decade. The 1970s was also when earrings for men returned to fashion after a 300-year absence; earrings had continued to be worn by sailors, by some homosexual men, and by members of groups such as motorcycle gangs, but many more men now began to wear single earrings largely for their decorative value. Large and flashy earrings, both real and frankly fake, returned in the 1980s, to balance the bolder shapes and colors, padded shoulders, high-volume hairstyles, and dramatic makeup then in fashion. Chunky button earrings covering the lower half of the ear and large pendant hoops were popular styles, and common finishes were shiny gold, bright colors contrasted with black, and a variety of bronzed and iridescent metallic finishes. Even relatively understated earrings tended toward strong shapes, worn close to the earlobe; though most women still had pierced ears, clips were popular because they kept earrings close to the head, and because they distributed the weight of heavier styles. In the early 1990s, silver, brushed finishes, and simple, elegant earrings began to succeed the shiny gold and jagged shapes of the 1980s, in keeping with the monochromatic and minimalist mood of fashion. At the same time, the trend toward simple, versatile clothes that could be dressed up or down inspired women to use elaborate or unusual earrings to vary the effect of an ensemble, and earring styles proliferated. Since the mid-1990s, there has not been a dominant style in earrings, although historical revivals have been an important trend; the popularity of glamorous "chandelier" earrings inspired the return of girandole and top-and- drop designs from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, along with the more familiar kinetic designs of the 1920s and 1960s. Earrings have become a popular form of personal expression, and how and when they are worn, along with their function within an ensemble, became largely a matter of personal choice. See also Bracelets; Brooches and Pins; Costume Jewelry; Jewelry; Necklaces and Pendants. Andrews, Carol. Ancient Egyptian Jewellery. London: British Museum Publications, 1990. Bury, Shirley. Jewellery 1789-1910-The International Era. 2 vols. Woodbridge, Suffolk, U.K.: Antique Collectors' Club, 1991. Fales, Martha Gandy. Jewelry in America 1600-1900. Wood-bridge, Suffolk, U.K.: Antique Collectors' Club, 1995. "Fashions: Earrings Essential Now for Smart Dressing." New York Times (23 July 1922): 80. Flowers, Margaret. Victorian Jewellery. New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1951. Mascetti, Daniela, and Amanda Triossi. Earrings from Antiquity to the Present. London: Thames and Hudson, Inc., 1990. Scarisbrick, Diana. Jewellery. London: B. T. Batsford, Ltd., 1984. --. Tudor and Jacobean Jewellery. London: Tate Publishing, 1995. Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. Jewelry, Ancient to Modern. New York: Viking Press, 1979.
0.976088	What steps do I take to search for a job in Australia? How often do Australians change jobs? Every country’s job market is slightly individual, and if you’re trying to get a job in a state or territory of Australia, or if you’re trying to change jobs within Australia, there are certain steps you need to take. If you’ve been in your current job for a while, you may have a desire to move on to another position when the opportunity arises. Implementing smart tactics that help you with your job search can make it feel less time-consuming and tedious, especially when you are juggling full-time work and other regular commitments. While it may be easy for some to use up their lunch break to look for another job, not having a proper strategy in mind can make job searching feel meaningless. According to the Australian Institute of Business, Australians on average change jobs every 3.3 years. This varies depending on the age of the individual as people who are under the age of 25 tend to change jobs within 1 year and 8 months while those who are over 45, tend to stay for 6 years and 8 months. The benefits of changing a job could potentially increase your salary, offer career advancements and can help build your professional network. It also gives you the opportunity to meet new people, experience different workplace cultures and management styles. However, it’s important to keep in mind that while it’s good to job hop every once in a while, changing positions too often could hurt your career prospects as some employers may look into your work history and assume that you have a time limit and aren’t committed to be in a position for the long haul. Despite the facts mentioned above, if you’re physically and mentally prepared for your next shiny job opportunity, it’s encouraged you follow the tactics below to make your job search as smooth as possible. A Forbes article mentions that taking time off when undertaking a job search is called a ‘Job Hunting Sabbatical’. When you have some annual leave saved up, it’s a good idea to take off work for a day or two and use it as time to focus on your job search. You can take the opportunity to update your resume, create tailored cover letters and ensure that every job application you submit is well-enough to be considered for a job interview. This is a good tactic to implement, especially if you’re working full-time and would rather not fill your weekends of scouring through the internet to find that new job opportunity. When it comes to developing a winning job search strategy, Hays Specialist Recruitment says that you must identify your ‘must haves’ in your next position. If you are after a role with more responsibilities, flexibility and a great workplace culture, this should refine your options when it comes to job hunting since these are specific to your own career needs. Don’t be afraid to be picky when it comes to applying for your next position. The last thing you want is to land a job you hate, so learn as much as possible about your future employers and read each position description carefully before applying. The good thing about job search engines such as Seek, Indeed and Jora is that you are able to save any searches you make about specific job roles and have these sent via email on a regular basis. This is handy for those who don’t want to manually search everyday since you automatically receive daily alerts specific to the job titles you want and the location you’re based at, saving you time and hassle. If you don’t want to use any hours of your accrued leave when seeking a new opportunity, allocate some time during the week where you will commit to sending out job applications and/or updating your cover letter and resume. If you’re about to graduate from a course or simply want to leave your current position, you may need to dedicate a minimum of 8 hours per week to job hunting. If you have been recently unemployed, you can dedicate a maximum of 40 hours a week, treating job hunting as a full-time job in the meantime. According to Business Insider Australia, the peak period where everyone starts job hunting is in January. Most people have changing jobs as one of their top resolutions for the new year, which explains the spike in numbers of people submitting job applications during the time period. However, since it’s after the Christmas holidays, most hiring managers may have extended leave, making competition for specific job titles high as there are less job postings available. The best time to look for a new job in Australia is around Spring time since job postings are at its highest and there is less competition for work. This works well for those in the retail and hospitality sectors since most companies are looking into filling casual positions for Christmas around September. Furthermore, in the first quarter (July - October) of the financial year, hiring managers tend to have more flexibility when it comes to their budgets and are more likely to make new hires during this time period. While there is a drop in hiring once summer kicks off, it’s still a great idea to keep job hunting since you’ll be competing with less people and are more likely to land a job interview. Some companies still want candidates to fill positions in December since it’s the perfect time to transition into a new role with plenty of time to train up new hires, attend Christmas parties and get to know new colleagues that could enable a smoother induction process. If you’re ready for a career transition or simply want to do a new role in your existing industry, check out Upskilled’s ‘Your career’ section where you can explore industries such as accounting and finance, marketing, IT and management, learning more about what they have to offer for you. Once you have selected the industry of your choice like Marketing, you will be able to see the job roles of Marketing Officer, Marketing Manager, etc. and view job growth predictions, salary expectations and key skills you need to be able to successfully do the role. If you find that you lack the study qualifications for the position you are after, start your course search here and enquire about our diplomas, certificates and short courses by speaking to one of our friendly education consultants. Do you need to Upskill to find a job within Australia? Following the tactics above can help you with your job search, however, there are other important factors to consider such as your goals, motivation and how much time you’re actually willing to put into job hunting. Just remember, no matter how determined you are with finding your next position, it’s also important to take time out and avoid job-search burn out.
0.999692	On rare days the sun would reach into the suite on the 33rd floor, beating city dirt and the protective shroud of many curtains to cast around inside the room. The windows were a risk, but he had to keep them open for the bird. The danger of open access to his interior world was obvious. On this particular day a diffuse patch of light had cheated the curtains, dived through the makeshift lattice of drapes and shawls and lit up the face of the man. Before him on a smoked glass table sat 33 matchsticks, arranged into peace symbols, 3 per shape. The man gazed at the matchsticks and ruminated, waiting for the flutter that would herald her arrival. Each day the pigeon arrived at the same hour, 3.33 pm. In the 33 minutes running up to the momentous hour, the man would halt the entire complex labyrinth of his work and take one matchstick away from the group per minute. This was his daily release as he awaited instructions from the pigeon, and with the furore and complications surrounding his most recent invention, it was a much needed distraction. The pigeon had her own routine. Unlike the grey multitude (who he loved also, though not to the same degree) that waddled on his windowsills and shat copiously, his pigeon simply hovered at eye level, the beautiful white form gently entering his room and alighting on his desk. Recently, however, the pigeon seemed tired. The man would cross the spotless living room of his two-room suite, and throw back the drapes before she arrived. The curtains were essential, he reassured himself, despite the elevation of the hotel room. Without them, who knows what devious methods they would employ to steal his ideas? The man would then converse with the pigeon for three minutes. Once the conversation was over, he would produce some of his special seeds, count out 33, and drop them for the bird to eat. The pigeon would then take to the wing and dive away from the ledge, sailing out into the New York afternoon. She arrived whatever the weather, invisible against the windowsill snow, lit up by the early death of the winter sun. Without the pigeon, the man knew, he was nothing. For some time, the pigeon had been coming inside his room, to truly share the ideas he was seething with. The charged particle beam had consumed him. He knew that there was a limited amount of time remaining in which he could complete his plans, and without the support he needed he must do it alone. Even despite his treatment at the many gloved hands of the world, the man was surprised by how difficult the negotiations for his most recent invention really were. Theoretically, the concept was valid. The directed-energy weapon was, in his mind at least, capable of firing ultra-concentrated energy through the air. He smiled as he shuffled the matchsticks. In his mind, the superweapon could bring world peace. Of course, the experimental laboratory could not be housed within the suite, but was nearby, 33 blocks away to be precise. There, the open-ended vacuum tube sealed by a gas jet could charge particles with innumerable volts. Using electrostatic repulsion, his weapon would be the prize of any defence department. He was considering the current negotiations with MI5 when the telephone suddenly sounded. He frowned, hating the interruption to his routine. He reached the telephone within two rings, but he let it ring a third time before picking up. He was silent, holding the receiver away from his ear and mouth. He had wiped it just that morning, yet he wasn’t entirely sure whether it still looked clean. Her, again, when would she understand? He wished that the ‘Do Not Disturb’ that he had placed on his door and never removed could extend to the telephone. Eventually he responded, very quietly. “Waiting for my friend to arrive.” She sighed, was silent herself for several seconds. He thought he heard some kind of interference on the line, looked at the receiver quizzically. He hung up and went back to his matchsticks, moving three at a time to make up the lost minutes. He thought of all he had accomplished and all that had been torn from him. His precious ideas, the inheritance he would leave to the world, and he wondered what it had all been for? Had he really changed the world as he intended? Had he used his unique understanding and creative brilliance wisely? It certainly didn’t feel like it. He was sinking, and without the pigeon the strength that had propelled him through the maelstrom of life would evaporate, diving away from the ledge like the bird herself. 3.33 pm came, and the man went to the window and opened the curtains. The room, three desks adjoined and heaped with paper, suddenly opened up to the sun. The bird was late, which had not happened since the start of the routine around three years before. The man made a note to check the exact calendar date, a bit over three years, he expected. The bird arrived around three minutes later, three minutes and thirty-three seconds, according to his stopwatch. It flew uncertainly into the room and weekly circled three times before alighting on his desk. Was it the particle beam of his imagination sprung to incinerate his workings?It was not any old white pigeon. The bird was absolutely beautiful. Taking the 33 seeds from his pocket, the man counted them onto his desk – 3,6,9 etc. The bird would not eat and so the man went to the stove, where he kept a large pot of boiled water. It was freshly cooked and could not be contaminated, it was good enough for the bird, the man thought. He reached out and touched the light grey wingtips and thought about what a particle beam would do to those feathers. Of the thousands of pigeons he had nourished and cared for over the years, this was different. He crooned to the bird: “Magnificent girl. What can I do for you? How can I help you?” and the bird stared up at him through impenetrable eyes and it barely moved. Despite her sickness, however, the man had never seen a whiter pigeon. She was so white that there was no chance of impurity, so white he could stroke her and know she was clean. For several days the man stayed beside the bird as she became weaker and weaker. Her illness was obvious and permanent and although the man did not know how much longer it would be he maintained a constant vigil. Over time, it became clear that she would die, and the man watched her intently, waiting for some signal that it was near. He watched very closely, as if waiting for a message. All of a sudden the room was lit with an intense ray of light. Was it the particle beam of his imagination sprung to incinerate his workings? It was so bright and pure, the man had to shield his eyes and turn his head away. He had never seen or created anything so piercing. When he turned back, the white pigeon was dead. He took the tiny body and placed it upon the window ledge. He started to say a few words about returning to the air, but he could muster nothing. From that moment forth his curtains were open. The fight was gone from him. Beaten ragged by a world without credence, the pigeon was the final breaking point. The man sat slumped and dejected in his chair. Sometimes he would turn to the window in hope, but the bird was gone. Daniel has tons more amazing work here.
0.99979	Many people don't take taxi's anymore, due to the rise in ride sharing services and they all have their own apps to hail a ride. There are many available out there, and some regions have different options. Which are the best ride sharing Android apps out there? Let's have a look. This is definitely the definition of "ride sharing". Instead of hailing a car to take you some place, Waze Rider will hook you up with someone that is already heading in that same direction. It's basically carpooling, and cheaper than getting a taxi. It's great because it helps keep cars off the roads. However it is only available in a few cities right now. Uber is easily the king of ride sharing. Right now, Uber is available in just about every major city and in most countries. Uber has made it easy to just pull out your phone and request a car to come pick you up and take you to your destination. The app does have some nifty features, including the ability to split the fare between you and a friend, and the ability to see the route Uber is putting you on. Using the Grab app, you can grab a car, a bike or even hitch a ride with someone. The app is only available for those in Southeast Asia, unfortunately, but it gives you the ability to choose different methods of transportation. Being able to find a bike to grab and use to get to your destination is a big deal in Southeast Asia, and it's a popular part of this app too. Getting a taxi in New York City can be pretty rough. Luckily Gett is here to help. With the tap of a button on your smartphone, you can request a Black Car to come and pick you up. It's a bit more luxurious then the typical yellow cabs found in the city. Additionally, they offer rides for a flat $10 to anywhere in Manhattan, which is pretty impressive. Lyft isn't as popular as Uber, but it is slightly cheaper, especially on longer rides. The Lyft app allows you to quickly request a ride, and you can see the route you're taking to your destination. Additionally, you can expense your ride - say you are on a business trip or something similar - through the app thanks to Expensify being integrated. With Easy, you can book a taxi or share a ride with someone, all through the app. Easy is available in 420 cities, and makes getting from Point A to Point B much simpler. Like many other apps on this list, it will find your location, and then you can select to have a car meet you there and pick you up within a few minutes. Hailo is another great ride sharing app that is really popular in Europe. It's similar to Uber, but it's more popular in Europe, which means there are actually more cars around to pick you up, instead of having to wait for long periods of time. The app works just like the majority of the ones here, it uses your location to find you and then you request a ride. This is more car sharing than ride sharing. Zipcar allows you to find cars to basically rent by the hour. So instead of being driven around, you can drive yourself around. Zipcar is available in most major cities in the US and across the UK. Additionally they are located on many college campuses. Making it easier for college kids to use a car to go do some grocery shopping or go to the mall without owning a car. Curb is another ride sharing app that isn't quite available everywhere, but it is currently available in over 60 cities throughout the US. Curb will allow you to request your ride through the app, and then also pay for that ride in the app without having to do a single thing. This is another app that isn't actually a ride sharing app, but it is pretty useful for those that use ride sharing services like Uber and Lyft. This is essentially a meter for your ride. Just open the app and start up your ride, after you choose which service you're using, and it'll start to meter your ride for you. So you'll have a better idea of what you'll be paying once you reach your destination.
0.99711	Welfare minister Lord Freud has admitted that people "may have to move" as a result of housing benefit changes. The admission comes as the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced it has commissioned an independent consortium to carry out a two-year review to evaluate the effects of recent Local Housing Allowance changes. In answer to a starred question in the House by Lord Kennedy, who asked what the are implications of housing benefit reform for the geographic distribution of low income families, Lord Freud said: "My Lords, our published impact documents specify average losses by local authority. We expect that a very small proportion of people may have to move as a result of the Housing Benefit reforms, with a minimal impact on the geographic distribution of low income families. "My department has commissioned a consortium of leading research organisations to comprehensively evaluate the effects of recent Local Housing Allowance changes." Among major reforms to housing benefit, April saw the introduction of a cap on the maximum payments from £250-a-week for a one-bedroom property to £400 for a four-bed home. Existing claimants will see changes from January 2012. A £26,000-a-year cap on total household benefits will be rolled out from April 2013. April also saw changes to the way the Local Housing Allowance – used to determine housing benefit payments – is calculated. Rather than being based on the median of rents in the area – or the 50th percentile, it will instead be set at the 30th percentile. In other words it will produce lower amounts. The announcement of the £400-a-week limit on housing benefit sparked outcry earlier this year, with some MPs warning of an exodus of poorer families from expensive areas of London and other cities. London Mayor Boris Johnson warned he would not accept the “Kosovo-style social cleansing” of the capital. The consortium, leading the DWP review, is led by Ian Cole from the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR) at Sheffield Hallam University. The research, which looks at the impacts of the changes at a national and local level and its effects on local housing markets, will produce initial findings early in 2012, with a full interim report by late spring and a final report in 2013. Ian Cole, Professor of Housing Studies in CRESR at Sheffield Hallam University and leader of the Consortium, said: "The changes to Local Housing Allowance are central to the Government's welfare reforms and I'm delighted to be leading this independent assessment which will look at the initial impact they will have on both landlords and claimants over the next two years. "The review will evaluate the impact the reforms have had in different local authorities across Britain, and I look forward to working with the Institute of Fiscal Studies, Ipsos MORI and Professor Peter Kemp of Oxford institute of Social Policy in tracking the effects of this crucial policy reform as they unfold". Other key team members of the review group are Peter Kemp of Oxford Institute of Social Policy, Carl Emmerson of the Institute for Fiscal Studies and Ben Marshall from Ipsos MORI.
0.999925	The Carolina Panthers somehow found a way to have a last-gasp chance to beat the Atlanta Falcons after twice trailing by 14 points in the second half.Welcome back to the NFC South. It shaping up to be another entertaining race.Playing without injured running back Devonta Freeman Youth Deion Jones Jersey , the Falcons still had big production on the ground and survived Cam Newton's desperation pass to the end zone as time expired to beat the Panthers 31-24 on Sunday.It was a dramatic ending to a rivalry game."At the end, I don't think there was anybody who wasn't up and screaming and feeling wild," said Falcons coach Dan Quinn. "You couldn't hear anything."It was an important win for the Falcons (1-1) following last week's loss at Philadelphia in their opener. With another loss, they would have trailed the Panthers (1-1) and Tampa Bay by two games only two weeks into the season. Instead, they're one of three teams tied at 1-1, with only the Buccaneers still unbeaten in the division that sent three teams to the playoffs last season.Matt Ryan passed for 272 yards with two touchdowns and had his first career game with two rushing touchdowns for Atlanta. Freeman was held out with a sore right knee, and Tevin Coleman ran for 107 yards in his starting role. Rookie Ito Smith added 46 yards rushing as the Falcons ran for 170 yards.Atlanta led 24-10 following Ryan's 1-yard scoring run in the third quarter and 31-17 following his improbable 8-yard scoring run midway through the final period.Newton's 51-yard touchdown pass to rookie D.J. Moore cut the lead to seven points. Newton looked for Moore again on the game's final play. Moore couldn't adjust after linebacker De'Vondre Campbell missed a chance for an interception."I had a good shot at it but it just came down too fast through his arms as I reacted," Moore said.Here are some takeaways from the Falcons' win in their home opener:EJECTIONFalcons safety Damontae Kazee was ejected after leading with his helmet on a hit to Newton early in the second quarter. Newton slid after a run before the hit by Kazee Youth Grady Jarrett Jersey , the fill-in starter for Keanu Neal, who will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury.Newton was quickly checked on the sideline before returning to the field without missing a play."It was fine," Newton said. "It looked worse than it was. I'm just lucky that nothing pretty much happened. This game isn't fit for cheap shots like that but at the end of the day you can't blame him. He's playing as hard as he can, I'm playing as hard as I can."MEMORABLE TDsFalcons rookie Calvin Ridley got a chance to celebrate his first NFL catch . Then his first touchdown.The top pick out of Alabama hauled in an 11-yard scoring pass from Ryan with 4:03 left in the first half, erasing Carolina's early 10-3 lead. Ridley had four catches for 64 yards after being held without a reception in Week 1.Similarly, Moore's 51-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter was the first career catch for the Panthers' rookie.BRACE MALFUNCTION II: Matt Schaub made his first appearance since the 2016 season, but it was for only one ugly play.Schaub, Ryan's backup Womens Matt Bryant Jersey , entered the game after Ryan ran to the sideline following a 5-yard run in the first quarter. Ryan slid on the play, causing the brace on his left knee to move out of position. While Ryan was having the brace adjusted, Schaub was on the field long enough only for a fumble. He fell on the loose ball for a loss of 8 yards, and Ryan returned to the game.Ryan's knee brace also slipped out of position, again after he slid at the end of a run, in the Falcons' loss at Philadelphia last week. The Falcons called a timeout as personnel quickly cut off the brace.ROOKIE FILL-IN: Panthers rookie tight end Ian Thomas had two catches for 10 yards as the fill-in for Greg Olsen, who is out with a broken bone in his foot.INJURY REPORT: Falcons left guard Andy Levitre (elbow) and backup defensive end Derrick Shelby (groin) left the game. The Panthers lost starting strong safety Da'Norris Searcy (concussion) and cornerback Donte Jackson (hamstring). For the first time in a long time, the Falcons put up enough of a lead that all-time great QB Matt Schaub was able to get snaps in the fourth quarter. It was a good win for the Falcons Womens att Bosher Jersey , who needed to show that they still had some fight in them - even if it could cost them in the 2019 NFL draft. Tevin ColemanThe Tevin Coleman 2019 NFL audition tape was made today against the Cardinals. With 11 carries for 145 yards and 1 TD, Coleman showed that he is one of the most dangerous running backs in the NFL when he gets into space. He hasn’t had a great season overall, but this game will likely be on the minds of teams looking for a quality free agent running back next year.Julio JonesWith just 6 catches for 82 yards and one absolutely beautiful touchdown against Patrick Peterson, Jones showed why even a “pedestrian” day for him still stands out. His catch against Peterson for his lone TD will likely make some highlight reels.Matt RyanWith 2 passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown, Ryan tied Johnny Unitas on the all-time TD list for QBs. He added 231 yards passing on 22/36 passing to boot. Whatever issues you think this team has, Matt Ryan is clearly not one of them.
0.999807	When is Libyan Revolution 2023? The Libyan Civil War was instigated on the 15th of February, 2011 against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. The armed clashes betwixt the protesters and security forces led to the Libyan Revolution on the 17th of February of the same year – following the footsteps of other Arab countries in the same period; demanding Gaddafi and his government to step down.
0.991384	For other uses, see Imperium (disambiguation). Look up imperium in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Imperium is a Latin word which, in a broad sense, translates roughly as 'power to command'. In ancient Rome, different kinds of power or authority were distinguished by different terms. Imperium referred to the ability of an individual to command the military. It is not to be confused with auctoritas or potestas, different and generally inferior types of power in the Roman Republic and Empire. Primarily used to refer to the power that is wielded, in greater or lesser degree, by an individual to whom it is delegated, the term could also be used with a geographical connotation, designating the territorial limits of that imperium. Individuals given such power were referred to as curule magistrates or promagistrates. These included the curule aedile, the praetor, the censor, the consul, the magister equitum, and the dictator. In ancient Rome, imperium could be used as a term indicating a characteristic of people, the wealth held in items, or the measure of formal power they had. This qualification could be used in a rather loose context (for example, poets used it, not necessarily writing about state officials). However, in Roman society it was also a more formal concept of legal authority. A man with imperium ("imperator") had, in principle, absolute authority to apply the law within the scope of his magistracy or promagistracy. He could be vetoed or overruled either by a magistrate or promagistrate who was a colleague with equal power (e.g. a fellow consul) or by one whose imperium outranked his - that is, one of imperium maius (greater imperium). Some modern scholars such as A.H.M. Jones have defined imperium as "the power vested by the state in a person to do what he considers to be in the best interests of the state". Imperium can be distinguished from regnum, or royal power, which was inherited. Imperium was originally a military concept, the power of the imperator (general in the army) to command. The word derives from the Latin verb, imperare (to command). The title imperator was applied to the emperor, who was the commander of the armed forces. In fact, the Latin word, imperator, gives us the English word "emperor". Imperium was indicated in two prominent ways. A curule magistrate or promagistrate carried an ivory baton surmounted by an eagle as his personal symbol of office (compare the field marshal's baton). Any such magistrate was also escorted by lictors bearing the fasces (traditional symbols of imperium and authority); when outside the pomerium, axes were added to the fasces to indicate an imperial magistrate's power to enact capital punishment outside Rome (the axes were removed within the pomerium). The number of lictors in attendance upon a magistrate was an overt indication of the degree of imperium. When in the field, a curule magistrate possessing an imperium greater or equal to that of a praetor wore a sash ritually knotted on the front of his cuirass. Further, any man executing imperium within his sphere of influence was entitled to the curule chair. Since a plebeian aedile (aedilis plebis) did not own imperium, he was not escorted by lictors. Dictator – 24 lictors outside the Pomerium and 12 inside; starting from the dictatorship of Lucius Sulla the latter rule was ignored. Because the dictator could enact capital punishment within Rome as well as without, his lictors did not remove the axes from their fasces within the pomerium. As can be seen, dictatorial imperium was superior to consular, consular to praetorian, and praetorian to aedilician; there is some historical dispute as to whether or not praetorian imperium was superior to "equine-magisterial" imperium. A promagistrate, or a man executing a curule office without actually holding that office, also possessed imperium in the same degree as the actual incumbents (i.e., proconsular imperium being more or less equal to consular imperium, propraetorian imperium to praetorian) and was attended by an equal number of lictors. Certain extraordinary commissions, such as Pompey's famous command against the pirates, were invested with imperium maius meaning they outranked all other owners of imperium of the same type or rank (in Pompey's case, even the consuls) within their sphere of command (his being "ultimate on the seas, and within 50 miles inland"). Imperium maius later became a hallmark of the Roman emperor. Another technical use of the term in Roman law was for the power to extend the law beyond its mere interpretation, extending imperium from formal legislators under the ever-republican constitution: popular assemblies, senate, magistrates, emperor and their delegates to the jurisprudence of jurisconsults. While the Byzantine Eastern Roman Emperors retained full Roman imperium and made the episcopate subservient, in the feudal West a long rivalry would oppose the claims to supremacy within post-Roman Christianity between sacerdotium in the person of the Pope and the secular imperium of the revived Western Roman Emperor since Charlemagne. Both would refer to the heritage of Roman law by their titular link with the very city Rome: the Pope, Bishop of Rome, versus the Holy Roman Emperor (even though his seat of power was north of the Alps). The Donatio Constantini, by which the Papacy had allegedly been granted the territorial Patrimonium Petri in Central Italy, became a weapon against the Emperor. The first pope who used it in an official act and relied upon it, Leo IX, cites the "Donatio" in a letter of 1054 to Michael Cærularius, Patriarch of Constantinople, to show that the Holy See possessed both an earthly and a heavenly imperium, the royal priesthood. Thenceforth the "Donatio" acquires more importance and is more frequently used as evidence in the ecclesiastical and political conflicts between the papacy and the secular power: Anselm of Lucca and Cardinal Deusdedit inserted it in their collections of canons; Gratian excluded it from his Decretum, but it was soon added to it as Palea; the ecclesiastical writers in defence of the papacy during the conflicts of the early part of the 12th century quoted it as authoritative. In one bitter episode, Pope Gregory IX who had several times mediated between the Lombards and the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II reasserted his right to arbitrate between the contending parties. In the numerous manifestos of the Pope and the Emperor the antagonism between Church and State became more evident: the Pope claimed for himself the imperium animarum 'command of the souls' (i.e. voicing God's will to the faithful) and the principatus rerum et corporum in universo mundo 'princedom over all things and bodies in the whole world', while the Emperor wished to restore the imperium mundi, imperium (as under Roman Law) over the (now Christian) world — Rome was again to be the capital of the world and Frederick was to become the real emperor of the Romans, so he energetically protested against the authority of the Pope. The emperor's successes, especially his victory over the Lombards at the battle of Cortenuova (1237), only embittered the opposition between Church and State. The pope again excommunicated the "self-confessed heretic", the "blasphemous beast of the Apocalypse" (20 March 1239) who now attempted to conquer the rest of Italy, i.e. the papal states, et cetera. In some monotheistic religions such as Christianity (the Catholic Church where the official language, Latin, used terms as Imperium Dei/Domini) the Divine is held to have a superior imperium, as ultimate King of Kings, above all earthly powers. Whenever a society accepts this Divine will to be expressed on earth, as by a religious authority, this can lead to theocratic legitimation. However, the Catholic Church and most other Christian groups acknowledge the authority of secular governments. If however a secular ruler controls the religious hierarchy, he can use it to legitimize his own authority. Thus absolute, universal power was vested under early Islam in the original Caliphate (before it became the political toy of worldly powers 'behind the throne' and was even politically discarded by essentially secular princes), and later again claimed by Mahdis. The chief minister of Henry VIII, the Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer suggested removal of the Roman Catholic papacy's imperium in imperio (Latin for "state within a state") by requesting that Parliament pass the Act in Restraint of Appeals (1533) specifying that England was an empire and that The Crown was imperial, and a year later the Act of Supremacy proclaiming the Imperial Crown Protector and Supreme Head of the Church of England. In Orthodox Russia too, when Peter I the Great assumed the Byzantine imperial titles Imperator and Autokrator, instead of the royal Tsar, the idea in founding the Russian Holy Synod was to put an end to the old Imperium in imperio of the free Church, by substituting the synod for the all too independent Patriarch of Moscow, which had become almost a rival of the Tsars — Peter meant to unite all authority in himself, over Church as well as State: through his Ober-Procurator and synod, the Emperor ruled his Church as absolutely as the military through their respective ministries; he appointed its members just as he did generals; and the Russian Government continued his policy until the end of the empire in 1917. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Donation of Constantine". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton.
0.999286	What should you do if you catch the flu? Here's how to take care of yourself. Rest at home Stay home to rest and recover. You should stay home until your fever has been gone for at least 24 hours. Make yourself comfortable If the air is dry, use a humidifier. Ease a sore throat by gargling with warm salt water.
0.824954	Hi Mr.Reece if you go on your blog can you respond to this??????????? This year I am in Mr Penners class room which is 8-16. I am doing very well and I had a great summer how about you??????????? Convert these two sentences into algebraic using the above formula. Sentence 1: Scott is 2 years older than Donald who turns 12 on June 21st 2006. Write this sentence in the format of mx + b = y, then convert it into an expression which allows us to figure out the age of Scott. Scott is 13 years old and Donald will be 12 years old. Sentence 2: Elizabeth has $200 in her savings account. She makes $40 every two weeks babysitting for her next door neighbours. If Elizabeth saves all of her money solve for how much money she will have in one year? Elizabeth will have a total of $1160 in one year. Question 2: Creation. You need to create two questions for your classmates that cover different concepts (ex: T-charts, patterns, equations, graphs etc.) that you have learned in this unit on Algebra. You then need to show how to solve the questions. Your mark will be based upon the lvl of question's difficulty, and the effort put into your answer. Bobby has $500 dollars in his bank account and he earns $50 every month. His friend John has $250 in his bank account and he earns $75 every month. How much will Bobby and John have in their bank account in one year and who will have the most amount of money? Bobby will have a total of $1100 and John will have a total of $1150 and John will have $50 more than Bobby. One day, Sandy and Lina decided to save money and buy a walkman for $150 and share it with each other since they were sisters. Sandy had $60 in her bank account and she would add $10 everyday for 10 days while Lina had $120 in her bank account but she would spend $10 everyday for herself for 10 days. On the 10th day, will Lina and Sandy have enough money to buy the $150 walkman and have leftover money? Or will they have to save more to buy a walkman? Sandy and Lina will have enough money in total to buy the $150 walkman and have $40 leftover. Question 3: Reflection. You need to look back at the chart that we filled out during the first day of the unit. This is the chart where you coloured a topic red, yellow or green. You now need to pick one concept that you coloured yellow or red and reflect in words what new skill/idea that you have learned on this topic. Can I use my words to create an algebraic formula? I coloured this in red because I didn't know how to create a algebraic formula. So if I didn't know how to make one, I would probably not be able to make one from a T-Chart or use an algebraic formula to solve for an unknown. It was easier to make a formula when Mr.Reece had taught us how and it was helping me solve an unknown and make a formula by using a T-Chart. Question 4: Preparing for the final exam. You need to think about the year that has past in mathematics and decide which topic is your weakest, and what you need to learn duriong class review in order to prepare yourself for the final exam. It is not enough to say fractions, instead pick your weakest area of fractions, say the subtraction or fractions, and give an example of what you don't understand. Question 1: Formulas. We've learned how to write algebraic equations in the form of mx+b=y. Convert these two sentences into algebraic equations using the above formula. Sentence 1: Scott is 2 years older than Donald who turns 12 on June 21st 2006. Write this sentence in the format mx+b=y, then convert it into an expression which allows us to figure out the age of Scott. Sentence 2: Elizabeth has $200 in her savings account. She makes $40 every two weeks babysitting for her next door neighbours. If Elizabeth saves all of her money solve for how much money she will have in one year. Question 2: Creation. You need to create two questions for your classmates that cover different concepts (ex: T-Charts, patterns, equations, graphs etc.) that you have learned in this unit on Algebra. You then need to show how to solve the questions. Your mark will be based upon the level of questions difficulty, and the effort put into your answer. There are 500 chocolate muffins for sale at the bake sale. If there were 50 customers and the each got the same amount how many muffins did each customer get? There are 12 dentists and 48 toothbrushes. How many toothbrushes does each dentist get? Question 3: Reflection. You need to look back at the chart that we filled out during the first day of the unit. This is the chart where you coloured a topic red. yellow or green. You now need to pick one concept that you coloured yellow or red and reflect in words what new skill/idea you have learned on this topic. Can I create a T-Chart for my pattern? This topic I coloured red because I did not get how to do that. Now I can easily do that because it is really easy now that I know what I am doing. I learned that you can solve a pattern by using a T-Chart. Question 4: Preparing for the final exam. You need to think about the year that has past in mathematics and decide which topic is your weakest, and what you need to learn during class reveiw in order to prepare yourself for the final exam. It is not enough to say fractions, instead pick your weakest area of fractions, say the subtraction of fractions, and give an example of what you don't understand. My weakest topic is fractions. Inside fractions I have trouble multipling fractions. I have always had trouble with fractions. Elizabeth will have $5240 in her acount at the end of the year. 2. There are 156 cookies in a jar and Heather ate 4 a day. How many cookies would be left in the jar at the end of the month which has 30 days? There are 20 Police Officers and 5 dozen doughnuts. How many doughnuts were left for the next day? 3. Can I use my words to create an Algebraic Formula? I coloured this topic red because at the begining of the year I didn't understand how to do it. Now I can make an Algebraic Formula with words and it will make sence. 4. My weakest topic in math is doing Area and Circumference of a Circle, Triangle and Rectangle. I have trouble getting the answers for them. mx + b = y. Convert these two sentences into algebraic equations using the above formula. Sentence 1. Scott is 2 years older than Donald who turns 12 on June 21st 2006. Write this sentence in the format of mx + b = y, then convert it into an expression which allows us to figure out the age of Scott. N + 2 = 13 N = 11 which is Donalds age since he has not yet turned 12. Sentence 2. Elizabeth has $200 in her savings account. She makes $40 every two weeks babysitting for her next door neighbours. If Elizabeth saves all of her money solve for how much money she will have in one year? Question 2: Creation. You need to create two questions for your classmates that cover different concepts (ex: T-Charts, patterns, equations, graphs etc.) that you have learned in this unit on Algebra. You then need to show how to solve the questions. Your mark will be based upon the level of question’s difficulty, and the effort put into your answer. Question 4: Preparing for the final exam. You need to think about the year that has past in mathematics and decide which topic is your weakest, and what you need to learn during class review in order to prepare yourself for the final exam. It is not enough to say fractions, instead pick your weakest area of fractions, say the subtraction of fractions, and give an example of what you don’t understand. Question 1: What is the difference between an algerbraic expression and an equation (Hint: One contains this and the other doesn't)? Give an example of both an expression and an equation. An Algebraic expression is when you combine numbers, operatives, and/or free variables and bound variables. You get to choose the variable in an algebraic expression. An example: 5A X 6. In Algebraic equation, the variable is already given. There are two types of equations (from my knowledge), one step; 3E - 6 = 9, and two step; 3N = 1N +10. An example of an equation; 3H - 5 = 10. H = 5. Variables are letters that represent the unknown, able to change. Variables are often contrasted with constants, which are known and unchangning. We use variables because Algebra is a method of finding the unknown. To solve the first question, you need to figure out what a triangle equals on the first scale. First, take away four circles (each square equals two circles), which leaves five circles. Since there were five circles left, the triangle equals five circles. To solve the second question, you need to figure out the value of the two N's. First, add the squares and triangles together. The total of the squares and triangles, together, was 22 circles. Then divide the 22 circles by 2. The answer was 11. Each N equals 11 circles. The runner will finish in five minutes, the bicyclist will finish in six minutes, therefore the runner winning. What is a variable and why do we use one in algebra. I need to solve how much the triangular equals to solve the question. After that, I need to solve how much the 2 N's equal to. Solving for first scale: Since a square means 2 circles and a circle means 1, and the left side of the scale in this diagram has 2 squares, that means 4 circles or 4 in all. So I take 4 circles away from the right hand of the scale, I will end up having only 5 circles left and a triangle. So that means a triangle is equal to 5 circles. Solving for second scale: Since I have already solved the value of the triangle and I know what the value of the circle and the square is, I will be able to solve the value of the 2 N's easily. First I would have to add all the squares and triangles on the right hand of the scale, and it would come out of a total of 22 circles or 22 (since a triangle represents 5 circles and a square represents 2 circles.) Now I will have to divide the number 22 in half (because there are 2 Ns) and I will get 11. So the value of each N will be 11. The total value of both Ns is 22 circles. Solve the following equations. Show all of the steps that are needed. Question 5. For this question you need to create a T-chart and a graph to plot your data from this question onto. You are having a race against your friend, except you are on foot and he is on his bike. You both know that if you are on bike you will be faster so your friend gives you a head start of 3 minutes. If you can run 400m per minute, and your friend can bike 700m per minute, who will be the first one to make it to the finish line 2000m away? The runner will come in first in 5 minutes and the biker will come in second in about 6 minutes.
0.938191	Overcake: how long will 238 pieces of cake last? Because of severely over-enthusiastic baking by several members of a local village church before an event today, yadda yadda yadda I have 238 pieces of cake in my fridge. It is ferociously hot here in rural England. Here's one of the tupperware containers of cake that currently line my fridge shelves. There is a variety of fruit cakes, ginger cakes, iced cakes, scones etc, all hewn into pieces of similar size. While I figure out what next, how long will they keep, and can I extend their life? I do not have access to a reliable freezer. Assuming a well chilled fridge (and airtight containers to prevent it from drying out), I imagine that 238 pieces of cake would keep for about as long as 2 pieces of cake. In my experience, that's about one week before it starts to become less palatable, and about two weeks before it starts to become questionable from a food-safety perspective. Can you give some away to friends/family/coworkers? Everyone likes free cake. The lighter spongier cakes should get eaten first. The denser, fruitier cakes should last longer. I would divide them into two main categories: cake with any kind of cream, jam, fruit. Eat these first. Cake without cream, nuts, with dried fruit etc i would dry, and make into cake crumbs, these crumbs, provided nothing moist is left will keep a long time, basically until the moths find them. You can air dry or in the oven, either way i would chop them up to speed up drying. Cakes with frosting or icing cut that off before drying. There are a number of nice recipes involving cake crumbs and spirits, basically you layer crumbs, sprinkle with eg. Rum, next layer canned peaches, next layer some custard cream, etc. What is also nice is a piece of dry old cake sans creme filling, soaked im mulled wine or cidre, topped with whipped cream. Oh, to have Wordshore's problems. Fruitcakes, if they are traditionally made (with lots of booze and candied peel and dried fruits), shouldn't necessarily need refrigeration. Put them in a cool, dry place in Tupperware and they should be fine for a while. By fruit cakes should be fine for a while, in my family it's not been unheard of to open the Christmas cake tin to store this year's cake and discover the still edible remains of last year's cake. And triffle is always an option. If any of the plainer bits don't get et by co-workers, etc - you can bag 'em up, crush 'em to crumbs, and use the bag crumbs as filler for nut filling in any number of pastries. Freeze the crumbs at will. Traditionally, the top tier of a wedding cake was saved to become the christening cake, ie 9-ish months later. The combination of sugar and booze, combined with the marzipan ideally making an airtight seal, was the key. I would therefore say that a boozy fruitcake firmly wrapped in clingfilm should last for ages without refridgeration (much like Helga-woo above, my family often discovers forgotten Christmas cake in the summer months and eats it). You could make a giant trifle, but then you would have giant trifle problems. Reading this question, I thought - this can’t be the same person with all the cheese and chocolate bars, can it? Many cakes will actually start two taste stale two days in - especially lighter sponges. See if there's a homeless shelter that can freeze it and give it to homeless people who need cheering up over the next few weeks / months? Or....this would be a great way of making your whole neighbourhood love you. Do a big giveaway! Bring some into work also, for brownie points with your boss and colleagues. Maybe donate it to a nearby school so they can do a bakesale at the end of the school day when parents come to collect their kids - they can give the proceeds to charity and save you from guilt at having let a whole load of cake go off. Or, you could buy a small freezer on gumtree or ebay (they're usually around £30) and freeze as much as possible. That way you have enough cake to eat for life. Cake will keep a long time. It's mostly mold you're trying to avoid. I've been able to maximize the shelf life of cake slices by putting them in ziploc bags with a couple of folded paper towels, which helps regulate the humidity and delay the onset of mold. Cake will probably last a week this way. Fruit pastes/jams/etc are safe; the high sugar content is a natural preservative. Past a week, freezing should work fine. Cake is made mostly of long protein chains (gluten), and isn't as affected by the process of cells freezing and rupturing like with frozen meats and vegetables. Use freezer ziplocs (double zipper) to keep the moisture from sublimating and they should thaw nicely. Some good answers already - thanks. I should have been a little clearer that this is an immediate and short-term storage issue/query, and not a distribution query. Distribution of some of the cakelets will occur to various people and organisations in due course, when convenient for all. Unfortunately for the same reason as the cake mountain I also have a trifle surplus (you should see the inside of my fridge, which is currently a dietician's worst nightmare). Here's some of this afternoon's left-over trifle. I also have tea, and gin, surpluses for similar reasons from other events, but these are all different issues to that of cake and its immediate storage requirements. A reallocation of the 231 (I was hungry) pieces of cake is about to take place, into more airtight containers and based on their likely longevity as expressed in the answers so far; thanks. Turn your fridge to its coldest setting, especially if you are still having that hot weather. Pack the cakes tightly to reduce air, which causes staleness.
0.998025	Wenn ich nicht genau wüsste, es muss das Christkind sein, würde ich sagen, es ist der Osterhase. Dieses alte Bonmot, die Antwort eines Zwölfjährigen auf ein im Religionsunterricht gezeigtes Bild und die Frage „was ist das?“ zeigt das Problem kirchlicher Bibelauslegung: Die Antworten stehen immer schon vorher fest. formuliert werden, die die biblische Erzählung als innerweltliches Geschehen verstehbar machen, das von Ursache und Wirkung bestimmt wird. Innerweltliche Ursachen: Mit meinen Thesen versuche ich eine natürliche Erklärung der Entstehung der Bibel und der jüdischen und christlichen Religion. Moderne Wissenschaft ist von einem praktischen Atheismus geprägt, das heißt die historischen Phänomene einschließlich der Religion werden auf ausschließlich innerweltliche Ursachen zurückgeführt. Plötzlich Kaiser: Die Entstehung von neuen Religionen, von neuen religiösen Vorstellungen und neuen moralischen Vorschriften folgt überall in der Welt sozialen und politischen Veränderungen. Bei der Entstehung des Christentums sind diese großflächigen politischen Veränderungen die Umgestaltung des römischen Reiches aus einer Stadtrepublik, die im Bürgerkrieg versank, in ein blühendes Kaiserreich unter dem Langzeitherrscher Augustus. Herrscherkult: Gleichzeitig gab es unter dem jüdischen Fürsten Herodes Antipas (4 v. – 39 n. Chr.) auch eine monarchistische Bewegung, die an die jüdische Königs- und Messiastradition anknüpfte und die Regierungsweise des Kaisers Augustus als Vorbild ansah (imitatio Augusti). Hier gab es Entsprechungen zum Kaiserkult in Rom und in Kleinasien, hier liegen die Wurzeln des Christentums. Martin Luther heftete im Jahr 1517 seine 95 Thesen an die Eingangstür der Schlosskirche zu Wittenberg und lud Aus Liebe zur Wahrheit und in dem Bestreben, diese zu ergründen zu einer Disputation ein. Luther ging aber mit der Zeit und ließ seine Thesen auch drucken und verteilen. Heute würde er sie im Internet verbreiten. Deshalb werde ich meine Thesen in einem Blog vorstellen und zeigen, worin die Unterschiede zu der heute vorherrschenden kirchlichen Meistererzählung bestehen. Ich freue mich auf interessierte christliche, jüdische, muslimische und atheistische Leser, auf eifrige Diskutanten aus allen wissenschaftlichen Himmelsrichtungen, auf spöttische Zuschriften von Agnostikern und auf kritische Fragestellungen von neugierigen Zeitgenossen. Die Bibel kann so spannend sein, wenn wir sie neugierig erkunden können, anstatt der päpstlichen Auslegung zu folgen. Martin Luther 1520 (An den christlichen Adel…): Nicht die (Papst-) Kirche allein mit ihren Priestern und Professoren, nein, alle Christen, auch die Laien sollen die Bibel auslegen! Ich widerrufe nicht, sagte Martin Luther am 18. April 1520 auf dem Reichstag zu Worms, es sei denn, ich werde durch die Heilige Schrift oder durch die Vernunft widerlegt. Das philosophische Denken, schrieb am 14. September 1998 in der Enzyklika FIDES ET RATIO (Absatz 104) Papst Johannes Paul II., ist oft das einzige Terrain für Verständigung und Dialog mit denen, die unseren Glauben nicht teilen. Lies bitte hier weiter in meinem Blog. Really wanted to point out Now i am relieved that i came onto your web page. Cool one! Cool informations over this web. It’s pretty worth enough for me. From my point of view, if all web owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the web will be much more helpful than ever before. I could not refrain from commenting. I have spent 1 hour trying to find such infos. I’ll also share it with a couple of friends interested in it. I have just bookmarked this site. Now with the task done, I’ll find some free online amateur cams. Gracias!! Greetings from Provo! Terrific Web page, Keep up the great work. Appreciate it! Seriously, such a handy website. At tһіs time it appears liкe BlogEngine is the beѕt blogging platform аvailable гight now. (from what I’ve read) Is that what yօu are uѕing on your blog? early hours in the break of day, as i love to learn more and more. back to read more, Please do keep up the excellent job. It’s going to be ending of mine day, but before ending I am reading this fantastic paragraph to improve my know-how. Howdy very cool blog!! Man .. Excellent .. Superrb .. we want develop more techniques on this regard, thank you foor sharing. Good web site you have got here.. It’s difficult to find excellent writing like yours these days. Superb Website, Keep up the great work. Thanks a lot. through content from other authors and practice something from their sites. all bee capable of simply know it, Thanks a lot. I am readinbg this fantastic post to imprive my knowledge. it is uncommon to look a great weblog like this oone today.. bookkmark your blog and keep checking for new details about once a week. I opted in ffor your RSS feed as well. the great information yyou have right here on this post. I do not even know how I ended up here, but I assumed this post was good. could elaborate a little bitt further. Thanks! I’m nnot sure where you are getting you info, but good topic. like you who are not afraid to ssay hoow they believe. assert that I acquire actually enjoуed account your weblog posts. achieｖement you get right of entry to constantly rapidly. Hi there, simply was alert to your weblog thru Google, and located that it’s really informative. I’m gonna be careful for brussels. I will be grateful for those who proceed this in future. I reɑlply like looкing thrtougһ a pst that can make people think. It’s an remarkable post for all the web viewers; they will get advantage from it I am sure. since this this site conations really fastidious funny material too. a different website and thought I might check things out. I ike whst you guys are up too. Thhis kind of clever work and coverage! you guyss to my personal blogroll. Remarkable issues here. I’m very satisfied to peer your article. Thanks so much and I am looking forward to touch you. Will you please drop me a e-mail? magnificent submit, very informative. I wonder why the opposite specialists of this sector do not understand this. You must proceed your writing. I’m confident, you have a great readers‘ base already! What i do not rrealize is actually how you’re not really a lott more well-favored than youu might be now. matter, made me individually believe it from numerous various angles. is one thing to accomplish with Woman gaga! Your personal stuffs outstanding. At all tikes handle it up! Fine way of telling, and nice piece of writing to obtain facts regarding my presentation topic, which i am goin to deliver iin school. It’s an awesome article designed for all the internet people; they will obtain advantage from it I am sure. Good article! We will be linking to this particularly great article on our website. Keep up the great writing. You need to take part in a contest for one of the highest quality websites online. I most certainly will highly recommend this website! I really like itt when individuals gget ogether and sbare views. Greetings I am so grateful I found your blog, I really found you by mistake, while I was looking on Askjeeve for something else, Nonetheless I am here now and would just like to say kudos for a marvelous post and a all round thrilling blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to read it all at the minute but I have bookmarked it and also added in your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a great deal more, Please do keep up the superb b. Thanks on your marvelous posting! I really enjoyed reading it, you’re a great author. I will make sure to bookmark your blog and will come back sometime soon. I want to encourage yourself to continue your great writing, have a nice weekend! as from our discussion maԀe here. of this paragraph here at this web site, I have read all that, so now me also commmenting here. I am in fact grateful to the holder of this site who has shared this enormous paragraph at at this place. articles or reviews everyday along with a cup off coffee. time I will be back to read much more, Please do keep up the excellent work. a single thing like this before. So wonderful to disсover somebody with unique thoᥙghtѕ on this topіc. something that’s needed on the web, someone with some originality! I visited several websites but the audio feature for audio songs existing at this web page is genuinely marvelous. Thesen zu einer weltlichen Erklärung der Heiligen Schrift <Loved it!
0.999966	Where can I find more information about toxics and environmental health issues? For more information about biomonitoring, go to the CDC’s National Biomonitoring Program. More information about the toxic effects of specific chemicals is available at the following sites. Private sector and nongovernmental organizations also sponsor websites with information on biomonitoring and chemical toxicity. Several of these websites are listed below as potential additional resources for the public. Any opinions, statements or conclusions provided at any of these websites are those of the websites’ sponsors and are not necessarily those of Biomonitoring California, CDPH, OEHHA or DTSC. Listing of these sites does not represent any actual or implied endorsement by Biomonitoring California, CDPH, OEHHA or DTSC.
0.999915	Help me about register a business in texas online? Qigong, when engaged in over time and with consistency, will most likely yield strong bones, strong blood, flexible tissues & muscles, more physical sensitivity, more virility, along with altered states of consciousness. Take care to navigate these waters with the proper guidance. Remember these deceptively simple exercises are extremely powerful. You may ask me, 'Paul, why do you consider your connection to God such a strong influence in your practice? ' My response to that is, 'Because it keeps me humble, safe, and supported. ' If I can live my life in more alignment with divinity and allow myself to be a true instrument for the work that is required of me to heal not only myself, but as many people as I can, then THAT is Qigong to me. Qigong is the art of mastering living in righteousness and wellness, and is the embodiment of the entire truth of the universe through the physical human form, and in how that form moves in total concert with the Tao. Can you give me some pageant platform ideas, examples or topics? A pageant platform is a cause that a contestant chooses to volunteer her time to either bring awareness to, raise money, or implement a program she has created that will help address the problem. There are so many needs in the world today that finding a cause you feel passionate about in your community is just a matter of looking around or talking with a few business leaders. In our society, the media and public are drawn to people who hold titles or have celebrity status. As a title holder, you can use this to your advantage to get your message out in a bigger way if you're prepared. "Don't ever question the value of volunteers. You can also use an online website builder without any time-consuming classes.
0.979452	For engineering students should ask questions to define the problem to be solved and to elicit ideas that lead to the constraints and specifications for its solution. Define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool. Define a simple design problem that can be solved through the development of an object, tool, process, or system and includes several criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost. Define a design problem that can be solved through the development of an object, tool, process or system and includes multiple criteria and constraints, including scientific knowledge that may limit possible solutions. Define a design problem that involves the development of a process or system with interacting components and criteria and constraints that may include social, technical, and/or environmental considerations. Engineering begins with a problem, need, or desire that suggests an engineering problem that needs to be solved. A societal problem such as reducing the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels may engender a variety of engineering problems, such as designing more efficient transportation systems, or alternative power generation devices such as improved solar cells. Engineers ask questions to define the engineering problem, determine criteria for a successful solution, and identify constraints.
0.999992	You know that scene in the movies where the scrappy protagonist interviews at her dream company and gets offered the job on the spot? I hate to be the one to break it to you, but that's just a fantasy. In reality, it goes something like this: phone interview, in-person interview, skills test, group interview, presentation, phone call with verbal offer, official offer letter and scene. Yes, the interview process can be exhausting, and it's also getting longer: The average hiring time is now 23.8 days, up from 22.9 days in 2014, according to a study by Glassdoor. And for some industries, that number is much, much higher. The study, which looked at nearly 84,000 anonymous interview reviews shared on their site from January to June of this year, points to the skill level needed, as well as additional screening methods for the slowness of the process. If those timeframes seem too intense, here are the industries that will make an offer within a couple of weeks. The plus side to all this is that after several interviews and screenings, both you and the company should have a pretty good idea if it's going to be the right fit. In the meantime, it might be a good time to invest in a second interview outfit.
0.931434	Electric charge is a fundamental conserved property of some subatomic particles, which determines their electromagnetic interaction. Electrically charged matter is influenced by, and produces, electromagnetic fields. The interaction between a moving charge and the electromagnetic field is the source of the electromagnetic force, which is one of the four fundamental forces. Electric charge is a characteristic of some subatomic particles, and is quantized when expressed as a multiple of the so-called elementary charge e. Electrons by convention have a charge of −1, while protons have the opposite charge of +1. Quarks have a fractional charge of −1/3 or +2/3. The antiparticle equivalents of these have the opposite charge. There are other charged particles. In general, same-sign charged particles repel one another, while different-sign charged particles attract. This is expressed quantitatively in Coulomb's law, which states the magnitude of the repelling force is proportional to the product of the two charges, and weakens proportionately to the square of the distance. The electric charge of a macroscopic object is the sum of the electric charges of its constituent particles. Often, the net electric charge is zero, since naturally the number of electrons in every atom is equal to the number of the protons, so their charges cancel out. Situations in which the net charge is non-zero are often referred to as static electricity. Furthermore, even when the net charge is zero, it can be distributed non-uniformly (e.g., due to an external electric field), and then the material is said to be polarized, and the charge related to the polarization is known as bound charge (while the excess charge brought from outside is called free charge). An ordered motion of charged particles in a particular direction (in metals, these are the electrons) is known as electric current. The SI unit for quantity of electricity or electric charge is the coulomb, which represents approximately 6.24 × 1018 elementary charges (the charge on a single electron or proton). The coulomb is defined as the quantity of charge that has passed through the cross-section of an Electrical conductor carrying one ampere within one second. The symbol Q is often used to denote a quantity of electricity or charge. The quantity of electric charge can be directly measured with an electrometer, or indirectly measured with a ballistic galvanometer. The discrete nature of electric charge was proposed by Michael Faraday in his electrolysis experiments, then directly demonstrated by Robert Millikan in his oil-drop experiment. Formally, a measure of charge should be a multiple of the elementary charge e (charge is quantized), but since it is an average, macroscopic quantity, many orders of magnitude larger than a single elementary charge, it can effectively take on any real value. Furthermore, in some contexts it is meaningful to speak of fractions of a charge; e.g. in the charging of a capacitor. As reported by the Ancient Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus around 600 BC, charge (or electricity) could be accumulated by rubbing fur on various substances, such as amber. The Greeks noted that the charged amber buttons could attract light objects such as hair. They also noted that if they rubbed the amber for long enough, they could even get a spark to jump. This property derives from the triboelectric effect. In 1600 the English scientist William Gilbert returned to the subject in De Magnete, and coined the modern Latin word electricus from ηλεκτρον (elektron), the Greek word for "amber", which soon gave rise to the English words "electric" and "electricity." He was followed in 1660 by Otto von Guericke, who invented what was probably the first electrostatic generator. Other European pioneers were Robert Boyle, who in 1675 stated that electric attraction and repulsion can act across a vacuum; Stephen Gray, who in 1729 classified materials as conductors and insulators; and C. F. du Fay, who proposed in 1733 that electricity came in two varieties which cancelled each other, and expressed this in terms of a two-fluid theory. When glass was rubbed with silk, du Fay said that the glass was charged with vitreous electricity, and when amber was rubbed with fur, the amber was said to be charged with resinous electricity. In 1839 Michael Faraday showed that the apparent division between static electricity, current electricity and bioelectricity was incorrect, and all were a consequence of the behavior of a single kind of electricity appearing in opposite polarities. One of the foremost experts on electricity in the 18th century was Benjamin Franklin, who argued in favour of a one-fluid theory of electricity. Franklin imagined electricity as being a type of invisible fluid present in all matter; for example he believed that it was the glass in a Leyden jar that held the accumulated charge. He posited that rubbing insulating surfaces together caused this fluid to change location, and that a flow of this fluid constitutes an electric current. He also posited that when matter contained too little of the fluid it was "negatively" charged, and when it had an excess it was "positively" charged. Arbitrarily (or for a reason that was not recorded) he identified the term "positive" with vitreous electricity and "negative" with resinous electricity. William Watson arrived at the same explanation at about the same time. We now know that the Franklin/Watson model was close, but too simple. Matter is actually composed of several kinds of electricity (several kinds of electrically charged particles,) the most common being the positively charged proton and the negatively charged electron. Rather than one possible electric current there are many: a flow of electrons, a flow of electron "holes" which act like positive particles, or in electrolytic solutions, a flow of both negative and positive particles called ions moving in opposite directions. To reduce this complexity, electrical workers still use Franklin's convention and they imagine that electric current (known as conventional current) is a flow of exclusively positive particles. The conventional current simplifies electrical concepts and calculations, but it ignores the fact that within some conductors (electrolytes, semiconductors, and plasma), two or more species of electric charges flow in opposite directions. The flow direction for conventional current is also backwards compared to the actual electron drift taking place during electric currents in metals, the typical conductor of electricity. The true direction of electric current is a source of confusion for beginners in electronics, and a minority of educators ingnore the standard and instead assume that moving charges are exclusively negative. Aside from the properties described in articles about electromagnetism, charge is a relativistic invariant. This means that any particle that has charge q, no matter how fast it goes, always has charge q. This property has been experimentally verified by showing that the charge of one helium nucleus (two protons and two neutrons bound together in a nucleus and moving around at high speeds) is the same as two deuterium nuclei (one proton and one neutron bound together, but moving much more slowly than they would if they were in a helium nucleus). Science Aid: Electrostatic charge Easy to understand page on electrostatic charge.
0.932519	why would they taunt us? Don't take it personally. Taunt is in the eye of someone else.
0.996989	The earliest recorded versions of this argument are associated with Socrates in ancient Greece, although it has been argued that he was taking up an older argument. Plato, his student, and Aristotle, Plato's student, developed complex approaches to the proposal that the cosmos has an intelligent cause, but it was the Stoics who, under their influence, "developed the battery of creationist arguments broadly known under the label 'The Argument from Design'". Socratic philosophy influenced the development of the Abrahamic religions in many ways, and the teleological argument has a long association with them. In the Middle Ages, Islamic theologians such as Al-Ghazali used the argument, although it was rejected as unnecessary by Quranic literalists, and as unconvincing by many Islamic philosophers. Later, the teleological argument was accepted by Saint Thomas Aquinas and included as the fifth of his "Five Ways" of proving the existence of God. In early modern England clergymen such as William Turner and John Ray were well-known proponents. In the early 18th century, William Derham published his Physico-Theology, which gave his "demonstration of the being and attributes of God from his works of creation". Later, William Paley, in his 1802 work on natural theology, published a prominent presentation of the design argument with his version of the watchmaker analogy and the first use of the phrase "argument from design". Also starting already in classical Greece, two approaches to the teleological argument developed, distinguished by their understanding of whether the natural order was literally created or not. The non-creationist approach starts most clearly with Aristotle, although many thinkers, such as the Neoplatonists, believed it was already intended by Plato. This approach is not creationist in a simple sense, because while it agrees that a cosmic intelligence is responsible for the natural order, it rejects the proposal that this requires a "creator" to physically make and maintain this order. The Neoplatonists did not find the teleological argument convincing, and in this they were followed by medieval philosophers such as Al-Farabi and Avicenna. Later, Averroes and Thomas Aquinas considered the argument acceptable, but not necessarily the best argument. In contrast to the approach of such philosophers and theologians, the intelligent design movement makes a creationist claim for an intelligence that intervenes in the natural order to make certain changes occur in nature. While the concept of an intelligence behind the natural order is ancient, a rational argument that concludes that we can know that the natural world has a designer, or a creating intelligence which has human-like purposes, appears to have begun with classical philosophy. Religious thinkers in Judaism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Islam and Christianity also developed versions of the teleological argument. Later, variants on the argument from design were produced in Western philosophy and by Christian fundamentalism. — Aristotle, Physics, II 8. Early Islamic philosophy played an important role in developing the philosophical understandings of God among Jewish and Christian thinkers in the Middle Ages, but concerning the teleological argument one of the lasting effects of this tradition came from its discussions of the difficulties which this type of proof has. Various forms of the argument from design have been used by Islamic theologians and philosophers from the time of the early Mutakallimun theologians in the 9th century, although it is rejected by fundamentalist or literalist schools, for whom the mention of God in the Qu'ran should be sufficient evidence. The argument from design was also seen as an unconvincing sophism by the early Islamic philosopher Al-Farabi, who instead took the "emanationist" approach of the Neoplatonists such as Plotinus, whereby nature is rationally ordered, but God is not like a craftsman who literally manages the world. Later, Avicenna was also convinced of this, and proposed instead a cosmological argument for the existence of God. The argument was however later accepted by both the Aristotelian philosopher Averroes (Ibn Rushd) and his great anti-philosophy opponent Al-Ghazali. Averroes' term for the argument was Dalīl al-ˁināya, which can be translated as "argument from providence". Both of them however accepted the argument because they believed it is explicitly mentioned in the Quran. Despite this, like Aristotle, the Neoplatonists, and Al-Farabi, Averroes proposed that order and continual motion in the world is caused by God's intellect. Whether Averroes was an "emanationist" like his predecessors has been a subject of disagreement and uncertainty. But it is generally agreed that what he adapted from those traditions, agreed with them about the fact that God does not create in the same way as a craftsman. Derham concludes: "For it is a Sign a Man is a wilful, perverse Atheist, that will impute so glorious a Work, as the Creation is, to any Thing, yea, a mere Nothing (as Chance is) rather than to God. A.S. Weber writes that Derham's Physico-Theology "directly influenced" William Paley's later work. Richard Swinburne's "contributions to philosophical theology have sought to apply more sophisticated versions of probability theory to the question of God’s existence, a methodological improvement on Tennant’s work but squarely in the same spirit." He uses Bayesian probability "taking account not only of the order and functioning of nature but also of the 'fit' between human intelligence and the universe, whereby one can understand its workings, as well as human aesthetic, moral, and religious experience. Swinburne writes: "the existence of order in the world confirms the existence of God if and only if the existence of this order in the world is more probable if there is a God than if there is not. ... the probability of order of the right kind is very much greater if there is a God, and so that the existence of such order adds greatly to the probability that there is a God." Swinburne acknowledges that his argument by itself may not give a reason to believe in the existence of God, but in combination with other arguments such as cosmological arguments and evidence from mystical experience, he thinks it can. The philosopher of biology Michael Ruse has argued that Darwin treated the structure of organisms as if they had a purpose: "the organism-as-if-it-were-designed-by God picture was absolutely central to Darwin’s thinking in 1862, as it always had been." He refers to this as "the metaphor of design ... Organisms give the appearance of being designed, and thanks to Charles Darwin’s discovery of natural selection we know why this is true." In his review of Ruse's book, R.J. Richards writes, "Biologists quite routinely refer to the design of organisms and their traits, but properly speaking it's apparent design to which they refer – an “as if” design." Robert Foley refers to this as "the illusion of purpose, design, and progress." He adds, "there is no purpose in a fundamentally causative manner in evolution but that the processes of selection and adaptation give the illusion of purpose through the utter functionality and designed nature of the biological world. However, theologian Alister McGrath has pointed out that the fine-tuning of carbon is even responsible for nature’s ability to tune itself to any degree. 1 2 Ahbel-Rappe, S. and Kamtekar, R., A Companion to Socrates, John Wiley & Sons, 2009, p. 45. "Xenophon attributes to Socrates what is probably the earliest known natural theology, an argument for the existence of the gods from observations of design in the physical world." 1 2 Sedley 2007, page xvii. 1 2 3 4 5 Eugenie C. Scott. Biological design in science classrooms. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. May 15, 2007 [Retrieved 2013-9-9];104(Suppl 1):8669–8676. doi:10.1073/pnas.0701505104. PMID 17494747. PMC 1876445. 1 2 Ahbel-Rappe, Sara, Socrates: A Guide for the Perplexed, p. 27 . 1 2 3 4 Sedley, David (2007), Creationism and Its Critics in Antiquity, University of California Press . ↑ Brickhouse, Thomas; Smith, Nicholas D. (April 21, 2005). "Plato". Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved November 12, 2011. 1 2 3 Nussbaum, M.C. (1985). Aristotle's de Motu Animalium. Princeton paperbacks. Princeton University Press. p. 60,66,69–70,73–81,94–98,101. ISBN 978-0-691-02035-8. LCCN 77072132. 1 2 Harris, J.M., Nachman Krochmal: Guiding the Perplexed of the Modern Age, NYU Press, 1991, p. 45. 1 2 3 Hume, David (1779). Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (The Second ed.). London: s.n. p. 111. ↑ Translation from Aristotle to Darwin and Back Again: A Journey in Final Causality, Species, and Evolution Etienne Gilson Ignatius Press, 2009 p. 126. Original: "L'univers m'embarrasse, et je ne puis songer Que cette horloge existe, et n'ait point d'horloger"; Voltaire. Les cabales,: oeuvre pacifique. Oxford University, s. n., 1772. p. 9. ISBN 978-1-165-51896-8. 1 2 3 Craig, E., Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy", Taylor & Francis, 1998, Entry for Tennant, Frederick Robert (1866-1957)." 1 2 Encyclopædia Britannica, entry on Christian philosophy'. ↑ Dicker, G., Berkeley's Idealism: A Critical Examination, Oxford University Press, 2011 p.262. 1 2 3 4 Himma, Kenneth Einar (12 April 2009). "Design Arguments for the Existence of God". Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved November 19, 2011. 1 2 Allen, Diogenes (2010). Theology for a Troubled Believer: An Introduction to the Christian Faith. Westminster John Knox Press. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-664-22322-9. 1 2 Pigliucci, Massimo (2010). Nonsense on Stilts: How to Tell Science from Bunk. University of Chicago Press. p. 177. ISBN 978-0-226-66786-7. LCCN 2009049778. [E]ven back in Aristotle's time, a fundamental assumption of doing things scientifically is that the supernatural is out: no explanations that invoke non-natural causes are allowed. ↑ Shapiro, James (2011). Evolution: A View from the 21st Century. Pearson Education. pp. 136–137. 1 2 3 Fiesar, James (June 30, 2011). "David Hume (1711-1776)". Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved November 24, 2011. 1 2 Voltaire (1901) . "On the Existence of God". The Works of Voltaire: The Henriade: Letters and miscellanies. XXI. trans. William F. Fleming. Werner. pp. 239–240. 1 2 Søren Kierkegaard, Philosophical Fragments (1844). 1 2 3 4 Dawkins, Richard (2006). The God Delusion. Houghton Mifflin Co. pp. 103, 136–138, 162–166. ISBN 978-0-618-68000-9. LCCN 2006015506. ↑ Richards, Robert J. (2004). "Michael Ruse's Design for Living" (PDF). Journal of the History of Biology. 37: 25–38. doi:10.1023/b:hist.0000020388.99933.5b. 1 2 Dembski, William A. (2004). The Design Revolution: Answering the Toughest Questions About Intelligent Design. InterVarsity Press. pp. 58–59, 61. ISBN 978-0-8308-3216-3. LCCN 2003020589. ↑ Rust, E., Religion, Revelation and Reason, Mercer University Press, 1981, p. 96.
0.999999	Fox tried something new: one R-Rated comic book movie followed by another, and the gambit worked. 20th Century Fox effectively launched the age of modern superhero movies with X-Men in 2000, but by 2014 the franchise had seen it all: ups and downs, prequels, spin-offs, and even a five-year hiatus between core films. The live-action adventures of Marvel's mutants had begun to look tired. So Fox tried something new: an R-Rated comic book movie, and thanks in part to years of built-up fan interest, the gambit worked. Then Fox did it again. With an eager star in Ryan Reynolds and a relatively tight budget of $58 million, 2016's #Deadpool became the highest grossing R-Rated film ever — and the highest grossing X-Men movie to date. Confident after that success, Fox didn't hesitate to to give director James Mangold the freedom to craft a proper R-rated sendoff for Hugh Jackman's final outing as Wolverine and #Logan quickly clawed its way to a box-office killing. Suddenly, Fox looks like it knows what it is doing. Just as #Marvel set the standard for superhero origin stories, Fox has set the standard for the R-rated comic book movie. Summarize the plot of Deadpool without bothering to describe all the fight scenes. The entire story, with flashbacks in chronological order, boils down to "Deadpool recruits Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead to find Ajax." Logan is similarly streamlined. The plot behind the two and a half hour runtime can be covered with one simple phrase: "An older Wolverine and ailing Professor X try to get X-23 to Eden." That's very different from most superhero movies, which more often include half a dozen subplots stretched out over a dozen characters or more. In Iron Man 3, a PTSD-stricken Tony Stark, stripped of his armor, has to stop the Mandarin and his terrorist organization, while also dealing with a figure from his past who is working on a suspicious experimental regenerative treatment. That's not even to mention War Machine and Pepper Potts, much less the infamous Mandarin fakeout. This plot-juggling act is a side effect of shared universe storytelling, with each installment serving as a stepping stone to the next. Fox's R-Rated films do away with this concept, treating each film as a standalone without catering to other movies. At most, each film sets up its direct sequel. Their plots of Deadpool and Logan go from Point A through Points B and C, straight on to D. The MCU and DCEU (and even the core X-Men films) go from Point A to C, flash back to B, flash forward to D, then use Point E to set up the next film in the franchise. It's an unfortunate staple of Hollywood, and Fox's avoidance of the convoluted formula is refreshing, even reassuring. Movies often cater to specific audiences, and the target is constantly moving. Hollywood has recently worked to satisfy Chinese moviegoers and officials, with China currently the second-largest box-office market. Films now regularly feature China-centric subplots and Chinese actors, and may even delete scenes to meet censor guidelines. But while pandering to China is a fairly new phenomenon, pandering to families is not. "Four-quadrant appeal" means a movie offers something to basically everyone, and to that end filmmakers will often add a child (or childish) sidekick to accompany the main hero. Neither Deadpool or Logan fall into the parent-pandering trap with their young characters. You can have as many children in a movie as you want, but parents still won't bring their four year old kid to watch Ryan Reynolds brutally maim bad guys on a freeway. Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Deadpool's rebellious and even obnoxious youngster, is pretty "normal" in many ways. Her sarcasm and devotion to her phone are recognizable to any kid (or parent). Logan has a whole army of child mutants, but the obvious star was young Laura, code-named X-23. You can assume that being younger would make her more childlike than Negasonic Teenage Warhead, but boy would you be wrong. Laura earns that R-Rating just as much as Logan himself, hacking and slashing enemies using all four of her limbs. By keeping both characters quiet for most of their movies, they never got annoying or one-note, and treating them like full characters keeps them tuned into the story. See how that works out? The interconnected web of Marvel Studios stories leads to a reduction in stakes. No matter the "danger" in a film, we don't believe MCU figureheads are going to bite the dust. Regular fakeouts don't help. Agent Coulson, Nick Fury, Pepper Potts, Loki (twice), and War Machine all reached the point of no return... then returned. DC's high-stakes gambits, such as Superman's "death" in Batman v Superman, and a resurrection foreshadowed mere minutes later, fared no better. Deadpool and Logan are somewhat detached from the continuity of other films, so they could do as they pleased with their characters. Deadpool didn't go out of its way to slaughter any big names, but severe consequences still loomed. Logan, on the other hand, gives Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart a memorable send-off. These familiar characters die in emotional moments, giving the actors, and the movie, a definitive ending. In the big-budget blockbuster landscape, genuine character development is hard to come by. Man of Steel and Batman v Superman both had a warped take on character development in hopes that the high-octane action scenes would keep audiences coming back for the inevitable sequels. The liberty of a standalone movie allows filmmakers to double down on characters rather than massive setpieces, which also helps them work with budgetary constraints. Deadpool may not be the best example here, but even that was surprisingly character-focused. You got a strong sense of who Wade Wilson was, before and after his disastrous experimental procedure. Likewise, Colossus is defined by his almost comically-strict morals. Though the villains were underdeveloped, Deadpool was a learning experience. Logan addresses many of the shortcomings of its predecessor. It doubles down on the lead trio, turned the villain into a legitimate presence, and sprinkled scenes of total silence between the highly-choreographed fight scenes. Without the quiet moments of character interactions to modulate the fast pace, the brutality of X-24 murdering Professor X and Wolverine would be boring. Thanks to those breath-catching pauses, it wasn't. Fox has two more R-Rated movies in the pipeline: Deadpool 2 and X-Force, both featuring the Merc with a Mouth. The former will likely continue the tone of Deadpool, with loads violence and some decent character development, though one would hope the villains get a little more depth. At the same time, the core trio of Deadpool, Colossus, and Negasonic Teenage Warhead will be joined by Domino and Cable. Let's see if the new quintet can match up to its predecessor! X-Force will likely be a little more restricted than Deadpool 2 – likely a more traditional action movie, with the much violence as you would expect from an R-Rated movie featuring a group of killers. Which is to say, what Suicide Squad should have been. If Fox's vision of the R-rated superhero film remains as clear as it is now, that's a target the studio is well-equipped to hit. Read next: Has Independence Day Resurgence's Trailer Shown the Movie's Fatal Flaw?
0.930875	‘commercial revolution’. This preceded major industrialization by two centuries and encompassed great upsurges in overseas trade with many consequences, not least the expansion of Britain's fleet. Essentially an English phenomenon, later the Scots were also heavily engaged. Trade experienced three long periods of growth, separated by virtual stagnation. Between 1475 and 1550 existing markets for English broadcloths and other woollens grew rapidly, because the importing regions became more prosperous and had greater purchasing power. In the second period, 1630–89, two general circumstances aided expansion. South European markets, previously the domain of Spanish and Italian industry, were won by the English and the Dutch in competition with one another. The second general circumstance was the rise of virtually new trades because cheaper English re-exports of sugar, tobacco, and calicoes created fresh markets. The third period, 1730–60, was linked to the growth of American and West Indian populations, production, and purchasing power, but also continued the advance of re-exports. In the first period English woollen cloth exports were the bulwark of overseas trade, the wool trade declining sharply in the decade after 1510. In a period of inflation the quantity of cloth exported more than doubled by 1550; London gained at the expense of provincial ports, as trade with Antwerp grew and was controlled by the Company of Merchant Venturers. Interruptions to the Antwerp trade caused by wars gradually brought this phase of growth to a halt, although English merchants trading with Hamburg accessed central European markets via the Elbe. Another change after 1580, the revival of some provincial ports, also resulted from the collapse of the Antwerp entrepôt trade. The second expansion in the 17th cent. can be largely attributed to the growth of exports to southern Europe. Demand suddenly increased in Spain and was then supplemented from Portugal and Italy. The northern trade declined in relative importance, and by 1700 accounted for only half of English cloth exports compared with nine-tenths in the early 17th cent. Light cloths or ‘New Draperies’ were attractive to these markets and increasingly beat Dutch competition, as English labour costs provided a cardinal advantage to these manufactures. Trade with Iberia also reached the Spanish and Portuguese colonies and thus the market was enlarged. The English cloth industry responded rapidly to changes in fashion and produced a greater variety of light cloths and textile mixtures. A substantial trade in salted and dried cod from the Grand Banks of Newfoundland was an additional source of exports to catholic Europe. Several new imports in the period 1500–1750 provided exceptional profit margins and an incentive to exploration and mercantile enterprise. In the 16th cent. the chief imports were luxuries, especially French wine, but in the following century Spain and Portugal became important suppliers. Apart from wine, most imports were manufactures, bought in the Netherlands but produced in many parts of Europe. The gradual growth of British industry reduced the dependence on foreign manufactures in the 17th cent. One exception was European linens until the Scots and the Irish, protected by the Navigation Laws and a rising tariff wall, learned to copy and outdo continental producers during the 18th cent. Trade with the Baltic, mainly conducted in the 16th and early 17th cents. via the Netherlands, became more direct, first because of the activities of the Eastland Company (1579) and secondly because its profitability encouraged interlopers. In years of bad harvests Baltic corn was a standby, but after 1650 new raw materials were much more important. Amounts of timber, potash, tar, pitch, flax, and hemp increased as the navy and merchant marine grew, and Swedish iron also became important after 1650. From the Mediterranean came not only more wine but also wool, oil, raisins, figs and oranges, Italian silks, and Levant goods, including raw silk, mohair, cotton, and dyestuffs. Trade with countries beyond Europe, insignificant before the Civil War, grew rapidly by 1700 when America and Asia accounted for a third of England's imports, and re-exports for nearly a third of all exports. The discoveries that Virginia could grow tobacco plants imported from Trinidad and that Brazilian sugar cane would flourish in the West Indies were fundamental to the later development of the Atlantic economy and of the triangular trade with Africa. The East India Company (1600) began trading principally in pepper and then in cotton cloth; both tapped markets in Britain and Europe. Trade in slaves, sugar, coffee, tobacco, pepper, and oriental cottons underpinned the third great era of expansion in the 18th cent. before industrialization had proceeded far, America and the West Indies being much the most buoyant trading partners. Liverpool, Bristol, and Glasgow benefited most from these developments. The Atlantic trade was controlled by merchant partnerships. If journeys were long or large capitals were required, the company form of organization was preferable. Once trade was established—even when companies claimed trading monopolies—the return to trading by partnerships was general. The Russia Company (1555), the Levant Company (1581), and the Royal Africa Company (1672) all succumbed to this pattern; only the Hudson's Bay Company (1670) retained control over its territory. The East India Company also survived and was much the most important in terms of trade and capital employed, but there were abortive attempts to displace it after 1698. In the 18th cent. it was markedly on the defensive, a highly profitable anachronism. The ‘commercial revolution’ was important for its effects upon the British economy and the British state. It was buttressed by protective mercantilism, especially by the navigation laws; its result was the accumulation of capital from foreign trade and ultimately lower rates of interest than might have prevailed without this expansion. Foreign produce brought profits to distributors involved in inland trade. Merchant investment in land was probably more important than capital flows to industry, but the growth of London was exceptional in Europe. Pressure for domestic improvement was a major consequence of Britain's growing affluence, as her industries became increasingly attached to the international economy. "‘commercial revolution’." The Oxford Companion to British History. . Encyclopedia.com. 8 Apr. 2019 <https://www.encyclopedia.com>. commercial revolution, in European history, a fundamental change in the quantity and scope of commerce. In the later Middle Ages steady economic expansion had seen the rise of towns and the advent of private banking, a money economy, and trading organizations such as the Hanseatic League. Under the new national monarchies, most notably those of Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, and England, markets grew wider and more secure. Commercial expansion was supported by technical improvements in seafaring, and from about 1450 explorations were made, first to Africa, then to the Asia and the New World. By the mid-16th cent. the Asia carrying trade had been wrested from the Arabs, and Eastern goods poured into Europe. From the New World came gold and silver, which in less than a century more than doubled European prices and greatly stimulated economic activity. The focus of commerce shifted from Mediterranean to Atlantic ports, chartered companies were organized, and continued improvements in navigation and ship construction sped long voyages. As a worldwide trade evolved, the principles of mercantilism were adopted, and local trade barriers were abrogated, stimulating internal commerce. Modern credit facilities also appeared; new institutions included the state bank, the bourse, and the futures market, and the promissory note and other new media of exchange were created. Quickened commercial activity brought economic specialization, thus leading to the transformations in production associated with modern capitalism. By 1700 the stage was set for the Industrial Revolution. See H. A. Miskimin, The Economy of Early Renaissance Europe, 1300–1460 (1969); J. Gies, Merchants and Moneymen (1972); M. M. Postan, Medieval Trade and Finance (1973); P. Spufford, Power and Profit: The Merchant in Medieval Europe (2003). "commercial revolution." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. . Encyclopedia.com. 8 Apr. 2019 <https://www.encyclopedia.com>.
0.922352	Should you add weight with each set? I am taking 2 weeks off from the gym, I am trying to come up with a new program from about 2 months. I just got done doing Mon.,Tues.,Thurs., Sat. which was chest,bis/legs,calves,abs/delts,tris,abs/back,traps. Before that I was doing a fullbody workout on tues,thurs, sat. Is it better to add weight with each set on every exercise or do 2 warmups and stick with 1 weight and do 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps?� for ex. chest: bench press 135,185, 205, 225, 235 then the dumbell incline: 90, 95, 100 then incline flys 30, 40, 50 ect,� I am working on building new muscle growth, so I change up every 4-8 weeks.
0.999948	England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west. The Irish Sea lies northwest of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south. The country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain, which lies in the North Atlantic, and includes over 100 smaller islands, such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.. The traditional folk music of England is centuries old and has contributed to several genres prominently; mostly sea shanties, jigs, hornpipes and dance music. In the field of popular music, many English bands and solo artists have been cited as the most influential and best-selling musicians of all time. Acts such as The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Elton John, Queen, Rod Stewart and The Rolling Stones are among the highest selling recording artists in the world. Many musical genres have origins in (or strong associations with) England, such as British invasion, progressive rock, hard rock, Mod, glam rock, heavy metal, Britpop, indie rock, gothic rock, shoegazing, acid house, garage, trip hop, drum and bass and dubstep. Traditional examples of English food include the Sunday roast, featuring a roasted joint (usually beef, lamb, chicken or pork) served with assorted vegetables, Yorkshire pudding, and gravy. Other prominent meals include fish and chips and the full English breakfast (generally consisting of bacon, sausages, grilled tomatoes, fried bread, black pudding, baked beans, mushrooms, and eggs). Various meat pies are consumed such as steak and kidney pie, steak and ale pie, cottage pie, pork pie (the latter usually eaten cold) and the Cornish Pasty. Sausages are commonly eaten, either as bangers and mash or toad in the hole. Common drinks include tea, whose popularity was increased by Catherine of Braganza, whilst frequently consumed alcoholic drinks include wines, ciders and English beers, such as bitter, mild, stout, and brown ale.
0.999999	Our complimentary breakfast in the hotel! After lunch was outlet shopping time! But we went back to the one we went on Vegas Day 1. Happy girls with our Godiva dark chocolate milkshakes! Dark Chocolate Decadence - $6 each. Also, difference between pro and newbie photographer! Actually that guy (Wei Da) didn't even shop much! But what he bought was the most expensive! For us it is quantity while for him it is quality hahahas. then went to take our complimentary shuttle bus to the heliport. but this is my first time on a helicopter! The 9 of us who chose to take this helicopter ride. The rest went for a land tour instead. I can't remember how much exactly did we pay for it, I think it was about USD179. without saving the documents in my computer. The whole ride was slightly more than an hour long! The rest said they almost fell asleep too! Those who are planning on taking a helicopter ride, I will suggest you take their landing rides. They have rides that fly to Grand Canyon and land there! Yes it is more expensive but definitely more worth it. It takes a few hours for a bus to reach there. So it's more time-saving to travel by air. And... we found the other group's helicopter! The pilots were really nice. They helped us take these group photos. We did buy the pre-flight photo from them too. USD20. Thanks to Amelia for this photo! I forgot to take photos of this in the states. Amelia brought this photo back to SG. So had to trouble her to help me take pics of it. Our horribly messy hair LOL. It was mad windy! One last photo with the pilot. Then it was a 30minutes long bus ride back to Vegas. We rest for awhile, changed and headed out! Reason why we changed is cause we wanted to meet Yusho at the club. But... end up the girls pulled out. Cause most of them only brought shorts there. So in the end, only Jasper went to find Yusho. I heard it's a very popular fountain show in Vegas? Quite blur though. Cause it was recorded using my phone. Ended the day with dinner at Outback Steakhouse. We came here cause we heard this place was not bad? But end up the guys were complaining that the steaks were badly done. Was feeling very full that day. The thing is, when I travel, I can don't eat one. No idea why, but I just have no appetite when I am out. I rather go walk around. When I am at home, I can eat a lot lols. First we had Mcdonald's breakfast. After we checked out, we headed to the South Las Vegas Premium Outlets! That outlet doesn't really have much outlets there though. A lot lesser compared to the one in the North. Next we drove to the same pit stop - Tanger Outlets, Barstow. All of the above, I didn't take any photos. I don't really take photos in premium outlets. And we headed back to Los Angeles! There was this point where our car couldn't go more than 50miles/hour too. Suddenly the air pressure got high and I could feel a lil ear block. Sandra and Dan were sleeping, Joy and I were like "how come it won't go more than 50miles/hour?!" and the car went back to normal. Phew. One of the cars in our group had issues while coming back too! Theirs got too hot and it broke down. They had to stop and let it cool down then drive back slowly. Luckily everyone managed to get back safely.
0.944732	Which version of A Christmas Carol is your favorite. Some of you may not exactly know how many versions there are so I'll make a list of what I know/can find. I haven't watched them enough to form an opinion. I recall George C. Scott doing a good version. I also remember Henry Winkler's version. It was the first time I recall seeing The Fonz outside of Happy Days. My favorite is the one from 1931. Also like the Patrick Stewart version. All are enjoyable bought the Jim Carrey version on Blu-ray this year. Very cool another Dumb Kwestion!! (only this one isn't so dumb). It's great when someone does one of these...kind of makes me not feel so bad about dropping the ball with them. In all seriousness my favorite is A Muppet Christmas Carol. I have always liked the story but couldn't completely connect with most of the film versions of it until the Muppet version from 1992. This was the first time the Muppet production team really put out a quality film. It had fantastic production, amazing sets, as superb acting (the excellent Michael Cain as Scrooge). Even the puppet actors did a great job. There was still a bit of the comedy and zaniness you would expect from a Muppet film, but much of it was centered around the films narrator team Gonzo and Rizzo the Rat, while most of the main story character's played by puppets played their roles mostly straight. So it had a good mix of humor, drama, sadness, and joy the story requires (well I guess it doesn't need the humor....but it was still appreciated by me). I watch it every year. I really do like the Muppet Christmas Carol (HEAT WAVE!!!) but for me, it's the George C. Scott version. Haven't seen The Muppets version yet. Maybe I can find it on youtube. I will also be looking up Mickey's Christmas Carol too. Ultimately I have to say the George C Scott version is my fav. The Man Who Invented Christmas makes a really good origin story of sorts. Don't know how much of it may actually be true, but it is still incredible. I will say that I was rather disappointed with the Jim Carey version a few years back. Not horrible, but kind of paled in comparison to the hype surrounding it. Not nearly as good as his version of The Grinch. I also dig Bill Murray in Scrooged, and the more recent "The Man Who Invented Christmas" Scrooged is the only one we watch every year. Fits our whacky tastes better. Did some movie watching over the past few days. I think my favorite version is from 1938. I saw a face that seemed familiar yet I couldn't place it and the role is uncredited. It one of Bob's daughters. It is the young lady on the left. Turns out she is none other that Will & Penny Robinson's mother on Lost In Space! Yep, June Lockheart in her very first role. It is also interesting that the actors playing the Cratchits are her real parents! Cool bit of movie trivia. This was on TCM and has been remastered and the film is fantasic visually. Yesterday we watched "The Man Who Invented Christmas" and that is also a fun movie. As stated, not quite sure how much is true and how much is fiction but it is an outstanding movie as well. I will have to go with the George C. Scott or Scrooged versions. Scrooged is a nice different take on the whole shenanigans. I did not like the Jim Carrey version. The story was essentially the same. But, it felt like half the movie were the unnecessary "flying" scenes. They dragged on forever, and it truly bogged the rest of the film down. If I want Jim Carrey at Christmas, then I am going to watch The Grinch. It's been awhile since I've watched some of the old ones. The one I watch almost every year, is with Kelsey Grammar. It pretty much makes me cry at the end. I did see the Man Who Invented Christmas, and it was a pretty good movie. If you read the history on Dickens, Christmas barely existed in England at that time. He changed all of it. He put the book up with his own money, because the publishers thought it wasn't good enough. He sold out that year, and giving increased. We owe him a lot. While I thought the Jim Carrey version was pretty good, it doesn't do it for me as a whole. Most of the movie was put together for the sake of the 3D. The "flying" scenes and the carriage chase probably work better for the younger crowd, yet the chase is a bit darker (probably too dark for the youngsters). Scrooge (1970) with Albert Finney is my second fav as it is lighter in tone due to it is more of a musical. Imagine A Christmas Carol on Broadway with a lot of singing. Then the fact that one of the other names in this that jumped out at me was Alec Guiness. Yep,the original Obi-Wan Kenobi was in this before he did Star Wars. He played as Jacob Marley.
0.998608	I'm in Australia and want to stream live AFL. What are my options? Watch AFL is for those viewing outside of Australia only. Should you wish to watch AFL within Australia, there are different ways to watch with Foxtel and Kayo Sports. For more information, please select either of those two options and you will be directed to their website.
0.900984	A friend told me that he would like to launch a blog to improve his career and earn an income. It’s an exciting idea. Blogging allows you to build a career around a topic you are passionate about. You can live a very flexible lifestyle. You can work from anywhere in the world. You don’t even need to be available all the time as your content archives work for you around the clock. It’s possible to make money from your blog, but it’s important you have realistic expectations. Blogging is not a get rich quick scheme. It takes hard work and is not going to happen overnight. Most sites will fail to earn any income. Some will make some pocket change only. Only a few might do so well that they can quit their jobs. My recommendation is to keep your day job but start working seriously on your blog in your free time (or in working hours if you can get away with it ). Starting a blog is less about becoming rich than it is about turning a comfortable profit month to month. Here’s how you can make first $500 from your blog. 1. You need to grow a loyal audience: Making money online is all about building authority and trust with an audience. You need traffic to your blog, especially targeted traffic from a specific group of people. Without people visiting your site and without having a loyal and targeted audience, it will be very difficult to earn any revenue. Targeted audience is what can be monetized and what sponsors want to reach. You need to create value for people through content that you publish to be able to attract traffic, to have visitors spread the word about your work and to start building trust. Have expertise in your topic and offer something that people find useful and valuable. See my complete guide on how to grow blog traffic and build your audience. 2. Your topic needs a buying market: The topic you focus on has to have a buying market and has to be monetizable. Some topics are tougher than others so make sure your topic has an audience interested in spending money if you want to monetize the site. See if there are products on the market that are relevant to your topic. See my full guide on how to pick your topic. 3. You need to publish strategic content: Don’t just “sell” as that will affect your ability to build an audience. Publishing sales pitches is not what people want to consume. You won’t believe how many bloggers expect to do well by publishing pure marketing messages. Just telling people about the product and asking them to buy will not attract anyone. Best content is the content that relates to your audience, brings them value and integrates products naturally within it. Create content that is targeting people who are looking to buy. People become aware of a need they need fulfilled, go into an information search and look at the different alternatives before making a decision on what to buy. People go to Google and do a search to start the product hunt. They are ready to make a decision and make a purchase. You need to rank well for those searches to be near their wallets. You can be the one that helps them evaluate the alternatives by publishing reviews, comparisons and discount offers. See my full guide on creating content that people want to read. Now let’s take a look at the most popular options for earning an income from your blog. To make it easier, I’ll split all the options into main categories. First thing first, though. Consider what the goals of your blog are to figure how you should monetize. All sites are not created with the aim of making money. Businesses use blogs in addition to their social media marketing, to connect and be in touch with their customers. Professionals use sites to build their network. Some organizations use sites to acquire new customers, and others use it to understand the changing trends of markets and start further research to develop new products. If I am running one such business, will I want to drive my readers away to a competitor’s website? When the core goal of my site is to promote my business, why will I want to advertise and promote somebody else’s business? In these cases building a mailing list and selling your own product makes more sense. There are thousands of companies who will pay you commission for sales that you generate through your content. You join an affiliate program then post some links on your site. You earn a commission when someone clicks through your links and decides to sign up or buy a product on the other end. Find opportunity in markets and products you are familiar with. The product must be relevant to your topic and your audience. You must use it, it must be useful and valuable to you. Are you using a product that makes your life easier? Have you read a book that inspired you? Become an affiliate and promote it. Visit their website. They probably have an affiliate program. If not, contact the company directly, explain your situation and ask if they can agree an affiliate deal with you. You can also join one of the larger affiliate networks like Commission Junction, Clickbank or Shareasale. A note not to use banner ads to promote affiliate offers. Do you know anyone who clicks on banner ads? When is the last time you clicked on a banner ad? Traditional banner ads take away from the user experience. They distract users and because of that users tend to ignore ads. Banner blindness is a very known phenomenon which was proven by several eye-tracking studies and has shown that readers do not fixate on ads at all. There is also the rising popularity of different ad-blocking browser plugins. An increasing number of people use these plugins which automatically block all banner ads. This trend can be clearly seen as these plugins are usually placed towards the top of most downloaded plugins for Chrome and Firefox. Rather than using banner ads to promote an affiliate product, create some interesting, useful and shareable content that your audience loves. Put relevant affiliate links inside the content. Always remember to disclose your relationship with the company you promote. Google Adsense is the easiest way to get started making some income on your site. It is easy because Adsense automates the process of selling and displaying ads for you. You place a piece of code and Google delivers text and image ads that are relevant to your audience and your content. Google pays per click. Depending on the popularity of the topic you write about, a click can earn you anything from few cents to several dollars. You just join Adsense, choose how you want your ad to look like, install a piece of code on your site and you are set to start showing ads. AdSense lets you customize the appearance of ads to match the look and feel of your site. WordPress plugin Google Publisher Plugin, made by Google, will help you insert Google ads into your blog. For WordPress bloggers, you can try the WordAds platform made by people behind WordPress. The alternative is the many advertising networks available who mostly use CPM (cost per thousands impression) where you get paid by the number of impressions. Popularity of your site is an important aspect that decides whether you should consider this type of banner advertising as you need a very large amount of impressions to make a decent income. Many of the biggest sites online only rely on banner ads and increasing page views to increase their revenue. Negative side of Adsense and display advertising is that many people have banner blindness (many visitors dismiss banner ads as they find them intrusive), tend to find ads annoying and ignore them. This leads to a very low click percentage. You also need a high volume of visitors and clicks to earn a decent amount. Most try to increase click rates by displaying many and large advertisements such as those in pop-ups, but these methods are not very user-friendly, and you will lose your audience. Even though adding an ad on your blog is an easy method, in general, most bloggers will make very little from PPC and other advertising. You can sell banner ads and other sponsorship slots directly to advertisers. You agree on a fixed monthly fee that you charge to display a banner on your blog. A better and profitable option in general than the pay-per-click ads. Find products relevant to your audience, then simply contact the company and ask if they would be interested in sponsoring your site. This normally involves banner advertising, and you get paid a fixed amount per month. Consider also selling advertising on your videos or your podcasts as these can command even higher fees than traditional banner ads. Negative for this method is that it can be a very demanding and time-consuming process compared to automated options like Adsense. Here you need to identify potential advertisers, get in touch with them and negotiate and make a deal. Still if successful it can be very rewarding. Most of the banner ads you see in sidebars of blogs are not paid for by the advertisers, though. Majority of bloggers only have affiliate deals or pay-per-click or PCM deals to work with. I understand when people use banners if a company wants to pay them a fixed monthly fee to display their banners. If your site is big enough to attract these offers, it seems like a fairly easy and simple way of making an income. If your site is popular and you are getting a lot of page views or advertising offers, then you should certainly consider putting up a couple of banners at least. There is nothing to fear and nothing to lose in approaching advertisers to see if they are up for a partnership with you. Check out my guide to learn how to approach and pitch advertisers. Depending on the topic of your blog, there could be many opportunities for you to get paid by companies and brands for writing product reviews or in other ways promote their products, events and services. Most bloggers are regularly contacted by companies that will send them products to review. Some brands would pay for this service, some would send you gifts or just give you free products. Bloggers are seen as more trustworthy source of product recommendations than traditional advertising, hence there are companies out there looking to get their products reviewed, used and covered by bloggers. Some bloggers, especially those that are very influential in the fashion industry, can command thousands of dollars per sponsored post on Instagram or on their blog. Negative points to this are that you don’t necessary get paid very much unless you negotiate and the content you end up creating is of less worth to your visitors compared to the best content. If you can make a deal with a suitable company and you have freedom to create a great piece of content, this option is very attractive. Just remember also to disclose that it is a “sponsored post”. You will also discover that many people will contact you directly asking to buy reviews or text links. Even though many bloggers accept these, I would recommend to ignore these offers. Selling links normally ruins the user trust and it’s not something search engines like. By accepting them you risk being banned from the search results. This one focuses more on the credibility, authority and trust you have built as a blogger. You could become a consultant and charge clients for providing the services you specialise in. You could become a coach and charge for people to have one-on-one private sessions with you on specific topics related to what you do. This works best when you have proven your skills and built your credibility. You could also focus more on the freelance aspect and get paid to create content and write for other sites. Some websites and blogs would pay you to submit quality guest posts for them to publish. Many websites are looking for influential and authoritative contributors that they would gladly pay for. Some are looking for copywriting help where you can submit content as a ghost writer without having your name on in public. All these may be time-consuming and depending on your name may not pay the most but you get to practice your writing and the payments do add up over time. The negative of this is that you obviously need to work and produce something of value to get that one-off fee. It is a time-consuming work. This makes it not as passive as some of the other income options in this post. One of the best options for monetizing is to invest your time in creating something that will provide enduring value and bring you continuous revenue. Create the content once, put it in a permanent form and sell it over and over. This one-to-many approach helps you scale your efforts and make more money than the personal one-on-one coaching which is very limited with the amount of time you have in a day. Putting your work into a permanent form is very important as you won’t need to keep recreating your value over and over. The best way of doing this is to create your own product. Your product will provide value even when you are not physically present. It will allow you to take a break from posting new content once in a while. It will basically let you stop trading your hours for dollars. You can develop something that is genuinely helpful to people, that solves a problem that they have. Package the product in a specific format and sell it. Your product can come in many formats. This could be e-books, webinars, video and audio courses, group coaching, private forums and membership sites. You could charge one-off fees or you could get people to sign up for recurring monthly membership. The product that you publish should be related to what you stand for and what you blog about. You are seen as the expert and the authoritative figure in that field. You have built the audience of people who trust you and follow you. What type of articles got the most buzz, the most page views and comments? About what do people contact you with questions the most? This will give you an idea of what people like from your content, and what people see you as authoritative and knowledgeable about. If you try to cater to everyone, you won’t sell anything. You’ll be debating on both sides. Instead, pick an audience and cater to them. Dig in, and really focus on meeting their needs and answering their questions. You will be selling a product just like you do in affiliate marketing but in this case, you’re selling the product that you own and get complete profit from. It does take more time and effort to create the product and you also have to consider customer support but if done well it’s more passive income than doing one-on-one coaching and consulting. Limit access to some (or all) of your content and allow people to get access to it by paying a small fee. Many big newspapers have these types of paywalls as their main source of income these days. You might notice the paywalls on The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and other big publishing houses. As usual, WordPress has plugins that can help you create a paywall, such as Memberful WP plugin. You can use your existing content to earn passive income on other platforms. If you produce many videos for your YouTube channel, you can become a YouTube partner and monetize your videos. Similar to this, you can add your site to the Amazon Kindle store and get paid when people read your content on Kindle. You can read blogs on Kindle and some people do. See theKindle Blog store here for a list of blogs that you can subscribe to. It takes about 5 minutes to set this all up and is a new revenue stream for your site so no reason at all not to do it (open to US/UK bloggers only). Do you want to read HowToMakeMyBlog.com on Kindle? Click here to subscribe. Depending on your topic and the readership of your site, a donate button might be one of the easiest and most effective ways of monetizing. This is one of the original ways bloggers used to make money in the early days. It could still be effective in some cases. PayPal offers these buttons and it just might be the way for you to get rewarded for the help you provide to your readers. Ask for donations and see how your audience responds. Some bloggers can build very passionate audiences for their cause. In these cases, one of the ways to monetize is to create branded merchandise such as t-shirts, hoodies and coffee mugs. Can your site be the next Red Bull? Depending on the type of audience that you have built there might be the possibility for you to create a classified ads or job board where you would allow brands to post their listings for a fee. Again WordPress features plugins that can automate this for you, such as Another WordPress Classifieds Plugin. Pick and choose several of the methods above to diversify your income and turn your DIY-project into a real business supported by banner advertising, sponsorships, affiliate sales and other revenue. Experiment, test and take your time choosing the methods that fit your topic the best. Don’t force it. You will find that the best methods will come to you naturally over time as you build your content archives and your loyal audience. The idea of quitting your job, leaving the rat race behind and doing something on your own terms is the fantasy that appeals to many cubicle bound employees all around the world. It is a great idea, a great dream to have and definitely something that can help get you motivated to achieve big things. Finding yourself stuck in a boring job reading about all the people who have chosen to follow their passion can tempt you to give it all up and pursue the unconventional path. Don’t jump into it though assuming that just having the courage to pursue a different path is the only thing that matters, while everything else are just small details that can be worked out afterwards. Planning is key in this process. Everyone needs to pay the bills after all and just quitting your job to start the site idea you have thought about is not very responsible in most cases. Having a steady paycheck is very comforting in these situations, as it allows you to keep your living standards and if you use it well can allow you to invest your time in things that have the potential to make your life better in the future. There’s no need to give up your job when starting a site. There is a better option and everyone with a job can start today. Quitting your job is a good choice only if you have some savings on the side. Building a site where you can make enough money blogging to replace your day job takes a long time. During these long months you can live off your savings while working on growing the site. Instead make your site a hobby, a side-project or a professional presence online and have your day job something to fall back on while you are building your audience. This way you work on your site in the evenings, weekends (or even at work if you can) and you start small without taking too many unnecessary risk. The barrier to entry may be low, but it is very difficult to actually succeed. Optimizing your lifestyle will help you make the transition. Try to lower your costs as much as you can. Get rid of the debt. Downgrade your lifestyle in terms of luxury (not necessary to downgrade the living standards). Make smarter choices and cut down on expenses. Make a budget. All this will lead you to save more money and having more money saved means that you might be giving yourself an opportunity to quit your job faster and having more time to focus on this new project. It also means that you have lower bills, which means that you need to make less money from your site to cover your living costs. This is the best way to go without risking to lose too much. Jumping too fast and too early into a full-time career as an online publisher a big risk and you have a higher chance of failing and getting into a bad financial situation without having a fixed income from your day job. If you have established a great professional presence and a personal brand is it worth quitting your job and becoming a freelancer or blogger? Nassim Taleb has a good answer in his book Antifragile. Being a full-time employee of a company seems like a great option. You get the perfectly stable and predictable income, you may get a yearly bonus, you may get benefits like annual paid vacation. Having a salary deposited into your bank account once a month makes you stress and anxiety free. Freelancers, however, seem full of stress and anxiety as they don’t have a fixed income. Income can be extremely variable. Some months your content may go viral or you may successfully launch a new product and these months can be good. Some months though there is nothing new coming up, you might have hit a writer’s block, Google may have changed their algorithm and stopped sending you as much traffic as before and then you suddenly cannot even cover your living costs. It seems pretty much a one-sided choice for people to take, doesn’t it? Take the stress-free monthly income from a corporation instead of going on the roller-coaster of income and the lack of job security. The recent economic crisis has changed this picture somewhat. It is now easier to lose your job and to be made redundant. Depending on the job field you are working in and your age it might not be easy to recover from a setback like that. Is the image of safe full-time employment now merely an illusion of stability? Full-time employees have less of a need to evolve and re-examine themselves continuously as their jobs are less volatile in that sense. And this is why there can be some big shocks happening in case of a redundancy, where it could be difficult to get back and stand on your feet again. You get stuck in the old way of thinking and the old way of doing things. Full time employment is a smooth and steady but very fragile option with the biggest vulnerability being that large shock of income going to zero. Freelancers are less exposed to the risk of a complete halt. If you have built your content archives, your products, affiliate offers, a large readership and freelance clients, your income will be dripping in slowly but surely without much risk of getting redundant and getting your salary taken away from you. You have many smaller employers and more options, compared to the full-time employee who only has one big employer and is reliant on it. Full-time employees have less of a need to evolve and re-examine themselves continuously as their jobs are less volatile in that sense. And this is why there can be some big shocks happening in case of a redundancy. This income variability is the key that makes blogger more adaptable. These variations in the income make people think, re-think, adapt and change continuously. They have to learn to fit and adjust their strategies and tasks as continuous pressures on them to perform. You basically need to learn to adjust according to the opportunities and threats there are. You are continuously educating yourself. For bloggers it is about randomness and the daily/monthly ups and downs. There might be a large variability in income but the large shocks have a smaller role to play. This variability encourages improvement of the strategy – bloggers have to find new ways of reaching visitors, they have to get better skills and learn and adapt on the go. The volatility provides bloggers with valuable information and it directs them to be adaptive. The illusion of variability may actually make the blogger more robust and ready for the future challenges than a full-time employee. Something to think about for you but definitely only when you have established a great online presence with regular income and clients coming in. On the way to your first $500… and then what? If you keep working hard on this, work consistently over a longer term, and as long as you never give up, in due time you will become a success and your site will start making even bigger amounts. What it comes down to now is that you must take action into your hands. It is not enough to read all the “become a problogger” advice – you must start creating something. You must put in the consistent hard-work, create a great blog, and you must find and connect with your audience. And you must do this daily for a long time, before you slowly start getting the results, and start being able to live the blogging dream. You could quit your daytime job and focus completely on your blog. Or you could use the authority you’ve built with your blog to get yourself a more prestigious or higher paying job. You could get a publishing deal and write an old-fashioned paper book that may become a bestseller. Many bloggers have actually achieved this. You could extend your brand by going into offline events where the money could be even bigger. Many bloggers have not only accepted high-paying fees for speaking at events. Some bloggers have even organized and put together their own themed events in the real world. Have a new, great idea? Use the audience you have built to raise the money for your new project by crowdfunding. Another option is to sell your blog if there is an acceptable offer at the table and you feel that you have done what you could for this topic. Course Description: Are you tired of learning Corel Draw or Photoshop tricks without understanding how to apply the software to real design? Or maybe you just want to understand what really is design and how can you become a real designer? Design goes way beyond software and there is a lot of theory behind it. In this introductory course, you will learn the basics needed to create amazing and real design. For this course, you won't need any sort of equipment or specific software. "Why? Isn't design just Photoshop?" you may ask, to which I answer "No, my dear reader! It is not!". By understanding the process behind what real designers do and understand, you will also be able to see what makes good design. Why is that logo appealing? Why does that poster grab my attention? How is it that I can understand that ad, even though nothing is written on it? After participating in this course, you'll finally understand more of design and gain the ability to see the world in a different way. From the history of communication to the basics principles of design, if you really want to learn design this is the perfect course for you! Oudney, also known as Rev, is a graphic and web designer with over 10 years experience. He is passionate about anything related to design and spends copious amounts of time hidden behind a book or a screen and reading about design. Find us on Twitter and Facebook, or use the form below to send us an email: If you don’t hear from us in 2 business days, please email us directly. We are very responsive and will get back to you quickly! This course introduces you to basic web design using HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). The course does not require any prior knowledge of HTML or web design. Throughout the course students are introduced to planning and designing effective web pages; implementing web pages by writing HTML and CSS code; enhancing web pages with the use of page layout techniques, text formatting, graphics, images, and multimedia; and producing a functional, multi-page website. Plan, design, and publish a multi-page website. You should have a general background in using a computer, managing files, and a basic knowledge of the Internet. You should also be able to navigate to and within a website using a web browser such as Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Safari. You do not need to purchase any software for this course. Upon successful completion of this course, you will have a good foundation in web design using HTML and CSS and will be prepared to study more advanced web design topics in the next level course. There was a time when social media was considered by some as a passing fad. Something that “the kids” were using that businesses could never really benefit from. Over time, the skeptics were proved wrong. There are over 3 billion internet users—and over 2 billion of them have active social media accounts. Popular social platforms have become marketing giants, offering businesses valuable data about their customers and a (mostly) free way to reach them. The jury has spoken: social media for business is no longer optional. Through daily active engagement and social listening, you can gather relevant customer data and use that information to make smarter business decisions. WithHootsuite Insights, for example, you can gather information across all your social networks in real time—allowing you to gauge customer sentiment, find the conversations happening around your brand, and run real-time reports. Learn how to connect with customers like never before at Connect via Hootsuite, our virtual conference. Register for free to learn how to use social media at every stage of the buyer’s journey—from engagement and brand awareness, to driving leads and closing sales.
0.93568	lutionary paths could have led either via territorial defense (then group defense and dispersed feeds) to social foraging in group territories, or without defense, via formation of ephemeral, and then later persistent groups. What do we know about selective advantages of sociality? Behavioral ecology and sociobiology, those areas of behavioral biology that deal with this question, are among the most productive ones in about 20-30 years. Thus, only a few studies should be mentioned, to cover several aspects of this question. Anti-predator vigilance in the dwarf mongoose is, over a longer period of time, only guaranteed in groups of at least six adults; smaller groups sooner or later fell prey to raptors. Jackal pairs with one or more helpers had more success in rearing young—the energetic demand on parents for hunting and producing milk was significantly lower, and juvenile survival higher. Adult male sugar gliders that share dominance with an adult son have a higher proportion of time spent with young in the absence of the mother, which is helpful in defending as well as warning them. Pairs of klipspringer take turns in anti-predator vigilance, one feeding while the other watches out. Eastern gray kangaroos form larger groups in open areas and also during those times of the day when their main predator, the dingo, is likely to hunt. Lastly, survival of alpine marmots is higher when more young of the previous year hibernate together with their parents. Physiological mechanisms that regulate mammalian social behavior are also currently subjects of intense studies. We already heard about the influence of oxytocin on development of social bonding, studies which have predominantly been conducted on the monogamous vole Microtus ochrogaster. Pro-lactin has been identified as the hormone of parental care, and, excitingly enough, is not only maternal but also elevated in helpers, such as subordinate individuals in canid packs that help to rear the alpha pair's young. Testosterone in both sexes is connected with status/dominance position. Remarkably enough, testosterone levels often follow, not precede, an increase in status such as after winning a fight. Cortisole, one of the stress-related glucocorticoids, actively lowers status-related behavior and makes an individual more submissive, particularly in contest-related aggressive situations. Stressful reactions to potentially harmful or frightening situations are lower, or absent, if the situation is encountered in the presence of one's bonding mate. Finally, some data related to the fourth Tinbergen question, ontogeny. The importance of complete socialization has been demonstrated in countless studies. Guinea pig males that had been reared in an all-female group were unable to integrate themselves peacefully into new colonies at sexual maturity due to a lack of two important behaviors: they did not behave submissively towards adult males, and they courted any female (even firmly bonded ones) that they might meet. However, young males reared in the presence of an adult male performed "correctly" immediately after introduction, and thus were integrated without any stress or aggression. Feral cats reared in the presence of other cats (or people) apart from their mothers and litter-mates, and coyote pups raised in presence of adult helpers at the den, became more gregarious than those without these influences. Monkeys reared in isolation were unable to perform socio-sexual behavior correctly, if they did not get at least regular play sessions with other juveniles. Female monkeys without experience in baby care (prior to giving birth themselves) were less competent in handling their own infants.
0.968541	If you were an eel, what would it feel like swimming in the river Severn? A quirky sound composition that imagines life under water. Severn eels are an interesting phenomena, as they begin their life as eel larvae, drifting from their birthplace in the Sargasso Sea for three years across the Atlantic Ocean to the Severn Estuary. Should they escape the nets of the elvermen, the elvers continue to swim upstream and, over a period between eight and fifteen years, grow into eels. During this period they are known as guelps and when mature their name changes to vawsen. Eels will feed by night on various animal foods and during the day will bury themselves in the mud at the bottom of the river. Maturity occurs in the autumn when the eels begin their long journeys back down the river and out to breed in the Sargasso Sea, never to return to our shores.
0.994602	As with most aspects of managing a company, a company's power to issue shares is subject to the COMPANIES ACT 1993 and to the contents of the company's constitution (if there is one). Subject to any restrictions in the Act or the constitution, the company's board of directors may issue shares, at any time, to any person and in any number, as the board chooses. Issuing shares is therefore entirely at the board of directors' discretion. After a company has been registered, it must issue to the person or people named as shareholders in the application for registration the number of shares specified in the application to be issued to that person or those people. If a company issues shares, it must deliver to the Registrar of Companies a notice in a prescribed form within 10 working days after the shares were issued. If the company fails to lodge the notice as required, every director of the company will be deemed to have committed an offence and be liable to a penalty. If a company is unable to issue shares because of restrictions in its constitution, the board of directors may issue the shares if it obtains approval from the shareholders in the same way as would be necessary to alter the constitution to allow the share issue. This is done by a special resolution of shareholders, which usually requires a 75 percent majority. The company must give existing shareholders the option to buy any newly issued shares. This is called their "pre-emptive right". If the shareholder declines to buy the newly issued shares then the shares are offered to outside buyers. If the shares are issued to outsiders on more favourable conditions than apply to existing shareholders, then the shares must first be offered back to the shareholders on those more favourable conditions. There may also be provisions in the constitution, or in any agreement that may be in place, giving non-shareholders a pre-emptive right. How are shares paid for? By law a shareholder is not required to provide anything of value in exchange (consideration) for the issue of new shares, unless this is expressly required in the constitution. However, if consideration is required, it may take any form, including cash, promissory notes, contracts for future services, real or personal property or other securities. Before shares are issued a company's board must decide what consideration, if any, will be required for the issue of the shares and the terms on which they will be issued. The board must be satisfied that the conditions are fair and reasonable to all existing shareholders. At what point are shares deemed to be issued? Shares are deemed to have been "issued" when the shareholder is registered on the company's share register (see How to maintain a company share register). If the issue of shares would result in increasing the liability of a person to the company or in imposing a new liability on a person to the company, the issue will be void if it is done without that person's written consent. The law dealing with shares and securities is detailed and complicated. Often large amounts of money are involved and many people may be affected by decisions taken. It is strongly recommended that you seek the services of a lawyer who is experienced in securities law before undertaking to issue shares in a company.
0.999984	If I am booking a flight for somebody else, is it usually possible to get frequent flyer credit for that flight? Using American's booking interface, it complained when I tried to use my FF number with the other passenger's name. So, is the policy that only the person who flies gets the credit, not the person paying? Generally, frequent flyer programs give credit to the passenger who actually flies. The person who books or pays for the flight, if different from the passenger, doesn't get anything. A major reason for the existence of such programs is as a "kickback" to business travelers. The company pays for the ticket, but the traveler gets the credit. This is supposed to encourage the traveler to prefer that airline, even when another airline might be cheaper (and the traveler doesn't really care about the price because the company is paying). As a rule, no, you don't earn miles for flights taken by others, even if you're paying the bill. A few airlines, notably Etihad and Virgin Australia, have a "Family Membership" program where the nominated Family Head gets to pool all miles collected by family members; see this question for a partial list. I'm not aware of any American airlines supporting this though. More common is the ability to transfer miles from one account to another, so your "somebody else" can collect the miles and then forward them to you. For example, I use this ability on Qantas to hoover up my kids' miles, since they can't make use of them anyway. Often this is only permitted between "family members" or even people living at the same address, but in practice there are no checks on this, other than the computers getting suspicious if you're accumulating new cousins on a weekly basis (this feature is sometimes abused as a way to sell miles to third parties, which is prohibited). American has this option too, although it's a paid service and the costs are kind of prohibitive at $12.50 per 1000 miles. The person who flew the flight you paid for can also credit back the miles by purchasing something for you with those miles, whether it's a flight, a gift card or some overpriced knick-knack from the rewards catalog. The main catch with all of these is that you can't earn status via somebody else's flying: to reach (say) a 50,000 mile Gold status, you have to fly those miles personally. I know of no program where the credit goes to anyone but the traveller, although you can debit miles for a ticket to pretty much any another person (i.e. use miles or points to secure a ticket for someone else). In some programs you can transfer miles between program members in the same family, but that's about it. Indeed airlines rely on the total number of miles being fragmented over a very large number of travellers so as to reduce the number of people with sufficiently many miles in their individual accounts to redeem a reward ticket. How to Reduce the Price of an Awards/Points 'Free' Flight? If I credit miles from my United flights to Singapore, can I still use the United app + precheck?
0.939645	The ascent of Nanda Devi necessitated fifty years of arduous exploration in search of a passage into the Sanctuary. The outlet is the Rishi Gorge, a deep, narrow canyon which is very difficult to traverse safely, and is the biggest hindrance to entering the Sanctuary; any other route involves difficult passes, the lowest of which is 5,180 m (16,990 ft). Hugh Ruttledge attempted to reach the peak three times in the 1930s and failed each time. In a letter to The Times he wrote that 'Nanda Devi imposes on her votaries an admission test as yet beyond their skill and endurance', adding that gaining entry to the Nanda Devi Sanctuary alone was more difficult than reaching the North Pole. In 1934, the British explorers Eric Shipton and H.W. Tilman, with three Sherpa companions, Angtharkay, Pasang, and Kusang, finally discovered a way through the Rishi Gorge into the Sanctuary. When the mountain was later climbed in 1936 by a British-American expedition, it became the highest peak climbed by man until the 1950 ascent of Annapurna, 8,091 metres (26,545 ft). (However higher non-summit elevations had already been reached by the British on Mount Everest in the 1920s.) It also involved steeper and more sustained terrain than had been previously attempted at such a high altitude. The expedition climbed the south ridge, also known as the Coxcomb Ridge, which leads relatively directly to the main summit. The summit pair were H.W. Tilman and Noel Odell; Charles Houston was to be in place of Tilman, but he contracted severe food poisoning. Noted mountaineer and mountain writer H. Adams Carter was also on the expedition, which was notable for its small scale and lightweight ethic: it included only seven climbers, and used no fixed ropes, nor any Sherpa support above 6,200 m (20,300 ft). Eric Shipton, who was not involved in the climb itself, called it "the finest mountaineering achievement ever performed in the Himalaya." After abortive attempts by Indian expeditions in 1957 and 1961, the second ascent of Nanda Devi was accomplished by an Indian team led by N. Kumar in 1964, following the Coxcomb route. Attempts were made from 1965 to 1968 by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), in cooperation with the Indian Intelligence Bureau (IB), to place a nuclear-powered telemetry relay listening on the summit of Nanda Devi. The device was designed to intercept telemetry signals from Chinese missile test launches in Xinjiang Province, in the period of relative infancy of the Chinese missile program. As a result of a massive snowstorm during the initial climb, the device was lost in an avalanche and, so far as is known, has never been found. As a result of this activity, the Sanctuary was closed to climbing by foreign expeditions during much of the 1960s, and was not re-opened until 1974. In 1976, a large Japanese Indian expedition set up camp with the stated purpose of completing the two peak traverse. This was accomplished in efficient fashion by two members and several members climbed both the East and West peaks. A difficult new route, the northwest buttress, was climbed by a thirteen-person team in 1976. Three Americans, John Roskelley, Jim States and Lou Reichardt, summitted on September 1. The expedition was co-led by Louis Reichardt, H. Adams Carter (who was on the 1936 climb) and Willi Unsoeld, who climbed the West Ridge of Everest in 1963. Unsoeld's daughter, Nanda Devi Unsoeld, who was named after the peak, died on this expedition. In 1980, The Indian Army Corps of Engineers made an unsuccessful attempt. In 1981, the first women stand on the summit as part of a mixed Indian team, led by Col Balwant Sandhu. Rekha Sharma, Harshwanthi Bisht and Chandraprabha Aitwal, partnered by Dorjee Lhatoo, Ratan Singh and Sonam Paljor respectively, climbed on three ropes and summitted consecutively. The expedition was notable for the highest ascent ever made by Indian women up to that point in time, a descent complicated by retinal edema and vision loss in the climbing leader and a subsequent failed claim of a solo ascent by a later member of the same expedition. All three women went on to Everest in 1984 but did not make the summit although Sonam Paljor and Dorjee Lhatoo did. Dorjee Lhatoo climbed Nanda Devi East in 1975 and participated in the 1976 Indo-Japanese expedition as well. This was followed in 1981 by another Indian Army expedition of the Parachute Regiment which attempted both main and East peaks simultaneously. The expedition had placed a memorial to Nanda Devi Unsoeld at the high altitude meadow of Sarson Patal prior to the attempt. The successful attempt lost all its summiteers. In 1993, a forty member team of the Indian Army from the Corps of Engineers is given special permission. The aim of the expedition is multifold - to carry out an ecological survey, clean up the garbage left by previous expeditions and to attempt the peak. The team included a number of wildlife scientists and ecologists from Wildlife Institute of India, Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, World Wide Fund for Nature and GB Pant Institute for Himalayan Environment and Development amongst others. The expedition carried out a comprehensive ecological survey and removed, by porter and helicopter, over a thousand kilograms of garbage right out of the park. The team also successfully scaled the peak placing five summiteers, namely Amin Nayak, Anand Swaroop, G.K.Sharma, Didar Singh and S.P. Bhatt, on top. Nanda Devi East was first climbed in 1939 by a four-member Polish expedition led by Adam Karpiński. They climbed the south ridge, from Longstaff Col; this is still the standard route on the peak. The summit party were Jakub Bujak and Janusz Klarner. Karpiński and Stefan Bernadzikiewicz died later in an attempt on Tirsuli. The first attempt to traverse the ridge between the main summit and Nanda Devi East resulted in the death of two members of a French expedition in 1951. Team leader Roger Duplat and Gilbert Vignes disappeared on the ridge somewhere below the main summit. Tenzing Norgay was in a support team on this expedition; he and Louis Dubost climbed Nanda Devi East to look for the missing pair. Some years later Tenzing was asked what was the most difficult climb he ever did, expecting him to say Mount Everest; he surprised his interlocutors by saying Nanda Devi East. An Indo-French East-West Traverse expedition, back for some unfinished business, in 1975 successfully put several members on both peaks but the traverse remained unconsummated until the following year. The East Peak was climbed by Chamonix climbers Walter Cecchinel, Dorjee Lhatoo and Yves Pollet-Villard, climbing lightweight and unroped from Camp IV. In 1981, an Indian Army expedition followed the same line. Phu Dorjee Sherpa, a climbing instructor from the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and his partner fell from the vicinity of the final ice field. It is assumed that they summitted. The standard approach to the south ridge route, from the Milam Valley to the east, passes through Lawan Glacier via Lawan Gad and thence to Longstaff Col. The trek to base camp goes through the villages of Munsiyari, Lilam, Bogudiar, Martoli, Nasanpatti, and Bhadeligwar. An alternate route climbs the southwest face, from a base camp inside the Sanctuary. 1936: The first ascent of Nanda Devi by Odell and Tilman. 1939: First ascent of Nanda Devi East by Klarner, Bujak. 1951: Attempted traverse and death of Duplat and Vignes. Second ascent of Nanda Devi East. 1957: First Indian attempt on Nanda Devi led by Major Nandu Jayal. 1964: Second ascent of Nanda Devi by Indian team led by N. Kumar. Nawang Gombu, first man to climb Everest twice, climbs main peak in between his Everest climbs. 196?: Covert ascent by Indo-American expedition? 1975: A 13-member Indo-French expedition led by Y. Pollet-Villard including Coudray, Renault, Sandhu, and Chand ascend the West Peak. Pollet-Villard, Cecchinel and Lhatoo climb East Peak but do not complete traverse. 1976: Fifth successful ascent by 13-member Indo-American expedition. Three members (John Roskelley, Jim States, Lou Reichardt) reach summit despite extremely adverse conditions. Nanda Devi Unsoeld died from acute mountain sickness. 1976: A 21-member Indo-Japanese team approaches the south ridges of main peak and Nanda Devi East simultaneously, and achieves the first traverse, going from Nanda Devi East to the main summit. 1980: An Indian Army expedition by the Corps of Engineers led by Jai Bahuguna unsuccessfully attempts the peak driven back by bad weather from 7600m. 1981: An Indian Army expedition by the Parachute Regiment attempts both main and East peaks simultaneously but has the highest ever number of casualties on the mountain. 1981: A second Indian-led expedition places women climbers on the peak. 1993: Indian Army team from the Corps of Engineers, led by V.K. Bhatt, succeeds in placing five summiteers on top, including Amin Nayak, Anand Swaroop and G.K. Sharma. After the re-opening of the Sanctuary in 1974 to foreign climbers, trekkers, and locals, the fragile ecosystem was soon compromised by firewood cutting, garbage, and grazing. Serious environmental problems were noted as early as 1977, and the sanctuary was closed in 1983. Currently, Nanda Devi forms the core of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (which includes Nanda Devi National Park), declared by the Indian government in 1982. In 1988, Nanda Devi National Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, "of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humankind." The entire sanctuary, and hence the main summit (and interior approaches to the nearby peaks) are off-limits to locals and to climbing expeditions though a one-time exception was made in 1993 for a 40-member team from the Indian Army Corps of Engineers to check the state of recovery and to remove garbage left by prior expeditions. Nanda Devi East remains open from the east side, leading to the standard south ridge route.
0.921101	The Papal States (Gli Stati della Chiesa or Stati Pontificii, States of the Church) were those territories over which the Pope was the ruler in a civil as well as a spiritual sense. This governing power is commonly called the temporal power of the Pope. Originally the term covered only those lands that were Patrimonium Sancti Petri (literally: St. Peter's patrimony), private property of the Church. But from 754 Church control became more explicit, especially over the Duchy of Rome. After gaining territories, even contested lands, the Church held them to avoid, hopefully, having to rely on external support limiting the Pope's actions. The Roman Catholic Church had only been allowed to hold and transfer property since 321, the private property soon grew greatly through the donations of the pious and the wealthy, the Lateran Palace was the first significant donation, from Emperor Constantine I. Other donations soon followed, mainly in Italy and around Rome, but also on Sicily, around Syracuse, Palermo, Ravenna, and Genoa, in France, Africa and the Orient among others. Large gifts fell off after the 600s, economic and political conditions had changed but the Pope had become the largest landowner in Italy, bringing with it certain political issues and pressure. The Papacy became a supporter of the Byzantine rulers over the Lombards, but also moved to protect the population of its territories, raising a Roman militia. The popular support for the Papacy in Italy enabled various Popes to defy the will of the emperor in Constantinople, marked in 715 by the election of Pope Gregory II. Nevertheless the Pope and the Exarch still strove to control the rising power of Lombardy in Italy, however the Papacy was taking a ever larger role in defending Rome, usually through diplomacy, threats and bribery. The Papacy's efforts served to focus Lombard aggrandizement on the Exarch and Ravenna. When the Exarch finally fell in 751, the Lombard threat to the Pope was neutralized by the support of Pepin the Short, who sent armies into Italy in 754 and 756. Pepin won back the conquered territories but gifted them all to Pope Stephen II rather than between the Pope and the Emperor. In 781 Charlemagne codified the regions over which the Pope would be temporal sovereign, the Duchy of Rome[?] was key but the territory was expanded to include Ravenna, the Pentapolis[?], parts of the Duchy of Benevento, Tuscany, Corsica, Lombardy etc. and a number of Italian cities. The security of the states was initially guaranteed by the Frankish empire[?], a condition that was sometimes exploited. The territory was greatly expanded, notably under Pope Innocent III and Pope Julius II. But control was always contested, indeed it took until the 16th Century for the Pope to have any genuine control over all his territories, at which point the Pope's temporal power started to decline. Despite endless invasions, intrigues and internal politicking the Papal States survived into the 19th Century (in 1860 the territory covered 41,500 km2). The rise of Italian nationalism was the key factor. So also widespread allegations of human rights abuses, from the case of a young jewish boy seized by catholic who baptised him into the Catholic faith and then refused to return him to his parents; Pope Pius IX publicly supported the act and effectively 'adopted' to the child. (The issue became a cause cel�bre in Europe, being condemned by William Ewart Gladstone in the British House of Commons. Similarly the papacy's policy of keeping jews in Roman ghettos came in for widespread condemnation internationally, with the Papal States being compared in public debates to oriental despotism. The Papal states took a severe blow in the revolutions of 1848-49, in which Pope Pius IX was temporarily overthrown and a Roman Republic declared. Their final end did not come until their unilateral annexation (often described in Italian history books as a 'liberation') by Victor Emmanuel in 1870, (see Pope Pius IX), where in one of the new King's first acts, the papally enforced jewish ghettoes were opened and restrictions on non-catholics removed. The Papacy did not accept the loss. The Pope, whose previous residence, the Quirinal Palace[?] had become the royal palace of the Kings of Italy, withdrew in protest into the Vatican, where he lived as a self proclaimed 'prisoner', refusing to leave, to set foot in St. Peter's Square and ordering Catholics on pain of excommunication not to participate in elections in the new Italian state. However the new Italian control of Rome did not wither, nor did the Catholic world come to the Pope's aid, as Pius IX expected. By the 1920s, the papacy abandoned its demand for a return of the Papal States and signed the Lateran Treaty (or Concordat with Rome) of 1929, which created the Holy See and Vatican City.
0.955159	Intel Graphics Technology (GT)[a] is the collective name for a series of integrated graphics processors (IGPs) produced by Intel that are manufactured on the same package or die as the central processing unit (CPU). It was first introduced in 2010 as Intel HD Graphics. Intel Iris Graphics and Intel Iris Pro Graphics are the IGP series introduced in 2013 with some models of Haswell processors as the high-performance versions of HD Graphics. Iris Pro Graphics was the first in the series to incorporate embedded DRAM. In the fourth quarter of 2013, Intel integrated graphics represented, in units, 65% of all PC graphics processor shipments. However, this percentage does not represent actual adoption as a number of these shipped units end up in systems outfitted with discrete graphics cards. Before the introduction of Intel HD Graphics, Intel integrated graphics were built into the motherboard's northbridge, as part of the Intel's Hub Architecture. They were known as Intel Extreme Graphics and Intel GMA. As part of the Platform Controller Hub (PCH) design, the northbridge was eliminated and graphics processing was moved to the same die as the central processing unit (CPU). The previous Intel integrated graphics solution, Intel GMA, had a reputation of lacking performance and features, and therefore was not considered to be a good choice for more demanding graphics applications, such as 3D gaming. The performance increases brought by Intel's HD Graphics made the products competitive with integrated graphics adapters made by its rivals, Nvidia and ATI/AMD. Intel HD Graphics, featuring minimal power consumption that is important in laptops, was capable enough that PC manufacturers often stopped offering discrete graphics options in both low-end and high-end laptop lines, where reduced dimensions and low power consumption are important. Intel HD and Iris Graphics are divided into generations, and within each generation are divided into 'tiers' of increasing performance, denominated by the 'GTx' label. In January 2010, Clarkdale and Arrandale processors with Ironlake graphics were released, and branded as Celeron, Pentium, or Core with HD Graphics. There was only one specification: 12 execution units, up to 43.2 GFLOPS at 900 MHz. It can decode a H264 1080p video at up to 40 fps. Its direct predecessor, the GMA_X4500, featured 10 EUs at 800 MHz, but it lacked some capabilities. Sandy Bridge Celeron and Pentium have Intel HD, while Core i3 and above have either HD 2000 or HD 3000. HD Graphics 2000 and 3000 include hardware video encoding and HD postprocessing effects. Ivy Bridge Celeron and Pentium have Intel HD, while Core i3 and above have either HD 2500 or HD 4000. HD Graphics 2500 and 4000 include hardware video encoding and HD postprocessing effects. For some low-power mobile CPUs there is limited video decoding support, while none of the desktop CPUs have this limitation. The 128 MB of eDRAM in the Iris Pro GT3e is on the same package as the CPU, but in a separate die manufactured in a different process. Intel refers to this as a Level 4 cache, available to both CPU and GPU, naming it Crystalwell. Linux support for this eDRAM is expected in kernel version 3.12, by making the drm/i915 driver aware and capable of using it. Integrated Iris Pro Graphics was adopted by Apple for their late-2013 15-inch MacBook Pro laptops (with Retina Display), which for the first time in the history of the series did not have discrete graphics cards, although only for the low-end model. It was also included on the late-2013 21.5-inch iMac. In November 2013, it was announced that Broadwell-K desktop processors (aimed at enthusiasts) will also carry Iris Pro Graphics. The Skylake line of processors, launched in August 2015, retires VGA support, while supporting multi-monitor setups of up to three monitors connected via HDMI 1.4, DisplayPort 1.2 or Embedded DisplayPort (eDP) 1.3 interfaces. New Features: 10 nm Gen 10 GPU microarchitecture Mostly cancelled, Intel is now concentrating on Gen11 GPUs. Beginning with Sandy Bridge, the graphics processors include a form of digital copy protection and digital rights management (DRM) called Intel Insider, which allows decryption of protected media within the processor. Previously there was a similar technology called Protected Audio Video Path (PAVP). Intel Quick Sync Video is Intel's hardware video encoding and decoding technology, which is integrated into some of the Intel CPUs. The name "Quick Sync" refers to the use case of quickly transcoding ("syncing") a video from, for example, a DVD or Blu-ray Disc to a format appropriate to, for example, a smartphone. Quick Sync was introduced with the Gen 6 in Sandy Bridge microprocessors on 9 January 2011. Graphics Virtualization Technology was announced 1 January 2014 and is supported by Iris Pro GPUs. HD 2500 and HD 4000 GPUs in Ivy Bridge CPUs are advertised as supporting three active monitors, but many users have found that this does not work for them due to the chipsets only supporting two active monitors in many common configurations. The reason for this is that the chipsets only include two phase-locked loops (PLLs); a PLL generates a pixel clock at a certain frequency which is used to sync the timings of data being transferred between the GPU and displays. Using two or three DisplayPort connections, as they require only a single pixel clock for all connections. Passive adapters from DisplayPort to some other connector rely on the chipset being able to emit a non-DisplayPort signal through the DisplayPort connector, and thus do not count as a DisplayPort connection. Active adapters that contain additional logic to convert the DisplayPort signal to some other format count as a DisplayPort connection. By using two non-DisplayPort connections of the same connection type (for example, two HDMI connections) and the same clock frequency (like when connected to two identical monitors at the same resolution), so that a single unique pixel clock can be shared between both connections. Using the Embedded DisplayPort on a mobile CPU along with any two other outputs. ASRock Z87- and H87-based motherboards support three displays simultaneously. Asus H87-based motherboards are also advertised to support three independent monitors at once. OpenCL 2.1 and 2.2 possible with software update on OpenCL 2.0 hardware (Broadwell+) with future software updates. While Mesa does support Direct3D 9.3, this is only implemented for Gallium3D-style drivers and not for the Mesa Intel driver. Intel developed a dedicated SIP core which implements multiple video decompression and compression algorithms branded Intel Quick Sync Video. Some are implemented completely, some only partially. Intel releases programming manuals for most of Intel HD Graphics devices via its Open Source Technology Center. This allows various open source enthusiasts and hackers to contribute to driver development, and port drivers to various operating systems, without the need for reverse engineering. ^ The abbreviation "GT" appears in certain monitoring tools, such as Intel Power Gadget in reference to the graphics core on Intel processors. ^ VP9 media codec GPU accelerator to be supported post TTM, for non-Windows operating systems only. ^ Resolution details for media codec on open source Linux OS depends on platform features and drivers used. Decode/Encode features may not align to Table 8-4 that is specific to Win8.1 and Win7 operating systems. ^ All capabilities dependent on OS. Here HW support is mentioned. For more info, see Table 8-4 on page 80 of PDF. ^ a b c d e f g h "Supported APIs and Features for Intel Graphics Drivers". Intel. Retrieved 2016-05-19. ^ Michael Larabel (18 October 2013). "OpenGL 3.3 Support Lands In Mesa! Possible Mesa 11.0". Phoronix. ^ "OpenGL ES Conformant product list". ^ "Experience Visual Perfection with Intel® Graphics Technology". Intel. Retrieved 31 July 2018. ^ "Intel Iris Pro 5200 Graphics Review: Core i7-4950HQ Tested". AnandTech. Retrieved 2014-01-12. ^ "GPU market up—Intel and Nvidia graphics winners in Q4, AMD down". Jon Peddie Research. 2014-02-18. Retrieved 2014-05-14. ^ "AMD Radeon HD 7310". Notebookcheck.net. 2013-01-17. Retrieved 2014-04-20. ^ J. F. Amprimoz (2009-02-22). "The Delayed Mobile Nehalems: Clarksfield, Arrandale, and the Calpella Platform". Bright Hub. Retrieved 2014-01-15. ^ "Intel HD Graphics: A Lot Better". ^ "Intel's Official Ivy Bridge CPU Announcement Finally Live". ^ Michael Larabel (2013-09-02). "Linux 3.12 Enables Haswell's Iris eLLC Cache Support". Phoronix. Retrieved 2013-10-25. ^ "drm/i915: Use eLLC/LLC by default when available". kernel.org. 2013-07-16. Retrieved 2013-10-25. ^ "drm/i915: Use Write-Through cacheing for the display plane on Iris". kernel.org. 2013-08-22. Retrieved 2013-10-25. ^ "15-inch Retina MacBook Pro review: A tale of two laptops". Macworld. 2013-10-31. Retrieved 2014-01-12. ^ Anand Lal Shimpi (7 October 2013). "21.5-inch iMac (Late 2013) Review: Iris Pro Driving an Accurate Display". AnandTech. Retrieved 2014-01-12. ^ "Intel will announce Broadwell U 14nm cpu at CES 2014". chinese.vr-zone.com. Retrieved 2014-06-12. ^ a b Ian Cutress (2015-08-05). "Skylake's iGPU: Intel Gen9 – The Intel 6th Gen Skylake Review: Core i7-6700K and i5-6600K Tested". AnandTech. Retrieved 2015-08-06. ^ Michael Larabel (2014-09-10). "Intel Publishes Initial Skylake Linux Graphics Support". Phoronix. Retrieved 2014-09-16. ^ "Khronos Products: Conformant Products". khronos.org. 2015-07-11. Retrieved 2015-08-08. ^ Ian Cutress (2015-09-01). "Intel's Generation 9 Graphics – The Intel Skylake Mobile and Desktop Launch, with Architecture Analysis". AnandTech. Retrieved 2015-09-02. ^ Ian Cutress (2016-05-31). "Intel Announces Xeon E3-1500 v5: Iris Pro and eDRAM for Streaming Video". AnandTech. Retrieved 2016-05-31. ^ "New 7th Gen Intel Core Processor: Built for the Immersive Internet". Intel Newsroom. Retrieved 2018-08-04. ^ "The Media Engine - Intel Kaby Lake: 14nm+, Higher Clocks, New Media Engine". Tom's Hardware. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 2018-08-04. ^ Cutress, Ian. "Intel Launches 8th Generation Core CPUs, Starting with Kaby Lake Refresh for 15W Mobile". ^ "Intel® Product Specification Comparison". Web.archive.org. 7 October 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2018. ^ Shilov, Anton. "Intel Launches New Pentium Silver and Celeron Atom Processors: Gemini Lake is Here". ^ "Intel Linux Developers Begin Bringup Of Cannonlake & Cannonpoint PCH - Phoronix". www.phoronix.com. ^ "Intel Cannonlake Patches Posted For Mesa - Phoronix". www.phoronix.com. ^ "Intel Posts Initial Open-Source Graphics Driver Patches For Icelake "Gen 11" Hardware - Phoronix". www.phoronix.com. Retrieved 2018-02-11. ^ "Intel's Latest Icelake Patches Let The Display Light-Up - Phoronix". www.phoronix.com. Retrieved 2018-02-11. ^ Eassa, Ashraf. "Key Detail of Intel Corporation "Tiger Lake" Processor Revealed". The Motley Fool. Retrieved 2018-02-11. ^ Knupffer, Nick. "Intel Insider – What Is It? (IS it DRM? And yes it delivers top quality movies to your PC)". Archived from the original on 2013-06-22. Retrieved 2011-02-02. ^ Agam Shah (2011-01-06). "Intel: Sandy Bridge's Insider is not DRM". Computerworld. Retrieved 2014-03-22. ^ "Intel® Graphics Virtualization Update". ^ LG Nilsson (2012-03-12). "Most desktop Ivy Bridge systems won't support three displays". VRZone. Despite the fact that Intel has been banging its drums about support for up to three displays on the upcoming 7-series motherboards in combination with a shiny new Ivy Bridge based CPU, this isn't likely to be the case. The simple reason behind this is that very few, if any motherboards will sport a pair of DisplayPort connectors. ^ a b David Galus (February 2013). "Migration to New Display Technologies on Intel Embedded Platforms" (PDF). Intel. The Intel® 7 Series Chipset based platform allows for the support of up to three concurrent displays with independent or replicated content. However, this comes with the requirement that either one of the displays is eDP running off the CPU or two DP interfaces are being used off the PCH. When configuring the 2 DP interfaces from the PCH, one may be an eDP if using Port D. This limitation exists because the 7 Series Intel PCH contains only two display PLLs (the CPU has one display PLL also) which will control the clocking for the respective displays. All display types other than DP have an external variable clock frequency associated with the display resolution that is being used. The DP interface has an embedded clocking scheme that is semi- variable, either at 162 or 270 MHz depending on the bandwidth required. Therefore, Intel only allows sharing of a display PLL with DP related interfaces. ^ Michael Larabel (2011-10-06). "Details On Intel Ivy Bridge Triple Monitor Support". Phoronix. A limitation of this triple monitor support for Ivy Bridge is that two of the pipes need to share a PLL. Ivy Bridge has three planes, three pipes, three transcoders, and three FDI (Flexible Display Interface) interfaces for this triple monitor support, but there's only two pipe PLLs. This means that two of the three outputs need to have the same connection type and same timings. However, most people in a triple monitor environment will have at least two — if not all three — of the monitors be identical and configured the same, so this shouldn't be a terribly huge issue. ^ "Z87E-ITX". ASRock. This motherboard supports Triple Monitor. You may choose up to three display interfaces to connect monitors and use them simultaneously. ^ "H87I-PLUS". Asus. Connect up to three independent monitors at once using video outputs such as DisplayPort, Mini DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI, or VGA. Choose your outputs and set displays to either mirror mode or collage mode. ^ "Techpowerup GPU database". Techpowerup. Retrieved 2018-04-22. ^ "2nd Generation Intel® Core : Datasheet, Volume 1" (PDF). Intel.com. Retrieved 27 May 2018. ^ Michael Larabel (2014-09-20). "OpenGL 3.3 / GLSL 3.30 Lands For Intel Sandy Bridge On Mesa". Phoronix. ^ "Desktop 3rd Gen Intel Core Processor Family: Datasheet, Vol. 1". Intel. Retrieved 2015-06-18. ^ "Intel Pentium Processor N3500-series, J2850, J2900, and Intel Celeron Processor N2900-series, N2800-series, J1800-series, J1900, J1750 – Datasheet" (PDF). Intel. 2014-11-01. p. 19. Retrieved 2016-02-08. ^ Francisco Jerez (14 April 2017). "mark GL_ARB_vertex_attrib_64bit and OpenGL 4.2 as supported by i965/gen7+". freedesktop.org. ^ "Release Notes Driver version: 15.33.22.64.3621" (PDF). 2014-06-02. Retrieved 2014-07-21. ^ "Intel HD Graphics (Bay Trail)". notebookcheck.net. Retrieved 2016-01-26. ^ "Desktop 4th Generation Intel® Core : Datasheet – Volume 1 of 2" (PDF). Intel.com. Retrieved 27 May 2018. ^ Michael Larabel (16 January 2017). "Mesa 17.0 Git Lands OpenGL 4.5 Support For Intel Haswell". Phoronix. ^ "Release Notes Driver version: 15.36.3.64.3907" (PDF). 2014-09-07. Retrieved 2014-09-05. ^ "Intel® Graphics Driver PV 15.40.36.4703 Release Notes" (PDF). Intel. June 23, 2017. ^ "5th Generation Intel Core Processor Family, Intel Core M Processor Family, Mobile Intel Pentium Processor Family, and Mobile Intel Celeron Processor Family Datasheet – Volume 1 of 2" (PDF). Intel. 2015-06-01. p. 22. Retrieved 2016-02-11. ^ "Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200". notebookcheck.net. Retrieved 2016-02-09. ^ "Intel Iris Graphics 6100". notebookcheck.net. Retrieved 2016-02-09. ^ "Intel HD Graphics 6000". notebookcheck.net. Retrieved 2016-02-09. ^ "Intel HD Graphics 5600". notebookcheck.net. Retrieved 2016-02-09. ^ "Intel HD Graphics 5500". notebookcheck.net. Retrieved 2016-02-09. ^ "Intel HD Graphics 5300". notebookcheck.net. Retrieved 2016-02-09. ^ "Intel HD Graphics (Broadwell)". notebookcheck.net. Retrieved 2016-02-09. ^ Adam Cetnerowski (22 March 2018). ""Enable OpenCL 2.1 in Broadwell"". Github. ^ "Intel HD Graphics (Braswell)". notebookcheck.net. Retrieved 2016-01-26. ^ "DRIVER VERSION: 26.20.100.6709" (PDF). Downloadmirror.intel.com. Retrieved April 18, 2019. ^ Michael Larabel (20 January 2017). "Beignet 1.3 Released With OpenCL 2.0 Support". Phoronix. ^ Michael Larabel (16 February 2018). "Intel Open-Sources LLVM Graphics Compiler, Compute Runtime With OpenCL 2.1+". Phoronix. ^ Brandon Fliflet (21 December 2017). "Initial Commit". Github. ^ Michael Larabel (27 October 2015). "Intel Is Already Publishing Open-Source "Kabylake" Graphics Driver Patches". Phoronix. ^ "OpenCL - The open standard for parallel programming of heterogeneous systems". 21 July 2013. ^ "Intel® Core™ i5-600, i3-500 Desktop Processor Series, Intel® Pentium® Desktop Processor 6000 Series" (PDF) (PDF). Intel. January 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2017. ^ a b c Robert_U (19 January 2015). "Intel® Iris™ and HD Graphics Driver update posted for Haswell and Broadwell version 15.36.14.4080". Intel Communities. Intel. Retrieved 16 April 2016. ^ "5th Generation Intel® Core™ Processor Family Datasheet Vol. 1" (PDF) (PDF). Intel. 1 June 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2016. ^ "Desktop 5th Gen Intel® Core™ Processor Family Datasheet, Vol. 1" (PDF) (PDF). Intel. 27 May 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2016. ^ "6th Generation Intel Processor Datasheet" (PDF). Intel. October 2015. Retrieved 12 February 2016. ^ "Datasheet, Vol. 1: 7th Gen Intel® Core™ Processor U/Y-Platforms" (PDF). Intel. August 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2016. ^ "8th Gen (S-platform) Intel® Processor Family Datasheet Vol.1". Intel. Retrieved 2017-10-21. ^ "N-series Intel Pentium Processors and Intel Celeron Processors Datasheet – Volume 1 of 3" (PDF). Intel. 2015-04-01. pp. 77–79. Retrieved 2016-02-08. ^ "Intel® Pentium® and Celeron® Processor N- and J- Series" (PDF). Intel. Retrieved 2017-06-03. ^ "2017Q2 Intel Graphics Stack Recipe". 01.org. 2017-07-06. Retrieved 2017-08-14. ^ a b "Intel Atom Processor Z3600 and Z3700 Series Datasheet" (PDF). Intel. December 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2016. ^ "Intel Atom Z8000 Processor Series Datasheet (Volume 1 of 2)" (PDF). Intel. 2016-03-01. p. 130. Retrieved 2016-04-24. ^ "Linux Graphics, Documentation". Intel Open Source Technology Center. 01.org. 2014-01-12. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
0.999992	What is the riddle of Esther? I refer to the young woman in the Bible, the book of Esther. The riddle: Who has more power, the king or the one who influences the king? Truly representative government can best be characterized by the measure of influence the people have on their elected representatives. To bring this idea of influence into focus, I compare the influence of Texans living within Congressional District 4 (CD4). Congressman John Ratcliffe represents approximately 700,000 Texans, population typical for all 435 congressional districts. Our two U.S. senators represent over 28, 000,000 Texans. The apportionment is due to the election of Representatives and Senators by popular vote. Therefore, we in CD4 individually influence our elected representative as one in 700,000, while we individually influence either U.S. senator as one in 28,000,000. Your influence with Senator John Cornyn is less than 1/40th the influence you have with John Ratcliffe. Our elected representative lives among us, right here in Heath, Texas. Meanwhile, Senator John Cornyn lives in Washington, D.C. John Ratcliffe frequents our communities and political events where you can actually talk with him. When have you ever spoken with John Cornyn? For a living, breathing case against the Seventeenth Amendment, here are two examples: Mitch McConnell and John Cornyn. Senators McConnell and Cornyn represent the interests of Barack Obama, not the people who elected them. 31 members of the Senate and 150 members of the House make up the body of the Texas Legislature. Each Texas House district is home to fewer than 170,000 persons, while each Texas Senate district covers slightly more than 800,000. Repeal of the Seventeenth Amendment would restore accountability of U.S. Senators to the people of the respective states. While we are fortunate that Senator Ted Cruz truly represents the broad interests of me and my fellow Texans, such was not always the case and will not be so in the future. We can enjoy true representation if we restore original intent by repeal the Seventeenth Amendment.
0.995546	Are dimensional models still relevant given the expansion of BI and analytics solutions? Technological advances have enabled a breathtaking expansion in the breadth of our BI and analytics solutions. On the surface, many of these technologies appear to threaten the relevance of models in general and of the dimensional model in particular. However, a deeper look reveals that the value of the dimensional model rises with the adoption of big data technologies. The dimensional model rose to prominence in the 1990s as data warehouse architectures evolved to include the concept of the data mart. During this period, competing architectural paradigms emerged, but all leveraged the dimensional model as the standard for data mart design. The now familiar "stars" and "cubes" that comprise a data mart became synonymous with the concept of the dimensional model. Since the 1990s, business uses for data assets have multiplied dramatically. Data management programs have expanded beyond data warehousing to include performance management, business analytics, data governance, master data management, and data quality management. As the scope of data management programs has grown, so too has the set of skills required to sustain them. The field of data management encompasses a broader range of specialties than ever before. Teams struggle to keep pace with the expanding demands, and data generalists are being stretched even thinner. These pressures suggest that something must give. Amidst the buzz and hype surrounding big data, it's easy to infer that dimensional modeling skills might be among the first to go. It is now possible to manage data in a nonrelational format such as a key-value store, document collection, or graph. New processing paradigms support diverse data formats ranging from highly normalized structures to wide, single table paradigms. Schema-less technologies do not require a model to ingest new data. Virtualization promises to bring together disparate data sets regardless of format, and visualization promises to enable self-service discovery. Coupled with the notion that the dimensional model is nothing more than a form of schema design, these developments imply it is no longer relevant, but the reality is precisely the opposite. Schema Design: The dimensional model's best-known role, the basis for schema design, is alive and well in the age of big data. Data marts continue to reside on relational or multidimensional platforms, even as some organizations choose to migrate away from traditional vendors and into the cloud. Although NoSQL technologies are contributing to the evolution of data management platforms, they are not rendering relational storage extinct. It is still necessary to track key business metrics over time, and on this front relational storage reigns. In part, this explains why several big data initiatives seek to support relational processing on top of platforms such as Hadoop. Nonrelational technology is evolving to support relational; the future still contains stars. The Business View: That said, there are numerous data management technologies that do not require the physical organization of data in a dimensional format, and virtualization promises to bring disparate data together from heterogeneous data stores at the time of query. These forces lead to environments where data assets are spread across the enterprise and organized in dramatically different formats. Here, the dimensional model becomes essential as the business view through which information assets are presented and accessed. Like the semantic layers of old, the business view serves as a catalog of information resources expressed in nontechnical terms, shielding information consumers from the increasing complexity of the underlying data structures and protecting them from the increasing sophistication needed to formulate a distributed query. This unifying business view grows in importance as the underlying storage of data assets grows in complexity. The dimensional model is the business's entry point into the sprawling repositories of available data and the focal point that makes sense of it all. Information Requirements and Project Scope: As data management programs have expanded to include performance management, analytics, and data governance, information requirements take on a new prominence. In addition to supporting these new service areas, they become the glue that links them together. The process-oriented measurement perspective of the dimensional model is the core of this interconnected data management environment. The dimensional model of a business process provides a representation of information needs that simultaneously drives the traditional facts and dimensions of a data mart, the key performance indicators of performance dashboards, the variables of analytics models, and the reference data managed by governance and MDM. In this light, the dimensional model becomes the nexus of a holistic approach managing BI, analytics, and governance programs. In addition to supporting a unified road map across these functions, a single set of dimensional requirements enables their integration. Used at a program level to define the scope of projects, the dimensional model makes possible data marts and dashboards that reflect analytics insights, analytics that link directly to business objectives, performance dashboards that can drill to OLAP data, and master data that is consistent across these functions. Editor's Note: This author will be leading an in-depth session on this topic at TDWI Chicago.
0.999994	This workshop will go way beyond, “Hey, you should use LIME.” Josh will share concrete tips for how to navigate the need to balance interpretable and predictive modeling in the wild. Specific goals for the workshop are to: 1) Explain the difference between interpretable and predictive models, and the difference between local and global interpretability. 2) Cover a few concepts about data collection and data preparation related to interpretable vs predictive models. 3) Dive into which algorithms predict well, which interpret well, and which do a bit of both. 4) Share a decision flow chart showing how to approach a project based on the need for interpretability and/or predictive power. 5) Review Python code examples of what it means to navigate between interpretability and predictive models (yes, LIME is included in the examples). Perhaps the most pervasive argument for model interpretability today is that model consumers and model stakeholders need to trust model recommendations and understand how to incorporate them into their decision making. Without trust and understanding, your model runs a real risk of becoming shelf-ware or being misused. Because of this reality, an understanding of the concepts discussed in this talk are absolutely vital to the success of a data scientist. Data scientists are the people behind the scenes, helping others deliver better, smarter results in their daily work. This is especially true for product data scientists who must hone their craft to determine what things are working for a given product, where do we want to take it next, and how can we make product decisions aligned with company is trying to build? Cross-functional communications are critical to success in this role; you need to be able to craft a message that is born out of math to make compelling arguments that are digestible by stakeholders across the business. In this session, we'll define Product Data Science and discuss contributing factors to success. In this talk, Stefano will outline some of the challenges involved in solving one of the most difficult problems in cybersecurity: automated threat detection. Without an adaptive model, detecting and blocking malicious actors is exceptionally difficult because of the wide variance of both normal and suspicious behavior. The Duo Security Data Science team built a novel machine learning pipeline that leverages Apache Spark to process authentication data, extract usage and behavioral information, and match it against both historical data and threat models. Stefano will discuss examples of the current state of the art of threat detection, why it is a challenging problem to tackle for most traditional anomaly detection methods, and some of the future directions to improve detection rates. As data science teams scale, they're constantly generating new insights and knowledge that aren’t often adequately captured, stored, or leveraged. This leads to re-work and missed opportunities for research breakthroughs that frustrate data scientists and can tarnish the team's ability to make a business impact. The leaders of data science teams are tasked with building and retaining a team of rockstars, while implementing systems and processes that will help them deliver meaningful results at scale. They must figure out how to create a data science flywheel. In this panel, we will discuss best practices for instilling knowledge management into the data science team's culture. Attendees will leave with practical advice to help them build a team that accelerates its output with scale, rather than succumbing to complexity. Part of being a data scientist means learning all the time. Additionally, aspiring data scientists are already part of many organizations looking to grow their data science expertise. With previous experience as faculty, a co-organizer of Women in Data Science ATX, and mentor to junior data scientists at Dell, Randi has had the opportunity to help craft collaborative learning environments in many organizations. She will share tips and tricks for how to enable people to hone their skills and increase confidence in their contributions to data science within the business. In this workshop, we will walk through a framework for successfully managing data science in the enterprise that covers people, process, and technology. We will step through the key stages of the data science lifecycle, from ideation through to delivery and monitoring, discussing common pitfalls and best practices in each based on Domino’s experience working with leading data science teams. Attendees will be provided with examples of Domino’s Lifecycle Assessment and be guided through an interactive exercise to evaluate the bottlenecks in their own organizations. They will leave with a customized physical artifact that can be used to prioritize investment in hiring, process management, or technology acquisition.
0.99997	Jen Zee is a 2D digital artist who works for a small gaming industry in San Francisco, USA. The artist is around 27 years of age, who previously attended the University of Washington.The artist has created many Illustration and concept art for many big gaming titles, such as popular Bastion. Jen Zee currently works as the art director at supergiant games. Some of the software Jen uses is adobe Photoshop and Painter, to display her artistic abilities. Some of her hobbies that have influence her work include Art, Computers, Parkour, Tricking/Acrobatics, Martial Arts, comics and video games. In this essay the artist history, artist work and likes/dislike towards the artist work will be discussed. Jen Zee originates from Sunny Seattle, later moving to cooler places such as Dracula castle and Shadow Moses Island because of the extreme heat. Jen grew up with video games ever since she can remember, which has later influenced her to take up a career in concept art in videogames. In high school, she was known as the homecoming queen. Within her job (supergiant games), she is often referred to as a nerd, being the bosses and co-workers update for many gaming titles. She is known to be an exciting person and a fun person to work around with. She studied in Seattle at the University of Washington, where she studied math and explored more into her interest through art. She then later took up a job as an artist within the comic industry. Before joining supergiant games, Jen worked as a freelance artist at various places and a concept artist and flash programmer at Gaia Interactive, also working as lead artist at Gaia Interactive. Jen now works at Supergiant gaming, where her style and artistic skill lighting up and polishes their games. Jen enjoys drawing and working as an artist. Jen demonstrates her artistic abilities and style on her Gaia Interactive CD cover (as shown above).
0.999395	Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people had four times the rate of homelessness compared to other Australians (191 per 10,000 compared with 49 per 10,000 in the 2006 Census). Homeless Indigenous Australians were more likely to sleep rough, or in improvised dwellings and shelters, than non-Indigenous Australians (27% compared with 15%). Indigenous people are overrepresented as clients of specialist homelessness services - while 2.5% of Australians were Indigenous, and 9% of homeless Australians were Indigenous, about 17% of people assisted by specialist homelessness services in 2008-09 were Indigenous. What types of homelessness are Indigenous people experiencing?
0.94391	I was a jaywalker on the street and was hit by a car that was uninsured. Who’s at fault? Answer: First, the presence of or lack of insurance bears no relevance to fault. To determine fault, I would need to know more about the facts. Personal Injury Law can be very complex. Be sure to always retain the right attorney for you. Make sure they have experience in handling cases similar to yours. It's key in protecting your rights.
0.94265	Barack Hussein Obama Sr. ( /ˈbærək huːˈseɪn oʊˈbɑːmə/; 18 June 1936 – 24 November 1982) was a Kenyan senior governmental economist and the father of Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States. He is a central figure of his son's memoir, Dreams from My Father (1995). Obama married in 1954 and had two children with his first wife, Kezia. He was selected for a special program to attend college in the United States and studied at the University of Hawaii. There, Obama met Stanley Ann Dunham, whom he married in 1961, and with whom he had a son, Barack II. She divorced him three years later. The elder Obama later went to Harvard University for graduate school, where he earned an M.A. in economics, and returned to Kenya in 1964. He saw his son Barack once more, when he was about ten. In late 1964, Obama Sr. married Ruth Beatrice Baker, a Jewish-American woman whom he had met in Massachusetts. They had two sons together before separating in 1971 and divorcing in 1973. Obama first worked for an oil company, before beginning work as an economist with the Kenyan Ministry of Transport. He gained a promotion to senior economic analyst in the Ministry of Finance. He was among a cadre of young Kenyan men who had been educated in the West in a program supported by Tom Mboya. Obama Sr. had conflicts with Kenyan President Jomo Kenyatta, which adversely affected his career. He was fired and blacklisted in Kenya, finding it nearly impossible to get a job. Obama Sr. was involved in three serious car accidents during his final years; he died as a result of the last one in 1982. Barack Obama Sr. was born in 1936 in Rachuonyo District on the shores of Lake Victoria just outside Kendu Bay, British Kenya, at the time a colony and protectorate of the British Empire. He was raised in the village of Nyang'oma Kogelo, Siaya District, Nyanza Province. His family are members of the Luo ethnic group. As a young man, Onyango Obama traveled widely, enlisting in the British colonial forces and visiting Europe, India, and Zanzibar. There, he converted from Roman Catholicism to Islam and took the name Hussein. He became a cook for missionaries and a local herbalist in Nairobi. After his 1962 graduation from the University of Hawaii, Obama (Sr.) went to Harvard University for a doctoral program in economics, but left the university after completing his master's degree. At Harvard he started dating Ruth Beatrice Baker, a Jewish-American woman. She went with him to Kenya in 1964. They married late that year and had two sons, Mark and David. The couple separated in 1971 and divorced in 1973. Otieno jarieko (Otieno, the Wise Man: A Series of Readers to Follow the Luo Adult Literacy Primer) (in Luo). Nairobi: East African Literature Bureau, Eagle Press. 1959. OCLC 694566336. "Problems facing our socialism: another critique of Sessional Paper No. 10" (PDF). East Africa Journal. Nairobi. 2 (4): 26–33. July 1965. ISSN 0012-8309. Retrieved 6 May 2011. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Barack Obama Sr.. ^ a b Jacobs (2011), p. 26: Her brother Baraka, as she [Hawa Auma] recalls, converted to Christianity when he was about six years old and changed his name to the more Christian-sounding Barack because the Christian missionaries at the early schools that he attended insisted that he do so. ^ a b Jacobs (2011), p. 261: 27. Barack Obama's date of birth is unclear. His earliest school records bear no birth date. His University of Hawaii transcript records his birthdate as 18 June 1934. His marriage certificate and résumés indicate he was born in 1936. U.S. immigration records show his year of birth as both 1934 and 1936. Family members say they believe he was born in 1936. ^ Fornek, Scott; Good, Greg (9 September 2007). "The Obama family tree" (PDF). Chicago Sun-Times. pp. 2B–3B. Retrieved 22 March 2008. ^ Crilly, Rob (22 August 2008). "Life is good in my Nairobi slum, says Barack Obama's younger brother". The Times. London. p. 37. Retrieved 23 August 2008. ^ Pflanz, Mike (21 August 2008). "Barack Obama is my inspiration, says lost brother". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 23 August 2008. ^ "The President's Kin" (PDF). New York. 23 November 2009. Retrieved 20 January 2012. ^ Sally H. Jacobs. The Other Barack. PublicAffairs. 2011. Excerpt at NPR.org Retrieved 16 September 2011. Quote: "The Old Man had also been called Barack, but his was a working man's name, with the emphasis on the first syllable." ^ Interview of Sally H. Jacobs by John Batchelor. Archived 18 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine The John Batchelor Show. 16 July 2011 (19:10–19:50). Retrieved 16 September 2011. ^ a b Cejka, T. Diane (30 November 2011). "Obama Immigration Records FOIA Requests". Scribd. H. S. Mathers. p. 115. Retrieved 25 September 2015. ^ a b c Oywa, John; Olwenya, George (14 November 2008). "Obama's dad and his many loves". The Standard. Nairobi. Archived from the original on 23 January 2009. Retrieved 22 November 2008. ^ Ombour, Joe (4 November 2008). "Obama's father and the origin of Muslim name". The Standard. Nairobi. Archived from the original on 6 December 2008. Retrieved 13 November 2008. ^ Powell, Kimberly (2008). "Ancestry of Barack Obama". New York: About.com. Archived from the original on 2 March 2008. Retrieved 4 March 2008. ^ a b Reitwiesner, William Addams (2008). "Ancestry of Barack Obama". Washington, D.C.: wargs.com ( William Addams Reitwiesner Genealogical Services). Archived from the original on 3 December 2008. Retrieved 21 November 2008. ^ a b MacIntyre, Ben; Orengoh, Paul (3 December 2008). "Beatings and abuse made Barack Obama's grandfather loathe the British". The Times (69497). London. p. 6. Archived from the original on 20 January 2009. Retrieved 7 March 2009. ^ "Dec. 12, 1963 - Kenya Gains Independence". The Learning Network. The New York Times. 12 December 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2014. ^ Obama, Barack (16 October 2006). "My spiritual journey". Time. Retrieved 5 March 2008. My father was almost entirely absent from my childhood, having been divorced from my mother when I was 2 years old; in any event, although my father had been raised a Muslim, by the time he met my mother he was a confirmed atheist, thinking religion to be so much superstition. ^ Obama (1995, 2004), p. 418. ^ "Fascinating story of Obama family". The Standard. Nairobi. Archived from the original on 17 August 2009. Retrieved 11 July 2009. ^ a b c d e Foreman, William (4 November 2009). "Obama's half brother: our father was abusive; new novel 'Nairobi to Shenzhen' is patterned in part on Barack Obama, Sr". msnbc.com. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 7 November 2009. Retrieved 5 November 2009. ^ Jones, Tim (27 March 2007). "Barack Obama: mother not just a girl from Kansas; Stanley Ann Dunham shaped a future senator". Chicago Tribune. chicago tribune. p. 1. Archived from the original on 29 March 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2009. ^ Bade, David W. (2000). "Books in African languages in the Melville J. Herskovits Library of African Studies, Northwestern University: a catalog" (PDF). Evanston, Ill.: Program of African Studies, Northwestern University. p. 304 (#3729). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 18 March 2009. ^ Spak, Kara (7 December 2010). "Obama's African sales appeal on exhibit". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 20. Retrieved 20 January 2011. ^ Dobbs, Michael (30 March 2008). "Obama overstates Kennedys' role in helping his father". The Washington Post. p. A1. Retrieved 24 February 2011. ^ a b c d Jacobs, Sally (21 September 2008). "A father's charm, absence". The Boston Globe. p. 1A. Retrieved 14 August 2009. ... Pake Zane, 66, who attended the University of Hawaii with Obama and had not publicly discussed their 1974 conversation until now. Zane was astonished at the transformation in his once vibrant friend, who had been divorced by his third wife a year before. ^ Shachtman, Tom (2009). Airlift to America. St. Martin's Press. pp. 4–9. ISBN 978-0-312-57075-0. ^ Seccombe, Mike (27 August 2009). "Unlikely Events Recall Story Of This President". Vineyard Gazette. Martha's Vineyard, MA. ^ Rice, Xan (6 June 2008). "'Barack's voice was just like his father's—I thought he had come back from the dead'". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 9 June 2008. Retrieved 10 June 2008. ^ Jacobs, Sally H. (2011). The Other Barack. PublicAffairs. pp. 72–73, 90–91, 129–130. ISBN 978-1-58648-793-5. ^ a b c d e f Maraniss, David (24 August 2008). "Though Obama had to leave to find himself, it is Hawaii that made his rise possible". The Washington Post. p. A22. Retrieved 24 February 2011. ^ a b Hoover, Will (9 November 2008). "Obama's Hawaii boyhood homes drawing gawkers". The Honolulu Advertiser. p. A1. Retrieved 21 January 2011. ^ a b Salsberg, Bob (29 April 2011). "Files suggest elder Obama forced to leave Harvard". The Arizona Republic. Associated Press. Retrieved 1 May 2011. President Barack Obama's father was forced to leave Harvard University before completing his Ph.D. in economics because the school was concerned about his personal life and finances, according to newly public immigration records. ^ a b Dougherty, Phil (10 February 2009). "Barack Obama moves to Seattle in August or early September 1961". Seattle: HistoryLink.org. Retrieved 21 January 2011. ^ Griffin, John (22 June 1962). "First UH African graduate gives view on E-W Center". The Honolulu Advertiser. An off-campus resident himself (St. Louis Heights) Obama thinks it's a mistake to have the East-West students in dormitories. ^ Brannon, Johnny (10 February 2007). "Hawai'i's imperfect melting pot a big influence on young Obama". The Honolulu Advertiser. p. 1A. Retrieved 21 January 2011. The elder Obama lived first at the Atherton YMCA on University Avenue and later moved to St. Louis Heights. ^ "President Obama's connection to UH Economics". Honolulu: Department of Economics, University of Hawaii at Manoa. 26 February 2009. Archived from the original on 15 December 2010. Retrieved 21 January 2011. ^ "U.S. Presidents share a Phi Beta Kappa connection". Focus News. Washington, D.C.: Phi Beta Kappa Society. 21 January 2009. Archived from the original on 28 April 2009. Retrieved 22 October 2009. ^ a b c Sanders, Edmund (17 July 2008). "So alike and yet so different". Los Angeles Times. p. A1. Archived from the original on 11 February 2009. Retrieved 24 February 2009. Obama's worsening drinking binges strained his career and marriage. "He would pass out on the doorstep," said Leo Odera Omolo, a former drinking buddy and friend of the family. "Ruth would complain he's getting out of hand." The couple divorced in the early 1970s. ^ "Kenya student wins fellowship". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. 20 June 1962. p. 7. A 1962 graduate, he leaves next week for a tour of Mainland universities before entering Harvard in the fall. ^ Merida, Kevin (14 December 2007). "The ghost of a father". The Washington Post. p. A12. Retrieved 21 January 2011. Dewey, Alice; White, Geoffrey (9 March 2009). "Ann Dunham: a personal reflection". Honolulu: University of Hawaii Department of Anthropology. Archived from the original on 10 June 2010. Retrieved 21 January 2011. ^ Solomon, Deborah (20 January 2008). "Questions for Maya Soetoro-Ng: All in the family". The New York Times. p. 17. Retrieved 21 January 2011. ^ Jacobs (2011), p. 159. ^ . (1970). Harvard alumni directory (14th ed.). Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Alumni Association. p. 1240. ISSN 0895-1683. . (1986). Harvard alumni directory, vol. 1 (17th ed.). Boston, Mass.: Harvard Alumni Association. p. 904. ISSN 0895-1683. ^ Jacobs (2011), pp. 160–161. ^ a b Jacobs, Andrew (4 November 2009). "An Obama relative living in China tells of his own journey of self-discovery". The New York Times. p. A10. Retrieved 21 January 2011. ^ a b Demick, Barbara (5 November 2009). "Obama's half brother describes abuse". Los Angeles Times. p. A32. Retrieved 21 January 2011. ^ Jacobs (2011), p. 165. ^ Jacobs (2011), p. 177. ^ Ochieng, Philip (1 November 2004). "From home squared to the US Senate: how Barack Obama was lost and found". The EastAfrican. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 4 March 2008. ^ Obama (1995, 2004), p. 126: [ Ann Dunham]: "Later, when he came to visit us in Hawaii that time, he wanted us to come live with him. But I was still married to Lolo then, and his third wife had just left him, and I just didn't think ..." ^ Obama (1995, 2004), p. 216: [ Auma Obama]: "She left when I was twelve or thirteen, after the Old Man had had a serious car accident. He had been drinking, I think, and the Old Man was in the hospital, almost a year, and Roy and I lived on our own. When the Old Man finally got out of the hospital, that's when he went to visit you and your mum in Hawaii." ^ Smith, Ben; Ressner, Jeffrey (15 April 2008). "Long-lost article by Obama's dad surfaces". Politico.com. Retrieved 20 January 2011. ^ Fornek, Scott (9 September 2007). "Barack Obama Sr.: 'Wrestling with ... a ghost'". Chicago Sun Times. p. 4B. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2008. ^ Obama (1995, 2004), pp. 62–71, 216. ^ "Kennedy Center honoree Brubeck's ties to Obama". New England Cable News. 6 December 2009. Archived from the original on 12 December 2009. Retrieved 9 February 2011. ^ BarackObama.com (21 November 2011). "Dinner with Barack: Two Teachers, an Army Veteran, a Small Business Owner, and The President". YouTube. Retrieved 24 November 2011. ^ Obama (1995, 2004), pp. 214–216. ^ Obama (1995, 2004), pp. 64–71, 212–219. Obama, Barack (2004) . Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance. New York: Three Rivers Press. ISBN 1-4000-8277-3. Jacobs, Sally H. (2011). The other Barack: the bold and reckless life of President Obama's father. New York: PublicAffairs. ISBN 1-58648-793-0.
0.962797	\r\n \r\n \r\n TWO bungling bandits who stole a bag of bread rolls instead of cash before one accidentally shot the other have been labelled "the keystone robbers" by a judge. \r\nBenjamin Jorgensen, 38, and Donna Hayes, 36, tried to hold up the Cuckoo Restaurant in Olinda on April Fool\'s Day last year, the County Court heard yesterday. \r\nProsecutor Brian Halpin told the court Jorgensen carried a sawn-off shotgun as he and Hayes confronted manager Peter Schmidt leaving the restaurant at night carrying a black plastic bag. \r\nJorgensen yelled at the manager, "Give me the bag or I\'ll blow your head off ", to which Mr Schmidt replied, "What do you want with the bag? There\'s only bread rolls in there," Mr Halpin said. \r\nBut Mr Halpin said the pair believed the bag contained $30,000 in takings. \r\nThe court heard Jorgensen then accidentally fired the shotgun as Mr Schmidt offered him the bag. \r\nHayes was shot in the hip and immediately fell to the ground screaming, "You got me, You got me", as Jorgensen demanded the manager\'s car keys, which he then used on the wrong vehicle. \r\nJudge Roland Williams said: "You\'ve heard of the Keystone Cops. This is the keystone robbers." \r\nMore than half of voters in an Adelaide newspaper\'s online opinion poll agree with Victorian Premier John Brumby - the city is a "backwater". \r\nThe poll had attracted more 2090 votes before 10am today, in response to the question: "Is Adelaide a backwater?" \r\nForty-eight per cent said Adelaide lagged behind the eastern capitals and another 15% agreed it was a backwater but said that was part of the appeal. Twenty-eight per cent said Mr Brumby was "just a jerk", and 6% based their defence on the number of major events on in Adelaide at this time of year. \r\n... well, this may explain a lot about where HF has been for the last several weeks. That\'s nonsense, I was hit by a returning boomerang. \r\nMeanwhile Ze has finally cracked a mention in the Australian press! \r\nWrapped up in their tiny blankets, the bundles of woe pictured below are surviving on the milk of human kindness. \r\nThe orphaned baby fruit bats are being raised at a rescue centre after a plague of poisonous ticks swept through their colony. \r\nUsed to snuggling up to their mothers, they need to be kept warm and are fed through teats with a sugary liquid full of nutrients. \r\nNormally adults carry their baby on their back but as those which have been infected slowly die, the youngsters, with no mother to feed them, also perish. \r\n"We walk around the bat colony in the Bush every day and you can hear the young bats crying for their mothers," said Jenny Maclean, who runs the rescue centre on the Atherton Tablelands in northern Queensland. \r\n \r\n \r\n But Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has emphatically ruled out any change with a "simple, respectful, but straightforward no". \r\nMr Rudd said there have always been controversies about national days but that Australia is a nation for all Australians. \r\nsecond thought: that\'s amazing I want to drive through that! yeah, once they got inside I was begging the drivers on the computer screen to please please please stop driving and pull over. Don\'t know why I was so surprised at how dark it was in there. \r\nNot a bird, or a plane, but a kangaroo has crashed through the bedroom window of a Canberra family\'s home before terrorising its unsuspecting occupants. \r\nThe family, from the suburb of Garran in Canberra\'s south, were awoken in the early hours of Sunday morning when their pet dog began barking from the garden. \r\nMoments later, a kangaroo burst through a three-metre high window of the house\'s master bedroom and onto the bed where Beat Ettlin, his partner Verity Beman and their nine-year-old daughter Beatrix lay. \r\n"My initial thought when I was half awake was: it\'s a lunatic ninja coming through the window," Mr Ettlin told The Associated Press. \r\n"It seems about as likely as a kangaroo breaking in." \r\nWhile the family took refuge under the blankets, the injured animal proceeded to jump on top of them, gouging holes in the furniture and smearing blood all over the walls. \r\nThe next thing Mr Ettlin heard was his 10-year-old son Leighton screaming from his bed: "There\'s a \'roo in my room!\'" \r\n"I thought, this can be really dangerous for the whole family now," the 42-year-old said. \r\nA chef, originally from the Swiss city of Stans, Mr Ettlin followed the thrashing and bleeding two metre tall marsupial and wrestled it into a headlock before dragging it down the hallway and out the front door. \r\nLeft wearing just his shredded underpants and with scratch marks on his leg and buttocks, Mr Ettlin described himself as "lucky". \r\n"I had just my Bonds undies on. I felt vulnerable," he said. \r\nAs quickly as it had come, the kangaroo vanished into a nearby reserve and the family reported the intrusion to police and wildlife authorities. \r\nMs Beman praised her husband\'s courage and said she didn\'t know many men who would go head-to-head with a kangaroo. \r\n"I think he\'s a hero, a hero in Bonds undies," she said. \r\nTHE Big Prawn is an icon of the NSW North Coast, but Ballina\'s fibreglass landmark is causing a big stink. \r\nOwner Santo Pennisi wants to tear it down, but locals have vowed to raise it from the dead. \r\nA Facebook petition to save the giant prawn has already attracted more than 500 followers. \r\nOne fan suggests: "Just give it a lick of new paint and it will look great again." \r\nA local developer has also weighed into the debate, vowing to build a new prawn if the original can\'t be saved. \r\nMr Pennisi has asked Ballina council for permission to topple the 19-year-old prawn. \r\nMayor Phillip Silver said it\'s hard to say if the structure was "an icon or an eyesore". \r\nRumours are circulating that the prawn could be replaced with a huge pelican. \r\nDeveloper Chris Condon, who built a 6m-high beer can atop a Cobar hotel in 1990, is a fan of giant things. \r\n"I love it," he said. "You can\'t buy publicity like this for your town." \r\n Mr Condon said it was unfortunate that the prawn has ended up in such disrepair. \r\n"It could have met a better fate," he said. \r\nA MAN claims his pet cat is a bit too brainy for his own good and can speak English - a total of seven different words so far, including the F-word. \r\nRobert \'RJ\' Duncan, of Palmerston, in the Northern Territory says his budgie Picininny can also speak. \r\nBut when the Northern Territory News first visited the ex-boxer, 34, and his wife Sandra, 32, at their home, the house-bound moggie grumpily declined to comment. \r\nInstead he scratched Mr Duncan a few times before bolting to his bedroom and barricading himself in his cupboard. \r\nBut during a second visit, Mischief was much friendlier. And more talkative. All gathered heard him speak to Sandra, calling her "mum\'\'. \r\nMr Duncan said the two-year-old cat - which he and his wife adopted from his feral mother in Katherine - was most vocal at night. \r\n"He starts mouthing off when he wants his food - when we start cooking,\'\' he said. \r\n"He can say seven words all up: mum, no, now, what, f--k, pr--k and why. \r\nMr Duncan - sitting at their wooden table rolling a roll-your-own - said Mischief\'s first word was \'mum\', which he started saying about the age of six months. \r\nHuman babies are a little slower than the skittish kitty. They can usually manage to produce a slurred \'mama\' or \'dada\' about 10 months of age. \r\nMr Duncan said Mischief wasn\'t apeing the words - he knew what he was saying. \r\n"He calls out to (Sandra) and everything - he\'ll sit at the back window, while she\'s in the garden, calling out \'mum\'." \r\n"In the evening time, if you don\'t drop whatever you\'re doing and pay attention to him, he calls you \'f--king pr--k\'. \r\n"If he really cracks the sh-ts, he\'ll piss in his drinking water just to let you know he\'s really sh--ty." \r\nThe potty mouthed puss doesn\'t take non-attention kindly. \r\nMischief spent his time during the Duncan\'s wedding swearing at the guests in the backyard from his bedroom window. \r\nMr Duncan said the guests were pre-warned, so "they pretty much ignored him". \r\nThe Duncans\' budgie is less adventurous with its words. \r\nMr Duncan will now be trying to film his moggie to prove Mischief can really talk. \r\n"He\'s a character ... he\'s one of these cats that\'s a bit too brainy for his own good." ^^ must\'ve got lazy manfred in the sweep. ^I was on C\'est la Guerre. But hey, c\'est la guerre. My friend\'s son is a croupier in the VIP room. Warney was at Matt\'s table....and Matt had to ask him to turn his phone off. \r\n \r\n \r\n SOUTH Australia\'s floral emblem - Sturt\'s Desert Pea - will join marijuana on a banned list of plants under a proposed change to a Federal Government law.
0.967985	What's sauce for the goose may be sauce for the gander but is not necessarily sauce for the chicken, the duck, the turkey, or the guinea hen. If one says to thee, "Thou art a donkey," pay no heed. If two speak thus, purchase a saddle. These things are good in little measure and evil in large: yeast, salt and hesitation.
0.999842	How do I transfer files to a remote server over the Internet using .NET? There are two standard ways to transmit files over the Internet. The first is to use the HTTP POST verb to transmit files (or just plain data) to a receptor, which then saves them on the remote server. The second is to use File Transfer Protocol (FTP) to connect to a remote server, then transmit the files directly to the remote FTP server, which saves them on the remote server. HTTP posting requires two pieces. The first piece is the program that recognizes HTTP POST requests (an acceptor), gets the filenames and file data from the request, and saves them in the desired location. The second piece includes the file data's sender and the desired filename (a poster). I'll walk you through a sample project that shows you how to do this, studying the acceptor first. Name the acceptor Uploader.aspx, and use the Page_Load event to house all your code (see Listing 1). All the acceptor does is look for the filename sent from the requestor, get the file data, and save the data to a specified location on the local server. This Web page includes a single label populated with the status of the save. The poster can query the HTML within the page and look for this label to determine the status of the operation. You could easily modify the acceptor so it saves the data to another location or saves the data dynamically based on some other data posted by the requestor. Finally, compile the project and deploy it to an ASP.NET Web server. You need to build a poster after you deploy the acceptor. This sample poster is a small VB.NET Windows Forms app that posts the data. The poster can be either a Web page or a rich desktop client. The sample WinForms app provides textboxes for the user to enter a local filename to upload and the name of the acceptor (Uploader.aspx, in this case). The UploadFile method passes back a byte array, the string of HTML returned by the Uploader.aspx file. This lets you look for the label you output as part of the acceptor so you can determine the status of the save. Sending a file using the HTTP POST method is easy. Simply open up a WebClient connection to the desired target and use the UploadFile method to send a file using the HTTP POST command. The uriString is the complete URI to the acceptor that you deployed (for example: http://www.myserver.com/TestUploader/Uploader.aspx). Note that you must specify the complete URI and the filename. The UploadFile method won't work if you use only the directory and set Uploader.aspx to be the default page for that directory. The page name must be part of the URI passed to UploadFile. The WebClient class also includes an UploadData method to upload raw data to a remote Web server using HTTP POST. The drawback to this method is that you must provide both ends of the client. The second way to transfer files over the Internet is to use FTP. The beauty of using FTP is that the acceptor is ready already and it's platform-agnostic. All you have to do is create some requestor code to communicate using FTP. You can use one of two approaches to communicate using FTP. The easiest way is to use the unmanaged code within WININET.dll (a core Windows system DLL), which does the bulk of the work for you. For example, assume you want to import references to specific functions that you want to use within the WININET.dll (see Listing 2). After you build the FTP class, it's a simple matter to consume the methods in WININET.dll to send a file to a remote FTP server (see Listing 3). A second approach to implementing FTP is to roll your own FTP class by overriding the WebRequest and WebResponse classes of the System.Net namespace. You can then include the functionality of the specific FTP commands yourself (see Additional Resources). How can I secure my application's database connection string and prevent others from getting unauthorized access to my database? You have a handful of options if you want to secure your database connection string from prying eyes, but most boil down to one of two choices: obfuscation (hiding) or encryption. Encryption can affect your application's performance negatively, so you need to decide who you're securing your connection string from and why before you choose that option. For example, assume you're a small shop with a single developer who manages the servers and databases. In this case, a single level of obfuscation will probably suit your needs best. If you're deploying a Windows client desktop application, you might want to consider storing the connection string (encrypted or not) in a centralized location, accessible only to the application. If you're implementing your application on a server farm residing at an application service provider's server farm, you might want to implement encryption to prevent unauthorized access to your database. Hiding the connection string means storing it in a location separate from where you use it in the code. However, be aware that anyone can use ILDASM on your ASP.NET or Windows client application. This means they can debug your application and try to get the database connection string by looking for constants in the code that fit the connection string format. Popular places to hide a database connection string include the Web.Config file, the Registry, a database, or a remote location accessible only through a Web service or remoting call. You can use the System.Security.Cryptography namespace to add encryption to any of the strategies just mentioned to yield another level of security to your connection string. However, the safest way to secure your database connection string is to never expose it to the application in the first place. You can do this by developing an assembly that contains a class whose sole responsibility is to return a database connection (and not the connection string) to the caller. The assembly can live in the Global Assembly Cache (GAC) and can use the instantiator's assembly ID as a key to make sure it's on the list of approved assemblies that can have a database connection. You can use this approach to ensure you never send any database credentials back and forth to be intercepted and decrypted. Someone using ILDASM on your application will see only the database connection object, not the credentials used to create that connection. You could pass parameters to the Get method easily if you want to have some other criteria for validating access to the method. The important thing to remember is that using this method doesn't expose your database connection string (or your connection credentials) across the wire.
0.999763	Floods are among Earth's most common–and most destructive–natural hazards. No other kind of natural disaster in America has caused more death and destruction than floods. Learn about different kinds of floods and what causes them. There are few places on Earth where flooding is not a concern. Any area where rain falls is vulnerable to floods, though rain is not the only cause. A flood occurs when water inundates land that's normally dry, which can happen in a multitude of ways. Excessive rain, a ruptured dam or levee, rapid melting of snow or ice, or even an unfortunately placed beaver dam can overwhelm a river, spreading over the adjacent land, called a floodplain. Coastal flooding occurs when a large storm or tsunami causes the sea to surge inland. Most floods take hours or even days to develop, giving residents time to prepare or evacuate. Others generate quickly and with little warning. So-called flash floods can be extremely dangerous, instantly turning a babbling brook or even a dry wash into rushing rapids that sweep everything in their path downstream. Climate change is increasing the risk of floods worldwide, particularly in coastal and low-lying areas, because of its role in extreme weather events and rising seas. The increase in temperatures that accompanies global warming can contribute to hurricanes that move more slowly and drop more rain, funneling moisture into atmospheric rivers like the ones that led to heavy rains and flooding in California in early 2019. Meanwhile, melting glaciers and other factors are contributing to a rise in sea levels that has created long-term, chronic flooding risks for places ranging from Venice, Italy to the Marshall Islands. More than 670 U.S. communities will face repeated flooding by the end of this century, according to a 2017 analysis; it's happening in more than 90 coastal communities already. Floods cause more than $40 billion in damage worldwide annually, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In the U.S., losses average close to $8 billion a year. Death tolls have increased in recent decades to more than 100 people a year. In China's Yellow River Valley some of the world's worst floods have killed millions of people. When floodwaters recede, affected areas are often blanketed in silt and mud. The water and landscape can be contaminated with hazardous materials such as sharp debris, pesticides, fuel, and untreated sewage. Potentially dangerous mold blooms can quickly overwhelm water-soaked structures. Flooding, particularly in river floodplains, is as natural as rain and has been occurring for millions of years. Famously fertile floodplains such as the Mississippi Valley, the Nile River Valley in Egypt, and the Tigris-Euphrates in the Middle East have supported agriculture for millennia because annual flooding has left tons of nutrient-rich silt deposits behind. Humans have increased the risk of death and damage by increasingly building homes, businesses, and infrastructure in vulnerable floodplains. To try to mitigate the risk, many governments mandate that residents of flood-prone areas purchase flood insurance and set construction requirements aimed at making buildings more flood resistant—with varying degrees of success. Massive efforts to mitigate and redirect inevitable floods have resulted in some of the most ambitious engineering efforts ever seen, including New Orleans's extensive levee system and massive dikes and dams in the Netherlands. Such efforts continue today as climate change continues to put pressure on vulnerable areas. Some flood-prone cities in the U.S. are even going beyond federal estimates and setting higher local standards for protection.
0.999987	Form a question, create a hypothesis, predict the outcome, test your theory. Sound familiar? You probably recognize these steps as the foundational structure of the scientific method. Human beings have used this simple yet profound process to structure scientific inquiry for hundreds of years, and based on the fact that I’m typing this article on an electrified box made of processed sand and precious metals, I’d say it’s worked pretty well. But that’s not the only application! There’s another realm where this process happens organically, constantly, and sometimes even unintentionally – video games. Indeed, the inherently experimental nature of video game play makes game-based learning an ideal medium for science education. Let’s take for example the original Super Mario Brothers for the Nintendo Entertainment System. This is a game without a tutorial – you are simply instructed to press start, and you find yourself in control of Mario, a diminutive plumber wandering ever rightward in a colorful kingdom filled with malevolent Goombas and Koopas. Given the total lack of context or scaffolding, the player must experiment with their environment and their agency in that environment as allowed by the 4-button controller in their hands. They might find that running into a Koopa results in a death for Mario. They might also find that pressing the A button makes Mario jump. From these two observations, the player can pose a hypothesis: perhaps jumping on the Koopa will destroy it. This hypothesis can be tested and proven immediately, the Koopa is destroyed, and the player advances in the level. In real-time, this process takes all of 5 seconds, but make no mistake – the steps of the scientific method are all there, cycling rapidly as the player gains sophistication about the game. This is true because at their core, games are systems, and much of the scientific endeavor is aimed at organizing natural phenomena into predictable and repeatable systems. But the reverse is also true – once phenomena are conclusively organized and grouped, the scientific endeavor becomes the task of unpacking and explaining each constituent phenomenon, as well as the way these phenomena are interconnected. An individual player in a game space is in complete control. This control affords them the ability to make whatever observations they need in whatever order they require, which is critical to experimentation and accommodates individual learning styles. This is the reason that sandbox-style games like Minecraft EDU are so popular both in classrooms and at home – a flexible, multiple-solution problem space in a game allows each player to find their own way to comprehension.For example, in Cosmic Pet Pods, a game component of the upcoming Inspire Science digital curriculum from McGraw Hill, players learn about the ways that animal traits are adapted to their environments by running an intergalactic animal hotel. Players are given agency over both animal placement and the environments chosen for those animals, allowing them to observe the relationships and interactions between traits and environment from multiple perspectives, finding their own individual path to understanding. Failure is often treated like a dirty word in the context of education, which is something of a modern tragedy. Most successful people (and moreover most successful companies) have walked a long path filled with failure, doubt, and false starts before they reach their definition of success. To prepare students for this non-negotiable aspect of nearly any life experience, failure has to be embraced as an inevitable and deeply constructive part of the learning process.Games have a key advantage here in that a failed level can simply be restarted. A failed puzzle can simply be reset. Drawing on my earlier example, there is no fixed limit to how many times Mario can die outside of that player’s individual appetite for more play. If a student is intimidated by the prospect of failing in an experiment or in the comprehension of a scientific concept, a video game environment provides an experience that is paced to their needs, free of hard costs, and if desired, private. Science is a broad field, covering everything from cellular structures to animal behavior. Games can provide educators a leg up on covering that breadth by providing abstractions of otherwise inaccessible systems. These are systems like nuclear reactors, the solar system, or the digestive system. For very different reasons, each of these systems is inaccessible for first-hand interaction at the classroom level. Games provide compelling simulations of these real-life systems, allowing players to manipulate these systems and observe the outcomes of that manipulation, which is crucial for students to experience hands-on learning, even in a metaphorical sense. Across 20 studies in the 2014 meta-analysis by Clark et al., students playing games with design additions informed by learning theory outperformed students playing standard versions of the same games (SD .37). In studies that allowed students to play a game more than once, learning outcomes were significantly higher when students played multiple times, even though many games allow students to practice a skill several times during a single play session. [1,2] This suggests that it is important to choose games that have been designed for learning, and to incorporate them into lessons in a way that gives students the opportunity to reflect and incorporate what they’re learning between gameplay sessions. This is just a slice of the available research on game-based learning. If you’re curious about game-based learning and you’d like to learn more, check out our compilation of game-based learning research, packed with peer-reviewed insights into the efficacy and applications of games as teaching tools. Educators who are ready to get going with game-based learning but aren’t sure where to start should check out the Game-based Learning Starter Kit over at McGraw-Hill’s Medium blog. Or maybe just dust off that trusty Nintendo Entertainment System and jump on a few Koopas. No matter what you choose, you’ll be underway on your own journey towards understanding the secret science of game-based learning. Wouters, P., van Nimwegen, C., van Oostendorp, H., & van der Spek, E. D. (2013, February 4). A Meta-Analysis of the Cognitive and Motivational Effects of Serious Games. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105(2), 249-265.Z.
0.905935	Since the First Punic War, most of Sicily was part of the Roman empire; the Second Punic War added Syracuse. In c.200, any intelligent observer would have been able to see that Rome, with its aggressive mentality and limitless resources of manpower, would one day unite the entire Mediterranean. Indeed, Sicily remained Roman until the Ostrogoths conquered Italy in the early sixth century. Syracuse shared the fate of the island, but was economically prosperous. The eternal movement between tyranny and democracy came to an end: the Romans preferred an oligarchy, and Syracuse was from now on ruled by a supreme magistrate who was at the same time priest of Zeus. Sicily prospered, and could be exploited by the two quaestores (one in Lilybaeum, one in Syracuse). Senators exploited the island as well, in the form of large plantations (latifundia). They produced grain that was exported to Rome. Work was done by large numbers of slaves - often prisoners of war belonging to the same ethnic group: e.g., Celtiberians, Syrians, or Thracians. They were permitted to venerate their own gods and could speak their native language, so they were able to organize resistance against their owners without the Romans being aware. In 136 or 135, a man named Eunus was able to provoke an insurrection and seized the city of Henna in central Sicily. The story was repeated in 104-101, when Salvius Trypho and Athenio revolted. Roman armies made an end to the insurrections, and the exploitation continued. One of the most notorious exploiters was a governor named Verres. He had taxed the province even more ruthlessly than his predecessors but made the mistake to include a client of the powerful general Pompey among his victims. In the early summer of 70, the Sicilians asked help from a relatively unknown lawyer, Marcus Tullius Cicero. Verres, supported by the powerful clan of the Metellii, hired the best advocate of his age, Hortensius, and a legal duel started. At that moment, Pompey was consul (together with Crassus), and Hortensius tried to postpone the case to 69. However, Cicero visited Syracuse (taking special care to find the neglected tomb of Archimedes) and was able to gather lots of evidence in only a couple of weeks. After his first thundering speech, Hortensius abandoned his brief, Verres went into exile, and no Roman senator was able to ignore that some reform in the provinces was necessary. The Senate was divided on the nature of these reforms. Among the radical reformers was Julius Caesar, who, as consul, renewed the tax-laws in 59, demanding a fixed tribute. However, there was much obstruction and Caesar's increasing power after his wars in Gaul created resentment. Civil war broke out between Pompey and Caesar, and, after the death of Caesar, his adherents (Marc Antony, Lepidus, Octavian - the Second Triumvirate) successfully waged war against his murderers (Brutus and Cassius). Because Sicily was of great strategic value - Rome lived on Sicilian grain - the Caesarians gave the Sicilians full Roman rights, just to be sure that they remained loyal. This was a remarkable act, because most Sicilians spoke Greek and did not think of themselves as Italians or Romans. Yet, the priviliges were there. But the days of Greek Sicily were over. During the conflict between the triumvirs and Caesar's murderers, a son of Pompey, Sextus Pompeius, seized power in Sicily and started to gather senators who wanted to overthrow the military leaders. The island became a pirate's nest, and Sextus Pompeius pretended he was protected by the sea god Neptune. However, Octavian, his admiral Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, and Lepidus defeated Sextus Pompeius, and Octavian immediately stripped Lepidus of his powers (in 36). The island suffered terribly. Messana was sacked and large tracts of land were confiscated by Octavian. Once again, Sicily had played an important role in Mediterranean history. From now on, it was obvious that Octavian would become sole ruler of the Roman world. He had defeated Caesar's murderers, had defeated the last senators, had defeated Lepidus. Only Marc Antony was still there, and he was defeated in 31 at Actium. Octavian, now sole ruler and calling himself Augustus, reorganized the empire, which meant that the government of the provinces was improved. From now on, Sicily was a senatorial province without legions, and the governor was a proconsul with praetorian powers. Syracuse received the rank of colonia. Now, Sicily started to change. Until then, it had been part of the Greek world, but now people started to speak Latin. Official inscriptions were increasingly written in that language, it was used on coins, and people wanted to be buried in tombs with Latin epitaphs. The island still sold grain to Rome, and could also export wool, timber, and wine. The money was invested in new buildings, especially in the cities along the coast, and many monuments now to be seen date back to this period: in Syracuse, for example, an amphitheater was built for gladiatorial contests. At the same time, the towns in the interior of Sicily were converted into large villas, occupied by senators, whose presence was no longer needed in imperial Rome. Other parts of the island became imperial estates and domains. A procurator took care of them. The Roman Empire had come to rest after the civil wars; it had become a monarchy. Sicily had lost its independence and became formally a part of Italy. Its history also became part of Italian history. Important decisions were no longer taken in its cities, and the island more or less disappears from our sources. It is archaeology that informs us that the Syracusans transformed the market in a Roman-style forum, that a bathhouse was built, and that marble was increasingly often used as building material. The ancient population groups, once violently rivalling, lived together more harmoniously than ever. On Sicily, there were still people who spoke Phoenician, there were Greeks, and there were Romans, and they influenced each other in the most positive way. Sicilians are found as traders as far away as Xanten in Germania Inferior, and on the other hand, easterners settled in Syracuse: we find diasporic Jews, Samaritans, and Christians at an early stage - the first catacombs date back to the third century. Except for an attack by a group of Frankish pirates, who captured Syracuse during the reign of the emperor Probus,note[Panegyrici Latini 8(4).18.3; cf. Zosimus, New History 1.71.2.] Sicily was only indirectly threatened by the military problems that Rome had to cope with in the third and fourth centuries. The Germanic tribes and the Sasanians were far away, and even if they broke through, they were no sailors and the island usually remained safe. It is no coincidence that the soldiers' cult of the god Mithras is almost absent from Sicily. Change started late, in the fifth century. In the 430s, the Vandals crossed from [V]Andalusia to the Maghreb and captured Carthage, where they became notorious pirates who often raided Sicily. The decline of the Roman Empire now reached Sicily - with two centuries delay. After 440, Sicily was occupied by the Vandals, but later, it was occupied and protected by east-Roman (or Byzantine) forces, while Italy was taken over by the Ostrogoths, led by their king Theodoric, a civilized man who tried to keep the Roman civilization alive. Except for Lilybaeum in the far west of Sicily, which was a stronghold of the Vandals, the island became part of Theodoric's kingdom, but it was later reconquered by the Byzantine general Belisarius (in 535). The new ruler of Italy and Sicily was the emperor Justinian, who initiated a conscious policy of re-hellenization that was continued by his successors. With administrative and ecclesiastical measures, the Byzantine emperors tried to create cultural and religious unity in their territories. They spent lots of money in Syracuse and Catania, which became important centers of the Byzantine civilization. Bishop Zosimus of Syracuse (649-c.660) was able to rebuild the Temple of Athena as a church, dedicated to the Holy Virgin. Inscriptions from this age show the Greek language again; perhaps it was reintroduced as a new language on a Latin island, or perhaps a still extant language was revitalized. For a while, from 663 to 668, Syracuse was even seat of the Byzantine government of the emperor Constans II. In the mid-seventh century, when the Muslims had conquered northern Africa, Sicily was again threatened by raiders. The cities along the coast changed into fortresses, and the population moved to the interior. The Arabs invaded Sicily in 827. The Byzantine authorities were divided, and Palermo was taken in 831, Messina in 843, Syracuse in 877, and Taormina in 902. This marked the end of "classical" Sicily, and the beginning of a new age in which the island was a zone of cultural contact - this time between Islam and Christianity.
0.999998	What are the signs that my baby is ready for solids? Most babies will be ready to start eating solid food at six months of age. Several signs indicate your baby is ready to start eating solid foods. If your baby is able to sit up without props or other assistance, can hold his or her head up and turn it from one side to the other, and shows interest in what you’re eating (or food in general), he or she may be ready to start eating solid food. Every baby is unique and develops at his or her own pace, so make sure you follow your baby’s lead. If you’re unsure, check with your doctor.
0.978852	Ed Miliband has stepped down as Labour leader while his closest political ally and the architect of his economic policy, Ed Balls, lost his seat and the party was decimated in Scotland, where it lost all but one of its MPs to the Scottish National Party (SNP). Nick Clegg resigned as leader of the Liberal Democrats after seeing the party lose all but eight of its seats, including losses for major figures such as Danny Alexander and Vince Cable. Meanwhile, Nigel Farage resigned as the head of Ukip after failing to win in South Thanet. Following the eventful morning after the election, business and politics journalist Maggie Pagano talks to Edmund Shing, global equity portfolio manager at BCS Asset Management, and Stefan Stern, a business and politics journalist and visiting professor at Cass Business School, about the implications the results will have on the markets, the union with Scotland and the UK's EU membership. Labour leader Ed Miliband has resigned so who will replace him?
0.954756	What is IOTA (MIOTA) ? Where to buy it? IOTA is a open source Cryptocurrency designed for the Internet-of-Things (IOT) industry.It doesn't use the Blockchain technology like Bitcoin anymore, but a new technology called Tangle. Thanks to Tangle, IOTA got new possibilities, as 0 transactions fees, infinite scalability, but also secured data transfers. IOTA is a Cryptocurrency that will mainly used for micro transactions of connected objects (Internet-of-Things). Here, you can deposit Bitcoin or any other currency on your account, and then trade it for IOTA. You can deposit Bitcoin or any other currency on your account, and then trade it for IOTA.
0.807361	The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, gave former slaves full citizenship. Not long afterward it was read by the high court to also apply to corporations. Morton Mintz says that was a radical ruling. Q. For Judge Roberts: In 1886, the Supreme Court declared a corporation to be a person with the same right to "life" and "liberty" as you and me. What's your view? Is a corporation a person? Judge Robert H. Bork, President Reagan's failed Supreme Court nominee, famously denounced Roe v. Wade as "a wholly unjustified usurpation of state legislative authority." For the moment, at least, let's assume he was correct. Then what about the Court's pronouncement more than a century ago that a private corporation—a paper entity that cannot wear a uniform, bleed, vote, or be sent to prison or the death chamber, and that may give tens of millions of dollars to politicians during a possible lifespan of hundreds of years—is a "person" that cannot be denied "the equal protection of the laws"? Was that pronouncement also "a wholly unjustified usurpation of state legislative authority"? These would surely be appropriate and challenging questions for Judge John G. Roberts, Jr., President Bush's Supreme Court nominee, when he comes before the Senate Judiciary Committee. But don't count on any such questions being asked. That's because Democratic and Republican committee members alike, sensitized to corporate power, have for decades avoided putting them to any one of hundreds of judicial nominees. The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified in 1868, soon after the end of the Civil War. It declares that no state shall deprive "any person of life, liberty or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." The "person" Congress and the ratifying states had in mind—the human being in need of equal protection, particularly in the states of the old Confederacy—was the newly-freed slave. Nothing in either the text or the legislative history of the Amendment suggests otherwise. The radical change that transformed the soulless entity into a person began in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />California, where, understandably, state law allowed taxation of the property of a corporation at a higher rate than the property of a living, breathing human. Santa Clara County taxed the property of the Southern Pacific Railroad differently. Southern Pacific fought back, and the dispute evolved into a case that reached the Supreme Court. Chief Justice Morrison R. Waite and all of the Associate Justices chose not even to hear oral argument. Instead, in 1886—a mere 18 years after ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment—Waite simply announced: "The Court does not wish to hear argument on the question whether the provision in the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which forbids a state to deny any person the equal protection of the laws, applies to these corporations. We are all of the opinion that it does." Before 1886: Only humans were "endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights" and those human rights included the right to free speech, the right to privacy, the right to silence in the face of accusation, and the right to live free of discrimination or slavery. After 1886: While to this day unions, churches, governments, and small unincorporated businesses do not have "human rights" (but only privileges humans give them), corporations alone have moved into the category with humans as claiming rights instead of just privileges. Before 1886: In many states, it was a felony for corporations to give money to politicians, political parties, or try to influence elections: "They can't vote, so what are they doing involved in politics?!" Before 1886: States and local communities had laws to protect and nurture entrepreneurs and local businesses, and to keep out companies that had been convicted of crimes. After 1886: Multi-state corporations claimed such laws were "discrimination" under the 14th Amendment (passed to free the slaves) and got such laws struck down; local communities can no longer stop a predatory corporation. Before 1886: Government, elected by and for "We, The People," made decisions about how armies would be equipped and, based on the will of the general populace, if and when we would go to war. Prior to WWII there were no permanent military manufacturing companies of significant size. After 1886: Military contractors grew to enormous size as a result of WWII and a permanent arms industry came into being, what Dwight Eisenhower called "the military/industrial complex." It now lobbies government to buy its products and use them in wars around the world. Before 1886: Corporations had to submit to the scrutiny of the representatives of "We, The People," our elected government. After 1886: Corporations have claimed 4th Amendment human right to privacy and used it to keep out OSHA, EPA, and to hide crimes. Before 1886: Corporations were chartered for a single purpose, had to also serve the public good, and had fixed/limited life spans. After 1886: Corporations lobbied states to change corporate charter laws to eliminate "public good" provisions from charters, to allow multiple purposes, and to exist forever. Before 1886: Just as human persons couldn't own other persons, corporations couldn't own the stock of other corporations (mergers and acquisitions were banned). After 1886: Corporations claim the human right to economic activity free of regulatory restraint, and the still-banned-for-humans right to own others of their own kind. "Certainly, when the Fourteenth Amendment was submitted for approval, the people were not told that [they were ratifying] an amendment granting new and revolutionary rights to corporations. The history of the Amendment proves that the people were told that its purpose was to protect weak and helpless human beings and were not told that it was intended to remove corporations in any fashion from the control of state governments. The Fourteenth Amendment followed the freedom of a race from slavery....Corporations have neither race nor color." The contrast between the Court's handling of Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad and its handling of Roe v. Wade nearly 90 years later is stark. The Roe justices were fully briefed. They heard oral argument. They long deliberated. In the end, they decided—among other things--that in the first trimester of pregnancy a fetus is not a "person" within the meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment. § Can you cite anything in the original intent of the Framers of the Fourteenth Amendment, in its language, or in its history to justify Chief Justice Waite's proclamation that a corporation is a person owed the equal protection of the laws? § Was Chief Justice Waite's proclamation radical? § The corporation is owned by its shareholders but is at the same time a legal person. Is the corporation then a slave, in violation of the Thirteenth Amendment's prohibition of slavery? § Corporations have freedom of speech. Do they also have freedom of religion? Could you explain why people who call themselves conservatives mention Santa Clara rarely if ever? As Mr Mintz points out, we can not expect Congress to bite the hand that feeds it by asking this question. And it is doubtful that the press will help prod our fearless Senators on to do so, after all, how many newspapers are not corporations? If the floor of the Congress and the editorial pages of the press are off limits to such a question where can it be asked? In the courts? It's hard to tell from Mintz's article if he sees Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad as merely a catch 22 situation for questioning a Supreme Court nominee about the doctrine of "original intent", or if he sees Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad as a ruling so radical and so unfounded in precedence, intent, and jurisprudence that it should be overturned. Perhaps it's naive to think that the Supreme Court is independent of corporate influence enough to consider overturning that ruling, obviously Chief Justice Waite's court was not that independent. But all of that can be overcome by that dreaded and fearsome spectacle known as "public clamor". Sen John Edwards, the jury box beckons you. What court battle, working it's way to the highest court, could better rally the "little man" against the inhuman corporate giants than one that redefines "human" as not including those giants? Overturning that ruling would invalidate an untold number of statutes over 120 years. It would force America to re-examine "What constitutes or community", perhaps the most important question of our day. But more important, it would surely keep State legislatures from squandering their time trying to find ways to limit a corporation's sexual preferences.
0.999902	Problems are an unavoidable part of any life journey, which can hinder progress and prevent teachers and learners from reaching their goals. The following steps offer a practical and effective way of solving problems. 1. The first step towards solving a problem is to make sure you define the problem clearly. In order to try and solve a problem, it is important to have a very clear understanding of what the problem actually is. Questions to ask yourself include: Who has the problem? What is the problem? How and when and how often does the problem happen? How long has the problem been around? How does the problem affect your life? 2. The second step is to gather information. Take time out of your busy schedule and gather all the information you possibly can in relation to the problem. This can involve talking to a range of people you think might be able to offer advice or reading a relevant book or article or, if possible, searching online for further information. 3. Look for alternative solutions. Look for a number of alternative solutions to the problem. The skill of “thinking out of the box” or being creative in your search for solutions cannot be emphasized enough. 4. Select what you think is the best solution. After weighing up all the alternative options you have listed, select the best solution. If possible, get other people to help you with the decision. Again, draw on the skills of people you know and trust. 5. Implement the solution. Put your plan of action into practice. 6. Evaluate the solution. The problem is not really solved until the solution has been put into practice and evaluated. 7. Redefine the problem if necessary. If you have not made progress in solving the problem, then repeat step one by redefining the problem clearly and going through the problem-solving process again.
0.716566	Arkus's sling bullet grazes the side of the giant's head, and draws a bit of blood, but the beast shakes it off. Phelan's war hammer strikes the giant's leg, but it deflected by its rough skin. The militia forces now charge the giant from all directions simultaneously. There are a total of eight militia men stabbing at the giant with spears, or hacking at it with axes. Most of their blows are turned aside by the creature's strong hide, but a couple manage to inflict minor wounds on it. Cael attempts to stab the creature at the waist with his sword, but the blade is unable to pierce the giant's skin. You can now hear more commotion coming from another part of the village, not far from the back of the village church. We are now entering the next round of combat. Hexamer, you're up. Given there are now more men on the problem of the Giant, Barros will take this oppurtunity to make a dash for the Church to check the situation, with the feeling, that immediate assistance might be warranted and with the idea that the Giant might be a distraction for something else. Barros is able to escape the giant's wrath, and arrives at the entryway to the church at the same time that the cloaked figure attempts to stab the giant, but is deterred by the creature's tough skin. The giant swings out with its club, bellowing in rage, and hits the last mercenary, sending him flying. The unfortunate victim crashes into a stand nearby, knocking it over, and falling into a pile with it. He does not rise again. For lack of a better idea or a more powerful weapon, Arkus shoots another sling bullet at the brute's head. OOC: 15 + 3 = 18 to hit, but only 1 damage. Arkus manages to the graze the side of the giant's head, but it doesn't seem bothered at all by the bullet. Following Phelan's attack, the militia forces continue their assault on the giant, several of them managing to hit it and draw blood. However, the creature fights on, undeterred by its various injuries. Cael also attempts to stab the creature, but his blade is turned aside by its tough hide. We are entering a new round of combat now. Hexamer, you're up. Assuming there is a target to attack, Barros will attack.
0.999982	What is the approach to calculate an Ethereum address from a 256 bit private key? For a given private key generated by MyEtherWallet, I would like to see I have the tools to independently arrive at similar results. Wrote a wrapper around Keccak to accept both hexadecimal and ASCII inputs to be sha3-224 or sha3-256 or sha3-384 or sha3-512 hashed. Hashes are consistent with Test Vectors. Would like to apply it with bitcoin-explorer (bx) version3 commands to see if I can synthesize ETH addresses. If successful at synthesizing addresses for ETH, XMR, and MAX altcoins, I go through the effort of submitting a pull request to add sha3 hashing capabilities to bx version3, and update this Wiki concerning the application of bx to altcoins. Of that public key, take the Keccak-256 hash used ubiquitously by Ethereum (make sure you get that right, as the ultimately standardized SHA3-256 hash differs). You should now have a bytestring of length 32. Drop the first 12 bytes. You should now have a bytestring of length 20, the Ethereum address associated with your public key. Update: Oops! I see you want it from the private key, not the public key. That's harder. You have to first derive the public key from the private key, which is best with the help of an EC crypto library. I can show you some example code in Scala, but the EC math is mostly a black box to me. First, interpret the 256 bit private key as an unsigned big integer. Then, see e.g. here. Curve represents the named eliptic curve secp256k1. The details of the math are, alas, beyond me, but hopefully in whatever environment you are coding you have access to a high quality crypto library. For computing ETH addresses, the last 20 bytes of a Keccak-256 hash are used. Must Not use the NIST FIPS 202 flavors of Keccak such as KeccakCodePackage. However, a hack to main.c and genKATShortMsg.cpp from KeccakTools will yield proper ETH addresses, detailed in a comment above. For the following ETH private key: b205a1e03ddf50247d8483435cd91f9c732bad281ad420061ab4310c33166276. The associated public key results from using bx. ../bin/KeccakTools from the Example\ trails directory. when the hack documented above is performed to build KeccakTools. Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged hash ethereum or ask your own question.
0.93269	The Sahel or Sahel Belt (from Arabic ساحل, sāḥil, shore, border or coast of the Sahara) is a semi-arid tropical savanna ecoregion in Africa, which forms the transitional zone between the Sahara Desert to the north and the more humid savanna belt to the south known as the Sudan (not to be confused with the country of the same name). The Sahel stretches from the Atlantic Ocean on the west, eastward through northern Senegal, southern Mauritania, the great bend of the Niger River in Mali, Burkina Faso, southern Niger, northeastern Nigeria, south-central Chad, and through the nation of Sudan to the Red Sea coast. The Sahel region is one of primarily agriculture and pastoralism, which is negatively affected by periodic droughts and resultant famines. A catastrophic drought that lasted from the late 1960s to the early 1980s brought international attention to the area and prompted the formation of a number of agencies designed to combat both hunger and desertification. Sahel forest in Mali. Trees in foreground are Acacia. The Sahel region of Africa runs 3862 kilometers (2,400 mi) from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea in the east, in a belt that varies from several hundred to a thousand kilometers (620 miles) in width, covering an area of 3,053,200 square kilometers (1,178,847 sq mi). It is a transitional ecoregion of semi-arid grasslands, savannas, and thorn shrublands lying between the wooded Sudanian savanna to the south and the Sahara to the north. The countries of the Sahel today include Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, and Eritrea. The topography of the Sahel is mainly flat, and the region mostly lies between 200 and 400 meters (656-1313 ft) elevation. Several isolated plateaus and mountain ranges rise from the Sahel, but are designated as separate ecoregions because their flora and fauna are distinct from the surrounding lowlands. Over the history of Africa the region has been home to some of the most advanced kingdoms benefiting from trade across the desert. Collectively these states are known as the Sahelian kingdoms. The Sahelian climate is tropical. Summers are hot, with maximum mean temperatures varying from 33° to 36°C (91° to 97°F). Monthly mean minimum temperatures fall in the range of 18° to 21°C (64° to 70°). Rainfall in the southern area of the region is around 600 mm (23.6 inches). This decreases to around 200 mm (7.9 in) in the north. The rainy season lasts from May to September, followed by a six to eight month dry season. The dry season sees loss of leaves on the woody vegetation and drying grasses that may burn. The quantity of rainfall is affected by the Intertropical Convergence Zone, a belt of low pressure girdling the Earth at the equator. When the zone penetrates far enough to the north, a long rainy season follows. If it fails to move sufficiently north, rainfall is limited. During the winter months (the end of November to the middle of March), the harmattan, a dry and dusty West African trade wind, blows down from the north. On its passage over the desert it picks up fine dust particles (between 0.5 and 10 micrometers), delivering them to the Sahel. Camels and other animals trample the soil in the semiarid Sahel as they move to water holes such as this one in Chad. The Sahel is mostly covered in grassland and savanna, with areas of woodland and shrubland. Grass cover is fairly continuous across the region, dominated by annual grass species such as Cenchrus biflorus, Schoenefeldia gracilis, and Aristida stipoides. Species of Acacia are the dominant trees, with Acacia tortilis the most common, along with Acacia senegal and Acacia laeta. Other tree species include Commiphora africana, Balanites aegyptiaca, Faidherbia albida, and Boscia senegalensis. In the northern part of the Sahel, areas of desert shrub, including Panicum turgidum and Aristida sieberana, alternate with areas of grassland and savanna. During the long dry season, many trees lose their leaves, and the predominantly annual grasses die. The Sahel was formerly home to large populations of grazing mammals, including the Scimitar-horned Oryx, Dama Gazelle, Dorcas Gazelle and Red-fronted Gazelle, and Bubal Hartebeest, along with large predators like the African Wild Dog, Cheetah, and Lion. The larger species have been greatly reduced in number by over-hunting and competition with livestock, and several species are vulnerable (Dorcas Gazelle and Red-fronted Gazelle), endangered (Dama Gazelle, African Wild Dog, cheetah, lion), or extinct (the Scimitar-horned Oryx is probably extinct in the wild, and the Bubal Hartebeest is extinct). The first instances of domestication of plants for agricultural purposes in Africa occurred in the Sahel region circa 5000 B.C.E., when sorghum and African Rice began to be cultivated. Around this time, and in the same region, the small Guineafowl were domesticated. Around 4000 B.C.E. the climate of the Sahara and the Sahel started to become drier at an exceedingly fast pace. This climate change caused lakes and rivers to shrink rather significantly and caused increasing desertification. This, in turn, decreased the amount of land conducive to settlements and helped to cause migrations of farming communities to the more humid climate of West Africa. The Sahelian kingdoms were a series of empires, based in the Sahel, which had many similarities. The wealth of the states came from controlling the Trans-Saharan trade routes across the desert. Their power came from having large pack animals like camels and horses that were fast enough to keep a large empire under central control and were also useful in battle. All of these empires were also quite decentralized with member cities having a great deal of autonomy. The first large Sahelian kingdoms emerged after 750, and supported several large trading cities in the Niger Bend region, including Timbuktu, Gao, and Djenné. The first major state to rise in this region was the Kingdom of Ghana. Centered in what is today Senegal and Mauritania, it was the first to benefit from the introduction of pack animals by Arab traders. Ghana dominated the region between about 750 and 1078. Smaller states in the region at this time included Takrur to the west, the Malinke kingdom of Mali to the south, and the Songhai centered around Gao to the east. "Group of Kanem-Bu warriors," Elisee Reclus, 1892. Far to the east, on Lake Chad, the state of Kanem-Bornu, founded as Kanem in the 800s, now rose to greater preeminence in the central Sahel region. To their west, the loosely united Hausa city-states became dominant. These two states coexisted uneasily, but were quite stable. In 1810 the Fulani Empire rose and conquered the Hausa, creating a more centralized state. It and Kanem-Bornu would continue to exist until the arrival of Europeans, when both states would fall and the region would be divided between France and Great Britain. Traditionally, most of the people in the Sahel have been semi-nomads, farming and raising livestock in a system of transhumance, which is probably the most sustainable way of utilizing the Sahel. The difference between the dry north with higher levels of soil-nutrients and the wetter south is utilized so that the herds graze on high quality feed in the north during the wet season, and trek several hundred kilometers down to the south, to graze on more abundant, but less nutritious feed during the dry period. Increased permanent settlement and pastoralism in fertile areas has been the source of conflicts with traditional nomadic herders. More than a century of rainfall data in the Sahel show an unusually wet period from 1950 until 1970 (positive index values), followed by extremely dry years from 1970 to 1990 (negative index values). From 1990 until present rainfall returned to levels slightly below the 1898–1993 average, but year-to-year variability was high. There was a major drought in the Sahel in 1914, caused by annual rains far below average, that caused a large-scale famine. The 1960s saw a large increase in rainfall in the region, making the northern, drier, region more accessible. There was a push, supported by governments, for people to move northward, and as the long drought-period from the late 1960s to early 1980s kicked in, the grazing quickly became unsustainable, and large-scale denuding of the terrain followed. Like the drought in 1914, this led to a large-scale famine that killed a million people and afflicted more than 50 million. The economies, agriculture, livestock, and human populations of much of Mauritania, Mali, Chad, Niger and Burkina Faso (known as Upper Volta during the time of the drought) were severely impacted. Unlike during the 1914 drought, this famine was somewhat tempered by international visibility and an outpouring of aid. In 1973, The United Nations Sahelian Office (UNSO) was created to address the severe effects of recurrent droughts in the Sahel. In the 1990s, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was adopted and UNSO became the United Nations Development Programme's Office to Combat Desertification and Drought, as its scope broadened to a global level rather than only a focus on Africa. This catastrophic drought also led to the founding of the International Fund for Agricultural Development in 1977, one of the major outcomes of the 1974 World Food Conference. The Conference was organized in response to the food crises of the early 1970s brought on by the Sahelian drought. The people of the Sahel have been both victims and abusers of the environment. Destructive measures have been implemented in the region, such as the clearing of large areas of the green belt of all vegetation in order to make way for annual crops. A system such as increasing the population of perennials in the agricultural zone would stabilize the land. A symbiotic relationship would form in which the land would be the beneficiary of man's presence and man would benefit via the results of positive control of the natural environment. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 World Wildlife Fund, 2001, Sahelian Acacia savanna (AT0713). Retrieved December 19, 2008. ↑ Patrick K. O'Brien, Oxford Atlas of World History (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010). ↑ United Nations Development Programme, Our History. Retrieved December 19, 2008. ↑ International Fund for Agricultural Development, About IFAD. Retrieved December 19, 2008. Eden Foundation. Desertification—a threat to the Sahel. August 1994. Retrieved December 19, 2008. National Geographic Society. Sahelian Acacia savanna (AT0713). Retrieved December 19, 2008. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Jean-Paul Azam, Christian Morrisson, Sophie Chauvin, and Sandrine Rospabé. Conflict and Growth in Africa. Vol. 1, The Sahel. Development Centre studies. Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 1999. ISBN 9264171010. Salgado, Sebastião. Sahel: The End of the Road. Series in contemporary photography, 3. Berkeley, CA: University of California, 2004. ISBN 9780520241701. Skreslet, Paula Youngman. Northern Africa a Guide to Reference and Information Sources. Reference sources in the social sciences series. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 2000. ISBN 9780313009426. World Wildlife Fund. Sahelian Acacia savanna (AT0713). 2001. Retrieved December 19, 2008. This page was last modified on 30 August 2012, at 20:53.
0.966292	After 6.25 miles, the old jeep road up Bowen Gulch becomes a trail, continuing at Bowen Pass a total distance of 8.1 miles. Although the route itself is not particularly scenic, the trails which lead to beautiful Bowen and Blue Lakes can be reached by following the route up Bowen Gulch. From Bowen Pass, a cross-country hike can be made to Bowen Lake by climbing to Ruby and then Cascade Mountains. Another alternative is to hike north along the divide to Fairview Mountain and then complete a loop trip by following Baker Gulch back to the trailhead. The trail can also be followed south beyond Bowen Lake, to the Wolverine Trail. In the springtime, the swollen and unbridged streams are difficult to cross. Snow remains along the upper portion of the trail to the Pass until early July. The better campsites are located along the upper half of the trail and off of the trails to Bowen and Blue Lakes. NARRATIVE: This trail follows a dirt road past a Settlement of cabins in Rocky Mountain National Park. The trail directional signs lead to the headwaters of the Colorado River, at which Point the road ends. The hiker must find a way across the river to follow the path along its western bank where it enters Forest Service land and continues to gradually rise above the Kawuneeche Valley. An unsigned fork in the trail is reached about 1 mile from the trailhead. Take the left hand fork and continue until the trail intersects an old jeep road which travels westward up Bowen Gulch. This rough road follows a moderately level grade through a thick lodgepole pine forest, interrupted by Several difficult stream crossings. Pine marten porcupines, and blue grouse are some of the forest habitants frequently seen by the hiker along this route. After 6 miles, a Junction with a one mile trail to Blue Lake is reached. Shortly after the Blue Lake turnoff, another path leads away from the Bowen Gulch Trail to the remnant of an old, unproductive, silver-copper-lead mine known as the Wolverine Mine. The road ascending Bowen Gulch to the Wolverine Mine was built in the 1880's as a wagon road after the discovery of the mine in 1875 by Prospector Jim Bowen. The road soon turns into a trail after a bridged stream is crossed. A half mile further up the trail a junction is reached where a two mile trail heads south to Bowen Lake. The Bowen Gulch Trail turns north and continues to ascend through a Subalpine fir forest to Bowen Pass. Shortly before the pass, a beautiful lush, green meadow is entered where wildflowers abound and deer and elk can frequently be seen. A few rock cairns mark the way up this gently sloping meadow to Bowen Pass, a distance of 8.1 miles from the trailhead. Bowen Pass Sits atop a unique section of the Continental Divide where the Pacific waters flow eastward and the Atlantic waters flow West. Cascade, Bowen and Fairview mountains are the impressive and often Snow covered peaks which surround the pass. The green plains of North Park and the Illinois River drainage can be viewed to the north, and the emerald green pond known as Ruby Lake sits beside Ruby mountain to the southwest. Directions from Granby: Follow Highway 40 west to Highway 34. Go north on Hwy 34 to Rocky Mountain National Park's West Entrance. From the park entrance, follow Trail Ridge Road for 6.4 miles to the Bowen/Baker Trailhead parking area. From the parking area follow the signs to Bowen Gulch . Bowen Gulch can also be reached from the south on the Wolverine Trail. Normally Accessible: Summer through Fall (NOTE: Snow remains on the upper portions of the trail to the pass until Early July.) .
0.993908	Is there any nutrition in apple juice. My boyfriend is a cyclist and is taking herballife and using apple juice. Apple juice is a good source of carbohydrates with a low glycaemic index, of energy and potassium plus small amounts of other minerals. It is fine for using as a source of energy and for hydration purposes when exercising.
0.909843	Fox and hounds is a great game to play with a large group of your friends. Gather up a bunch of your friend to play fox and hounds, and find out who will outfox whom. Step 1: Have everyone sit in a circle. Remove all the face cards from a deck of cards except for one joker. Step 2: Choose a person to be the game leader. Count out as many cards as there are people playing, except for the game leader, making sure to include the joker. The game leader deals out the cards face down to the other players. Whoever gets the joker is the fox. Step 3: After the cards have been passed out, collect them again. Now the game leader instructs the group, or "hounds," to "fall asleep" by bowing their heads and closing their eyes. Only the fox stays "awake" so the game leader can identify him or her. Step 4: The game leader calls for the hounds to "awaken." The group plays the game in rounds, eliminating one person from the game at a time. Step 5: When the hounds "awaken," the players stare closely at each others' eyes and suggest one or more people they believe to be the fox. When they decide on a person to question, he or she must tell the group why he or she couldn't be the fox. If the group believes that person, they choose another until they find a person they decide to eliminate. Step 6: While everyone is staring at each other, the fox carefully winks at someone (without being seen by the others) and eliminates them. That person waits a few seconds, and then announces, "I've just been outfoxed." Step 7: The game leader calls for the hounds to "fall asleep" again, and everyone except the fox and the eliminated players bow their heads and close their eyes. Step 8: Once someone is eliminated, they can remain and watch the rest of the game, but they may not speak at any time or give clues about the fox's identity. Step 9: Play continues until one person is left--either the fox or a hound. The hounds win the game if they manage to find the fox in this manner before he or she outfoxes them. Need another game to play for a large group of people? Keep reading to learn how to play a get-to-know-you game.
0.989821	Description: Winwood and Clapton crossed musical paths in 1969 with the formation of Blind Faith, a group that pioneered the fusion of rock and blues into tremendous studio and scene success. Despite critical and famous acclaim, the band was short-lived with only one album and a brief 1969 tour that debuted July 12 at Madison Square Garden and ended August 24 in Hawaii. Since then, Winwood and Clapton have remained mates but have only performed together a several times over the years for an occasional song at a charity event. The 2008 Madison Square Garden shows were the first full Winwood-Clapton concerts in almost 40 years. See Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood on youtube. See Steve Winwood & Eric Clapt on youtube. See Can't Find My Way Home (Li on youtube. See Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton - on youtube. See Eric Clapton - Double Trouble on youtube. See Split Decision (Live from Madi on youtube. See eric clapton steve winwood liv on youtube. See After Midnight (Live from Madi on youtube. Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood - Live from Madison Square Garden similar movies given below. Rate each movie or TV Series, add your own reviews and suggest new title as related. See big list of best top movies that are like Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood - Live from Madison Square Garden film. Top movies like Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood - Live from Madison Square Garden complete list given below. Description: In the depths of the Rhine, the three Rhinemaidens guard the Rhinegold, a treasure of immeasurable value. The Nibelung dwarf Alberich is dazzled by the sight of it. The women explain that whoever wins the gold and forges it into a ring will gain power over the world, but gotta first renounce love. Frustrated by his unsuccessful attempts to catch one of the girls, Alberich curses love and steals the gold. Wotan, king of the gods, is reproached by his wife Fricka: he has promised to give Freia, goddess of youth, to the giants Fasolt and Fafner in return for their building a fortress for the gods. When the giants demand their reward, Loge, the god of fire, suggests an alternative payment: the ring Alberich has forged from the Rhinegold, and his another treasures. The giants agree, and Wotan and Loge leave for the Nibelungs’ underground home. "Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood: Live from Madison Square Garden" is a magnificent concert film. This movie successfully and explosively highlights the musical artistry of two undisputed titans on the Blues/Rock Stage of the late 60's. Although Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood made only one album and one tour as 'Blind Faith', this highly rated musical unit paved the method for a fresh direction in the evolving sounds of Blues, Jazz, Soul, and Folk. In 1968 Clapton's band, 'Cream', was imploding due to personnel differences, and Winwood had left 'The Spencer Davis Group' to form a fresh jazz flavored outfit called, 'Traffic'. Issues within 'Traffic' led Winwood to squad up with guitarist Eric Clapton for a series of jams to further stretch the boundaries of Rock. This interaction led to the formation of 'Blind Faith'. "Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood: Live from Madison Square Garden" is a documentation of some of the better songs from every man's work during this period in their musical history. Clapton staged a reunion with 'Cream' in 2005, and this proved to be a lackluster affair. However, this reunion at Madison Square Garden in 2008 is as fresh, vibrant, and musically challenging as it was in 1969. Every boy offers up one-hundred and ten percent of his musical talent, and delivers a blockbuster performance. If you were a fanatic when 'the sound' was new, or you are exploring the roots of Rock, this concert is A Gotta See. Also, it gotta be noted that Netflix graciously provides the whole concert (two hours plus) on a single disc. It's nice to see these old pals actually in their 60s and enjoying themselves and still entertaining as much as ever, testing melody as nice as ever. It's scary to remember these guys when they first played together in a band about 45 years ago. The two reminisce about it at length in a premium detail on this concert DVD.Keyboard user Chris Stainton, who was a key instrumentalist in Joe Cocker's "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" group in the '60s, belongs with Clapton and Winwood, all being about the same age. It's everytime nice to see the three above-mentioned guys testing together, along with the rest of the group.Song-wise, that's not a lot fresh (but even if it's familiar, it's still good) but I did really appreciate Clapton giving it a go on the popular Jimi Hendrix song, "Voodoo Chile." The only another guitarist I've ever seen attempt Hendrix's material was the late Stevie Ray Vaughan. Eric did just fine, too.Don't overlook the three "bonus" songs offered. For me, "Lowdown," with a nice a rockabilly beat, was wonderful and other example of how you can't go wrong with these old pros. *"MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS"* Truly, these two gentlemen, do not need to re-hash an old band from the 60's for the cash of it, as so many older bands do! The words "Blind Faith" rarely appear, if at all! The Music? Does appear, better than ever! I'm an Eric Clapton fan, I everytime liked Steve Winwood and the back-up band is magnificent! Eric everytime goes that additional mile when testing with old mates and here? He outshines himself! I have all "Live DVD" Recordings by Mr.Clapton and after much scrutiny? This is overall, his greatest live performance to date! SPOILERS: The melody is all great! They even do a Tribute to Buddy Miles, who had just passed away, by testing his hit song "Them Changes"! Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood enjoy "Blind Faith" with EC's "Forever Man" wedged in! Until Track #6, "Glad", although done instrumentally only? It's what Eric Clapton was born to do! There's Such Grace & Fluidity in his playing! Steve Winwood plays from his library! Mr. Winwood's "Dear Mr.Fantasy" is the greatest ver out there, specially live & with EC on guitar! Steve also recorded & played in the original ver of Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Chile", which is the highlight here! The greatest total jam-out & absolute, jaw dropping guitar testing by the master himself, paying tribute to an old pal, mesmerizing his fanatics & all, while having fun doing it!
0.999954	Use content marketing to raise your real estate business profile in your market. It’s important to provide content such as hyper-local news so that real estate consumers know that you understand their market and can really help them. Local brokerages can make a real impact, leverage their knowledge of the market, and drive leads by doing so. Furthermore, you will be able to better compete with national brands if you take content management seriously. Real estate brokerages should strategize their website marketing, focusing on providing a great feature mix of interesting real estate content, DIY tips, financial advice, neighborhood profiles, and general consumer-focused local real estate news. You can learn more about this topic by visiting Wikipedia’s page.
0.957111	Pogs is a game that was popular among children during the mid 1990s. The name originates from POG, a brand of juice made from passionfruit, orange, and guava; the use of POG bottle caps to play the game preceded the game's commercialization. The game of pogs possibly originated in Hawaii (Maui) in the 1920s or 1930s, or possibly with origins in Menko, a Japanese card game very similar to pogs, which has been in existence since the 17th century. Pogs returned to popularity when the World POG Federation and the Canada Games Company reintroduced them to the public in the 1990s. The pog fad soared, and peaked in the mid-1990s. Pog typically relies on two types of playing discs: pogs and slammers. Pogs are typically flat circular cardboard discs which are decorated with images on one or both sides. Traditional (or traditional-style) pogs are made of rougher cardboard, are printed with limited colors, and often have a staple in them (as they appeared when used as actual POG bottlecaps), while modern commercial pogs were stiffer, thicker and are often printed with colorful glossy imagery. The other equipment that is used is a slammer: a heavier game piece often made of metal, rubber, or more commonly plastic which come in various thicknesses and weights, but are typically similar in diameter to pogs. Metal slammers are not allowed in some games because they are typically heavier than other materials, giving the player with the first turn an unfair advantage. The players take turns throwing their slammer down onto the top of the stack, causing it to spring up and the pogs to scatter. Each player keeps any pogs that land face-up after they've thrown. The game of pogs was played on the Hawaiian island of Maui as early as 1927. The 1990s revival is credited to Blossom Galbiso, a teacher and guidance counselor who taught at Waialua Elementary School in Oahu. In 1991, Galbiso introduced the game she had played as a little girl to a new generation of students, soon incorporating pogs into her fifth grade curriculum as a way of teaching math and as a nonviolent alternative to other popular schoolyard games, such as dodgeball. The game quickly spread from Oahu's North Shore, and by early 1992, STANPAC Inc., the small Canadian packaging company that had been manufacturing the milk caps distributed by Haleakala Dairy on Maui (the same caps that were collected by Galbiso for her class), was printing millions of pogs every week for shipment to the Hawaiian island chain. The game soon spread to the mainland, first surfacing in California, Texas, Oregon, and Washington before spreading to the rest of the country. By 1993, the previously obscure game of pogs, which had almost been forgotten, was now played throughout the world. Real pog milk caps had small staples in them which, when stacked, produced a random element to the game. Regular pog milk caps were used to throw at the stack and were able to flip the pile. As the game gained in popularity, thousands of types of pogs were manufactured, covering a wide array of images of toys, cartoons, movies, games, sports, famous people and famous world leaders such as UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and US President Bill Clinton. Public awareness messages concerning topics such as first aid, safety, wildfire prevention, and drug use were also featured on pogs, and they were also used for fund raising for charities and organizations such as the Red Cross and cancer research organizations. The popularity of the game spawned pog prizes at major fast-food chains (see below), as well as knockoffs, such as "Slammer Whammers", a similar game released under a different brand name. Pogs can sometimes still be found on eBay and in game and card stores. Also capitalizing on the success of pogs were corporations and governments. Fast food chains such as McDonald's, Burger King, Taco Bell, Del Taco, Carl's Jr./Hardee's and Checkers/Rallys gave away free pogs with the purchase of a menu item. Fox television released a line of pogs with the debut of "The Tick" animated series. Disneyland produced limited edition caps for its "Go POG Wild and rollerblade Crazy" event in the spring of 1994. Knott's Berry Farm produced a limited edition set for the 1994 Southern California POG Championship. Nintendo Power released many sets of pogs featuring Nintendo characters from games like Mega Man and EarthBound that were either packaged in with issues of the magazine or redeemable through their mail-in rewards program. Kool-Aid also produced limited edition caps and slammers with the Kool-Aid Man imprinted on them, which were only available by mailing in a certain amount of Kool-Aid points. In an effort to curb drug use and crime, the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program in California designed caps with the DARE logo and Scruff McGruff, as well as county sheriff badges. Because many children would keep the pogs they won in games from other players, many school districts considered pogs a form of gambling. Pogs proved to be major distractions from classes and the source of various playground arguments. These elements eventually led to the banning of pogs from various schools across North America. Other bannings occurred across Australia. The World POG Federation, or WPF for short, was probably the biggest brand of pogs in the UK. Most POGs feature the POG mascot, called Pogman. These pogs had many series featuring images mostly comical in nature, or parodying skits of famous scenes from movies, or other popular culture. There were World Pog Federation pogs in Canada, the US and Australia too, but were produced by other companies, such as the Canada Games Company, or Crown & Andrews. Several waves of Playmates' Star Trek action figures came with bonus collectible, numbered, "Space Caps", featuring artwork of the figures themselves. Tazos were also popular in the UK and Australia - these were effectively pogs with notches along their circumference which meant they could be connected together and used to construct rudimentary 3D shapes. They were given away free in packets of Walkers Crisps and usually featured licensed properties - notably scenes from Star Wars, Looney Tunes and Pokémon. The Army and Air Force Exchange Service, the United States Department of Defense's largest and oldest exchange system, distributes pog-like coinage as change at its stores in contingency areas (those supporting Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom). The reason for adopting pogs as currency was that supply flights overseas had limited capacity and air-freight shipping involved high costs. Metal coinage weighs significantly more than paper pogs, which are also much thinner than standard pogs. While they are only issued in contingency areas, they are redeemable at any AAFES store worldwide.
0.976025	You might say 2015 hasn't been the most exciting year for graphics cards, though in many ways it was more eventful than 2014. The only big highlight last year was the arrival high-end Maxwell GPUs in the form of the GeForce GTX 980 and 970. Then this year Maxwell did what many thought was impossible: becoming considerably faster. Last year's GTX 980 featured 2048 CUDA cores, which now looks underwhelming put against the Titan X's whopping 3072 CUDA cores, a nice 50% bump for the architecture. Nvidia also went the other way, releasing the $160 GTX 950 which sports just 768 CUDA cores. All told, Nvidia released four new GPUs in 2015, while AMD delivered eight cards if you're willing to be loose with the definition of "new" and three if you're not, namely the Radeon R9 Fury X, Fury and Nano. Some of you are probably shouting that the 390X and 390 are new as well. Yes, the Radeon R9 390X and 390 received double the VRAM, but they are essentially the same GCN 1.1 GPUs -- 290X and 290, respectively. Thus far, the larger 8GB memory buffer has proven to be of little benefit, so we prefer the cheaper 290s anyway. At this point, it looks like AMD and Nvidia have finally squeezed the most out of the 28nm design process. Before moving on, AMD will release a dual-GPU version of the Fury X which should become the Fury X2. Nvidia could also return fire with a dual-GPU monster of its own. Something we haven't seen a lot of this year has been price cuts. AMD was forced into aggressive discounts last year to compete, but this year the company has been competitive at the upper end of the high-performance GPU market and has therefore felt less pressure to reduce prices. As shown in the table above, the key battles are currently being played out between the GTX 750 Ti and R7 360 at ~$100, the GTX 950 and R7 370 at $150, the GTX 960 and R9 380 at $200, the R9 390 and GTX 970 at $300, the R9 390X and GTX 980 at $450 and finally the GTX 980 Ti and R9 Fury X at $650. By the end of this article we should have figured out what are the best buys at every price point.
0.918134	The Steelers came off their bye week and proceeded to dismantle the Browns in the second half of the game. Cleveland: B. Mayfield: 22/36, 180 YDS, 2 TD, 1 INT; N. Chubb: 65 YDS; J. Landry: 8 REC, 39 YDS. Pittsburgh: B. Roethlisberger 24/36, 257 YDS, 2 TD, 1 INT; J. Conner: 146 YDS, 2 TD; A. Brown: 74 YDS, 2 TD. The Pittsburgh Steelers could not have wished for a better opponent to face after their bye week and on an emotional day for the city, they picked up an important win. They welcomed a faltering Cleveland Browns side and after a slow start in the first half, proceeded to blow past the Browns and not only win another divisional game but also move to the top of the AFC North. The Steelers did not have a good start to the game and were forced to punt twice in the first quarter of the match. Not only did they not get to the red zone on two tries, Ben Roethlisberger was also intercepted by Derrick Kindred with about five minutes left in the first quarter as he tried to find Juju Smith-Schuster on a short route. Fortunately for Roethlisberger, the Pittsburgh defense came to play as well. They also forced the Browns to punt in the first quarter and kept the game close in the second quarter as well. The Steelers offense came to life in the second quarter though as Roethlisberger connected with Antonio Brown for a 43 yard touchdown reception. The Steelers defense then added to that positive play with an interception of their own as Joe Haden picked off Baker Mayfield's intended pass to Damion Ratley. Roethlisberger added another touchdown in the final seconds of the half as he found Antonio Brown on a quick slant pass for a one yard touchdown reception. In the second half, the Browns defense tried to give their team a chance and they forced a turnover in the third quarter. First, Denzel Ward forced a fumble off of Stevan Ridley and then the Browns kept the Steelers to a punt on their first offensive drive of the quarter. Unfortunately for the Browns defense, their offense was not as productive. The Browns offense allowed the Steelers to get a safety when offensive lineman Desmond Harrison was called for offensive holding in the end zone. The Browns did manage to get a touchdown as Mayfield drove down the field before finding Antonio Callaway on a one yard touchdown pass but the momentum had shifted in Pittsburgh's favour. James Conner added to Pittsburgh's lead with a 12 yard touchdown run and a 22 yard touchdown run to ice the game. The Browns managed another touchdown right at the end of the game as tight end Seth DeValve picked up a 24 yard touchdown reception but apart from that, the Steelers defense kept the Browns' offense in check as evidenced by the amount of punts the Browns were forced to make.
0.99996	I am currently trying to find a good Bible translation to read and study from. What would you recommend and could you point me to any good articles/books/resources which could help me make this decision? Thanks! It’s hard to imagine a reply that won’t get someone really angry with me, but I’ll still give it a shot. My short answer is this: start with the New Revised Standard Version (“NRSV”) or the New American Bible (“NAB”). Both are widely available, and in my opinion generally unsurpassed in accuracy (though each also has its own drawbacks). 1. Paraphrases. These are like “English books based on the original Hebrew/Greek Bible,” sometimes only coming as close as a movie based on a book. The most common are The Message and The Living Bible. These tend to be written in colloquial, even chatty English, and are easy to read. But even though they are so accessible, I generally don’t recommend them, because they hide much of the original beauty and complexity of the Bible. 2. Word for Word Translations. I could equally call these “partial translations.” They take the words of the original Bible and try to reproduce each one in English. As a matter of translation, this is usually a really bad idea. But as a matter of religion (particularly for Jews) there are some good reasons to do this, so these partial translations of the Bible are more popular than they otherwise would be. The most common word-for-word translation is the English Standard Version (“ESV”). I don’t generally recommend publications that take this approach because they tend to create the wrong impression that the Bible was archaic or even incomprehensible. 3. Full Translations. These are Bibles that try to produce a true English equivalent of the text of the Bible, which is what you probably want. The most common are the New International Version (“NIV”), and the NRSV and NAB that I’ve already mentioned. 4. Outdated Full Translations. These are much older English translations, so they translate the Bible into English we no longer use. There’s no good theoretical reason to read one of these Bibles, but there’s a good practical reason. The King James Version (“KJV”) and the New King James Version (“NKJV”) are examples of this approach, and they are the most widely cited English Bible translations. When most people think of “what the Bible says,” they think of the KJV. The reason I give all of this background is that at first glance each of (1), (2), and (4) seems to be appealing — for ease of reading, apparent fidelity to the text, and apparent authenticity — but they are each mostly misleading in this regard. However, which Bible you ultimately want depends on what you want to do with it. If you belong to a religious community that has already chosen a translation, you probably want to stick with what your community has chosen; similarly, most translations reflect not only what the Bible originally meant but also what subsequent religious thinkers said that it meant. If you just want a general sense of what the Bible stories in Genesis or the Gospels are about, a paraphrase is the quickest path. The word-for-word translations frequently “sound like the Bible,” which can be comforting. Regarding resources for deciding, the Better Bibles Blog has a wealth of helpful information and discussion. And lots of books explain the different Bible versions, but mostly with not enough insight into how translation works. Still, you might want to look at Philip Comfort’s Essential Guide to Bible Versions or Bruce Metzger’s The Bible in Translation. Finally, I would suggest that more important than a good translation is a good teacher to work with. Even a perfect translation (and none exists) would only be a starting point. I’d like to point out that there is a significant difference between Living Bible, a paraphrase, and the New Living Translation, which more appropriately falls in category (3). There are a surprising number of people who seem to think the former is just a repackaging of the latter. Could you please explain what you mean by your concern about the Bible being seen as archaic? If I understand correctly, it seems your concern is that people would think the Bible is archaic as in outdated or no longer relevant. Right? I mean that the now-archaic language in the KJV makes some people who read it think that the original, too, was archaic. For example, “thee” and “thou” were originally used in the English translation as common singular pronouns, not as overly-formal or archaic forms of address. While this might repeat Keith’s comment somewhat, where do see the NLT fitting in, especially since it has become more literal in 2007 than the 1996 version? Although the Living Bible is a paraphrase as it was basically a rephrasing of the ASV, strictly speaking The Message is not, as it is a translation from the original languages. I prefer to call it a highly-idiomatic translation. In my opinion The Message is a mixed bag, some parts are brilliant, but others are quite bad, replacing metaphors and idioms with entirely different ones for no good reason that I can see. I recommend The Message as a good secondary Bible: if you’re struggling to make sense of a passage in your main Bible have a read of The Message as it will often help. Another great book is How to Choose a Translation for All Its Worth by Gordon Fee and Mark Strauss. It seems like you’re making a distinction between a paraphrase from an English version and a paraphrase of the original Hebrew/Greek, but it seems to me they are both paraphrases. For example, Genesis 1:1 in the The Message reads, “First this: God created the Heaven and the Earth — all you see, all you don’t see.” In this case, it’s the author’s addition of “all you see, all you don’t see” that makes it a paraphrase. There is no word, phrase, concept, or anything else in the original that corresponds with the English here — at least not that I’m aware of. While I agree that parts of it are very good, frequently those good parts are the least accurate. I think what makes The Message so tempting is that, of all the Bible versions I’ve read, its original language rises to the highest level. Well as I understand it, the technical meaning of paraphrase is that of a rewording in the same language. The OED says: “To express the meaning of (a written or spoken passage, or the words of an author or speaker) using different words, esp. to achieve greater clarity; to render or translate freely” In one way all translation is paraphrasing, as it involves putting the text into different words! I don’t know how or when, but in the Bible Translation scene “paraphrase” has come to mean a Bible version which is not word-for-word (or phrase-for-phrase) like the original texts, regardless of its translation philosophy and process, and I don’t think it’s a helpful change. The NKJV is more of a paraphrase than the Message is! The NIrV is a definite paraphrase too. Technicalities aside, there is a big difference between using the ASV or the GNT as your source text. Opinions will differ on The Message. I’ve found it quite engaging in its poetry, where it manages to reinstate a lot of the beauty which other more mechanical translations lose. As to Gen 1:1, well it does depend on your interpretation of the Hebrew. If you think the Hebrew refers to the totally of God’s creative work, both the earth, the heaven(s), the underworld, the physical, the metaphysical, the spiritual, the holy and the demonic, then the Message conveys that quite well. If הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ means more than “heaven and earth” does in English, then it would be a mistake to translate with just those three words. Oh, I’ve thought of another way of describing translations (which also means that just a single spectrum won’t do Peter), whether they attempt to convey the literary and genre-related features of the original. The Message is not suitable for widespread use because it is too idiomatic (some of which are lost even on fluent-but-non-American English speakers like myself) and will also date very quickly, but also because the author translated it as if it was written directly for its readers. It is written in a low, conversational register, which is great for doing what it was written for, engaging Christians who hadn’t been reading their Bibles. But it is not one for deeper study, as it obscures the differences in genre and register between books and passages. Anyone want to take a guess as to my choice for a translation? Surely there is another whole category which you have missed out: dynamic equivalence translations (or maybe you would want to find another name), a group including NLT, TEV/GNT and CEV (not the new CEB), arguably also NEB and REB. These are significantly different from your “translations”, especially from NRSV (which isn’t really very different from ESV except for the gender language and some more liberal theological decisions). But they are also not paraphrases, as you seem to recognise by not listing any of them as such. Of course it might also be good to note that there is a spectrum here rather than completely distinct translation types. I purposely avoided the terms “dynamic equivalence” (“DE”) and “formal equivalence” (“FE”) for two reasons. Even though the terms are commonly used within the field of Bible translation, they are rare among translators more generally, and all but unknown among people who just want to read the Bible. Secondly, as a matter of practice, I think that the philosophies behind the Bible translations end up contributing less to the final translation than do their implementation and other translation decisions. [The Message] is written in a low, conversational register, which is great for doing what it was written for, engaging Christians who hadn’t been reading their Bibles. But it is not one for deeper study, as it obscures the differences in genre and register between books and passages. What we perhaps need but do not I think have in English is a translation which uses noticeably different styles in different books to reflect the different genres and registers of the original. Wow, thanks! I found your recommendation of the NIV interesting because most people I know and talk to think that translation is absolutley horrible. And here’s the rub: I was using the NIV translation for a long time. But then I encountered people who either supported the NASB (now it seems like many are turning to the ESV) or the NRSV. They all hate the NIV. That’s when the doubt started creeping in. But then I began to realize after reading the prophets in a more dynamic translation (like the NLT) that I really wasn’t fully understanding what the prophets were saying and also that many younger people found the NLT much easier to understand. So then I had these two forces working on me, half wanting a really formal translation the other half wanting a more dynmaic translation and everyone hating the NIV in the middle! So I am going crazy. But thanks for the advice and maybe reading the NIV isn’t so bad afterall. You might ask them why they hate the NIV. I don’t know of any Bible translation that is so good that it leaves nothing open to criticism, but I don’t think the NIV is different enough from, say, the NRSV for anyone to “love” one and “hate” the other. I’ve yet to find any translation that I love, but, equally, all of mainstream translations are good enough that I don’t hate any of them. As I understand it (and I understand that your Hebrew, Joel, is a lot better than mine) the Bible itself is written in high register and archaic Hebrew. This is of course a troublesome point Genesis may perhaps have seemed conversational to mid-second millenium BC readers, but not to, for example, Jesus. But as I understand it (same qualification applies) Isaiah was written in a deliberately high, non-conversational register that the RSV et al are prepared to sacrifice for the sake of literal accuracy. This is an either of translation. “The boat this chick was in was like one of those thrones monarchs sit in, except it was POLISHED, and it was alight on the river…” is of course an accurate rendering of “The barge she sat in like a burnished throne etc” but utterly fails to take into account the idea of impressing its reader with the archaism and poetic diction. Robert Alter, in my opinion does a fairly, good job at reconciling these two aspects of writing, but mainly because he has same-page notes on the original Hebrew. If you want proper scholarship and don’t want to learn Biblical Hebrew yourself that may be the only way of reconciling accuracy with register. As I understand it (and I understand that your Hebrew, Joel, is a lot better than mine) the Bible itself is written in high register and archaic Hebrew. Almost for sure it wasn’t written in archaic Hebrew, and even by the turn of the era, I think the Hebrew of the OT would have been more familiar than the English of the KJV currently is to modern English speakers. But beyond that, register in general is very hard to detect. First of all, it should be acknowledged that the term “Bible translation” is fraudulent, as it implies that there is a “Bible” somewhere that is being translated. In reality, every “Bible” is an original work. It should be discussed as “Bible creation.” If I am mistaken on this point, then please show me where the original “Bible” exists? I would despair of attempting to establish a pre-Catholic canon and adopt the current list of NT books that the Catholics originally adopted (minus the Letter of Paul to the Laodiceans). As to the NT manuscripts, I would have to settle for Westcott-Hort’s eclectic mish-mash. Now, with my manuscripts settled (all in Greek) I would get to work on my new work of translating. Then I would proceed largely as the NET Bible does, and take my best shot at it and supply a wealth of footnotes. Any words I added would be bracketed. But ultimately, none of the existing “translations” are terribly useful to me, since they are based on the Massoretic text, following Jerome. I would totally agree with you that there is no perfect translation. But I believe that the word for word translations are actually the best translations because they try, as much as possible, to stay away from interpretation. When we get into the dynamic equivalence translations (what you refer to as full translations), there is too much of denominational bias interjected into the translation and interpretation of the text. I would be surprised if people read the ESV, NASB, NKJV and thought of them as archaic. What’s your view of the NASB? And why didn’t it make your list as a top literal translation? I believe the King James original version is the best it might not use the sane language we do but thats because it’s the original 1611 .. Revelations 22:18-19 talks about not taking words out of the original word of God so if we make new translations that would be doing exactly what God said not to do .. What’s your opinion on that .. Paloma, in the 1611 version, the KJV followed the inventors of the Bible (the Catholic Church) and they included the Apocryphal books. By 1640, however, they excluded these books. So should “The Bible” (the one that John spoke of in the Revelation, by your view) include the Apocryphal books? Or is it “OK” in your view that the reformers canned these scrolls? Paloma, KJV is not the original Bible text. It is not even the original English translation – that is the Wycliffe Bible. Several more versions e.g. Tyndale, Coverdale, Bishop’s and Geneva, came before 1611. KJV was very unpopular at first and it was only state intervention that gave it a dominant position over the Geneva Bible. But that verse in Revelation is not about new translations, as long as they are accurate, but about neglecting or adding to the teaching God has given us. Peter, what a kind, informative, accurate, and concise response you have given to Paloma! Such a question would be met with scorn in many other quarters. Blessed is the man who walks in the fear of the Lord and not the fear of man. >>>…but about neglecting or adding to the teaching God has given us. Specifically that Revelation itself. It is only because Luther didn’t consider it scripture (voluntarily) that it was stuck at the end of the volume. I hope this question is pertinent to this post. If not, please tell and I’ll post it wherever you direct me. Or, to take another example, did Isaiah originally say (if he said at all, and didn’t just write) in Isaiah 61:1, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me…” or was it “The Spirit of the Lord YHWH is upon me because YHWH has anointed me…” And if the latter, why did Jesus not quote it this way in Luke 4? Surely he would not have let misplaced piety stand in the way of making known an important distinction to us. Moreover, why do none of the English NT texts seem to draw the distinction between YHWH and Lord that we see in the OT? In fact, I’m unaware of any verse in the NT that addresses a YHWH/Kurios distinction that we see ubiquitous in the OT as a YHWH/Adonai distinction. I would very much appreciate your thoughts, Dr. Hoffman. It’s a great question, with a long answer. I don’t know for sure what the original speakers would have said, but I think that yahwey was not it. I think the letters stood for something else. One possibility is adonai, though we have no direct evidence for it. Another possibility is elohim, though, again, we lack any direct evidence. One interesting clue is the great frequency with which we find the phrase shem YHWH (“the name of YHWH”) in the text, while we almost never see shem elohim. Wow, what an interesting repsonse. I’m pretty sure that the Masorites (sp?) vocalized it as “Ye-HoVah” (with a stop between “Ye” and “Ho”). But I don’t think English translations are concerned with either Jewish aversion or to any thought about the word having been unpronounced from the beginning. The fact is that Jerome translated it as “Dominus” (Lord) based on the LXX. That was the only “Bible” until Luther’s day. The Masorites actually vocalized it both as y’hova and y’hva. Many people don’t know that the dot that would indicate the sound /o/ is frequently “missing” from YHWH. But the real point is that the Masorites vocalized it with the pointing from adonai, as a way of reminding the reader to pronounce the word as adonai! The Masorites never intended y’hovah as a pronunciation. How do we know that they didn’t just point it for how to pronounce it? Couldn’t the adonai pointing similarity be coincidental? And of course, the pointing took place late.. 7th? 11th century? The pointing was recorded in the 10th century. We don’t know for sure how far back it goes, though it’s unlikely to represent anything from before the rise of Islam. We don’t know for sure that they mimicked the pointing from adonai, but one fact in particular points in that direction: Sometimes YHWH is pronounced elohim (Gen 15:2, for example), and when it is, the pointing is taken from elohim. I don’t understand a word of this. Whence do they get the word “LORD”? Dr. Hoffman, please permit me a follow-up. By the way, I read all the links you gave except for Ch. 4 of “In the Beginning” which is not as easily accessible. I do hope to get to it. My follow-up question has to do with the New Testament. Its writers never seem concerned with a YHWH/Kurios distinction (whether quoting from the Hebrew or the LXX) in the way that English translators are concerned with the YHWH/Adonai distinction in the OT. That is, the NT writers seem to write as if there was nothing but Kurios or Adonai in the OT. Why is this? At any rate, I don’t know when the change from YHWH to adonai and kurios took place, but it seems that the focus changed from the letters themselves to God. I suspect that this progression is more relevant for the history of writing than for theology, which might be way we don’t see any reflection of it in the NT. If so, it’s probably a mistake on our part to read too much into YHWH versus adonai today. Mike, as I see it, the NT writers probably never even heard of the name YHVH, didn’t know Hebrew and presumed that the LXX renderings were “all she wrote” (to use an Alabama expression). It was their scripture, just as, for a millennia, the Vulgate was the Bible to Christianity. It wasn’t a “translation” in their minds. If it was in the LXX, then “it is written in the scriptures.” They never dreamed of consulting a Hebrew source. So, since the divine name had been expunged, it was not any part of their thoughts. This was big in the Hebrew text. * Someone non-Hebrew-speaking entity creates the LXX in Alexandria. Some group uses it as its scriptures. (It is wrong to presume that these were mainstream Jews, though that is possible). * in the future, God will come to the Middle East and resume being lord directly and Jesus will step down and be just another man again. All of this NT stuff has nothing to do with Jews, Judaism or the Hebrew scriptures. There, there is only YHVW, pronounced or not pronounced, as “lord” or “adonai” etc. What all of this means is that we have a progression, not a static situation. Joel, thanks for the tip about your fourth chapter, which I read. Your theory is interesting. However, since you think the letters were never vocalized or even intended to be vocalized, does this mean that you think Adonai (i.e. Lord) was vocalized in its place from the beginning? For as I mentioned above, in 1 Sam 17:45 (and many other passages), the speaker apparently vocalized something. Wounded Ego, your theory that the NT writers assumed that the LXX was “all she wrote” seems hardest to accept when it comes to Paul who was raised a Pharisee, sat at the feet of Gamaliel, and was zealous for the traditions of Israel. Are you comfortable saying that Saul of Tarsus had no awareness of the Hebrew scriptures and the word YHWH which appeared in them over 6,000 times? Mike, I personally don’t consider the Acts account of a “Saul” turned “Paul” to be factual. But regardless, Paul clearly is basing all of his arguments on the LXX, even where they disagree with the Hebrew, so he is either ignorant of the Hebrew or intentionally gives it no primacy to the Greek scriptures. He even makes frequent references to the Greek only scriptures, which Jews reject. I am by no means a biblical scholar or anything, but I think the reason the NT authors used the LXX was because they were speaking to a Greek audience. What I mean is, it wouldn’t do much good to quote in Hebrew to people who don’t speak Hebrew (after all, the mission of the NT church was to reach the Gentiles). Also it would be redundant to translate an OT passage from Hebrew into Greek when you already have the LXX laying around, ready to go. Just thought I’d throw my three cents in. The evidence suggests that the NT writers “thought in” Greek because their arguments would make no sense at all in relation to strictly Hebrew texts. In fact, apart from the Pentateuch, the most influential text on the NT is, to my mind, obviously the Enoch scrolls. The concept of the Protestant “canon” would be a very strange one to the writers of the NT! I agree with you on the Book of Enoch thing. How can Jude be accepted as canon without acknowledging the Book of Enoch also; doesn’t make sense. Yeah, the whole idea of a NT canon seems superfluous given the fact that the writings were letters addressed to specific people and churches. It kinda reminds me of that one scene from “The Secret of My Success” where Michael J. Fox’s character praises a memo as being literature (in an attempt to conceal that he works in the mail room). I’m not saying that they preferred the Greek over the Hebrew, only that the Greek had, according to the extant evidence, primacy. I think this is because Hebrew was a dying language, and the only other option is that they knew the Hebrew and when it disagreed with the LXX, they ignored it, which is to my mind is extremely unlikely. Heb_11:21 By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff. Gen 47:31 And he said, Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed’s head. Gen 47:31 And he said, Swear to me; and he swore to him. And Israel did reverence, leaning on the top of his staff. This is one example of myriads of examples. And Paul is no exception! Psalms 4:4 Be ye angry, and sin not; feel compunction upon your beds for what ye say in your hearts. Thanks for the link WoundedEgo! it’s an interesting topic when you really dive into it. about the Jeremiah 31:31 difference between ‘chudashah’ and ‘chadsahah’, REnewed Covenant, versus “New Covenant”. It is a crucial distinction in understanding the (not!) ‘NEW COVENANT. The Word is the “REnewed” Covenant, INSIDE the devotee. I wondered about this for years until “Gershom” explained the Masorete/LXX foul-up on this word form. I am joining a Catholic Bible Study group. I am using the New International Version Bible, which, in context, seems relevant to the King James Version. It is a little easier to read, but I find it rather comparable. Will I have a hard time in my study group, identifying each verse with Roman Catholic rhetoric?
0.99999	Outline: God's road is only road to heaven. Jesus made the road for us. He made our sin-payment. Pray and receive life-all-the-time. Jesus will help. Follow Him. Many people want to go to heaven when they die, but they do not know the road. God's road is the only road going to heaven. There is no other road. God makes us a promise. This promise is in the Bible. God says, "If you walk my road I will not leave you." God loves us all so much He sent Jesus to teach us the road to heaven. Jesus made that road when He died on the cross for us. This road is the only road to heaven. Many people think there are other roads to heaven. They do not know Jesus is the only road. These people think their own roads go to heaven. Some people think they are strong. They think they can live a good life without Jesus. These people think they have their own road to heaven. One day these people will find their road is too short. Then they will be very sad. There is only one way for us to get to heaven. We all do wrong things (sin). We cannot get to heaven if our sin payment is not paid. We cannot pay our sin payment. It is too big. Jesus Himself died to pay our sin payment. He died on the cross for us. Jesus Himself paid our sin payment. Do you want to go to heaven? Tell Jesus you want to walk His road. Pray to Him any time, day or night. He always listens. Jesus will give you life-all-the-time at once. Then we must leave our old bad ways, and walk God's road. Jesus will help us every day. This is the only way we can get to heaven. There is no other road. Pray like this: "Lord Jesus I thank You. You died to take away my sins. You took my punishment. I want to walk Your road. I want Your life everlasting. Thank you. You live always. You are strong. You help me walk your road. You take me, and I will go to heaven bye and bye. Amen." Jesus' words are in God's Book. He says - "I am the one road to heaven. If you want heaven you must come to Me. If you come to Me I will not turn you away." Jesus says, "Come to Me now, I will help you. If you have sadness, I will carry it. (I will straighten your walk.) I will make you happy always. You belong to Me now. I will not leave you." Jesus said this. He said much more in God's Book. All is good to help us. We must believe these words. God wants us to be His children. All His children follow His words. We must follow Jesus.
0.999936	Suggestions for your TBR pile. In lieu of writing up multiple book reviews of my current reads these past two months, I've decided to make a list that you may want to add to your TBR pile. Why you'll like it: Very cute YA romance set in the idyllic Paris at a school abroad. You'll fall in love with the city and the MC's in one quick read. Why you'll like it: Another cute YA romance using some of the cast from Anna and the French Kiss. This one had a deeper romance and the MC's quirky and artsy. The setting also takes this from New York to Paris, to a charming town in Spain. Why you'll like it: Want an immersive fantasy that's a tad dark, but also fresh? Try this Russian-inspired fantasy. I devoured this series immediately. It's so good, it may even sway you to root for the dark side.
0.887611	Trist was born in Charlottesville on June 2, 1800, and was the son of Hore Browse Trist and Mary Louisa Brown Trist. The family had a long and close relationship with Thomas Jefferson, beginning when Jefferson served as a member of the Continental Congress and lodged in the Philadelphia boarding house of Trist's great-grandmother. During this period he established a lifelong friendship with Trist's grandmother, Elizabeth House Trist. After Trist's grandfather, Nicholas Trist, died in 1784, Jefferson, then serving as minister plenipotentiary in France, helped her secure an inheritance for their son, Hore Browse Trist. As president, Jefferson named him collector of taxes for the District of Mississippi and late in 1803 for New Orleans, where he died of yellow fever in August 1804. Trist's mother later married Philip Livingston Jones and after his death in 1810 Trist added Jones's first name to his own. She then married wealthy planter Eteinne St. Julien de Tournillon, who managed his inherited plantations while he attended Orleans College. Late in the summer of 1817 Trist made his first trip to Thomas Jefferson's Albemarle County home, Monticello, while his grandmother was making one of her long visits to Virginia. Trist spent several weeks with Jefferson's family and fell in love with Jefferson's granddaughter Virginia Jefferson Randolph. Persuaded to postpone marriage until after Trist completed his education and began a career, he attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point from 1818 through 1821 but did not graduate. Returning to Louisiana, he studied law and managed the family plantations while keeping up a correspondence with Virginia Randolph and other members of her family. Trist and Randolph married at Monticello on September 10, 1824. They had one daughter and two sons. Trist remained at Monticello to study law under Jefferson and occasionally serve as his clerk. Trist was present in the last hours before Jefferson's death on July 4, 1826, and was one of three administrators of the financially troubled estate. For the next two years Trist was secretary to the University of Virginia's board of visitors and was co-owner and co-editor of a Charlottesville newspaper, the Virginia Advocate. His relationship with Jefferson and the support of Jefferson family friends helped him to secure a clerkship in the Department of State in 1828. Trist developed a close friendship with President Andrew Jackson, vigorously supported his policies, and served briefly as Jackson's private secretary in 1831. In April 1833 Secretary of State Edward Livingston appointed Trist consul at Havana, Cuba, and the president later nominated and the Senate confirmed him to that post early the following year. Trist was intelligent, well-read, spoke both Spanish and French fluently, and possessed a highly developed sense of honor and duty. He could also be high-handed, arrogant, and overly sensitive. Those traits got him in trouble while he was consul. In 1839 several American merchants and ships' captains called for his removal and waged a newspaper war against him, accusing him of neglecting his consular duties, of corruption and abuse of power, and of working in support of the slave trade. The principal issues were Trist's interference with shipboard discipline and authority structures, the legality of the ownership of some of the vessels that passed through the port of Havana, and whether such ships rightfully sailed under the American flag. Trist returned to Washington in March 1840 and turned over a trunk of consular records and correspondence for congressional review. The House of Representatives concluded that there was no cause for further action against him. Nevertheless, Trist was recalled after the election of Whig Party candidates William Henry Harrison and John Tyler in 1841. Trist resided on a farm outside Havana until 1845 when President James K. Polk appointed him chief clerk of the Department of State. In April 1847 Polk sent him to Mexico, clothed him with full diplomatic powers, and instructed him discreetly to negotiate an end to the war between the two countries. When Trist arrived in Vera Cruz, General Winfield Scott misunderstood the purpose of his mission, and Trist did little to explain it, creating a conflict of personalities and egos that nearly caused the failure of Trist's mission. After months of open hostility, the two men reconciled and worked together militarily and diplomatically to achieve peace on the terms Polk sought. At the end of August, when Trist presented Polk's draft treaty to Mexican commissioners, they objected to the proposed new boundary between the nations and suggested alternatives. Frustrated but hopeful, Trist ignored letters of recall he received from the impatient Polk and engaged in a months-long process of negotiation that concluded in February 1848 with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which added more than 500,000 square miles to the United States. Although the treaty achieved Polk's objectives and the Senate ratified it, Polk reprimanded Trist and ordered him home, denying him his salary and compensation for his expenses. Trist's career in government was effectively ended. He practiced law in New York while his wife operated a boarding school for girls in Philadelphia. In New York, Trist met Henry S. Randall and provided him with countless anecdotes, transcripts, and original manuscripts for his three-volume biography of Thomas Jefferson. Unable to make a success of his law career, Trist briefly considered going to California to prospect for gold or to Texas to farm. He unsuccessfully tried to reunite with his grandfather's relations in England, contemplated investing in a coal mine in what is now West Virginia, and finally took a position as clerk and cashier for the Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore Railroad Company. Though a former slaveholder, Trist opposed the spread of slavery into the West. He voted for Abraham Lincoln in 1860 and was against secession for fear it would lead to a "war of the most terrifically bloody kind." Trist and his wife lived near their daughter and son-in-law in Alexandria after the Civil War. President Ulysses S. Grant appointed him postmaster of the city in 1870, and the following year Senator Charles Sumner succeeded in pushing a bill through Congress to compensate Trist for the salary he never received for his services and expenses as negotiator of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The whole amount was $14,559.90. Trist died at his Alexandria home on February 11, 1874, and was buried with other members of the Trist family in Ivy Hill Cemetery in Alexandria. June 2, 1800 - Nicholas Philip Trist is born in Charlottesville. August 1804 - Hore Browse Trist, then serving as collector of taxes for New Orleans, dies of yellow fever. 1810 - After the death of his stepfather, Philip Livingston Jones, Nicholas Trist adds Philip to his name, becoming Nicholas Philip Trist. 1817 - Late in the summer Nicholas Philip Trist makes his first trip to Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. He falls in love with Jefferson's granddaughter, Virginia Jefferson Randolph. 1818–1821 - Nicholas Philip Trist attends the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. He does not graduate. September 10, 1824 - Nicholas Philip Trist and Virginia Jefferson Randolph marry at Monticello, in Albemarle County. 1826–1829 - Nicholas Philip Trist serves as secretary to the University of Virginia's board of visitors. He also owns and co-edits the Charlottesville newspaper the Virginia Advocate. July 4, 1826 - Nicholas Philip Trist is present in the last hours before Thomas Jefferson's death. 1828 - Nicholas Philip Trist secures a clerkship in the Department of State. 1831 - Nicholas Philip Trist serves briefly as President Andrew Jackson's private secretary. April 1833 - Secretary of State Edward Livingston appoints Nicholas Philip Trist consul at Havana, Cuba. The U.S. Senate confirms him early the next year. 1839 - Several American merchants and ships' captains call for Nicholas Philip Trist's removal as American consul to Cuba. March 1840 - After calls are made for his removal, Nicholas Philip Trist returns to Washington, D.C., from his post as consul to Cuba. 1841 - A new administration recalls Nicholas Philip Trist from his post as consul to Cuba. 1845 - President James K. Polk appoints Nicholas Philip Trist chief clerk of the Department of State. April 1847 - President James K. Polk sends Nicholas Philip Trist to Mexico with instructions to discreetly negotiate an end to the war there. February 2, 1848 - The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed, ending the Mexican War. 1870 - President Ulysses S. Grant appoints Nicholas Philip Trist postmaster of Alexandria. February 11, 1874 - Nicholas Philip Trist dies at his Alexandria home and is buried in Ivy Hill Cemetery. Castel, Albert. "The Clerk Who Defied a President: Nicholas Trist's Treaty with Mexico." Virginia Cavalcade 34 (1985): 136–143. Drexler, Robert W. Guilty of Making Peace: A Biography of Nicholas P. Trist. Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America, 1991. Ohrt, Wallace. Defiant Peacemaker: Nicholas Trist in the Mexican War. College Station: Texas A&M Press, 1997. Francavilla, L. A., & the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. Nicholas Philip Trist (1800–1874). (2017, May 16). In Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved from http://www.EncyclopediaVirginia.org/Trist_Nicholas_Philip_1800-1874. Francavilla, Lisa A. and the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. "Nicholas Philip Trist (1800–1874)." Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, 16 May. 2017. Web. READ_DATE. Contributed by Lisa A. Francavilla and the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. Lisa A. Francavilla is managing editor of The Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Retirement Series at the International Center for Jefferson Studies.
0.999998	To avoid paying additional interest on my student loans, I want to ask my mother to pay off the entire loans with by lump sum, and then I would pay her back with interest. Are there any issues regarding taxing for this? If she charges you interest less than the "market rate" (roughly 2-3% right now depending on the term of the loan), the difference in the interest you pay versus what you would pay at market rates can be classified as a gift and taxed accordingly. Get everything in writing - the interest rate, term, payment structure, etc. Use a "fair" interest rate - this is to both be fair to her for giving you money instead of investing it, and avoids the tax consequences above. Set up a reasonable time frame - don't extend the loan to 30+ years. Pay it off as soon as you possibly can (for your benefit and hers). In this context, treat her like a bank. Don't take advantage of your relationship to be late on payments, skip payments, etc. (without agreement in writing up front). THAT SAID, loans from family can be problematic. They can taint relationships, make you think about each other differently (will you tell her about your extravagant vacations when you owe her money?) and if things don't go to plan it can actually ruin relationships. You also might want to make sure your siblings (or any other heirs) are aware of the arrangement since it affects their inheritance if she passes. An unsecured loan can be even more risky, since there's nothing that she can take to compensate her if you decide not to pay the loan (unlike a mortgage or a car loan). But if you're willing to take that risk, paying interest to family is better than paying it to a bank. The gift tax exclusion in 2019 is $15,000. If your mother is married (to your father or someone else), she can provide the funds for each to give up to $15,000. So $30,000 total. If you are married, you and your spouse can each receive a $15,000 gift from each relative. So $30,000 (mother's not currently married) or $60,000 (mother married) total. If the amount is over that, it goes against the estate tax exclusion. That's constantly changing, so I won't document the current amount. But if you do not expect to inherit millions from your mother, then it probably doesn't matter. If your mother is charging you below market rate interest on a loan, you only have to figure gift tax on the interest that you would have paid. Not on the loan. The IRS publishes rates. The current rate is somewhere between 1.93% and 2.91%. If we assume a 3% rate (higher than what the IRS posted), then to go above $15,000 in interest, the loan would have to be at least $500,000. That's rather large for a student loan. Gift tax is unlikely to be a problem unless you are also receiving some other gift from your mother. For others who may come here, you can entirely avoid this if you are under twenty-five and your mother simply pays for your education. Paying for education directly is just a normal parental activity. No gift tax would apply. I will skip the question of whether it is a good idea to borrow money from family, but I agree that it can be problematic. I am a parent. I have learned two things: 1) never cosign EVER. 2) never lend money. Instead, I give whatever money I can afford to give with the clear direction that it is not a loan. This has come about because for 100% of the things I have co-signed, the other person did not make the payments. For 100% of the loans I have personally given, the other person has not paid me back. Nor have I witnessed, in the rest of my family, that there is an exception. As you say, it taints. Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged united-states taxes income-tax student-loan peer-to-peer-lending or ask your own question.
0.92321	Key factors that have shaped U.S. Indian policy and led to the fractured state of Indian land tenure in Indian Country today include countless federal laws and legislative acts. Perhaps the single most devastating federal policy was the General Allotment Act of 1887, also called the Dawes Act after Senator Henry Dawes, the Act’s lead proponent. The U.S. federal government began the policy of allotting Indian land as early as 1798. Several treaties with Indian tribes included provisions that stated land would be divided among their individual members. After 1871, however, Congress declared that no further treaties would be made and all future dealings with Indians would be conducted through legislation. There were several reasons that allotment proponents supported the policy. First, many of them considered the Indian way of life and collective use of land to be communistic and backwards. They also saw the individual ownership of private property as an essential part of civilization that would give Indian people a reason to stay in one place, cultivate land, disregard the cohesiveness of the tribe, and adopt the habits, practices and interests of the American settler population. Furthermore, many thought that Indian people had too much land and they were eager to see Indian lands opened up for settlement as well as for railroads, mining, forestry and other industries. Although the General Allotment Act was the first major piece of legislation designed to allot Indian reservations across the U.S., many tribes were allotted under special legislation that was unique to their tribe or reservation. These acts usually are similar to the General Allotment Act but often contain special provisions. Under the policy of allotment, Indian land ownership was not the same as land ownership for other homesteaders. Non-Indian settlers could sell or alienate their land because they had complete fee simple ownership. Under the General Allotment Act, Indian allottees were declared “incompetent” to handle their land affairs and the United States would retain legal title to the land as trustee for the allottee; Indian allottees only had beneficial or usufruct title. In other words, as long as the allotment was held in trust by the federal government, the Indian landholder could use the land but not sell it or lease it without the federal government’s approval. However, the Act stated that 25 years after the allotment was issued, Indian allottees would be given complete, fee simple ownership of the land. At that point, the landowner could sell or lease it to anyone. Despite the original safeguards in place to help Indian people retain their land, the General Allotment Act caused Indian land holdings to plunge from 138 million acres in 1887 to 48 million acres by 1934 when allotment ended. This happened for several reasons. First, during the allotment of many reservations, the most productive land was identified as “surplus to Indian needs” and sold off to white settlers or business interests. In addition, many Indian people did not become the farmers the U.S. government wanted them to be. The General Allotment Act did not provide for agricultural education or farming equipment. In addition, the allotted land was often inappropriate for agriculture, and for some Indian groups, intensive agriculture was culturally unacceptable. Cut off from their livelihoods and their previous ways of survival, some Indian people sold their land after the 25-year trust period because they had no means of supporting themselves and had nothing else to sell. Amendments to the General Allotment Act also made it easier for Indian land to pass into non-Indian hands. For example, in 1902 legislation known as the “Dead Indian Act” was passed that allowed Indian landowners to sell lands they inherited even if they were still in trust. In 1906, the Burke Act was passed, which authorized the secretary of the interior to decide whether an Indian person was “competent” to manage his or her lands. If the Indian person was deemed “competent,” the secretary could take the land out of trust and the land would become taxable. The secretary of the interior was authorized to do this with or without the knowledge and/or against the wishes of the allottee. Thus, many Indian people ended up having their land sold in tax forclosure auctions because they owed taxes on land they thought was in trust. With the Act of May 29, 1908, the secretary of the interior was also given power to sell the allotments of deceased Indian landowners if he deemed the heirs incompetent. In the end, 27 million acres of Indian land were lost as a result of these acts. So much Indian land was passing out of Indian hands that even the U.S. government became alarmed. In 1928, a government report entitled “The Problem of Indian Administration” (also known as the “Merriam Report”) sharply criticized the policy of allotment and the U.S. Indian Service in general. The report provided undeniable evidence of the destructiveness of federal Indian policy and spurred significant changes in the federal administration of Indian affairs. Allotment not only caused 90 million acres of Indian land to be removed from Indian ownership and control, its impact continues to have serious consequences, such as the increasingly fractionated ownership of Indian land title, checkerboard ownership patterns on many reservations and loss of access to important sacred sites, to name just a few. The policy of allotment on American Indian reservations was put into effect by many pieces of legislation. This section provides brief summaries of and links to all general allotment legislation, including the General Allotment Act of 1887, its amendments and more recent legislation that impacts Indian land tenure. Below is a list of relevant historical allotment legislation. Section 1: Authorizes the president to allot tribal lands to individual Indians in designated amounts on reservations created by treaty, act of Congress, or executive order. If a treaty or agreement with a tribe was made earlier and provided for larger allotments to members of that tribe, the president is authorized to allot land according to the treaty or agreement. If the lands are not suitable for farming but appropriate for grazing, the president is authorized to allot sections of land larger than the amounts specified in this section of the General Allotment Act. Section 2: Provides that the Indian allottees themselves make their own selection of land as to accommodate those who had already made improvements or built upon a piece of land. Indian heads of families are authorized to select allotments for their children and Indian reservation agents are authorized to select land for orphans. This section also authorizes the secretary of interior to direct agents to make allotment selections for individual Indians who fail to select land within four years of the president’s direction to allot the reservation. Section 3: Stipulates that allotments shall be made by agents, regular and special. Allotments will be certified and certificates duplicated, so that one copy is held by the Indian office, and one copy in the General Land Office. Section 4: Allows any Indian not residing upon a reservation, or for whose tribe no reservation has been provided, to secure an allotment upon public lands. Any contract made that involves the land before the end of the trust period is null and void; after patents have been issued to Indians for their allotments, the laws of descent and partition of the State in which the allotments are located replace tribes’ inheritance laws and are applied to the allotment; and, if there is any land on the reservation that has not been allotted, the Secretary of the Interior is authorized to negotiate with the tribe for the purchase of this surplus land by the United States. These purchases have to be ratified by Congress and will be sold to white settlers in tracts not exceeding 160 acres. Money that is earned by selling the land to white settlers is to be held in trust by the government for the sole use of tribes to whom the reservation belonged but subject to appropriation by Congress for the education and civilization of the Indians. This section also states a hiring preference for Indian people in public service who have followed the provisions of the General Allotment Act and have become citizens of the United States. Section 6: After allotments have been made, every member of the bands or tribes to whom allotments have been made are subject to laws of the state or territory in which they reside. Every individual Indian who receives trust patents is bestowed with United States citizenship (This section was amended by the Burke Act in 1906). Section 7: The secretary of the interior is authorized to prescribe rules and regulations for water rights on irrigated lands within the reservation. Section 8: None of the Cherokees, Creeks, Choctaws, Seminoles, Osage, Miamies, Peorias, Sacs and Foxes, in Indian Territory, nor any reservations of the Seneca Nation of New York, nor an executive order reservation in Nebraska, are subject to the provisions of the General Allotment Act. Section 10: Nothing in the act is to be construed as affecting the right of Congress to grant right of way through lands granted to an Indian person or tribe, or condemn such lands to public uses, upon making just compensation. Authorizes the secretary of the interior to accept surrenders of patents by Indian allottees, provided that the Indian allottee, if he or she chooses, makes another selection of land. Sections 1 & 2: The first two sections of this act modify the provisions in the General Allotment Act relating to amounts of land to be allotted, stipulating that each adult receive an allotment of 80 acres. Section 3: Permits the leasing of individual allotments wherever the secretary of the interior finds that the allottee, “by reason of age or disability” cannot “personally and with benefit to himself occupy or improve his allotment or any part thereof.” This section also stipulates the length of time an allotment may be leased and for which purposes: three years for farming and grazing, 10 years for mining. Section 4: Briefly describes the process by which unallotted Indian people may receive allotments for themselves and their children on land not otherwise appropriated. Section 5: Provides that for purposes of descent, cohabitation “according to the custom and manner of Indian life” shall be considered valid marriage. Sections 1 and 4 of this act are amended by the Act of June 25, 1910. A portion of this act allows for the surplus lands of any tribe to be leased for farming purposes by the tribal council for three years. This act also allows anyone of Indian descent who claims to be entitled to land under any allotment act or claims to have been unlawfully denied from any allotment to prosecute or defend any action or suit in circuit court. The act gives the circuit courts jurisdiction to try these sorts of suits. Adds “inability” to age and disability as reasons why an allottee may lease his or her land for a term not exceeding five years, for farming purposes only. See Section 3 of Act of February 28, 1891. Amends slightly the portion of the Act of August 15, 1894, which states that anyone of Indian descent who claims to be entitled to land under any allotment act or claims to have been unlawfully denied any allotment is able to prosecute or defend any action or suit in the appropriate circuit court. Also provides for the process by which these suits are brought to the attention of the district attorney and authorizes him to defend the U.S. government against the suit. Contains a provision authorizing the secretary of the interior to grant rights of way in the nature of easements across tribal and allotted lands for telephone and telegraph lines and offices. Also, contains a provision subjecting allotted lands to condemnation under the laws of the state or territory in which they are located. The money awarded as damages shall be paid to the allottee. See also Section 10 of the General Allotment Act. Established a procedure whereby the adult heirs of a deceased allottee could sell the heirship lands with approval of the secretary of the interior. Section 7: States that: The adult heirs of any deceased Indian to whom a trust or other patent containing restrictions upon alienation has been or shall be issued for lands allotted to him may sell and convey the lands inherited from such a decedent, but in the case of minor heirs their interests shall be sold only by a guardian duly appointed by the proper court upon the order of such court, made upon petition filed by the guardian. The estate could be sold under government supervision and the proceeds distributed among the heirs. “Indian Land Tenure, Economic Status, and Population Trends,” Part X of the Report on Land Planning, Office of Indian Affairs, United States Printing Office, 1935. 15-16. The statutes of limitations of the states in which an allotment is located will apply to all actions brought in any state or federal court by any patented allottee, his heirs, or grantees, made against the government for the possession or rents or profits from the allotted lands under treaty. Amends section 6 of the General Allotment Act, adding that the secretary of the interior is authorized to cause an issue of a patent in fee simple to an allottee whenever the secretary is convinced that the Indian allottee is competent and capable of managing his or her affairs (This did not require the Indian allottee’s approval, desire, or knowledge of the fee simple patent issue). After the patent of fee simple is given, all restrictions to sale or encumbrance are removed and the allotment is subject to taxation. Under this act, all allottees who have not received fee simple patents are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the United States. This act does not extend to Indian Territory (Oklahoma). This act also grants the secretary of the interior express authority over determining the legal heirs of deceased Indians for the first time. Whenever an allotment is made, and the Indian allottee dies before the expiration of the trust period, the allotment is canceled and will revert back to the United States. The secretary of the interior is then authorized to ascertain the legal heirs of the deceased and issue patents in fee simple to the heirs for the land. Or, the secretary may sell the land and issue a patent to the purchasers and pay the net proceeds to the heirs. Permits the president to continue trust periods or periods of restrictions on all lands in trust. This provision was not applied to Indian Territory (Oklahoma). Amends the General Allotment Act by adding that no lands acquired under the provisions of the act shall satisfy or become payment for any debt contracted before the issuing of the final fee patent. It further states that no money from any lease or sale of lands held in trust for any Indian allottee will pay debts contracted during the same trust period except with the approval and consent of the secretary of the interior. States that any Indian land allotted under law or treaty without the power of alienation may be sold by the Indian landowner if it lies within a reclamation project area approved by the secretary of the interior. States that any “non-competent” Indian person to whom a patent containing restrictions against alienation has been issued for an allotment in severalty under law or treaty, or who may have an interest in an allotment by inheritance, may sell or convey all or any part of such an allotment or such inherited interest “on such terms and conditions and under such rules and regulations as the Secretary of the Interior may prescribe” before the time when such restriction was to have expired. Section 1: Authorizes the secretary of the interior to designate which Indian people are capable of managing their affairs and cause a pro rata (or fixed proportional) share of tribal or trust funds to be allotted to them. The Indian landowner must make an application for this. Expands the authority of the secretary of the interior and heirs of deceased allottees to sell allotted lands. Permits the secretary of the interior to make sales of allotments upon the death of the original allottee and also to issue a patent to the vendee of such Indian heirship lands. The act authorizes the secretary to determine the legal heirs of an original allottee who has died before the end of the trust period and make sales of the allotment if he deems those heirs “incompetent.” If the heirs are deemed “competent,” the secretary is authorized to issue patents in fee to them for the allotment. Extends the authority to sell allotments which could be sold by the secretary of the interior under law existing prior to the act to the allottee or his heirs if they petition to sell the lands (this provision does not extend to lands in Oklahoma, Minnesota or South Dakota). The lands of a minor or an Indian person deemed” incompetent” by the secretary may be sold on the petition a natural guardian or one appointed by the secretary of the interior. States that all allotments, except those made to members of the Five Civilized Tribes and Osage, may be leased for mining purposes for any term of years as may be deemed advisable by the secretary of the interior. The act also states that: if any Indian of a tribe whose surplus lands have been or shall be ceded or opened to disposal has received or shall receive an allotment embracing lands unsuitable for allotment purposes, such allotment may be canceled and other unappropriated, unoccupied, and unreserved land of equal area, within the ceded portions of the reservation upon which such Indian belongs, allotted to him upon the same terms and with the same restrictions as the original allotment, and lands described in any such canceled allotment shall be disposed of as other ceded lands of such reservation. This provision shall not apply to the lands formerly comprising Indian Territory. Section 1: Sets forth a plan for the administration and disposal of allotment land estates. If an Indian allottee dies before the expiration of the trust period on his or her allotment and has died without a will, this act gives the secretary of the interior the power to determine legal heirs. If the secretary finds the legal heirs “competent” to manage their own affairs, and that the lands are capable of partition, he may convey the lands to the heirs and issue them patents in fee. If the legal heirs are deemed “incompetent,” the secretary is authorized to sell the lands. Section 3: Indian allotments or rights, titles, or interests in allotments may be surrendered by the allottee for the benefit of his or her children to whom no allotment of land has been made. The formal relinquishment must be approved by the secretary of the interior. The secretary will then cause the relinquished estate to be allotted to the children. These allotments are subject to the same conditions as they were prior to the relinquishment. Section 4: Any allotment held under a trust patent may be leased by the allottee for a period not to exceed 5 years. Section 5: Makes any attempt to induce Indian landowners to execute contracts, deeds, or mortgages based on Indian trust land illegal and a misdemeanor. This section does not apply to leases. Section 8: Allows for Indian allottees to sell timber on allotments containing restrictions on alienation with the consent of the secretary of the interior. Further sections of the act contain provisions on the cancellation and replacement of allotments on reservoir sites, amend sections 1 and 4 of the Act of February 28, 1891, and make several minor amendments to previous acts. Amends section 2 of the Act of June 25, 1910. Extends the right of Indian allottees to make wills to Indian individuals having moneys or other property held in trust by the United States. Also states that the approval of the will does not terminate the trust period and the secretary of the interior may sell the lands for the use and benefit of the heirs or cause patents to be issued to the heirs. Contains a provision authorizing the leasing of potentially irrigable allotted lands where the Indian landowner, by reason of age or disability, cannot personally occupy or improve the land. If the secretary of the interior finds any inherited trust allotments are capable of partition to the advantage of the heirs, he may cause such lands to be partitioned among the heirs, regardless of their competency. Under these circumstances, the secretary may issue patents in fee to the “competent” heirs for their shares and trust patents to be issued to the” incompetent” heirs for the lands respectively or jointly set apart to them. The trust period of these lands will terminate in accordance with the terms of the original patent or order of extension of the trust period set out in said patent. Authorizes the leasing of restricted allotments for farming and grazing purposes, subject to departmental regulations. This Act states that: wherever, in any law or treaty or in any patent issued to Indians allottees for lands in severalty pursuant to such law or treaty, there appears a provision to the effect that the lands so allotted cannot be alienated without the consent of the president of the United States, the Secretary of the Interior shall have full power and authority to consent to or approve of the alienation of such allotments, in whole or in part, in his discretion, by deed, will, lease, or any other form of conveyance, and such consent or approval by the Secretary of the Interior hereafter had in all such cases shall have the same force and legal effect as though the consent or approval of the president had previously been obtained: Provided, however, That the approval by the Secretary of the Interior of wills by Indian allottees or their heirs involving lands held under such patents shall not operate to remove the restrictions against alienation unless such order of approval by said Secretary shall specifically so direct. Extends the provisions of the General Allotment Act, as amended, to lands purchased or those that will be purchased by Congress for the use and benefit of any individual Indian or tribe. Relates to oil and gas leases on lands subject to leases pursuant to the Act of Feb. 28, 1891. Made all non-citizen Indian people born within the territorial limits of the United States U.S. citizens. Authorizes the secretary of the interior to cancel any patent-in-fee simple issued to an Indian allottee or to his heirs before the end of the trust period described in his original trust patent or any extension of trust period by the president. The secretary of the interior is authorized to do this in situations of forced fee patent where the allottee or his or her heirs was given a fee simple patent without their consent or application. This act is applicable if the patentee has not mortgaged or sold any part of the land described in such a patent. This act states that upon cancellation of the patent, fee simple land reverts to the status it would have if the fee patent had never been issued. Amends slightly section 1 of the Act of June 25, 1910, relating to the powers of the secretary of the interior to determine the heirs of deceased Indians and the disposition or sale of allotments. Amends Act of February 26, 1927. Another amendment to section 1 of the Act of June 25, 1910, relating to the powers of the secretary of the interior to determine the heirs of deceased Indian allottees and the disposition or sale of allotments. Section 1: Prohibits further allotment of Indian lands on or after June 18, 1934. Section 2: Extends, until otherwise directed by Congress, existing periods of trust and restrictions on alienation placed on Indian lands. Section 3: Authorizes the secretary of the interior to restore to tribal ownership the remaining surplus lands of any Indian reservation opened to sale or other disposal provided that the rights or claims of any persons to any lands such on the date of the withdrawal shall not be affected. Contains several provisos pertaining to the Papago Reservation. Section 4: Prohibits transfers of restricted Indian land, individually-owned or otherwise, except to an Indian tribe. This section also restricts an Indian individual’s testamentary disposition of restricted Indian land to the heirs of the devisee, to members of the tribe having jurisdiction over the land, or to the tribe itself. Section 5: Authorizes the acquisition of lands, water rights, surface rights, and interests by the U.S. government for Indians and declares that purchased lands shall be tax exempt. Section 8: Leaves scattered Indian homesteads on the public domain out of the scope of this act. Section 13: States that: The provisions of this Act shall not apply to any of the Territories, colonies, or insular possessions of the United States, except that sections 9, 10, 11, 12, and 16, shall apply to the Territory of Alaska: Provided, That Sections 2, 4, 7, 16, 17, and 18 of this Act shall not apply to the following-named Indian tribes, the members of such Indian tribes, together with members of other tribes affiliated with such named tribes located in the State of Oklahoma, as follows Cheyenne, Arapaho, Apache, Comanche, Kiowa, Caddo, Delaware, Wichita, Osage, Kaw, Otoe, Tonkawa, Pawnee, Ponca, Shawnee, Ottawa, Quapaw, Seneca, Wyandotte, Iowa, Sac and Fox, Kickapoo, Pottawatomi, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole. Section 4 of this Act shall not apply to the Indians of the Klamath Reservation in Oregon. Section 15: Relates to the Sioux Nation. Section 18: Provides that the act as a whole should not apply to any reservation wherein a majority of tribal members voted against its application. Gives the secretary of the interior the authority to reimburse Indian landowners for taxes paid on allotted lands that were patented in fee prior to the expiration of the period of trust without application by or consent of the patentee. Click here for full text in Charles J. Kappler’s Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties, produced by Oklahoma State University Library. States that if an Indian allottee dies without heirs, his or her land or interest, and the accumulated rents, issues and profits held in trust for the decedent, shall escheat to the tribe owning the land at the time of allotment. Authorizes the secretary of the interior to lease allotted lands for mining purposes where the allottee is deceased and the heirs to or devisees of any interest in the allotment either have not been determined or cannot be located. The information in this section revolves around the Indian Land Consolidation Act of 1983 and its amendments. These pieces of legislation are important attempts by the federal government to address the effects of allotment and to prevent the further fractionation of Indian land title. Below is a list of recent allotment legislation. Authorizes any tribe, with the approval of the secretary, to exchange or sell any tribal lands or interest in lands to eliminate undivided fractional interests in Indian trust or restricted lands or to consolidate its tribal landholdings. Sets forth conditions for such sales. Over 50 percent of the owners of such tract. Sets forth conditions for such purchases. Requires the secretary’s approval for such sales and purchases. Authorizes any tribe, subject to the secretary’s approval, to provide that only its tribal members or Indian people shall be entitled to receive by devise or descent any interest of a member of such tribe in trust or restricted land within that tribe’s jurisdiction. Sets forth conditions on such inheritance laws. Provides that no undivided interest in any tract of trust or restricted land shall be inheritable if such interest represents two percent or less of the total acreage of such tract and has earned less than $100 in the preceding year. Requires such undivided fractional interest to escheat to the tribe. (This provision, often called “original 207,” was deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in Hodel v. Irving. Deals with the original section 207 of the Indian Land Consolidation Act of 1983, which states that undivided fractional interests in allotments that are less than two percent of the total acreage of a tract or earn less than $100 for the owner during the previous year shall revert to the tribe upon the death of the interest owner, regardless of whether the deceased owner made a will and had legal heirs. The Court held that this provision is unconstitutional. View Court Case Link here. The provision was amended in 1984 by Public Law 98-608. Amends the Indian Land Consolidation Act to remove the guidelines for land transfers under a land consolidation plan from provisions dealing only with the devise or descent of land interests to non-Indians or non-members of a tribe. Places such guidelines with the general provision authorizing land consolidation plans. Terminates the requirement that tribal purchases of certain land tract interests need the consent of more than 50 percent of the owners of such tract. (Retains the requirement of consent of the owners of more than 50 percent of the undivided interests in such tract.) Grants the tribe a certain time in which to purchase property for which a petition has been filed to remove it from trust or restricted status. Authorizes any Indian tribe to adopt its own laws governing the descent and distribution of trust or restricted lands. States that, where the non-Indian or non-member survivors of an intestate deceased Indian person receive a life estate in certain trust or restricted lands, the remainder shall vest in the Indian individuals or tribal members who would have been heirs in the absence of a qualified person taking a life estate. Limits the right to receive a life estate to spouses and children who, if eligible, would have inherited an ownership interest of 10 percent or more in the tract of land. Authorizes any Indian tribe to adopt its own laws governing the disposition of escheatable interests. States that this act does not vest a tribal governing body with authority which is not authorized by its constitution or by-laws. Provides that trust or restricted lands will retain such status if they are acquired by an Indian person or Indian tribe in mortgage foreclosure circumstances unless an application is made to the secretary to change such status. Directs the secretary to give full faith and credit to any tribal actions taken pursuant to provisions of this title relating to inheritance laws. Applies such provisions only to estates of decedents whose deaths occur on or after the effective date of tribal ordinances adopted pursuant to this title. Directs the secretary to issue appropriate legal documents to effectuate land transfers made pursuant to this title. Provides that any land title acquired under this title by an Indian person or Indian tribe shall be taken in trust by the United States and that all such lands or interests in lands shall be exempt from federal, state and local taxation. Provides a side-by-side summary of the ILCA and its amendments as codified in USC Title 25, through 2000. The Court held that section 207 of the amended Indian Land Consolidation Act that forced escheat of certain individually-owned Indian property to a tribe is unconstitutional. Among many other items not directly related to allotment, amends the Indian Land Consolidation Act to authorize the Cherokee Nation to accept less than 10 percent of the appraised market value in the sale of their lands used as home sites. Amends the Indian Land Consolidation Act to revise certain Indian land consolidation provisions adds to the definition of “Indian” any person who has been found to meet such definition under a provision of federal law if consistent with the purposes of the act. to reverse the effects of the allotment policy on Indian tribes. Sets forth a provision requiring the approval of the secretary of the interior for trust or restricted land sales, except with respect to an Indian tribe that has a secretary-approved land consolidation plan. Requires approval by the secretary within 180 days of any adopted Indian tribal probate code governing descent and distribution of trust or restricted interests. Outlines approval procedures, reserves life estates for non-Indian devisees who would otherwise be precluded from inheriting by reason of the adopted code, and authorizes payments by tribes to such devisees to acquire interests. In the absence of tribal probate codes, this act provides uniform rules for descent and distribution of interests in Indian lands. To prevent Indian lands from passing out of trust, non-Indian heirs will only receive a life estate in Indian lands (a life estate is property that belongs to a person for their lifetime, but cannot be sold or passed on to anyone else until after the death of the person.) Because a non-Indian heir owns less than the full interest, a “remainder interest” is created, and this remainder interest must go to an Indian heir of the first or second degree. If there are no such heirs, the remainder may be purchased by any Indian co-owner of the parcel. If no offer is made to purchase the parcel, the remainder interest passes to the tribe. The rules are applicable to both testate (with a will) and intestate (no will) Indian estates. The 2000 amendments provide an exception in cases where Indian owners of trust land may not have an Indian heir and the general rule would deprive them of the ability to devise more than a life estate to any of their heirs. They may devise an interest to either their heirs of the first or second degree or collateral heirs of the first or second degree. Because these people are non-Indian, the interest would pass in fee, not in trust. These interests may also be purchased by the tribe. This act also limits the way that Indian land passes as a “joint tenancy in common.” If a person devises interests in the same parcel to more than one person, unless there is language in the will to the contrary, it is presumed to be a joint tenancy with the right of survivorship, meaning that each of a decedent’s heirs share a common title, so the last surviving member of the group obtains full interest as it was owned by the descendent. Any interest of less than five percent passing by intestate succession will also be held by the heirs with the “right of survivorship.” The secretary of the interior must certify that it has the capacity to track and manage interests that are held with the right of survivorship before this provision takes place. Addresses descent of off-reservation lands. Provides for the descent and distribution of trust or restricted lands located outside of a reservation. Also provides for the authority of the official authorized to adjudicate probate to approve agreements between a decedent’s heirs and devisees to consolidate interests in such lands. Requires the secretary to notify Indian tribes and owners of trust or restricted lands of the amendments made in this act with respect to testate disposition, intestate descent, and estate planning options, including opportunities for receiving assistance or advice. Authorizes owners of interests in trust or restricted lands to bring administrative actions to challenge the application of provisions regarding descent and distribution after the secretary has certified that notice on the amendments of this act has been made to tribes and landowners. Permits judicial review of the secretary’s final decision. Gives authority to the secretary to acquire factional interests in trust or restricted lands, with owner consent and at fair market price. The secretary may give priority to the acquisition of fractional interests representing two percent or less of a parcel of trust or restricted land, especially those interests that would have escheated to a tribe but for Babbitt v. Youpee. At the request of any Indian person who owns at least five percent of the undivided interest in a parcel of trust or restricted land, the secretary shall convey an interest acquired under this section to the Indian landowner upon payment by the Indian landowner of the amount paid for the interest by the secretary. Provides for tribal administration of acquired fractional interest and the disposition of proceeds from leases, resource sales, rights of way or other transactions affecting interests in trust or restricted lands. Sets out conditions for such administration. Grants authority to the secretary to develop a system for establishing the fair market value of various types of lands and improvements of interests in trust or restricted lands. Allows the sale or other exchange of interests in trust or restricted lands, including a prohibition on termination of trust or restricted status on land conveyed for less than fair market value until five years after approval of conveyance. Requires reports from the secretary to specified congressional committees on fractional interests in trust or restricted lands acquired and the impact on Bureau of Indian Affairs financial realty recordkeeping systems. Authorizes the secretary to approve leases, rights of way, and sales of natural resources affecting individually owned trust or restricted lands based upon the consent of specified percentages of the owners concerned (with decreasing percentages required the greater number of owners). Requires the secretary to provide for estate planning assistance to Indian landowners. States that this act is inapplicable to land located in Alaska. Amends the Indian Land Consolidation Act (ILCA) of 1983 and the ILCA amendments of 2000 creates a uniform, federal probate code for all reservations (except Alaska, the Five Civilized Tribes and Osage) across the U.S. Applies to all individually owned trust lands unless a tribe has its own probate code. Expands tribal authority to draft tribal probate codes which may supersede provisions of the act. Contains provisions for voluntary and involuntary land consolidations and sales both inside and outside of probate. Elouise Cobell photo courtesy of Indian Country Today. Listed below are brief summaries of important U.S. Supreme Court cases related to allotment and Indian land tenure. Click on the case name link to read the full text of court decisions after 1893. Limits the authority of the secretary of interior to take lands into trust under the provisions of the Indian Reorganization Act (IRA). The Court held that the term “now” in the phrase “now under federal jurisdiction” limits the authority of the secretary to only take land in trust for Indian tribes that were under federal jurisdiction in June 1934, the date the IRA was enacted. A settlement is reached, totaling close to $4 billion. Under the agreement, $1.4 billion will be distributed to Indian plaintiffs involved in the case, and $2 billion dollars will be placed in a fund to buy back fractionated interests. The Court ruling dismisses the Nation’s assertion of a breach of fiduciary duty by the secretary of the interior, arising from his failure promptly to approve a royalty rate increase under a coal lease the Nation executed in 1964. The Court ruled that the Indian Mineral Leasing Act of 1938 and its regulations do not constitute the substantive source of law necessary to establish specific trust duties which mandate compensation for breach of those duties by the federal government. The Court held that state and local governments may impose ad valorem taxes on reservation land that was made alienable by Congress and sold to non-Indians, but was later repurchased by the Band. An act opening up “surplus land” left over from the allotment of Indian lands is evidence of congressional intent to “diminish” a reservation. Therefore, the Court held, non-Indian owned fee land that was ceded pursuant to a surplus act is not subject to federal environmental regulations even though the land may lie within the original boundaries of the reservation. Court ruled that a county can assess ad valorem taxes on reservation land owned in fee by individual Indians or the tribe that had originally been made alienable when patented under the General Allotment Act. Court held that the tribe does not have any authority to zone or regulate fee lands owned by non-members within the opened areas of the reservation. The ruling has important implications for the management of and jurisdiction over checkerboard reservations and the closed areas of the reservations. The Court ruled that the grant to civil jurisdiction under P.L. 280 does not include regulatory authority; therefore, the state laws relating to gaming cannot be enforced against Indians. Deals with the original section 207 of the Indian Land Consolidation Act of 1983, which states that undivided fractional interests in allotments that are less than two percent of the total acreage of a tract or earn less than $100 for the owner during the previous year shall revert to the tribe upon the death of the interest owner, regardless of whether the deceased owner made a will and had legal heirs. The Court held that this provision is unconstitutional. The Court held that a 12-year limitation period of the Quiet Title Act of 1972 bars a civil suit being brought against the United States over the sale of allotments completed without the notification of the interest holder. The Court held that the United States is accountable in money damages for alleged breaches of trust in connection with its management of forest resources on allotted lands of the Quinault Reservation. The court held the United States subject to suit for money damages on most of respondents’ claims, ruling that the federal timber management statutes, various other federal statutes governing road building, rights of way, Indian funds, and government fees, and the regulations promulgated under these statutes impose fiduciary duties upon the United States in its management of forested allotted lands. The Court ruled that a tribe’s regulation of non-Indian hunting on non-Indian land within a reservation is inconsistent with a tribe’s status as a dependent domestic nation. The Court held that Title 25 U.S.C. § 357 (based on the Act of March 3, 1901), which provides that lands allotted in severalty to Indian people may be “condemned” for any public purpose under the laws of the state or territory where located, does not authorize a state or local government to “condemn” allotted Indian trust lands by physical occupation. The Court upheld the validity of the exercise of Washington State jurisdiction over Yakima Reservation. The Court also asserted that the “checkerboard” pattern of jurisdiction is not, on its face, invalid under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The Court struck down tribal jurisdiction over crimes committed by non-Indians on reservations. The Court granted the existence of tribal sovereignty, but declares this sovereignty is subject to Congressional whim. The Court held that the Northern Cheyenne Allotment Act of 1926 does not give the allottees of surface lands vested rights in the mineral deposits underlying those lands. The Court upheld ad valorem taxes on Indian lands once the lands become alienable. The Court ruled that treaties may be unilaterally breached or modified by Congress. The Court also restricted its review of political acts of Congress affecting the federal trust responsibility to Indians. As a result, the “plenary power” of Congress over Indian people is further asserted. The Court upheld Congress’ authority to pass the Major Crimes Act, holding that the U.S. federal government has “plenary power” or supreme, absolute control over Indian people. The Court ruled that the murder of one Indian person by another within Indian Country is not a criminal offense punishable by the United States. Indian tribes in their territory are free of regulation by other sovereign governments absent explicit direction from Congress. One of several 19th century court cases confirming that the doctrine of discovery did not give “discovering” nations, or the United States as a successor in interest, title to Native lands and resources. The second case in the Marshall Trilogy. The Court found that the Cherokee Nation is not a “foreign state” but a “domestic dependent nation” and that “their relation to the United States resembles that of a ward to his guardian.” Dictum in the case also affirms the validity of treaties with tribes. The first of the three Supreme Court cases referred to as the Marshall Trilogy. The Court ruled that Indian tribes cannot convey land to private parties without the consent of the federal government. The Court reasoned that European discovery and the establishment of the United States diminishes the rights of tribes to complete sovereignty and also diminishes tribes’ power to dispose of their land. Chief Justice Marshall uses the term “title” to refer to the Indian right of ownership of land and asserts that Indian people have all the rights of ownership except for the right to dispose of the land to any other European country. Historical treaties with the United States continue to affirm the inherent sovereignty of American Indian nations today as tribal governments maintain nation-to-nation relationships with the federal government. Below is a collection of links to American Indian treaty resources. While some tribes were allotted under the General Allotment Act of 1887, others were allotted through treaty or tribe-, state-, or reservation-specific legislation. The interactive map above shows each tribe-reservation that was allotted, the specific allotting legislation, and the number of allotments made until 1934 when further allotments were prohibited. Click on a Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) region on the map to access allotment information for a specific tribe or reservation or click on the name of the region below the map. Cohen, Felix. Handbook of Federal Indian Law. Reprint ed. Washington, D.C.: GPO, 1942. U.S. Department of the Interior. Office of Indian Affairs. “Indian Affairs: Report of the Commissioner and Appendices.” Annual Reports of the Department of the Interior. Washington, D.C.: GPO, 1900. U.S. Department of the Interior. Office of Indian Affairs. “Indian Land Tenure, Economic Status, and Population.” Report on Land Planning. Washington, D.C.: GPO, 1935. U.S. Department of the Interior. Office of Indian Affairs. “Report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs to the Secretary of the Interior for the Fiscal Year ended June 30, 1919.” Annual Reports of the Department of the Interior. Washington, D.C.: GPO, 1919.
0.999984	A student is called a _____. My brother said, "You are _____." To me a ____ tastes like dirt. I had a flat ____. The ___ feels good on a hot day.
0.999997	Can you answer the following question on TV shows from past and present? 1. Which actor, best known for his work in TV sitcoms, narrated the children`s show `Roobard And Custard`? 2. Which TV show, which is still running today, began in 1963 with a girl called Susan Foreman living with her grandfather in a junkyard? 3. Who presented the first ever edition of `Top Of The Pops`? 4. Which TV show takes place in Summer Bay? 5. In which fictional TV place in the 1980s might you have found Doozers? 6. Actor Gil Gerard is best known for his portrayal of which sci-fi character? 7. In `Bargain Hunt` how much money is each team given at the start of the show to buy their items? 8. In which TV show did the character Louby Loo appear? 9. Who hosted the TV game show `The Krypton Factor`? 10. What was J.R.`s surname in the TV soap opera `Dallas`?
0.999977	Q: I was waiting for my financial aid money to be approved, and I received the following message when I logged into my colleges online profile system: “Program is not eligible for Financial Aid”. I am taking some courses at a community college, but plan on transferring to the state university when my GPA improves. It says I am currently enrolled as a “non-degree seeking student”, are non-degree seeking student not eligible for financial aid? A: Yes, you must be a degree-seeking student enrolled in an eligible program to be considered for federal financial aid for college. Students in need of federal financial aid for college should speak with the financial aid office at their school, to make certain they are of eligible status to receive federal financial aid. For students that are not currently admitted to a degree or eligible certificate program, the following options may be available: scholarships, grants, private student loans, employer tuition benefits, funding from government agencies, and the Lifetime Learning Tax Credit. Some non-degree seeking students, who are taking courses that are prerequisites for admission into a degree program, may be eligible for some federal student loans.
0.999171	f you’re an Instagram junkie like me, you’ll notice that fashion bloggers are always sporting out the latest bags and shoes. However, have you noticed how they always seem to be wearing the latest and trendiest sunglasses too? They really understand the power of a pair of good sunglasses, after all they make an outfit look 10 times stronger. So, consider this your guide to the trendiest sunglasses styles according to Instagram’s top bloggers. I decided to go through all of my favorite fashion bloggers Instagram accounts, and collect pictures of the best and most recent sunglasses styles they’ve been sporting.
0.966325	For my own amusement I took a short personality test on how you design software and here are the results. The Improviser has a strong need for freedom. Not only freedom to pursue an objective by whatever means seem appropriate but also freedom from any particular tool, procedure or specification. The Improviser doesn’t let vague objectives or imprecise plans prevent him or her from getting the job done. He or she will abandon plans the moment they become out of date and solve problems on the fly, but may become irritated with coworkers who are slow to get on board with the new reality. In a software development project, the Improviser can proceed from vague goals and evolving specifications. He or she views software development as a process of iteratively refining the product in response to a complicated and changing environment. The Improvisor embraces open-ended problems. He or she often dislikes getting too involved with any specific software development method, as this impinges his or her flexibility. The Improviser understands where he or she is based on the project’s goals and feedback from stakeholders (e.g., users, marketing). On the downside, The Improviser may often experience frustration with managers who depend on plans and forecasts, and employees who insist on elaborate planning or explicit adherence to specific development methods.
0.999999	In 2014, the Bank of England on recommendation from the Financial Policy Committee carried out the UK variant of stress test. Eight major banks in the UK namely Barclays, the Co- operative Bank, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, Nationwide Building Society, Royal Bank of Scotland, Standard Charter and Santander UK were included in the stress test owing to their systematic importance in the sector. While all the banks except Co- operative bank were found to be capital adequate, the Bank of England stress test did not include the efficiency level of these banks under the stress scenario. As the smooth running of any economy largely depends on the efficiency of its financial institutions, especially banks, it becomes imperative to check if the banks in UK would continue to remain cost efficiency under stress scenario. Thus, the present study uses Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) Approach to compare the level of cost x- efficiency of banks in the UK when stress scenario is introduced to the macro economic variables. The empirical results suggest that although there is a minor decrease in the level of cost x- efficiency of banks under adverse macroeconomic conditions, there is no major threat to the efficient working of banks overall. In other words, banks in the UK were found to be fairly efficient and resilient to the stress in environmental variables.
0.955174	How can I slide an image vertically or horizontily? It would be nice to make my image move across the screen, as if sliding from one point to another?... Allow row to break across pages (on by default): If a row of your table has multiple lines of text, this option controls whether Word permits page breaks to occur between any of those lines, or whether Word will prevent them by moving the row to the next page. Intended audience: XHTML/HTML coders (using editors or scripting), script developers (PHP, JSP, etc.), Web project managers, and anyone who needs to better understand how to markup up right-to-left text on a Web page. Allow row to break across pages (on by default): If a row of your table has multiple lines of text, this option controls whether Word permits page breaks to occur between any of those lines, or whether Word will prevent them by moving the row to the next page. Locate the page inside of your "File Directory" that you want to place the moving pictures on. Select the option to "Edit" the page. This will launch the HTML editor for the page. Select the option to "Edit" the page. What do you mean with "bottom of the page"? For that you would just add it at the bottom of the HTML code. But it seems that you want it to be placed at the bottom of the window rather than the page.
0.994335	Follow the four steps to food safety when preparing food: cleanExternal, separateExternal, cookExternal, and chillExternal. Wash fruits and vegetables well under running water, unless the package says the contents have already been washed. Always use a food thermometer to check that the meat has reached a safe internal temperatureExternal because you can’t tell whether meat is safely cooked by looking at its color.
0.862877	Heroes, Heroines, and History: Dr Pepper or Coke? Were you aware the popular soft drink, Dr Pepper, was once known as a "Waco?" According to the Dr Pepper Museum brochure, the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group is the oldest major manufacturer of soft drink syrups in the United States. Dr Pepper was created, manufactured and sold in the Central Texas town of Waco beginning in 1885. A young chemist named Charles Alderton who prepared prescriptions for the citizens of Waco at Morrison's Corner Drugstore in Waco liked to dabble with the fruit syrups and carbonated water at the soda fountain. He kept a journal and after experimenting with several combinations, he hit upon a formula of 23 fruit juices and felt he had a winner. After trying it out on the store's owner who liked it, Alderton began to test it on the customers, who liked it as well. When they came to the counter, they began calling the drink a "Waco." Morrison is credited with naming the drink, Dr Pepper, but nobody knows the exact story of how that came to be. Several stories have circulated, but the most enduring one is that Morrison named it after the father of a girl he was once in love with. Soon the drink became so popular that Morrison's couldn't handle the orders any longer. Alderton was not interested in pursuing it any further and gave the formula over to a beverage chemist, Robert Lazenby. In 1891 he and Morrison formed the Artesian Manufacturing and Bottling Company, which later became the Dr Pepper Company. They took the drink to the 1904 World's Fair where over 20 million people were introduced to the drink. Hamburgers and hot dogs on a bun were also newcomers introduced at the fair, and for the first time, ice cream was served in large quantities. The beverage went through a series of logos and slogans. It was known as the "King of Beverages," from 1910 to 1914. "Old Doc," a typical country doctor figure with a top hat and a monocle became the trademark character in the 1930's and 40's. About that time research was released revealing people experience a dip in energy during the day at 10:30, 2:30, and 4:30, and that sugar boosted the energy dip. A contest was held for the creation of an ad to get the information out. Dr. Pepper came up with the slogan, "Drink a bite to eat at 10, 2, and 4," and then moved on to "Dr Pepper, the friendly pepper upper" in the '50s. Today, one can visit the Dr Pepper Museum in downtown Waco. The museum was founded in 1988 to educate and entertain the public about our economic system through learning about the soft drink industry. One can view the original soda fountain where the popular drink was first served and enjoy a Dr Pepper. Dr Pepper is still a favorite drink in Texas and in the South, as well as Dr Pepper floats. You can hear the oft-asked question at many social and sporting events, "Would you like a Coke or a Dr Pepper?" So what do you prefer, coke or Dr Pepper ... or perhaps another drink? Were you aware that Dr Peppers were once known as "Wacos?" I have never liked Dr. Pepper. To me it smells and tastes like cough syrup. My hubby and kids all love it, so I like to tease them by asking them if they are nursing a cough whenever they drink it. You know, the name Dr. Pepper is quite fitting when it comes to my thoughts on it. A Doctor would give out cough syrup. LOL I prefer an ice cold A&W root beer over any other soda, but I rarely drink sodas nowadays...I drink water, milk and coffee most days. Funny how it was first called Waco. I will have to tell all of this to my family. I remember drinking Dr. Pepper when I was younger. I prefer Pepsi for a soft drink now. But will occasionally have a Dr. Pepper when available. Thank you for sharing the history of Dr. Pepper--very interesting. Coke. Dr. Pepper smells like prunes to me. I don't remember hearing it called a "Waco" before. Thanks for the interesting post.
0.999999	本发明提供一种使用码信息的信息提供系统。 The present invention provides a method of using code information providing system information. 通过使用码信息，能够容易且准确地实现向交互式媒介的引导。 By using code information, it can be achieved easily and accurately guided to interactive media. 通过码发行服务器系统(10)，根据请求进行2维码信息的发行；通过广告主服务器系统(20)，接收所发行的2维码信息，并通过广告主服务器(21)管理所接收的2维码信息；通过具有使用CCD照相机进行拍摄的功能的移动电话(30)，拍摄2维码信息，并取得所拍摄的2维码信息中包含的WEB地址；使用取得的WEB地址，通过网络(40)对WEB网页进行访问；通过广告主服务器系统(20)，根据来自移动电话(30)的访问，通过网络(40)向移动电话(30)提供信息。 , By the code-issuing server system (10) according to a request issued 2-dimensional code information; (20), receives the two-dimensional code information issued by the advertiser server system, and receiving (21) by the management server 2, the advertiser dimensional code information; by having a CCD camera function photographed mobile telephone (30), capturing 2-dimensional code information, and acquired wEB address of the two-dimensional code information captured included; wEB addresses acquired through the network ( 40) for access to wEB pages; according to the access from the mobile phone (30) to provide information by the advertiser server system (20) via a network (40) to the mobile phone (30). 的上述码信息进行解码；浏览功能部，其通过访问上述码发行管理服务器，下载上述JAVA应用程序，并根据通过上述解码部所解码的WEB地址，访问上述WEB网页，在接收到来自被访问方的详细信息时，显示该详细信息；存储部，其存储通过上述读取部所读取的上述码信息和上述被下载的JAVA应用程序；以及控制部，其按照规定的控制程序，控制各部分的动作。 The code information is decoded; browsing function unit, which by accessing the above-described code issuing management server, downloading the above JAVA application, and in accordance with the above-described decoding unit decoding the WEB address to access said WEB pages, upon receiving from being accessed when the details, the details display; storage unit, the code information and the JAVA application to be downloaded by the reader for storing the read section; and a control unit, which according to a predetermined control program, controls each section Actions. 此外，可以使上述控制部在通过上述解码部进行上述码信息的解码时，在判定出上述JAVA应用程序没有存储于上述存储部中时，指示上述浏览功能部下载上述JAVA应用程序。 Further, the control unit can be made at the time of decoding the above-mentioned code information by said decoding unit, determined in the above JAVA application is not stored in the storage unit, the browsing function unit instructs the download JAVA applications described above. 此外，可以使上述码发行服务器系统在接收到来自上述信息提供服务器系统的保密密钥时，生成将构成上述码信息的字符串的一部分进行了加密的加密部分，并发行包括该加密部分和公开部分的上述码信息；上述信息提供服务器系统，具有：公开密钥管理服务器，其管理用于对上述码信息的加密部分进行解码的公开密钥；和保密密钥管理服务器，其管理生成上述码发行服务器系统所发行的上述码信息的加密部分时使用的上述保密密钥；上述移动终端在通过上述解码部对上述码信息的公开部分进行了解码时，通过上述浏览功能部，进行基于上述被解码后的上述公开部分信息的访问。 Furthermore, so that the code-issuing server system receiving the secure information from the providing server the above-described system key when generating the character string constituting a part of the code information encrypted portions encrypted and the encrypted portion and including release disclosed the above-mentioned code information portion; the information providing server system comprising: a public key management server, which manages a portion of the encrypted public key code information is decoded; and secret key management server generates the management code issuing server system issued the secret key used in encrypting portion of said code information; when said mobile terminal is decoded by the decoding unit disclosed in the above-described portion of the code information by the above-described browsing function unit, is performed based on the accessing portions of the information disclosed in the above-described decoded. 此外，可以使上述浏览功能部通过根据上述被解码后的上述公开部分信息的访问来接收上述保密密钥，利用上述保密密钥，通过上述解码部对上述码信息的加密部分进行了解码时，根据被解码后的WEB地址，对上述WEB网页进行访问。 Further, the above-described browsing function section can be received by the secret key based on the above disclosure to access said part of the decoded information using the secret key, the encryption is decoded by the decoder portion of the unit when the above-mentioned code information, the wEB address is decoded, the above-mentioned wEB pages accessed. 此外，可以使上述浏览功能部通过基于上述被解码后的上述公开部分信息的访问来接收上述保密密钥，利用上述保密密钥，通过上述解码部对上述码信息的加密部分进行了解码时，执行与被解码后的上述加密部分信息对应的动作。 Further, the above-described browsing function section can be made to receive the secret key based on the above disclosure to access said part of the information is decoded by using the secret key, the encryption is decoded by the decoder portion of the unit when the above-mentioned code information, performs encryption with the portion corresponding to the decoded motion information. 此外，可以使在上述码信息的公开部分中记载有IP地址；在上述加密部分中记载有与上述IP地址相关的信息。 Further, that the disclosure described in the portion of the code information IP address; described in the section above encrypted information associated with said IP address. 此外，可以使上述码信息至少是2维码。 Furthermore, so that the code information is at least 2-dimensional code. 解码部，使用上述JAVA应用程序，对通过上述读取部所读取的上述码信息进行解码的步骤；通过上述移动终端的浏览功能部，通过访问上述码发行管理服务器，下载上述JAVA应用程序，并根据通过上述解码部所解码的WEB地址，对上述WEB网页进行访问，在接收到来自被访问方的详细信息时，显示该详细信息的步骤；通过上述移动终端的存储部，存储通过上述读取部所读取的上述码信息和上述被下载的JAVA应用程序的步骤；以及通过上述移动终端的控制部，按照规定的控制程序，控制各部分的动作的步骤。 A decoding unit, using the JAVA application of the above code information read by the reading unit to perform decoding; browsing function unit via the mobile terminal, by accessing the above-described code issuing management server, to download JAVA applications described above, and according by the decoding unit decodes the wEB address, the above-mentioned wEB page accessed, while detailed information from the accessed party is received, the step of detailed information displayed; via the mobile terminal storage unit stores by the read and said step of code information to be downloaded JAVA applications to take the read unit; and a step is performed by the control unit of the mobile terminal, according to a predetermined control program, controls the operation of each portion. 此外，所述的使用码信息的信息提供方法包含以下步骤：在通过上述解码部进行上述码信息的解码时，在判定出上述JAVA应用程序没有存储于上述存储部中时，指示上述浏览功能部下载上述JAVA应用程序。 Further, according to the information using the code information providing method comprising the steps of: decoding the time code information above by the decoding unit, when it is determined that the above JAVA application is not stored in the storage unit, the browsing function unit instructs the JAVA download these applications. 此外，所述的使用码信息的信息提供方法包含以下步骤：通过上述浏览功能部，通过根据上述被解码后的上述公开部分信息的访问来接收上述保密密钥，利用上述保密密钥，通过上述解码部对上述码信息的加密部分进行了解码时，根据被解码后的WEB地址，对上述WEB网页进行访问。 Further, according to the information using the code information providing method comprising the steps of: said browsing function unit to receive the secret key based on the above disclosure to access said part of the decoded information by using the secret key, by the above decoding the encrypted part of the portion of the code information is decoded, according to the wEB address is decoded, the above-mentioned wEB pages accessed. 此外，所述的使用码信息的信息提供方法在上述码信息的公开部分中记载有IP地址；在上述加密部分中记载有WEB地址。 Further, the information of the code information providing method using an IP address described in the portion of the code information disclosed in; discloses a WEB address in the encrypted portion. 此外，所述的使用码信息的信息提供方法，上述码信息至少是2维码。 Furthermore, the use of code information providing method, the above-mentioned code information is at least 2-dimensional code. 此外，所述的使用码信息的信息提供方法，上述移动终端所取得的码信息中包含的WEB地址是在上述码发行服务器系统中被解码后的地址。 Further, said information providing method using the code information, WEB address code information of the mobile terminal is included in the acquired address code is decoded in the above-issuing server system. 在本发明涉及的使用码信息的信息提供系统中，通过码发行服务器系统，根据通过网络的请求进行码信息的发行；通过信息提供服务器系统，通过网络来接收所发行的码信息，并管理所接收的码信息；通过具有使用摄像元件的拍摄功能的移动终端，拍摄码信息，并取得所拍摄的码信息中包含的WEB地址；使用取得的WEB地址，通过网络对WEB网页进行访问；通过信息提供系统，根据来自于移动电话的访问，通过网络向移动电话提供信息。 In the information using the code information providing system according to the present invention by code issuing server system according to a request via the network issued code information; providing server through the information system, receiving code information issued by the network, and manages code information received; mobile terminal has used the imaging device capturing function, photographing the code information and acquired wEB address code information captured included; wEB addresses acquired access to wEB pages via a network; through information providing system according to the access from the mobile phone, by providing information to the mobile phone network. 附图说明图1是表示本发明的使用码信息的信息提供系统的第1实施方式的图。 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the information using the code information of the present invention to provide an embodiment of the first system. 图2是用于说明图1的使用码信息的信息提供系统的信息提供方法的流程图。 FIG 2 is a flowchart illustrating a code pattern information using the information providing system providing method will be described. 图3是表示改变了图1的使用码信息的信息提供系统的结构的第2 实施方式的图。 FIG. 3 shows a change of information using the code information is provided in FIG. 1 showing a second embodiment of the configuration of the system. 图4是用于说明图3的使用码信息的信息提供系统的动作的图。 FIG 4 is a diagram of an information code of FIG 3 using the information providing system for explaining the operation. 图5是用于说明图3的使用码信息的信息提供系统的动作的流程图。 FIG 5 is a flowchart of information using code information 3 provided for explaining operation of the system. 图6是用于说明改变了图1的码信息的结构的情况的图。 FIG 6 is a view for explaining the case of changing the configuration of FIG code information FIG. 图7是用于说明改变了图1的码信息的结构的情况的图。 FIG 7 is a view for explaining the case of changing the configuration of FIG code information FIG. 符号说明10:码发行服务器系统；11:码发行管理服务器；20:广告主服务器系统；21:广告主服务器；22:公开密钥管理服务器；23:保密密钥管理服务器；30:移动电话；31: CCD读取部；32:解码部；33:浏览型电话功能部；34:存储部；35:控制部；40:因特网；50:印刷物；51: QR码；51a:图标；51b:矩形图像；51c:应用程序切换图像；51d:条形码；51e:扩展QR码；51f:矩形线。 Description of Symbols 10: a code-issuing server system; 11: Release code management server; 20: advertiser server system; 21: advertiser server; 22: a public key management server; 23: Privacy Key Management Server; 30: mobile telephone; 31: CCD reading portion; 32: decoding portion; 33: View-phone function unit; 34: a storage portion; 35: control portion; 40: Internet; 50: printed matter; 51: QR code; 51a: icon; 51b: rectangular image; 51c: switching the image application program; 51d: bar code; 51e: QR code spreading; 51f: rectangular wire. 具体实施方式为了更详细地说明本发明，参照附图对其进行说明。 DETAILED DESCRIPTION For the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings be described. (第1实施方式）图1是表示本发明的使用码信息的信息提供系统的第1实施方式的图。 (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the information using the code information of the present invention to provide a system of the first embodiment of FIG. 1 embodiment. 图2是用于说明图1的使用码信息的信息提供系统的信息提供方法的流程图。 FIG 2 is a flowchart illustrating a code pattern information using the information providing system providing method will be described. 如图1所示，使用码信息的信息提供系统具有码发行服务器系统10、广告主服务器系统20、移动电话30。 As shown in FIG. 1, the information providing system using code information with the code issuing server system 10, advertiser server system 20, mobile phone 30. 这些码发行服务器系统10、广告主服务器系统20、移动电话30通过作为网络的因特网，能够相互进行通信。 The code issuing server system 10, advertiser server system 20, a mobile phone 30 through the Internet network, to communicate with each other. 此处，作为网络，并不限于因特网40，也可以是专线等。 Here, as the network is not limited to the Internet 40, it can also be a dedicated line. 得服务信息，判断是否跳转到服务网站。 Get service information, to determine whether to jump to service website. 这些服务由于不受电信公司控制，而是通过发信人与用户之间的信赖关系而运营的，因而，结果任何行业的企业都能参加。 Because these services are not controlled telecommunications company, but through trust relationship between the sender and the users and operators, and therefore, the results of companies in any industry can participate. URL的访问、选择赋予电子邮件的URL的访问、置换成号码和汉字而向特定的网页输入信息的访问。 Access to the URL, select the URL gives access to e-mail, replaced with numbers and characters and enter access information to a specific Web page. 作为移动终端的移动电话30，具有使用装配有作为摄像元件的CCD 的照相机的拍摄功能，其具有CCD读取部31、解码部32、浏览型电话功能部33、存储部34、控制部35。 As the mobile phone 30 of the mobile terminal, with the use of a camera equipped with a CCD imaging element as the imaging function having a CCD reading unit 31, decoding unit 32, View-phone function unit 33, a storage unit 34, the control unit 35. CCD读取部31用于读取通过CCD照相机所拍摄的图像信息。 CCD reading unit 31 for reading image information captured by the CCD camera. 此处，只要摄像元件能拍摄，静态图像和动态图像中的任何一种都可作为图像信息。 Here, the imaging element can be captured as long as any one still image and a moving image can be used as the image information. 本实施方式中，假设抽出并读取例如杂志等印刷物50上印刷的作为2维码信息的例如QR码51。 The present embodiment, it is assumed, for example, and reads out the QR code 51 as 2-dimensional code information, for example, printed on a printed matter 50 magazines. 通过CCD读取部31所读取的QR码51被暂时存储于存储部34中。 QR code 31 read by the CCD reading unit 51 is temporarily stored in the storage unit 34. 解码部32对通过CCD读取部所读取的QR码51进行解码。 Decoding unit 32 QR code 51 read by the CCD reading unit is decoded. 在对QR 码51进行解码时，使用作为译码软件的JAVA (注册商标）应用程序。 When decoding of the QR code 51 using the JAVA (registered trademark) application program as the decoded software. 该JAVA (注册商标）应用程序能够通过对码发行管理服务器11的访问进行下载。 The JAVA (registered trademark) application can access the code distribution management server 11 via download. 所下载的JAVA (注册商标）应用程序被存储于存储部34中。 The download the JAVA (registered trademark) application is stored in the storage unit 34. 作为浏览功能部的浏览型电话功能部33，按照规定的控制程序，根据通过解码部32所解码的WEB地址，对WEB网页进行访问，并在例如利用数据包接收到来自被访问方的详细信息时，在移动电话30的画面上显示该详细信息。 As View-phone function unit browsing function unit 33, according to a predetermined control program, in accordance with by the decoding unit decode 32 WEB address of WEB pages is accessed, and for example, using the packet received detailed information from the accessed party when the detailed information is displayed on the screen 30 of the mobile phone. 并且，浏览型电话功能部33能够进行JAVA (注册商标）应用程序的下载。 And, View-phone function unit 33 can be downloaded JAVA (registered trademark) application. 在存储部34中，存储通过CCD读取部31所读取的QR码51、所下载的JAVA (注册商标）应用程序等。 In the storage unit 34, the storage unit by reading the QR code 31 read CCD 51, the download the JAVA (registered trademark) application and the like. 控制部35按照规定的控制程序，控制各部分的动作。 The control unit 35 according to a predetermined control program, controls the operation of each part. 然后，对这种结构的使用2维码信息的信息提供系统的信息提供方法进行说明。 Then, the information providing system information on the two-dimensional code information providing method using this structure will be described. 等印刷物50上的作为2维码信息的例如QR码51进行拍摄（步骤201) 后，通过CCD读取部31读取该被拍摄的QR码51 (步骤202)。 After the QR code 51 and the like, for example, a two-dimensional code information on the printed matter 50 captured (step 201), the CCD reading unit 31 reads the QR code 51 (step 202) of the subject. 通过CCD读取部31所读取的QR码51被暂时存储于存储部34中（步骤203)。 QR code read by the CCD reading unit 3151 is temporarily stored (step 203) the storage unit 34. 把QR码51存储到存储部34中后，通过解码部32对QR码51 进行解码。 The QR code 51 stored in the storage unit 34, the decoding unit 32 by decoding the QR code 51. 这时，通过从存储部34调出用于对QR码51进行解码的译码软件即JAVA (注册商标）应用程序，对QR码51进行解码；通过控制部35判定出JAVA (注册商标）应用程序没有存储于存储部34中（步骤204) 时，浏览型电话功能部33根据来自于控制部35的指示，通过访问码发行管理服务器ll，进行JAVA (注册商标）应用程序的下载（步骤205)。 At this time, 34 to bring up the decoding software for decoding the QR code 51 that is the JAVA (registered trademark) application program from the storage unit, for decoding the QR code 51; it is determined that the JAVA (registered trademark) application by a control unit 35 the program is not stored (step 204) the storage unit 34, View-phone function unit 33 according to an instruction from the control unit 35, by accessing the code issuing management server ll, download the JAVA (registered trademark) application program (step 205 ). 所下载的JAVA (注册商标）应用程序被存储于存储部34中（步骤206)。 The download the JAVA (registered trademark) application is stored in the storage unit 34 (step 206). 这样得到JAVA (注册商标）应用程序后，通过解码部32对QR码51 进行解码（步骤207)。 Thus obtained after the JAVA (registered trademark) application by a decoding unit 32 decodes the QR code 51 (step 207). 这时，由于通过对QR码51进行解码可得到WEB 地址（步骤208)，因此通过浏览型电话功能部33，能够根据该WEB地址对WEB网页进行访问（步骤209)。 In this case, since the decoding of the QR code 51 is obtained by WEB address (step 208), and therefore, can be accessed (step 209) by the View-phone function unit 33 based on the WEB address of the WEB page. 然后，在例如利用数据包接收到来自被访问方的详细信息（步骤210)时，在移动电话30的画面上显示该详细信息（步骤211)。 Then, for example, upon receiving more information from being accessed (step 210) using the data packet, the detailed information (step 211) displayed on the screen 30 of the mobile phone. 像这样，第1实施方式能够通过码发行服务器系统10，根据通过因特网40的请求，发行2维码信息；通过广告主服务器系统20，通过因特网40接收被发行的2维码信息，并通过广告主服务器21管理所接收的2 维码信息；通过具有使用CCD照相机的拍摄功能的移动电话30，拍摄2 维码信息，并取得被拍摄的2维码信息中包含的WEB地址，使用取得的WEB地址，通过因特网40，对WEB网页进行访问；通过广告主服务器系统20，根据来自于移动电话30的访问，通过因特网40向移动电话30提供信息。 As described above, the first embodiment is possible by the code-issuing server system 10, according to a request through the Internet 40, issued 2-dimensional code information; 20 is issued through the Internet 40 receives the two-dimensional code information by the advertiser server system, and advertising 2-dimensional code information of the main server 21 manages the received; by using a CCD camera having a photographing function of the mobile phone 30, captured two-dimensional code information, and obtaining a two-dimensional code information WEB address included in the subject, using the acquired WEB address, wEB pages to be accessed through the Internet 40; according to the access from the mobile telephone 30, the information provided by the advertiser server system 20 through the Internet 40 to the mobile phone 30. 能够容易地实现向交互式媒介的引导。 It can be easily guided to implement interactive media. 图3是表示改变了图1的使用码信息的信息提供系统结构的第2实施方式的图，图4至图5是用于说明图3的使用码信息的信息提供系统的动作的图。 FIG. 3 shows the change information using a code pattern information to provide a second view of the embodiment of the system configuration of FIG. 4 to FIG. FIG. 5 is a view for explaining the information using the code 3 information providing system of FIG. 另外，在以下的说明图中，对与图1相同的部分附加相同的符号，并省略重复的说明。 In the following description of drawings, the same parts the same reference numerals in FIG 1 attached, and duplicate description is omitted. 在图3中所示的使用2维码信息的信息提供系统中，例如在广告主服务器系统中设有公开密钥管理服务器22及保密密钥管理服务器23。 In the information providing system using the two-dimensional code information shown in FIG. 3, for example, with a public key management server 22 and a secret key management server 23 of the advertiser server system. 公开密钥管理服务器22管理用于对作为2维码信息的例如QR码51 的加密部分进行解码的公开密钥，关于公开密钥的内容将在后面叙述。 Discloses a key management server 22 manages the encrypted portion of the QR code 51, for example, as 2-dimensional code information is a public key for decoding the contents on public key will be described later. 保密密钥管理服务器23管理保密密钥，该保密密钥在生成码发行服务器系统10中发行的QR码51的加密部分时使用。 Privacy key management server 23 managing a secret key, the secret key used when encrypting section generates the code-issuing server system 10 issued QR code 51. 此处，在由码发行服务器系统10发行的QR码51中，例如如图4所示，使其具有公开部分和加密部分。 Here, in the QR code 51 issued by the code issuing server system 10, such as shown in Figure 4, it has a public part and a encrypted portion. 在QR码51的公开部中，包含例如广告主服务器系统20自己的IP地址等公开信息。 Disclosed in the QR code portion 51, 20 contains information disclosed e.g. its own IP address advertiser server system. 另外，在QR码51的加密部分中，包含例如被加密的WEB地址等必要信息。 Further, in the encrypted part of the QR code 51, for example, it contains the necessary information encrypted WEB address. 在生成QR码51 的加密部分时，可以使用上述保密密钥。 When generating the encrypted part of the QR code 51, the secret key may be used. 另外，在QR码51的加密部分中，也能够使其具有CGI (Common Gateway Interface:公共网关接口）等标签信息。 Further, in the encrypted part of the QR code 51, it is possible to have a CGI (Common Gateway Interface: Common Gateway Interface), and other tag information. 在这种情况下，广告主服务器系统20根据来自于WEB的请求进行处理，并把该处理后的信息提供给移动电话30。 In this case, the advertiser server system 20 performs processing according to a request from the WEB, and supplies the processed information to the mobile phone 30. 为23476987，实施服务的移动EC网站的地址是"www. m-service. com/mec/ index, thml"。 Is 23476987, the address of the mobile EC site service implementation is "www. M-service. Com / mec / index, thml". 在此例中，根据QR码信息，在移动电话30中，对服务方管理IP地址的"23476987"和CGI的标签信息进行解码。 In this example, the QR code in accordance with information in the mobile phone 30, of "23476987" and the CGI tag information management service side IP address decoding. 然后，跳转到服务方管理IP地址的"23476987"处。 Then, go to the "23476987" at the service side management IP address. 在此处，接收保密密钥，获得实施服务的移动EC网站的地址"ww. m-service. com/mec/ index, thml"，并跳转到服务方。 Address here, receiving a secret key obtained embodiment the serving mobile EC site "ww. M-service. Com / mec / index, thml", and jumps to the service side. 首先，如图5所示，根据例如来自于广告主的请求，在由码发行服务器系统10发行QR码51时，接收来自保密密钥管理服务器23的保密密钥（步骤501)。 First, as shown in Figure 5, according to a request from the advertiser for example, when the code issuing server system 10 issued QR code 51, receiving a secret key (step 501) from the secret key management server 23. 通过使用该保密密钥，生成将QR码51的字符串的一部分进行了加密的加密部分（步骤502)。 By using this secret key, generates part of the string of the QR code 51, encrypted portions encrypted (step 502). 通过生成该加密部分，发行具有公开部分和加密部分的QR码51 (步骤503)。 By generating the encrypted portion, release portion and having disclosed the QR code 51 (step 503) the encrypted part. 将所发行的QR码51印刷在杂志等印刷物50中并广泛散发。 The issued QR code 51 printed and distributed widely in the magazines and other printed matter 50. 另一方面，通过移动电话30的CCD照相机，对印刷在杂志等印刷物50中的QR码51进行了拍摄时（步骤504)，通过CCD读取部31，读取所拍摄的QR码51 (步骤505)。 (Step 504) On the other hand, by the CCD camera 30 of the mobile phone, the QR code 51 printed in magazines were printed matter 50 captured by the CCD reading unit 31 reads the photographed QR code 51 (step 505). 把通过CCD读取部31所读取的QR码51暂时存储于存储部34中（步骤506)。 The QR code read by the CCD reading unit 3151 is temporarily stored in the storage unit 34 (step 506). 把QR码51存储于存储部34后，通过解码部32对QR码51进行解码。 The QR code 51 is stored in the storage unit 34, decoded by the decoding unit 32 QR code 51. 此时，通过从存储部34调出用于对QR码51进行解码的译码软件即JAVA (注册商标）应用程序，进行QR码51的解码，但在JAVA (注册商标）应用程序没有存储于存储部34的情况下（步骤507)，如上所述，通过对码发行管理服务器ll进行访问，进行JAVA (注册商标）应用程序的下载（步骤508)。 In this case, 34 to bring up the decoding software for decoding the QR code 51 that is the JAVA (registered trademark) application program from the storage unit, decodes the QR code 51, but the JAVA (registered trademark) application is not stored in the a case where the storage unit 34 (step 507), as described above, by downloading the code issuing ll access management server performs the JAVA (registered trademark) application program (step 508). 把所下载的JAVA (注册商标）应用程序存储到存储部34中（步骤509)。 Downloaded to the JAVA (registered trademark) application program stored in the storage unit 34 (step 509). 这样得到JAVA (注册商标）应用程序后，通过解码部32对QR码51 进行解码（步骤510)。 Thus obtained after the JAVA (registered trademark) application by a decoding unit 32 decodes the QR code 51 (step 510). 这时，由于通过QR码51的解码，可得到如图4 所示的例如广告主服务器系统20自己的IP地址（步骤511)，因此，通过浏览型电话功能部33，进行根据该IP地址的电子邮件的发送（步骤512)。 In this case, since the decoding of the QR code 51, shown in Figure 4 can be obtained, for example, its own IP address 20 advertiser server system (step 511), thus, through the view-phone function unit 33, according to the IP address send e-mail (step 512). 将附加有保密密钥的电子邮件回复给进行过访问的移动电话30 (步骤513)。 There will be additional e-mail reply to the secret key been accessed mobile phone 30 (step 513). 在移动电话30中，在接收到该保密密钥时，利用存储于存储部34 中的JAVA (注册商标）应用程序，对如图4所示的QR码51的加密部分进行解码（步骤514)。 In the mobile phone 30, upon receiving the secret key, using the JAVA (registered trademark) application program stored in the storage unit 34, the encrypted part of the QR code shown in FIG. 51 is decoded (step 514) . 此处，从该加密部分通过解码得到WEB地址时（步骤515)，通过浏览型电话功能部33，对根据该WEB地址的WEB网页进行访问（步骤516)。 Here, (step 515) the encrypted part obtained by decoding the address from the WEB by View-phone function unit 33, to access (step 516) according to the WEB page WEB address. 而且，如果例如利用数据包接收到来自被访问方的详细信息（步骤517)，则将该详细信息显示在移动电话30的画面上（步骤518)。 Also, if more information is received, for example (step 517) from being accessed by the data packet, then the details displayed on the screen of the mobile phone 30 (step 518). 这样，在第2实施方式中，在2维码信息中设有公幵部分和加密部分，由于加密部分的解码是利用从委托发行2维码信息的广告主服务器系统20的公开密钥管理服务器22获得的公开密钥来进行的，因此，能可靠地从广告主服务器系统20向根据公开部分的IP地址而进行了访问的携带电话30提供各种信息。 Thus, in the second embodiment, the encryption section and is provided with male portions Jian 2-dimensional code information, since the decoding of the encrypted portion using the two-dimensional code information issuing commission advertiser server system 20 of the public key management server 22 to perform the public key is obtained, and therefore, can be surely advertiser server system 20 provides a variety of information according to the IP address of the public part of the cellular phone 30 is performed to access from. 并且，由于只对进行了访问的移动电话30提供各种信息，因此易于对进行了访问的移动电话30进行管理，安全构筑也变得容易，而且能够容易地排除不正当使用。 Also, since only provide information on the mobile phone 30 has been accessed, it is easy to carry on a mobile phone 30 access management, security becomes easier to build, and can easily exclude improper use. 附加到电子邮件中，并将该加密部分被解码后的信息从公开密钥管理服务器22回复给移动电话30。 Attached to the email, and the encrypted information is decoded portion reply from the public key management server 22 to mobile phone 30. 并且，在第2实施方式中，对在2维码信息的加密部分中记载WEB 地址的情况进行了说明，但并不限于此例，也可以在该加密部分中记载cgi、 SSI、 ASP等标签。 Further, in the second embodiment, the case described in the encryption part WEB address information in the two-dimensional code has been described, but is not limited to this embodiment may be described cgi, SSI, ASP and other labels in the encrypted portion . 在这种情况下，通过这些标签，不仅可以扩展广告主服务器系统20提供的各种信息的变化版本，而且能够提供任何行业的企业都可方便地参加且容易促进开创新业务的环境。 In this case, these labels can not only expand variations advertisers a variety of information provided by the server system 20, and can provide any business enterprise can easily participate in the open and easy to promote innovative business environment. 设定保密密钥的有效日期和时间信息，能够设置码本身的有效期限，因此，能够容易地对通过例如刊登在过期杂志上的码信息所进行的访问、以及应征奖赏等的访问进行有效期间的限制。 Setting a secret key valid date and time information, the expiration date can be set code itself, therefore, possible to easily perform accessing, for example, by accessing the valid period published in the Journal of the expiration code for information, and the like candidates reward limits. 并且，在公布了与违反公共良好风俗的内容有关的码信息的情况下，或者在公布了用某些不正当方法所发行的码信息的情况下，通过在保密密钥管理服务器23中不对应或者放弃与该信息对应的保密密钥，能够防止不正当的使用。 And, in the case released the code information and content that violates public morals relating to, or in the case of code information published by some improperly issued by the secret does not correspond to the key management server 23 or abandon information corresponding to the secret key, it is possible to prevent unauthorized use. 另外，在以上的各实施方式中，虽然对将2维码信息作为QR码的情况进行了说明，但并不限于此例，可以使用在水平和垂直方向的2维方向上具有信息的其它码。 Further, in the above respective embodiments, although the case where the two-dimensional code information as the QR code has been described, but is not limited to this example, other codes may be used with the two-dimensional information in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction . 另外，在以上的各实施方式中，虽然对通过具有使用CCD照相机的拍摄功能的移动电话30拍摄2维码信息的情况进行了说明，但并不限于此例，也可以使移动电话30具有通过蓝牙等无线技术对码信息进行译码的功能。 Further, in the above respective embodiments, although the case where 2-dimensional code information is photographed by a CCD camera having a photographing function using the mobile telephone 30 has been described, but is not limited to this embodiment, mobile phone 30 may be made by having Bluetooth wireless technology for decoding the information code function. 在这种情况下，无需在移动电话30中装配CCD照相机。 In this case, the CCD camera without the assembly 30 in a mobile phone. 另外，在以上的各实施方式中，虽然对作为2维码信息而使用单一的QR码51的情况进行了说明，但并不限于此例，如图6所示，还可以将位图信息附加到QR码51中。 Further, in the above respective embodiments, although the case of using a single two-dimensional code as the information of the QR code 51 has been described, but is not limited to this embodiment, shown in Figure 6, also additional information bitmap 51 to the QR code. 艮口，如图6 (a)所示，也可以附加位图信息来作为用于说明应用程序的内容的图标51a。 Gen mouth, as shown in FIG 6 (a), the additional bit may be used as map information for explaining the contents of the application icon 51a. 在该情况下，将作为QR码51的内容的WEB地址和邮件地址等信息读入到移动电话30中的同时，也读入位图信息。 In this case, as content information read QR code 51 of the WEB address and e-mail address into the mobile phone 30, but also reads the bitmap information. 在移动电话30的操作画面上参照QR码51的内容信息时，通过同时显示所读入的图标51a的位图信息，能够可视地表示其内容。 When the QR code 51 of the contents information referring to the operation on the mobile phone screen 30, icons 51a by simultaneously displaying the bitmap information is read, its contents can be visually represented. 并且，如图6 (b)所示，也可以附加位图信息来作为矩形图像51b。 And, 6 (b), the bitmap information may be attached to a rectangular image as shown in FIG 51b. 另外，在矩形图像51b中，显示出A公司、B公司的国际财团。 Further, the rectangular image 51b, showing A company, B company international consortium. 在该情况下，可以将矩形图像51b的形状作为认证密钥，如果矩形图像51b的形状不是规定的形状，则不能对A公司和B公司的国际财团进行访问，在安全方面是有效的。 In this case, the shape of the rectangular image 51b may be used as an authentication key, if the shape of the rectangular shape of the image 51b is not predetermined, not the A company and the company B accesses consortium, it is effective in terms of security. 并且，如图6 (c)所示，也可以附加位图信息来作为应用程序切换图像51c。 And, 6 (c), the additional bit may be switched image information is shown in FIG. 51c as an application. 即，通过把应用程序切换图像51c做成例如记录用纸的图标，名片的图标，盘货的图标等，能够进行用QR码51启动的例如记录信息软件，名片信息软件，盘货信息软件等应用程序的切换。 That is, the recording paper icon, the card icon, icon or the like stocktaking, information recording can be performed, for example, software, software, business card information, software information stocktaking with the QR code 51 to start the application program or the like by switching the image 51c is made e.g. switching applications. 作为位图信息，如图6 (d)所示，也可以附加其它的条形码51d。 As bitmap information, as shown in FIG 6 (d), the other may be attached barcode 51d. 与QR码51不同，读取该条形码51d的信息，根据该信息可以变更读入QR码51时或者读入后的应用程序的动作。 51 different from the QR code, a barcode 51d information is read, the reading operation can be changed into the read QR code 51 or the application program is based on the information. 例如能够改变读入了QR码51 时的确认声音。 For example, can be changed into a read confirmation sound when the QR code 51. 该条形码51d也可以是QR码。 The bar code 51d can also be a QR code. 并且，如图6(e)所示，也可以附加位图信息来作为扩展QR码51e。 And, FIG. 6 (e), the bitmap information may be attached as an extended QR code 51e. 在这种情况下，能够使QR码51中带有广告自身的信息，使扩展QR码51e 中带有刊登有广告的印刷物的信息。 In this case, the QR code 51 can be made with advertisement information itself, so that the information in the extended QR code 51e with the placement of advertising printed matter. 如此，通过将信息划分成QR码51 和扩展码51e，即使在信息量多的情况下，也能够提高0R码51或扩展QR码51e的读取速度。 Thus, by dividing the information into QR code 51 and a spreading code 51e, even in the case where the amount of information can be improved 0R code 51 or extended QR code 51e of the reading speed. 并且，如图7所示，也可以通过改变包围QR码51的矩形线51f的颜色，来切换各个位图信息的功能。 As shown in FIG 7, it may also surrounds the QR code 51 by changing the color of the rectangular line 51f, and switches the function of the respective bitmap information. 另外，在利用包围QR码51或者配置在周围的矩形线等的图形51f来清楚地显示与QR码51相关联的位图信息区域的同时，通过改变该图形51f的颜色或形状，或者改变两者，能够切换各个位图信息的功能。 Further, using surrounds the QR code 51 or disposed in the rectangular wire around like pattern 51f to clearly show simultaneously with the bitmap information region of the QR code 51 is associated, by changing the color or the shape of the pattern 51f, and change the two who can switch the function of the respective bitmap information. 另外，作为本实施方式中的信息提供的具体例子，例如有"使用移动电话的音乐试听服务"。 Further, specific examples of the information provided in the present embodiment, for example, "music listening mobile phone service." 它是这样一项服务：如果用移动电话30拍摄印刷在城镇信息杂志音乐栏目中介绍新歌信息的一旁的QR码51，则在移动电话30内，对拍摄的QR码51进行解码，取得例如服务访问号码"45984521"，对信息提供服务器"45984521"进行访问，接收保密密钥并对音乐试听服务方进行访问。 It is such a service: If you introduce a new song information side of town QR code in a magazine column information Music mobile phone with 30 printing 51 shooting, then in the mobile phone 30, 51 shot of the QR code is decoded, for example, has made service access number "45984521", the information providing server "45984521" to access, listen to music and receiving secret key to access the service side. 一旦对音乐试听服务进行了访问，则想视听的音乐就从服务器传到移动电话30上。 Once the music listening service for a visit, you want it from the server audiovisual music on mobile phones reached 30. 并且，例如有"使用移动商务的购票服务"。 And, for example, "mobile commerce ticketing services." 它是这样一项服务：如果用移动电话30拍摄例如用于预定在新闻广告栏目中介绍的剧场的票而印刷于广告内的QR码51，则在移动电话30内，对拍摄的QR码51进行解码，取得例如服务访问号码"12345678"，对信息提供服务器"12345678" 进行访问，接收保密密钥并对预定票服务方进行访问。 It is such a service: If you use a mobile phone 30 Shooting ticket presented in the news in the advertising section scheduled for the theater, for example, and print advertising in the QR code within 51, then in the mobile phone 30, shot 51 on the QR code decodes, for example, to obtain service access number "12345678", the information providing server "12345678" to access, receive secret key and book tickets to access the service side. 另外，对预定票服务进行访问时，通过输入希望的日期信息等，可以用移动电话30预定所期望的票。 In addition, access to the service book tickets by entering the desired date information, you can use a mobile phone 30 predetermined desired tickets. 并且，在以上各实施方式中，虽然说明了通过移动电话30中的解码部32对QR码51进行解码的情况，但并不限于此例，也可以把要解码的QR码51例如发送给码发行服务器系统10，并接收由码发行服务器系统10解码后的QR码51的信息。 Further, in the above embodiments, the case has been described decoding by the decoding section 30 in the mobile telephone 32 pairs of the QR code 51, but is not limited to this embodiment, it is possible to decode the QR code to a 51 code e.g. issuing server system 10, and receives information from the code-issuing server system 10 after the QR code 51 is decoded. 在该情况下，移动电话30中无需解码部32。 In this case, the mobile phone 30 without decoding unit 32. 如上所述，根据本发明涉及的使用码信息的信息提供系统，通过码发行服务器系统，根据通过网络的请求进行码信息的发行；通过信息提供服务器系统，通过网络接收所发行的码信息，并管理所接收的码信息; 通过具有使用摄像元件的拍摄功能的移动终端，拍摄码信息，并取得包含于所拍摄的码信息中的WEB地址，使用取得的WEB地址，通过网络对WEB网页进行访问；通过信息提供系统，根据来自于移动电话的访问，通过网络向移动电话提供信息，因此，通过使用码信息，能够容易且准确地实现向交互式媒介的引导。 As described above, according to the information providing system using code information according to the present invention, the code issuing server system according to a request via the network issued code information; providing server through the information system, the issued code information received through the network, and manages the received code information; a mobile terminal by using an imaging device having a photographing function, photographing the code information and the code information acquired wEB address included in the captured, using the acquired address of the wEB, wEB pages access to the network ; through the information providing system, according to the access from the mobile phone, by providing information to the mobile phone network, and therefore, by using the code information, can be achieved easily and accurately guided to interactive media. 1.一种使用码信息的信息提供系统，其特征在于，具有：码发行服务器系统，其根据通过网络的请求进行码信息的发行；信息提供服务器系统，其通过上述网络接收上述被发行的码信息，并管理上述接收的码信息；以及移动终端，其具有使用摄像元件的拍摄功能，拍摄上述码信息，并取得上述被拍摄的码信息中包含的WEB地址，使用上述取得的WEB地址，通过上述网络对WEB网页进行访问；上述信息提供服务器系统根据来自于上述移动终端的访问，通过上述网络向上述移动终端提供信息；上述码发行服务器系统在接收到来自上述信息提供服务器系统的保密密钥时，生成将构成上述码信息的字符串的一部分进行了加密的加密部分，并发行包括该加密部分和公开部分的上述码信息；上述信息提供服务器系统，具有：公开密钥管理服务器，其管理用于对上 An information providing system using code information, comprising: a code-issuing server system, based on code information for issuing a request through the network; the information providing server system that receives the code to be issued via the network information and code information for managing the reception; and a mobile terminal which has used the imaging device shooting, shooting above code information and acquired WEB address code information of the subject contained, WEB address using the acquired, by said network access to wEB pages; the information providing server according to an access from the system to the mobile terminal, providing information to the mobile terminal via the network; and the code issuing server system receiving a secret key from said information providing server system when generating a character string constituting a part of the code information encrypted part encryption and issuing code information including the above-described encryption portion and open portion; the information providing server system comprising: a public key management server that manages for the 码信息的加密部分进行解码的公开密钥；和保密密钥管理服务器，其管理生成上述码发行服务器系统所发行的上述码信息的加密部分时使用的上述保密密钥；上述移动终端在通过解码部对上述码信息的公开部分进行了解码时，通过浏览功能部，进行根据上述被解码后的上述公开部分信息的访问。 Public key encryption section for decoding the code information; and secret key management server that manages and generates the code-issuing server system issued the secret key used in encrypting portion of said code information; said mobile terminal by decoding when the portion of the disclosed portion of the code information is decoded by the browsing function unit, accesses the information based on the above disclosed section after being decoded. 2. 权利要求1所述的使用码信息的信息提供系统，其特征在于，上述码发行服务器系统具有码发行管理服务器，该码发行管理服务器管理上述被发行的码信息，并提供用于对在上述移动终端中使用的上述码信息进行解码的JAVA应用程序；上述信息提供服务器系统具有信息提供服务器，该信息提供服务器根据来自于上述移动终端的使用上述WEB地址的访问，提供各种信息；上述移动终端具有：读取部，其利用JAVA应用程序，抽出并读取通过摄像元件所拍摄的上述码信息；解码部，其利用上述JAVA应用程序，对通过上述读取部所读取的上述码信息进行解码；浏览功能部，其通过访问上述码发行管理服务器，下载上述JAVA应用程序，并根据通过上述解码部所解码的WEB地址，访问上述WEB网页，在接收到来自被访问方的详细信息时，显示该详细信息；存储部，其存 2. Information using the code information providing system of claim 1, wherein said code-issuing server system having a distribution management server code, the code issuing management server manages the issued code information and provides for the above the above-described mobile terminal code information used for decoding JAVA application; the information providing server system having an information providing server, the information providing server according to the above-described access from the WEB address of the mobile terminal, providing various kinds of information; and the the mobile terminal includes: a reading unit that uses the JAVA application program, and reads out the above-mentioned code information captured by the imaging element; a decoding unit which using the JAVA application of the above code read by the reading unit information is decoded; browsing function unit, which by accessing the above-described code issuing management server, downloading the above JAVA application, and in accordance with the above-described decoding unit decoding the wEB address to access said wEB page, upon receiving the details accessing party from when displaying the details; storage unit, which is stored 通过上述读取部所读取的上述码信息和上述被下载的JAVA应用程序；以及控制部，其按照规定的控制程序，控制各部分的动作。 The above code information and the downloaded JAVA application program read by the reading section; and a control unit, which according to a predetermined control program, controls the operation of each part. 3. 权利要求2所述的使用码信息的信息提供系统，其特征在于，上述控制部在通过上述解码部进行上述码信息的解码时，在判定出上述JAVA应用程序没有存储于上述存储部中时，指示上述浏览功能部下载上述JAVA应用程序。 Using the information of the code information providing system according to claim 2, wherein the control unit at the time of decoding the above-mentioned code information by said decoding unit, the determination in the above-mentioned JAVA application is not stored in the storage unit when instructs the browser function unit downloads the above JAVA application. 4. 权利要求1所述的使用码信息的信息提供系统，其特征在于，上述浏览功能部通过根据上述被解码后的上述公开部分信息的访问来接收上述保密密钥，利用上述保密密钥，通过上述解码部对上述码信息的加密部分进行了解码时，根据被解码后的WEB地址，对上述WEB网页进行访问。 1 using the information of the code information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the browsing unit by receiving access the secret key according to the above disclosed above are part of the decoding information by using the secret key, when decoding the encrypted part of said code information by said decoding unit, according to the wEB address is decoded, the above-mentioned wEB pages accessed. 5. 权利要求1所述的使用码信息的信息提供系统，其特征在于，上述浏览功能部通过根据上述被解码后的上述公开部分信息的访问来接收上述保密密钥，利用上述保密密钥，通过上述解码部对上述码信息的加密部分进行了解码时，执行与被解码后的上述加密部分信息对应的动作。 1 using information of the code information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the browsing unit by receiving access the secret key according to the above disclosed above are part of the decoding information by using the secret key, when decoding the encrypted part of said code information by said decoding unit, performs encryption with the portion corresponding to the decoded motion information. 6. 权利要求4或5所述的使用码信息的信息提供系统，其特征在于，在上述码信息的公开部分中记载有IP地址；在上述加密部分中记载有与上述IP地址相关的信息。 Information using code information of claim 4, 5 or 6. A system according to Claim, characterized in that the portions of the disclosure are described in code information of an IP address; described in the section above encrypted information associated with said IP address. 7. 权利要求1所述的使用码信息的信息提供系统，其特征在于，上述码信息至少是2维码。 Using the information of the code information providing system according to claim 1, wherein said code information is at least 2-dimensional code. 8. 权利要求l所述的使用码信息的信息提供系统，其特征在于，上述移动终端根据上述被拍摄的码信息中包含的信息，执行规定的功能。 L using the information of the code information providing system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the mobile terminal according to the information of the code information contained in the subject, perform the specified functions. 9. 权利要求8所述的使用码信息的信息提供系统，其特征在于，上述码信息由至少2维码及该2维码附带的位图信息构成，可以根据上述位图信息，改变上述至少2维码的读取功能及读取后的动作。 The information using the code information providing system of claim 8, wherein the bitmap information of the code information comes from at least 2-dimensional code and the two-dimensional code configuration, based on the bitmap information, the at least change 2-dimensional code reading function and the operation after reading. 10. 权利要求1所述的使用码信息的信息提供系统，其特征在于，上述移动终端所取得的码信息中包含的WEB地址是在上述码发行服务器系统中被解码后的地址。 The information using the code information providing system of claim 1, wherein, WEB address code information of the mobile terminal is included in the acquired address code is decoded in the above-issuing server system. 11. 一种使用码信息的信息提供方法，其特征在于，具有：通过码发行服务器系统，根据通过网络的请求发行码信息的歩骤；通过信息提供服务器系统，通过上述网络接收上述被发行的码信息，并管理上述被接收的码信息的步骤；通过具有使用摄像元件的拍摄功能的移动终端，拍摄上述码信息，并取得上述被拍摄的码信息中包含的WEB地址，使用上述取得的WEB地址，通过上述网络对WEB网页进行访问的步骤；以及通过上述信息提供服务器系统，根据来自于上述移动终端的访问，通过上述网络向上述移动终端提供信息的步骤；通过上述码发行服务器系统，在接收到来自上述信息提供服务器系统的保密密钥时，生成将构成上述码信息的字符串的一部分进行了加密的加密部分，并发行包括该加密部分和公开部分的上述码信息；通过上述信息提供服务器系统 11. An information providing method using the code information, comprising: a code-issuing server system by, according to step ho request issued code information via the network; providing server through the information system, the above-described issue is received via the network code information, and a step for managing the code information is received; the mobile terminal has used the imaging device capturing function, shooting above code information and acquired WEB address code information of the subject included in, using the acquired WEB address, the step of accessing via the network to the wEB page; and a step of providing a server system via the information according to the access from said mobile terminal, providing information to the mobile terminal via the network; via the code issuing server system, upon receiving the above information from the confidential key providing server system generates a character string constituting a part of the code information encrypted portions encrypted and the encrypted issuing portion comprising code information and said part of the disclosure; information provided by the above server system 利用公开密钥管理服务器，管理用于对上述码信息的加密部分进行解码的公开密钥；通过保密密钥管理服务器，对生成上述码发行服务器系统发行的上述码信息的加密部分时使用的保密密钥进行管理；以及通过上述移动终端，利用解码部对上述码信息的公开部分进行了解码时，通过浏览功能部，进行根据上述被解码后的上述公开部分信息的访问。 Using the public key management server manages a public key to decode the encrypted portion of the code information; secret key by the management server, used for confidentiality code-issuing server system to generate the encrypted issuing information portion of the code key management; and when said mobile terminal by using the decoding unit to the disclosed portions of the code information is decoded by the browsing function unit, accesses the information based on the above disclosed section after being decoded. 12. 权利要求ll所述的使用码信息的信息提供方法，其特征在于，包含以下步骤：通过码发行管理服务器，管理上述被发行的码信息，并提供用于对上述移动终端使用的上述码信息进行解码的JAVA应用程序的步骤；通过信息提供服务器，根据来自于上述移动终端的使用上述WEB地址的访问，提供各种信息的步骤；通过上述移动终端的读取部，使用上述JAVA应用程序，抽出并读取通过摄像元件所拍摄的上述码信息的步骤；通过上述移动终端的解码部，使用上述JAVA应用程序，对通过上述读取部所读取的上述码信息进行解码的步骤；通过上述移动终端的浏览功能部，通过访问上述码发行管理服务器，下载上述JAVA应用程序，并根据通过上述解码部所解码的WEB地址，对上述WEB网页进行访问，在接收到来自被访问方的详细信息时，显示该详细信息的步骤；通过上述 Ll information using code information providing method according to claim 12, wherein, comprising the steps of: code issuing management server manages the issued code information, and provides for the use of the above-described code of the mobile terminal step JAVA application information is decoded; providing server through the information, according to step from the use of the mobile terminal to access said WEB address, to provide various information; by the reading unit of the mobile terminal, using the JAVA applications , and reads out the above-described step code information captured by the imaging element; by the decoding unit of the mobile terminal, using the JAVA application of the above code information read by the reading unit and perform decoding; by browsing function unit of the mobile terminal, by accessing the above-described code issuing management server, downloading the above JAVA application, and in accordance with the above-described decoding unit decoding the wEB address, the above-mentioned wEB page accessed, upon receiving the details from the access source information, the step of displaying the detailed information; through said 动终端的存储部，存储通过上述读取部所读取的上述码信息和上述被下载的JAVA应用程序的步骤；以及通过上述移动终端的控制部，按照规定的控制程序，控制各部分的动作的步骤。 And said step of code information to be downloaded JAVA applications of the mobile terminal storage section for storing read by the reading section; and a mobile terminal via the control unit, in accordance with a predetermined control program, controls the operation of each part A step of. 13. 权利要求12所述的使用码信息的信息提供方法，其特征在于，包含以下步骤：在通过上述解码部进行上述码信息的解码时，在判定出上述JAVA应用程序没有存储于上述存储部中时，指示上述浏览功能部下载上述JAVA应用程序。 When the above-described decoding code information by said decoding unit, the above-mentioned JAVA application determines not stored in the storage unit: using the information of the code information of claim 12 providing method comprising the steps of when, instructs the browser function unit downloads the above JAVA application. 14. 权利要求ll所述的使用码信息的信息提供方法，其特征在于，包含以下步骤：通过上述浏览功能部，通过根据上述被解码后的上述公开部分信息的访问来接收上述保密密钥，利用上述保密密钥，通过上述解码部对上述码信息的加密部分进行了解码时，根据被解码后的WEB地址，对上述WEB网页进行访问。 Ll information using code information providing method according to claim 14, wherein, comprising the steps of: by the above-described browsing function unit, by receiving the confidential access according to the above disclosed above are part of the key decoding information, when using the secret key, the encrypted is decoded portion of said code information by said decoding unit, according to the wEB address is decoded, the above-mentioned wEB pages accessed. 15. 权利要求ll所述的使用码信息的信息提供方法，其特征在于，在上述码信息的公开部分中记载有IP地址；在上述加密部分中记载有WEB地址。 Ll information using code information providing method according to claim 15, wherein, disclosure describes a portion of the IP address in the code information; WEB address describes the encrypted portion. 16. 权利要求ll所述的使用码信息的信息提供方法，其特征在于，上述码信息至少是2维码。 Ll information using code information providing method according to claim 16, wherein said code information is at least 2-dimensional code. 17. 权利要求11所述的使用码信息的信息提供方法，其特征在于，上述移动终端所取得的码信息中包含的WEB地址是在上述码发行服务器系统中被解码后的地址。 The information 11 using the code information providing method according to claim, characterized in that, WEB address code information of the mobile terminal is included in the acquired address code is decoded in the above-issuing server system. Free format text: FORMER OWNER: DENTSU TEC. INC.

Subsets and Splits

No community queries yet

The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.