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Masala films of Indian cinema are those that mix genres in one work. Typically these films freely mix action, comedy, romance, and drama or melodrama. They also tend to be musicals that include songs filmed in picturesque locations. The genre is named after the masala, a mixture of spices in Indian cuisine. According to The Hindu, masala is the most popular genre of Indian cinema. Masala films have origins in 1970s Bollywood (Hindi) films, and are most common in Bollywood and South Indian films.
The masala film was pioneered in the early 1970s by filmmaker Nasir Hussain, along with screenwriter duo Salim-Javed, consisting of Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar. Yaadon Ki Baarat (1973), directed by Hussain and written by Salim-Javed, has been identified as the first masala film. Salim-Javed went on to write more successful masala films in the 1970s and 1980s. A landmark for the masala film genre was Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), directed by Manmohan Desai and written by Kader Khan. Manmohan Desai went on to successfully exploit the genre in the 1970s and 1980s.
Sholay (1975), directed by Ramesh Sippy and written by Salim-Javed, also falls under the masala genre. It is sometimes called a "Curry Western", a play on the term Spaghetti Western. A more accurate genre label is the "Dacoit Western", as it combined the conventions of Indian dacoit films such as Mother India (1957) and Gunga Jumna (1961) with that of Spaghetti Westerns. Sholay spawned a subgenre of "Dacoit Western" films in the 1970s.
Masala films helped establish many leading actors as superstars in the 1970s and 1980s, such as Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Mithun Chakrabarty, Rajnikanth, Chiranjeevi, Vishnuvardhan, and Ambareesh. Sridevi achieved stardom in her early Bollywood career with masala movies. Since the 1990s, actors such as Salman Khan (Salim Khan's son), Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Mahesh Babu, Pawan Kalyan, Allu Arjun, Jr. NTR, Ajith Kumar, Joseph Vijay, Darshan, Dev and Jeet have all tasted success in this format.
This style is used very often in Hindi (Bollywood) and South Indian films, as it helps make them appeal to a broad variety of viewers. Famous masala filmmakers include David Dhawan, Anees Bazmee, Prabhu Deva and Farah Khan in Hindi cinema; Raja Chanda, Raj Chakraborty and Rabi Kinagi in Bengali cinema; S. S. Rajamouli, Puri Jagannath, Srinu Vaitla and Boyapati Srinu in Telugu cinema; S. Shankar, Hari, AR Murugadoss, K. V. Anand, N. Lingusamy and K. S. Ravikumar in Tamil cinema; and in Kannada cinema it was V. Somashekhar and K. S. R. Das in the 1970s; K. V. Raju, A. T. Raghu and Joe Simon in the 1980s; Om Prakash Rao and Shivamani in the 1990s; and Mahesh Babu, K. Madesha and A. Harsha in the 2000s.
Beyond Indian cinema, Danny Boyle's Academy Award–winning film Slumdog Millionaire (2008), based on Vikas Swarup's Boeke Prize winning novel Q & A (2005), has been described by several reviewers as a "masala" movie, due to the way the film combines "familiar raw ingredients into a feverish masala" and culminates in "the romantic leads finding each other." This is due to the influence of the Bollywood masala genre on the film. According to Loveleen Tandan, Slumdog Millionaire screenwriter Simon Beaufoy "studied Salim-Javed's kind of cinema minutely." The influence of Bollywood masala films can also be seen in Western musical films. Baz Luhrmann stated that his successful musical film Moulin Rouge! (2001) was directly inspired by Bollywood musicals.
Aamir Khan (Nasir Hussain's nephew), who debuted as a child actor in the first masala film Yaadon Ki Baraat, has been credited for redefining and modernizing the masala film with his own distinct brand of socially conscious cinema in the early 21st century. His films blur the distinction between commercial masala films and realistic parallel cinema, combining the entertainment and production values of the former with the believable narratives and strong messages of the latter, earning both commercial success and critical acclaim, in India and overseas.
While the masala film genre originated from Bollywood films in the 1970s, there have been several earlier influences that have shaped its conventions. Examples of this influence include the techniques of a side story, back-story and story within a story. Indian popular films often have plots that branch off into sub-plots; such narrative dispersals can clearly be seen in the 1993 films Khalnayak and Gardish. The second influence was the impact of ancient Sanskrit drama, with its highly stylized nature and emphasis on spectacle, where music, dance and gesture combined "to create a vibrant artistic unit with dance and mime being central to the dramatic experience." Sanskrit dramas were known as natya, derived from the root word nrit (dance), characterizing them as spectacular dance-dramas which has continued in Indian cinema. The third influence was the traditional folk theatre of India, which became popular from around the 10th century with the decline of Sanskrit theatre. These regional traditions include the Jatra of Bengal, the Ramlila of Uttar Pradesh, and the Terukkuttu of Tamil Nadu. The fourth influence was Parsi theatre, which "blended realism and fantasy, music and dance, narrative and spectacle, earthy dialogue and ingenuity of stage presentation, integrating them into a dramatic discourse of melodrama. The Parsi plays contained crude humour, melodious songs and music, sensationalism and dazzling stagecraft."
A major foreign influence was Hollywood, where musicals were popular from the 1920s to the 1950s, though Indian filmmakers departed from their Hollywood counterparts in several ways. "For example, the Hollywood musicals had as their plot the world of entertainment itself. Indian filmmakers, while enhancing the elements of fantasy so pervasive in Indian popular films, used song and music as a natural mode of articulation in a given situation in their films. There is a strong Indian tradition of narrating mythology, history, fairy stories and so on through song and dance." In addition, "whereas Hollywood filmmakers strove to conceal the constructed nature of their work so that the realistic narrative was wholly dominant, Indian filmmakers made no attempt to conceal the fact that what was shown on the screen was a creation, an illusion, a fiction. However, they demonstrated how this creation intersected with people's day to day lives in complex and interesting ways."
During the 1970s, commercial Bollywood masala films drew from several foreign influences, including New Hollywood, Hong Kong martial arts cinema, and Italian exploitation films. Following the success of Bruce Lee films such as Enter the Dragon in India, Bollywood films starting with Deewaar (1975) up until the 1990s often incorporated fight sequences inspired by 1970s martial arts films from Hong Kong cinema. Rather than following the Hollywood model, Bollywood action scenes tended to follow the Hong Kong model, with an emphasis on acrobatics and stunts, and combined kung fu (as it was perceived by Indians) with Indian martial arts (particularly Indian wrestling).
^ Tejaswini Gantiv (2004). Bollywood: a guidebook to popular Hindi cinema. Psychology Press. p. 139. ISBN 978-0-415-28854-5. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
^ Nelmes, Jill. An introduction to film studies. p. 367.
^ a b Chaudhuri, Diptakirti (2015-10-01). Written by Salim-Javed: The Story of Hindi Cinema’s Greatest Screenwriters. Penguin UK. ISBN 9789352140084.
^ Chaudhuri, Diptakirti (2015-10-01). Written by Salim-Javed: The Story of Hindi Cinema’s Greatest Screenwriters. Penguin UK. p. 58. ISBN 9789352140084.
^ Sudhish Kamath (January 17, 2009). "The great Indian dream: Why 'Slumdog Millionaire', a film made in India, draws crowds in New York". The Hindu. Retrieved 2009-01-22.
^ Scott Foundas (November 12, 2008). "Fall Film: Slumdog Millionaire: Game Show Masala". LA Weekly. Retrieved 2009-01-22.
^ Greg Quill (January 21, 2009). "Slumdog wins hearts here". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2009-01-22.
^ a b "'Slumdog Millionaire' has an Indian co-director". The Hindu. January 11, 2009. Archived from the original on March 25, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
^ "All you need to know about Slumdog Millionaire". The Independent. 21 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
^ Lisa Tsering (January 29, 2009). "Slumdog Director Boyle Has 'Fingers Crossed' for Oscars". IndiaWest. Archived from the original on March 2, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
^ Anthony Kaufman (January 29, 2009). "DGA nominees borrow from the masters: Directors cite specific influences for their films". Variety. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
^ "Baz Luhrmann Talks Awards and 'Moulin Rouge'".
^ Cain, Rob (3 October 2017). "Aamir Khan's 'Secret Superstar' Could Be India's Next ₹1,000 Crore/$152M Box Office Hit". Forbes.
^ Rangan, Baradwaj (8 January 2017). "Masala redux". The Hindu. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
^ "Secret Superstar: A moving slice of life". The Asian Age. 2 November 2017.
^ K. Moti Gokulsing, K. Gokulsing, Wimal Dissanayake (2004). Indian Popular Cinema: A Narrative of Cultural Change. Trentham Books. p. 98. ISBN 1-85856-329-1.
^ K. Moti Gokulsing, K. Gokulsing, Wimal Dissanayake (2004). Indian Popular Cinema: A Narrative of Cultural Change. Trentham Books. pp. 98–99. ISBN 1-85856-329-1.
^ Khalid Mohammed (September 15, 1979). "Bruce Lee storms Bombay once again with Return Of The Dragon". India Today. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
^ Heide, William Van der (2002). Malaysian Cinema, Asian Film: Border Crossings and National Cultures. Amsterdam University Press. ISBN 9789053565803.
^ Morris, Meaghan; Li, Siu Leung; Chan, Stephen Ching-kiu (2005). Hong Kong Connections: Transnational Imagination in Action Cinema. Hong Kong University Press. p. 149. ISBN 9781932643190.
This page was last edited on 7 January 2019, at 03:53 (UTC).
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The second part of this headline should be credited to Warren Buffett as his way of describing how dangerous complacency about investment risk can reverse abruptly when a company is finally forced to face the risks in its business.
Two things that can make investors overly complacent about risk are low default rates and long economic periods without a recession, both situations exist today and shouldn’t be ignored. Looking back at the credit crisis, ignoring the significant risks that existed in the mortgage market caused large losses for investors in some financial service companies when mortgages started defaulting. It became very clear after the crisis which companies had managed their companies in a risk averse way and which companies were swimming naked. No down payment loans, negative amortizing loans where you could borrow the interest for a period of time, and no doc loan were not sound. The companies that were the most willing to make unsound loans were allowed to grow the fastest and with high levels of leverage on the belief their real estate prices which served as collateral could only go up.
Eventually, as teaser rates began to reset, defaults ramped up and the companies most involved in these loans didn’t have the balance sheet to withstand the financial crisis while others which had maintained more sound underwriting criteria and more conservatively managed balance sheets fared reasonably well. The result was higher stock prices for US Bancorp and Wells Fargo since December 31, 2007 and a more than doubling in JPMorgan’s stock price while the ones swimming naked as Warren Buffett puts it such as Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, Citicorp, Countrywide Credit and Washington Mutual have either suffered material drops in their prices or have gone out of business entirely.
Who Might Be Swimming Naked going Forward?
A general area to watch out for is lower quality companies that have been able to issue too much debt due to ultra- low interest rates, a growing economy, and yield starved investors seeking yield. Either higher interest rates or a downturn in the economy could lead to problems for these companies.
There has been a great deal of positive press and skyrocketing stock prices for disruptors that have had success gaining share and transforming certain industries, companies such as Amazon, Facebook, Netflix, and Tesla. We feel their stock price increases are partly driven by the huge inflow of money into passive momentum- based funds.
We are skeptical of the prospects for Netflix and Tesla’s stock prices going forward. Their sky -high valuations imply future earnings growth that has been hard to come by historically and their balance sheet leverage seems to assume little could go wrong and little competitive threats to their business exist. Despite a lot of success for Netflix and some for Tesla, their stock prices and balance sheets seem to ignore that they are generating negative cash flow and they both may soon face a host of new, better financed competition.
In Netflix’s case, in the next few years they will be losing access to much of the content that has helped them build their business as legacy media companies cancel licensing contracts to focus on their own streaming products. According to a recent study by Allan Wolk, these cancelled licensing contracts involve content that represent about 60% of viewing time for Netflix subscribers. At the same time, Disney and Apple, (formidable competition) will soon be competing with Netflix for streaming subscribers in addition to the current competition, Hulu, HBO/Time Warner and Amazon.
Please feel free to contact Florence Ellen Cowden @ 910-763-4113 if you would like more information about our investment philosophy.
Disclaimer- Past Performance is no guarantee of future results. The performance results of the stocks mentioned is not necessarily representative of that of any South Atlantic Capital Management account. South Atlantic Capital owns shares in all the companies mentioned in the best and worst performers table mentioned above. Nothing in this article should be construed as investment advice of any kind. Consult your investment adviser before making any investment decision.
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To come to a decision by asking the people involved to vote on the issue. OK, so we have our two options on how to proceed; now, let's put it to a vote. The only fair way to decide is to put it to the vote.
decide something by asking people for their votes: The issue was put to the vote.
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How do I obtain insurance certificates for my mortgage holder?
The best method is to email a copy of the banks formal letter to [email protected]; they will then be sure it was sent properly and will get an email confirmation of the request as well as a copy of the certificate for their records. They can also fax 239-261-8265 and if they note a return fax or email they will get a copy of the certificate for their records. They can also call in 239-262-5143 and ask for a certificate.
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What other names is Apple known by?
Abilde, Almindelig Aeble, Apfel, Apfelbaum, Äppel, Äppelträd, Apple Tree, Eble, Echter Apfelbaum, Iabloko, Iablonia, Jablon Domáca, Kultur-Apfel, Maça, Maçanzeira, Maceira, Macieira, Malus domestica, Malus malus, Malus pumila, Malus sylvestris, Manzana, Manzano, Mela, Melo, Paratiisiomena, Ping Guo, Pomme, Pommier, Pomo, Pommier Commun, Pyrus malus, Ringo, Seiyou Ringo, Tarhaomenapuu, Tuffahh, Žlahtna jablana.
Apples are used to control diarrhea or constipation; and for the softening, passage, and collection of gallstones. They are also used to prevent cancer, especially lung cancer. Other uses include treating cancer, diabetes, dysentery, fever, heart problems, warts, and a vitamin C-deficiency condition called scurvy. Some people also use apples for cleaning their teeth.
Lung cancer. There is some early evidence that eating more apples might lower the risk of developing lung cancer.
Mercury toxicity. Early research suggests that taking apple pectin for 60 days might help remove mercury from the body and improve symptoms in children with mercury poisoning.
More evidence is needed to rate apple for these uses.
Apples are LIKELY SAFE for most people, as long as the seeds aren't eaten. No side effects are generally known or expected to occur with apple fruit or apple juice.
Apple polyphenols are POSSIBLY SAFE when taken by mouth or applied directly to the skin, short-term.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Apple is safe in amounts found in food, but there's not enough information to know if it's safe in the larger amounts that are used as medicine.
Children: Apple pectin is POSSIBLY SAFE when taken by mouth, short-term.
Diabetes: Apple, especially apple juice, can increase blood sugar levels. Monitor your blood sugar carefully if you use apple products and have diabetes.
Apple juice can decrease how much atenolol (Tenormin) your body absorbs. Drinking apple juice along with atenolol (Tenormin) might decrease the effectiveness of atenolol (Tenormin). To avoid this interaction, separate taking this medication from consuming apple juice by at least 4 hours.
Apple juice can decrease how much fexofenadine (Allegra) your body absorbs. Drinking apple juice along with fexofenadine (Allegra) might decrease the effectiveness of fexofenadine (Allegra). To avoid this interaction, separate taking this medication from consuming apple juice by at least 4 hours.
Consuming apples and drinking apple juice might increase blood sugar levels. Diabetes medications are used to lower blood sugar. Consuming apple or apple juice along with diabetes medications might interfere with blood sugar control. Monitor your blood sugar closely. The dose of your diabetes medication might need to be changed.
Some medications are moved by pumps in cells. Apple juice might change how these pumps work and decrease how much of some medications get absorbed by the body. This could make these medications less effective. To avoid this interaction, separate taking these medications from consuming apple juice by at least 4 hours.
Consuming apple and cherry juice might increase blood pressure in some people. Drinking apple juice while taking medications for lowering blood high blood pressure might interfere with blood pressure control. Monitor your blood pressure closely. The dose of your blood pressure medication might need to be changed.
Some medications used for high blood pressure include captopril (Capoten), enalapril (Vasotec), losartan (Cozaar), valsartan (Diovan), diltiazem (Cardizem), amlodipine (Norvasc), hydrochlorothiazide (HydroDiuril), furosemide (Lasix), and many others.
The appropriate dose of apple depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for apple. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.
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We are doing a one and half day workshop for Microsoft, we need to optimize the interaction design for Microsoft Office, help them conduct new ways for online cooperation. Increase the efficiency of multi-person online meeting. Improved the perplexity and inefficient of multi-person cooperation by new functions we designed.
As the designer, my task is to brainstorm new features, provide user interface design, and conduct the interactive prototyping.
42% of customers use both Google Drive and Microsoft Office. They do so primarily by sending Microsoft documents as email attachments. This is due in part to the higher accessibility and integration of Google’s collaborative platform. This represents a significant number of current Microsoft customers not taking advantage of the Office 365 collaborative space. By developing and promoting ease of use and accessibility Microsoft can capture these current users and extend their relationship with Microsoft’s online platform.
By building a better system of communication within shared documents we will differentiate Office 365, positioning it as a truly collaborative space both synchronously and asynchronously. This will keep customers working within the Microsoft space rather than moving between traditional Microsoft Software and Google Drive.
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Does Fort Collins have a good BBQ restaurant?
I really enjoy Texas Roadhouse. They have good food and the prices are decent.
This is a tough question to answer. I have found that people have regional favorites when it comes to BBQ. I moved here from Florida and compare every BBQ to Sonny's. So far nothing has been as good as Sonny's. However we do have some good BBQ. I would recommend 3 places to try and then pick your favorite. Famous Dave's is probably the best known and largest of the franchises. There food is very good and they have a variety of BBQ sauces to try, Real Texas BBQ is also very good. They only have 1 sauce but have a cherry Chipotle sauce with the pork that is very tasty. Nordy's is probably the fanciest of the BBQ restaurants. It is not my favorite but we still go there now and then. That said others swear by it. There is also a new BBQ restaurant in Fort Collins I heard about but don't have the name of and have not tried out yet. Like I said BBQ is a personal choice so try a few of the places I mentioned and let me know which one you like best.
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How can I even explain the perfection of this family-owned restaurant to you? I can't do it justice, but I will try hard enough to get you there. The doorway is so tiny that two people can't stand in it at once. There are a total of 8 tables in the whole place. The bar makes a stellar negroni. The waiters are kind, patient, and generous with the warm grilled bread and olives they serve you upon ordering. The pasta is magnificent, the portions a plenty. The ambiance is charming and cozy, and the food is refined without being stuck up.
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Most of the eco-friendly products are made up of materials which can be recycled and used for other purposes, and more to that eco-friendly products do not have any negative implication when disposed or even during their production.Using eco friendly products is a kind of lifestyle which ensures that there are very little damages on the environment in terms of pollution reduction and also by minimizing plastics in the environment a lifestyle which some people can also term it as a green lifestyle.
Many factors and conditions that have been experienced in the today’s world have some major negative impacts to the environment because of resulting to the death of various water animals and loss of water lives and also reduction of some forest natural species like trees and other animal species which has forced people to think deeper on how to fight this condition and bring back the right environment to live in and due to this challenge, many people having been forced to go for eco friendly products for use in their homes. There are some other ways of ensuring that the products you use are friendly to environment like for example you can provide some environmental solutions to your home which may include having a nice garden in the home compound is an important way of maintaining and protecting the ecosystem.
Eco-friendly products are also available in the shops and other markets which are sold at a favorable price, and some of these products may include some organic sold products like natural soaps and other natural oils like Aloe Vera which have become popular in the market. Before purchasing an environmental friendly product it is of good importance to make a good research on various eco friendly products in the market that can be used to replace other products which are not friendly to the environments. Many people tend to think that purchasing eco friendly products is cheaper as compared to purchasing other chemical products which are hazardous to the environment, but this is not usually the case.
Although there has been some environmental challenges like global warming and climatic changes which are tragedy to the whole world many people can take part and solve this challenge by use of eco-friendly products. The environmental problem faced due to climatic changes should be taken more seriously and reduced by using eco friendly products and practicing a green kind of lifestyle. There are several benefits of using eco friendly products other than minimizing the side effects of the toxics to the environment Use of eco-friendly products is cost-effective to many users because of their simple and little mode of packaging. Use of eco friendly products does not result in various allergic product and therefore are considered to be good for your health. Use of green products also help to create various job opportunities to hence contributing to the country’s economy.
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The main idea of this article is give us knowledge about the technology that A cell phone–based microscope can identify mutations in tumor tissue and image products of DNA sequencing reactions. Researchers have built a microscope that uses the camera on a cell phone to detect fluorescent products of DNA sequencing reactions in cells and tissues, according to a study. The mobile microscope can detect a point mutation in the KRAS gene that occurs in more than 30 percent of colon cancers. The researcher, Mats Nilsson of Stockholm University in Sweden said this study shows that “one can use a very simple imaging device such as the mobile phone to record DNA sequencing reactions,”. The microscope contains two battery-powered lasers for the detection of different fluorophores and a white LED for bright-field imaging. The cell phone’s camera lens and an external lens provide about 2.6× magnification. The 3-D–printed microscopy platform can manipulate sample slides in all three directions. The researchers used sequencing techniques that amplify and fluorescently label copies of a target DNA sequence or transcript—in this case, mutant or wild-type KRAS—in isolated DNA, colon cancer cell lines, and human tumor samples. They then used the cell phone–based microscope to image the resulting sequencing products.
The significance of this device are mutation analysis and DNA sequencing “are fantastic advances that have been brought to clinical sciences,” researcher Aydogan Ozcan of the University of California, Los Angeles, told The Scientist. “But they are restricted to the laboratory scale and obviously not dispersed to resource-poor or resource-limited environments. Sequencing diagnostics are “the gold standard these days in detecting what kind of cancer a patient has, but due to issues with resources and cost they are probably not performed on a day-to-day basis,” Tay added. He said that this mobile microscope could change that by lowering costs. Another advantage of the combination of this microscope and sequencing strategy over other techniques used to analyze mutations is that cells and tissues are intact.
Despite its advantages, the platform does have some limitations. The first one “how feasible these particular techniques are, especially in low resource settings,” Lundin said. Tay said, “Clearly there’s a lot that can be done on the sample preparation side because it still requires a well-trained lab technician to prepare all the samples,”.
One possible extension of this technology is the development of assays for sequences other than the KRAS mutation. “This is a platform that can be scaled up to various different cancers for different types of mutation analysis,” Ozcan told The Scientist.
“I think cancer diagnostics is interesting, but where a very simple reader like this would be extremely useful would be in infectious diagnostics in low-resource settings,” said Nilsson.
Needs improvement: Despite its advantages, the platform does have some limitations. One open question is “how feasible these particular techniques are, especially in low resource settings,” Lundin said. He added that while care providers might use the mobile microscope in many different environments, the availability of additional laboratory equipment could limit the feasibility of the targeted mutation analysis techniques.
“Clearly there’s a lot that can be done on the sample preparation side because it still requires a well-trained lab technician to prepare all the samples,” said Tay.
The authors noted that microfluidics could streamline sample preparation, and Nilsson told The Scientistthat the team is already working toward such a solution.
He added that the platform could also be used for rapid diagnosis during a viral outbreak, no matter where the point of care is. “You could present the analyzed data remotely to the experts, and then that can feed back to the user more or less immediately,” Nilsson said.
The device, developed by researchers at the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA and at Sweden’s Stockholm University and Uppsala University, can image and analyze specific DNA sequences and genetic mutations in tumor cells without having to first extract DNA from them.
Generally, DNA analysis requires sending patients’ cell and tissue samples to well-equipped labs, which in many cases are located far away. Researcher Aydogan Ozcan, UCLA’s Chancellor’s Professor of electrical engineering and bioengineering, and associate director of CNSI said this device will ease that burden and decrease costs.
To use the device, first a technician places a tissue sample in a small container. The mobile phone microscope then records multimode images of the processed sample and subsequently feeds data to an algorithm. This algorithm automatically analyzes the images to read the sequenced DNA bases of the extracted tumor DNA, or to find genetic mutations directly inside the tumor tissue. The device can detect even small amounts of cancer cells among a large group of normal cells.
Ozcan told Photonics Media he and his fellow researchers achieved a new milestone for telemedicine technologies in creating a device that can in fact, image and detect next-generation DNA sequencing reactions.
The lightweight optical attachment used with a standard smartphone camera was created using a 3D printer. It is capable of capturing multicolor fluorescence, bright-field and dark-field images of cells, and tissue samples at the same quality of those created by a traditional light microscope.
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Yo-Yo Ma and Alison Krauss perform The "Wexford Carol."
Alison Maria Krauss is an American bluegrass-country singer and musician. She entered the music industry at an early age, winning local contests by the age of 10 and recording for the first time at 14.
Yo-Yo Ma is a French-born Chinese-American cellist. He was born in Paris and spent his schooling years in New York City and was a child prodigy, performing from the age of four and a half.
The "Wexford Carol" is a traditional religious Irish Christmas carol originating from County Wexford and, specifically, Enniscorthy (whence its other name). It is said to be one of the oldest extant Christmas carols. The song achieved a renewed popularity due to the work of William Grattan Flood (1859-1928), who was organist and musical director at St. Aidan's Cathedral in Enniscorthy. He transcribed the carol from a local singer and had it published in the Oxford Book of Carols, putting Enniscorthy into most carol books around the world.
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What is so interesting about the electric vehicle? Why do we need to know about it?
Electric vehicle is an interesting technology changing the transportation industry by being a substitute to fuels like petrol, Gasoline and diesel.
It is changing the world by focusing on issues faced by current automotive industry and electric vehicles with auto transmission option is much easier to drive than other vehicles in the market.
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To receive voice messages, you need to divert calls you can't answer to your voicemail.
Solution: Divert calls to your voicemail.
Key in **21*+61414121121# and press the call icon.
Key in **61*+61414121121*20# and press the call icon.
Key in **62*+61414121121# and press the call icon.
Key in **67*+61414121121# and press the call icon.
Key in the required number of seconds before the call is diverted, e.g. 20. The number needs to be divisible by 5.
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What are the Benefits of Taking Amino Acid (BCAA) Supplements?
Amino acids are divided into two categories: essential and nonessential amino acids. There are nine essential amino acids that we must get from food. The remaining nonessential amino acids are also important, but if they are not supplied by the food we eat, they can be manufactured by our body. All of the amino acids are vital to good health. In fact, a lack of just one amino acid will, over time, cause serious health problems.
Branched Chain Amino Acids include three of the eight essential amino acids, and they are: leucine, isoleucine, and valine. BCAA accounts for 35–40% of the dietary essential amino acids in body protein and 14–18% of the total amino acids in muscle proteins. BCAA have anabolic effects, and also helps increase protein synthesis in human muscles. I'm sure many will have wondered at some point of what's the point of taking amino acid supplements, since amino acids are building blocks of protein, why not just get your amino acids from your protein? Good question.
At the same time, there are a few studies that have found no additional benefits of taking amino acid supplements over simply using a protein supplement.
There are plenty of amino acid supplements on the market. Amino Vital is a popular and widely used amino supplement. Having used several Amino Vital supplements, I can say that they've helped increase endurance and also sped up recovery times after intense workouts. Their proprietary blend of amino acids include glutamine and the BCAAs leucine, isoleucine, and valine.
An oral essential amino acid-carbohydrate supplement enhances muscle protein anabolism after resistance exercise.
3. J Nutr. 2006 Jan;136(1 Suppl):269S-73S.
4. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2004 Mar;286(3):E321-8. Epub 2003 Oct 28.
Paddon-Jones D, Sheffield-Moore M, Zhang XJ, Volpi E, Wolf SE, Aarsland A, Ferrando AA, Wolfe RR.
Stimulation of muscle anabolism by resistance exercise and ingestion of leucine plus protein.
Tipton KD, Elliott TA, Ferrando AA, Aarsland AA, Wolfe RR.
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Joel T. Schumacher (/ˈʃuːˌmɑːkər/; born August 29, 1939) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer.
Schumacher rose to fame after directing hit films, including: St. Elmo's Fire (1985), The Lost Boys (1987) and Flatliners (1990). He later went on to direct John Grisham adaptations The Client (1994) and A Time to Kill (1996). His films Falling Down (1993) and 8mm (1999) competed for Palme d'Or and Golden Bear, respectively.
In 1993, he signed on to direct the next installments of the Batman film series. Schumacher-directed Batman films Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997) received mixed-to-negative reactions from both critics and the public. After the Batman films, Schumacher pulled back from blockbusters and returned to making minimalist films such as Tigerland (2000) and Phone Booth (2002), both earning positive reviews. He also directed The Phantom of the Opera (2004), The Number 23 (2007), and two episodes of House of Cards.
Known for casting young actors, Schumacher helped actors like Colin Farrell, Kiefer Sutherland, and Matthew McConaughey to launch careers.
Schumacher was born in New York City, the son of Marian (née Kantor) and Francis Schumacher. His mother was a Swedish Jew, whereas his father was a Baptist from Knoxville, Tennessee, who died when Joel was four years old. Schumacher studied at Parsons The New School for Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. After first working in the fashion industry, he realized his true love was in filmmaking. He moved to Los Angeles, where he began his media work as a costume designer in films such as Woody Allen's Sleeper and Interiors and developed his skills with television work while earning an MFA from UCLA.
Schumacher's first screenplay was for the musical drama Sparkle in 1976, which Schumacher had developed with Howard Rosenman before moving to Los Angeles. He also wrote the screenplays for the 1976 low-budget hit movie Car Wash, 1978's The Wiz—an adaptation of the stage play of the same name—and a number of other minor successes. His film directorial debut was The Incredible Shrinking Woman in 1981, which starred Lily Tomlin.
The Brat Pack films St. Elmo's Fire and The Lost Boys were two of Schumacher's biggest hits. Their style impressed audiences and their financial success allowed studios to trust him with ever-larger projects. He states in the director's commentary for St. Elmo's Fire that he resents the "Brat Pack" label, as he feels it misrepresents the group.
Schumacher has directed two adaptations of John Grisham's novels: The Client (1994) and A Time to Kill (1996). Grisham personally requested that Schumacher return to direct A Time to Kill.
Schumacher replaced Tim Burton as the director of the Batman film franchise when he directed Batman Forever in 1995. Val Kilmer replaced Michael Keaton in the title role. Despite a lukewarm critical reception, the film scored the highest-grossing opening weekend of 1995. It finished as the second-highest-grossing film of the year in North America, and sixth-highest worldwide.
After this success, Warner Bros. hired Schumacher to direct a sequel, Batman & Robin, which was released in 1997. The film did not perform as well at the box office as its predecessors, and was a critical failure; it is frequently considered to be one of the worst films ever made. Warner Bros. subsequently put the Batman film series on hiatus for several years, canceling Schumacher's next planned Batman movie, Batman Unchained. On the DVD commentary, Schumacher has admitted that his movie disappointed fans of darker Batman adaptations, saying that the film was made intentionally marketable (or "toyetic") and kid-friendly. He claims to have been under heavy pressure from the studio to do so; however, he admits full responsibility and, at one point, apologizes to any fans who were disappointed. Schumacher is a devoted Batman fan himself, and has said he would have personally preferred an adaptation of the comic Batman: Year One.
Schumacher also served as the director for the music videos of two songs appearing in the franchise: "Kiss from a Rose", by Seal, and "The End Is the Beginning Is the End", by The Smashing Pumpkins, which he co-directed with Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris.
After back-to-back Grisham and Batman films, Schumacher decided to reinvent his career with darker, lower-budget fare like 8mm with Nicolas Cage, and Flawless with Robert De Niro. 8mm was entered into the 49th Berlin International Film Festival.
In 1999, Schumacher also directed the music video for "Letting the Cables Sleep" by English rock band Bush. In 2000, Schumacher directed the Vietnam-era boot camp drama Tigerland, which introduced Hollywood to a young Colin Farrell. Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter praised the film as such: "Tigerland lands squarely in the top tier of best movies about America's Vietnam experience."
Schumacher returned to big-budget Hollywood with Bad Company starring Anthony Hopkins and Chris Rock. The film was originally slated to be released in November 2001, but after the September 11 attacks it was pushed back to the summer of 2002 because of its theme about terrorist attacks in New York City. The film was panned by most critics and was a box office failure. In 2003, he released the controversial Phone Booth, in which he once again worked with Farrell. The film—about an unseen gunman tormenting a publicist—was also delayed for months due to the Beltway sniper attacks. It received generally positive reviews, earning a 71 percent "Fresh" rating on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Buoyed by Farrell's recently found fame, the film earned $98.7 million worldwide.
In 2002, he directed Cate Blanchett in the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced biopic Veronica Guerin. The film is about the eponymous Irish journalist, who was murdered by drug dealers in 1996.
Schumacher directed a film version of the musical The Phantom of the Opera in 2004, an adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's original stage musical. Despite mixed reviews, the film earned $154.6 million worldwide (Schumacher's biggest hit of the 21st century to date) and was nominated for three Academy Awards, as well as three Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
Schumacher directed The Number 23 in 2007, which was a critical flop but a financial success. His next project was the vampire thriller Blood Creek, which was filmed in the spring of 2007 in rural Romania. It took a limited release.
In August 2008, Schumacher directed the music video for American rock band Scars on Broadway, for their single "World Long Gone".
In December 2006, Schumacher was attached to direct the film version of The Minds of Billy Milligan. The projected release date was supposed to be in 2008, but any film based on the book wasn't released and its author Daniel Keyes passed away in 2014.
In October 2011, Schumacher released his latest film, Trespass. The action-thriller reunited Schumacher with stars Nicole Kidman and Nicolas Cage.
He was next slated to direct the film The Hive (retitled The Call for release), but left the project for an undisclosed reason, replaced by Brad Anderson.
Joel Schumacher is friends with David Fincher, and directed two episodes of the first season of House of Cards, which Fincher produced.
Schumacher has been openly gay throughout most of his career. According to Schumacher, this fact has been purposely reflected as a statement in many of his films.
I'm sort of in that school of that quote from Hamlet. 'There's more in heaven and earth, Horatio.' If you live long enough you will definitely get to understand that the universe is a profound mystery and I didn't create it. We're on this mud ball rolling around and I don't know where we are, and nobody knows where we are. I definitely believe that I'm not the highest form of intelligence in the universe. But I don't like to use the word God because it's so overused in the United States—not so much in Europe—but it's become politicized and has this ugly meaning now. Like asking someone if they believe in God has become an attack—like if you don't believe in Jesus you're not one of us! I loathe the use of God or any kind of spirituality as a form of discrimination or separation because that's a total misuse of it.
Schumacher often casts the same actors in different films. Nicole Kidman, Jim Carrey, Michael Paul Chan, Nicolas Cage, John Diehl, Julia Roberts, Kiefer Sutherland, Colin Farrell, and Shea Whigham are among his more frequent acting collaborators.
Harry Gregson-Williams often composes the music for his films and Mark Stevens often serves as editor.
^ "Batman 3". Entertainment Weekly. October 1, 1993. Archived from the original on September 21, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
^ "Phone Booth". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
^ "Colin Farrell Movie Interview". GQ. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
^ "The Strange Story Of How Matthew McConaughey Won His First Lead Actor Role". Cinemablend.com. October 14, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
^ Weinraub, Bernard (March 3, 1993). "With 'Falling Down,' Director Savors A New Success". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. p. 13. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
^ "Joel Schumacher Biography". Yahoo! Movies. AEC One Stop Group, Inc. Baseline. Yahoo! Inc. Archived from the original on 22 May 2011. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
^ Nelson, Michael J. (20 June 2000). Mike Nelson's Movie Megacheese. HarperCollins. p. 304. ISBN 978-0-380-81467-1.
^ "The 50 Worst Movies Ever". Empire. Bauer Consumer Media. 4 February 2010. Archived from the original on 14 May 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
^ Couch, Aaron (14 June 2015). "Before 'Batman Begins': Secret History of the Movies That Almost Got Made". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
^ "Berlinale: 1999 Programme". berlinale.de. 1999. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
^ "Phone Booth". rottentomatoes.com. Fandango. April 4, 2003. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
^ "Scars On Broadway Taps Joel Schumacher For 'World Long Gone' Video Shoot". Blabbermouth.net. 22 August 2008. Archived from the original on August 22, 2008. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
^ Keyes, Daniel (January 2010). "Frequently Asked Questions and Updates". Danielkeyesauthor.com. SpiderHill Design. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
^ "A Crowded Room". Daily Script. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
^ Child, Ben (June 16, 2010). "Nicole Kidman and Nicolas Cage to co-star for first time in Trespass". The Guardian. Guardian News & Media Limited. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
^ Fischer, Russ (4 January 2012). "'The Machinist' Director Brad Anderson Taking Over 'The Hive' From Joel Schumacher". /Film. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
^ "Gay directors bring home the bacon". The Advocate. May 13, 2003. Archived from the original on November 21, 2007. Retrieved July 8, 2007.
^ Papamichael, Stella. "No.26: Joel Schumacher". BBC. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
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Bill Text - AB-2521 Landlord and tenant: personal property remaining on premises after termination of tenancy.
An act to amend Sections 1946, 1946.1, 1950.5, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, and 1990 of the Civil Code, relating to landlord and tenant.
AB 2521, Blumenfield. Landlord and tenant: personal property remaining on premises after termination of tenancy.
Existing law specifies conditions when a written notice of termination of a residential tenancy is required, and specifies when a landlord must provide a written notice to inspect residential property upon termination of a tenancy.
This bill would also require that when these notices are given by the owner, lessor, or landlord, as applicable, that the notice contain an additional specified notice regarding a former tenant’s ability to reclaim personal property left by the tenant vacating the real property.
Existing law provides that where personal property remains on the premises after a tenancy has terminated and the premises have been vacated by the tenant, the landlord shall give written notice to the tenant or any other person the landlord reasonably believes is the owner of the property, as specified. Existing law provides a sample notice that complies with this requirement, and which provides, in part, that the statement “Because this property is believed to be worth less than $300, it may be kept, sold, or destroyed without further notice if you fail to reclaim it within the time indicated above” or an alternative statement be used in the notice.
This bill would modify one of the statements in the notice to read, “Because this property is believed to be worth less than $700, it may be kept, sold, or destroyed without further notice if you fail to reclaim it within the time indicated above.” The bill would also require the notice to provide that if the property is claimed within 2 days of the date the former tenant vacated the premises, that storage costs may be minimized.
Existing law provides that if the property is not released to the former tenant, as specified, it shall be sold at public sale by competitive bidding. Existing law also provides that if the landlord reasonably believes that the total resale value of the property not released is less than $300, the landlord may retain the property for his or her own use or dispose of it in any manner.
This bill instead would provide that the landlord may retain the property for his or her own use or dispose of it in any manner if the landlord reasonably believes that the total resale value of the property not released is less than $700.
Existing law requires that where personal property remains on the premises after a tenancy has terminated and the premises have been vacated by the tenant, the landlord shall give written notice to the tenant and to any other person the landlord reasonably believes to be the owner of the property. Existing law specifies the methods for delivery of the notice.
This bill would additionally authorize the landlord to also send the notice by email if the former tenant provided the landlord with the tenant’s email address.
This bill would incorporate additional changes in Section 1946.1 of the Civil Code proposed by AB 2303, that would become operative only if AB 2303 and this bill are both chaptered and become effective on or before January 1, 2013, and this bill is chaptered last.
This bill would incorporate additional changes in Section 1950.5 of the Civil Code proposed in AB 1679, that would become operative only if AB 1679 and this bill are both chaptered and become effective on or before January 1, 2013, and this bill is chaptered last.
(a) Notwithstanding Section 1946, a hiring of residential real property for a term not specified by the parties, is deemed to be renewed as stated in Section 1945, at the end of the term implied by law unless one of the parties gives written notice to the other of his or her intention to terminate the tenancy, as provided in this section.
(b) An owner of a residential dwelling giving notice pursuant to this section shall give notice at least 60 days prior to the proposed date of termination. A tenant giving notice pursuant to this section shall give notice for a period at least as long as the term of the periodic tenancy prior to the proposed date of termination.
(c) Notwithstanding subdivision (b), an owner of a residential dwelling giving notice pursuant to this section shall give notice at least 30 days prior to the proposed date of termination if any tenant or resident has resided in the dwelling for less than one year.
(1) The dwelling or unit is alienable separate from the title to any other dwelling unit.
(2) The owner has contracted to sell the dwelling or unit to a bona fide purchaser for value, and has established an escrow with a licensed escrow agent, as defined in Sections 17004 and 17200 of the Financial Code, or a licensed real estate broker, as defined in Section 10131 of the Business and Professions Code.
(3) The purchaser is a natural person or persons.
(4) The notice is given no more than 120 days after the escrow has been established.
(5) Notice was not previously given to the tenant pursuant to this section.
(6) The purchaser in good faith intends to reside in the property for at least one full year after the termination of the tenancy.
(e) After an owner has given notice of his or her intention to terminate the tenancy pursuant to this section, a tenant may also give notice of his or her intention to terminate the tenancy pursuant to this section, provided that the tenant’s notice is for a period at least as long as the term of the periodic tenancy and the proposed date of termination occurs before the owner’s proposed date of termination.
(f) The notices required by this section shall be given in the manner prescribed in Section 1162 of the Code of Civil Procedure or by sending a copy by certified or registered mail.
(g) This section may not be construed to affect the authority of a public entity that otherwise exists to regulate or monitor the basis for eviction.
(2) The owner has contracted to sell the dwelling or unit to a bona fide purchaser for value, and has established an escrow with a title insurer or an underwritten title company, as defined in Sections 12340.4 and 12340.5 of the Insurance Code, respectively, a licensed escrow agent, as defined in Sections 17004 and 17200 of the Financial Code, or a licensed real estate broker, as defined in Section 10131 of the Business and Professions Code.
(a) This section applies to security for a rental agreement for residential property that is used as the dwelling of the tenant.
(1) The compensation of a landlord for a tenant’s default in the payment of rent.
(2) The repair of damages to the premises, exclusive of ordinary wear and tear, caused by the tenant or by a guest or licensee of the tenant.
(3) The cleaning of the premises upon termination of the tenancy necessary to return the unit to the same level of cleanliness it was in at the inception of the tenancy. The amendments to this paragraph enacted by the act adding this sentence shall apply only to tenancies for which the tenant’s right to occupy begins after January 1, 2003.
(4) To remedy future defaults by the tenant in any obligation under the rental agreement to restore, replace, or return personal property or appurtenances, exclusive of ordinary wear and tear, if the security deposit is authorized to be applied thereto by the rental agreement.
(c) A landlord may not demand or receive security, however denominated, in an amount or value in excess of an amount equal to two months’ rent, in the case of unfurnished residential property, and an amount equal to three months’ rent, in the case of furnished residential property, in addition to any rent for the first month paid on or before initial occupancy.
This subdivision does not prohibit an advance payment of not less than six months’ rent if the term of the lease is six months or longer.
This subdivision does not preclude a landlord and a tenant from entering into a mutual agreement for the landlord, at the request of the tenant and for a specified fee or charge, to make structural, decorative, furnishing, or other similar alterations, if the alterations are other than cleaning or repairing for which the landlord may charge the previous tenant as provided by subdivision (e).
(d) Any security shall be held by the landlord for the tenant who is party to the lease or agreement. The claim of a tenant to the security shall be prior to the claim of any creditor of the landlord.
(e) The landlord may claim of the security only those amounts as are reasonably necessary for the purposes specified in subdivision (b). The landlord may not assert a claim against the tenant or the security for damages to the premises or any defective conditions that preexisted the tenancy, for ordinary wear and tear or the effects thereof, whether the wear and tear preexisted the tenancy or occurred during the tenancy, or for the cumulative effects of ordinary wear and tear occurring during any one or more tenancies.
(2) Based on the inspection, the landlord shall give the tenant an itemized statement specifying repairs or cleaning that are proposed to be the basis of any deductions from the security the landlord intends to make pursuant to paragraphs (1) to (4), inclusive, of subdivision (b). This statement shall also include the texts of paragraphs (1) to (4), inclusive, of subdivision (b). The statement shall be given to the tenant, if the tenant is present for the inspection, or shall be left inside the premises.
(3) The tenant shall have the opportunity during the period following the initial inspection until termination of the tenancy to remedy identified deficiencies, in a manner consistent with the rights and obligations of the parties under the rental agreement, in order to avoid deductions from the security.
(4) Nothing in this subdivision shall prevent a landlord from using the security for deductions itemized in the statement provided for in paragraph (2) that were not cured by the tenant so long as the deductions are for damages authorized by this section.
(5) Nothing in this subdivision shall prevent a landlord from using the security for any purpose specified in paragraphs (1) to (4), inclusive, of subdivision (b) that occurs between completion of the initial inspection and termination of the tenancy or was not identified during the initial inspection due to the presence of a tenant’s possessions.
(g) (1) No later than 21 calendar days after the tenant has vacated the premises, but not earlier than the time that either the landlord or the tenant provides a notice to terminate the tenancy under Section 1946 or 1946.1, Section 1161 of the Code of Civil Procedure, or not earlier than 60 calendar days prior to the expiration of a fixed-term lease, the landlord shall furnish the tenant, by personal delivery or by first-class mail, postage prepaid, a copy of an itemized statement indicating the basis for, and the amount of, any security received and the disposition of the security and shall return any remaining portion of the security to the tenant.
(A) If the landlord or landlord’s employee did the work, the itemized statement shall reasonably describe the work performed. The itemized statement shall include the time spent and the reasonable hourly rate charged.
(B) If the landlord or landlord’s employee did not do the work, the landlord shall provide the tenant a copy of the bill, invoice, or receipt supplied by the person or entity performing the work. The itemized statement shall provide the tenant with the name, address, and telephone number of the person or entity, if the bill, invoice, or receipt does not include that information.
(C) If a deduction is made for materials or supplies, the landlord shall provide a copy of the bill, invoice, or receipt. If a particular material or supply item is purchased by the landlord on an ongoing basis, the landlord may document the cost of the item by providing a copy of a bill, invoice, receipt, vendor price list, or other vendor document that reasonably documents the cost of the item used in the repair or cleaning of the unit.
(3) If a repair to be done by the landlord or the landlord’s employee cannot reasonably be completed within 21 calendar days after the tenant has vacated the premises, or if the documents from a person or entity providing services, materials, or supplies are not in the landlord’s possession within 21 calendar days after the tenant has vacated the premises, the landlord may deduct the amount of a good faith estimate of the charges that will be incurred and provide that estimate with the itemized statement. If the reason for the estimate is because the documents from a person or entity providing services, materials, or supplies are not in the landlord’s possession, the itemized statement shall include the name, address, and telephone number of the person or entity. Within 14 calendar days of completing the repair or receiving the documentation, the landlord shall complete the requirements in paragraphs (1) and (2) in the manner specified.
(A) The deductions for repairs and cleaning together do not exceed one hundred twenty-five dollars ($125).
(B) The tenant waived the rights specified in paragraphs (2) and (3). The waiver shall only be effective if it is signed by the tenant at the same time or after a notice to terminate a tenancy under Section 1946 or 1946.1 has been given, a notice under Section 1161 of the Code of Civil Procedure has been given, or no earlier than 60 calendar days prior to the expiration of a fixed-term lease. The waiver shall substantially include the text of paragraph (2).
(5) Notwithstanding paragraph (4), the landlord shall comply with paragraphs (2) and (3) when a tenant makes a request for documentation within 14 calendar days after receiving the itemized statement specified in paragraph (1). The landlord shall comply within 14 calendar days after receiving the request from the tenant.
(6) Any mailings to the tenant pursuant to this subdivision shall be sent to the address provided by the tenant. If the tenant does not provide an address, mailings pursuant to this subdivision shall be sent to the unit that has been vacated.
(1) Transfer the portion of the security remaining after any lawful deductions made under subdivision (e) to the landlord’s successor in interest. The landlord shall thereafter notify the tenant by personal delivery or by first-class mail, postage prepaid, of the transfer, of any claims made against the security, of the amount of the security deposited, and of the names of the successors in interest, their address, and their telephone number. If the notice to the tenant is made by personal delivery, the tenant shall acknowledge receipt of the notice and sign his or her name on the landlord’s copy of the notice.
(2) Return the portion of the security remaining after any lawful deductions made under subdivision (e) to the tenant, together with an accounting as provided in subdivision (g).
(1) The security remaining after any lawful deductions are made.
(2) An itemization of any lawful deductions from any security received.
(3) His or her election under paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (h).
This subdivision does not affect the validity of title to the real property transferred in violation of this subdivision.
(j) In the event of noncompliance with subdivision (h), the landlord’s successors in interest shall be jointly and severally liable with the landlord for repayment of the security, or that portion thereof to which the tenant is entitled, when and as provided in subdivisions (e) and (g). A successor in interest of a landlord may not require the tenant to post any security to replace that amount not transferred to the tenant or successors in interest as provided in subdivision (h), unless and until the successor in interest first makes restitution of the initial security as provided in paragraph (2) of subdivision (h) or provides the tenant with an accounting as provided in subdivision (g).
This subdivision does not preclude a successor in interest from recovering from the tenant compensatory damages that are in excess of the security received from the landlord previously paid by the tenant to the landlord.
Notwithstanding this subdivision, if, upon inquiry and reasonable investigation, a landlord’s successor in interest has a good faith belief that the lawfully remaining security deposit is transferred to him or her or returned to the tenant pursuant to subdivision (h), he or she is not liable for damages as provided in subdivision (l), or any security not transferred pursuant to subdivision (h).
(k) Upon receipt of any portion of the security under paragraph (1) of subdivision (h), the landlord’s successors in interest shall have all of the rights and obligations of a landlord holding the security with respect to the security.
(l) The bad faith claim or retention by a landlord or the landlord’s successors in interest of the security or any portion thereof in violation of this section, or the bad faith demand of replacement security in violation of subdivision (j), may subject the landlord or the landlord’s successors in interest to statutory damages of up to twice the amount of the security, in addition to actual damages. The court may award damages for bad faith whenever the facts warrant that award, regardless of whether the injured party has specifically requested relief. In any action under this section, the landlord or the landlord’s successors in interest shall have the burden of proof as to the reasonableness of the amounts claimed or the authority pursuant to this section to demand additional security deposits.
(n) Any action under this section may be maintained in small claims court if the damages claimed, whether actual or statutory or both, are within the jurisdictional amount allowed by Section 116.220 or 116.221 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
(o) Proof of the existence of and the amount of a security deposit may be established by any credible evidence, including, but not limited to, a canceled check, a receipt, a lease indicating the requirement of a deposit as well as the amount, prior consistent statements or actions of the landlord or tenant, or a statement under penalty of perjury that satisfies the credibility requirements set forth in Section 780 of the Evidence Code.
(p) The amendments to this section made during the 1985 portion of the 1985–86 Regular Session of the Legislature that are set forth in subdivision (e) are declaratory of existing law.
(q) The amendments to this section made during the 2003 portion of the 2003–04 Regular Session of the Legislature that are set forth in paragraph (1) of subdivision (f) are declaratory of existing law.
(2) Based on the inspection, the landlord shall give the tenant an itemized statement specifying repairs or cleanings that are proposed to be the basis of any deductions from the security the landlord intends to make pursuant to paragraphs (1) to (4), inclusive, of subdivision (b). This statement shall also include the texts of paragraphs (1) to (4), inclusive, of subdivision (b). The statement shall be given to the tenant, if the tenant is present for the inspection, or shall be left inside the premises.
(g) (1) No later than 21 calendar days after the tenant has vacated the premises, but not earlier than the time that either the landlord or the tenant provides a notice to terminate the tenancy under Section 1946 or 1946.1, Section 1161 of the Code of Civil Procedure, or not earlier than 60 calendar days prior to the expiration of a fixed-term lease, the landlord shall furnish the tenant, by personal delivery or by first-class mail, postage prepaid, a copy of an itemized statement indicating the basis for, and the amount of, any security received and the disposition of the security, and shall return any remaining portion of the security to the tenant. After either the landlord or the tenant provides notice to terminate the tenancy, the landlord and tenant may mutually agree to have the landlord deposit any remaining portion of the security deposit electronically to a bank account or other financial institution designated by the tenant. After either the landlord or the tenant provides notice to terminate the tenancy, the landlord and the tenant may also agree to have the landlord provide a copy of the itemized statement along with the copies required by paragraph (2) to an email account provided by the tenant.
(1) Transfer the portion of the security remaining after any lawful deductions made under subdivision (e) to the landlord’s successor in interest. The landlord shall thereafter notify the tenant by personal delivery or by first-class mail, postage prepaid, of the transfer, of any claims made against the security, of the amount of the security deposited, and of the names of the successors in interest, their addresses, and their telephone numbers. If the notice to the tenant is made by personal delivery, the tenant shall acknowledge receipt of the notice and sign his or her name on the landlord’s copy of the notice.
(a) Where personal property remains on the premises after a tenancy has terminated and the premises have been vacated by the tenant, the landlord shall give written notice to the tenant and to any other person the landlord reasonably believes to be the owner of the property. If the property consists of records, the tenant shall be presumed to be the owner of the records for the purposes of this chapter.
(b) The notice shall describe the property in a manner reasonably adequate to permit the owner of the property to identify it. The notice may describe all or a portion of the property, but the limitation of liability provided by Section 1989 does not protect the landlord from any liability arising from the disposition of property not described in the notice except that a trunk, valise, box, or other container which is locked, fastened, or tied in a manner which deters immediate access to its contents may be described as such without describing its contents. The notice shall advise the person to be notified that reasonable costs of storage may be charged before the property is returned, where the property may be claimed, and the date before which the claim must be made. The date specified in the notice shall be a date not less than 15 days after the notice is personally delivered or, if mailed, not less than 18 days after the notice is deposited in the mail.
(c) The notice shall be personally delivered to the person to be notified or sent by first-class mail, postage prepaid, to the person to be notified at his or her last known address and, if there is reason to believe that the notice sent to that address will not be received by that person, also to any other address known to the landlord where the person may reasonably be expected to receive the notice. If the notice is sent by mail to the former tenant, one copy shall be sent to the premises vacated by the tenant. If the former tenant provided the landlord with the tenant’s email address, the landlord may also send the notice by email.
_____ (Address where property may be claimed) _____ .
If you claim this property by ____ (insert date not less than 2 days after the former tenant vacated the premises), you may minimize the costs of storage.
If you fail to claim this property by ____ (insert date not less than 2 days after the former tenant vacated the premises), unless you pay the landlord’s reasonable cost of storage for all the above-described property, and take possession of the property which you claim, not later than _______ (insert date not less than 15 days after notice is personally delivered or, if mailed, not less than 18 days after notice is deposited in the mail) this property may be disposed of pursuant to Civil Code Section 1988.
(address where property may be claimed).
If you fail to claim this property by ____ (insert date not less than 2 days after the former tenant vacated the premises), unless you pay the landlord’s reasonable cost of storage and take possession of the property to which you are entitled not later than ___________________ (insert date not less than 15 days after notice is personally delivered or, if mailed, not less than 18 days after notice is deposited in the mail) this property may be disposed of pursuant to Civil Code Section 1988.
(a) The personal property described in the notice shall be released by the landlord to the former tenant or, at the landlord’s option, to any person reasonably believed by the landlord to be its owner if that tenant or other person pays the reasonable cost of storage and takes possession of the property not later than the date specified in the notice for taking possession.
(b) Where personal property is not released pursuant to subdivision (a) and the notice stated that the personal property would be sold at a public sale, the landlord shall release the personal property to the former tenant if he or she claims it prior to the time it is sold and pays the reasonable cost of storage, advertising, and sale incurred prior to the time the property is withdrawn from sale.
(c) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), the landlord shall release the personal property described in the notice to the former tenant and shall not require the former tenant to pay the cost of storage if the property remained in the dwelling and the former tenant or other person reasonably believed by the landlord to be its owner reclaims the property within two days of vacating the dwelling.
(a) If the personal property described in the notice is not released pursuant to Section 1987, it shall be sold at public sale by competitive bidding. However, if the landlord reasonably believes that the total resale value of the property not released is less than seven hundred dollars ($700), the landlord may retain the property for his or her own use or dispose of it in any manner. Nothing in this section shall be construed to preclude the landlord or tenant from bidding on the property at the public sale.
(b) Notice of the time and place of the public sale shall be given by publication pursuant to Section 6066 of the Government Code in a newspaper of general circulation published in the county where the sale is to be held. The last publication shall be not less than five days before the sale is to be held. The notice of the sale shall not be published before the last of the dates specified for taking possession of the property in any notice given pursuant to Section 1983. The notice of the sale shall describe the property to be sold in a manner reasonably adequate to permit the owner of the property to identify it. The notice may describe all or a portion of the property, but the limitation of liability provided by Section 1989 does not protect the landlord from any liability arising from the disposition of property not described in the notice, except that a trunk, valise, box, or other container which is locked, fastened, or tied in a manner which deters immediate access to its contents may be described as such without describing its contents.
(c) After deduction of the costs of storage, advertising, and sale, any balance of the proceeds of the sale which is not claimed by the former tenant or an owner other than such tenant shall be paid into the treasury of the county in which the sale took place not later than 30 days after the date of sale. The former tenant or other owner may claim the balance within one year from the date of payment to the county by making application to the county treasurer or other official designated by the county. If the county pays the balance or any part thereof to a claimant, neither the county nor any officer or employee thereof is liable to any other claimant as to the amount paid.
(1) Where a former tenant claims property pursuant to Section 1987, he or she may be required to pay the reasonable costs of storage for all the personal property remaining on the premises at the termination of the tenancy which are unpaid at the time the claim is made.
(2) Where an owner other than the former tenant claims property pursuant to Section 1987, he or she may be required to pay the reasonable costs of storage for only the property in which he or she claims an interest.
(b) In determining the costs to be assessed under subdivision (a), the landlord shall not charge more than one person for the same costs.
(c) If the landlord stores the personal property on the premises, the cost of storage shall be the fair rental value of the space reasonably required for that storage for the term of the storage. Costs shall not be assessed if the former tenant reclaims property stored on the premises within two days of having vacated the premises.
Section 2.5 of this bill incorporates amendments to Section 1946.1 of the Civil Code proposed by both this bill and Assembly Bill 2303. It shall only become operative if (1) both bills are enacted and become effective on or before January 1, 2013, (2) each bill amends Section 1946.1 of the Civil Code, and (3) this bill is enacted after Assembly Bill 2303, in which case Section 2 of this bill shall not become operative.
Section 3.5 of this bill incorporates amendments to Section 1950.5 of the Civil Code proposed by both this bill and Assembly Bill 1679. It shall only become operative if (1) both bills are enacted and become effective on or before January 1, 2013, (2) each bill amends Section 1950.5 of the Civil Code, and (3) this bill is enacted after Assembly Bill 1679, in which case Section 3 of this bill shall not become operative.
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MelanieDuque is turned on by EVERYTHING turns me on., and gets turned off by People who rush me too much.
MelanieDuque in their own words: Let me be your fantasy while I drive your crazy.
twenties years old MelanieDuque's height is Short, and weight is 130-140, with Long and lean build.
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As we are approaching the holidays, it is important to remember self-care. The holidays are a busy and exciting time of the year but it can be very overwhelming and stressful. Here are a few tips to help you enjoy your holidays.
1. Think about what you would like to have happen over the holidays before they occur and then you can set the appropriate boundaries with family members. For instance, think about whether you want to host this year or not. It is okay if you don’t. It is helpful to have those conversations now before the stress of the holidays begins.
2. Take time to yourself. Even with guests at your house, it is okay to take a walk or go to the store alone.
3. While the holidays can be a joyous time of year, it can also bring up emotions such as sadness or anger. It is good to honor your emotions and find healthy support to help you work through your emotions. And while it can be easier to rely on food or alcohol around the holidays, these unhealthy methods for coping will only make you feel worst. Try exercising or spending time doing something you enjoy such as reading or journaling.
4. Most importantly, be kind to yourself. Go easy on yourself during this stressful time. You will not be able to make everyone happy or accomplish all that you want.
Becoming a parent can be an extremely stressful time in a person’s life. Here are some helpful tips on preparing yourself for parenthood and coping with the stressors associated with having a child.
Seek Support: There is pressure in our society to appear as though you have it all together. However, this pressure may lead you to become overwhelmed emotionally and to feel isolated. It is okay and normal to acknowledge you don’t have it together…none of us truly have it all together after becoming a parent. It is a messy and challenging time. Please reach out to those around you that are supportive and caring. If you have a lack of social or family support, it can be helpful to seek professional help from a therapist or join a support group for parents.
Find time for yourself: While it can be tricky to find time for yourself, it is incredibly important!. This could be having your partner watch the baby for 30 minutes so you can take a bath, drive in the car by yourself, read a book or watch a 30-minute show. While it may seem fun to go shopping or get a manicure, these situations may cause you to become more stressed.
Accept all the emotions that accompany parenthood: While you may feel happiness following the birth of your child, you may also experience frustration, crying, or sadness. It is normal to experience a range of emotions during this time and it is important to not fight these emotions. For instance, you can imagine your emotions as waves in the ocean. Rise up and down with your emotions and try not to fight them. And make sure to consult with a professional if you feel concerned that you may be experiencing a postpartum mood or anxiety disorder.
Be realistic with yourself: There are many people that may want to visit with the baby following the birth of your child or you may have things you want to do around the house or in the community. However, having a length to-do list or feeling as though you need to appease others may lead you to become overwhelmed and exhausted. Please be mindful to how you are feeling and set realistic goals. Take things slow following the birth of your child and give yourself time to adjust. There will be plenty of time I the future to visit with family and friends or clean the house.
Thanks for visiting Aspen Hills Psychology! On my blog page you will find articles that I find relevant to my practice that I hope you enjoy.
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Is it even possible to get "ripped" doing paleo?
I've been eating paleo for at least three years and I've done very well. My weight is down from 221 to 170 and I look and feel great. I'm 45 years old and 5'10". I don't eat grains, I don't eat casein containing dairy, and I don't eat mammals. So I eat basically lots of fish, chicken, turkey, eggs, butter, heavy cream, green leafy veggies, and the occasional apple, lemon, orange, or lime, etc. I do like to have a DietRite and Whisky or a glass of wine or two with dinner. I eat one big meal per day (IF) generally 1500-2000 calories and I commute by bicycle 30 miles a day. Pushups and pullups to failure 2-3 times per week.
So I've gotten to the point where I don't know how to achieve my goal of being "cut" or "ripped". I feel like I'm doing everything "right". Taubes says calories don't count so theoretically it does no good to reduce calories. At what point does the body say "you're lean enough" and quit losing? It seems like my body likes to be at 170 which is about 10 lbs heavier than my goal of 160. Anyone know what to do at this point? Thanks!
@Rick - This place looks like magic to me. How'da they do that George?? Holy Crap! Get Ripped: http://www.leangains.com/. I'm pretty sure it's Paleo as I found it through a posting on PaleoHacks.
Chicago has some of the worst, most aggressive drivers ever. It's so true. Safe riding to you!
@Rick if paleo or a high-fat diet were so metabolically advantageous, then would even need to ask this question?
Lots of great ideas to try here, thanks everybody. I've decided to get out my old motor scooter and scoot to work for a month or so. Diet will still be much the same but I'll add a sweet potato here and there. I'll hit the gym 2-3 times a week with a more comprehensive bodyweight routine than just pushups and pullups. And I've set my bedtime for no later than 10:00pm. Hopefully this new plan will cut my food cravings and I'll get to my desired goal. I think being cut is not a natural state so I can't rely on natural methods to achieve it. Thanks again!
Men's Fitness.... I say f**k the culturalisations of what men are supposed to look like.
Look at Mark Sissons 'carbohydrate curve. 300g per day from carbs is far far to high. Aim for around 75-100g carbs, and eat more good fats such olive oil, avocado, nuts & seeds etc Just a side note when talking about carbohydrate grams its not total weight. Its the actual carb content on food...use fitday website (its free) to input some random veggies and look at their carb content.
People want to be told "it's not your fault", that's what GCBC/Taubes does. Well sorry but it is your fault; what and how much you eat is your choice.
@tartare BTW, completely unrelated to the original question but I had to upvote you. I cycle in Chicago quite often and get annoyed almost as much by people trying to kill me. Recently had a guy in a Toyota Solara b*tch me out for being in the left lane (when I was going to be turning left) saying that he was an F**king lawyer and knows the f**king law, I should've been in the right lane!
Right it's hard to admit. A hard reality to face, that places responsibility on oneself for their actions.
Excellent last paragraph there. It's odd sometimes how so many people new to paleo, having just read GCBC, etc just will never admit that cutting calories indeed ALSO works and can complement a good paleo way of eating if one's goals are leaning weight.
yeah. but the thing with most bikes is, you can coast, and then you're just sitting (unless its a fixed gear) and once you build momentum, it can be pretty darn easy, so its certainly no comparison with say an hour and a half of running or even walking for that matter. And he is breaking it up into 2 events of 15 miles each.
Yeah! It's like getting a whole bunch of points at once. Passing lines of stationary SUVs filled with angry people on their cell phones - now that's some fun. I understand that being ripped is cool, and cycling may stall that, but the slugs I pass in traffic...you should feel proud, man.
Again, you are failing to consider where the person asking the question is coming from. He is 5'10", bicycling 30 miles every day, and eats less than 2000kcal! And @hermanvt, you tell him to exercise more and eat less based on where his is now? I'm not talking about hypothetical problems, I'm talking about this particular person's situation as he stated it and what I think he should do now, which does include eating more and exercising less than he has been. This is the last comment on this question from me, I hope Rick finds his way, that's what counts.
300 gram carbs? It only works, when you're on low Fat, right?
that's why cycling in snowstorms is the best (though sadly, i missed that last one), cause everyone's indoors, there are hardly any cars out on the road, and the ones that are out are finally paying attention and driving the speed limit. And it's super fun! Yeah I finally got to the point where I had to employ conscious techniques to not get so angry because i was concerned it was starting to make me a cynical person. Fight and flight exactly!
Ain't it the truth. By the time I get home I'm ready to kill just about anyone. My wife knows to give me 15-30 minutes just to get back into a civilized mode when I get home. It's definitely fight or flight and usually both!
Eating more and exercising less may get you over a sticking point, but at some point you will have to restrict calories again to get ripped. Again...we are talking about getting ripped not losing weight. Maybe we need to define ripped.
@Rick: You have around 155lbs of lean body tissue (ie nonfat) at 5'10". Aim to be the same ~8-9% bf but at 180-190lbs. if you want a ripped physique.
@hermanvt: No insults intended, just stated my opinion, sorry if you took it the wrong way, but that is your problem not mine. And you said your suggestions were coming from the perspective of bodybuilder already having decent muscle mass, but that is not the case here if you read his question, so I still stand by your answer as off-base. Lastly, strength absolutely translates into muscle mass, but bodybuilders optimize for hypertrophy which may be why you were confused.
Sure, but he is not a running marathons or an endurance athlete or a competitive cyclist. He is just riding a bike to work each day.
Thanks Hemanvt. I come from a background of many decades of weightlifting so I get where you're coming from and I see that you appreciate the nuances of the question. I wasn't sure if I had conveyed that. I will definitely try the carb/caloric cycling and maybe try taking the subway for a month to see what happens. So this may be just what I need to get me near 160. Bodyfat right now is 8-9% according to my Tanita scale. It's OK, but but I feel like I can get down to 6-7%.
Some good advice here, thanks! I commute by bike for financial reasons. But I don't see why I couldn't try taking the subway for three weeks in June and then have my vacation week after that. That should lower my cortisol for sure and at least show me if it's the riding that's doing it.
Good question, I ride the bike to work because parking in the city costs $300 a month, plus the cost of gas! Mark is one of the few folks I've seen that is paleo and that cut so I wonder if it's his genetic setpoint to be so lean?
@Matthew, no it is not. Ask any former endurance athlete turned 'power' athlete how they got 'ripped' and they'll all say they exercised less/ate more. It is relative to what you have been doing and your body's current state.
push ups work the arms and core where bench press works the chest. there are hundreds of different variations to do pushups without needing excess weights.
haig...I also suggested cycling calories, but I guess you chose to focus only on the suggestion you could insult. Also, I was speaking from a bodybuilding perspective, which I mentioned, so those suggestion are based on someone already having decent muscle mass. Also, asking him how much he benches, deadlifts, and sqauts is not going to get him lean...strength does not equal muscle mass nor leanness.
haig...I also suggested cycling calories, but I guess you chose to focus only on the suggestion you could insult. Also, I was speaking from a bodybuilding perspective, which I mentioned, so those suggestion are based on someone already having decent muscle mass.
haig...I also suggested cycling calories, but I guess you chose to focus only on the suggestion you could insult.
What is your current bf% and how much can you squat/bench/deadlift?
exactly, over calorie PWO, restrict on off days. heavy carbs PWO also, high fat, low carb on off days.
More exercise and less calories?! He's eating less than 2000kcal daily and bicycling 30 miles! Sorry, but this is horrible advice. See my answer.
I bet the farm Mark always looked ripped even before he took on this lifestyle. He was an elite athlete for one thing. He is genetically gifted as they say.
I don't mean to bash Mark Sisson (or you) - but know that he was a SAD athlete long before he started living/eating primally. So I don't think he can claim primal as the cause of his physique.
excellent reply. I have come around to a way of eating/living/lifting that uses a lot of classic bodybuilding tools. I am not a bodybuilder, rather just an amateur powerlifter, but the tools that bodybuilders have established and proved for years and years are a great tool in our arsenal I believe. I don't recommend getting down to those super small bodyfat levels BUT if one desires that than protocols like hemanvt refers to will indeed work. Proof is in the pudding. Don't trust armchair coaches, listen to people that do it, have done it, know what works and does not.
very similar here although i do eat "mammals"(little beef but bison, elk, wild board and venison are delicious, raw.) and don't drink any alcohol. thanks for posting. i can tell you that adding some dumbbell routines for arms/shoulders/back has helped in the "ripped" dept. i hate doing abs though... why no casein dairy?
I think this is an interesting question because as a former bodybuilder the only way I knew to get sub %5 BF was caloric restriction and expenditure (calories in/calories out). However, I don't think I could or would want to maintain that level of leanness for a long period of time because i just don't think most people are meant to or even can run effectively without a certain amount of BF to protect the organs, joints, etc. Of course, there are some who are genetically "gifted" and run at very low BF levels very effectively but I think that is a very very small portion of the population.
Now back to your original question....I think Taubes is correct to a point. But I think you have hit that point! Your body obviously needs an extra "push" to lose additional BF or get ripped. The only push I know is either more exercise or less calories or even both.
Another suggestion, and something I tried when I was bodybuilding, was carb/caloric cycling. Essentially do a cycle of something like 3 days of restricted carb/calorie followed by a one day of excess carb/calories. Restricted and excess meaning lower or high than your "BMR."
Other than those two suggestions, I don't see how you can get to a "ripped" form unless you are genetically gifted. Of course there are different definitions of ripped, but that is another discussion.
Depends on your definition of paleo. If you aren't genetically predisposed to being lean in the first place, I would say no. Let me ask you this, how many people on a paleo diet would have been lean with or without it, and comparatively how many people are not at their ideal weight on a paleo diet? The ones who are satisfied with themselves are typically within a "normal" body fat range, and don't have a goal of being ripped. And most fat (long chain triglycerides) is, no surprise, easily stored as bodyfat compared to protein (read about ASP).
IF is bad, bad, bad. Where do you think the excess of those 1500-2000 kcals go within 2-6 hrs of digestion? Are they magically carried into the next 18 hrs. of the day? Oh right they are, as stored fat. Get rid of fruit, fructose is no good for you. Change your diet to high animal proteins, low fat, and go for simplicity in your diet instead of complexity.
To get ripped, you need to apply some common sense instead of relying on blind faith. And you simply need to EAT LESS, that's what I had to do anyway. Not more exercise. Reduce you calories by about 400 kcal / day and tell me you don't lose fat. I know it must be huge mental barrier to get over, but you just need to do it.
(1) Your workout regimen is pretty sparse. Try adding an Olympic lifting regimen that shoots for strength gains. No, it's not going to be a bodybuilding regimen that aims for hypertrophy only, but with strength gains come mass gains because strength is a function of the cross-sectional area of a muscle. I'd recommend Starting Strength (a book by Mark Rippetoe), StrongLifts, or some 5x5 protocol. The functional benefits of a strength program far outweigh the slightly quicker aesthetic benefits of a bodybuilding program, at least in my opinion. Adding muscle will also affect several factors that will help in either keeping weight off or losing more fat: increased testosterone synthesis, increased basal metabolic rate, increased insulin sensitivity, etc.
(2) Taubes is right in that calories aren't as important as the strict, classic energy balance theory makes them out to be, at least insofar as the essential effects of hormones are ignored in that flawed assumption, but know that calories ARE still important. If you eat 500 calories a day of only carbs, you'll lose some weight. If you eat 7,000 calories a day of only fats, you'll gain some weight. These are extremes, but it shows the limits of Taubes' framework. You can leverage the extremes, though, to your benefit. You can eat for more fatty calories than sugary calories before gaining fat, and gross caloric intake, irrespective of its source, is essential for muscle building. This means that if you were to start a strength-training program, you could (and would need to in order to see quick gains) eat ~3000 calories of fatty food with plenty of protein (~1.5g/lb body weight) and gain mostly muscle, only minimal fat. I see that you do IF... check out leangains.com for a ridiculously successful approach to keeping lean while gaining strength and muscle mass that incorporates IF and is compatible with a Paleo diet.
(3) Cortisol decreases insulin sensitivity which makes it harder for fat cells to let go of stored fats. Your daily bike ride is a cortisol machine. Cardio releases plenty of cortisol if done for long enough in a given session, and the problem gets worse if the cardio is chronic, as it is in your case. Maybe reduce the number of bike rides if possible and replace them with a long walk, rest, or some interval sprints.
(4) The heavy cream may be doing you no favors. Though it certainly has a lower casein and lactose content than milk, both chemicals are present in heavy cream, and both lead to an insulin response that could hamper your fat loss.
(5) How occasional is the fruit, and what fruit is it? If it's citrus, toss it; too sugary. If it's not citrus or berries, keep it down to only a couple of times a week. If it's berries, maybe do a handful every other day or so.
I would say calories do indeed count, not that hormones and activity level do not. Realize and focus on your goal. If it really is leaning down to your desired 160 then realize its more important than your whisky, wine, 30 mile/day bike rides, etc.
I would advise eat at least twice per day, maybe three times.
Start lifting very heavy weight 2-3 times per week for low reps.
Sleep at least eight hours per night, nine or ten if you can.
Ditch any liquid calories (wine and whisky included).
Eat carbs in the 200-300 grams/day range.
Eat protein at 1 gram per pound of body weight.
Eat fat for the remainder of the calories you desire (perhaps 2000 per day would be a good starting point.).
Eating what you're "supposed" to eat (i.e., paleo) means you'll look like you're genetically "supposed" to look. Most of us are not predisposed to be ripped. Lean, yes, but not cut like a model on the cover of Men's Fitness.
Certainly you can make it happen if you want to, but if it's a step away from your default state you will have to actually take that step to get there.
I would disagree with most everything here and simply state that you should keep doing what you're doing with some slight modifications. 30 miles is a good distance, but if you're not heavily exerting yourself for extended periods of time, then your muscles will be burning fat the entire time. Your conditioning is probably such that most of us would be exerting ourselves quite a bit and relying on glycogen but you don't. Just keep it slow and steady. Having that substantial quantity of "built-in" activity will be a huge benefit for you.
As for your workout, pullups and pushups are excellent compound exercises. I would keep doing them 3x a week, but I would do 4 sets of each every workout. I'd set it up with MWF 4 sets of pullups; TThS 4 sets of pushups. (Every set to failure). This won't be overtraining. I'm all for setting up workouts that aren't just effective, but are actually sustainable. Having the perfect workout that you get totally sick of after 2 weeks is worthless. You already do these exercises and like them, so just keep doing it. You hit most upper body muscles with them and obviously your legs are getting a great workout already so don't bother hitting them.
As for the diet, I would simply increase total meat consumption per day and decrease total fat consumption.
I would pitch the catabolic IF and just eat 3 big meals of mostly meat and tubers per day.
I'm only now getting back to where I was bodyfat-wise before I adopted a high-fat diet. When I get to a point where I want to stop losing fat, I'm just going to add fat back in until things stabilize.
As for Taubes, if you want to look like him, do what he does. If you want to be "ripped" like a bodybuilder, do what they do.
If your city is anything like mine, public transit can accommodate bikes. To cut down on the chronic commuter-cardio I sometimes bike one way and transit back, or drive to the outskirts with the bike on the rack, park in a public space, and beat the traffic downtown. I get the damage biking can do, but I get a huge amount of enjoyment dodging cars. Life-and-death adventure is kind of paleo isn't it...?
You'll probably have to vary your routine a little if it's been the same for a while. Your body is completely adapted to what you're doing. You're eating maintenance amounts of food. 30 miles a day is a good amount of cardio. That much cardio could be impeding muscle building. Your body is holding onto what fat it has left b/c it's in preservation mode. Try bumping up the carbs with some squashes or sweet potato a couple days a week. I know it seems counterintuitive, but it the body thinks it has different fuel to burn it won't be so stubborn to release the fat that it's holding on to.
Try adding some heavy lifting into your routine as well. It will active different energy systems. Even if it's just one day per week.
Have you seen pictures of Mark Sisson at http://www.marksdailyapple.com/ ? It is quite possible. Do you commute 30 miles via bike out of necessity or for your health? You might think about switching to more high intensity, shorter duration workouts. That 150 or so miles a week on the bike just might be causing your body to hold on too some of the fat.
-CORTISOL modern life (artificial life, chronic stress, unnatural sleep patterns, alcohol consumptions, etc.) can send more of a chronic type stress signal that will disregulate cortisol (making it high when it shouldn't be or most of the time). One of the most important factors in allowing the body to use its stored fat as fuel is proper cortisol regulation. Get a long nights sleep in a very dark room, sun exposure during the day, keep stress low, and exercise intensity variable, etc.
-EXERCISE Should vary in intensity, but 30 miles of biking a day could be considered chronic cardio, and may actually make the body run preferentially on glucose (whether by food or gluconeogenesis) and not fat. Strength training and short intense sprint or max effort workouts may be favorable for fat loss.
-Limit alcohol to 1-2 drinks per week for this short period until your goal is met, then see how you do adding more back in.
-Add 2-3 heavy weightlifting sessions per week focusing on big compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, bench press, etc. ALWAYS get a good amount of protein (40-60g) and starchy carbs, NOT FRUIT, within one hour post workout to keep cortisol at bay, encourage muscle gains.
-Be sure you are sleeping 8-10 hours per night in a DARK room. This is very important when losing that last few pounds and keeping hormonal signals in balance.
yeah, i did it. i started out skinny so i didn't have all the fat too lose, but once i started working out and eating paleo style it was pretty fast from there to being "ripped". i did it strictly with bodyweight exercises and sprinting, and long walks. the key is low body fat for abs and such. I acheived a six pack with only a few exercises, planks, planche progressions (I am currently able to hold a tuck planche for about a minute) and pushups (making sure to keep entire body stiff during sets). I never had abs, was always skinny with no muscle, and was shocked at how fast I had visible abs from planks, planche stuff and pushups. shocked. i read up everything i could find about bodyweight and isometrics and found some really good things to put into practice. Now it's much easier to see how food affects my body, as in if i eat a bunch of pizza one day the next few days I can see the change in my body comp, and likewise if I have a particularly good stint of eating and training. I'm not huge by any means but when i started out Bruce Lee was my main inspiration and the more I train and eat right the more possible it seems to achieve a level of rippedness that I deem acceptable in light of masters like Lee.
Being 'ripped' does not just mean low bf%, it means low bf with a descent amount of muscle mass. Marathon runners have very low bf% but I doubt anyone one would consider them ripped. You may be doing 'paleo' and so have insulin and food toxins managed, but that's only half the story. It sounds like you are just skinny (or maybe even skinny fat) and are probably dealing with cortisol and leptin issues.
Ditch the bicycle (maybe do it 1-2x a week on non-workout days) and start using public transportation/carpool/driving to work.
Start lifting weights 2-3x a week, heavy, using compound exercises like stronglifts.com. Track your numbers and always aim at increasing the amount you can lift weekly.
You can stay eating the way you are on non-workout days, but on the days when you lift weights you should eat around 1000 calories more, which would be ~3000kcal, consisting mainly of tubers and lean protein. Break it up into 2 meals instead of 1 large one those days to manage consuming those calories more easily.
Make those adjustments and you should definitely see improvements in body composition towards a 'ripped' physique.
ben61820 has is right. You need to cut the chronic cardio and start lifting heavy weights. 30 miles a day riding is somewhere between 1 1/2 and 2 hours on the bike. That's too much time in the oxidative pathway. Your body is going to try its best to NOT put on more muscle in that situation because then it has to feed that muscle during your long rides.
crossfit-like high intensity stuff (7-10 minutes) 2-3 times a week.
lift heavy weights (5x5, 3x3, 1x1 at 85-100% max) about 2-3 times a week.
indoor rock climb for recreation (i.e., not going there for my workout) 1-2 times a week.
eat about 5000 calories a day, at least 3000 from fat.
another vote for hi-intensity weight lifting doing major compound exercises a couple times per week. And your chin-ups/pull-ups--add weight (I hang plates from a rachet tiedown around my waist and clamp them between my knees, very crude but efective), your upper body will start getting ripped. I think push-ups do more than benching so i switch off, so on push-up day I have my son set plates on my upper back, do my set, and then he takes them back off. again, very crude, but whatever.
Um its pretty easy. Build more muscle and keep the same bodyfat. You need to hitthe weight more and the cardio less. I do no cardio and am ripped.
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I would like a website created. It has to be an original sophisticated design, it will allow me to control the website completely from a backend, by adding and remove products, modifying prices, manage user accounts, pay online. It will basically be a fully interactive online store. I will need to be able to extract information from the database such as email address. I will also need to be able to run reports and gather statistics.
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You write that the rise of ISIS in Iraq was not inevitable but a function of failed policies on the part of the Obama administration, especially in 2010. What could we have done differently?
The biggest mistake of the Obama administration was not upholding the right of Iraqiyya, the winning bloc in the 2010 elections, to have a first go at trying to form the government. I do not think that Ayad Allawi, the leader of Iraqiyya, would have been able to form a government with himself as Prime Minister, however I do think that if the US had upheld the process it could have led to Allawi agreeing to share power with Maliki or his agreeing to a third candidate such as Adel Abdul Mehdi of the Supreme Council.
Instead, the US insisted on keeping the incumbent, Maliki, in power, believing that this was the easiest and quickest route to forming the government and that he would allow a follow-on security agreement to keep US troops in Iraq after 2011. But Maliki was deeply unpopular among the elites. Despite US pressure on Iraqiyya they were not willing to agree to Maliki remaining as Prime Minister. In the end, Iran succeeded in pressuring the Sadrists to agree to a second Maliki term, contingent upon no new agreement to keep US troops in country.
The consequences of this policy mistake have been devastating. The opportunity was missed to broker an agreement among the elites, the nascent democratic system was undermined, and an opening was provided for Iran to greatly increase its influence leading to the narrative in the region that the US had ‘lost’ Iraq to Iran.
During his second term, Maliki pursued sectarian policies, pushing Sunni leaders out of the political process, reneging on promises to tribal leaders who had fought against al-Qaeda, and subverting institutions including the security forces. This led to widespread Sunni alienation and created the environment for the rise of ISIS.
How would you grade the new government of Haider Abadi?
Abadi seems to have the will to bring about reforms, but he does not have the capacity. Non-state actors in Iraq today are stronger than the state. Little progress has been made in reconciliation with Sunnis. Abdi is hampered by Shia militias who are fearful that if weapons are given to the Sunnis to fight against the Islamic State, they will use them against the Shia. Iran remains the dominant power propping up the Iraqi government and this makes reconciliation harder.
In a fit of déjà vu, Frederick Kagan and Jack Keane are devising a new surge strategy, much like the one they conjured up in 2007. Is this the right approach?
ISIS can only be defeated by the Sunnis in Iraq. And they will only turn against ISIS when they see it cannot win, that there are better alternatives, and that they are supported by the Iraqi government and the US. But so far, there is little progress in persuading and enabling Sunnis to fight ISIS.
It seems we spent the better part of a decade training Iraqi forces, yet they scrambled at the first sight of an estimated 200 ISIS rebels in Ramadi?
The Iraqi security forces had quickly disintegrated in June 2014 in Mosul as the Islamic State advanced. Although they far outnumbered the Islamic State and had been better equipped, they were poorly led—there was no official chain of command through the Ministry of Defense. Instead, Maliki gave instructions by phone call and text. Maliki had replaced competent officers—who had worked closely with the US military—with people loyal to himself. Corruption was rife. Some had taken the funds meant to buy food for their soldiers. None gave orders to their forces to fight.
With politics in Iraq so contested, it is impossible to build up an effective national army. As we have seen, you can give the Iraqi army lots of equipment and training but the psychology and morale of the force—and its willingness to fight—is deeply affected by the lack of a political agreement on what the nation should be.
We are where we are. What do you think should be the policy of the US government?
Obama needs to bring together Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia to hammer out an agreement on how to deal with ISIS and what a post-ISIS Iraq should look like. They need to cajole Iraqi elites into accepting an agreement which sees confederation with Kurdistan, power decentralized in the rest of the country down to the provincial level, and Sunnis recruited on a provincial level to fight against ISIS.
You mentioned Iran. What role should Iranian-backed Shiite militias play in the fight against ISIS?
Shia militias can help protect Baghdad and Shia population centers in order to contain ISIS and prevent it from taking more territory.
The US strategy since the Arab Spring has seemed to be back to one of propping up strongmen like Sisi and Assad (to some extent), and democracy would seem to be on the retreat. Is that an accurate portrayal of regional dimensions?
There is a danger that the only options are viewed in terms of Assad or ISIS; strongman or anarchy. Those are very bad choices, and we have an interest in ensuring those are not the only choices. The massive population displacement and radicalization of young Muslims affects Europe greatly. The majority of people in the Middle East—like people everywhere in the world—want to live in peace with dignity.
How do you foresee the US-Iranian rapprochement, if one can call it that, influencing the regional balance of power?
The US should treat Iran skeptically, but constructively, and convince the Arab states that the US is still their ally. While we might hope that a nuclear deal will lead to Iran becoming a responsible partner in stabilizing the Middle East, there is the risk that with the lifting of sanctions Iran will use its improved economy to further project its power.
The region does not generate its own stability nor resolve its own conflicts. Stability in the region requires a better balance of power, and regional security architecture, which can only be procured by the US guaranteeing ‘balance’.
Are there any conditions you can foresee whereby future historians generations from now look back and say, yes, the 2003 invasion of Iraq was a positive development for the region?
Saddam was a mass murderer. And the region and the West remained quiet when he killed hundreds of thousands of Shia and Kurds. Many in Iraq will always be thankful that Saddam was overthrown, but the Iraq war changed the balance of power in the region in Iran’s favor and triggered regional sectarian war.
The Iraq war did severe damage to US reputation in the world; and affected the will of the US to maintain Pax Americana.
The unintended consequences of the Iraq war are still playing out in Syria, Yemen, Libya and Iraq, as well as in the mobilization of new generations of jihadis.
You now teach at Yale. What are the main lessons that you believe we should take from the Iraq war?
Firstly, nothing that happened in Iraq after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003 was pre-ordained. There were different potential futures for the country.
There were hopes of a world without Saddam Hussein and missed opportunities to create a better order. There were unintended consequences of action, as well as non-action: Bush’s efforts to impose democracy, Obama’s detachment. We need to learn the limitations of external actors in foreign lands as well as where we can have influence.
Secondly, its all about ‘their’ politics. We tend to frame things in terms of good buys and bad guys, but really it is all about power struggles. Those we excluded from power sought to bring down the new order; those that we empowered sought to use the country’s resources for their own interests, to subvert the nascent democratic institutions, and to use the security forces we trained and equipped to intimidate their rivals. Iraqis accuse Americans of destroying their country, yet fail to acknowledge their own contributions to Iraq’s unraveling. There was, however, more we could have done to broker an inclusive agreement among the elites and to create a better balance in Iraq and in the region.
Lastly, our civilian leadership needs to be more realistic in the goals it sets and the assumptions it makes and to develop a better overall strategy which sees military means as a tool to achieve political outcomes – and not as an end in itself.
Emma Sky is a current Senior Fellow at Yale Universitys Jackson Institute on Global Affairs, teaching courses on Iraq and Middle Eastern politics. She served as advisor to the Commanding General of US Forces in Iraq from 2007-2010.
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Can We Reconstruct the Recent Fire History of the Australian Tropical Savannas?
The use of fire is one of the most controversial areas in Australian environmental management. Fire is one of the most important disturbances experienced by many ecosystems, and ecologists use the term “fire regime” to describe different combinations of fire frequency and fire intensity. Some ecosystems, such as tropical rainforests, should never be burnt at all: for example, fire is known to limit the distribution of rainforest around the Earth’s tropics and subtropics. In contrast, tropical savannas and grasslands are the most frequently burnt ecosystems on Earth, with an average “fire return interval” (i.e., the time between fires) of 3 years or less, and these fires are usually of low intensity (“cool” fires). Some forests, however, have fire return intervals measured in decades or centuries, and these infrequent fires are often of very high intensity (“hot” fires) and may, in fact, kill all trees within the fire perimeter (these are known as “stand replacing fires”). Many ecosystems, of course, have fire regimes that fall somewhere within these extremes.
Australia is dominated by flammable ecosystems but the fire regimes these ecosystems require to regenerate (many Australian plant species require fire for germination and, in some cases, possibly for long-term survival as well) are not well understood. The journals of early European explorers contain many references to fires lit by Aboriginal people, who are known to use fire for resource management, but the colonization of Australia by Europeans has eliminated traditional Aboriginal burning practices from much of the continent. This has led to a change in fire regimes in many ecosystems but the nature of these changes, and the ecological effects of these changes, are not well understood. It is extremely likely that the frequency, intensity, seasonal timing, and aerial extent of individual fires have all changed since the replacement of Aboriginal burning with European fire management practices.
There are frequent calls for more “control burning” in Australia, to limit the spread of severe wildfires. Most of the people making these calls, however, do not differentiate between different ecosystems, and do not take account of the different fire regimes required in different parts of the landscape. One potential approach is to reinstate traditional Aboriginal burning practices, and this approach is being pursued in some areas of the continent (e.g., through Aboriginal co-management of some National Parks).
Aboriginal co-management of National Parks and other wilderness areas is a relatively recent development within the Wet Tropics bio-region of northeastern Australia, and progress is often slow but, increasingly, Aboriginal rangers are returning traditional land management practices to the region. In one example of co-management of privately-owned land, the owners of a property (which shares borders with three different national parks) approximately 21 km to the northwest of the Center for Rainforest Studies (CRS) have recently entered into an arrangement with local Aboriginal rangers for Aboriginal Elders to use the property to help train younger Aboriginal rangers in traditional fire management practices. The property, known as Kanjini (see www.kanjini.org for more information) was used for cattle grazing from the early- to mid-1900s until the 1980s, and experienced a number of wildfires during that time. The property also shows signs of past overgrazing and the understorey in many places is dominated by weeds. The endangered northern bettong (Bettongia tropica) has also been recorded in the eastern parts of the Kanjini property. This region represents the last substantial population of this species, which adds particular urgency to the need for successful habitat management.
Figure 1: SFS students conducting field research on the Kanjini property. This field site is on the eastern side of the property, in an area where the endangered northern bettong has been recently recorded.
CRS is taking advantage of this opportunity to conduct research on the Kanjini property as it undergoes the transition from European fire management practices to traditional Aboriginal fire management practices. In one of the Directed Research projects, we are establishing a number of field sites that will allow us to monitor the condition of the savanna understorey, and the recruitment of trees and shrubs over time. We are also hoping to use dendrochronological methods to reconstruct the fire history for the past two or more centuries.
Dendrochronology (the science of tree rings) has been used to reconstruct historical fire regimes in North America. In Australia, very few researchers have attempted this, due to the (often erroneous) belief that Australian trees do not produce reliable annual growth rings. Recent research has shown that many Australia tree species do produce growth rings, although these growth rings may be more difficult to measure than those produced by trees in North America and Europe. Some Australian researchers have also used vertical growth bands produced by Grasstrees (species belonging to the monocot genus Xanthorrhoea) to determine the dates of previous fires, although this method has received some criticism. We will be attempting to use both methods to reconstruct the historical fire regime in different ecosystems within the Kanjini property, and then to see whether we can determine how these fire regimes (and particularly how changes in these fire regimes after European settlement) have shaped vegetation on the property.
Figure 2: Savanna woodland on the Kanjini property. This field site has grass trees (Xanthorrhoea johnsonii) in the understorey, which may record the dates of fires that occurred over the last two centuries or more. Fire scars in the eucalypt trees may also record these past fire events.
Figure 3: SFS students conducting vegetation surveys in a field site with grass trees in the understorey.
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The political term satellite state designates a country that is formally independent in the world, but under heavy political, economic and military influence or control from another country. The term was coined by analogy to planetary objects orbiting a larger object, such as smaller moons revolving around larger planets, and is used mainly to refer to Central and Eastern European countries of the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War or to Mongolia between 1924 and 1990, for example. As used for Central and Eastern European countries it implies that the countries in question were "satellites" under the hegemony of the Soviet Union. In some contexts it also refers to other countries in the Soviet sphere of influence during the Cold War—such as North Korea (especially in the years surrounding the Korean War of 1950–1953) and Cuba (particularly after it joined the Comecon in 1972). In Western usage, the term has seldom been applied to states other than those in the Soviet orbit. In Soviet usage, the term applied to the states in the orbit of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.
When the Mongolian Revolution of 1921 broke out, Mongolian revolutionaries expelled Russian White Guards (during the Russian Civil War of 1917–1923 following the Communist October Revolution of 1917) from Mongolia, which became independent when the Qing dynasty collapsed in 1911, with the assistance of the Soviet Red Army. The revolution also officially ended Manchurian sovereignty over Mongolia, which had existed since 1691. Although the theocratic Bogd Khaanate of Mongolia still nominally continued, with successive series of violent struggles, Soviet influence got ever stronger, and after the death of the Bogd Khaan ("Great Khan", or "Emperor"), the Mongolian People's Republic was proclaimed on November 26, 1924. A nominally independent and sovereign country, it has been described as being a satellite state of the Soviet Union in the years from 1924 until 1990.
During the Russian Civil War, the Soviet Red Army troops took Tuva in January 1920, which was also part of the Qing Empire of China and a protectorate of Imperial Russia. The Tuvan People's Republic, was proclaimed independent in 1921 and was a satellite state of Soviet Union until its annexation in 1944 by the Soviet Union.
The Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia is sometimes referred to as a Soviet satellite, though it broke from the Soviet Union in the 1948 Tito-Stalin split, with the Cominform offices being moved from Belgrade to Bucharest, and subsequently initiated formation of the Non-Aligned Movement. The People's Republic of Albania, under the leadership of Stalinist Enver Hoxha, broke ties with the Soviet Union in 1960 following the Soviet de-Stalinization process. These countries were, at least between 1945 and 1948, all members of the Eastern Bloc.
The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan can also be considered a Soviet satellite; from 1978 until 1991 the central government in Kabul was aligned with the Communist bloc, and was directly supported by Soviet military power between 1979 and 1989. The short-lived East Turkestan Republic (1944–1950) was a Soviet satellite until it was absorbed into the People's Republic of China along with the rest of Xinjiang.
Commentators have sometimes expressed concern that United States military and diplomatic interventions in the Middle East and elsewhere might lead, or perhaps has already led, to the existence of American satellite states. William Pfaff has warned that a permanent American presence in Iraq would "turn Iraq into an American satellite state." The term has also been used in the past to describe the relationship between Lebanon and Syria, as Syria has been accused of intervening in Lebanese political affairs. In addition, Swaziland and Lesotho have both been described as satellite states of South Africa.
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What is a Fiddlers Convention?
A fiddler’s convention is a gathering of people who like to play string music and those who like to listen or dance.
Musicians come for friendly competition, camaraderie, and to show and hone their skills. Others come to see and hear the contest, scout around the fairgrounds for hot jam sessions, kick up their heels, see their friends and neighbors, and sample the fare of a variety of vendors.
In this contest, bands and individual musicians are scored by three judges who are musicians themselves. The contestants with the highest scores win cash prizes and ribbons.
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OLYMPIC VALLEY, Calif. — Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows met requests for more detailed information regarding potential health issues with an extensive statement issued November 30. Potential public health issues were self-reported to the Placer County Department of Environmental Health after unusually heavy October rains affected isolated water systems. Improvements over the summer to the four wells and water systems of the upper mountain made them susceptible to contamination during the unusual weather event. Routine testing at the beginning of November showed the presence of E. coli and coliform bacteria in water, but that water was not distributed to the public.
It is important to note that no health issues have been reported thanks to Squaw Valley’s pro-active approach. The water has been treated and regular testing continues, with good results and the expectation of a favorable resolution to this issue. Although restaurants on the upper mountain did have to close, skiing was uninterrupted by the water issues. No other water systems were affected, and guests at High Camp and Gold Coast were given free bottled waters to drink instead.
Acting with the assistance of Placer County Environmental Health and the Squaw Valley Public Service District, resort officials acted swiftly to ensure the health and safety of the public. Flushing the system with chlorine and sodium hydrochloride treatments has eliminated the E. coli presence and reduced coliform levels in three of the four wells. This means that the water can be used for sanitation purposes, though not as drinking water at this stage. Full services will be resumed as soon as experts can confirm water in the system has returned to normal safety levels.
Thanks to Squaw Valley’s pro-active approach as no health issues has been reported because of the way she puts water safety in its priority. According to rush essay writing service reviews, acting with the assistance of Placer County Environmental Health and the Squaw Valley Public Service District, resort officials acted swiftly to ensure the health and safety of the public. Little wonder, OLYMPIC VALLEY, Calif. — Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows met requests for more detailed information regarding potential health issues with an extensive statement issued November 30.
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Playing COD or GTA can increase “early sexualized behaviors” in grade-schoolers (where is your research?). Therefore, parents can be reported to local police and charged with child neglect if their children are exposed to such games.
I get the concerns of social media because of the “stranger danger”/grooming thing but video games?
Tell me this is an early April Fool’s joke.
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While alcoholism is a destructive condition that could damage lives, some people who have a problem with it manage to hold down stressful careers and massive responsibilities. From the outside, these so-called high-functioning alcoholics seem to have everything together. They can drive great cars, live in terrific areas, and earn a lot of money.
Just because they're high-functioning doesn't indicate that they are suffering from the effects of alcohol. They are still at risk of injuring themselves and others near them. A pilot nursing a hangover, a a doctor operating on a patient with unsteady hands, or a banker dealing with large amounts of cash are each in danger of triggering terrible disasters if they stay on their unhealthy course.
1. They consume alcohol instead of consuming food.
Alcoholics will typically replace dishes with a couple of cocktails, lose interest in food altogether, or make use of mealtime as a pretext to start drinking alcohol. 2. They may awaken without a hangover, even after numerous alcoholic beverages.
Consuming alcohol consistently over a long period of time can easily trigger the body to become dependent on alcohol. Commonly high-functioning alcoholics can over-indulge without the brutal hangover that torments the irregular drinker.
3. Not drinking makes them irritable, anxious, or uncomfortable.
If an alcoholic is required to abstain from alcohol consumption, his/her body oftentimes reacts adversely, as they are dependent on the sedative results of alcohol. Abruptly stopping could trigger stress and anxiety, anxiousness, perspiring, an abnormally fast heartbeat, as well as convulsions.
4. Their actions patterns transform significantly while intoxicated on booze.
When they consume alcohol, alcoholics may transform considerably. For example, a typically mild-mannered individual may become aggressive, or make impulsive choices. 5. They can't have only 2 alcoholic beverages.
An alcoholic has a difficult time stopping, and might even finish others' alcoholic beverages. Liquor will never ever be left on the table, and there is always a disguise for "one more round.".
6. Time periods of amnesia or "blacking out" are common Quite a few people dependent on alcohol will take part in activities that they have no recollection of the next day. They might not seem extremely intoxicated at the time, however they're unable to recall incidents that occurred.
7. Efforts to talk about alcohol related incidents are received with and denial.
When faced with problems surrounding their alcohol usage, hard drinkers will typically regress to denial or hostility, making conversation problematic.
8. They consistently have a very good explanation for why they consume alcohol.
Many alcoholics will have a relatively rational explanation for their actions if flat rejection or aggression is not the chosen means of evasion. Stress on the job, problems at home, or a bounty of social obligations are prevalent reasons to explain their harmful behavior.
Many alcoholics will consume alcohol alone, or slip drinks from a bottle in a desk or in their vehicle. This type of covert drinking is a remarkable red flag and there is no other reason for this behavior aside from alcohol dependence.
Let's keep our society productive, safe, and sober by keeping our eyes open for troublesome behavior in an effort to get these struggling coworkers, loved ones, and friends the help they need.
While alcoholism is a destructive illness that can destroy lives, some people who struggle with it are able to hold down difficult jobs and big duties. From the outdoors, these supposed high-functioning alcoholics appear to have it all together. They can drive good vehicles, live in fantastic neighborhoods, and make a significant earnings.
Simply since they're high-functioning doesn't indicate that they're immune to the consequences of alcohol. A pilot nursing a hangover, a doctor performing surgery with trembling hands, or a financier dealing with big sums of money are each at-risk of triggering dreadful catastrophes if they stay on their unhealthy course.
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Signing a liability waiver: can we make it more modern?
The previous post was about whether a "group" liability waiver would be valid for a trainer and the trainer's (adult) student to sign.
While group waivers are typically valid, they are generally considered to not be as strong as individual waivers. So what if you are concerned about the mountains of paper required in having a single liability paper for every single rider?
Electronic Signatures to a contract are generally valid under the "Electronic Signatures under Global and National Commerce Act" (for less of a mouthful, it is called the E-Sign Act). What constitutes an electronic signature (e.g., can you just type your name?) is governed by the state-by-state based Uniform Electronic Transfers Act (UETA).
For the sake of this post, we will presume the signature is written onto a screen with the trainer's finger or a stylus, such as at the grocery store check out line, at Macy's, etc.
I found that there is a free app for the iPad called SIGNificant, and I think it is pretty amazing. You save a PDF of your contract or liability waiver to the app, give the iPad to the trainer to read the contract, ask the trainer if she has any questions, and if not- the trainer double clicks the place where she wants to sign, and signs with her finger! (I found a stylus to be better, but both work). The app then allows you to take a picture of the person who is signing (for proof), save the contract, and email it to the trainer, and back to yourself.
A liability waiver could also be available on your website or by email, and parents who cannot accompany their minor child could use the app to sign the waiver and email it back (a variation of printing, signing, and faxing it back).
The concerns with using electronic signatures are authenticity (if signed off site, can you verify that the signature wasn't forged), and the same variables as discussed in the last post for all waivers: sufficient time to review, a knowing and voluntary waiving of rights, bargaining power, and clarity of the dangers involved, in addition to the other factors listed.
It would be advisable to let the trainer or rider know that he or she can receive a hard-copy of the liability waiver if that is preferred over an electronic waiver.
Also, if you choose to use electronic waivers, be sure to save them to multiple sources, such as an external hard drive in addition to your email or iPad.
Is your barn up to date with technology (does the music in the barn play on Pandora, does your barn have a Facebook page, do you use an iPad)?
Would you feel as comfortable with signing an electronic waiver as a paper one?
Or, do you think technology should be left out of the barn- we do go to ride to "get away from it all" and "get off the grid" after all!
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The above two cartoon picture of bird are similar except for six places. Can you identify the those places.
The six places are marked in the below picture.
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I have been with my wife for 13 years, and we have two daughters aged 7 and 11. I met my wife when she was 18 and I was 26; she has just recently turned 31. Approximately three years ago she had a brief affair and I was devastated, but we worked on it and kept our family together. I had difficulty with trusting her again and this caused a few problems.
My wife and I worked at different times of the day so we didn't get to spend much time together. She was getting restless with the kids and started coming home from work late. I confronted her and she admitted that she was seeing someone else. She stated that she wanted a separation and moved out immediately, leaving me with our two children. She has now moved in with this other man, telling me that I was too hard to talk to.
I don't hear from her that much anymore. She claims that this other man makes her feel things she hasn't felt in years and that she thinks she loves him. She did say before she left that she loved me, but was not "in love" with me.
Since I met my wife at such a young age, do you think she feels as though she didn't really get to "play the field"? Do you think this is a "grass is greener" scenario and that she could really love this other man? Is it likely after the passion has ended she may consider putting her family back together? I know she always did love and adore me, but what do you think has happened?
I can feel your pain. You no doubt feel lost and puzzled about what you might have done wrong and what you could have done to keep your wife's love. I think it is remarkable how you could write a message that is so mature, free of hate and blame. It's fortunate that you have your two children. Many men in your situation have also found themselves cut off from their kids, seeing them only on occasional access visits. For you, although this may cause you severe problems of practicality, your children are also an anchor in your life: two little people who depend on you, and who need you now more than ever.
While I mention them, do make absolutely sure that they don't carry any feelings of guilt and blame. When a family breaks up, young people very often feel that they were somehow responsible, and this is terribly damaging. Reassure them, and if they have contact with their mother, ensure that she does the same. They must fully believe that you both still love them, that they have done nothing wrong and that none of the problems are their fault. The same should also be said about you. I am sure you have faults just like everyone else, but you haven't done anything to cause her affair to happen.
You are not alone - I have seen this sad pattern all too often. In fact, the way you phrased your question shows that you are aware of the pattern. A girl gets into a permanent relationship before she is mature enough for it. This is not entirely a matter of age mind you, because people gain experience and wisdom at different rates. However, although eighteen may be more than old enough for some, it could have been way too young for your wife. Sometimes, even the early twenties can be too young. The problem could also have been that her friends followed a different path. After she got married, had kids and other responsibilities, the boredom that sometimes comes with being settled may have caused her to envy her still unattached friends. Their lives may have seemed far more fun and glamorous, especially for someone who may not have been fully mature yet. She may have given up her dreams for marriage, and now regrets it. Of course, those friends she envied may have envied her as well, but she probably wouldn't have been aware of it. I have offered counseling to a large number of families with this pattern. In her early to mid 30s, your wife may have been at risk for serious dissatisfaction. She might feel as though she missed out on a stage of life - a stage of relative irresponsibility - and she may want it now. This affair is the result.
None of this is inevitable. I have a friend who just celebrated her 40th wedding anniversary, and she tells everyone that she was a "child bride". Mind you, I don't know how she felt at 32, but if she encountered a crisis then, she got through it. However, often women who marry young do so for the wrong reasons. For example, many do it to get away from a home situation they find distressing. Whatever the reason, don't blame yourself for what has happened.
Will she come back to you? I have no way of telling. She may find that the golden glow of escaping from responsibilities will wear off, and she may reconsider. However, she may also be mature enough now to know how to truly love someone, and might decide to make a permanent bond with this other man. Whatever she does, I hope you continue dealing with your family tragedy in the same mature and wise manner that you present yourself in this letter. Look after your physical health, and that of your children. Make sure that the three of you maintain a good, wholesome diet and get plenty of exercise.
You are still young. Even if the split proves to be permanent, you will eventually get through your period of grieving. There are many attractive yet lonely women out there. One of them may be lucky enough to find a guy as decent as you are.
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Joseph Walter Hoerner (November 12, 1936 – October 4, 1996) was a Major League Baseball relief pitcher. A native of Dubuque, Iowa, the left-hander was signed by the Chicago White Sox as an amateur free agent before the 1957 season. He played for the Houston Colt .45s (1963–1964), St. Louis Cardinals (1966–1969), Philadelphia Phillies (1970–72, 1975), Atlanta Braves (1972–1973), Kansas City Royals (1973–1974), Texas Rangers (1976), and Cincinnati Reds (1977).
Hoerner was used exclusively in relief during his 14-year MLB career. He appeared in 493 games, and during his first six full seasons (1966–1971) had one of the lowest combined ERAs among all major league relief pitchers (2.16).
Hoerner was drafted by the Colt .45's from the White Sox in the 1961 minor league draft. He made his major league debut on September 27, 1963 against the New York Mets at Colt Stadium. In this particular game Houston manager Harry Craft used a starting lineup of nine rookies, including Jerry Grote (20), Joe Morgan (20), Rusty Staub (19), and Jimmy Wynn (21). Hoerner pitched three scoreless innings as the Mets won, 10–3.
He was drafted by the Cardinals from the Houston Astros in the 1965 rule V draft, and this led to him being part of two pennant-winning teams, including the 1967 World Series champions. In game 3 of the 1968 World Series he became the first player in MLB history to get a hit in a World Series without having collected a hit in the regular season. In four seasons with St. Louis (1966–1969) Hoerner pitched in 206 games with a 19–10 record and 60 saves. He ranked in the National League top ten all four seasons for saves, and three times for games finished. On July 22, 1966 at Wrigley Field he hit his only major league home run, a 3-run shot, against Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins. During this time he also tied a National League record for relievers with 6 consecutive strikeouts vs. the Mets on June 1, 1968 He also appeared in five World Series games for the Cards, with a 0–1 record and one save.
Hoerner was traded to Philadelphia as part of the infamous Curt Flood deal on October 7, 1969. He made the National League All-Star team in 1970, and his .643 winning percentage ranked sixth in the league. During 1971 that year he gave up Willie Mays' major league-leading 22nd and last career extra-inning home run at Candlestick Park. In 1971, at age 34, he finished the year with a 1.97 ERA, and his effectiveness declined after that season. However, he later gave up Willie McCovey's N.L. record-breaking 17th grand slam in 1977 at Riverfront Stadium. His final major league appearance was on August 5, 1977. At the age of 40, he was the second-oldest player to appear in a National League game that season.
For his career he finished with a lifetime record of 39–34, 99 saves, 268 games finished, and an earned run average of 2.99. He struck out 412 and walked 181 In 562.2 innings pitched. Hoerner held All-Stars Bobby Bonds, Johnny Callison, Tommy Harper, Ed Kranepool, Joe Pepitone, and Bill White to a .070 collective batting average (5-for-71). He also held Hall of Famers Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, Reggie Jackson, Willie Mays, Bill Mazeroski, Tony Pérez, Willie Stargell, and Carl Yastrzemski to a .101 collective batting average (9-for-89).
Hoerner died in a farming accident at the age of 59 in Hermann, Missouri.
↑ "New York Mets 10, Houston Colt .45s 3". retrosheet.org. September 27, 1963. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
↑ "St. Louis Cardinals 6, New York Mets 5". retrosheet.org. June 1, 1968. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
↑ Wyatt, Daniel. "The Unappreciated Curt Flood". thenationalpastimemuseum.org. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
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1. Eat one or two uric acid-lowering drugs?
The currently used uric acid-lowering drugs fall into two categories: reducing uric acid production and promoting uric acid excretion. The former includes allopurinol and febuxostat, the latter including benzbromarone.
Special note: ibuprofen, futaline and other antipyretic analgesics, colchicine, hormones, etc. are painkillers in the onset of gouty arthritis, not uric acid; baking soda tablets are alkaline drugs, can reduce uric acid kidney stones The formation is not a uric acid drop.
In general, the above-mentioned uric acid-lowering drug can be used. If a drug does not meet the standard (standards: general patient blood uric acid <360μmol / L, recurrent gout, or chronic gouty arthritis, or tophi patients, blood uric acid <300μmol / L), reduce uric acid production and promote uric acid Excreted drugs can be combined, such as febuxostat combined with benzbromarone.
2. I have not had allergies before eating allopurinol. Is it less likely that I will eat allergies?
Allopurinol reduces blood uric acid by reducing uric acid production. However, allopurinol is prone to allergic reactions. In severe cases, hypersensitivity reactions such as exfoliative dermatitis may occur. Such hypersensitivity reactions have a high mortality rate and should be used with caution.
The study found that HLA-B5801 gene-positive people are prone to exfoliative dermatitis, while Chinese (Han), Korean, Thai people have significantly higher HLA-B5801 gene positive rate than Caucasians, so it is recommended that these people before taking allopurinol treatment The genetic screening was performed and the positive was disabled.
Although allergies used in the past are not allergic, according to expert consensus, the gene should be screened before use.
3. When uric acid falls to the target level, should I continue taking the medicine or stopping the medicine?
The expert consensus on this issue is not clearly affirmed, and there should be different opinions.
Clinically, it was found that when gout no longer occurred, the tophi stone disappeared, and blood uric acid reached the standard, patients were still required to take uric acid-lowering drugs for life, which is difficult for patients to accept.
The 2012 US guidelines recommend that after the symptoms of gout have disappeared, blood uric acid should be kept below 360 μmol/L and treatment should be taken for life, including medications and non-drug treatments such as diet control. In other words, you should fight for life and high uric acid. If you can’t meet the standard through non-pharmacological measures such as diet control, you may need to take it for life.
However, if you have tophi, recurrent gout or chronic gouty arthritis, you should take uric acid-lowering drugs for life.
4. If uric acid is controlled at a normal level, will gout arthritis still occur?
The answer is uncertain. Gouty arthritis may also occur, but sustained blood uric acid compliance will definitely reduce the number of episodes.
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Today, 4π radiotherapy is recognized as a useful therapeutic approach ensuring target-dose conformity while sparing doses to organs-at-risk (OARs). The dosimetric advantages of such therapy compared with coplanar intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) have been demonstrated in planning studies for many diseased sites including the brain [1, 2], head and neck [3, 4], liver , lung , breast and prostate . Recently, 4π radiotherapy including 4π static beam radiotherapy and 4π arc beam radiotherapy has been clinically implemented using mono-isocentric beams. In a Phase 1 trial, Yu et al. showed that 4π static beam radiotherapy was feasible and safe and associated with dosimetric benefits and high-level delivery efficiency when used to treat high-grade glioma . One form of 4π arc beam radiotherapy, O-ring system-specific non-coplanar VMAT, termed Dynamic WaveArc (DWA), has been clinically implemented in the Vero4DRT system (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., Hiroshima, Japan; and BrainLAB AG, Munich, Germany) [10, 11]. DWA is a continuous, non-coplanar beam delivery technique featuring simultaneous gantry and O-ring movement in the absence of couch rotation. High dose conformity and high-level delivery accuracy have been reported by several investigators [12–14].
However, 4π arc beam radiotherapy using a typical C-arm linear accelerator, which has been termed non-coplanar VMAT featuring continuous patient couch rotation (CCR-VMAT) has been investigated in research settings [15–19]. Fahimian et al. and Liang et al. performed trajectory-modulated arc therapy featuring a continuously rotating couch by employing the TrueBeam Developer Mode (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA, USA) [15, 16]. While significant dose-sparing of OARs was apparent, the OARs were not considered during optimization, and no gantry rotation occurred during beam delivery [15, 16]. Optimized, continuous, non-coplanar arc trajectory methods have been developed by several research groups using the TrueBeam Developer Mode [17–19]. MacDonald et al. reported that the dose distributions associated with the developed trajectories (calculated using a dedicated treatment planning system [TPS]) did not consider a VMAT scenario featuring simultaneous gantry and couch rotation. In other words, those authors divided the optimized trajectory into sub-arcs and created deliverable plans by smoothing trajectories into multiple non-coplanar sub-arcs without dynamic couch rotation . Wilson et al. developed an in-house software to create arbitrary trajectories and optimized the dose rate and multi-leaf collimator (MLC) leaf sequence . Recently, Fix et al. developed a CCR-VMAT algorithm, including dynamic gantry, couch, collimator rotation and MLC sequence, with continuous movement while the beam is in operation . Final dose distributions were calculated using the Monte Carlo algorithm provided in the commercially available TPS [19, 20]. However, the cited authors focused on the efficiency of VMAT during couch movement and these approaches required a dedicated, specific algorithm in the research environment of TPS. To our best knowledge, few reports have engaged in quality assurance (QA) using several non-coplanar trajectories with couch movement.
In general, continuous, non-coplanar arc plans that optimize conformal dose distributions are not easily formulated, because it is difficult to avoid collisions between the gantry and couch. Existing, applicable, clinical non-coplanar arc plans are time-consuming because of the need to rotate the patient couch manually. It is well established that CCR-VMAT provides dose distributions, thus enabling the concentrated administration of a sufficient dose within the target volume while minimizing the dose in the surrounding OARs, in addition to the benefit of time-saving [3, 7, 15–19]. For safe delivery of CCR-VMAT plans, dosimetric verification should be a requirement. The average passing rates at the 3%/3-mm gamma criterion, applicable in continuous clinical non-coplanar arc delivery, were greater than 97% for several trajectories . Our experimental results were comparable with the clinical results, despite the combination of TPSs and treatment machines from different vendors . Therefore, our approach can be expected to provide clinically acceptable and deliverable CCR-VMAT plans.
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An answer here got me looking for the answer to this question.
I did find the related question Why are blaster bolts in Star Wars moving slower than speed-of-light? but it does not seem to address the reaction speed of the Jedi.
Jedis use Light Sabers to block things coming at them FAST while I am not an expert on how fast those might be coming. It would seem they would need to move at or near the speed of light to block some of the weapons. Can a Jedi move faster then the speed of light?
He can see things before they happen. That's why he appears to have such quick reflexes. It is a Jedi trait.
What you're perceiving as a reaction to a shot is actually the Jedi knowing about the shot before the shot is fired. It doesn't matter how fast a blaster travels if the Jedi is prepared to defend against the shot before the trigger is even pulled.
Well the average speed of a blaster bolt (according to this article) is around 78mph. This is far far below the speed of light, and is in fact about the speed of a baseball pitch.So a Jedi deflecting a single blaster bolt is about the same as a baseball player hitting a baseball.
As we see, Jedis don't just deflect one bolt, they deflect a barrage in a short space of time. So their reactions of clearly far greater than that of a human. But this is still far below the speed of light (the speed of light [3x10^8 m/s] is about 8.5 million times faster than the average blaster bolt in Star Wars [78mph/35m/s]).
Add in the fact that accelerating to near the speed of light requires a unfathomable amount of energy. Not to mention the inertia of accelerating to, and decelerating from, the speed of light in the space of a few metres. And that travelling at the speed of light is theoretically impossible. It's pretty conclusive that no, a Jedi can not move faster than the speed of light.
Remember the blast shield in A New Hope: Luke was deflecting bolts without seeing them. Using the Force a Jedi essentially "knows" where the bolt will be so the lightsaber is moved to position. A Jedi's quick reflexes are more proactive than reactive.
My entirely unsubstantiated view is that the Jedi are not reacting to the blaster being fired, they are reacting to the intent to fire on the part of the creature carrying the weapon. Consequently they have significantly more time than the bolt traversing the space between them and the gun in which to react - although it would still call for very fast reactions, obviously.
No, Jedis can sense where a shot will be fired and reacts before the shot. Here is Luke training blind with Obi Wan.
Blaster bolts don't move at the speed of light. Moogle mentions this but not why. It's because blaster bolts are not lasers, which do move at the speed of light. Blaster bolts consist of highly charged Tibanna gas particles that are shot out by magnetic propulsion and shaping. So it's more accurate to say that a blaster bolt is like a super-heated bullet.
It's still quite impressive that Jedi can block them, but it doesn't involve anything traveling at the speed of light.
Hmm... Maybe with Telekinesis (as seen in so many other Force powers), it would be possible to create a localized effect similar to an alcubierre field. Or they could be using the Force to slow down incoming blaster fire (see: Bullet Time). Or they could be dodging/diverting most of the bolts and only deflecting the ones that are too accurate/powerful to dodge/divert (which are few enough that they could see them coming and prepare a parry).
And this all assumes that they're using their Lightsabers to deflect blaster bolts, rather than it being a psychosomatic Force effect (like personal-scale deflector shields) that they need to use a Lightsaber as a focus for (that is, they're only pretending to deflect blaster bolts with a Lightsaber when it's actually a personal force field, and they've convinced themselves as well as everyone else). Or there's a giant Jedi conspiracy to convince people that they aren't as ludicrously powerful as they actually can be.
Yes - as long as the force is strong within the individual. The speed of light can be easily be defeated by the force.
The Jedi can of course move faster then light but only under the retrospective Laws of Lucasneed. Being retroactive, these Laws are impossible to predict for us mere mortals since their alteration instantly alters past as well as future. Thus: we can never differentiate what has been changed by insouciant translight Jedi from that which has evolved by natural, well-crafted, sincere sub-Jedi endeavour. Some say the secret lies in Big Sur... most, sadly, are - metaphorically - wholly content with the I5.
Nothing can move faster than the speed of light. This is a fundamental law of Physics.
The speed of light, (or the speed of a photon) in a near-perfect vacuum is exactly 186,282 miles per second. We perceive photons (light) traveling at this speed because they are massless (the have no weight).
Every particle in our universe (including photons) move through the Higgs field. As a result of this interaction, particles acquire their mass. Different particles interact with the Higgs field with different strengths, which is why some particles are heavier (have more mass) than others. Photons move through, but do not interact at all with the Higgs field. Thus attaining no mass.
So photons (light) is able to travel at light speed.
Well? This is all fine and dandy... What about the Jedi?
Thanks to this, if you wanted to accelerate a single electron to light speed, you would need an infinite amount energy due to the electron becoming infinitely heavy. There isn’t enough energy in the entire universe to propel just a single electron to the speed of light. It's a catch 22.
If this is the case for a single electron, you can begin to see the problem with a Jedi moving faster than the speed of light. Let alone moving AT the speed of light itself.
Could a lightsaber deflect a laser blast from a TIE Fighter?
Is there an explicit canon answer for the exact speed of blaster bolts in Star Wars?
Could a Jedi know who shot first?
Do (weaponized) lasers exist in the Star Wars universe?
If the Death Star was able to move, did it ever collide with anything?
Are lasers better than bullets?
What do energy weapons in the Star Wars universe actually fire, and why are they better than projectile weapons?
Can General Grievous deflect blaster bolts?
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How much is Brian Robbins Worth?
Brian Robbins net worth and salary: Brian Robbins is an American actor, film director, film producer and television director who has a net worth of $60 million dollars. Brian Robbins first achieved widespread fame for his work on the sitcom, "Head of the Class". He went on to direct and/or produce such projects as "Coach Carter", "All That", "One Tree Hill", and "Sonny with a Chance". Born Brian Levine on November 22, 1963 Brooklyn, New York, he often works with producer Mark Tollin. As an actor, Robbins is best known for his role as Eric Mardian on the ABC sitcom Head of the Class (1986-1991). His other television credits include being the host of the children's version of the TV game show Pictionary in 1989. In the '90s he produced All That and its spin-offs on Nickelodeon. He also produced Smallville and One Tree Hill. His film credits include The Show (1995), Good Burger (1997), Varsity Blues (1999), Ready to Rumble (2000), Hardball (2001), The Perfect Score (2004), The Shaggy Dog (2006), Norbit (2007), Meet Dave (2008) and A Thousand Words (2012). Robbins is married to publicist Laura Cathcart, with whom he has two children, Miles and Justin.
AwesomenessTV: Brian Robbins is the founder of media and entertainment company AwesomenessTV and the YouTube channel aimed at teenagers of the same name. The company is a joint venture between Dreamworks Animation and Verizon Hearst Media. AwesomenessTV reached 1 billion views in January 2013. Today it has more than 90,000 channels from creators around the world and has generated more than 17 billion views with hundreds of millions of subscribers. In 2013, Dreamworks acquired majority control of the company for $33 million in cash. With earnouts, the final valuation topped $100 million.
Nickelodeon job and salary: In October 2018, Brian was tapped to become the new President of Nickelodeon. His salary at Nickelodeon is believed to be around $3 million per year before bonuses.
Real Estate: In 2015, Brian spent $13.7 million to acquire a large mansion in Brentwood. Though he reportedly loved the house, he hated the traffic especially when he began commuting to Nickelodeon's lot every day across town. Robbins sold the house in 2019 to Coldplay manager Phil Harvey for $15 million and bought himself a new property closer to work for $10 million.
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Why is it so powerful to confess a sin(catholic doctrine)?
Contrition, it is true, blots out sin; but who does not know that to effect this it must be so intense, so ardent, so vehement, as to bear a proportion to the magnitude of the crimes which it effaces? This is a degree of contrition which few reach; and hence, in this way, very few indeed could hope to obtain the pardon of their sins. It, therefore, became necessary that the most merciful Lord should provide by some easier means for the common salvation of men; and this He has done in His admirable wisdom, by giving to His Church the keys of the kingdom of heaven.
According to the doctrine of the Catholic Church, a doctrine firmly to be believed and constantly professed by all, if the sinner have a sincere sorrow for his sins and a firm resolution of avoiding them in future, although he bring not with him that contrition which may be sufficient of itself to obtain pardon, all his sins are forgiven and remitted through the power of the keys, when he confesses them properly to the priest. Justly, then, do those most holy men, our Fathers, proclaim that by the keys of the Church the gate of heaven is thrown open, a truth which no one can doubt since the Council of Florence has decreed that the effect of Penance is absolution from sin.
To appreciate further the great advantages of confession we may turn to a fact taught by experience. To those who have led immoral lives nothing is found so useful towards a reformation of morals as sometimes to disclose their secret thoughts, all their words and actions, to a prudent and faithful friend, who can assist them by his advice and cooperation. For the same reason it must prove most salutary to those whose minds are agitated by the consciousness of guilt to make known the diseases and wounds of their souls to the priest, as the vicegerent of Christ our Lord, bound to eternal secrecy by the strictest of laws. (In the Sacrament of Penance) they will find immediate remedies, the healing qualities of which will not only remove the present malady, but will also have such a heavenly efficacy in preparing the soul against an easy relapse into the same kind of disease and infirmity.
Another advantage of confession, which should not be overlooked, is that it contributes powerfully to the preservation of social order. Abolish sacramental confession, and that moment you deluge society with all sorts of secret and heinous crimes crimes too, and others of still greater enormity, which men, once that they have been depraved by vicious habits, will not dread to commit in open day. The salutary shame that attends confession restrains licentiousness, bridles desire and checks wickedness.
"John 20:22-23 -- And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."
Matthew 16:19 -- I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
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More detail on this person: CAPE CANAVERAL John Chic Applegate, 59, died on Tuesday, October 28, 2008 on his sailboat. John was a man with many loves: the sea, flying, nature, music, poetry, travel, adventure, surfing, and of course, the people that he shared his life with. He was born in Richmond, KY and moved to Cape Canaveral, FL at age seven. He graduated from Cocoa Beach High School and briefly attended college in California. He served his country in Vietnam for three years as a helicopter pilot. The crucible of war created lifelong friendships with his fellows of the 282 division of Black Cat assault helicopter pilots. He continued as a commercial helicopter pilot until he retired. Growing up near the beach and surfing sparked his love for the sea, but becoming the captain of Mandala, a 50 foot sail boat truly engaged his spirit of adventure and respect and appreciation for Mother Nature. He lived aboard and sailed the seven seas for many years. Johns family and friends were his greatest treasure. He was preceded in death by his son, Gabriel; his mother, Cynthia Lynn Applegate; his sister, Billie Lynn Miller, and his father, Charles F. Applegate. He is survived by his son, Destin Applegate; his fiance, Jewel Eggers; brother, Don Applegate; and cherished nieces, nephews, and dear friends. The indignities of war and the loss of his 15 year old son, Gabriel, left him deeply scarred, but his enduring spirit shined through and he was dearly loved and will be missed. Services will be held at Wylie- Baxley Funeral Home in Rockledge, FL at 2 p.m., Saturday, November 1st.
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Here are some details about the job: We are looking for a full-time live-in nanny for our kids. You will be responsible for taking care of kids, cooking, housekeeping, and chores. We live in a nice neighborhood in Round Rock, Texas (North Austin). You will have your own furnished bedroom and private bathroom. Our son is under Autism spectrum (mild) and very active, talkative and energetic. Our daughter is normal and very talkative and she does go to pre-school during the day. These are the benefits : - Accommodation with all bills paid. - Food and Grocery Paid. - 2 Weeks vacation/year. - Travel with the family for fun. - Weekly pay. - Relocation to Austin area if you need help. Feel free to ask us if you have any question.
Here are some details about the job: We are looking for a full-time live-in nanny for our kids. You will be responsible for taking care of kids, cooking, housekeeping, and chores. We live in a nice neighborhood in Round Rock, Texas (North Austin). You will have your own furnished bedroom and private bathroom. Our son is under Autism spectrum (high functioning) and very active, talkative and energetic. Our daughter is normal and very talkative and she does go to pre-school during the day. These are the benefits : - Accommodation with all bills paid. - Food and Grocery Paid. - 2 Weeks vacation/year. - Travel with the family for fun. - Weekly pay. - Relocation to Austin area if you need help. Feel free to ask us if you have any question.
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Greek temples (Ancient Greek: ναός, translit. naós, lit. 'dwelling', semantically distinct from Latin templum, "temple") were structures built to house deity statues within Greek sanctuaries in ancient Greek religion. The temple interiors did not serve as meeting places, since the sacrifices and rituals dedicated to the respective deity took place outside them, within the wider precinct of the sanctuary, which might be large. Temples were frequently used to store votive offerings. They are the most important and most widespread building type in Greek architecture. In the Hellenistic kingdoms of Southwest Asia and of North Africa, buildings erected to fulfill the functions of a temple often continued to follow the local traditions. Even where a Greek influence is visible, such structures are not normally considered as Greek temples. This applies, for example, to the Graeco-Parthian and Bactrian temples, or to the Ptolemaic examples, which follow Egyptian tradition. Most Greek temples were oriented astronomically.
Model of a typical Doric temple, the Temple of Aphaia on Aegina (Glyptothek, Munich).
Between the 9th century BC and the 6th century BC, the ancient Greek temples developed from the small mudbrick structures into double porched monumental buildings with colonnade on all sides, often reaching more than 20 metres in height (not including the roof). Stylistically, they were governed by the regionally specific architectural orders. Whereas the distinction was originally between the Doric and Ionic orders, a third alternative arose in late 3rd century BC with the Corinthian order. A multitude of different ground plans were developed, each of which could be combined with the superstructure in the different orders. From the 3rd century BC onwards, the construction of large temples became less common; after a short 2nd century BC flourish, it ceased nearly entirely in the 1st century BC. Thereafter, only smaller structures were newly begun, while older temples continued to be renovated or brought to completion if in an unfinished state.
Greek temples were designed and constructed according to set proportions, mostly determined by the lower diameter of the columns or by the dimensions of the foundation levels. The nearly mathematical strictness of the basic designs thus reached was lightened by optical refinements. In spite of the still widespread idealised image, Greek temples were painted, so that bright reds and blues contrasted with the white of the building stones or of stucco. The more elaborate temples were equipped with very rich figural decoration in the form of reliefs and pedimental sculpture. The construction of temples was usually organised and financed by cities or by the administrations of sanctuaries. Private individuals, especially Hellenistic rulers, could also sponsor such buildings. In the late Hellenistic period, their decreasing financial wealth, along with the progressive incorporation of the Greek world within the Roman state, whose officials and rulers took over as sponsors, led to the end of Greek temple construction. New temples now belonged to the tradition of the Roman temple, which, in spite of the very strong Greek influence on it, aimed for different goals and followed different aesthetic principles (for a comparison, see the other article).
The main temple building sat within a larger precinct or temenos, usually surrounded by a peribolos fence or wall; the whole is usually called a "sanctuary". The Acropolis of Athens is the most famous example, though this was apparently walled as a citadel before a temple was ever built there. This might include many subsidiary buildings, sacred groves or springs, animals dedicated to the deity, and sometimes people who had taken sanctuary from the law, which some temples offered, for example to runaway slaves.
Temple of Isthmia, Greece. Constructed between 690-650 BC.
The earliest Greek sanctuaries probably lacked temple buildings, though our knowledge of these is limited, and the subject is controversial. A typical early sanctuary seems to have consisted of a temenos, often around a sacred grove, cave or spring, and perhaps defined only by marker stones at intervals, with an altar for offerings. Many rural sanctuaries probably stayed in this style, but the more popular were gradually able to afford a building to house a cult image, especially in cities. This process was certainly under way by the 9th century, and probably started earlier.
The Mycenaean Megaron (15th to the 13th century BCE) was the precursor for later Archaic and Classical Greek temples, but during the Greek Dark Age the buildings became smaller and less monumental. The basic principles for the development of Greek temple architecture have their roots between the 10th century BC and the 7th century BC. In its simplest form as a naos, the temple was a simple rectangular shrine with protruding side walls (antae), forming a small porch. Until the 8th century BC, there were also apsidal structures with more or less semi-circular back walls, but the rectangular type prevailed. By adding columns to this small basic structure, the Greeks triggered the development and variety of their temple architecture.
The first temples were mostly mud, brick, and marble structures on stone foundations. The columns and superstructure (entablature) were wooden, door openings and antae were protected with wooden planks. The mud brick walls were often reinforced by wooden posts, in a type of half-timbered technique. The elements of this simple and clearly structured wooden architecture produced all the important design principles that were to determine the development of Greek temples for centuries.
Near the end of the 7th century BC, the dimensions of these simple structures were increased considerably. Temple C at Thermos is the first of the hekatompedoi, temples with a length of 100 feet (30 m). Since it was not technically possible to roof broad spaces at that time, these temples remained very narrow, at 6 to 10 metres in width.
To stress the importance of the cult statue and the building holding it, the naos was equipped with a canopy, supported by columns. The resulting set of porticos surrounding the temple on all sides (the peristasis) was exclusively used for temples in Greek architecture.
The combination of the temple with porticos (ptera) on all sides posed a new aesthetic challenge for the architects and patrons: the structures had to be built to be viewed from all directions. This led to the development of the peripteros, with a frontal pronaos (porch), mirrored by a similar arrangement at the back of the building, the opisthodomos, which became necessary for entirely aesthetic reasons.
The Temple of Apollo at Corinth, one of the earliest stone-built Doric temples. Note the monolithic columns.
After the reintroduction of stone architecture, the essential elements and forms of each temple, such as the number of columns and of column rows, underwent constant change throughout Greek antiquity.
In the 6th century BC, Ionian Samos developed the double-colonnaded dipteros as an alternative to the single peripteros. This idea was later copied in Didyma, Ephesos and Athens. Between the 6th and the late 4th century BC, innumerable temples were built; nearly every polis, every colony contained one or several. There were also temples at extra-urban sites and at major sanctuaries like Olympia and Delphi.
The observable change of form indicates the search for a harmonious form of all architectural elements: the development led from simpler early forms which often appear coarse and bulky up to the aesthetic perfection and refinement of the later structures; from simple experimentation to the strict mathematical complexity of ground plans and superstructures.
The temple of Zeus in Cyrene.
From the early Hellenistic period onwards, the Greek peripteral temple lost much of its importance. With very few exceptions, Classical temple construction ceased both in Hellenistic Greece and in the Greek colonies of Magna Graecia. Only the west of Asia Minor maintained a low level of temple construction during the 3rd century BC. The construction of large projects, such as the temple of Apollo at Didyma near Miletus and the Artemision at Sardis did not make much progress.
The 2nd century BC saw a revival of temple architecture, including peripteral temples. This is partially due to the influence of the architect Hermogenes of Priene, who redefined the principles of Ionic temple construction both practically and through theoretical work. At the same time, the rulers of the various Hellenistic kingdoms provided copious financial resources. Their self-aggrandisation, rivalry, desires to stabilise their spheres of influence, as well as the increasing conflict with Rome (partially played out in the field of culture), combined to release much energy into the revival of complex Greek temple architecture. During this phase, Greek temples became widespread in southern Asia Minor, Egypt and Northern Africa.
But in spite of such examples and of the positive conditions produced by the economic upturn and the high degree of technical innovation in the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, Hellenistic religious architecture is mostly represented by a multitude of small temples in antis and prostyle temples, as well as tiny shrines (naiskoi). The latter had been erected in important places, on market squares, near springs and by roads, since the Archaic period, but reached their main flourish now. This limitation to smaller structures led to the development of a special form, the pseudoperipteros, which uses engaged columns along the cella walls to produce the illusion of a peripteral temple. An early case of this is temple L at Epidauros, followed by many prominent Roman examples, such as the Maison Carrée at Nîmes.
In the early 1st century BC, the Mithridatic Wars led to changes of architectural practice. The role of sponsor was increasingly taken by Roman magistrates of the Eastern provinces, who rarely demonstrated their generosity by building temples. Nevertheless, some temples were erected at this time, e.g. the Temple of Aphrodite at Aphrodisias.
The introduction of the principate lead to few new buildings, mostly temples for the imperial cult or to Roman deities, e.g. the temple of Jupiter at Baalbek. Although new temples to Greek deities still continued to be constructed, e.g. the Tychaion at Selge they tend to follow the canonical forms of the developing Roman imperial style of architecture or to maintain local non-Greek idiosyncrasies, like the temples in Petra or Palmyra. The increasing romanisation of the east entailed the end of Greek temple architecture, although work continued on the completion of unfinished large structures like the temple of Apollo at Didyma or the Olympieion at Athens into the later 2nd century AD.
The 5th-century BC Doric temple of Athena, Syracuse, Sicily, transformed into a Christian church during the Middle Ages.
The edicts of Theodosius I and his successors on the throne of the Roman Empire, banning pagan cults, led to the gradual closure of Greek temples, or their conversion into Christian churches.
Thus ends the history of the Greek temple, although many of them remained in use for a long time afterwards. For example, the Athenian Parthenon, first reconsecrated as a church was turned into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest and remained structurally unharmed until the 17th century AD. Only the unfortunate impact of a Venetian cannonball into the building, then used to store gunpowder, led to the destruction of much of this important temple, more than 2,000 years after it was built.
Canonical Greek temples maintained the same basic structure throughout many centuries. The Greeks used a limited number of spatial components, influencing the plan, and of architectural members, determining the elevation.
The central cult structure of the temple is the naos or Cella, which usually contained a cult statue of the deity. In Archaic temples, a separate room, the so-called adyton was sometimes included after the cella for this purpose. In Sicily, this habit continued into the Classical period.
In front of the cella, there is a porch, the pronaos, created by the protruding side walls of the cella (the antae), and two columns placed between them. A door allows the cella to be accessed from the pronaos. A similar room at the back of the cella is called the opisthodomos. There is no door connecting the opisthodomos with the cella; its existence is necessitated entirely by aesthetic considerations: to maintain the consistency of the peripteral temple and to ensure its viewability from all sides, the execution of the front has to be repeated at the rear. A restricted space, the adyton, may be included at the far end of the cella, backing up on the opisthodomos.
The complex formed by the naos, pronaos, opisthodomos and possibly the adyton is enclosed on all four sides by the peristasis, usually a single row, rarely a double one, of columns. This produces a surrounding portico, the pteron, which offered shelter to visitors of the sanctuary and room for cult processions.
The Athenian Treasury in Delphi with two antae framing two columns.
These components allowed the realisation of a variety of different plan types in Greek temple architecture. The simplest example of a Greek temple is the templum in antis, a small rectangular structure sheltering the cult statue. In front of the cella, a small porch or pronaos was formed by the protruding cella walls, the antae. The pronaos was linked to the cella by a door. To support the superstructure, two columns were placed between the antae (distyle in antis). When equipped with an opisthodomos with a similar distyle in antis design, this is called a double anta temple. A variant of that type has the opisthodomos at the back of the cella indicated merely by half-columns and shortened antae, so that it can be described as a pseudo-opisthodomos.
If the porch of a temple in antis has a row of usually four or six columns in front of its whole breadth, the temple is described as a prostylos or prostyle temple. The whole pronaos may be omitted in this case or just leave the antae without columns. An amphiprostylos or amphiprostyle repeats the same column setting at the back.
In contrast, the term peripteros or peripteral designates a temple surrounded by ptera (colonnades) on all four sides, each usually formed by a single row of columns. This produces an unobstructed surrounding portico, the peristasis, on all four sides of the temple. A Hellenistic and Roman form of this shape is the pseudoperipteros, where the side columns of the peristasis are indicated only by engaged columns or pilasters directly attached to the external cella walls.
A dipteros or dipteral is equipped with a double colonnade on all four sides, sometimes with further rows of columns at the front and back. A pseudodipteros has engaged columns in the inner row of columns at the sides.
Circular temples form a special type. If they are surrounded by a colonnade, they are known as peripteral tholoi. Although of sacred character, their function as a temple can often not be asserted. A comparable structure is the monopteros, or cyclostyle which, however, lacks a cella.
To clarify ground plan types, the defining terms can be combined, producing terms such as: peripteral double anta temple, prostyle in antis, peripteral amphiprostyle, etc.
The term dodekastylos is only used for the 12-column hall at the Didymaion. No temples with facades of that width are known.
Very few temples had an uneven number of columns at the front. Examples are Temple of Hera I at Paestum, Temple of Apollo A at Metapontum, both of which have a width of nine columns (enneastyle), and the Archaic temple at Thermos with a width of five columns (pentastyle).
The elevation of Greek temples is always subdivided in three zones: the crepidoma, the columns and the entablature.
Stereobate, euthynteria and crepidoma form the substructure of the temple. The underground foundation of a Greek temple is known as the stereobate. It consists of several layers of squared stone blocks. The uppermost layer, the euthynteria, partially protrudes above the ground level. Its surface is carefully smoothed and levelled. It supports a further foundation of three steps, the crepidoma. The uppermost level of the crepidoma provides the surface on which the columns and walls are placed; it is called stylobate.
Illustration of Doric (first three), Ionic (next three) and Corinthian (final two) columns.
Placed on the stylobate are the vertical column shafts, tapering towards the top. They are normally made of several separately cut column drums. Depending on the architectural order, a different number of flutings are cut into the column shaft: Doric columns have 18 to 20 flutings, Ionic and Corinthian ones normally have 24. Early Ionic columns had up to 48 flutings. While Doric columns stand directly on the stylobate, Ionic and Corinthian ones possess a base, sometimes additionally placed atop a plinth.
In Doric columns, the top is formed by a concavely curved neck, the hypotrachelion, and the capital, in Ionic columns, the capital sits directly on the shaft. In the Doric order, the capital consists of a circular torus bulge, originally very flat, the so-called echinus, and a square slab, the abacus. In the course of their development, the echinus expands more and more, culminating in a linear diagonal, at 45° to the vertical. The echinus of Ionic columns is decorated with an egg-and-dart band followed by a sculpted pillow forming two volutes, supporting a thin abacus. The eponymous Corinthian capital of the Corinthian order is crowned by rings of stylised acanthus leaves, forming tendrils and volutes that reach to the corners of the abacus.
Entablature on the west side of the Parthenon.
The capitals support the entablature. In the Doric order, the entablature always consists of two parts, the architrave and the Doric frieze (or triglyph frieze). The Ionic order of Athens and the Cyclades also used a frieze above an architrave, whereas the frieze remained unknown in the Ionic architecture of Asia Minor until the 4th century BC. There, the architrave was directly followed by the dentil. The frieze was originally placed in front of the roof beams, which were externally visible only in the earlier temples of Asia Minor. The Doric frieze was structured by triglyphs. These were placed above the axis of each column, and above the centre of each intercolumniation. The spaces between the triglyphs contained metopes, sometimes painted or decorated with relief sculpture. In the Ionic or Corinthian orders, the frieze possesses no triglyphs and is simply left flat, sometimes decorated with paintings or reliefs. With the introduction of stone architecture, the protection of the porticos and the support of the roof construction was moved upwards to the level of the geison, depriving the frieze of its structural function and turning it into an entirely decorative feature. Frequently, the cella is also decorated with architrave and frieze, especially at the front of the pronaos.
Geison block from the temple at Lykosoura.
Above the frieze, or an intermediate member, e.g. the dentil of the Ionic or Corinthian orders, the cornice protrudes notably. It consists of the geison (on the sloped sides or pediments of the narrow walls a sloped geison), and the sima. On the long side, the sima, often elaborately decorated, was equipped with water spouts, often in the shape of lions' heads. The pedimental triangle or tympanon on the narrow sides of the temple was created by the Doric introduction of the gabled roof, earlier temples often had hipped roofs. The tympanon was usually richly decorated with sculptures of mythical scenes or battles. The corners and ridges of the roof were decorated with acroteria, originally geometric, later floral or figural decorations.
As far as topographically possible, the temples were freestanding and designed to be viewed from all sides. They were not normally designed with consideration for their surroundings, but formed autonomous structures. This is a major difference from Roman temples which were often designed as part of a planned urban area or square and had a strong emphasis on being viewed frontally.
The foundations of Greek temples could reach dimensions of up to 115 by 55 m, i.e. the size of an average soccer field. Columns could reach a height of 20 m. To design such large architectural bodies harmoniously, a number of basic aesthetic principles were developed and tested already on the smaller temples. The main measurement was the foot, varying between 29 and 34 cm from region to region. This initial measurement was the basis for all the units that determined the shape of the temple. Important factors include the lower diameter of the columns and the width of their plinths. The distance between the column axes (intercolumniation or bay) could also be used as a basic unit. These measurements were in set proportions to other elements of design, such as column height and column distance. In conjunction with the number of columns per side, they also determined the dimensions of stylobate and peristasis, as well as of the naos proper. The rules regarding vertical proportions, especially in the Doric order, also allow for a deduction of the basic design options for the entablature from the same principles. Alternatives to this very rational system were sought in the temples of the late 7th and early 6th centuries BC, when it was attempted to develop the basic measurements from the planned dimensions of cella or stylobate, i.e. to reverse the system described above and deduce the smaller units from the bigger ones. Thus, for example, the cella length was sometimes set at 100 feet (30 m) (100 is a sacred number, also known from the hecatomb, a sacrifice of 100 animals), and all further measurements had to be in relation to this number, leading to aesthetically quite unsatisfactory solutions.
Another determining design feature was the relationship linking naos and peristasis. In the original temples, this would have been subject entirely to practical necessities, and always based on axial links between cella walls and columns, but the introduction of stone architecture broke that connection. Nevertheless, it did survive throughout Ionic architecture. In Doric temples, however, the wooden roof construction, originally placed behind the frieze, now started at a higher level, behind the geison. This ended the structural link between frieze and roof; the structural elements of the latter could now be placed independent of axial relationships. As a result, the cella walls lost their fixed connection with the columns for a long time and could be freely placed within the peristasis. Only after a long phase of developments did the architects choose the alignment of the outer wall face with the adjacent column axis as the obligatory principle for Doric temples. Doric temples in Greater Greece rarely follow this system.
The basic proportions of the building were determined by the numeric relationship of columns on the front and back to those on the sides. The classic solution chosen by Greek architects is the formula "frontal columns : side columns = n : (2n+1)", which can also be used for the number of intercolumniations. As a result, numerous temples of the Classical period in Greece (c. 500 to 336 BC) had 6 × 13 columns or 5 × 11 intercolumnitions. The same proportions, in a more abstract form, determine most of the Parthenon, not only in its 8 × 17 column peristasis, but also, reduced to 4:9, in all other basic measurements, including the intercolumniations, the stylobate, the width-height proportion of the entire building, and the geison (here reversed to 9:4).
Proportion of column diameter to intercolumnium.
The determination and discussion of these basic principles went back to Hermogenes, whom Vitruvius credits with the invention of the eustylos. The Temple of Dionysos at Teos, normally ascribed to Hermogenes, does indeed have intercolumnia measuring 2 ⅙ of the lower column diameters.
Exaggerated sketch of the curvature of a Doric temple.
To loosen up the mathematical strictness and to counteract distortions of human visual perception, a slight curvature of the whole building, hardly visible with the naked eye, was introduced. The ancient architects had realised that long horizontal lines tend to make the optical impression of sagging towards their centre. To prevent this effect, the horizontal lines of stylobate and/or entablature were raised by a few centimetres towards the middle of a building. This avoidance of mathematically straight lines also included the columns, which did not taper in a linear fashion, but were refined by a pronounced "swelling" (entasis) of the shaft. Additionally, columns were placed with a slight inclination towards the centre of the building. Curvature and entasis occur from the mid 6th century BC onwards.
The most consistent use of these principles is seen in the Classical Parthenon on the Athenian Acropolis. Its curvature affects all horizontal elements up to the sima, even the cella walls reflect it throughout their height. The inclination of its columns (which also have a clear entasis), is continued by architrave and triglyph frieze, the external walls of the cella also reflect it. Not one block of the building, not a single architrave or frieze element could be hewn as a simple rectilinear block. All architectural elements display slight variations from the right angle, individually calculated for each block. As a side effect, each preserved building block from the Parthenon, its columns, cella walls or entablature, can be assigned its exact position today. In spite of the immense extra effort entailed in this perfection, the Parthenon, including its sculptural decoration, was completed in the record time of sixteen years (447 to 431 BC).
Only three basic colours were used: white, blue and red, occasionally also black. The crepidoma, columns, and architrave were mostly white. Only details, like the horizontally cut grooves at the bottom of Doric capitals (annuli), or decorative elements of Doric architraves (e.g. taenia and guttae) might be painted in different colours. The frieze was clearly structured by use of colours. In a Doric triglyph frieze, blue triglyphs alternated with red metopes, the latter often serving as a background for individually painted sculptures. Reliefs, ornaments, and pedimental sculptures were executed with a wider variety of colours and nuances. Recessed or otherwise shaded elements, like mutules or triglyph slits could be painted black. The paint was mostly applied to parts that were not load-bearing, whereas structural parts like columns or the horizontal elements of architrave and geison were left unpainted (if made of high-quality limestone or marble) or covered with a white stucco.
Greek temples were often enhanced with figural decorations. especially the frieze areas offered space for reliefs and relief slabs; the pedimental triangles often contained scenes of free-standing sculpture. In Archaic times, even the architrave could be relief-decorated on Ionic temples, as demonstrated by the earlier temple of Apollo at Didyma. Here, the architrave corners bore gorgons, surrounded by lions and perhaps other animals. On the other hand, the Ionic temples of Asia Minor did not possess a separate frieze to allow space for relief decoration. The most common area for relief decoration remained the frieze, either as a typical Doric triglyph frieze, with sculpted metopes, or as a continuous frieze on Cycladic and later on Eastern Ionic temples.
The metopes, separate individual tableaux that could usually not contain more than three figures each, usually depicted individual scenes belonging to a broader context. It is rare for scenes to be distributed over several metopes; instead, a general narrative context, usually a battle, is created by the combination of multiple isolated scenes. Other thematical contexts could be depicted in this fashion. For example, the metopes at the front and back of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia depicted the Twelve Labours of Heracles. Individual mythological scenes, like the abduction of Europa or a cattle raid by the Dioscuri could be thus depicted, as could scenes from the voyage of the Argonauts or the Trojan War. The battles against the centaurs and Amazons, as well as the gigantomachy, all three depicted on the Parthenon, were recurring themes on many temples.
Part of the Parthenon Frieze, in situ on the west side of the naos.
Battle scenes of all kinds were also a common theme of Ionic friezes, e.g. the Gigantomachy on the temple of Hekate at Lagina, or the Amazonomachy on the temple of Artemis at Magnesia on the Maeander, both from the late 2nd century BC. Complex compositions visualised the back and forth of fighting for the viewer. Such scenes were contrasted by more quiet or peaceful ones: The Assembly of the gods and a procession dominate the 160 m long frieze that is placed on top of the naos walls of the Parthenon.
Reconstruction of the west pediment on the Parthenon, Athens, Acropolis Museum.
Special attention was paid to the decoration of the pedimental triangles, not least because of their size and frontal position. Originally, the pediments were filled with massive reliefs, e.g. shortly after 600 BC on the temple of Artemis at Kerkyra, where the west pediment is taken up by the gorgon Medusa and her children at the centre, flanked by panthers. Smaller scenes are displayed in the low corners of the pediments, e.g. Zeus with a thunderbolt, fighting a Giant. The pedimental sculpture of the first peripteral temple on the Athenian Acropolis, from c. 570 BC, is nearly free-standing sculpture, but remains dominated by a central scene of fighting lions.
Statue of Apollo from the west pediment of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia.
Again, the corners contain separate scenes, including Heracles fighting Triton. After the mid-6th century BC, the compositional scheme changes: animal scenes are now placed in the corners, soon they disappear entirely. The central composition is now taken over by mythological fights or by rows of human figures. The high regard in which the Greeks held pedimental sculptures in demonstrated by the discovery of the sculptures from the Late Archaic temple of Apollo at Delphi, which had received a veritable burial after the temple's destruction in 373 BC. The themes of the individual pedimental scenes are increasingly dominated by myths connected with the locality. Thus, the east pediment at Olympia depicts the preparations for a chariot race between Pelops and Oinomaos, the mythical king of nearby Pisa. It is the foundation myth of the sanctuary itself, displayed here in its most prominent position. A similarly direct association is provided by the birth of Athena on the east pediment of the Parthenon, or the struggle for Attica between her and Poseidon on its west pediment. The pediment of the later temple of the Kabeiroi at Samothrace, late 3rd century BC, depicted a probably purely local legend, of no major interest to Greece as a whole.
Mounted nereid; corner acroterion from the temple of Asklepios at Epidauros.
The roofs were crowned by acroteria, originally in the form of elaborately painted clay disks, from the 6th century BC onwards as fully sculpted figures placed on the corners and ridges of the pediments. They could depict bowls and tripods, griffins, spinxes, and especially mythical figures and deities. For example, depictions of the running Nike crowned the Alcmaeonid temple of Apollo at Delphi, and mounted amazons formed the corner akroteria of the temple of Asklepios in Epidauros. Pausanias (5, 10, 8) describes bronze tripods forming the corner akroteria and statues of Nike by Paeonios forming the ridge ones on the Temple of Zeus at Olympia.
For the sake of completeness, a further potential bearer of sculptural decoration should be mentioned here: the columnae celetae of the Ionic temples at Ephesos and Didyma. Here, already on the Archaic temples, the lower parts of the column shafts were decorated by protruding relief decorations, originally depicting rows of figures, replaced on their late Classical and Hellenistic successors with mythological scenes and battles.
The functions of the temple mainly concentrated on the cella, the "dwelling" of the cult statue. The elaboration of the temple's external aspects served to stress the dignity of the cella. In contrast, the cella itself was often finished with some moderation, although by the Roman period some had clearly become rather cluttered with other statues, military trophies and other gifts. Often, the only source of light for cella and cult statue was the cella's frontal door, and oil lamps within. Thus, the interior only received a limited amount of light. Exceptions are found in the temples of Apollo at Bassae and of Athena at Tegea, where the southern cella wall had a door, potentially allowing more light into the interior. A special situation applies to the temples of the Cyclades, where the roof was usually of marble tiles. Marble roofs also covered the temple of Zeus at Olympia and the Parthenon at Athens. As marble is not entirely opaque, those cellas may have been permeated with a distinctive diffused light.
For cultic reasons, but also to use the light of the rising sun, virtually all Greek temples were oriented to the east. Some exceptions existed, e.g. the west-facing temples of Artemis at Ephesos and at Magnesia on the Maeander, or the north-south oriented temples of Arcadia. Such exceptions are probably connected with cult practice. Study of the soils around temple sites, is evidence that temple sites were chosen with regard to particular deities: for example, amid arable soils for the agricultural deities Dionysos and Demeter, and near rocky soils for the hunter gatherer deities Apollo and Artemis.
The cult image normally took the form of a statue of the deity, typically roughly life-size, but in some cases many times life-size, in early days in wood, marble or terracotta, or in the specially prestigious form of a chryselephantine statue using ivory plaques for the visible parts of the body and gold for the clothes, around a wooden framework. The most famous Greek cult imges were of this type, including the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, and Phidias's Athena Parthenos in the Parthenon in Athens, both colossal statues now completely lost. Fragments of two chryselephantine stutues from Delphi have been excavated. Bronze cult images were less frequent, at least until Hellenistic times.
The acrolith was another composite form, this time a cost-saving one with a wooden body. A xoanon was a primitive and symbolic wooden image, perhaps comparable to the Hindu lingam; many of these were retained and revered for their antiquity. Many of the Greek statues well known from Roman marble copies were originally temple cult images, which in some cases, such as the Apollo Barberini, can be credibly identified. A very few actual originals survive, for example the bronze Piraeus Athena (2.35 metres high, including a helmet). The image stood on a base, from the 5th century often carved with reliefs.
Temple of Aphaia, Aegina: The interior of the cella was embellished with two tiers of Doric columns.
The cult statue was often oriented towards an altar, placed axially in front of the temple. To preserve this connection, the single row of columns often found along the central axis of the cella in early temples was replaced by two separate rows towards the sides. The central one of the three aisles thereby created was often emphasised as the main one. The dignity of the central aisle of the cella could be underlined by the use of special elements of design. For example, the oldest known Corinthian capitals are from the naoi of Doric temples. The impressiveness of the internal aisle could be emphasised further by having a third row of columns along the back, as is the case at the Parthenon and at the temple of Zeus in Nemea. The Parthenon cella, also had another impressive feature, namely two tiers of columns atop each other, as did the temple of Aphaia on Aegina. The temple of Athena at Tegea shows another variation, where the two column rows are indicated by half-columns protruding from the side walls and crowned with Corinthian capitals. An early form of this solution can be seen at Bassae, where the central column of the back portico remains free-standing, while the columns along the sides are in fact semi-columns connected with the walls by curved protrusions.
Some famous temples, notably the Parthenon, the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, and the Temple of Asclepius, Epidaurus, had much of the cella floor occupied by a very shallow pool filled with water (Parthenon) or olive oil at Olympia. All these had chryselephantine images, and Pausanias was perhaps correct to link the Parthenon on with the maintenance of the proper humidity, but they probably increased the light, and perhaps gave it attractive effects of reflections.
Plan and interior reconstruction of the Temple of Apollo Epikourios at Bassae. Note the side entrance to the cella and the single Corinthian column.
It used to be thought that access to the cella of a Greek temple was limited to the priests, and it was entered only rarely and by other visitors, except perhaps during important festivals or other special occasions. In recent decades this picture has changed, and scholars now stress the variety of local access rules. Pausanias was a gentlemanly traveller of the 2nd-century AD who declares that the special intention of his travels around Greece was to see cult images, and usually managed to do so.
Sometimes, the divine character of the cult image was stressed even more by removing it further into a separate space within the cella, the adyton. Especially in Magna Graecia, this tradition continued for a long time. Over the decades and centuries, numerous votive offerings could be placed in the cella, giving it a museum-like character (Pausanias 5, 17).
The back room of the temple, the opisthodomos, usually served as a storage space for cult equipment. It could also hold the temple treasury. For some time, the opisthodomus of the Athenian Parthenon contained the treasury of the Delian League, thus directly protected by the deity. Pronaos and opisthodomos were often closed off from the peristasis by wooden barriers or fences.
Like the cella, the peristasis could serve the display and storage of votives, often placed between the columns. In some cases, votive offerings could also be directly affixed to the columns, as is visible e.g. on the Temple of Hera at Olympia. The peristasis could also be used for cult processions, or simply as shelter from the elements, a function emphasised by Vitruvius (III 3, 8f).
In the late 6th century BC, the Alcmaeonidae family strongly supported the rebuilding of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, so as to improve their standing in Athens and Greece.
The sponsors of Greek temples usually belonged to one of two groups: on the one hand public sponsors, including the bodies and institutions that administrated important sanctuaries; on the other hand influential and affluent private sponsors, especially Hellenistic kings. The financial needs were covered by income from taxes or special levies, or by the sale of raw materials like silver. The collection of donations also occurred, especially for supra-regional sanctuaries like Delphi or Olympia. Hellenistic monarchs could appear as private donors in cities outside their immediate sphere of influence and sponsor public buildings, as exemplified by Antiochos IV, who ordered the rebuilding of the Olympieion at Athens. In such cases, the money came from the private treasury of the donor.
Building contracts were advertised after a popular or elected assembly had passed the relevant motion. An appointed committee would choose the winner among the submitted plans. Afterwards, another committee would supervise the building process. Its responsibilities included the advertising and awarding of individual contracts, the practical supervision of the construction, the inspection and acceptance of completed parts, and the paying of wages. The original advert contained all the information necessary to enable a contractor to make a realistic offer for completing the task. Contracts were normally awarded to the competitor offering the most complete service for the cheapest price. In the case of public buildings, the materials were normally provided by the public sponsor, exceptions were clarified in the contract. Contractors were usually only responsible for specific parts of the overall construction, as most businesses were small. Originally, payment was by person and day, but from the 5th century BC onwards, payment by piece or construction stage became common.
The costs could be immense. For example, surviving receipts show that in the rebuilding of the Artemision of Ephesos, a single column cost 40,000 drachmas. Considering that a worker was paid about two drachmas, that equals nearly 2 million euro (on a modern west European wage scale). Since the overall number of columns required for the design was 120, even this aspect of the building would have caused costs equivalent to those of major projects today (circa 360 million euro).
One of the criteria by which Greek temples are classified is the Classical order chosen as their basic aesthetic principle. This choice, which was rarely entirely free, but normally determined by tradition and local habit, would lead to widely differing rules of design. According to the three major orders, a basic distinction can be made between the Doric, the Ionic and the Corinthian Temple.
The Temple of Hephaistos in Athens, the best-preserved Doric temple in Greece.
The modern image of Greek temple architecture is strongly influenced by the numerous reasonably well-preserved temples of the Doric order. Especially the ruins of Southern Italy and Sicily were accessible to western travellers quite early in the development of Classical studies, e.g. the temples at Paestum, Akragas or Segesta, but the Hephaisteion and the Parthenon of Athens also influenced scholarship and Neoclassical architecture from an early point onwards.
The beginnings of Greek temple construction in the Doric order can be traced to early in the 7th century BC. With the transition to stone architecture around 600 BC, the order was fully developed; from then on, only details were changed, developed and refined, mostly in the context of solving the challenges posed by the design and construction of monumental temples.
Apart from early forms, occasionally still with apsidal backs and hipped roofs, the first 100-foot (30 m) peripteral temples occur quite soon, before 600 BC. An example is Temple C at Thermos, c. 625 BC, a 100-foot-long (30 m) hekatompedos, surrounded by a peristasis of 5 × 15 columns, its cella divided in two aisles by a central row of columns. Its entirely Doric entablature is indicated by painted clay plaques, probably early example of metopes, and clay triglyphs. It appears to be the case that all temples erected within the spheres of influence of Corinth and Argos in the 7th century BC were Doric peripteroi. The earliest stone columns did not display the simple squatness of the high and late Archaic specimens, but rather mirror the slenderness of their wooden predecessors. Already around 600 BC, the demand of viewability from all sides was applied to the Doric temple, leading to the mirroring of the frontal pronaos by an opisthodomos at the back. This early demand continued to affect Doric temples especially in the Greek motherland. Neither the Ionic temples, nor the Doric specimens in Magna Graecia followed this principle. The increasing monumentalisation of stone buildings, and the transfer of the wooden roof construction to the level of the geison removed the fixed relationship between the naos and the peristasis. This relationship between the axes of walls and columns, almost a matter of course in smaller structures, remained undefined and without fixed rules for nearly a century: the position of the naos "floated" within the peristasis.
Doric capital in the Heraion of Olympia.
The Heraion of Olympia (c. 600 BC) exemplifies the transition from wood to stone construction. This building, initially constructed entirely of wood and mudbrick, had its wooden columns gradually replaced with stone ones over time. Like a museum of Doric columns and Doric capitals, it contains examples of all chronological phases, up to the Roman period. One of the columns in the opisthodomos remained wooden at least until the 2nd century AD, when Pausanias described it. This 6 by 16 columns temple already called for a solution to the Doric corner conflict. It was achieved through a reduction of the corner intercolumniations the so-called corner contraction. The Heraion is most advanced in regards to the relationship between naos and peristasis, as it uses the solution that became canonical decades later, a linear axis running along the external faces of the outer naos walls and through the central axis of the associated columns. Its differentiation between wider intercolumnia on the narrow sides and narrower ones on the long sides was also an influential feature, as was the positioning of the columns within the cella, corresponding with those on the outside, a feature not repeated until the construction of the temple at Bassae 150 years later.
The oldest Doric temple entirely built of stone is represented by the early 6th century BC Artemis Temple in Kerkyra (modern Corfu). All parts of this building are bulky and heavy, its columns reach a height of barely five times their bottom diameter and were very closely spaced with an intercolumniation of a single column width. The individual members of its Doric orders all differ considerably from the later canon, although all essential Doric features are present. Its ground plan of 8 by 17 columns, probably pseudoperipteral, is unusual.
Among the Doric temples, the Peisistratid Olympieion at Athens has a special position. Although this building was never completed, its architect apparently attempted to adapt the Ionic dipteros. Column drums built into the later foundations indicate that it was originally planned as a Doric temple. Nonetheless, its ground plan follows the Ionic examples of Samos so closely that it would be hard to reconcile such a solution with a Doric triglyph frieze. After the expulsion of Hippias in 510 BC, work on this structure was stopped: Democratic Athens had no desire to continue a monument of tyrannical self-aggrandisation.
Apart from this exception and some examples in the more experimental poleis of Greater Greece, the Classical Doric temple type remained the peripteros. Its perfection was a priority of artistic endeavour throughout the Classical period.
Ruin of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia.
The canonical solution was found fairly soon by the architect Libon of Elis, who erected the Temple of Zeus at Olympia around 460 BC. With its 6 × 13 columns or 5 × 12 intercolumniations, this temple was designed entirely rationally. Its column bays (axis to axis) measured 16 feet (4.9 m), a triglyph + metope 8 feet (2.4 m), a mutulus plus the adjacent space (via) 4 feet (1.2 m), the tile width of the marble roof was 2 feet (0.61 m). Its columns are powerful, with only a slight entasis; the echinus of the capitals is already nearly linear at 45°. All of the superstructure is affected by curvature. The cella measures exactly 3 × 9 column distances (axis to axis), its external wall faces are aligned with the axes of the adjacent columns.
The Classical proportion, 6 × 13 columns, is taken up by numerous temples, e.g. the Temple of Apollo on Delos (c. 470 BC), the Temple of Hephaistos at Athens and the temple of Poseidon on Cape Sounion. A slight variation, with 6 × 12 columns or 5 × 11 intercolumniations occurs as frequently.
Plan of the Parthenon, note triple colonnade in the cella and pillared room at back.
and opisthodomos are shortened so as to form simple pillars. Instead of longer antae, there are prostyle colonnades inside the peristasis on the front and back, reflecting Ionic habits. The execution of the naos, with a western room containing four columns, is also exceptional. The Parthenon's Archaic predecessor already contained such a room. All measurements in the Parthenon are determined by the proportion 4:9. It determines column width to column distance, width to length of the stylobate, and of the naos without antae. The temple's width to height up to the geison is determined by the reverse proportion 9:4, the same proportion squared, 81:16, determines temple length to height. All of this mathematical rigour is relaxed and loosened by the optical refinements mentioned above, which affect the whole building, from layer to layer, and element to element. 92 sculpted metopes decorate its triglyph frieze: centauromachy, amazonomachy and gigantomachy are its themes. The external walls of the naos are crowned with a figural frieze surrounding the entire cella and depicting the Panathenaic procession as well as the Assembly of the Gods. Large format figures decorate the pediments on the narrow sides. This conjunction of strict principles and elaborate refinements makes the Parthenon the paradigmatic Classical temple. The Temple of Hephaistos at Athens, erected shortly after the Parthenon, uses the same aesthetic and proportional principles, without adhering as closely to the 4:9 proportion.
The temple of Zeus at Nemea.
In the 4th century BC, a few Doric temples were erected with 6 × 15 or 6 × 14 columns, probably referring to local Archaic predecessors, e.g. the Temple of Zeus in Nemea and that of Athena in Tegea. Generally, Doric temples followed a tendency to become lighter in their superstructures. Columns became narrower, intercolumniations wider. This shows a growing adjustment to the proportion and weight of Ionic temples, mirrored by a progressive tendency among Ionic temples to become somewhat heavier. In the light of this mutual influence it is not surprising that in the late 4th century BC temple of Zeus at Nemea, the front is emphasised by a pronaos two intercolumniations deep, while the opisthodomos is suppressed. Frontality is a key feature of Ionic temples. The emphasis on the pronaos already occurred in the slightly older temple of Athena at Tegea, but there it was repeated in the opisthodomos. Both temples continued the tendency towards more richly equipped interiors, in both cases with engaged or full columns of the Corinthian order.
The increasing reduction of the number of columns along the long sides, clearly visible on Ionic temples, is mirrored in Doric constructions. A small temple at Kournó has a peristasis of merely 6 × 7 columns, a stylobate of only 8 × 10 m and corners executed as pilasters towards the front. The peristasis of monumental Doric temples is merely hinted at here; the function as a simple canopy for the shrine of the cult statue is clear.
Temple of Hera II at Paestum.
Sicily and Southern Italy hardly participated in these developments. Here, most temple construction took place during the 6th and 5th centuries BC. Later, the Western Greeks showed a pronounced tendency to develop unusual architectural solutions, more or less unthinkable in the mother poleis of their colonies. For example, there are two examples of temples with uneven column numbers at the front, Temple of Hera I at Paestum and Temple of Apollo A at Metapontum. Both temples had fronts of nine columns.
Temple G, Selinus, with well-defined adyton.
The technical possibilities of the western Greeks, which had progressed beyond those in the motherland, permitted many deviations. For example, innovations regarding the construction of the entablature developed in the west allowed the spanning of much wider spaces than before, leading to some very deep peristaseis and broad naoi. The peristasis often had a depth of two column distances, e.g. at Temple of Hera I, Paestum, and temples C, F and G at Selinus, classifying them as pseudodipteroi. The opisthodomos only played a subsidiary role, but did occur sometimes, e.g. at the temple of Poseidon in Paestum. Much more frequently, the temples included a separate room at the back end of the cella, entrance to which was usually forbidden, the adyton. In some cases, the adyton was a free-standing structure within the cella, e.g. temple G in Selinus. If possible, columns inside the cella were avoided, allowing for open roof constructions of up to 13 m width.
Model of the Olympieion at Akragas.
The largest such structure was the Olympieion of Akragas, an 8 × 17 columns peripteros, but in many regards an absolutely "un-Greek" structure, equipped with details such as engaged, figural pillars (Telamons), and a peristasis partially closed off by walls. With external dimensions of 56 × 113 m, it was the largest Doric building ever to be completed. If the colonies showed remarkable independence and will to experiment in basic terms, they did so even more in terms of detail. For example, the lower surfaces of Doric geisa could be decorated with coffers instead of mutuli.
Although a strong tendency to emphasize the front, e.g. through the addition of ramps or stairs with up to eight steps (at Temple C in Selinus), or a pronaos depth of 3.5 column distances (temple of Apollo at Syracuse) had been become a key principle of design, this was relativised by the broadening of column distances on the long sides, e.g. Temple of Hera I at Paestum. Only in the colonies could the Doric corner conflict be ignored. If South Italian architects tried to solve it, they used a variety of solutions: broadening of the corner metopes or triglyphs, variation of column distance or metopes. In some cases, different solutions were used on the broad and narrow sides of the same building.
Typical proportions of the Ionic order.
For the early period, before the 6th century BC, the term Ionic temple can, at best, designate a temple in the Ionian areas of settlement. No fragments of architecture belonging to the Ionic order have been found from this time. Nonetheless, some early temples in the area already indicate the rational system that was to characterise the Ionic system later on, e.g. the Heraion II of Samos. Thus, even at an early point, the axes of the cella walls aligned with the column axes, whereas in Doric architecture, the external wall faces do so. The early temples also show no concern for the typical Doric feature of viewability from all sides, they regularly lack an opisthodomos; the peripteros only became widespread in the area in the 4th century BC. In contrast, from an early point, Ionic temples stress the front by using double porticos. Elongated peristaseis became a determining element. At the same time, the Ionic temples were characterised by their tendency to use varied and richly decorated surfaces, as well as the widespread use of light-shade contrasts.
As soon as the Ionic order becomes recognisable in temple architecture, it is increased to monumental sizes. The temple in the Heraion of Samos, erected by Rhoikos around 560 BC, is the first known dipteros, with outside dimensions of 52 × 105 m. A double portico of 8 × 21 columns enclosed the naos, the back even had ten columns. The front used differing column distances, with a wider central opening. In proportion to the bottom diameter, the columns reached three times the height of a Doric counterpart. 40 flutings enriched the complex surface structure of the column shafts. Samian column bases were decorated with a sequence of horizontal flutings, but in spite of this playfulness they weighed 1,500 kg a piece. The capitals of this structure were probably still entirely of wood, as was the entablature. Ionic volute capitals survive from the outer peristasis of the later rebuilding by Polycrates. The columns of the inner peristasis had leaf decoration and no volutes.
In the Cyclades, there were early temples entirely built of marble. Volute capitals have not been found associated with these, but their marble entablatures belonged to the Ionic order.
Plan of the Artemision at Ephesos.
Roughly beginning with the erection of the older Artemision of Ephesos around 550 BC the quantity of archaeological remains of Ionic temples increases. The Artemision was planned as a dipteros, its architect Theodoros had been one of the builders of the Samian Heraion. With a substructure of 55 × 115 m, the Artemision outscaled all precedents. Its cella was executed as unroofed internal peristyle courtyard, the so-called sekos. The building was entirely of marble. The temple was considered as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, which may be justified, considering the efforts involved in its construction.
Columna caelata from the Artemision.
The columns stood on ephesian bases, 36 of them were decorated with life-sized friezes of human figures at the bottom of the shaft, the so-called columnae caelatae. The columns had between 40 and 48 flutings, some of them cut to alternate between a wider and a narrower fluting. The oldest marble architraves of Greek architecture, found at the Artemision, also spanned the widest distances ever achieved in pure stone. The middle architrave block was 8.74 m long and weighed 24 metric tons; it had to be lifted to its final position, 20 m above ground, with a system of pulleys. Like its precedents, the temple used differentiated column widths in the front, and had a higher number of columns at the back. According to ancient sources, Kroisos was one of the sponsors. An inscription referring to his sponsorship was indeed found on one of the columns. The temple was burnt down by Herostratos in 356 BC and reerected soon thereafter. For the replacement, a crepidoma of ten or more steps was erected. Older Ionic temples normally lacked a specific visible substructure. This emphasised basis had to be balanced out be a heightened entablature, producing not only a visual contrast to, but also a major weight upon the slender columns.
Remains of the temple of Apollo at Didyma.
The temple of Apollo at Didyma near Miletus, begun around 540 BC, was another dipteros with open internal courtyard. The interior was structured with powerful pilasters, their rhythm reflecting that of the external peristasis. The columns, with 36 flutings, were executed as columnae caelatae with figural decoration, like those at Ephesos. Construction ceased around 500 BC, but was restarted in 331 BC and finally completed in the 2nd century BC. The enormous costs involved may have been one of the reasons for the long period of construction. The building was the first Ionic temple to follow the Attic tradition of uniform column distances, the frontal diffentiation was not practised any more.
Ionic peripteroi were usually somewhat smaller and shorter in their dimensions than Doric ones. E.g., the temple of Zeus at Labraunda had only 6 × 8 columns, the temple of Aphrodite in Samothrace only 6 × 9. The temple of Athena Polias at Priene, already considered in antiquity as the classical example of an Ionic temple, has partially survived. It was the first monumental peripteros of Ionia, erected between 350 and 330 BC by Pytheos. It is based on a 6-by-6-foot (1.8 m × 1.8 m) grid (the exact dimensions of its plinths). The temple had 6 × 11 columns, i.e. a proportion of 5:10 or 1:2 intercolumnia. Walls and columns were aligned axially, according to Ionic tradition. The peristasis was of equal depth on all sides, eliminating the usual emphasis on the front, an opisthodomos, integrated into the back of the cella, is the first proper example in Ionic architecture. The evident rational-mathematical aspect to the design suits Ionic Greek culture, with its strong tradition of natural philosophy. Pytheos was to be of major influence far beyond his lifetime. Hermogenes, who probably came from Priene, was a deserving successor[according to whom?] and achieved the final flourish of Ionic architecture around 200 BC.
Capital from the Artemision of Magnesia on the Maeander (Berlin, Pergamonmuseum).
One of the projects led by Hermogenes was the Artemision of Magnesia on the Maeander, one of the first pseudodipteroi. other early pseudodipteroi include the temple of Aphrodite at Messa on Lesbos, belonging to the age of Hermogenes or earlier, the temple of Apollo Sminthaios on Chryse and the temple of Apollo at Alabanda. The arrangement of the pseudodipteros, omitting the interior row of columns while maintaining a peristasis with the width of two column distances, produces a massively broadened portico, comparable to the contemporaneous hall architecture. The grid of the temple of Magnesia was based on a 12-by-12-foot (3.7 m × 3.7 m) square. The peristasis was surrounded by 8 × 15 columns or 7 × 14 intercolumnia, i.e. a 1:2 proportion. The naos consisted of a pronaos of four column depths, a four columns cella, and a 2 column opisthodomos. Above the architrave of the peristasis, there was a figural frieze of 137 m length, depicting the amazonomachy. Above it lay the dentil, the Ionic geison and the sima.
Although Athens and Attica were also ethnically Ionian, the Ionic order was of minor importance in this area. The Temple of Nike Aptera on the Acropolis, a small amphiprostyle temple completed around 420 BC, with Ionic columns on plinthless Attic bases, a triple-layered architrave and a figural frieze, but without the typical Ionic dentil, is notable. The east and north halls of the Erechtheion, completed in 406 BC, follow the same succession of elements.
An innovative Ionic temple was that of Asklepios in Epidaurus, one of the first of the pseudoperipteros type. This small ionic prostyle temple had engaged columns along the sides and back, the peristasis was thus reduced to a mere hint of a full portico facade.
There is very little evidence of Ionic temples in Magna Graecia. One of the few exceptions is the early Classical Temple D, an 8 × 20 columns peripteros, at Metapontum. Its architect combined the dentil, typical of Asia Minor, with an Attic frieze, thus proving that the colonies were quite capable of partaking in the developments of the motherland. A small Ionic Hellenistic prostyle temple was found on the Poggetto San Nicola at Agrigento.
The Hellenistic temple with Ionic columns at Jandial, Taxila, Pakistan.
A Ionic temple with a design very similar with that of a Greek Temple is known from Jandial in the northwestern Indian subcontinent, today Pakistan. The Temple is considered as a semi-Classical temple. Its design is essentially that of a Greek Temple, with a naos, pronaos and an opisthodomos at the back. Two Ionic columns at the front are framed by two anta walls as in a Greek distyle in antis layout. It seems that the temple had an outside wall with windows or doorways, in a layout similar to that of a Greek encircling row of columns (peripteral design). It has been called "the most Hellenic structure yet found on Indian soil".
The youngest of the three Classical Greek orders, the Corinthian order came to be used for the external design of Greek temples quite late. After it had proved its adequacy, e.g. on a mausoleum of at modern-day Belevi (near Ephesos), it appears to have found increasing popularity in the 2nd half of the 3rd century BC. Early examples probably include the Serapeum of Alexandria and a temple at Hermopolis Magna, both erected by Ptolemaios III. A small temple of Athena Limnastis at Messene, definitely Corinthian, is only attested through drawings by early travellers and very scarce fragments. It probably dates to the late 3rd century BC.
The first dateable and well-preserved presence of the Corinthian temple is the Hellenistic rebuilding of the Olympieion of Athens, planned and started between 175 and 146 BC. This mighty dipteros with its 110 × 44 m substructure and 8 × 20 columns was to be one of the largest Corinthian temples ever. Donated by Antiochus IV Epiphanes, it combined all elements of the Asian/Ionic order with the Corinthian capital. Its Asian elements and its conception as a dipteros made the temple an exception in Athens.
Around the middle of the 2nd century BC, a 6 × 12 columns Corinthian peripteros was built in Olba-Diokaisarea in Rugged Cilicia. Its columns, mostly still upright, stand on Attic bases without plinths, exceptional for the period. The 24 flutings of the columns are only indicated by facets in the lower third. Each of the Corinthian capitals is made of three separate parts, an exceptional form. The entablature of the temple was probably in the Doric order, as is suggested by fragments of mutuli scattered among the ruins. All of these details suggest an Alexandrian workshop, since Alexandria showed the greatest tendency to combine Doric entablatures with Corinthian capitals and to do without the plinth under Attic bases.
A further plan option is shown by the temple of Hekate at Lagina, a small pseudoperipteros of 8 × 11 columns. Its architectural members are entirely in keeping with the Asian/Ionic canon. Its distinctive feature, a rich figural frieze, makes this building, erected around 100 BC, an architectural gem. Further late Greek temples in the Corinthian order are known e.g. at Mylasa and, on the middle gymnasium terrace at Pergamon.
The Maison Carrée at Nîmes (France), from 16 BC, a typical Roman temple, is a Corinthian hexaystyle pseudoperipteros.
Pandyan Kingdom coin depicting a temple between hill symbols and elephant, Pandyas, Sri Lanka, 1st century CE.
The few Greek temples in the Corinthian order are almost always exceptional in form or ground plan and are initially usually an expression of royal patronage. The Corinthian order permitted a considerable increase of the material and technical effort invested in a building, which made its use attractive for the purposes of royals self-aggrandisement. The demise of the Hellenistic monarchies and the increasing power of Rome and her allies placed mercantile elites and sanctuary administrations in the positions of building sponsors. The construction of Corinthian temples became a typical expression of self-confidence and independence. As an element of Roman architecture, the Corinthian temple came to be widely distributed in all of the Graeco-Roman world, especially in Asia Minor, until the late Imperial period.
Though extremely solidly built, apart from the roof, relatively few Greek temples have left very significant remains; these are often those which were converted to other uses such as churches or mosques. There are many where the platforms are reasonably complete, and some round drum elements of the columns, which were harder for later builders to re-use. The somewhat controversial practice of anastylosis, or re-erecting fallen materials, has sometimes been used. The rectangular wall blocks have usually been carried off for re-use, and some buildings have been destroyed or weakened merely to get the bronze pins linking blocks. Marble sculpture has often been removed to make lime for mortar, and any that has survived has usually been removed to a museum, not always a local one.
The most complete remains are concentrated in Athens and southern Italy; several are described in more detail above, under their orders. Athens has the Parthenon and the even better preserved Doric Temple of Hephaestus, both once churches, as well two small temples on the Acropolis and a corner of the large Corinthian Temple of Olympian Zeus. The small temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae survived in a rural location with most of its columns and main architrave blocks in place, amid a jumble of fallen stone. From this British antiquaries extracted the Bassae Frieze in 1812, which was soon in the British Museum.
In Italy Paestum, some way south of Naples near what was once the northern limit of Magna Graecia (Greek Italy), has three early Doric temples in a row, amid the mostly Roman ruins of the city. In Sicily the Valle dei Templi near Agrigento has an even larger group, with the main structure of the Temple of Concordia especially well-preserved. Along the coast Selinunte was destroyed about 250 BC by the Carthaginians and has the tumbled ruins of five temples, of which one has been rebuilt from the original material. Not far away, Segesta has a single Doric temple whose main structure is largely intact.
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^ Ralf Schenk: Der korinthische Tempel bis zum Ende des Prinzipats des Augustus. Internationale Archäologie Vol. 45, 1997, p. 41-47.
^ Klaus Bringmann & Barbara Schmidt-Dounas: Schenkungen hellenistischer Herrscher an griechische Städte und Heiligtümer. Historische und archäologische Auswertung. Ed. by Hans von Steuben & Klaus Bringman. Akademie Verlag Berlin, Berlin 2000.
^ Astrid Schürman: Griechische Mechanik und antike Gesellschaft. Stuttgart 1991, p. 5.
^ Hans Lauter: Die Architektur des Hellenismus. Wiss. Buchges., Darmstadt 1986, p. 180-194; Gottfried Gruben: : Die Tempel der Griechen. Hirmer, München 2001 (5th edn.), p. 33-44.
^ Friedemann Quaß: Die Honoratiorenschicht in den Städten des griechischen Ostens. Untersuchungen zur politischen und sozialen Entwicklung in hellenistischer und römischer Zeit. Stuttgart 1993.
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^ John B. Ward-Perkins: Roman Imperial Architecture. 1983.
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^ The same basic proportion occurs, less purely, in the Temple of Hephaestus of Athens. Wolfgang Müller-Wiener: Griechisches Bauwesen in der Antike. C. H. Beck, München 1988, p. 27-32.
^ Wolfram Hoepfner in: Wolfram Hoepfner & Ernst-Ludwig Schwandner (eds.): Hermogenes und die hochhellenistische Architektur. Internationales Kolloquium in Berlin vom 28. bis 29. Juli 1988 im Rahmen des XIII. Internationalen Kongresses für Klassische Archäologie. Mainz 1990. p. 12; Meral Ortac: Die hellenistischen und römischen Propyla in Kleinasien. 2001, p. 115 (Online Archived April 9, 2008, at the Wayback Machine).
^ Lothar Haselberg: Old Issues, New Research, Latest Discoveries: Curvature and Other Classical Refinements. In: Lothar Haselberger (ed.): Appearance and Essence. Refinements of Classical Architecture: Curvature. University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia 1999, p. 1-68.
^ Charles Picard – Pierre de La Coste-Messelière: Fouilles de Delphes. Bd. IV 3, 1931, S. 15 ff.
^ About architectural sculpture: M. Oppermann: Vom Medusabild zur Athenageburt. Bildprogramme griechischer Tempelgiebel archaischer und klassischer Zeit. 1990; Heiner Knell: Mythos und Polis. Bildprogramme griechischer Bauskulptur. The column was constructed of drums, the round core, and finished with flutes, making the outer area look rippled. Slight swelling of the column is known as entasis. 1990.
^ K. Bringmann & H. von Steuben, Schenkungen hellenistischer Herrscher an griechische Städte und Heiligtümer. 1995; Hildegard Schaaf: Untersuchungen zu Gebäudestiftungen hellenistischer Zeit. 1992.
^ Hans Lauter: Die Architektur des Hellenismus. Wiss. Buchges., Darmstadt 1986, p. 12-27; Wolfgang Müller-Wiener: Griechisches Bauwesen in der Antike. C. H. Beck, München 1988, p. 15-25, 33-39.
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^ Hans Lauter: Die Architektur des Hellenismus. Wiss. Buchges., Darmstadt 1986, S. 187. 195 Abb. 65. 66a.
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^ Dieter Mertens: Städte und Bauten der Westgriechen. Von der Kolonisationszeit bis zur Krise um 400 vor Christus. Hirmer Verlag, München 2006, p. 198.
^ see Dieter Mertens: Städte und Bauten der Westgriechen. Von der Kolonisationszeit bis zur Krise um 400 vor Christus. Hirmer Verlag, München 2006, p. 104-110.
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^ Peter Schneider: Neue Funde vom archaischen Apollontempel in Didyma. In: Ernst-Ludwig Schwandner (Hrsg.): Säule und Gebälk. Zu Struktur und Wandlungsprozeß griechisch-römischer Architektur. Bauforschungskolloquium in Berlin vom 16.-18. Juni 1994. Diskussionen zur Archäologischen Bauforschung. Vol. 6, 1996, p. 78-83.
^ Pontus Hellström - Thomas Thieme: The temple of Zeus. In: Labraunda - Swedish excavations and researches. Vol 1, 3. Lund 1982.
^ Ibrahim Hakan Mert: Untersuchungen zur hellenistischen und kaiserzeitlichen Bauornamentik von Stratonikeia. Köln 1999, p 261-301 (Online Archived April 9, 2008, at the Wayback Machine).
^ Frank Rumscheid: Untersuchungen zur kleinasiatischen Bauornamentik des Hellenismus. 1994, p 42–47.
^ Carl Humann: Magnesia am Mäander. 1904, p 55; also see in: Wolfram Hoepfner & Ernst-Ludwig Schwandner (Eds.): Hermogenes und die hochhellenistische Architektur. Internationales Kolloquium in Berlin vom 28. bis 29. Juli 1988 im Rahmen des XIII. Internationalen Kongresses für Klassische Archäologie. Mainz 1990; more generally: W. Hoepfner in: Wolfram Hoepfner & Ernst-Ludwig Schwandner (Eds.): Hermogenes und die hochhellenistische Architektur. Internationales Kolloquium in Berlin vom 28. bis 29. Juli 1988 im Rahmen des XIII. Internationalen Kongresses für Klassische Archäologie. Mainz 1990, p. 2 ff. 30 ff.
^ Hakan Mert: Untersuchungen zur hellenistischen und kaiserzeitlichen Bauornamentik von Stratonikeia. Köln 1999, p. 26 (Online Archived April 9, 2008, at the Wayback Machine).
^ Ibrahim Hakan Mert: Untersuchungen zur hellenistischen und kaiserzeitlichen Bauornamentik von Stratonikeia. Köln 1999, p. 26 (Online Archived April 9, 2008, at the Wayback Machine).
^ Frank Rumscheid: Untersuchungen zur kleinasiatischen Bauornamentik. Bd. I. Zabern, Mainz 1994, p. 141-143.
^ Temple L in Epidauros; see Hans Lauter: Die Architektur des Hellenismus. Wiss. Buchges., Darmstadt 1986, pp. 189–190.
^ See Dieter Mertens: Der ionische Tempel von Metapont. In: Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts. Römische Abteilung. Bd. 86, 1979, p. 103 ff.
^ Ralf Schenk: Der korinthische Tempel bis zum Ende des Prinzipats des Augustus. Internationale Archäologie 45, 1997, p. 16-21.
^ See Renate Tölle-Kastenbein: Das Olympieion in Athen. Böhlau, Köln 1994.
^ Theodora S. MacKay: Olba in Rough Cilicia. 1968; Detlev Wannagat: Neue Forschungen in Diokaisareia / Uzuncaburç, Bericht über die Arbeiten 2001-2004. In: Archäologischer Anzeiger. 2005, p. 117-166.
^ Detlev Wannagat: Zur Säulenordnung des Zeustempels von Olba-Diokaisareia. In: Olba II. First International Symposium on Cilician Archaeology, Mersin 1.-4.6. 1998, Mersin 1999, p. 355-368.
^ See Ulrich Junghölter: Zur Komposition der Laginafriese und zur Deutung des Nordfrieses. 1989; Frank Rumscheid: Untersuchungen zur kleinasiatischen Bauornamentik. Bd. I, 1994, p. 132 ff.; Ralf Schenk: Der korinthische Tempel bis zum Ende des Prinzipats des Augustus. Internationale Archäologie 45, 1997, p. 28 ff.
^ Walter Voigtländer in: Adolf Hoffmann; Ernst-Ludwig Schwandner; Wolfram Höpfner & Gunnar Brands (eds.): Bautechnik der Antike. Kolloquium Berlin 1990. Diskussionen zur Archäologischen Bauforschung. Bd. 5. 1991, p. 247-248; Ralf Schenk: Der korinthische Tempel bis zum Ende des Prinzipats des Augustus. Internationale Archäologie 45, 1997, p. 37-39 (late 2nd century BC).
^ P. Schazmann: Das Gymnasium. In: Altertümer von Pergamon. Bd. VI. 1923, p. 40 ff.; Ralf Schenk: Der korinthische Tempel bis zum Ende des Prinzipats des Augustus. Internationale Archäologie 45, 1997, p. 39-41.
^ See Ralf Schenk: Der korinthische Tempel bis zum Ende des Prinzipats des Augustus. Internationale Archäologie 45, 1997, pp. 41–47.
Jenkins, Ian. Greek Architecture and Its Sculpture. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2006.
Martin, Roland. Greek Architecture. New York: Electa/Rizzoli, 1988.
Scully, Vincent Joseph. The Earth, the Temple, and the Gods: Greek Sacred Architecture. Rev. ed. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1979.
Tzonis, Alexander, and Phoivē Giannisē. Classical Greek Architecture: The Construction of the Modern. English-language ed. Paris: Flammarion, 2004.
Yeroulanou, Marina. "Architecture in City and Sanctuary." In A Companion to Greek Art, edited by Tyler Jo Smith and Dimitris Plantzos, 132-52. Vol. 1. Somerset: Wiley, 2012.
Dieter Mertens: Der alte Heratempel in Paestum und die archaische Baukunst in Unteritalien. 1993.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ancient Greek temples and Schematic plans of ancient Greek temples.
Look up Temple in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
This page was last edited on 29 March 2019, at 18:56 (UTC).
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What are the surgical options for cubital tunnel syndrome?
Cubital tunnel syndrome occurs when the ulnar nerve at the elbow becomes compressed or irritated. Increased pressure disturbs the way the nerve works, causing numbness or pain in the elbow, hand, wrist or fingers.
Decompress the nerve by releasing the structures that are compressing it and allow its function to recover over time.
The choice of procedure depends on individual factors such as symptom severity, medical history and your overall health.
The ulnar nerve passes across the back of the elbow, behind the medial epicondyle on the inner side of the upper arm bone. The spot where the corner of the ulnar nerve makes a bend around the elbow is commonly called the "funny bone." Hitting the elbow at this spot gives a brief feeling of shock or tingling.
Mild cases of cubital tunnel syndrome often respond to non-operative treatments such as wearing an elbow pad to protect the elbow during the day; wearing a splint to keep the elbow straight at night; and physical therapy to learn how to avoid putting pressure on the ulnar nerve.
If these conservative measures fail to alleviate symptoms, surgery may be necessary.
Recovery varies by patient and the surgical procedure involved. There are usually restrictions on lifting and elbow movement, and most patients undergo physical therapy to rebuild strength in the hand and wrist. Although numbness may quickly improve, full functional recovery may take several months. In severe cases, surgery may not completely resolve cubital tunnel symptoms.
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What is Ferdinand Magellan known for?
Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer in the 16th century. He organized Spanish expedition to the East Indies from 1519 to 1522, resulting in the first circumnavigation of the Earth.
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Pleiotropy: Can we predict evolution?
Evolution is not predictable, right? It has famously been said that if we were to rerun the tape of life, it would be very unlikely that something like humans would evolve again. I could add that, surely, on other planets suitable for life it would be highly unlikely that organisms looking identical to us would evolve. However, I personally would not be totally surprised if there were intelligent bipedal quadrupeds on other planets somewhere, but this is very little beyond pure speculation (I could talk about it at length - but that is not the same as writing about it).
One of the problems with predicting evolutionary outcomes is that the number of influencing factors is huge. Physics is a field of science where predictions can be very accurate - just think of sending rovers to Mars: the precision needed for that to succeed is daunting, and is a testament to the success of physics. However, this success stems from the simplicity of the physical systems that people have studied. Newton studied objects falling, which is a pretty simple thing with few factors influencing the outcome. The only relevant factor involved is gravitation, and it was fairly easy to achieve good predictability. The factors influencing the rover on its way to Mars are actually quite few as well. Biologists have a much harder time because the systems the first studied were so much more complex. Living things are just that much more complicated than a dead object falling (even if it is a living apple).
Evolution is driven by random changes to the genome and environmental factors. That's it. The problem is just that those are both highly unpredictable, whereas in physics things are easier. But here is the point I want to make: It's only easier in physics because physicists elect to study systems that are simple. There is a great joke where a physicist is able to predict the winner of any horse race to multiple decimal points - provided it was a perfectly elastic spherical horse moving through a vacuum (Wikipedia). Physicists don't contend with studying what is actually there in its messy reality, but instead reduce the problem to one that can be solved. Even though heating a pot of water involves many individual particles, boiling can be predicted with high accuracy, but only if it assumed that a meteor isn't going to crash the kitchen! Externalities are ignored and assumed not to happen. And that works well for physics, because that assumption is safe in many systems. But it is not safe at all in evolution.
The core entity of evolution is the population. It is the population that evolves, not the species or the individual. And the first thing to know about a population is its size, N. The size is the main determinant of what will happen to new mutations, such as the probability of fixation (i.e., the mutation existing in all individuals) and the strength of selection (governing whether a mutation will be under the influence of selection, or just genetic drift - note that there is always drift, which comes from the stochasticity (randomness) that is inherent in the evolutionary process, but sometimes it matters little compared to selection, which completely dominates in the case of an infinitely large population).
The second parameter to know is the rate at which new mutations appear, the mutation rate, µ. If there are no mutations (no more realistic in nature than an infinitely large population size), then evolution comes to a halt when genetic drift or natural selection has eliminated all variation. If µ is very large, the the population will experience a mutational meltdown and the loss fitness due to the accumulation of harmful mutations. The product of the population size and mutation rate is called the mutation-supply rate, µN. This quantity determines how many mutations occur: if it's low, then there are few mutations. In much of evolutionary theory it is assumed that the mutation-supply rate is so low that each mutation appears and goes to fixation (or most likely is lost) before the next mutation appears. This makes mathematics much easier, but it is not a realistic assumption. Rather, pretty much all natural populations have a mutation-supple rate large enough that there is always many different mutations present in the population. This is true for humans and for bacteria - and especially for viruses.
Lots of advances have been made in evolutionary theory (population genetics) given only these two parameters. But there is another that makes a huge difference, which describes what effect mutations have.
The fitness landscape is a map where fitness is given as a function of the genotype or the phenotype. In other words, this function describes the expected reproductive success of every type of organisms in the population. If the fitness landscape is known, then the effect of every mutation is known, and it can be predicted statistically how the population will evolve. If the landscape is smooth (see Fig. 1) then there is only one outcome possible: the population will ascend the peak and then stay there. But if the landscape is rugged, then the population risks getting stuck on a local peak (at least for a very long time), or it may be fortuitous enough that it finds the global peak.
Figure 1. Smooth and rugged one-dimensional fitness landscapes. Both are simply fitness given as a function of either genotype or phenotype. Smooth landscapes have a single peak and the dynamics on it is very predictable: for non-zero mutations rates, the top of the peak will be located sooner or later. The only exception is if the mutation rate is very high, in which case all offspring have deleterious mutations that take them off the peak, aka as a mutational meltdown. The rugged landscape have multiple peaks separate by valleys of lower fitness. In the NK landscape rugged landscapes also have a greater range in fitness than smooth landscapes. This is an effect of pleiotropy, which in NK is coupled to the K-parameter, which determines the amount of genetic interaction. P.S. Not sure why I didn't indicate the axes here. Amateur! Again, it's fitness on the vertical axis, and genotype or phenotype on the horizontal axis. I could add, though, that a picture like this is more consistent with fitness as a function of a continuous phenotype (e.g., body size), while functions of genotype will most often be discrete. From Østman and Adami (2013).
Evolutionary dynamics in rugged landscapes are much harder to predict. That goes for the endpoint of evolution (the genotype or phenotype that the population ends at), which is easy to predict in smooth landscapes, and it is also true for the path that is taken. In one dimension the path is not hard to predict (if the population start to the left in the smooth landscape in Fig. 1, then it will move to the right until it hits the peak), but if there are many paths, then the situation is not so simple. If we look at the fitness landscape in Fig. 2A, which is reconstructed from Khan et al (2011), we see that there are many paths that can lead from genotype 00000 to 11111. Note that in this figure fitness is given for each of the 32 genotypes, but are plotted as a function of how many mutations away they are from the (arbitrarily chosen) 00000 genotype.
A population that starts at 00000 will end up on 11111, but it can take a number of routes there. Because the fitness gains are highest going through 00010 first, and then through 00110, 10110, 11110 to 11111, that route is most likely, but because evolution is a stochastic process (mutations are random and high fitness makes it more likely that you get to reproduce, but not certain), other routes are possible. In this example, Khan et al. actually found that the path taken was via 01000.
Figure 2. Two fitness graphs where fitness are given by the genotype. The genotype consists of five loci - each of which can take the value of 0 or 1 - and the horizontal axis therefore cannot contain that information. Instead the axis shows the number of mutations each genotype is away from an arbitrarily chosen "wild-type". An edge indicates a one-mutant connection between genotypes. (A) Taken from Khan et al. (2011), evolution in this landscape is easy to predict. With a population starting at 00000, genotype 11111 will eventually be located. There are no other peaks than 11111 that the population can get stuck on. Which path will actually be taken is a different matter: even though it is most likely the population will go to 00010 first, and then 00110, 10110, and 11110 to 11111, the actual path taken was different, going through 00001. (B) This instance of an NK fitness landscape is rugged, with three distinct peaks at 11110, 11101, and 00000. Starting a population at 11111 it cannot be said with certainty where the population will end up. Most likely the population will go though one or both of the local peaks at 11110 and 11101. If the mutation-supply rate is low there won't be enough mutations available for the population to cross the valley going through genotypes 10101 or 01001. However, for higher mutation-supply rates (which can be achieved both by increasing the population size and the mutation rate) the higher number of mutations will ensure that the valley is eventually crossed (without having to wait for eons), and the global peak is reached.
We can of course discuss the relevance of different paths. Does it really matter which path is taken? Where the population ends up seems more relevant, but suppose the population is a virus that we are fighting with anti-virals. In that case, we'd like to kill all the viruses, but if they evolve resistance, we could perhaps combat them with targeted drugs if we know which path they were going to take.
Figure 2B shows a rugged landscape with several peaks (at 11110, 11101, and 00000). If the population starts at 11111, it is most likely to go through 11110 and/or 11101. However, if the supply of mutations is low (WM, weak-mutaiton regime), the population risks getting permanently stuck there, and thus not able to locate the global optimum at 00000. By "permanently" I mean that the population will sit there for a very long time. Eventually it will move up, but it can take longer than other events that can change the landscape, and, if the fitness of those suboptimal genotypes are too low, the population can go extinct before they are able to escape to higher fitness. Fitness also affects population size, so that a population sitting on 11110 would in this case be about 10% lower than if it were sitting on 00000. In the simulation shown in Vid. 1 the population size is fixed at N=1,000, so this effect does therefore not occur. The mutation rate is very high, so the population is able to escape 11101 and 11110 by crossing the valley to reach 00000.
Video 1. Evolution in a rugged landscape. A population of 1,000 individuals evolving on a fitness graph all starting at genotype 11111. Mutation rate is 0.1 per generation (= chance to have one mutation; no double-mutations allowed here). The simulation is a Moran process (one individual is replaced by the offspring of another every update). The area of the circles are proportional to the number of individuals at that genotype.
The lower the entropy S is, the higher predictability is. When all states are the same, pi=1, and S=0.
Figure 3. Predictability of endpoints of evolutionary paths measured using entropy. When the entropy is low, predictability is high. Entropy is basically a measure for how uniform the results are: if all endpoints are the same, then entropy is zero. The different colors are for different mutation rates (black highest). Predictability is given as a function of population size (A), mutation-supply rate (B), and rate of double-mutants (C). The finding is that predictability is not monotonic, that is, at very high population sizes predictability goes down again (entropy increases). d=4 indicates the Hamming distance from the global optimum, which is easier to find the more mutations there are, which is why predictability is higher for larger N. Szendro et al. (2013) explains this decrease in predictability as "a consequence of increased appearance of double mutants", by which they might mean that the number of mutations is so high that the mutational load (decrease in average fitness due to deleterious mutations) makes finding the global optimum harder.
Evolution in smooth landscapes is very predictable (in terms of endpoints), while rugged landscapes can decrease predictability because the population can get stuck on different fitness peaks (which doesn't mean that a rugged landscape can cause speciation - for that, other factors are needed, like reproductive incompatibilities between different genotypes or negative frequency-dependent selection). Just as is seen in Fig. 3, increasing the mutation rate (up to a point) in rugged NK landscapes increases the chance that the population will find the global peak (Østman et al,, 2012).
Yes, we can predict evolution, but to achieve high predictability, certain conditions have to be met. A large mutation-supply rate helps, as does low ruggedness of the fitness landscape. So too does static landscapes; if the fitness landscape changes on time-scales comparable to the population dynamics, then predictability will suffer. There is very little research done on such dynamic fitness landscapes and how they affect evolutionary dynamics. One obvious question to tackle before answering this question is just how the landscape changes over time. Not much is known about this in natural populations, but it could be studied computational for different classes of changes, like peaks suddenly disappearing vs. more subtle changes in fitness values.
In summary, evolution is predictable if we know population size, mutation rate, and the fitness landscape.
I guess that when it is said that evolution is not predictable people refer to the immense difficulty of knowing how the fitness landscape is going to vary in time in the long term. Maybe also the impossibility of ever reconstructing a multidimensional landscape that is so variable and dependent of so many genome sites.
Yes, incorporating all details will be impossible. My point here is then to reduce the problem to something we can solve and go from there.
> There is very little research done on such dynamic fitness landscapes and how they affect evolutionary dynamics.
Evolutionary game theory studies fitness landscapes that are completely frequency-dependent and thus the fitness landscape the population sees varies at the same rate as the population. This is the polar opposite of a fixed fitness landscape and is extensively studied. See Nowak's Evolutionary Dynamics for a quick intro, or Hofbauer & Sigmund's Evolutionary Games and Population Dynamics for a more dated (1998) but technical introduction.
I am also very skeptical whenever someone talks about an "end-point" of evolution. For convenience, mathematical models tend to consider compact genotypes spaces and so by Brouwer's fixed-point theorem these models have equilibria. However, it is not obvious to me that these sort of models should always be used, because they are prone to inviting a very teleological account of evolution that I think most biologist would inherently be opposed, too. But even in these models, it is not clear to me that we are always justified in assuming that the population will converge to an equilibrium. You might have limit cycles (for instance for replicator dynamics with 3 or more strategies), or even chaotic attractors (replicator dynamics with 4 or more strategies). Even when you don't have this constant feedback between population and fitness landscape, it still seems that one should be cautious to assume that the population can reach an equilibrium in a reasonable (non-exponential in size of genome) time.
Finally, the possibility of chaotic dynamics (as mentioned in the previous paragraph) inherently makes the system unpredictable except over very short timescales. Physicists face the same problem when they study their (in your words) "simple" systems, for instance you can't predict the dynamics of a double pendulum very well without unreasonably (even for physics) accurate measurements of initial conditions.
Artem, I didn't mean to say that no work is done on dynamic fitness landscapes at all. You're right that systems with frequency-dependent selection are studied using game theoretical approaches in simulation (in fact, I'm in a lab where this has been done extensively). To what extent is this used to predict evolution, do you think?
Endpoints of evolution here refers exclusively to the final state in a static fitness landscape. If this is indeed not a single genotype, like you highlight, then I don't see any problems incorporating that into the entropy measure. Just include several solutions and weigh them accordingly. Agree?
And you might be right that this approach is not possible in chaotic systems. But, gotta start somewhere.
In philosophy of science, AFAIK, prediction means a deduction from general laws like the law of gravitation or of ideal gases. What you call "prediction" is not based on such laws but on a huge amount of observations about population size, mutation rates and fitness landscapes. Therefore, it is not a proper prediction. If you thought about your knowledge of population size, mutation rates and fitness landscapes as observations, you could regard the whole exercise as an induction (that's what Darwin thought of his conclusion about natural selection). If you thought of them as premises, you could consider the exercise a deduction of hypotheses. None comes with the same high claims to truth the way predictions do.
P.S.: I consider the obsession of scientists with "prediction" a vice. How much fraud in science is due to students believing they really have predictive powers?
Ouch, slapped with semantics! Good thing I am in science and not philosophy.
I don't know. How much fraud in science is caused by these students? News to me, frankly.
Hi. Are you refering to that mutation rate that is, for instance, in the case of an autosomal recessive trait = sq^2 ?
No, I am talking about the per-site mutation rate. Mainly in haploids, so traits are neither dominant or recessive. What is sq^2?
Just to clarify: My genetics professor at the university (I'm an undergrad student) calls what I mentioned mutation rate and represents it by the same symbol you used. But I've noticed that it looked like it wasn't the same thing.
Ok, got it. But no, µ is simply the rate at which new mutations occur, irrespective of it's effect, s.
Great post, but I disagree with your conclusion. Even if we know population size, mutation rate, and the fitness landscape, evolution will usually not be predictable, in my opinion. You concentrated on external factors, and thereby you somehow treat the phenotype as a kind of dough that can be formed into every imaginable shape, and will always find a way to the peaks of the fitness landscape.
Internal factors, i.e. developmental constraints, make-up of genetic networks etc. are also crucial, and here the outcome of evolution is impossible to predict, in my opinion. The evolutionary trajectory may take dramatically different turns depending on which kind of genes are "hit" first by mutation, creating very different types of mutually exclusive phenotypes that may all be more or less equally favored by selection.
To give a hypothetical example: Let's say an animal species on a small island faces extinction due to slowly rising water levels, over thousands of years.
One way to get your gene pool out of this threat is the emergence of wings, another would be to turn aquatic. But once a trend towards "becoming fish-like" is set in motion by the first random mutations, the other path is virtually blocked, and vice versa.
The example is a bit silly, but these kinds of things also happen at the molecular level.
Hans, I don't disagree with the importance of constraints. However, those constraints are already built into the fitness landscape. I repeat that getting comprehensive knowledge of a large area of the fitness landscape is a daunting task (practically impossible in many instances), but in principle it does contain all the necessary information, including genetic constraints.
I don't think that the constraints I have in mind are built into the fitness landscape - and that's because fitness landscapes deal with selection coefficients, but that's not what people mean when talking about "developmental constraints" . These constraints exist irrespective of selection and to predict "possible creatures" you would have to somehow include a model of how developmental pathways can change. It's as if certain peaks in your fitness landscape are cordoned off by wire fencing, whereas others have cable car access.
Under these controlled conditions, it was indeed possible to predict what would happen to yeast populations under low sucrose conditions, based on biochemical and genetic knowledge. Although evolution provided some surprise solutions too, overall the expected outcome was observed. So I guess, I agree with you, whether or not evolution is predictable depends on what kind of system you have in mind, and what time scales you are looking at.
Constraints limit which genotypes are connected, and that is part of the fitness landscape. If you don't think this is an adequate view, can you elaborate?
Thinking about it, I guess you are right and I was wrong, if "knowing the fitness landscape" means knowing every possible genotype and all its fitness consequences (plus the other assumptions mentioned in your post).
But: "Knowing every genotype" would also mean to take into account innovation and novelty, such as those caused by gene duplication and subfunctionalization.
In practice, evolutionary innovations are - almost by definition - a source of endless surprises, and you'd be stretched to make predictions with all those unknown unknowns.
Yes, I totally agree that knowing everything about the fitness landscape is practically impossible. When we make and measure landscapes in biology, we are not including events like gene duplication that will expand the dimensionality of the genotype/phenotype. Hopefully there are systems regular enough that they are somewhat predictable.
.... If the fitness landscape is known, then the effect of every mutation is known, and it can be predicted statistically how the population will evolve.
Do you have the reference abot that fact?
No. It is a claim that I make (e.g., in Østman & Adami, 2013). It is also an inference one can partially make from my work in the NK landscape (Østman et al, 2012), if one understands the question "how the population will evolve" as whether they get stuck on a local peak or reach the global peak. There is more to it than just that, of course. From some of these videos of populations evolving in 2-dimensional phenotype-fitness landscapes and multi-dimensional genotype-fitness landscapes, it is also clear that just by looking at the topology, one can predict where a population will end up in some cases.
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Where are the best safaris in Africa?
Undoubtedly one of the best known and magnificent parks in Africa, the park boasts prolific wildlife, particularly game animals, and is known for its sheer vastness. The migration of millions of wild animals including zebras occurs here every year. The national park was established in 1952 and is standing tall ever since. The biological diversity of the national park is high as it is home to some of nature’s most spectacular species, including at least four globally threatened and endangered animals, including the cheetah, black rhinoceros, wild dog, and the elephant.
The forest reserve is home to roughly half of the world’s population of mountain gorillas so if you want to witness the gentle giants up close, pack your bags and head over to Uganda. The area is surrounded by theatrical landscape and glorious waterfalls shrouded in mists. Besides the gorillas, you will also find chimpanzees and other mammals.
Masai Mara National Reserve is Kenya’s most popular wildlife park. The reserve was established in 1961 to protect wild animals from the wrath of hunters. The area is abundant with beautiful sceneries and exotic animals and you will have a great time down there. The reserve is located in southwestern Kenya, situated on the border with Tanzania. The Mara River runs through the park and is a spectacular sight as it is home to plenty of crocodiles and hippos. As the park does not have any fences, you can view the animals up close.
Kruger National Park is one of Africa’s oldest established wildlife reserves. The national park offers the most brilliant safari experiences in Africa. The reserve boasts a large variety of wildlife including crocodiles, giraffes, cheetahs and more. The reserve is also one of the best-maintained parks in Africa and is a favorite destination among tourists. The roads are all well maintained hence tourists need not rent a vehicle. In addition, wheelchairs and proper facilities are accessible for those with mobility impairments. The park offers a range of accommodation, options including tents, caravans, cottages and rest camps.
The Okavango Delta situated in Botswana is one of the most magnificent wilderness areas on earth, hosting up to 122 species of mammals and over 440 species of birds. The Delta is made up from drylands and wetlands with beautiful lagoons and luscious forests to enjoy. The areas offer unique safari experiences from all the other national parks as tourists can witness wildlife from both water and land, sometimes from the comfort a traditional canoe. The Delta hosts a number of lodges and luxury camps which are a favorite among tourists.
You might be confused, given the variety of options for safaris in Africa. However, the leader of the pack by far is the Serengeti National Park, and it is just one of several nature parks in Tanzania. So, the bottom line is if you want to head out on a safari, Tanzania is the ideal destination.
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Journal Club Article: Obermeyer, Z., & Emanuel, E. J. (2016). Predicting the future—big data, machine learning, and clinical medicine. The New England Journal of Medicine, 375(13), 1216.
“Big data will transform medicine. It’s essential to remember, however, that data by themselves are useless. To be useful, data must be analyzed, interpreted, and acted on. Thus it is algorithms — not data sets — that will prove transformative.
Machine learning, conversely, approaches problems as a doctor progressing through residency might: by learning rules from data. Starting with patient-level observations, algorithms sift through vast numbers of variables, looking for combinations that reliably predict outcomes.
But where machine learning shines is in handling enormous numbers of predictors — sometimes, remarkably, more predictors than observations — and combining them in nonlinear and highly interactive ways.
Consider a chest radiograph. Some radiographic features might predict an important outcome, such as death. In a standard statistical model, we might use the radiograph’s interpretation — “normal,” “atelectasis,” “effusion” — as a variable. But instead, why not let the data speak for themselves?
Of course, letting the data speak for themselves can be problematic. Algorithms might “overfit” predictions to spurious correlations in the data.
Correlated predictors could produce unstable estimates.
Another key issue is the quantity and quality of input data. Machine learning algorithms are highly “data hungry,” often requiring millions of observations to reach acceptable performance levels.
Machine accuracy will displace much of the work of radiologists and anatomical pathologists through machine learning.
Despite concerns that with robotics and artificial intelligence the ability of machine learning may actually improve healthcare delivery. “Machine learning will become an indispensable tool for clinicians seeking to truly understand their patients. As patients’ conditions and medical technologies become more complex, its role will continue to grow, and clinical medicine will be challenged to grow with it”.
Keywords: Big data; machine learning; disruption; analytics; artificial intelligence.
High, R. (2012). The era of cognitive systems: An inside look at IBM Watson and how it works. IBM Corporation, Redbooks.
IBM (2017). Cognitive Analytics and 6 Solutions: IBM Research – Haifa.
Marr, B. (2016). How Machine Learning, Big Data And AI Are Changing Healthcare Forever. Forbes.com.
Nursing Education Network (2017). Analytics & Big Data.
Nursing Education Network (2017). Educating Nurses for the Future of Healthcare.
Nursing Education Network (2017). Industry 4.0: The Future of Work.
Obermeyer, Z. & Emanuel, E. J. (2016). Predicting the Future — Big Data, Machine Learning, and Clinical Medicine. NEJM Catalyst.
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What Did Benson Phillips Really Say?
He accuses Brother Benson of misrepresenting the emphasis of Brother Lee's speaking in his final conference message from receiving the believers in the denominations to receiving the churches and the believers in them.
He accuses Brother Benson of making receiving all of the churches in fellowship a higher priority and even a pre-condition to receiving all of the believers, thus postponing the receiving of the believers to some unspecified time in the future.
He accuses the brothers of emphasizing Brother Lee's private speaking over his public speaking.
These accusations are fraught with distortions.
When the message was edited for publication, the words "this morning" were omitted, because they were not applicable in print. Benson was not saying that "the burden here" was the entirety of Brother Lee's burden in his message. He was merely saying that in the message he himself was giving, the burden was on the fellowship among the churches. That burden was prompted by the turmoil among the churches being caused in large part by the writings of the same dissenting brothers who then twisted Brother Benson's word to attack him. The omission of the words "this morning" in the printed message in no way sanctions the reckless misrepresentation of Brother Benson's word by these dissenters.
Brother Benson acknowledged that Brother Lee's word addressed both the blending and fellowship together of the churches in the Body life (something notably absent in the writings of these and other dissenting brothers) and receiving all the believers as God and Christ has received us. The words "the burden here" simply mean that based on the situation in the Lord's recovery at the time of Benson's speaking and the co-workers' realization of the need among all the churches, his emphasis was on the need for fellowship among the churches. This was so precisely because these dissenting ones were themselves withdrawing from fellowship with co-workers outside their area and had been curtailing the fellowship between the churches in their geographical area and those outside.
The accusation that Benson was making the receiving of all the churches and all the saints in the Lord's recovery a priority over and pre-condition for receiving all believers seems to be based solely on the word "then" in the sentence, "Then we must receive all believers." Such an interpretation assumes that the word "then" means something that follows in a sequence, but it can also mean "in addition" or "also" or "besides". If you read the next sentence of Benson's speaking, it is evident that he is not speaking in chronological terms. There Benson speaks in the present tense: "Every church receives every brother and sister." The dissenting brothers choose to apply the most unlikely definition of "then" based on the context of Benson's speaking in order to misrepresent Benson's words. This is done both to justify criticizing Benson himself, as well as to avoid the point Brother Benson was stressing-the need of all the churches to have mutual fellowship to be blended together organically as the Body of Christ.
It is the dissenting ones who want to distort Brother Lee's short word of regret and make it representative of his entire burden at the end of his ministry.
Ignoring Brother Lee's Real Concern?
Furthermore, to say that the co-workers have neglected Brother Lee's fellowship concerning receiving the believers is without basis. In recent years, the co-workers have cultivated many constructive relationships with other believers in an effort to clear up misunderstandings about our beliefs and standing. Most notably these relationships include the ongoing fellowship with some at Fuller Theological Seminary, the editorial staff of Christianity Today, and the Christian Research Institute, among others. Even these efforts have been criticized by the dissenting ones. Their insistence on finding fault with anything the co-workers do should be a warning sign to the saints concerning their motives.
Near the end of his ministry Brother Lee also expressed the realization that the riches the Lord had given to His recovery through the ministry were not just for the saints in the local churches, but for all believers in the Body of Christ. Based on that word, the co-workers have undertaken numerous initiatives to get the riches of Brother Lee's ministry to the hungry, seeking ones in Christianity through both print and broadcast media.
Brother Lee's word of regret indicated no change in his understanding concerning the truth of how to practice the church life on the ground of oneness. It merely expressed regret for failures in applying what we have always understood to be the truth-that in spite and even because of our clear stand for the practical expression of the oneness of the Body of Christ by meeting as the church in our locality, we must receive all believers in Christ as fellow members of that one Body. It was not, as some dissenters have portrayed it, a call to compromise our standing and to join ourselves to the organized system of Christianity or to adopt its worldly practices. There is no evidence in Brother Lee's speaking to support such vain imaginations.
At the end of a message in the 2006 Thanksgiving Conference, Brother Benjamin Chen spoke a clarifying word concerning this short section of Brother Lee's sharing in the last meeting of the 1997 International Chinese-speaking Conference. Benjamin said that some had misused Brother Lee's word of regret that in the past his attitude toward some in the denominations was not right as an excuse to justify bringing the things of Christianity into the Lord's recovery. Beginning in the summer of 1996, Brother Lee asked a number of brothers to share the message with him to confirm its burden. He called them "blending speakers". As one of the "blending speakers" in the last meeting of that 1997 conference, Brother Benjamin paid very close attention to what Brother Lee spoke.
Benjamin confirmed that Brother Lee did not change his teaching at all in that message, because through all the years both Brother Nee and Brother Lee had made it clear that we have to separate our attitude toward the believers in Christianity from our attitude toward the system of Christianity. 3 On the one hand, regardless of where they are, whether in Catholicism or the denominations or the free groups, we need to be open to, receive, fellowship with, and love the believers. On the other hand, we want to have nothing to do with the system of Christianity because that system divides the Body of Christ.
Benjamin said that when Brother Lee expressed regret for his attitude toward some Christians in the denominations, it was because in his maturity in life he was very sensitive in his spirit that he did not always have the right kind of loving attitude. But immediately after Brother Lee spoke of his regret, he said that the denominations themselves are wrong and that all the sectarianism that divides God's people should be condemned. Brother Lee then balanced this word by saying that God's people themselves should not be condemned. This was and always has been our standing.
Based on this understanding of Brother Lee's fellowship, Brother Benjamin spoke as a "blending speaker." Brother Lee indicated that although he had intended to say something further after the "blending speakers" to strengthen the burden in his message, there was no need because the "blending speakers" had said what he wanted to say. This demonstrates that Benjamin's understanding of Brother Lee's speaking and burden were accurate, as opposed to the wildly speculative interpretations put on Brother Lee's speaking by those wanting to justify polluting the Lord's recovery with worldliness.
Brother Benjamin concluded by saying that to use Brother Lee's short speaking to justify going back to the worldly practices of Christianity is a serious error. Brother Lee never said this. We have been called out of the degraded system of Christianity to afford the Lord a way to carry out His recovery in a pure way. We seek to cooperate with God for the carrying out of His economy to recover the all-inclusive Christ as our life and everything, the function of all the members according to the God-ordained way, and the proper oneness of the Body of Christ. In order to accomplish this, we must stand apart from the degraded system of Christianity, but at the same time we must be open to, receive, fellowship with, and love all of our fellow believers in Christ, regardless of whether they meet in the local churches or not.
The dissenting brother claims that the co-workers emphasize selected parts of Brother Lee's private speaking while neglecting his public speaking. It is wrong to discount Brother Lee's fellowship with his co-workers during the last months of his life. Paul told the elders in Ephesus that he had declared to them the full counsel of God by speaking both publicly and from house to house (Acts 20:27, 20).
Acts 20:27 - For I did not shrink from declaring to you all the counsel of God.
Acts 20:20 - How I did not withhold any of those things that are profitable by not declaring them to you and by not teaching you publicly and from house to house.
Paul did not say his public speakings were profitable, but that his private speakings were less so. Many brothers can testify that what they learned through Brother Lee's private shepherding of them was as valuable as his public teaching.
It is easy to raise questions and make accusations, but the dissenting ones themselves are elusive when it comes to explaining where they stand. They never clearly state what they see as the implications of Brother Lee's fellowship concerning the mistakes made in the past in receiving other believers, nor do they explain their rejection of his charge to be blended with other co-workers and with all of the churches in the Lord's recovery. They consistently distort the speaking of the co-workers in order to condemn them, to mislead the saints, and to avoid dealing with their responsibility in causing the turmoils in the Lord's recovery today.
2In an earlier case a brother associated with this worker excused his misquoting of a co-worker by saying that he did not have the actual audio or video tape available to him. This is a poor excuse. Audio tapes of messages are available from Living Stream Ministry for $4.00. Surely we should expect that a brother claiming some leadership among us would go to the time and expense of purchasing and reviewing a tape before making such serious accusations that are spread worldwide via the Internet.
3 For a further explanation of the standing of the local churches concerning organized Christianity, see page 4 of " A Brief Response to An Open Letter to the Leadership of Living Stream Ministry and the 'Local Churches'" on www.lctestimony.org.
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A red saltire on a white field, with the seal of Florida superimposed at the center.
The flag of Florida consists of a red saltire on a white background, with the state seal superimposed on the center. The design was approved by popular referendum November 6, 1900. The flag's current design has been in use since May 21, 1985, after the state seal was graphically altered and officially sanctioned for use by state officials.
In 2001, a survey conducted by the North American Vexillological Association (NAVA) placed Florida's flag 34th in design quality out of the 72 Canadian provincial, U.S. state and U.S. territorial flags ranked.
Burgundian saltires at the Assembly of the States General, 1651.
Spain was a dynastic union and federation of kingdoms when Juan Ponce de León claimed Florida on April 2, 1513. Several banners or standards were used during the first period of settlement and governance in Florida, such as the royal standard of the Crown of Castile in Pensacola and the Cross of Burgundy in St. Augustine. As with other Spanish territories, the Burgundian saltire was generally used in Florida to represent collective Spanish sovereignty between 1513 and 1821.
In 1763, Spain passed control of Florida to Great Britain via the Treaty of Paris. Great Britain used the original union flag with the white diagonal stripes in Florida during this brief period. The British also divided the Florida territory into East Florida, with its capital at St. Augustine, and West Florida, with its capital at Pensacola. The border was the Apalachicola River.
Spain regained control of Florida in 1783. In 1785, King Charles III chose a new naval and battle flag for Spain, which was now a more centralized nation-state, and its territories. This flag, a tri-band of red-gold-red, was used along with the Burgundian saltire in the provinces of East and West Florida until 1821, when the Florida provinces joined the United States.
Between 1821 and 1861, Florida had no official flag. The Lone Star and Stripes, previously the Naval Ensign of Texas, was used as a provisional flag between 1861 and 1868, after Florida seceded from the Union and declared itself a "sovereign and independent nation", reaffirming the preamble in the Constitution of 1838. This flag was also used when Floridian forces took control of U.S. forts and a navy yard in Pensacola. Col. William H. Chase was Commander of Floridian troops and the flag is also referred to as the Chase Flag. Later in the year the Florida Legislature passed a law authorizing Governor Perry to design an official flag. His design was the tri-band of the Confederacy but with the blue field extending down and the new seal of Florida within the blue field.
As a member of the Confederacy, Florida saw use of all three versions of the Confederate flag. The Bonnie Blue Flag, previously the flag of the short-lived Republic of West Florida, was briefly used as an unofficial flag of the Confederacy. It features a single five-point star centered in a blue background.
Between 1868 and 1900, the flag of Florida was simply the state seal on a white background. In a discrepancy, however, a later version of the state seal depicts a steamboat with a white flag that includes a red saltire, similar to Florida's current flag. In the late 1890s, Governor Francis P. Fleming advocated that St. Andrew's Cross be added so that it would not appear to be a white flag of truce hanging still on a flagpole. Floridians approved the addition of St. Andrew's Cross by popular referendum in 1900. The red saltire of the Cross of Burgundy represents the cross on which St. Andrew was crucified, and the standard can be frequently seen in Florida's historic settlements, such as St. Augustine, today.
The flag changes in Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida coincided with the passage of formal Jim Crow segregation laws throughout the South. Four years before Mississippi incorporated a Confederate battle flag into its state flag, its constitutional convention passed pioneering provisions to 'reform' politics by effectively disenfranchising most African Americans.
— John M. Coski, The Confederate Battle Flag: America's Most Embattled Emblem (2005), pp. 80–81.
^ Florida Constitution Revision Commission (August 4, 2005). "Amendments, Election of 11-6-1900". The Florida State University. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
^ "City of Five Flags". Retrieved 2012-09-04.
^ "Florida's Historic Flags". Retrieved 2012-09-04.
^ "Ordinance of Secession, 1861 (From: Florida Convention of the People, Ordinance of Secession, 1861, Series S972)". Retrieved 2012-08-17.
^ "Florida House of Representatives - About Florida – Flags of Florida". Retrieved 2008-11-04.
^ "First Muster - Florida Department of Military Affairs". Retrieved 2014-06-14.
^ "Florida Governor Francis Philip Fleming". National Governors Association.
^ Williams, Dave (17 September 2000). "Flag debate spreading across Deep South". Savannah Morning News. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
^ Ingraham, Christopher (21 June 2015). "How the Confederacy lives on in the flags of seven Southern states". Washington Post. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
^ "Florida's Historic Flags". Retrieved 2012-08-17.
^ "State Flag - 1845". Florida Department of State. State of Florida. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
White flags have had different meanings throughout history and depending on the locale. The white flag is an internationally recognized protective sign of truce or ceasefire and it is used to symbolize surrender, since it is often the weaker party which requests negotiation. A white flag signifies to all that an approaching negotiator is unarmed, persons carrying or waving a white flag are not to be fired upon, nor are they allowed to open fire. The use of the flag to surrender is included in the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907, the improper use of the flag is forbidden by the rules of war and constitutes a war crime of perfidy. The first mention of the usage of flags to surrender is made during the Eastern Han dynasty. In the Roman Empire, the historian Cornelius Tacitus mentions a flag of surrender in AD109. Before that time, Roman armies would surrender by holding their shields above their heads, the white flag was widely used in the Middle Ages in Western Europe to indicate an intent to surrender.
Its use may have expanded across continents, e. g, the white color was used as a symbol of military command, by the commanding officer of a French army. It would be featured on a white scarf attached to the flag as to recognise French units from foreign ones. The French troops fighting in the American War of Independence fought under the white flag, the French Navy used a plain white ensign for ships of the line. Smaller ships might have used other standards, such as a fleur-de-lis on white field and private ships were authorised to use their own designs to represent France, but were forbidden to fly the white ensign. During the French Revolution, in 1794, the blue, the white flag quickly became a symbol of French royalists. During the Bourbon Restoration, the flag replaced the Tricolor. It was finally abandoned in 1830, with the July Revolution, with the use of the blue, white. In 1873, an attempt to reestablish the monarchy failed when Henri of Artois and he demanded the return of the white flag before he would accept the throne, a condition that proved unacceptable.
A saltire, called Saint Andrews Cross, is a heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross, like the shape of the letter X in Roman type. The word comes from the Middle French sautoir, possibly owing to the shape of the areas in the design. It appears in flags, including those of Scotland and Jamaica. A variant, appearing on many past and present flags, a warning sign in the shape of a saltire is used to indicate the point at which a railway line intersects a road at a level crossing. In Unicode, the cross is encoded at U+2613 ☓ saltire, see X mark#Unicode for similar symbols that might be more accessible. The saltire appears on vexilla that are represented consistently on coinage of Christian emperors of Rome, in the ninth and tenth century the saltire was revived in Constantinople as a symbol of Christian-imperial power. Anne Roes detected the symbol, which appears with balls in the quadrants formed by the arms of the chi-cross. She suggested that early Christians endorsed its solar symbolism as appropriate to Christ and she wrote, although it cannot be proved.
In the white saltire of St. Andrew we still have a reminiscence of the old standard of the Persepolitan kingdom, when two or more saltires appear, they are usually blazoned as cut off. A saltorel is a saltire, the term is usually defined as one-half the width of the saltire. A field per saltire is divided into four areas by a saltire-shaped cut, each of the four divisions may be blazoned separately. Examples include, Suffolk County Council, The Corporation of the Municipality of Brighton, when five or more compact charges are in saltire, one is in the center and one or more lie on each arm of an invisible saltire. The Saint Andrews Cross was worn as a badge on hats in Scotland, the Cross of Burgundy, a form of the Saint Andrews Cross, is used in numerous flags across Europe and the Americas. It was first used in the 15th century as an emblem by the Valois Dukes of Burgundy, the Duchy of Burgundy, forming a large part of eastern France and the Low Countries, was inherited by the House of Habsburg on the extinction of the Valois ducal line.
The treaty set the boundaries between the British Empire and the United States, on lines exceedingly generous to the latter. Details included fishing rights and restoration of property and prisoners of war, only Article 1 of the treaty, which is the legal underpinning of United States existence as a sovereign country, remains in force. Peace negotiations began in April 1782, and continued through the summer, representing the United States were Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, Henry Laurens, and John Adams. David Hartley and Richard Oswald represented Great Britain, the treaty was signed at the Hotel dYork in Paris on September 3,1783, by Adams, Franklin and Hartley. Regarding the American Treaty, the key episodes came in September,1782, France was exhausted by the war, and everyone wanted peace except Spain, which insisted on continuing the war until it could capture Gibraltar from the British. Vergennes came up with the deal that Spain would accept instead of Gibraltar, the United States would gain its independence but be confined to the area east of the Appalachian Mountains.
Britain would take the north of the Ohio River. In the area south of that would be set up an independent Indian state under Spanish control and it would be an Indian barrier state. However, the Americans realized that they could get a deal directly from London. John Jay promptly told the British that he was willing to negotiate directly with them, cutting off France, the British Prime Minister Lord Shelburne agreed. He was in charge of the British negotiations and he now saw a chance to split the United States away from France. The western terms were that the United States would gain all of the area east of the Mississippi River, north of Florida, the northern boundary would be almost the same as today. The United States would gain fishing rights off Canadian coasts, and it was a highly favorable treaty for the United States, and deliberately so from the British point of view. Prime Minister Shelburne foresaw highly profitable trade between Britain and the rapidly growing United States, as indeed came to pass.
Alabama is a state in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Alabama is the 30th-most extensive and the 24th-most populous of the U. S. states. At nearly 1,500 miles, Alabama has one of the nations longest navigable inland waterways, Alabama is nicknamed the Yellowhammer State, after the state bird. Alabama is known as the Heart of Dixie and the Cotton State, the state tree is the longleaf pine, and the state flower is the camellia. The largest city by population is Birmingham, which has long been the most industrialized city, the oldest city is Mobile, founded by French colonists in 1702 as the capital of French Louisiana. From the American Civil War until World War II, like many states in the southern U. S. suffered economic hardship, like other southern states, Alabama legislators disenfranchised African Americans and many poor whites at the turn of the century. Following World War II, Alabama grew as the economy changed from one primarily based on agriculture to one with diversified interests.
The state economy in the 21st century is based on management, finance, aerospace, mineral extraction, education, retail, in the Alabama language, the word for a person of Alabama lineage is Albaamo. The word Alabama is believed to have come from the Alabama language, the words spelling varies significantly among historical sources. As early as 1702, the French called the tribe the Alibamon, other spellings of the name have included Alibamu, Albama, Alibama, Alabamu, Allibamou. Sources disagree on the words meaning, some scholars suggest the word comes from the Choctaw alba and amo. The meaning may have been clearers of the thicket or herb gatherers, the state has numerous place names of Native American origin. However, there are no correspondingly similar words in the Alabama language, an 1842 article in the Jacksonville Republican proposed it meant Here We Rest. This notion was popularized in the 1850s through the writings of Alexander Beaufort Meek, experts in the Muskogean languages have not found any evidence to support such a translation.
The Florida Legislature is the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U. S. state of Florida. The Florida Constitution states that The legislative power of the state shall be vested in a legislature of the State of Florida, composed of a Senate, the legislature is seated at the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee. Both chambers have been under Republican control since 1996, the Legislature is composed of 160 state legislators. Members are term-limited to eight years, there is no limit on the total number of terms. The state legislature beginning in March for a period not to exceed 60 calendar days. Special sessions are called as needed and its statutes, called chapter laws or generically as slip laws when printed separately, are compiled into the Laws of Florida and are called session laws. The Florida Statutes are the statutory laws of the state. The Florida Legislature is authorized by the Florida Constitution to create and amend the laws of the U. S. state of Florida, to do so, legislators propose legislation in the forms of bills drafted by a nonpartisan, professional staff.
The Legislature has the power to propose amendments to the Florida Constitution, the rules for the Florida Legislature are laid out within the Constitution of Florida, and is prescribed the respective chambers when applicable. Florida has had a total of six different state constitutions, signed in 1838,1861,1865,1868,1885, in 2009, legislators filed 2,138 bills for consideration. On average, the Legislature has passed about 300 bills into law annually, earmarks that have not gone through the normal legislative process are known colloquially as turkeys. In 2010, Florida TaxWatch, a government watchdog organization, counted 41 turkeys totaling $61 million, the Florida Constitution mandates a bicameral state legislature with an upper house Florida Senate of no more than 40 members and a lower Florida House of Representatives of no more than 120 members. Due to term limits, state representatives may be elected for up to four terms, former members can be elected again after a two-year break. Both chambers have been under Republican control since 1996, the House of Representatives is headed by the Speaker, while the Senate is headed by the President.
The title of King of Castile remained in use by the Habsburg rulers during the 16th and 17th centuries. Charles I was King of Aragon, Majorca and Sicily, in the early 18th century, Philip of Bourbon won the War of the Spanish Succession and imposed unification policies over the Crown of Aragon, supporters of their enemies. This unified the Crown of Aragon and the Crown of Castile into the kingdom of Spain, even though the Nueva Planta decrees did not formally abolish the Crown of Castile, the country of was called Spain by both contemporaries and historians. King of Castile remains part of the title of Felipe VI of Spain. The Kingdom of León arose out of the Kingdom of Asturias, the Kingdom of Castile appeared initially as a county of the Kingdom of León. From the second half of the 10th century to the first half of the 11th century it changed hands between León and the Kingdom of Navarre, in the 11th century it became a kingdom in its own right. The two kingdoms had been united twice previously, From 1037 until 1065 under Ferdinand I of León, upon his death his kingdoms passed to his sons, León to Alfonso VI, Castile to Sancho II, and Galicia to García.
From 1072 until 1157 under Alfonso VI, and Alfonso VII, from 1111 until 1126 Galicia was separate from the union under Alfonso VII. In 1157 the kingdoms were divided between Alfonsos sons, with Ferdinand II receiving León and Sancho III Castile, from on the two kingdoms were united under the name of the Kingdom of León and Castile, or simply as the Crown of Castile. Ferdinand III conquered the Guadalquivir Valley, while his son Alfonso X conquered the Kingdom of Murcia from Al-Andalus, the heir to the throne has been titled Prince of Asturias since the 14th century. Almost immediately after the union of the two kingdoms under Ferdinand III, the parliaments of Castile and León were united. It was divided into three estates, which corresponded with the nobility, the church and the cities, and included representation from Castile, León, Toledo, under Alfonso X, most sessions of the Cortes of both kingdoms were held jointly. The Cortes of 1258 in Valladolid comprised representatives of Castile, Extremadura and León, subsequent Cortes were celebrated separately, for example in 1301 that of Castile in Burgos and that of León in Zamora, but the representatives demanded that the parliaments be reunited from on.
A Confederate "Stars and Bars" flag, captured by soldiers of the Union Army at Columbia, South Carolina.
Three versions of the flag of the Confederate States of America and the Confederate Battle Flag are shown on this printed poster from 1896. The "Stars and Bars" can be seen in the upper left. Standing at the center are Stonewall Jackson, P. G. T. Beauregard, and Robert E. Lee, surrounded by bust portraits of Jefferson Davis, Alexander Stephens, and various Confederate army officers, such as James Longstreet and A. P. Hill.
The United Daughters of the Confederacy helped promulgate the Lost Cause's ideology through the construction of numerous memorials, such as this one in Tennessee.
The Lost Cause ideology includes fallacies about the relationships between slaves and their masters.
Lone Star Flag, flying on the Houston Ship Channel tour boat, on April 2, 2016.
The flag of Massachusetts on display in the Financial District of Boston, Massachusetts.
Portrait of William Dunn Moseley.
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From pedal to electric bikes, how does manke again innovate in the bike industry?
Electric bicycles in the shape, function, appearance, material, function settings and other aspects of the bicycle carried out a comprehensive innovation and improvement, while travel convenience, intelligence, and quick introduction of a lot of new technologies, which also allows such electric Car in the market gradually replace the electric car, which adult travel one of the tools used.
As we all know, since decades ago, foreigners invented bicycles, it is for humans to complete a design can not be completed, let alone walk him, but this is the idea of Guards finally realized. In the generation after generation to update and create, and finally appeared styling and appearance are people think, looks very satisfied, so that travel is very convenient, so one here basically completed its overall design and comprehensive amount reform. After a long period of time, many merchants also saw the business opportunities, so many shopping malls began to carry out the production and processing of such bicycles, and then sold to various places for people to travel and transport. As more and more merchants are involved in the industry, some of the merchants simply design the shape and shape of the bicycle to make your own bike different from others' bicycles, so we use some innovative and improved methods The purpose is to make something new and different. In such a change of innovation, many failed, and later appeared in the market car, his position to replace the bicycle became the overlord. This bike began to enter the market steadily, things come to an end, it is so calm today.
5 years ago, Dreamline Technology Co., Ltd. began to innovate and improve the bicycle. It is to install a lithium battery on the bicycle as a driver to let the bicycle walk by itself under the power of electricity, which makes it more labor-saving. At the same time It is such an innovation that the bike will be officially launched into the market in a few years' time, making it even more convenient to use, regardless of the choice of features such as electric battery life and sports functions. At the same time this electric bike has the advantage of electric vehicles beyond, no matter in the life or form speed function, for regular outing, 123 cities to work trip, he can be more convenient, you can also save more time, this time concept is very It is an invaluable asset for a strong man. Believe that the future of our life and travel will gradually embark on the field of intelligence, technology and convenience, to create a more brilliant living environment for the sky.
Dream guest science and technology believe that jointly advocate "traffic travel, green" is our responsibility to each other, let us work together for the protection of social and environmental protection dedication of its own force!
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George Cooper Pardee (July 25, 1857 – September 1, 1941) was an American doctor of medicine and politician. As the 21st Governor of California, holding office from January 7, 1903, to January 9, 1907, Pardee was the second native-born Californian to assume the governorship, after Romualdo Pacheco, and the first governor born in California after statehood.
Pardee was born on July 25, 1857, in San Francisco, California, the only child of Enoch H. Pardee and Mary Pardee. The Pardee family was well known in the San Francisco Bay Area. His father was a prominent oculist in San Francisco and Oakland. Enoch's stature within the community helped him get elected to the California State Assembly in the early 1870s, and later as the Mayor of Oakland for a single term from 1876 to 1878.
Raised in the Pardee Home in Oakland, George Pardee closely followed in his father's medical background. He attended the nearby University of California, Berkeley, then studied medicine at the Cooper Medical College in San Francisco. In 1885, Pardee traveled abroad to receive his medical degree at the University of Leipzig in the German Empire. After his return from Germany, Pardee joined his father's medical practice, specializing in eye and ear diseases.
Like his father, Enoch, Pardee also developed an early interest in politics. By the early 1890s, Pardee had become an active member of the Republican Party, and was elected to the Oakland Board of Health and the Oakland City Council. In 1893, following a successful election, Pardee became the 29th Mayor of Oakland, serving a single two-year term until 1895. During his mayoralship, Pardee began a public battle with the Southern Pacific Railroad's ownership of the Port of Oakland. At one point, Pardee kicked down a piece of the port's fence erected by the Southern Pacific out of anger.
During the San Francisco plague of 1900–1904, Pardee's quick rise in East Bay politics was noticed by the state Republican leadership prior to the 1902 general elections. Deeply embarrassed and financially hurt by the denials of an ongoing bubonic plague outbreak in San Francisco's Chinatown by Governor Henry Gage, Republicans withdrew their support of Gage during the state convention. The party, divided by Railroad Republicans with the backing of the Southern Pacific Railroad and Reform Republicans of the growing Progressive movement, nominated Pardee, due to his municipal and medical background, as a compromise candidate. Despite clashes in the past with their interests, Southern Pacific Republicans believed Pardee the better candidate against the Democratic contender Franklin K. Lane, a San Francisco City Attorney and an ardent anti-Southern Pacific campaigner.
In the 1902 general elections, Pardee faced a four-way race between the Democrats' Lane, Socialist Gideon Brower and Prohibitionist Theodore Kanouse. Pardee barely edged over Lane, winning the governorship with a plurality of 0.9%. Less than 3,000 votes separated the two leading candidates.
Pardee took office on January 7, 1903. At the start of his term, Pardee did not fully acknowledge the presence of plague in San Francisco. Preceding his inauguration, the Public Health and Marine Hospital Service act was created by Congress on July 1, 1902. This act established that state health officials could initiate a surgeon general call conference, upon request. Due to the uncertainty and fear of the plague, a conference call was requested by eleven states to discuss the plague situation in California. In response, Walter Wyman, Surgeon General, called for a conference to be held on January 19, 1903, at Washington, D.C. Under the Public Health and Marine Hospital Service law, each state had to send one state health board representative to a surgeon general call conference. The problem for California was that the state health board officers, previously headed by former governor, Henry Gage, strongly denied the presence of the plague. In efforts to rectify this dilemma, Surgeon Arthur H. Glennan from the U.S Public Health Service was tasked with working with the new governor, Pardee. With his efforts, Matthew Gardner, former surgeon-in-chief of Southern Pacific Railroad, was selected to represent California at the conference.
San Francisco was the heart of trade and commerce. Due to plague rumors, San Francisco commercial circles were alarmed by the advances of the Northwestern Railway and Northern Pacific Railways success. During this time, Northwestern Railway and Northern Pacific Railways wanted to divert commerce towards the western states. A preliminary meeting was held on January 18, 1903, a day before the conference call. Other state health officials that attended were hostile to Gardner, believing that California health officials were interested more in railroad business. Gardner acknowledged the presence of plague and promised to provide statements from Pardee and San Francisco Mayor Eugene Schmitz, promising to sanitary campaign and eradication. Pardee promised to fulfill all the conditions the officials wanted. But the officials did not not take his promise into consideration and voted to change the location troop transport from San Francisco. On the day of the conference call, Wyman discussed inspection results, revealing no detection of plague. But he also did acknowledge it was not fully eradicated. Many health officials were not happy with this answer and proposed two plans. The first plan pertained to the federal support system, which Wyman objected to. The second plan suggested placing embargoes on California borders, where railroads entered, if health officials were not actively participating in plague eradication. This conference concluded the presence of bubonic plague in California and blamed Governor Henry Gage and his state health board for his negligence in acknowledging and eradicating plague. Wyman, after the conference, firmly stated that acknowledging plague would not affect trade. In hopes to avoid a quarantine, Gardner urged Pardee to recognize bubonic plague in San Francisco.
Pardee had won the governor election by a narrow margin. He feared that acknowledging the plague would divide the already split Republican Party. Shortly after his inauguration, Pardee and Glennan met privately. He readily supported the U.S. Public Health Service and agreed to remove state inspectors in Chinatown. Pardee also complied to the resolutions established at the conference. But he continued to avoid directly addressing the presence of plague. He stated any disease regardless of plague required sanitary control. Wyman believed Pardee's stance did not reassure the country health officials and urged Glennan to address the issue again with Pardee and Mayor Schmitz. He believed that acknowledging the presence of plague would ease health officials and foreign countries' fear. Pardee continued to elude the topic of plague but continued to work with the government. On the other hand, Schmitz continued to deny plague existence. The unrest caused by the government and San Francisco Health Board lead to Mexico and Australia to ban San Francisco goods. This ban encouraged more cooperation with Seattle and Vancouver. San Francisco businesses established the Mercantile Joint Committee to promote sanitary and preventive measures, in an effort to prove that plague did not exist. The Mercantile Joint Committee were concerned that officially admitting plague would result in a quarantine, leading to decreased trade and commerce. Merchants continued to ignore Wyman, who was still adamant about officially acknowledging plague. Finally, Glennan stated that if there was no official address regarding plague, the U.S Public Health Service would withdraw from San Francisco. This forced the Mercantile Joint Committee to formally admit that there had been ninety three plague cases over the span of 3 years. They also asked for the support from Schmitz and Pardee to officially admit that there was no current risk or danger from plague. Schmitz was the first to sign this document. Pardee, who was resistant to this, eventually signed it. With this in place, Wyman reported that there were no new outbreaks of plague since December 1902 and Chinatown had met satisfactory sanitary conditions to business leaders. This news encouraged Mexico and other foreign countries to lift the embargoes. Under Pardee's orders, new officials were appointed for the State Health Board. His administration was now focused on being transparenct and would acknowledge all plague cases. Pardee welcomed health officials to visit California and provide input regarding sanitation and sanitary conditions. On September 8, the first California State, County, and Municipal Sanitary Conference was held in San Francisco. This first meeting was able to create a community where sanitary information and preventative measures could be shared. By the end of 1904, the plague had been brought under control. Nearly 200 deaths were attributed to the outbreak.
President Theodore Roosevelt and Governor George Pardee together in 1904.
During his medical studies in the German Empire, Pardee was greatly influenced by Germany's push for higher education and environmental conservation during its rapid industrialization. Throughout his administration, Pardee strongly supported irrigation projects and waterworks throughout the Central Valley with the desire of increasing the state's agricultural output and providing safe drinking water from the Sierra Nevada.
Pardee's progressive ideas regarding conservation and distrust of corporate monopolies quickly placed him as an ally of President Theodore Roosevelt. Both the governor and President Roosevelt enjoyed a good working relationship during their respective terms of office on the state and federal levels. On a visit to California in 1903, Pardee was asked by Roosevelt if he would be his running mate as Vice President for the 1904 presidential election. Pardee declined, instead continuing to take an active role in state politics. Both Pardee and Roosevelt remained political allies for the next decade.
Since 1901, proposals for a state agricultural school had undergone discussion within the California State Legislature, yet no proposal had gained a serious following. Most agricultural studies in the state during the period were concentrated at UC Berkeley, but due to the climate of Berkeley, most studies remained strictly limited to organic and soil chemistry study and analysis. In 1903, an agricultural bill sponsoring a state agricultural school to give first-hand experience for future farmers passed the legislature. Pardee vetoed the bill, explaining that he was not hostile to the idea of an agricultural school, but wanted a less vague proposal.
The Legislature drafted a more detailed bill, the University Farm Bill, in 1905. In it, the bill specified that a future state agricultural school would need a location already irrigated, with provisions for ideal soil and climatic conditions, as well as water and land rights. Pardee agreed, and signed the bill into law. For the next year, an agricultural commission sponsored by Pardee investigated more than fifty sites from Glenn County to Fresno. In 1906, Pardee announced that he decided upon Davisville in Yolo County, located nearly fifteen miles southwest of the state capital of Sacramento. Opened to students in 1908, the School of Agriculture quickly became one of the premier centers of agricultural study in the state. In 1959, the Regents of the University of California granted the school campus autonomy, designating it UC Davis.
The state of California's forests also came under Pardee's agenda. Shortly after the beginning of his administration, Pardee, with the help of Gifford Pinchot, ordered a joint state and federal commission to inspect and survey California's forests. In 1905, a State Forestry Act was passed by the legislature and signed by the governor, creating a Board of Forestry to monitor and supervise logging, land usage, and forest fires. The act, along with Pinchot's advocacy, helped influence President Roosevelt to transfer federal forest land over to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, later becoming the National Forest Service. Pardee's own Board of Forestry would later evolve into the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
In the early morning hours of April 18, 1906, a magnitude 7.7 to 8.3 earthquake struck along the San Andreas Fault, with an epicenter two miles (three km) from San Francisco, near Mussel Rock in neighboring San Mateo County. While cities as spread as Santa Rosa, San Jose and Palo Alto suffered considerable damage, San Francisco remained hardest hit, with resulting fires destroying much of the central core of the city.
As telegraphed reports slowly filtered into the Governor's Office in Sacramento, Pardee mobilized the California Army National Guard to be dispatched to San Francisco, though Pardee was unaware that federal troops of the U.S. Army, under the command Brigadier General Frederick Funston, were already patrolling the streets.
Pardee sought to take command of the situation himself, traveling to his native Oakland in the later afternoon to oversee the state response to the disaster. Making his headquarters in Oakland Mayor Frank K. Mott's office, Pardee worked twenty-hour days during the disaster, signing travel permission papers, coordinating state and federal relief funds and trains, and remaining in contact with the outside world through Oakland's undamaged telegraph lines. In addition, Pardee also visited other afflicted cities, such as San Jose and Santa Rosa, to tour and coordinate their own disaster responses.
Despite having been heavily praised by the public for his handling of the state bureaucracy during the 1906 disaster, Pardee continued to have a strained relationship with the Southern Pacific Railroad, one that had been ongoing since the 1890s while he was Mayor of Oakland. Pardee's role in the burgeoning Progressive movement which distrusted large corporate monopolies, as well as his efforts to conserve and protect state forests, remained a constant thorn for Southern Pacific executives. A lengthy bitter battle over the Port of Oakland, which Pardee argued on behalf of Oakland that the port was a municipal rather than private corporation, dragged out for much of his governorship. The case was decided upon by the California Supreme Court in 1906, ruling in Oakland's favor. Pardee also encouraged creation of new railroad companies to break the Southern Pacific's monopolies.
Pardee as depicted by cartoonist George Herriman in 1906.
At the state Republican convention in Santa Cruz to nominate the party's candidate for the governorship in the 1906 general elections, Railroad Republicans led by party machine boss Abe Ruef, sought to strip Pardee of the nomination. Southern Pacific interests within the Republicans believed Pardee as too independent and troublesome. Writing in the San Francisco Chronicle on September 1, 1906, Pardee commented that "[I]t is evident that the Railroad machine and [Abe] Ruef did not want me to be governor again, and as they were in control of the convention, what kick have I coming?"
Railroad Republicans, now dominating the Santa Cruz convention due to intense lobbying by Ruef, denied Pardee the nomination. Instead, Republicans and Southern Pacific supporters nominated U.S. House Representative James Gillett, a pro-railroad supporter. Pardee's loss of the nomination sparked anger amongst many Progressive Republican circles, fueling desires for Progressives to reform the political nomination process or to break away from the Republicans altogether. In 1912, a party split occurred with the creation of the Bull Moose Party, led by Theodore Roosevelt and California Governor Hiram Johnson, who himself would lead Progressives to control the legislature and Governor's Office throughout much of the 1910s.
In his farewell address to the California State Legislature in January 1907, Pardee demanded that the legislature take up calls for creating a direct primary law.
Leaving the governorship in 1907, he returned to serve on many national and state boards, including the National Conservation Commission and the California Board of Forestry.
Pardee remained publicly active, returning to his native Oakland to become a co-founder of the state Bull Moose Party in 1912. In 1920, he was invited to become Commodore of the Oakland Yacht Club, a position he would enjoy again from 1925 to 1928. In the years following his governorship, Pardee lobbied intensely for a water district specifically for the East Bay. In 1921, the legislature passed the Municipal Utility District Act, and two years later, the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) was organized. Pardee would administer EBMUD from 1924 until shortly before his death in 1941.
In 1927, Oakland citizens awarded Pardee as a founding commissioner to the Port of Oakland due to his lengthy battle to remove the Southern Pacific monopoly over the waterfront.
Pardee died in Oakland on September 1, 1941, at the age of 84.
Pardee met his future wife Helen N. Pardee at Oakland High School in the 1870s, graduating together in 1875. Helen was a school teacher, photographer, and art collector.
The Pardees had four daughters, Florence, Caroline, Madeline and Helen. Florence Pardee was killed in a car accident in 1910. Caroline Pardee died from the Spanish flu in 1920. Surviving daughters Madeline and Helen would continue to own and live in the family's Pardee Home until Helen Pardee's death in 1981. The Pardee Home opened as a public museum in 1991.
Unlike his predecessor Henry Gage and his successor James Gillett, Pardee's governorship has been generally well regarded amongst historians. His efforts of conservation and education have proved to be long standing, such as the creations of bodies that would later become UC Davis and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Despite their initial support of his nomination in 1902, Pardee's near-constant resistance to the Southern Pacific Railroad has spared his reputation of criticism for being too close to rail monoplies. State historians from the California Secretary of State's office wrote that between Gage, Pardee and Gillett, "only Pardee can be considered an honest earnest administrator."
Environmental historian Philip L. Fradkin has cited Pardee as one of the unsung heroes of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. "Pardee lacked a glamorous frontline role, and he was criticized for not dashing in the flame-licked streets. With a large staff imported from Sacramento, the governor was the expediter of paper; in every great disaster there needs to be at least one such competent bureaucrat."
Pardee was also the first governor to reside in the California Governor's Mansion. The mansion would continue to be lived in by the state executive until the governorship of Ronald Reagan.
The Pardee Home, located in downtown Oakland, remains a tourist attraction in the center of the city, hosting tours and speaking events.
The Pardee Dam and the adjacent Pardee Reservoir along the Mokelumne River are named after the governor.
The old Governor's Office within the California State Capitol is refurbished to appear as it did during the time of George Pardee's governorship in 1906.
^ a b "Governor George C. Pardee". Governor's Office, State of California. 2006. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
^ "The Port and You". Port of Oakland. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-08-31. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
^ a b "Public Health Politics and the San Francisco Plague Epidemic of 1900-1904" (PDF). Mark Skubik, Department of History, San Jose State University. 2002. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
^ "Governor George C. Pardee". Governor's Office, State of California. 2006. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
^ Library, California State. "Governors of California - George Pardee. Inaugural Address". governors.library.ca.gov. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
^ a b c Risse, Guenter B. (2012-03-14). Plague, Fear, and Politics in San Francisco's Chinatown (1 ed.). Baltimore, Md: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 9781421405100.
^ a b Service, United States Public Health and Marine Hospital (1903). Annual Report of the Surgeon-General of the Public Health and Marine-Hospital Service of the United States for the Fiscal Year ... U.S. Government Printing Office.
^ Ryan, Frederick L. (1960-11-01). "Robert Edward Lee Knight. Industrial Relations in the San Francisco Bay Area, 1900-1918. Pp. x, 463. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1960. $6.50". The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. 332 (1): 176–177. doi:10.1177/000271626033200139. ISSN 0002-7162.
^ a b Congressional Serial Set. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1904.
^ F. Staniford, Edward (2017-12-07). "Governor in the middle [microform] : the administration of George C. Pardee, Governor of California, 1903-1907".
^ a b "The San Francisco Call from San Francisco, California on January 14, 1903 · Page 5". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2017-12-07.
^ a b United States Public Health and Marine Hospital Service (1904). Annual Report of the Supervising Surgeon General of the Public Health and Marine-Hospital ... New York Public Library. Government Printing Office.
^ a b "History". Oakland Yacht Club. 2005-02-03. Archived from the original on 2007-06-12. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
^ "University of California History. Davis: Historical Perspective". University of California. 2004-06-18. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
^ "CDF, A History". Mark V. Thornton, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. 2006-11-26. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
^ a b c Philip F. Fradkin (2006) . The Great Earthquake and Firestorms of 1906. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-24820-1.
^ a b "The Direct Primary, A Critical Step for California Progressivism". Steve Brady, San Francisco State University. 1995. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
^ "The Direct Primary, A Critical Step for California Progressivism". Steve Brady, San Francisco State University. 1995. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
^ "History". The Pardee Home Museum. 2003. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
^ Annalee Allen (21 October 2003). "History". The Oakland Tribune. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
^ "Turn of the Century California". LearnCalifornia.Org, California Secretary of State. 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
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Lip gloss does not stay on my mom's lips, after just about 30 minutes it spreads aka "feathers & bleeds". She is not wearing it over lip stick, it's just lip gloss, why ??
Being a male physicist, this is not my area of expertise. So I have to defer to someone more knowledgeable, my wife. It was suggested to me that perhaps the problem is the lip gloss. Maybe your mother should look for a lip gloss that is more waxy vs. greasy. Or perhaps try a product called "lip polish".
Being an experimenter, what I would do is collect a variety of lip glosses of different consistencies and try them out. Ideally, you, your mother, and as many friends that you can gather (to assure an adequate sample group) should try out the different products and see what works best for each person. Perhaps lip chemistry or temperature plays a role. Maybe people with especially hot lips cause inferior lip gloss products to "feather" and "bleed."
By the way, if you search on the scienceline web site(www.scienceline.ucsb.edu) for "lip gloss", you'll find a very good explanation of what lip gloss is.
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0.999993 |
The inflation rate in South Korea between 1957 and today has been 8,896.68%, which translates into a total increase of ₩8,896.68. This means that 100 won in 1957 are equivalent to 8,996.68 won in 2019. In other words, the purchasing power of ₩100 in 1957 equals ₩8,996.68 today. The average annual inflation rate has been 7.4%.
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By considering the extent to which individuals and their actions are determined and limited by the rules and conventions of Victorian society, discuss the views conveyed to the reader by Hardy and Fowles. John Fowles and Thomas Hardy both write on very similar subjects; their stories circulate around very strong, rebellious women who are fighting the social conformities set down by their male oppressors. These male writers use their novels to convey their social and political views by placing their characters in situations in which they usually have two courses of action; that is, either to conform or rebel.
The outcomes of these choices work to highlight the opinions of the writers, and the hardship of characters in both novels communicates the overwhelming pressures of society. However, the two writers were writing in completely different time periods, and this gives the messages of each novelist very different meanings. Hardy was writing in the mid 1800s, when his views would have been considered outrageous. Writing about events occurring around him would have put his reputation at great risk, and his views were seen as blasphemy.
The first of his kind, Hardy took a great risk in releasing this work to the public, however, in doing so, he was able to draw attention to the very controversial subject of women’s rights, a subject, that was, in his time, taboo. Fowles, on the other hand, took no such risk. Writing in the post-feminist 1960s, he was able to look in retrospect to many years of women’s liberation, and know that he was conforming to popular opinion. Although he shares views very similar to Hardy, and possibly was influenced by them, there is nothing ground breaking about them, and he only works to reinforce the words of Hardy.
However, both writers do make very valid comments on the involvement of society and its conventions in the lives of individuals, and constantly asks the question, ‘How can we strive for individualism in a society which, necessarily, needs rules and conventions to protect its citizens from chaos’, and in the case of each novel, the reader is left questioning their own conformity. In Hardy’s work, his characters Jude and Sue are both considered to be of inferior social groups; Jude because of his class, and Sue for her gender.
Because of the frustrations that they encounter, they fundamentally understand the other’s struggle, and through this they share a common bond and this becomes the basis of their relationship. Likewise, Charles and Sarah from Fowles’ ‘The French Lieutenant’s Woman’ have a bond born of rejection from society. However, in this case their circumstances are far more complicated. Fowles’ Charles rebels against his society so that he would be able to join Sarah in her exile, believing that she too has acted in a dishonourable way.
However, we discover that Sarah did not give away her chastity to the ‘French Lieutenant’, and that her exile has been of her own choosing. Although publicly her reputation has been tarnished, she is safe in the knowledge that she had acted honourably, something that Charles tragically failed to understand. As Diane Saunder says, ‘[Sarah] prefers to be a visible social pariah rather than one who attempts to reform and assimilate into society’, and this is one of Sue’s characteristic traits throughout the novel.
Although she favours her social disapproval because she is able to live a ‘free’ life, she also acts as a Martyr in order to be a representation ‘of the woman who was coming into notice in her thousands every year’, the woman who was forced to undergo the same treatment, but who decide not to speak out about it. The fact that Sarah has in fact not broken any of the rules of society goes to show how important a person’s social image really was, as she was stigmatised for pure rumour.
But Sarah was free in her new life; with this social disapproval she was able to live as she wished, no longer needing the approval of society in order to decide upon her path. Charles, on the other hand, for much of the novel, does not understand how free Sarah really is. He is attracted to her wildness, and he wishes to marry her, which is going against all that she stands for. However, the reader, like Charles, does not begin to understand Sarah until late in the novel, and it is not until the reader discovers what she has voluntarily sacrificed that we realise how much her freedom means to her.
Part of the freedom of both Sarah and Sue was the fact that they were taking control of their lives, and were independent in their thinking. With these two, the authors were making reference to a character trait that was appearing in the Victorian novel, that of the ‘New Woman’. Cedric Watts describes the ‘fictional New Woman’ as someone who is: ‘intelligent, lively, articulately forthright, capable of pursuing her own career, sexually daring … and resistant to the conventional claims of marriage’ nd so, he has described the characteristics of both Sue and Sarah.
Both of these women are educated to an extent so that they are no longer considered to be ‘simple women’ and can engage and challenge their male partners. With these two is created a sense of the unknown, and it is often made obvious of how uncommon their behaviour is, and so to emphasise this, they are juxtaposed against women of very contrasting characteristics with Sue set against Arabella, and Sarah against Ernestina.
With these two, the stereotypical Victorian woman is shown, as they are content with fulfilling the set down ‘wife-and-mother’ role. This juxtaposition also works to show the favourable traits of the ‘New Woman’. However, neither novelist shows this way of life as an easy one, and so, as with the other rebellious characters, they are shown severe persecution, such as was felt by the ‘New Women’ which was appearing in the ‘real’ world. However, the novels were not only written to highlight new ideas, they worked to show the social reactions to these ideas.
Through Charles in ‘The French Lieutenant’s Woman’ we are given an insight into the consequences social defiance, we follow him from being a loving fianci??, through to becoming outlawed from his social circles. Although we follow the same journey with Hardy’s characters, Fowles’ retrospective, omniscient perspective means that all aspects of his characters’ being ostracised can be given in great detail. Hardy was not a member of the gentry class, and so had not had experience of a person’s social rejection from that perspective, and this shows in his novel.
Although we see that Jude and Sue’s treatment is a result of society’s reaction to how they are living their lives, we do not see the action actions and opinions of members of the higher classes, and so, in this way, we are only able to see the consequences of society’s actions, not the actions themselves. In Fowles’ case, however, we see how Mr Freeman forces Charles to sign a declaration of guilt, and a number of other cases where the workings and reactions of society are actually shown. The two novels work together to create a fuller picture of how the actions of social constraints affect individual people.
Although Hardy’s limited perspective could possibly have been a disadvantage to the novel’s content, it works so that the reader is left with the same nai??ve perspective of Jude, and so gives a greater insight into his motivations. Jude does not see the corruption of society (represented by the University of Christminster), and so he is left with romanticised notions which prevent him realising the prejudices held against him, as Diane Sauder says, ‘Christminster is seen by Jude as spiritual, in opposition to ugly utilitarian Marygreen’.
Along with this romanticised view of events, Hardy’s characters are very passionate about their choices and the way that they live their lives. By using this trait, Hardy is able to pose arguments about society by having his characters defend their ways. Although ‘Jude the Obscure’ was written partly to be an entertaining story, large portions of the text, more so than is conventional in a novel, are dedicated to communicating the voice of its author.
At several points, such as when Jude is addressing the crowds upon his return to Christminster, where he poses a question discussing whether a young man should ‘follow uncritically the track he finds himself in, without considering his aptness for it’, the reader is removed from the story so that they can be addressed directly. Although the discussion following Jude’s argument is very engaging, it seems completely out of place in the narrative, the novel forgets the story, and the characters’ involvement becomes inconsequential.
At these times the novel becomes more a written argument against the constraints of society than a work of fiction. However, this seems like a criticism, and the way that Hardy has placed his views throughout the novel like this is not entirely surprising. As I have already said, this novel was met with severe disapproval; however, Hardy was able to pose his opinions in a far subtler way by adding them into a story rather than announcing them publicly. He was probably able to reach a far greater audience using this method.
Fowles uses his novel in much the same way, but instead of hiding his views behind a story, he actively removes the narrator and poses arguments straight. This method allows the reader to actually consider the opinions of the author, rather than just accepting the subliminal suggestions of Hardy. However, comparing the two like this suggests that Fowles has been far more open with his audience, and awards him some form of ‘courage’, and this is not the case. Looking at the social context of the novels shows that Hardy had no other way to deliver his arguments than in this way.
As his novel progresses it frequently takes on the form of a piece of persuasive writing, and many of the arguments posed are structured in almost essay form. Ironically, it was social constraints that he was fighting against which forced him to write in this oblique way. Although Hardy and Fowles do have differing styles, their messages are almost exactly the same. They have both written moralistic stories which communicate their views by showing how the pressures of society have caused the degradation of key characters, and although the character’s failure is inevitable, the reader knows that they ‘should’ succeed.
If this destruction did not occur, the fundamental evil of society would not have so clearly been illustrated. It is the hope of success that is the main driving force of each novel, and the reader is compelled to have faith in the naive dreams of the characters. The novelists do pose very desirable visions of the future where people can live as they like and where their choices are not governed by the overbearing opinions of others, a future not too dissimilar from our own present. The problem with these visions is that they invariably conflict with the social systems in place, and so they are fundamentally doomed.
When we first meet Jude he is a young man with aspirations of academia, his innocent view of the world means that he is unaware of the hard truth, that he is having ‘ideas above his station’. With the many people around him telling him that he cannot succeed, his ambitions are only given further strength. It is with this pure ambition that he is able to educate himself, gain some knowledge and become extremely close to his final goal of university acceptance. However, it is then that he must rely on the help of others, others of a higher class, and we are reminded of society’s role in the novel.
And this is how Hardy has structured his whole story, by giving his characters drive he allows them to succeed, up to a point, and from then on he demonstrates the crushing effect that society has upon a person’s life. By allowing them to have some hope of success, their downfall is far more dramatic. Charles, on the other hand, for a long time fails to understand, as his ‘cultured’ upbringing prevents him from doing so, that is until he is forced to undergo the same treatment upon breaking his engagement. Shunned by his town’s popular society, he is pressured into the ‘outside world’ that Sarah has worked hard to become part of.
Although it is a difficult process, Charles begins to realise how free the world is away from society’s ‘sharp eyes’. He soon adapts to his new life, and thrives in the new land of America. This is what makes Charles such an interesting character. Throughout the novel, Fowles is makes references to Darwin’s “The Origin of Species”. Charles is a strong Darwinist, and believes heartedly in a theory call ‘Survival of the fittest’. Darwin said, that in order for a species to adapt, it must have the ability to change and adapt to its environment.
Fowles intended the reader to connect these theories with Charles’ behaviour. By moving to America we are seeing him adapt to his situation, and within this environment he is able to thrive in a community that is young and fresh. Both he and Sarah have adapted to their lives and situations, and so they will survive they considered being ‘fit’ examples of the species. Although looking at this situation from a modern perspective, it might seem as if Charles’ views on evolution are far more logical and intelligent than the strict religious practices of his time, his peers would not have held the same view.
The theories of Darwin were highly controversial in his time, and he did not actually did not release them for many years because he feared their rejection. It is difficult to understand why a sophisticated society would disapprove so dramatically to a theory that we now hold as fact, however there mere suggestion that intelligent human beings had evolved from simple monkey’s was highly offensive, and totally contradicted the teachings of the Christian bible; they were considered by some to be blasphemous.
And so, in this subtle way, Charles is rebelling against the social norm from the very beginning of the novel, and this is a suggestion of his open-mindedness to a way of life different to that set down for him, possibly a life with Sarah. Whereas Fowles is able to create a world away from what his characters have been rebelling against, a world in which they will be able to adapt, represented by the ‘new’ country of America, Hardy’s characters are forced to endure the hardships of a world that they cannot escape.
Trapped by their class and the lack of money which goes with that, we see Jude and Sue unable to adapt to a new environment, and so we see them instead trying to adapt their environment to suit them. Although they are outsiders in their claustrophobic society, they do not have the chance to become fully become detached from it, and so cannot enjoy the freedom of Fowles’ characters. When we first meet Sue, she has already been cast as an outsider, her religious views marking her as different from the norm. However, unlike Sarah she has not found a partner who strives for the same exile.
While Jude’s thinking is different to what is socially acceptable, the life that he wishes to lead is solely reliant on gaining place within society; he dreams of becoming a scholar, marrying Sue, and raising a family with her. Dreams not shared by the independently minded Sue who, as we are frequently reminded, wishes for a platonic life with her love, Jude. While the differences between the two are subtle, and they still share many aspirations, they are finally driven apart by the social pressures that Sue so desperately wanted to escape, and Jude forced upon her.
By allowing Sue to express her objections to marriage in this way, Hardy is able to voice his opinions of the marriage institution. Both authors share the idea that this ceremony is a product of society and so is connected with its many hypocrisies and corruptions. Jude and Sue each endure unhappy marriages, and it is only when they are living in their platonic relationship that they are able to distance themselves from this social contract that Sue believes will be the death of their love.
In this, she is correct, because as soon as the couple begin to behave as an ‘orthodox’ family unit with Jude and Sue playing the roles of man and wife the strains of society really begin to take their toll. Before then they were aware they cannot be part of society, and do not try to be; they are happy in their exile. Trying to integrate themselves into acceptable society proves to be impossible, and so they are finally cast out, their love destroyed as Sue had predicted.
Fowles’ Sarah also sees marriage as a reason for rebellion, as in one of his two endings we see Fowles’ character deciding to live as part of a mixed gender commune. This way of life, which is seen as completely unacceptable by society, is the one way that she will be safe from the prying opinions of others, and she is once again able to live her life as she wishes. However, her lover, Charles, does not share her wish for complete detachment from the world that he has come to depend upon.
Although he is vehement in his wanting to join her in her rebellion, he cannot comprehend her distaste for marriage, and it is only when he discovers that he is father to her child that the reader can see any future for the couple. And so, like Jude, Charles is not totally free of his ties to social acceptance and is unable to fully let himself become detached. These two share many characteristics, one being that they do not share the steadfast, rebellious spirit of the women that they are following, and so they clash because of a difference in objectives.
Without these clashes it is possible that they would have been able to live out their lives in the way that they had wished. Perhaps it is the oppression that the female characters of the novels have suffered which has caused them to rebel to such extremes. Although Jude and Charles feel the need to defy some of the social rules set down, Sarah and Sue have become completely disenchanted with what society has to offer them, and so they are prepared to lose all contact with that way of life, even if that means suffering persecution for their choices.
However, what leads to the tragic end of Sue is the fact that by the latter stages of the novel, she no longer has any anyone to share the problems of her life with. Jude becomes enveloped in his idea of attaining a scholarship (if not for himself, then for his son) and so she is forced to face the burdens of society alone. It turns out that although she is becoming a ‘new woman’, she is not yet fully self-reliant, her spirit is crushed by the fact that she believes that she has committed a sin.
Her conscience forces her to return to her safe but unhappy life with Phillotson. This ending is so frustrating because the reader knows how close she and Jude were in succeeding in their goal of freedom, Sue, however, is a representation of thousands of women who strived for the same goals. Her failure is symbolic of theirs. Without the hardships endured by all characters across the two novels, the authors would not have been able to fully illustrate the crushing effects of society, and so we are shown that suffering is fundamentally part of an independent life.
However, With Sarah, Fowles is able to show how someone with motivation can thrive given the right circumstances. By finding like-minded people, in the form of her commune, she is able to construct her own form of society with its own rules, orders and constraints. Within this microcosm she can thrive in an environment away from that which does not understand her; in a sense, within her own world she is ‘free’.
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Alaska DMV hours, appointments, locations, phone numbers, holidays, and services. Find the Alaska DMV office near me.
Alaska's Department of Motor Vehicles is part of its Department of Administration. The DMV provides vehicle and boat registration, title services, and driver's license services for commercial and non-commercial vehicles. State identification cards can also be obtained at the Alaska DMV.
DMV offices are located throughout the state. The operating hours vary by location, and some are closed on specific weekdays. Road tests are by appointment only, and some road tests are only offered on specific days at certain locations. Check with your local DMV office before you schedule a road test. Additionally, the DMV partners with local businesses in some areas to provide limited vehicle services.
All non-commercial driver's license applicants must bring proof of identification and pass a written test, vision test, road test, and a drug and alcohol awareness test. Drivers ages 16 to 18 can apply for a provisional license. In order to qualify for a provisional license, you must apply in person at the DMV, have had a learner's permit for at least six months, and have a parent or legal guardian provide evidence that you have completed 40 hours of driving. Applicants for a non-commercial driver's license must also apply in person. However, rural residents with no DMV close by can apply for an Off-Highway license through the mail. For this type of license, you must pass a written test, but there is no road test requirement.
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There are two separate lines of work on type inference. While they are superficially similar, they face very different design constraints. Let me explain a few of those differences. To begin with, consider the following program. The two kinds of inference reach different conclusions about it.
var x: Object = "a string"
var y: String = "initial value"
y = x // type error, or no?
Should this example type check? There are two points of view.
One point of view is that the compiler is able to prove that x only ever holds strings. Therefore y only ever holds strings. Thus, there will never be a type error at run time, and so the code can be allowed to run as is. This point of view might be called information gathering. The tool analyzes the code, typically the whole program, and learns type information about that code.
Another point of view is that x holds objects and y holds strings, so the "x = y" line is a problem. Yes, the current version of x only holds circles. However, the "x = y" line is using x outside of its spec, and you don't want to use a variable outside of its spec even if you can temporarily get away with it. This point of view might be called slots and tabs. The slot y is not specced to hold the tab x. From this point of view, the indicated line is an error even though the program doesn't have any real problems.
Every user-facing type checker I am familiar with is based on the slots and tabs point of view. The idea is that programmers use types to provide extra structure to their programs. They don't want even nominal violations of the structure; they really want their types to line up the way they say they do. As a concrete example, imagine the author of Foo checks in their code, and someone else adds to the program the following statement: "foo.x = Integer.valueOf(12)". Now the nominal type error has become a real one, but the author of Foo has already gone home. It's better if the author of Foo found out the problem rather than someone else.
That's one example difference between the two kinds of type inference. A slots-and-tab checker will flag errors that an information-gatherer would optimize away. Here are three other design constraints that differ between the two.
Declarations are important for a type checker. For the type checker to know what the slots and tabs are specced as, it must have declared types. In the above example, if x and y did not have declared types on them, then the type checker for class Foo could not determine that there is a problem. To contrast, an information gatherer doesn't necessarily pay much attention to declarations. It can usually infer better information by itself, anyway.
Changing a published type checker breaks builds. For a language under development, once a type checker has been published, it takes great care to change it without breaking any existing builds. Consider the addition of generics to Java 1.5, where it took a great deal of energy and cleverness to make it backwards compatible with all the existing Java code in the world. To contrast, an information gathering type inference can be swapped around at whim. The only impact will be that programs optimize better or worse or faster or slower than before.
Type checkers must be simple. The type system of a slots-and-tabs type checker is part of the contract betwen the compiler and a human developer. Human beings have to understand these things, human beings that for the most part have something better to do with their time than study types. As a result, there is tremendous design pressure on a slots-and-tabs type checker to make the overall system simple to understand. To contrast, the sky is the limit for an information gatherer. The only people who need to understand it are the handful of people developing and maintaining it.
Overall, I wish there was some term in common use to distinguish between these two kinds of type inferencers. Alas, both kinds of them infer things, and the things both of them infer are types, so the terminology seems inevitable. The best that can be done is to strive to understand which kind of type inferencer one is working with. Developers on one or the other face different design constraints, and they will find different chunks of the published literature to be relevant.
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Ever boiled eggs and then found them impossible to peel? I make mine in a pressure cooker, but this method should work with a regular pot.
Boil the eggs in water just to cover, in a big pot. When they are cooked, add a lot of cold water, so the water becomes cool very quickly.
Take each egg and crack them a bit, and then stick them back in the pot. This allows air and water into the egg.
Crack the eggs and pull them open.
You should be able to pull the eggs straight out.
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How to Find the Top Restaurants in Las Vegas Every year people travel to Las Vegas in droves for the hot and dry weather, the fun of the casinos and the non-stop night life. Once people arrive in Las Vegas, they will need to find hotel accommodations and good restaurants where they can find their favorite foods. Many travelers are surprised to learn that quite a few of the best restaurants in the United States are right there in Las Vegas, like hidden jewels in the Nevada desert. Worst of all for many tourists is that the top restaurants in Las Vegas are often so busy and popular that the possibility of getting a table without putting in a reservation well in advance may be all but impossible. Therefore, if you are traveling to Las Vegas, it makes a lot of sense to do some Internet research before you go to learn a little more about the city that you will be visiting. The fact is that, learning more about all of the various restaurants, hotels and attractions is actually a lot easier than it used to be. All you actually have to do to find the restaurant reviews and contact information that you need to make a reservation at a fine dining restaurant is visit a travel advice website. Of course, when you visit a website that provides information about restaurants in Las Vegas, be sure that the information is based on customer feedback and online reviews. if the information is not based on authentic customer reviews then it is actually little more than an advertisement planted by the restaurant itself. This is why it is so important to search the Internet for a quality travel advice website that will provide you with all of the information that you need concerning the best hotels, restaurants, casinos and shows in Las Vegas.
You will find that there are hundreds of restaurants in Las Vegas. Because of the nature of Las Vegas as an International tourists attraction, the fact is that there are restaurants representing all of the world’s best cuisine. There are also restaurants representative of every type of dining experience as well, from street food and sandwiches, to some of the finest dining experiences in the country run by many of the best chefs in the world. No matter what type of food you and your family enjoy, you will be able to find more information about the restaurants that you will love by visiting a travel advice website.
To learn more about the top restaurants in Las Vegas, your first step should be to visit a website that provides people with travel advice. By taking a moment to visit a trip advice website, you will be able to find all of the information that you need to find the best restaurants, hotels and casinos available in Las Vegas. To get started all you need to do is perform a search on your favorite search engine for the best restaurants in Las Vegas.
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What are some of the recent developments that are helping researchers identify new targets for HIV vaccine design?
Vaccines protect against disease by priming the immune system to generate the specific types of immune responses necessary to stop an invading pathogen before it causes harm.
Most vaccines induce different types of immune responses, including B cells. B cells produce antibodies—Y-shaped proteins that can latch on to viruses and inactivate or neutralize them—which are considered critical to the protection afforded by many, if not all, vaccines (see VAX February 2007 Primer on Understanding Neutralizing Antibodies). Antibodies can also help inhibit infection through other mechanisms of action that don’t involve direct neutralization (see VAX January 2010 Primer on Understanding Antibody Functions: Beyond Neutralization).
Many scientists believe that an AIDS vaccine will need to induce antibodies, in addition to other immune responses, to be highly effective at protecting against HIV. And because the circulating strains of HIV are so diverse, antibodies that can neutralize a broad array of HIV variants, so-called broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs), have been a major target for HIV vaccine researchers.
To design vaccine candidates capable of inducing these bNAbs, researchers are using a reverse engineering approach. They start by identifying the antibody or antibodies the vaccine should induce and then try to identify precisely where these antibodies attach to HIV. This site is then used by scientists to design vaccine immunogens—the non-infectious fragments of HIV that are included in vaccine candidates. These immunogens are then tested to see if they can elicit these antibodies in people.
Until recently, only a handful of bNAbs were identified, limiting the number of targets that could be exploited for vaccine design. However, in the past year, researchers have unearthed a fresh crop of new, and in many cases more potent, antibodies. Five of the eight newly discovered antibodies were isolated from individuals infected with the clades of HIV most prevalent in Africa, where the HIV/AIDS burden is greatest and a vaccine is needed most.
The search for new bNAbs typically involves screening blood from HIV-infected individuals to see if it can neutralize a panel of laboratory viruses. These viruses are ranked by how easy or difficult they are to neutralize.
If serum, a component of blood, from an HIV-infected individual can neutralize several different viruses in a laboratory test, then researchers isolate the antibodies present in the serum. While HIV-specific antibodies are common in HIV-infected individuals, bNAbs are much rarer.
Two of the recently discovered antibodies—PG9 and PG16—were discovered by IAVI scientists in collaboration with researchers from The Scripps Research Institute in California. After screening blood from 1,800 HIV-infected individuals in Africa, North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, researchers identified these two potent bNAbs from a single HIV-infected individual in Africa (see VAX October 2009 Spotlight article, Vaccine Research Gains Momentum).
Three other antibodies—HJ16, HGN194, and HK20—were discovered after screening 400 HIV-infected individuals through the Collaboration for HIV Vaccine Discovery (CAVD), in an effort led by a researcher from the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Switzerland.
The remaining three antibodies, one known as VRC01, were identified by scientists at the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) at the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Different laboratory techniques were used to identify these antibodies. For instance, PG9 and PG16 were identified by screening first for neutralization and then for the ability of the antibodies to bind to HIV. This was important because these antibodies bind only weakly to HIV in the form in which it is studied in the laboratory, and had the binding test been conducted first, researchers might not have discovered these antibodies. The VRC01 antibody was found by combining B cells from HIV-infected individuals with virus particles that had been manipulated so that researchers could detect only those antibodies that bind to a specific site on the virus.
Researchers are now focusing on using these antibodies to reverse engineer vaccine candidates, starting with characterizing where on HIV these antibodies bind. Most of them bind to the spike-like protrusions on the surface of HIV, which is called the Envelope protein because it envelopes the virus’ genetic material.
Some of the recently discovered antibodies target different parts of HIV’s Envelope protein, suggesting to researchers that there are a number of ways to neutralize HIV and thereby prevent infection. (see VAX October 2009 Spotlightarticle, Vaccine Research Gains Momentum). PG9 and PG16 target a section of the virus that is more accessible to bNAbs, making it a promising target for vaccine developers. VRC01 and HJ16, as well as one of the older bNAbs known as b12, all bind to HIV at the site where the virus binds to human CD4+ T cells, the preferred target of the virus.
Work is now underway to characterize these sites on the virus and to design immunogens based on them. Although there are still many challenges involved, researchers hope that improved candidates based on these bNAbs will eventually be ready for testing in clinical trials.
© 2015 International AIDS Vaccine Initiative. All rights reserved.
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When someone is not properly hydrated, heat exhaustion is what will occur. The most common symptoms of heat exhaustion include dehydration, fatigue, clammy skin, weakness, nausea and/or vomiting, headaches and irritability. The way to treat heat stroke would be to first get the affected person indoors or in the shade immediately. Secondly, encourage them to drink and then a bit later eat, you should also make sure to loosen any tight clothing. Remember the left untreated, heat exhaustion can very quickly escalate into heat stroke.
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Electrotyping (also galvanoplasty) is a chemical method for forming metal parts that exactly reproduce a model. The method was invented by Moritz von Jacobi in Russia in 1838, and was immediately adopted for applications in printing and several other fields. As described in an 1890 treatise, electrotyping produces "an exact facsimile of any object having an irregular surface, whether it be an engraved steel- or copper-plate, a wood-cut, or a form of set-up type, to be used for printing; or a medal, medallion, statue, bust, or even a natural object, for art purposes." In art, several important "bronze" sculptures created in the 19th century are actually electrotyped copper, and not bronze at all; sculptures were executed using electrotyping at least into the 1930s. In printing, electrotyping had become a standard method for producing plates for letterpress printing by the late 1800s. It complemented the older technology of stereotyping, which involved metal casting. By 1901, stereotypers and electrotypers in several countries had formed labor unions around these crafts. The unions persisted into the 1970s, but by the late 20th century, after more than a century in widespread use for preparing plates, the two technologies had been bypassed by the transitions to offset printing and to new techniques for the preparation of printing plates.
Schematic apparatus for electrotyping. An electric current flows from the battery, through the copper anode, the electrolyte, and the coated mold. A copper film (the electrotype) grows onto the electrically conducting coating of the mold.
As with metal casting and stereotyping, a mold is first formed from the model. Since electrotyping involves wet chemical processes and is done near room temperature, the molding material can be soft. Materials such as wax, gutta-percha (natural latex), and ultimately ozokerite were used. The mold's surface is made electrically conducting by coating it very thinly with fine graphite powder or paint. A wire is attached to the conducting surface, and the mold is suspended in an electrolyte solution.
Electrotyping is activated by electric currents that flow between anode wires that are also immersed in the solution and the wire connected to the coated mold (the cathode). For copper electrotyping, a typical aqueous electrolyte contains copper sulfate (CuSO4) and sulfuric acid (H2SO4), and the anode is also copper; the arrangement is illustrated in the figure. The electric current causes copper atoms to dissolve from the anode's surface and to enter the electrolyte as copper ions (Cu++ in the figure). Copper ions are taken up by the mold's conducting surface at the same rate at which copper dissolves from the anode, thus completing the electrical circuit. When the copper layer on the mold grows to the desired thickness, the electric current is stopped. The mold and its attached electrotype are removed from the solution, and the electrotype and the mold are separated. An animation of the electrotyping process was produced in 2011 by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Other metals besides copper can be electrotyped; similar procedures apply, but each different metal needs its own anode and electrolyte chemicals.
There is a second type of electrotyping that has been used in which the copper film is deposited onto the outside of a form, and is not separated from it. In this use the form is typically waterproofed plaster, which remains as a core after electrotyping. In German this method is known as Kerngalvanoplastik; the more usual technique described in the previous paragraph is known as Hohlgalvanoplastik.
Electrotyping is related to electroplating, which permanently adds a thin metallic overlayer to a metallic object instead of creating a freestanding metal part. Electrotyping and electroforming both produce metal parts, but differ in technical details. Electroforming involves the production of a metallic part around a metallic mandrel, although the term is sometimes used more broadly to encompass all electrodeposition processes. As noted above, electrotyping forms the part using a non-conducting mold or form whose surface has been made conducting by applying a thin coating of graphite or metal powder.
At present, most sources credit Moritz Hermann Jacobi with the invention of "galvanoplasty" or electrotyping in 1838; Jacobi was a Prussian scientist who was working in St. Petersburg, Russia. Nineteenth-century accounts often credited Thomas Spencer or C. J. Jordan with the invention in England, or Joseph Alexander Adams in the United States; Heinrich in particular gave a thorough account of the controversies surrounding the crediting of the invention, along with a short biography of Jacobi, in an article honoring the centennial of electrotyping in 1938.
The electrotyping industry was limited for some decades by the sources of the electric currents needed to activate the deposition of metal films into the mold; the rate of film growth is proportional to the magnitude of this current. In the initial work, the Daniell cell was used to provide these currents. The Daniell cell was largely replaced by the Smee cell (amalgamated zinc and platinized silver in sulfuric acid) after the latter's invention by Alfred Smee in 1840. Both of these cells are forerunners of contemporary electrical batteries. By the 1870s, mechanical generators were being used; the larger currents that could be sustained by generators enabled substantial increases in the rate of metal deposition during electrotyping.
1841 magazine illustration by Joseph Alexander Adams. The illustration compares direct letterpress printing from a wood carving and from a copper electrotype copy of the carving; it is among the earliest uses of electrotypes in printing.
The electrotyping department of the New York Herald in 1902.
One of the first applications of electrotyping was in printing. Initially, electrotyping was used to make copper reproductions of engraved metal plates or wooden carvings, which were used to print artwork. The electrotypes could be incorporated along with movable type to compose the formes for printing. Jacobi published his first account of electrotyping in October 1838. In 1839, electrotyping was used by Russian printers for government documents; the Russian Czar Nicholas I had immediately become an enthusiastic supporter and patron of the technology. In England, the first use of electrotyping for printing appeared in the London Journal of April 1840, and other English examples are known from later in that year. The image to the right shows one of the earliest uses of electrotyping in the United States; it is a comparison done by Joseph Alexander Adams in 1841 of the printed image prepared directly from a wood carving and of the image printed from a copper electrotype copy. Electrotyped copper plates could be formed into cylinders, which was valuable for use in magazine and newspaper printing.
Electrotyping was also used to produce entire printing plates directly from the formes composed from movable type and illustrations. In this application, electrotyping was a higher quality but more costly alternative to stereotyping, which involved casting of type metal into a mold prepared from the forme. Stereotyping had been invented around 1725, and was already well-established when electrotyping was invented in 1838. Both methods yielded plates that could be preserved in case of future needs, for example in the printing of novels and other books of unpredictable popularity. The movable type used to compose the original forme could then be re-used. Both methods could be used to prepared curved plates for rotary presses, which were used for the longest print runs. The widespread adoption of electrotyping for this use occurred after mechanical electrical generators (dynamos) became commonly available around 1872. These generators supplanted the whole rooms of chemical batteries (Smee cells) that were previously used to provide electricity for electrotyping. Batteries did not have the electrical capacity needed to rapidly deposit the electrotype (or "electro"). The advent of plating dynamos sped up electrotyping twenty times or more, so that an electrotype printing plate could be deposited in less than two hours. In addition, the chemical batteries gave off toxic fumes that had required their isolation in separate rooms.
Electrotype was also used to manufacture matrices that could be used as moulds for individual pieces of metal type. This had several advantages over traditional punchcutting in hard steel: the type master only needed to be carved out of soft metal, and was also useful for large sizes of type, since it was hard to drive large punches into a matrix effectively. It cut the cost of decorative types that would not be used so often as body text typefaces. On the other hand, it gave no steel punch that could be used to create multiple matrices quickly, and was reported to not always give such good results as steel punchcutting.
By the 1900s printing plants often incorporated electrotyping and stereotyping departments, and electrotyping and stereotyping had become trades with associated apprenticeships. In the United Kingdom, the National Society of Electrotypers and Stereotypers (NSES) formed in 1893, and continued to 1967 when it amalgamated with the National Graphic Association. In the US and Canada, the International Stereotypers and Electrotypers Union (ISEU) was formed in 1902; previously, electrotypers had belonged to the International Typographer's Union (ITU). In 1925 there were 6800 members, and in 1955 10,500. In 1973 the ISEU was absorbed into the International Printing and Graphic Communications Union. In 1978, an Occupational Outlook Handbook reported that 2000 electrotypers and stereotypers were employed in the US. However, job prospects were reported as poor. Offset printing has supplanted letterpress printing in most printing plants; the last letterpress facility for a newspaper was installed in the 1980s. For offset printing, the printing plates are typically prepared by coating them with light-sensitive materials, and creating the image on the plate by direct optical exposure (the photo-offset process); stereotyping and electrotyping are not used.
A slight problem with electrotyping of type is that the new form is slightly smaller than the original - according to Justin Howes, the calculation of the Stephenson Blake type foundry was that the shrinkage was on average 0.0038%. While obviously not very much, this deviance could accumulate if a letterform was repeatedly regenerated. Stephenson Blake's solution was to squash type slightly in a press or file it down to broaden it before putting it into the electrotype bath.
Copper electrotype (1911) of Ernst Rietschel's 1857 sculpture for the Goethe–Schiller Monument in Syracuse, New York USA. This sculpture is about 3.5 metres (11 ft) tall, and was produced by the WMF Company in Germany.
Electrotyping has been used for the production of metal sculptures, where it is an alternative to the casting of molten metal. These sculptures are sometimes called "galvanoplastic bronzes", although the actual metal is usually copper. It was possible to apply essentially any patina to these sculptures; gilding was also readily accomplished in the same facilities as electrotyping by using electroplating. Electrotyping has been used to reproduce valuable objects such as ancient coins, and in some cases electrotype copies have proven more durable than fragile originals.
One of the earliest documented large-scale (1.67 metres (5.5 ft)) electrotype sculptures was John Evan Thomas's Death of Tewdric Mawr, King of Gwent (1849). The electrotype was done by Elkington, Mason, & Co. for the Great Exhibition of 1851. Among the most spectacular early examples are Josef Hermann's twelve angels (1858) at the base of the cupola of Saint Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia (see photograph A below). As described by Théophile Gautier in 1867, "They are twenty-one feet high, and were made by the galvanoplastic process in four pieces, whose welding together is invisible. They could in this manner be made so light that, in spite of their dimensions, they would not be too heavy for the cupola. This crown of gilt angels, poised amid a flood of light, and shining with rich reflections, produces an extremely rich effect." Other important sculptures followed; David A. Scott has written, "Some extremely important commissions were made in electrotypes, such as the "bronzes" that adorn the Opera, Paris, and the 320 cm high statue of Prince Albert and four accompanying figures, erected behind the Albert Hall in London as a memorial to the Great Exhibition of 1851." The statue of Prince Albert was unveiled in 1861 (see photograph B below); the electrotyping process "was one in which the Prince Consort had had great faith." The Palais Garnier in Paris (the Opera) has two 7.5 meter tall sculptures above the main facade; the building was completed in 1869 (see photograph C below).
In the 19th century, museums often displayed electrotypes of ancient coins instead of the originals (see photograph D below), and individuals purchased electrotypes for their private collections. By 1920, the Victoria and Albert Museum in England had acquired nearly 1000 electrotyped copies of important objects from the collections of other European museums. The most celebrated may be their copy of the Jerningham wine cooler, which is a spectacular silverwork made in England in 1735 that has long been in the collection of the Hermitage Museum in Russia. Many of these objects were made by Elkington & Co., which had an extensive business in electrotyped silver.
An important example of electrotyping's use for preservation is the electrotype of the plaster life-mask of the poet John Keats (see photograph E below). The original life mask was made by Haydon in 1816. The plaster mask was electrotyped in 1884 by Elkington & Co., and this copper copy is now apparently in better condition than the plaster original.
From 1890 through at least 1930, the Abteilung für Galvanoplastic of the WMF Company in Germany produced many statues and other items using electrotyping. The statues in particular were significantly less expensive than bronze castings. Memorials in German cemeteries from this era often incorporated electroptyped statues from models that had been commissioned by WMF from well-known sculptors (see photograph F below). WMF also undertook larger commissions. One example is the full-sized copper electrotype (1911) of Ernst Rietschel's 1857 bronze for the Goethe–Schiller Monument in Weimar, Germany, which is about 3.5 metres (11 ft) tall (see photograph at right).
Many sculptors have experimented with the technique of electrotyping a plaster form that remains as the core of the finished sculpture (Kerngalvanoplastik). As one example, the sculptor Elie Nadelman did several significant sculptures in the 1920s and 1930s using this technique. The advantage was that Nadelman could have these "galvanoplastique" metal sculptures made quickly and inexpensively. Such sculptures can degrade quickly, and have presented significant preservation and restoration problems.
A. Among the earliest and most spectacular large sculptures produced by copper electrotyping were twelve gilt angels (ca. 1858) by Josef Hermann that stand in the cupola of Saint Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia. These sculptures are 6 metres (20 ft) tall; the metal needed to be thin enough so that the weight of the sculptures could be supported high above the cathedral's floor.
B. Memorial (1863) to The Great Exhibition of 1851 by Joseph Durham. The uppermost statue is of Prince Consort Albert; all five statues are electrotypes. The memorial stands before Royal Albert Hall in London, England.
C. L'Harmonie (1869) by Charles Guméry is a 7.5-metre (25 ft) tall sculpture that crowns the Palais Garnier (the Opera) in Paris, France. The statue is a gilded copper electrotype, sometimes called a galvanoplastic bronze.
D. Electrotypes of 5th-century coins from the Canterbury-St Martin's hoard in England. Electrotype copies of coins and antiquities were produced for museum display and for private collectors.
Stanislaus August on a Polish Half Taler, a very rare pattern coin of 1771. Electrotype.
E. Reproduction of the electrotype of the poet John Keats' 1816 life-mask. The electrotype was made in 1884 by Elkington & Co. for the British National Portrait Gallery.
F. Copper electrotype (ca. 1903) of Raimund Liebhaber's sculpture of an angel. In the early 20th century, the Abteilung für Galvanoplastik (Galvanoplastic Division) of the WMF company produced many electrotype sculptures for German cemeteries.
^ a b c d Heinrich, Herbert (December 1938). "The Discovery of Galvanoplasty and Electrotyping" (PDF). Journal of Chemical Education. 15: 566–575. doi:10.1021/ed015p565. [permanent dead link] Electrotyping was immediately recognized as an important industrial process, and several individuals claimed to have invented it around 1838. Heinrich reviewed this history on the occasion of the centennial of its invention, and concludes that Jacobi was indeed the inventor of "galvanoplasty" or electrotyping.
^ McMillan, Walter George (1890). "VIII. Electrotyping". A treatise on electro-metallurgy. London: C. Griffin and company. McMillan wrote particularly clearly, and was the author of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica entry on electrotyping.
^ a b c Scott, David A. (2002). Copper and bronze in art: corrosion, colorants, conservation. Getty Publications. ISBN 978-0-89236-638-5. Some extremely important commissions were made in electrotypes, such as the "bronzes" that adorn the Opera, Paris, and the 320 cm high statue of Prince Albert and four accompanying figures, erected behind the Albert Hall in London as a memorial to the Great Exhibition of 1851. The Prince Albert statue was electrotyped by Elkington & Company of Birmingham, England, in 1861 and has recently been restored. The Memorial to the Great Exhibition was originally erected in the garden of the Royal Horticultural Society, and moved to its present location around 1890.
^ a b c d e f Meißner, Birgit; Doktor, Anke (2000). "Galvanoplastik – Geschichte einer Technik aus dem 19. Jahrhundert" [Galvanoplastik - History of a Technology from the 19th Century]. In Meißner, Birgit; Doktor, Anke; Mach, Martin. Bronze- und Galvanoplastik: Geschichte – Materialanalyse – Restaurierung (PDF) (in German). Landesamt für Denkmalpflege Sachsen. pp. 127–137.
^ a b c d e f Hatch, Harris B.; Stewart, Alexander A. (1918). "History of Electrotype Making". Electrotyping and stereotyping. Chicago: United Typothetae of America. p. 4. Perhaps one of the greatest forward steps in connection with electrotyping was made when the plating dynamo was invented. The first adoption of a dynamo, in place of the Smee type of battery, was by Leslie, of New York, in 1872. Primer for apprentices in the printing industry. Good short introduction to the history of electrotyping.
^ a b "The Print unions". Unite - the Union. Archived from the original on 2011-11-23. Retrieved 2011-11-09.
^ a b The International Stereotypers and Electrotypers Journal was published from 1906 through 1973. See "Walter P. Reuther Library International Stereotypers and Electrotypers Journal". Retrieved 2011-11-04.
^ a b Cunningham, Ed; Reed, Leonard (1955). Guide to earning a living: a complete survey of careers in business, the professions, trade, agriculture, and government service. Simon and Schuster. p. 102.
^ a b US Bureau of Labor Statistics (1980). Occupational Outlook Handbook. p. 46.
^ a b Kipphan, Helmut, ed. (2001). "Printing Technologies with Permanent Printing Master". Handbook of Print Media: Technologies and Production Methods. Springer. ISBN 3540673261. OCLC 454325945.
^ The electrochemical transfer of copper from a copper electrode through an electrolyte to the cathode is treated in contemporary textbooks as an example of an "active electrode" and also of electrorefining. One reference with some online availability: Fernandes, Raymond. Chemistry 10. Ratna Sagar. p. 85. ISBN 978-81-8332-379-6. Retrieved 2011-12-06. . A second reference is: Oxtoby, David W.; Nachtrieb, Norman H.; Freeman, Wade A. (1990). Chemistry: Science of Change. Saunders College Publishing. pp. 521–523. ISBN 0-03-004814-1.
^ Alcorn, Ellenor (2011). "An Art of Attraction: The Electrotyping Process". Metropolitan Museum of Art & Dynamic Diagrams, Inc. Retrieved 2011-12-16. 3-D animation that explains the use of electrotyping to create presentation copies of works of art. The example is the electrotyping of the James Horton Whitehouse's Bryant Vase (1875) by Tiffany & Co.. The video was produced in conjunction with the exhibit Victorian Electrotypes: Old Treasures, New Technology (November 22, 2011 – April 22, 2012).
^ Graf, Rudolph (1999). Modern Dictionary of Electronics. Newnes. p. 245. ISBN 9780750698665. electroplating. The deposition of an adherent metal coating on a conductive object for protection, decoration, or other purposes, such as securing a surface with properties or dimensions different from those of the base metal. The object to be plated is placed in an electrolyte and connected to one terminal of a dc voltage source. The metal to be deposited is similarly immersed and connected to the other terminal.
^ Graf, Rudolph (1999). Modern Dictionary of Electronics. Newnes. p. 240. ISBN 9780750698665. electroforming. 3. The production or reproduction of articles by electrodeposition on a mandrel or mold that is subsequently separated from the deposit.
^ Gordon, James Edward Henry (1880). A physical treatise on electricity and magnetism, Volume 1. D. Appleton and Company. p. 207.
^ American Labor Year Book, 1926. pp. 85–87, 103–172.
^ Simon, Jacob (February 2011). "British bronze sculpture founders and plaster figure makers, 1800-1980 - E". National Portrait Gallery.
^ a b Gautier, Théophile; Tyson, Florence MacIntyre (1905). Russia, Volume 1. The J.C. Winston Co. p. 316. Twelve great gilt angels, taking the part of the caryatides, support consoles on which stand the bases of the pilasters which form the interior row of the dome and separate the windows. They are twenty-one feet high, and were made by the galvanoplastic process in four pieces, whose welding together is invisible. They could in this manner be made so light that, in spite of their dimensions, they would not be too heavy for the cupola. This crown of gilt angels, poised amid a flood of light, and shining with rich reflections, produces an extremely rich effect. This book incorporates a translation of Gautier, Théophile (1866). Voyage en Russie [Voyage in Russia] (in French). Charpentier. The angels were sculpted by Josef Hermann; see Rice, Christopher; Rice, Melanie (2010). DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: St. Petersburg. Penguin. ISBN 978-0-7566-6493-0. .
^ a b Sheppard, F. H. W., ed. (1975). "The Memorial to the Exhibition of 1851". Survey of London. Volume 38: South Kensington Museums Area. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 2011-11-07.
^ Dept. of Coins and Metals. Barclay Vincent, Head. (1898). A guide to the select Greek and Roman coins exhibited in electrotype. London: The British Museum.
^ Jones, Mark (1990). Fake?: The Art of Deception. University of California. ISBN 978-0-520-07087-5. Electrotyping produces copies of objects that are not difficult to distinguish from originals, but this book contains a series of photographs illustrating the steps in making an electrotype of a gilded silver dish.
^ "Covered urn". Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
^ Colvin, Sir Sidney (1917). John Keats: his life and poetry, his friends, critics and after-fame. C. Scribner's Sons. p. xi.
^ Simon, Jacob (March 3, 2011). "Bronze sculpture founders: a short history". National Portrait Gallery. Electrotypes generally cost some 25-30% less than traditionally cast work. Apart from this cost saving, it was argued that there were advantages to be had in the finishing process: ‘It is not necessary to relieve the surface of that general roughness which is always the result of ordinary metal castings, and which, when not effected by an artist, often destroys the beauty of the modelling.’ (‘Electro-metallurgy’, Art Journal, 1866, vol.5, pp.286-7). There were however adverse comments about the appearance of electrotypes which could seem rather bright until the surface gained a patina.
^ Nadelman, Cynthia (2001). "Plastiques Fantastiques". Elie Nadelman: Galvano-Plastiques. Salander/O’Reilly Galleries. Exhibit catalog.
^ "Elie Nadelman: The Cleaning and Conservation of Elie Nadelman's Two Circus Women, 1930, January – April 2010". Archived from the original on 2011-10-11. Retrieved 2011-12-12.
^ Gjertson, Stephen (June 28, 2010). "The Paris Opéra: Charles Garnier's Opulent Architectural Masterpiece". Stephen Gjertson Galleries. Charles-Alphonse-Achille Gumery, Harmony, 1869. Gilded galvanoplastic bronze, height: 24' 7 1/4, west facade attic group.
Easson, John (2004). "Stereotyping and Electrotyping" (PDF). British Publishing Society. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-04-30. Retrieved 2014-10-20. A3 format poster explaining these aspects of printing. This poster is part of a series of 34 by Easson; see "History of Printing". .
Langbein, George; Brannt, William Theodore (1898). A complete treatise on the electro-deposition of metals. Third American Edition. Philadelphia: H.C. Baird & Co. Based on Langbein's Handbuch der Galvanischen Metall-Metallniederschläge. Langbein published six editions of this handbook in German, as well as cooperating with versions in English such as this one; see Georg Langbein (in German). This "American edition" has numerous figures illustrating technical procedures for electrodeposition.
Partridge, C. S. (1908). Electrotyping: A Practical Treatise on the Art of Electrotyping by the Latest Known Methods (Second Edition). Chicago: The Inland Printer Company.
Rice, Roy (1982). "Matrix Making at the Oxford University Press". Archived from the original on 2012-06-14. Retrieved 2011-11-17.
Wahl, William Henry; Roseleur, Alfred (1883). Galvanoplastic manipulations: A practical guide for the gold and silver electroplater and the galvanoplastic operator. Philadelphia: H. C. Baird. Based on Manipulations Hydroplastique. Chapter LIX has a very complete description of the steps in electrotyping for printing, with figures.
"About Electroformed Bronze". Retrieved 2011-12-11. Commercial website traces the history of one manufacturer of electrotyped art metal in the US from the 1880s through the 1930s. The firm was created by P. Mori and Sons, who manufactured objects with the brand name Galvano Bronze. Subsequent names included: Pompeian Bronze, Armor Bronze, Marion Bronze, Kathodion Bronze Works and LaFrance Bronze Arts.
This page was last edited on 18 February 2019, at 04:15 (UTC).
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How do video games affect children and teenagers.
I think video games don't affect kids if they have proper parenting but if parents don't teach their kids they could grow up playing call of duty and they act like life is call of duty. or think you will respawn if you die so kids will jump off buildings thinking ill just respawn if i die.
The internet said if kids play violent video games they grown up to be violent and could be hunters or murderers. Some kids even if they play violent video games it can make them angry and it can make them mad for no reason or it can make them rage.
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Learn some basics of remote sensing. Remote Sensing is "the collection and interpretation of information about the environment and the surface of the earth from a distance, primarily by sensing radiation that is naturally emitted or reflected by the earth's surface or from the atmosphere, or by sensing signals transmitted from a device and reflected back to it. Examples of remote-sensing methods include aerial photography, radar, and satellite imaging" - ESRI, 2016.
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While McCain wants to drill more oil to fight $4 gas, Obama calls for an 'Apollo project' aimed at alternative energy. Should the government get involved?
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- This week's push for increased U.S. oil drilling - both offshore and in Alaska - is part of a longer-standing debate about the best way to solve the energy crisis: tap domestic reserves or put more emphasis on developing alternatives?
Presumed Republican presidential candidate John McCain called Tuesday for opening more fields off the East and West coasts to drilling. On Wednesday, President Bush reiterated that call and urged development of fields in protected land in Alaska, something McCain still opposes.
But experts say additional drilling would only boost production by about 2 million barrels a day. That's about 20% of domestic oil production, but only about 2% of total worldwide demand, so its impact on prices would likely be marginal. In short, it's not a long-term solution to the nation's energy challenge.
Some say a real solution lies in the government embarking on a massive effort to fund renewable energy - something akin to the Apollo program that put a man on the moon in the 1960s.
Supporters are calling for the government to boost funding from about $4 billion a year now to $30 billion a year - every year for the next few decades.
"That's less than a third of what we're spending in Iraq," said Keith Schneider, a spokesman for the Apollo Alliance, a coalition of politicians, environmentalists, labor groups and businesses pushing the idea. "It's not a big number."
Barack Obama is halfway there. The presumed Democratic nominee wants to fund renewable energy to the tune of $15 billion a year for 10 years, paid for by auctioning off permits to companies that emit greenhouse gases.
McCain also wants to issue permits to pollute in an effort to gradually reduce greenhouse gasses - a plan known as "cap-and-trade" - but he doesn't want to charge companies for them, at least at first.
He also does not support a big government effort to fund renewables, instead relying on the greenhouse gas restrictions and lower corporate taxes to spur private sector investment. It's perhaps the biggest difference between the two candidates' energy policies.
Plenty of people agree with McCain and say the government has no business in the renewable energy business.
The government already is spending billions on renewable energy, and the private sector even more, said David Kreutzer, an energy economist at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. More money will likely mean more pork, but not more results, he said.
"There won't be some Brave New World of energy simply because the government spends $30 billion a year," he said "This is just another version of we're going to spend our way to the Jetsons' lifestyle," referring to the animated futuristic family.
And every $30 billion the government takes out in taxes is $30 billion the private sector can't invest on its own, he said.
The Apollo Alliance's Schneider counters that the government has had a long history of being the prime backer, at least at first, of big projects that serve a greater public good. They include land grant colleges, the railroads, the Interstate System of highways and the Internet, he said.
"The government, working with the private sector, has produced tremendous gains in a way that's much more fair than the free market would," he said. "The free market might achieve a cleaner environment, but not at the pace we need to move."
He also said the nation is hardly operating in a free market when it comes to energy, noting the massive government support for the highways that led to urban sprawl and defense expenditures related to protecting oil supplies.
While most people think wind and solar when they hear renewables, Schneider says the project centers around several key points that include typical renewables, but also call for a state-of-the-art high-speed rail system in major urban corridors and improved public transit within cities.
It also calls for better community design that is more pedestrian- and bike-friendly and less reliant on the automobile, a point Obama makes in some detail on his Web site.
So what will the nation get for all this money and effort? After all, the U.S. government says that, under current policies, oil, natural gas and coal will still provide the overwhelming majority of the nation's energy two decades from now.
And those in the oil and utility industry often point to the huge amount of power the world consumes and are skeptical renewables could provide even a significant fraction of that anytime soon.
For starters, Schneider said the project would create 3 million domestic jobs.
On the energy front, backers of renewable energy say it could power half the nation by 2030, given enough funding. Clearly, those are forecasts made on not much more than an educated guess.
Voters will decide if $15 billion a year is too big a wager.
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Fleetwood Mac was coming off one of their more disappointing eras. That led the band's most well-known lineup to put aside past differences and reunite for The Dance, which arrived in stores Aug. 19, 1997.
The vocal trio of Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie all agreeed to one more run that would be highlighted by an MTV Unplugged special. Wanting to take advantage of a rare opportunity when they were all together, Fleetwood Mac also created a number of new tracks that would intermingle with their classic songs.
By the time they hit Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, Calif., on May 23, 1997, Fleetwood Mac was fully up to speed on both old and new material. While tracks like "Bleed to Love Her" and "My Little Demon" were standouts during the sessions, neither got much of a look once the album was released. Instead, fans gravitated toward the newly stripped-down versions of past favorites like "Landslide," and "Silver Springs," both of which spent a fair number of weeks on the Adult Contemporary chart. "Landslide" had the better run of the two, cracking the Top 10 on radio.
The Dance was the first new album from this five-piece edition since 1987's Tango in the Night a full decade earlier. Just prior to the return of all three singers, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood attempted to continue unsuccessfully with several new additions. But the success of The Dance – which catapulted to No. 1 on the chart, knocking off red-hot rapper Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs – led Fleetwood Mac to reconsider the future and work in one more tour together. The album would go on to become the fifth best-selling live album of all time in the U.S., with more than five million copies sold.
As for the MTV special, it was also a rousing success. Fans were able to latch back onto such favorites as "The Chain," "Dreams," "Rihannon," "You Make Lovin' Fun" and "Don't Stop," and there was an added bonus as the modern-day USC marching band followed in the footsteps of their predecessors by playing "Tusk" with Fleetwood Mac on the recording. They also stuck around for "Don't Stop."
Those who eventually purchased the DVD were able to see a fuller version of the actual performance, which also showed off the skills of the various members. Lindsey Buckingham worked in a banjo for the song "Say You Love Me," which also featured Christine McVie on tambourine and John McVie on backing vocals. Meanwhile Christine McVie ran through a number of instruments, playing keyboards, piano, accordion, and maracas in addition to singing.
In keeping with the bit of nostalgia provided with the record, Fleetwood Mac offered a few nods to their past work in the cover art for the disc. Photographer David LaChappelle snapped a group photo with Mick Fleetwood recreating his pose from the cover of Rumours and Buckingham holding the cane from the band's 1975 LP.
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Hodrick and Prescott (1997) proposed a smoothing method for economic time series usually known as the H-P method. They acknowledged that this method is equivalent to the Whittaker-Henderson graduation method in use among actuaries. The literature on smoothing methods based on their approach grew separately from the graduation literature, due to the usefulness of identifying economic cycles. Both the Whittaker-Henderson and the H-P methods require the specification of a particular constant, the smoothing constant, usually identified as λ. The specification is arbitrary. In this paper we present a Bayesian approach to both methods that is similar to previous analyses but using MCMC methods. In addition Hodrick and Prescott's λ is obtained as a Bayesian estimator.
Key words: Bayesian graduation, Hodrick-Prescott filter, MCMC, WinBUGS.
Hodrick y Prescott (1997) propusieron un método de suavizamiento para series de tiempo económicas conocido como el filtro H-P. Ellos se percataron de que este método es equivalente al método de graduación de Whittaker-Henderson usado en aplicaciones actuariales. La literatura de métodos de suavizamiento basada en su enfoque avanzó de forma aislada a la correspondiente a la graduación debido a su utilidad para detectar ciclos económicos. Tanto la graduación de Whittaker-Henderson como el filtro H-P requieren la especificación de una constante, la de suavizamiento, usualmente denotada por λ. La especificación de ésta suele ser arbitraria. En este artículo presentamos un enfoque bayesiano para ambos métodos que es similar a los análisis previos, pero hace uso de los métodos de estimación Monte Carlo basado en Cadenas de Markov. Adicionalmente, la constante λ de Hodrick y Prescott es obtenida como un estimador bayesiano.
Palabras clave: graduación bayesiana, filtro de Hodrick-Prescott, Monte Carlo vía Cadenas de Markov, WinBUGS.
Smoothing methods for economic time series were derived in the econometrics literature for the purpose of obtaining business cycles for decision making, Burns and Mitchell (1946). The concept of trend arises naturally when carrying out statistical or econometric analysis of economic time series. This can be explained by the fact that the trend of a time series plays a descriptive role equivalent to that of a centrality measure of a data set. In addition, very often the analyst wants to distinguish between short- and long-term movements; the trend is an underlying component of the series that reflects its long-term behaviour and evolves smoothly, Maravall (1993), Heath (2012).
Hodrick and Prescott (1997) proposed a smoothing approach, known as the H-P method, that is very similar to a procedure that had been in use among actuaries called graduation, Whittaker (1923). The original method was further developed and is usually known among actuaries as the Whittaker- Henderson method. Nevertheless, the literature on smoothing methods based on their approach continued to grow separately from the graduation literature, due to the usefulness of identifying economic cycles. The H-P method requires that the researcher set the value of a particular constant, usually identified as λ, and whose specification has been somewhat arbitrary, or ad-hoc. In this paper we present a Bayesian approach in which Hodrick and Prescott's λ is obtained as a Bayesian estimator.
In their formulation, the parameter λ is a positive number that penalizes variability in the growth component series. The larger the value of λ , the smoother the solution series is. For a sufficiently large λ, at the optimum, all the ( gi- gi-1 ) must be arbitrarily near some constant, β , and therefore the gi arbitrarily near g0+βi. This implies that the limit of solutions to program (2) as λ approaches infinity is the least squares fit of a linear time trend model.
Based on ad-hoc arguments Hodrick and Prescott arrive at a 'consensus' value that is extensively used when analyzing quarterly data (the frequency most often used for business cycle analysis): the value of λ =1600. This parameter tunes the smoothness of the trend, and depends on the periodicity of the data and on the length of the main cycle that is of interest. It has been pointed out that this parameter does not have an intuitive interpretation. Furthermore its choice is considered perhaps the main weakness of the H-P method, Maravall and del Rio (2007). The consensus value changes for other frequencies of observation; for example, concerning monthly data (a frequency seldom used), the econometrics program E-Views uses the default value 14400.
a) Given that seasonal variation should not contaminate the cyclical signal, the HP filter should be applied to seasonally adjusted series. In addition, the presence of higher transitory noise in the seasonally adjusted series can also contaminate the cyclical signal and its removal may be appropriate.
Schlicht (2005) proposes estimating this smoothing parameter via maximum-likelihood. He also proposes a related moments estimator that is claimed to have a straightforward intuitive interpretation and that coincides with the maximum-likelihood estimator for long time series, but his approach does not seem to have had acceptance.
Guerrero (2008) proposed a method for estimating trends of economic time series that allows the user to fix at the outset the desired percentage of smoothness for the trend, based on the Hodrick-Prescott (H-P) filter. He emphasizes choosing the value of λ in such a way that the analyst can specify the desired degree of smoothness. He presents a method that formalizes the concept of trend smoothness, which is measured as a percentage. However, there is no clear interpretation of the degree of smoothness nor an objective procedure for determining the percentage of smoothness one would want in a given situation.
If there is no seasonal component, or if has been previously removed, then the constrained LS is equivalent to the H-P method with λ=d2. Under this formulation λ has a very specific meaning.
Bayesian Graduation. They consider simultaneously estimating a set of mortality rates for many different ages. They point out that one (implicit) assumption that actuaries have been making is that the true mortality rates form a smooth sequence, so that graduation has traditionally been associated to smoothing. The smoothness constraint is not made explicitly.
where Δ is the difference operator and wi=1/Vαr(yi). The constant c assigns relative weights to deviation and smoothness and is called the relativity constant. He indicates that one of the difficulties in this approach is the lack of theory guiding the choice of c, and that the principles according to which the selection is made are only vaguely stated. Thus the constant somehow measures the extent to which the analyst is willing to compromise adherence to the data in favor of smoothness, so that 1/ c may be viewed as the variance on a prior on whatever smoothness measure is used, usually some order of differencing.
Hickman and Miller (1978) discuss Bayesian graduation in which c is also assigned a prior distribution. Carlin (1992) presents a simple Bayesian graduation model, based on Gibbs sampling, that simplifies the problem of prior elicitation.
where K2´K2 determines the precision matrix of the trend in his model. This index depends only on the values λ and N, because K2 is fixed.
Except for Hickman and Miller (1978), in all the previous references the relativity constant c (or the relative precision h or λ) are either assumed known or assigned arbitrarily, or set to achieve a 'desired' degree of smoothness. Here we use a Bayesian formulation similar to the one given by (5)-(7). We assume that the observed values y are generated from a multivariate Normal with mean α, and precision matrix κ IN , i.e.
The posterior distribution for the vector α can now be obtained by MCMC using WinBUGS, using as prior information the vector α0, in the model described above. We proceed to illustrate using a real example.
Here we use a time series of Mexican quarterly GDP, from the first quarter of 1993 to the fourth quarter of 2011, Table A.1 in Appendix 1. Figure 1 shows the original data (corrected for calendar days) and the seasonally adjusted series, as published by INEGI, see http://www.inegi.org.mx/sistemas/bie/.
Notice that unlike Akaike's model, for simplicity, in this expression we set r = z. In particular Ꮦ2= δ2r2= δ2z2.
Next, we obtained the posterior distribution for the vector of Mexican GDP and for the two parameters k and δ, assuming a-priori that k~Gα (1,0.01) and δ~Gα (1,0.001). This was done with WinBUGS. These are non-informative priors. We generated 52000 samples and dropped the first 2000 as burn in. We suggest that the mean of their posterior distributions are a natural choice for these parameters, and not ad-hoc as currently available procedures.
Figure 2 compares the estimated series. The dots represent the original unadjusted series. The one labeled INEGI shows the official seasonally adjusted (trend-cycle) series. The "linear trend" provides the prior values for the vector α. The curve labeled posterior "mean of α" provides a Bayesian estimate of the trend-cycle. Except for periods in 1994 and 2009 where there were abrupt changes, both INEGI and Bayesian are very close. The posterior means of the parameters were the following: E(k|y)=317.9, E(δ|y)=188.0 and E(Ꮦ|y)=542.7. These are estimates that minimize the expected value of a quadratic loss function with respect to the posterior distribution of the parameters. The complete distribution can be analyzed and probability statements obtained.
This is in contrast to the values suggested by Hodrick and Prescott (1997), who based on ad-hoc arguments arrive at a 'consensus' values. In the seasonal adjustment framework Akaike (1980) indicates that these values must be 'judiciously' chosen; and Ishiguro (1984) states they must be 'suitably' chosen. In the latter, the constant equivalent to κ is estimated by minimizing the statistic ABIC.
However, considering that λ=(δ|k), then, in order to make the results strictly comparable to the formulation of Akaike (1980), we now carry out the simulation with the constraint that k=1.0 Figure 3 shows the resulting series. The Bayesian trend is much smoother than before. This is in accordance with the kind of results obtained from Akaike (1980). It corresponds to the posterior mean of the vector α, and it is a Bayesian estimate of the trend of the series. Figure 4 shows the corresponding Bayesian estimates of the seasonal components. Clearly it is not a constant seasonal pattern, as might be expected from the observed behavior of the series, especially after 2009. We do not pursue this further here since it is not the purpose of the paper. In this case the posterior means of the parameters were the following: E(δ|y)=2815 and E(Ꮦ|y)=1243.9.
This example shows how the Bayesian approach to seasonal adjustment can be carried out and the estimates of the trend-cycle and the seasonal component are obtained as the posterior mean of the specified parameters.
The H-P method is normally applied to series that have been previously adjusted for seasonality, so that now we apply the Bayesian model to the INEGI series without a seasonal component. This is equivalent to the Akaike procedure but leaving out the seasonal component. We apply it to the same Mexican GDP series. This will also allow us to analyze the degree of smoothness using the results of Guerrero (2008). The posterior means of the parameters are now E(δ|y)= 152 and E(k|y)= 413.8.
Figure 5 shows the resulting series from applying the Bayesian version of the H-P method. The resulting Bayesian estimate (red line) is very close to the original INEGI series. This is to be expected since it corresponds to the Bayesian estimator of a trend-cycle for the series, specifying a prior distribution for each one of the parameters, δ and k.
where R is the precision matrix of the prior distribution as given in (6) with R= δDTD and D defined as in (9). Allowing for both parameters, δ and k to have a prior distribution, so that at each stage of the simulation λ=(δ|k), results in a trend-cycle curve that has a mean smoothness of 47.8%. Figure 6 shows the posterior distribution of the degree of smoothness. Table 1 presents the statistics of the posterior distribution of the percentage of smoothness: the mean, standard deviation and some quantiles. The Bayesian approach has the additional advantage that it is possible to obtain probability intervals for the trend, by using the quantiles of the posterior distribution of the vector α. Figure 7 shows the smoothed curve together with 95% probability intervals.
However, in order for our estimate to be comparable to that obtained assigning a value to λ, as it is done when applying H-P, we can do the following: if we 'standardize' the observed data dividing by the square root of its variance zi= yi /δy= yik1/2 then y ~ N(b,IN and the prior is b ~ N(b0,λR) where λ=(δ/k), prior precision divided by the precision of the variables. Hence, if we set the parameter k=1 in the WinBUGS code then δ is directly comparable to λ. Thus, we run WinBUGS using the seasonally adjusted series as input, with k=1.0 and no seasonal component, since it has been removed beforehand. In this case the posterior mean obtained was E(δ|y)=2764. As before, the estimates minimize the expected value of a quadratic loss function with respect to the posterior distribution of the parameters. The complete posterior distribution can be analyzed and probability statements obtained. This in contrast to the value suggested by Hodrick and Prescott (1997), who based on ad-hoc arguments arrive at a 'consensus' value λ=1600 when analyzing quarterly data (the frequency most often used for business cycle analysis); they similarly suggest other values for annual (λ =100) and monthly data (λ =14400). Throughout the previous Bayesian analyses we have used as prior values, the vector, α0 the results of fitting a linear trend to the data.
To illustrate further the degree to which the Bayesian estimations agree, or not, with the H-P filter, Figure 8 shows the trend obtained by the Bayesian model and by applying H-P with λ=1600 using the econometric package EViews. They differ very slightly at the end of the series. The important thing here is that the posterior mean of δ (or equivalently λ ) is an estimate of the smoothing constant in the H-P method.
Now we modify the priori distribution for δ and κ by setting (forcing) the mean of the prior distribution to be 1600, the value recommended to use for λ on quarterly data with the H-P filter, i.e. in Bayesian notation E(λ)=1600. This will again allow us to analyze the resulting degree of smoothness as computed from the simulations using expression (10). Since traditionally H-P is applied to seasonally adjusted series we will take as our observed series the INEGI seasonally adjusted Mexican GDP series, see http://www.inegi.org.mx/sistemas/bie/.
Prescott (1997). This compares well with the previous value obtained without restricting the prior mean, E(λ |y)=2764. Figure 9 shows its posterior distribution and Table 2 the corresponding statistics.
In Figure 10 we compare the two smoothed series from H-P using λ =1600 and the one obtained with the Bayesian procedure restricting the prior mean as E(λ)=1600. As in the previous case, the Bayesian approach has the additional advantage that it is possible to obtain probability intervals for the trend, by using the quantiles of the posterior distribution of the vector α, Figure 11.
Confidence intervals are also obtained in Guerrero (2007), using an unobserved components model. He uses pre-specified smoothness of 60% and λ=0.96. He indicates that "even if the … value of λ has been established by the standard application of the smoothing method (e.g. 1600), we should be aware that the smoothness achieved varies according to the sample size." So that "The basic proposal … is to select the percentage of smoothness at the outset, instead of the smoothing constant." However it is not clear how to choose this percentage.
As would be expected, the smoothness in this case is more than when allowing a variable κ. The posterior distribution for the smoothness index is given in Figure 12 and its statistics are provided in Table 3. The posterior mean is 95.1%. If the corresponding smoothness index is obtained for the H-P procedure with λ =1600 it results in a value of 93.08, which is very close.
As a final output, Figure 13 shows a ¨summary¨ of the previous results. The main point is that the results from the Bayesian approach provide a natural way for obtaining the smoothing constants. Furthermore, they are obtained with a wealth of additional information that can be used for more thorough analyses. For example it can also be used to obtain the Business Cycles, Heath (2012), and probability intervals for them. This is not done here because it is beyond the scope of the paper. Clearly, using some previously given value, as is done in H-P has many implications for the results (trend, confidence limits, etc.) depending on sample size, and the data themselves.
Akaike, H. (1980), "Seasonal Adjustment by a Bayesian Modeling", Journal of Time Series Analysis 1, 1-13.
Burns, A.F. and W.C. Mitchell (1946), "Measuring Business Cycles", NBER Studies in Business Cycles No. 2, New York: Columbia University Press.
Carlin, B.P. (1992), "A Simple Montecarlo Approach to Bayesian Graduation", Transactions of the Society of Actuaries XLIV, 55-76.
de Alba, E. and R. Andrade (2011), "Bayesian Graduation. A Fresh View", ASTIN Colloquium.
Guerrero, V. M. (2007), "Time series smoothing by penalized least squares", Stat. Probab. Lett., 77, 1225-1234.
Guerrero, V. M. (2008), "Estimating Trends with Percentage of Smoothness Chosen by the User", International Statistical Review 76, 2, 187–202.
Guerrero, V.M., Juarez, R. & Poncela, P. (2001). "Data graduation based on statistical time series methods". Stat. Probab.Lett., 52, 169–175.
Heath, J. (2012), "Lo que Indican los Indicadores", INEGI, Mexico.
Hickman, J.C. and Miller, R.B. (1977), "Notes on Bayesian graduation". Transactions of the Society of Actuaries 24,7-49.
Hickman, J.C. and R.B. Miller (1978). Discussion of 'A linear programming approach to graduation'. Transactions of the Society of Actuaries 30, 433-436.
Hodrick, R. J. and E. C. Prescott (1997), "Postwar U.S. Business Cycles: An Empirical Investigation", Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Vol. 29, No. 1, pp. 1-16.
Kimeldorff, G.S. and D.A. Jones (1967), "Bayesian Graduation", Transactions of the Society of Actuaries 11, 66–112.
Maravall, A. (1993). "Stochastic linear trends. Models and estimators". Journal of Econometrics 56, 5-37.
Maravall, A. and del Río, A. (2007). "Temporal aggregation, systematic sampling, and the Hodrick-Prescott filter". Computational Statistical Data Analysis, 52, 975–998.
Mardia, K.V., J.T. Kent and J.M. Bibby (1989), "Multivariate Analysis", Academic Press.
Schlicht, E. (2005), "Estimating the smoothing parameter in the so-called Hodrick-Prescott filter", Journal of the Japan Statistical Society, 35, 99-119.
Taylor, G. (1992), "A Bayesian interpretation of Whittaker-Henderson Graduation", Insurance: Mathematics and Economics 117-16, North-Holland.
Whittaker, E.T (1923), "On a New Method of Graduations". Proceedings of the Edinburgh Mathematical Society, 41 63-75.
Pasante en Actuaría y Matemáticas Aplicadas por el Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México. Es asesor de la Junta de Gobierno del INEGI, México.
Siglo XXI, ¿la era de la implosión demográfica, de los centenarios y de los nuevos Matusalén?
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AGREEMENT FOR PERMISSION TO SUBLET This Agreement is made and entered in this _____(1)____ day of ________(2) ________, ______(3)____________, between ______________________________(4) ____________, of ________________(5)____________________________________, hereinafter referred to as "Landlord" and ________(6)_______, of ___________(7) _____________, hereinafter referred to as "Tenant" regarding the premises of Landlord generally located at _________(8)_________ and leased to Tenant under a lease dated ______(9)___________, the term of which is to expire _______________(10)________. Now, therefore, it is agreed as follows: 1. Permission is hereby granted to Tenant to sublease the premises described above for a term of _______(11)_________ beginning _____________(12)_______ and ending ______ (13)_______. 2. Any and all subtenants shall be required to conform to all obligations and covenants of the Tenant as set forth in the above-described lease, all provisions of said lease remaining in full force and effect for the entire term of the sublease. 3. Any and all adult subtenants shall be required to complete the Landlord's standard rental application and must meet the usual character, employment and credit requirements for tenancy. 4. In the event legal action is required to enforce any provision of this Agreement, the prevailing party shall be entitled to recover reasonable attorney's fees and costs. 5. This permission to sublease in no way releases the above-named Tenant from any obligation, responsibility or duty of a Tenant as set forth in the above-described lease. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement on the date first above written. _____________(14)______________ _____________(15)______________ NOTICE The information in this document is designed to provide an outline that you can follow when formulating business or personal plans. Due to the variances by many local, city, county and state laws, we recommend that you seek professional legal counseling before entering into any contract or agreement.
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Sean Connery: Shirtless James Bond.
For the most part, Connery's non-James Bond movies and roles have been considerably less successful with both audiences and critics – e.g., John Milius' The Wind and the Lion (1975), with Candice Bergen; Richard Lester's Robin and Marian (1976), opposite Audrey Hepburn; Lester's Cuba (1979), with Brooke Adams; Ronald Neame's Meteor (1979), with Natalie Wood; Michael Crichton's The First Great Train Robbery (1979), with Donald Sutherland and Lesley-Anne Down; Peter Hyams' Outland (1981); and Richard Brooks' Wrong Is Right (1982).
Admittedly, there have been several exceptions to that rule. Among those are John Huston's The Man Who Would Be King (1975), opposite Michael Caine; a supporting role in Brian De Palma's Kevin Costner star vehicle The Untouchables (1987), which earned Connery a sentimental Academy Award; and, playing Harrison Ford's father, Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989).
Sean Connery's “prestige movies” include Alfred Hitchcock's Marnie (1964), Sidney Lumet's The Hill (1965) and The Offence (1972), and Fred Zinnemann's Five Days One Summer (1982).
Prior to Sean Connery, European Film Academy Lifetime Achievement Award winners include Swedish director Ingmar Bergman, Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni, French actress Jeanne Moreau, French director Claude Chabrol, Spanish director Carlos Saura, Irish actor Richard Harris, Italian film composer Ennio Morricone, and the (mostly) British comedy team Monty Python.
Curiously – or perhaps not so curiously when one compares the European Film Academy to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences – Jeanne Moreau is the only woman on the list since the European Film Awards were first handed out in 1988.
To date, European actresses Danielle Darrieux (whose career stretches all the way back to 1931), Michèle Morgan (a relative newcomer, having begun working in films only in 1935), Deborah Kerr, Leslie Caron, Sophia Loren, Micheline Presle, Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert, Isabelle Adjani, Monica Vitti, Stéphane Audran, Maggie Smith, Julie Andrews, Hanna Schygulla, Bibi Andersson, Julie Christie, Irene Papas, Judi Dench, and Liv Ullmann, director Agnès Varda, and producer Margaret Ménégoz have not been deemed worthy of the European Film Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award.
Sean Connery “shirtless James Bond” photo: United Artists.
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Assume that the camper has 5 jackets, 2 sleeping bags, and 11 different packages of food. An outfit consists of 2 jackets, 2 sleeping bags, and 3 packets of food. How many ways can the trip be outfitted?
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From the article: But as a glaucoma specialist and past president of the American Glaucoma Society, Dr. Lewis is keenly aware of the difficulty [LASIK] presents for accurately diagnosing glaucoma. "Our ability to diagnose and observe patients with glaucoma after refractive surgery is in doubt," Dr. Lewis observed in an editorial several years ago. He is still sounding the alarm.
I would not have discovered that I had glaucoma after LASIK, if I had not been tested with Ocular Coherence Tomography [OCT]. Conventional Goldman applanation tonometry (the gold standard for glaucoma detection) is notoriously inaccurate after LASIK. Other clinical features like fundoscopy and visual field confrontation were undiagnostic in my case. The OCT looking at my optic nerve and retina demonstrate the severe damage that has already occurred due to glaucoma, specifically the pathological loss of optic nerve fiber thickness in three of the four quadrants of each of my optic nerves. It also demonstrated PVD in my left eye.
I encourage any post-LASIK patient to familiarize themselves with the known inability to accurately measure IOP in post LASIK patients using conventional techniques. I now have an additional permanent vision loss after LASIK. In my opinion any patient who has LASIK should be followed by a glaucoma specialist, as they are the only doctors who have the equipment that could have diagnosed my problem sooner and prevented my irreversible vision loss.
Due to the complicity of the FDA in not warning the public, many people never realize the damage LASIK has done to them.
Complication cascade after hyperopic LASIK.
Ophthalmologe. 2011 Apr 13. Handzel DM, Stanzel BV, Briesen S.
Augenklinik Dardenne, Friedrich-Ebert-Str. 23-25, 53177, Bonn, Deutschland, [email protected].
Abstract: This report concerns the case of a 28-year-old female patient who was treated with topical steroids for 2 years following complicated hyperopic LASIK surgery with a re-treatment including a re-lift of the flap. A steroid-induced rise in the intraocular pressure (IOP) was subsequently observed on the treated eye, together with a glaucomatous subtotal destruction of the optic nerve, resulting in a residual vision of 1/15. An erroneously low IOP measurement, which was probably the reason for the delay in detecting steroid-induced glaucoma, has been reported in several cases concerning LASIK patients. The reason for the unusually severe course in the case in question can only be presumed, namely a possible accumulation of fluid at the interface or altered biomechanics following hyperopic LASIK surgery. The need for a thorough postoperative examination following refractive surgery must be emphasized. This case shows a cascade of complications following hyperopic LASIK surgery resulting in the functional blindness of one eye.
Nonarteritic ischemic optic neuropathy after LASIK with femtosecond laser flap creation.
Maden A, Yilmaz S, Yurdakul NS. J Neuroophthalmol. 2008 Sep;28(3):242-3.
We examined a 53-year-old man who developed unilateral NAION after bilateral simultaneous uncomplicated hyperopic LASIK in which flap creation was performed using the IntraLase femtosecond laser (IntraLase Corp., Irvine, CA) with a low-pressure suction ring.
On the first postoperative day, best-corrected visual acuities were 20/20 in the right eye and 20/200 in the left eye. The right optic disc was normal, and the left optic disc was edematous. There was a relative afferent pupillary defect in the left eye. Visual field examination showed a dense nerve fiber bundle defect in the left eye (Fig. 1).
From the article: In addition, he noted the importance of avoiding, if possible, any type of microkeratome suction ring in eyes with optic neuropathy, as the rings are designed to increase IOP, which could lead to visual field loss after refractive procedures.
From the article: The risk of glaucoma after refractive surgery procedures should not be underestimated, according to one surgeon speaking here at the Alicante Refractiva International meeting. "I have to play the part of devil's advocate by speaking about this topic in a refractive surgery meeting," said José Belda, MD, of Vissum Institute in Alicante. "Still, we have to consider that what we see is only the tip of the iceberg, and below it we may have a large quantity of patients presenting this problem in the future..." Meanwhile, suction can be a problem with LASIK. The vacuum phase is short, but pressure values are high — between 60 mm Hg and 90 mm Hg — and can reach as high as 200 mm Hg as the blade presses against the cornea, according to Dr. Belda.
Am J Ophthalmol. 2000 May;129(5):668-71.
Visual field defect associated with laser in situ keratomileusis.
Bushley DM, Parmley VC, Paglen P.
PURPOSE: To report a case of visual field defect associated with laser in situ keratomileusis.
METHODS: Case report. A 28-year-old woman with high myopia (-10D) and a family history of normal tension glaucoma underwent bilateral laser in situ keratomileusis keratorefractive surgery. Preoperatively, both eyes had normal intraocular pressure and visual field.
RESULTS: At the first postoperative visit 1 day after apparently uncomplicated laser in situ keratomileusis, the patient reported a scotoma in the right eye. At 3-month follow-up, visual fields revealed the patient had developed a near-superior altitudinal visual field defect in the right eye. The defect did not progress over 1 year of follow-up examinations.
CONCLUSION: Increased intraocular pressure associated with the microkeratome vacuum ring used during laser in situ keratomileusis may have precipitated optic nerve head ischemia and visual field defect.
CASE REPORT: Optic disc pit is an embryological malformation of the optic nerve that occurs in less than one in 10,000 people. It is 10%-15% bilateral, and 25% to 70% of patients develop a neurosensory macular detachment within the 2nd to 4th decade. COMMENTS: We report a case of unilateral optic disc pit maculopathy 2 months after laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) revision.
Piette S, Liebmann JM, Ishikawa H, Gürses-Ozden R, Buxton D, Ritch R.
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Will multiple websites help or hurt your business rankings?
You put a lot of effort into your local search marketing, and it's essential to keep up the best strategies to maintain good search engine rankings. Showing up high in search results is essential, but a simple thing like having more than one domain could be altering your local search results. Sometimes you may wonder if it's best to have multiple websites to increase your chances of ranking highly - perhaps a separate domain for each niche of your company. This strategy can work for some and boost their local search results, but it may not be for every business.
What can several sites do for you?
Having several business websites may seem like a fantastic idea, and in some respects, it can indeed be helpful. When you have more than one domain, you have multiple websites that have the potential to rank highly, which could give you an edge over the competition. Instead of just one website that shows up at the top of search results, you could have two, or even three. Even if your sites don't all rank highly, as searchers scroll through results, they'll see several of your pages and be given more opportunities to click on one.
If your business has various components or offers multiple services, your websites will likely be more niche specific, which could increase traffic for those seeking particular services. Search Engine Watch reported that niche websites are also often more linkable - after all, these links will lead a user directly to the information they need rather than sending them to a nonspecific homepage that may only confuse them. This also gives you the potential to rework your SEO strategy - perhaps narrowing your keyword focus for each niche site will draw in more web visitors and keep them interested in the specialized page.
Think investing in several different sites sounds like a great idea? It may not be once you're spending even more time on your web presence attempting to boost SEO for each domain. You'll need to provide each website with unique, fresh content - something that can get tricky and when you're managing three or four different domains. You won't be able to use the same posts for all of your sites - remember that Google penalizes sites with duplicate content and your sites will likely fall in rankings.
Another potential pitfall of multiple sites is that your viewers may be interested in other services you offer, but have no idea you can provide them. When you have everything well organized on one website, users will be able to browse different pages and see exactly what your business can do for them. If you're satisfied with how your single webpage is ranking, keeping one website may be the best option for your business.
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Business owners and marketers need to know the dynamics of social media to manipulate it to their best advantage. It is well known that social media is a proven online marketing platform which businesses would want to take advantage of as market competition increases rapidly. However, many online users are still manipulating social media for its original intentions.
It has been said that social media is called social for a reason. It is specifically designed platform on the Internet to allow web users to connect with one another freely while procuring their desired information. A lot of data is collated via social media platforms as more and more users subscribe to various social media networks for their personal agenda.
Business owners and marketers need to know how to gain traction with web users that ply social media networks frequently as the latter form the bulk of potential business leads and customers in business growth and expansion. There needs to be some form of dynamic interaction between these parties for the brand or company to become more visible online.
However, many business owners and marketers are not going about this process dynamically to win over web users who form the bulk of potential business leads of the brand and company. Market researchers are quick to identify the root or source of success with social media for businesses as observed from web users interacting with one another on these platforms.
The key approach for businesses is to ask targeted audience questions rather than just providing the prepared information regularly. Asking or posing questions to targeted audiences would stimulate web users to think about the brand and their needs. This could lead on to possible and viable solutions which business owners and markets could develop to meet the needs and expectations of their targeted niche market audiences.
Business owners and marketers need to know how to pose their questions aptly in an interesting manner that would stimulate the interest and curiosity of web users that are their potential business leads. When a post is to be published, there should be an open-ended question at the end to stimulate the thoughts of web readers.
The open-ended question could be related to the article posted for further thoughts on the published topic. It could be a new idea stemming out of the article where web readers could make comments and opinions. Such questions allow or encourage web readers to post their thoughts and ideas which could prove very helpful to business owners and marketers in developing better marketing plans and campaigns.
Good open-ended questions are very instrumental in striking a good relationship with web readers. This cannot happen with close-ended questions where web readers are not encouraged to express themselves further. As web readers offer more opinions and comments, business owners and marketers have more valuable data to work on in improving their market presence and increase their growth potential.
Extensive answers are highly sought after by business owners and marketers to collate the right kind of data for their benefit. Hence, it is vital for the right open-ended questions to be asked aptly to draw targeted web users who form potential business leads for businesses to thrive in the market.
Social media is an excellent platform for businesses to take advantage of in promoting themselves and their brands. Business owners and marketers need to be proactive in interacting with their targeted audiences to strengthen their online services and reputation.
It is necessary for brands and companies to connect with preferred consumers who can benefit their survival in the ever-competitive market. This would mean that business owners and marketers need to be engaged on target audiences’ posts besides their own. This interaction can lead to an exchange of information and friendship.
Greater market visibility is possible for the brand and company if business owners and bloggers do more than post their own contents alone. They can interact on other posts regardless of the type of questions provided. Their input could open up business opportunities to inform potential business leads about the brand and company.
If business owners and marketers make the effort by interacting with other posts online, they would create the opportunity to connect with potential customers who may not come to know about the brand or company. It is necessary for business owners, marketers and bloggers to take the initiative in connecting with other web users who can be converted into loyal customers for the brand and company. If the business owner or marketer is deemed as open and proactive, targeted web consumers would also be open to receive the information provided especially if the info is relevant and interesting to the readers.
Web users are constantly looking for new information that would satisfy their search. They would not be disappointed with the information overload happening on the Internet today. A proper sifting of such information is necessary to ensure useful and accurate information for the seeker.
Many modern web users are not simply looking for any content as they are becoming more discerning. They want unique contents that provide information that would meet their needs and form plausible solutions to their problems or issues.
Today, even online content experts are acknowledging the need to ask questions that would direct the right information as high quality content for web searchers. The social media is an effective platform which web users could pose questions and find unique answers that are deemed to be relevant information. There could be specific examples and clarification included in an answer that could prove helpful to the web user seeking such information.
Business owners and marketers should learn to engage their target audiences on the Internet by asking relevant questions which offer the opportunity to build relationships with these potential business leads. This would benefit the brand and the company in the long run as business owners and marketers could dig deeper into the specific interests and needs or preferences of their target audiences.
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When Jack Bogle created the Vanguard S&P 500 Value and Growth mutual funds, he did not intend them to be used to time these so-called factors. In an interview published late 2016, he expressed displeasure for those misusing perfectly good funds. Over long periods of time, investing in companies with outsize growth potential and investing in companies priced below the value of its assets, he argued, is bound to garner similar results.
Yet, investors are still keen on trying to predict, which will garner superior returns in the short run. That's a dangerous game to play given how S&P 500 Growth and Value indexes are constructed these days, says Nicholas Colas, co-founder of DataTrek Research.
In a note published this morning, Colas pointed out that nearly three-quarters of the Growth index's assets are invested in technology, health care, consumer cyclical and industrial stocks, with its top five holdings -- Apple (AAPL), Microsoft (MSFT), Alphabet (GOOGL), Amazon.com (AMZN), and Facebook (FB) -- making up 27% of assets. Meanwhile the S&P 500 Value index has just under 60% of its assets in financials, energy, non-cyclical, and industrial stocks and has 14% of assets in top five holdings Berkshire Hathaway (BRKB), JPMorgan Chase (JPM), ExxonMobil (XOM), Wells Fargo (WFC), and Chevron (CVX).
That means taking a style bet could result in taking unintended, outsize sector bets. Colas said: "It may be time to throw the value-growth debate in the trash heap of market history."
For those unwilling to let go, CFRA's Todd Rosenbluth suggested looking at the iShares Edge MSCI Value Factor ETF (VLUE), which he said is "more diversified" than others. It also appears to have some price momentum on its side: "We think the ETF is trading with bullish technical tendencies, above its 200-day moving average," wrote Rosenbluth in a note published this morning.
I too recommended this ETF in a column mid-December because the ETF's price-to-book ratio showed a significant value tilt, but had a good dose of tech stocks, and was not too heavily weighted in defensive utility and staples stocks.
When Jack Bogle created the Vanguard S&P 500 Value and Growth mutual funds, he did not intend them to be used to time these so-called factors.
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Earning an undergraduate degree in biology, the science of living organisms, could prepare you for a number of careers. Keep reading to learn more about jobs available to someone with an undergraduate degree in this field. Schools offering Biology degrees can also be found in these popular choices.
A bachelor's degree in biology is suitable for a variety of occupations, although management or research positions typically require additional education. As a biology major, you typically focus on living organisms and their roles in the environment. You gain scientific insight into the process of life and how, through research, these processes can be changed. Some of the courses you may take include biochemistry, cell biology, environmental biology and genetics. After completing a degree in this field, you may consider jobs such as a biological technician, science teacher, forester or medical laboratory technician.
In this role, you work alongside biologists or medical scientists as they study living organisms and their environments. Your duties typically include many of the hands-on tasks involved in the research process, such as setting up equipment, monitoring experiments and tracking the results. This research can be performed for the sake of scientific knowledge or it can be applied toward product development. Biological technician jobs are found within many different industries, including the biotechnology and pharmaceutical fields.
If you're interested in working in forests and similar environments, then a career as a forester might interest you. As a forester, you help protect forests and make sure they're available for environmental, conservational, economical and recreational purposes. Because many large forests are under government control, you may work for a government agency, or there may be opportunities for you to work as an independent contractor for landowners who need help with their forests.
A bachelor's degree in biology can prepare you for this career, although other degree programs in majors such as natural resource management, environmental science and forestry are also acceptable. If you plan to get involved in research, a Ph.D. is recommended.
If you enjoy teaching, then becoming a science teacher might be for you. With a bachelor's degree in biology and the appropriate training to gain teaching certification, you can teach at the elementary or secondary school levels. As a teacher, you prepare course materials, educate students and administer tests, assignments and homework. You may also prepare laboratory work and oversee laboratory experiments.
In these occupations, you test body fluids and cells for chemical contents that could identify the presence of bacteria, drugs or other microorganisms. Most of this complex work is performed in small laboratories in medical offices, clinics or hospitals. You'll need to apply the proper skills and methodology in handling and conducting tests. Depending on the state, you may need a state license to work as a clinical laboratory technologist or medical laboratory technician.
In May 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that biological technicians earned a mean annual salary of $44,610. That same report found that $60,070 was the mean salary for foresters.
If you're considering teaching, you might be surprised to learn that middle school teachers earned a mean annual salary of $57,620 in 2014, while their counterparts teaching in high schools reported an average salary of $59,330 according to the BLS.
Medical and clinical laboratory technicians reported a mean annual salary of $40,750 in 2014, while technologists in these same facilities earned $60,560, the BLS noted. This large a difference could be attributed to the fact that technicians typically hold associate's degrees, while technologists usually have a bachelor's degree.
Which Schools Offer Welding Certification in Northern California?
What are Popular Jobs in Behavioral Health Services?
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Addictive substances have been available for thousands of years. However, addiction could not have begun until human beings developed agriculture (about 13,000 years ago). Prior to that time hunter-gatherer groups did not have access to addictive substances in sufficient quantities to cause addiction. Once we became able to produce alcohol and grow other addictive substances (marijuana, opium, peyote) in larger quantities it then became possible for addiction to arise.
Alcohol has probably been the most widely available addictive substance. Other addictive substances were limited to regions where specific plants grew. However, by the mid-1800's chemists, often employed by pharmaceutical companies, began to manufacture drugs. These included amphetamine (1887), ecstasy (1912), PCP (1926), ketamine (1962) and other substances.
Although addiction cannot be considered a new problem, some people have suggested it is a growing problem; a problem of modern society. Because of the National Household Survey (SAMHSA, 2011), we know that addiction rises and falls in cycles lasting several decades. David Musto (1999), an American historian of addiction, has suggested it appears that every generation must discover for itself the negative consequences of particular substances. Thus we should expect more cycles or waves of substance use. When we review recent history we can identify several addiction "epidemics," These "epidemics" involved alcohol, opium, coffee and other substances. These epidemics rise and fall without any obvious explanation.
While addiction to chemical substances seems to rise and fall in cycles, the rise in obesity has been quite dramatic in recent decades, which seem to indicate some degree of addiction. Nonetheless, with the exception of obesity, it remains unknown whether addiction is on the rise. However, it is reasonable to suggest that addiction is a problem of modern society if we assume that 1) addiction is a response to stress, and 2) the world has become an increasingly stressful place. Then, it seems likely that more and more people would escape stress by turning to addictive behavior.
Historically, some cultures seem to have fewer problems with addiction than do others. For instance, the Italian, Spanish, French, Greek, Jewish, and Chinese have a lower risk for alcoholism and other addictions than do the citizens of the United States. Some people would argue this is evidence of a genetic basis for addiction. However, there are other equally plausible explanations for the differences observed between cultures. These low-risk cultures have very different cultural norms than the United States surrounding alcohol use. The low risk groups sanction of moderate alcohol use during meals, religious ceremonies, and celebrations. Perhaps more importantly, in these cultures there is strong disapproval of drunkenness. People do not consume alcohol with the sole purpose of becoming intoxicated as is frequently observed in the United States.
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FIFA Online 4 is a soccer competitive online game authorized by the FIFA official website. FIFA Online 4 covers 37 major leagues, 47 national teams, and over 15,000 registered professional players. Meanwhile, FIFA Online 4 is also 2018 Russian Official World Cup game, with the World Cup licensed gameplay, allows players to restore the real cup in the game journey.
FIFA Online 4 provides more top-level stand-alone engines, more realistic football AI, more in-depth strategy gameplay, more fair qualifying mechanism, more efficient reinforcement system, and more extensive peripheral systems, allowing players to have the best football game experience.
How to top up FIFA Online 4 with Tencent Qcoins (CN)?
1. Visit FIFA Online 4 official website.
3. Enter payment center, enter your QQ account ID.
4. Select voucher amount you want to top up - 1000 / 3000 / 10000 / other.
5. Select "Q币支付" as your payment method.
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0.976732 |
We are a week into the new year and I’m finally getting a chance to sit down and generate some of the goals I would like to achieve in 2019. I’m into resolutions but from my recent conversations with others on the topic, I feel like ‘New Year’s Resolutions’ have a negative connotation. So, instead, I came up with goals that I would like to achieve over the next 12 months.
Since I was pregnant with Luca, I have developed some really unhealthy eating patterns that I need to kick. I find it extremely challenging to make my intake a priority, especially since having a newborn and a toddler, so most days I don’t eat anything until the mid afternoon. When I finally do eat, I grab whatever is quick and easy. When we are out, that often means going through a drive-thru. When we are home, that usually means a bowl of cereal or a muffin. Often times I’m so hungry when I finally eat that I eat such a big portion. Basically I do the exact opposite of what is recommended (eating small portions often). As of the new year, I have enlisted some help with my nutrition and activity and I’m off to a good a start already! My goal isn’t to eat less to lose weight, it is to eat healthier so I have more energy and feel better. I want to make my health a priority! I’m not big into counting calories and monitoring everything I eat, instead I was to make healthy choices the majority of the time and live a healthy lifestyle. I would never give up treating myself!
I love my kids SO much that it’s hard for me to talk about doing better as their mother because I feel horrible even thinking that I could do better! I pretty much live for my kids but there is always room for growth, right? I find myself very focused on getting everything on my ‘To Do List’ done, that I forget to stop, step back, and enjoy my kids while they are little. I might have to add ‘spend quality time with Bella & Luca’ to that list! I want to make an effort to slow down, stay home, get down, and play on the floor with my kids. Not be distracted and doing other things, but give them my focus. I can’t do this all day, every single day (it’s just not in my nature), but I need to do it more.
Last year, I decided I wanted to take the plunge and start my own personal blog. I did that (duh), so my goal for this year is to continue to grow it. It’s only been about 5 months and I’m proud of where my blog is so far, but I’d like to reach more people and continuing working with new companies. Finding the time to take photos and sit down and write blog posts is always challenging, but I truly do enjoy doing it so I want to keep it up. So many people start blogs but don’t post consistently. I have managed to post roughly once a week, which is manageable and something I would like to maintain.
My goal of my blog as a whole and this blog post is to inspire my readers! What would you like to see from me in 2019? We can all do better in some area of our life. What are your goals for 2019?
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Create an effective online market strategy with Content Copywriting Services that helpful in creating remarkable awareness about your product and attracts potential customers with high rate of conversion rates. Today entire business is operational at online and customers are spending huge time over social media and search engines. There’s an enormous potential lies ahead you and all you need to do is place a right appealing content that motivates your prospective customers to purchase for your product and services. But the catch is it’s not as easy as it sound. At us, you get the professional help in creating the finest content that speaks and plea to customers to make purchase.
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Is waking your child the right thing to do?
If you are the parent of a baby or toddler, this may be a familiar scenario: A nasty cold or flu has left your little one burning up with a fever all day. The pediatrician has assured you that with some TLC and perhaps some fever medication, the temperature would return to normal as soon the infection clears.
Now that it's bedtime, though, you're not sure what to do. Should you monitor your child's fever through the night? Or is it better to let sleeping babies lie, even sick ones? With few exceptions, letting your child sleep is the better choice.
Unless your child's symptoms are such that they require an emergency room visit, ensuring a good night's sleep is far more important to healing than monitoring the temperature.
It is important to remember that a fever—defined in children as a rectal temperature of 100.4 or greater—is a symptom of a disease and not the disease itself. In babies and toddlers, fever is a symptom of common viral and bacterial illnesses such as croup, flu, colds, gastroenteritis, ear infections, bronchiolitis, and urinary tract infections.
As distressing as a fever may be, try to remember that it is a normal part of the body's immune response. It serves as a defense mechanism by stimulating the production of white blood cells (such as T-cell lymphocytes) that actively target, control, and neutralize an infection.
One of the thing that happens when you sleep is that you get a better fever response. What this means is that, even if the temperature rises, your body is more actively focused on fighting infection.
Keep the child hydrated. A fever can cause your little one to lose fluids quickly and become dehydrated. This can lead to serious complications and the worsening of symptoms. To avoid this, push fluids as necessary to keep your child properly hydrated. If there are signs of dehydration, you can use an oral rehydration solution like Pedialyte. If you are breastfeeding, nurse your child more often.
Do not overdress your child. While your first instinct may be to bundle your child up when sick, it may only add to his discomfort. If the room temperature is comfortable (between 70 and 74 F), it is better to dress the child lightly. Forcing a sweat is not a good way to treat a fever.
Use a fever-reliever appropriately. Children's Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Children's Motrin or Advil (ibuprofen) will usually do the trick. If your child is under two or you are unsure of the dosage, speak with your pharmacist or pediatrician. However, avoid aspirin as this may cause a potentially life-threatening condition called Reye syndrome in children with a viral infection.
Use a fever reliever only when needed. Not all fevers need to be treated. According to the AAP, fever relievers are only needed if the fever is causing discomfort, usually above 102 or 103 F. If you do decide to use one, give it just before bedtime to aid in a good night's sleep.
Avoid outdated or unproven remedies. The AAP advises against alcohol baths, ice packs, or "starving a fever" which can do more harm than good. You should also not give a cooling sponge bath to your baby without first providing a fever reliever. Doing so can cause shivering and may actually increase the body temperature.
While it is usually unnecessary to wake up a baby or toddler at night to take a temperature or provide medication, there are exceptions.
For example, if your child is sleeping restlessly, he or she may rest better after a nighttime dose of Tylenol, Motrin, or Advil. Similarly, if your child is breathing faster than normal or irregularly, you may want to check her temperature to decide if further action is needed.
Your baby is two months or younger and has a temperature of 100.4 F or more.
Your baby is three to six months and has a temperature of 101 F or more.
Your child is over six months and has a temperature of 102 F or higher for more than two days.
Your child has shaking arms and legs, trouble breathing, and eyes that are rolling back. These are signs of a febrile seizure. While most are relatively harmless, those that recur or last for more than 10 minutes should be seen without exception.
You have difficulty waking the child.
In all other cases, it is usually best to let your child sleep. As a general rule of thumb, a child will wake up on his own if a fever is serious.
Sullivan, J. and Farrar, H. Fever and Antipyretic Use in Children. Pediatrics. 2011;127(3):580-7. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2010-3852.
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KABUL – President Ashraf Ghani, who addressed a press conference with Federica Maria Mogherini, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, in Kabul on Tuesday, said a big opportunity has been created for peace in the country and that this opportunity can only be used by the elected government of Afghanistan.
He indirectly pointed at recent pressures by some politicians and some countries in the region about peace and said that peace cannot be achieved through threats.
According to him, stability in Afghanistan is in favor of stability in the region and the world.
Ghani said the European Union has no other agenda than seeing peace and stability in the world.
He said the upcoming consultative Jirga will provide the opportunity for Afghans to decide on their future.
The High Peace Council (HPC) last week announced that the consultative Jirga on peace will be held on April 29. Almost 2,500 delegates from across Afghanistan, 30 percent of them women, will attend the Jirga – which is an assembly of Afghans who will decide on the roadmap and red lines for the peace talks with the Taliban – who still refrain to attend the negotiating table with the Afghan government.
Ghani said Afghanistan is suffering from the violence which is the consequence of internal as well as regional and international conditions, adding that basis of the country’s foreign policy is creating a positive vision among the international community towards Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Mogherini said the conditions for peace have been provided and that Afghans should move the process forward.
“Time has come for the Afghans, all the Afghans should take the future of their country in their hands and for a peace process that can be really sustainable, we see the needs to meet some conditions to make any negotiation sustainable over time,” she said.
She said the European Union will continue supporting the Afghan peace and that there should be a ceasefire in order to move forward the peace talks.
Mogherini said Afghan women should have an active role in the peace process.
Mogherini reiterated that the aim of the European Union’s assistance to Afghanistan is to help the country achieve peace.
“I will point on which the European Union will always be at the side of the Afghan people, never never leaving any of them alone. First of all, a ceasefire agreed by the Taliban, and peace talks with the Afghan government. Second, an inclusive negotiation team to be established with representatives of all Afghan society including women,” she said.
Mogherini said they discussed with President Ghani the need to uphold the electoral agenda.
“I would summarize it with one simple and very easy to understand sentence. Enter negotiations as if there were no elections, united as a country, and do elections as if there were no negotiations,” she said.
She said that the European Union will remain committed to help Afghanistan.
“We will be at your side in this difficult but important journey and we do as always all we can to accompany the Afghan people and their democratically elected institutions in this particular moment of their history,” Mogherini said.
The EU envoy also met with Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah ahead of his meeting with President Ghani.
She met with Tadamichi Yamamoto, the UN envoy in Afghanistan, and discussed joint efforts to support elections and peace process in Afghanistan.
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Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States, that is also widely known as simply Saratoga (though not to be confused with the nearby town of that name). The population was 26,586 at the 2010 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over 200 years. The city is just north of Albany in the heart of New York's Capital Region.
Saratoga Springs was ranked tenth in the list of the top 10 places to live in New York State for 2014 according to the national online real estate brokerage Movoto.
The picturesque area was occupied by the Algonquian-speaking Mahican Indians before they were pushed out by European settlement, both Dutch and English colonists. They eventually moved east and became allied with other remnant peoples and became known as the Stockbridge Indians, as they settled near Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
The English built Fort Saratoga in 1691 on the west bank of the Hudson River. The current village of Schuylerville was settled about a mile south by English colonists shortly after the fort; it was known as Saratoga until 1831. In 1767, William Johnson, a British soldier who was a hero of the French and Indian War, was brought by Native American friends to springs about 10 miles (16 km) west of the village. They treated his war wounds, as the spring was thought to have medicinal properties. Now known as High Rock Spring, it may still be visited today. In 1756 Johnson had been appointed British Superintendent of Indian Affairs in the Northeast region due to his success in building alliances with the Mohawk and other Iroquois tribes. He had learned the language, and created many trading relationships. He achieved great wealth from trading and landholdings, and was knighted for his service to the Crown with the Iroquois.
A middle school (also known as intermediate school or junior high school) is a school for students older than elementary school, but not yet in high school. The ages covered varies between, and sometimes within, countries.
In Afghanistan, middle school consists of grades 6, 7 and 8.
In Algeria, a middle school includes grades 6 through 10, consisting of students from ages 10 or 11 to 15.
Most regions of Australia do not have middle schools, as students go directly from primary school (for years K–6) to secondary school (years 7–12, usually referred to as high school).
A secondary school is a school which provides secondary education, between the ages of 11 and 16 or 11 and 19, after primary school and before higher education.
In Nigeria, secondary school is for children from ages 10 to 15. Secondary education is divided into two parts: the junior and senior secondary education. The junior secondary education which takes in ages 10-12 is pre-vocational and academic in scope. Most courses are compulsory, except religious and language courses (electives). For students to continue into senior secondary school, they have to make passing grades in the Junior Secondary School Certificate Examinations. In senior secondary school which now consists of ages 13-15, students are allowed to choose which areas to concentrate on, be it science, arts, commerce, or technical studies. All students have to sit for a Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE), of which there are two: the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examination Council SSCE. Students must pass this before being admitted into any university.
Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life is an upcoming American family comedy film directed by Steve Carr and written by Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer, and Kara Holden. It is based on the 2011 novel of the same name by James Patterson. The film stars Griffin Gluck, Jacob Hopkins, Thomas Barbusca, Alexa Nisenson, Lauren Graham, Rob Riggle, and Andy Daly. Principal photography began on November 21, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. Lionsgate will release the film on October 7, 2016.
Jacob Hopkins as one of the bullies.
Lauren Graham as Jules Khatchadorian, Rafe's mother.
Thomas Barbusca as Leo, Rafe's best friend.
Alexa Nisenson as Georgia, Rafe's sister.
Rob Riggle as Bear, Jules' boyfriend.
Isabela Moner as Jeanne, Rafe's first crush.
Adam Pally as Mr. Teller, Rafe's favorite teacher.
On August 4, 2015, it was announced that Steve Carr would next direct the film adaptation of the 2011 novel Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life written by James Patterson, and the script was written by Chris Bowman and Hubbel Palmer.Griffin Gluck would play the lead role as Rafe Khatchadorian, a student at Hills Village Middle School. Leopoldo Gout and Bill Robinson would produce the film along with CBS Films which would also handle the international sales, with Lionsgate handling the distribution. On November 12, 2015, more cast announced for the film, whose script was also written by Kara Holden, and it was announced that Patterson would co-finance the film through his James Patterson Entertainment along with Participant Media and CBS Films.
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This work explores the creation of ambiguous images, i.e., images that may induce multistable perception, by evolutionary means. Ambiguous images are created using a general purpose approach, composed of an expression-based evolutionary engine and a set of object detectors, which are trained in advance using Machine Learning techniques. Images are evolved using Genetic Programming and object detectors are used to classify them. The information gathered during classification is used to assign fitness. In a first stage, the system is used to evolve images that resemble a single object. In a second stage, the discovery of ambiguous images is promoted by combining pairs of object detectors. The analysis of the results highlights the ability of the system to evolve ambiguous images and the differences between computational and human ambiguous images.
We consider ambiguous images and multistable perception fascinating phenomena, worth studying for both scientific and artistic purposes. Some of the questions that motivate the research are: (i) Can ambiguous images be created by fully automated computational means? (ii) Can this be done from scratch (i.e. without resorting to collages or morphing of pre-existent images)? (iii) How do computational ambiguous images look like? (iv) How do they relate to human ambiguous images? (v) How can the dichotomy between human and computational ambiguity be explored for artistic purposes? (vi) Can one explore computer vs. human creativity and perception scientifically via ambiguous images?
First we evolve images containing a single object. Following in the footsteps of Machado and Correia (2012, 2013) we use an object detector to guide evolution, assigning fitness based on the internal values of the object detection process. Then, using object detectors trained to identify different types of objects, we evolve images containing two distinct objects. Finally, we focus on the evolution of ambiguous images, which is achieved by evolving images containing two distinct objects in the same window of the image.
Figure 1 presents an overview of the framework, which is composed of two main modules, an evolutionary engine and a classifier. For the purpose of this paper, the framework was instantiated with a general-purpose GP-based image generation engine and with a cascade classifier as an object detector. To create a fitness function able to guide evolution it is necessary to convert the binary classification output of the object detector to one that can provide a suitable fitness landscape. This is achieved by accessing internal results of the classification task that provide an indication of the degree of certainty in the classification.
The Genetic Programming engine allows the evolution of populations of images. The genotypes are expression trees where the functions include mathematical and logical operations and the terminal set is composed of two variables, x and y, and random constant values. The phenotypes are images, rendered by evaluating the expression trees for different values of x and y, which serve both as terminal values and image coordinates. In other words, the value of the pixel of coordinates (i,j) is calculated by assigning i to x and j to y and evaluating the expression tree.
Cascade of classifiers with N stages.
The object detectors used in the framework are cascade classifiers (see Figure 2) based on the works of Viola and Jones. Two object detectors were trained, by building datasets of faces and flowers. This training procedure was attained using OpenCV API. Fitness is assigned by accessing internal results of the classification task. As such, images that are immediately rejected by the classifier will have lower fitness values than those that are close to the detection of the object.
The results obtained when evolving images containing single objects confirm previous work in this field . In all runs and for all classifiers, evolution was able to produce images where the object was detected (see Figure 3). Also confirming previous results in the area, although all runs evolved images where the object in question was detected, the visibility of these objects to a human observer is questionable in some of the cases (see Figure 4).
Evolution of the fitness of the best individual across generations and of the percentage of best individuals where a flower was detected.
Examples of evolved images containing flowers (top row) and faces (bottom row).
We then focused on the evolution of images containing faces and flowers simultaneously, without enforcing the overlap between the regions where these objects were identified. As it can be observed in Figure 5, some of the evolved images depict the same type of optical illusion as Rubin’s vase. As such, we can state that in some of the evolutionary runs the algorithm evolved images that are ambiguous both from computational and human perspective, in the sense that both computer and human are able to recognize simultaneously a face and a flower in the same region.
Examples of ambiguous images containing non-overlapping faces and flowers.
In our third experimental the overlap between the regions where faces and flowers are detected becomes a requirement. Figure 6 shows the evolution of the fitness of the best individual. An analysis of the resulting images reveals that although the majority of the runs evolved images where both objects were detected in the same window, which can, as such, be considered computationally ambiguous, most of the images found are not evocative of both objects (see Figure 7). Nevertheless, in some cases, images that are also ambiguous from a human perspective were evolved (see Figure 8).
Fitness of the best individual and percentage of the best individuals containing an overlap between a face and a flower.
Examples of evolved images that are computationally ambiguous.
Examples of evolved images considered ambiguous by both humans and computers.
The experimental results demonstrate that it is possible to evolve ambiguous images. They also highlight the differences between computational and human ambiguity. Although the evolution of computational ambiguous images was frequent, only a portion of these images induce multistable perception in humans. The results obtained so far are not of the same level as human-designed ambiguous images. Nevertheless we consider them inspiring. They also demonstrate the feasibility of the approach and open new avenues for research. The next steps will be the following: perform experiments considering a wider set of classes of objects; further explore the evolution of images with partial and total overlap of object detectors and explore the generation and evolution of ambiguous tiling patterns.
P. Machado, A. Vinhas, J. Correia, and A. Ekárt, “Evolving Ambiguous Images,” in Proceedings of the Twenty-Fourth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence, IJCAI 2015, Buenos Aires, Argentina, July 25-31, 2015, 2015, pp. 2473-2479.
J. Correia, P. Machado, J. Romero, and A. Carballal, “Evolving Figurative Images Using Expression-Based Evolutionary Art,” in Proceedings of the fourth International Conference on Computational Creativity (ICCC), 2013, pp. 24-31.
P. Machado, J. Correia, and J. Romero, “Expression-Based Evolution of Faces,” in Evolutionary and Biologically Inspired Music, Sound, Art and Design – First International Conference, EvoMUSART 2012, Málaga, Spain, April 11-13, 2012. Proceedings, 2012, pp. 187-198.
P. Machado, J. Correia, and J. Romero, “Improving Face Detection,” in Genetic Programming – 15th European Conference, EuroGP 2012, Málaga, Spain, April 11-13, 2012. Proceedings, 2012, pp. 73-84.
This research is partially funded by: Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia , Portugal, under the grant SFRH/BD/90968/2012; project ConCreTe. The project ConCreTe acknowledges the financial support of the Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) programme within the Seventh Framework Programme for Research of the European Commission, under FET grant number 611733.
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RIVERSIDE, Calif. - Feeding is paramount to the survival of almost every animal, and just about every living organism is eaten by another. Not surprisingly, the animal kingdom shows many examples of extreme specialization - the chameleon's tongue, fox diving into snow, cheetah sprinting - for capturing prey or escaping predators.
The antagonistic predator-prey relationship is of interest to evolutionary biologists because it often leads to extreme adaptations in both the predator and prey. One such relationship is seen in the rattlesnake-kangaroo rat system - a model system for studying the dynamics of high-power predator-prey interactions that can be observed under completely natural conditions.
"Predator-prey interactions are naturally variable - much more so than we would ever observe in a controlled laboratory setting," said Higham, an associate professor of biology, who led the research project. "Technology is now allowing us to understand what defines successful capture and evasion under natural conditions. It is under these conditions in which the predator and prey evolve. It's therefore absolutely critical to observe animals in their natural habitat before making too many conclusions from laboratory studies alone."
A question Higham and his team are exploring in predator-prey relationships is: What factors determine the success/failure of a strike or escape? In the case of the rattlesnake and kangaroo rat, the outcome, they note, appears to depend on both the snake's accuracy and the ability of the kangaroo rat to detect and evade the viper before being struck.
"We obtained some incredible footage of Mohave rattlesnakes striking in the middle of the night, under infrared lighting, in New Mexico during the summer of 2015," Higham said. "The results are quite interesting in that strikes are very rapid and highly variable. The snakes also appear to miss quite dramatically - either because the snake simply misses or the kangaroo rat moves out of the way in time."
In the paper, Higham and his coauthors conclude that rattlesnakes in nature can greatly exceed the defensive strike speeds and accelerations observed in the lab. Their results also suggest that kangaroo rats might amplify their power when under attack by rattlesnakes via "elastic energy storage."
"Elastic energy storage is when the muscle stretches a tendon and then relaxes, allowing the tendon to recoil like an elastic band being released from the stretched position," Higham explained. "It's equivalent to a sling shot - you can pull the sling shot slowly and it can be released very quickly. The kangaroo rat is likely using the tendons in its lower leg - similar to our Achilles tendon - to store energy and release it quickly, allowing it to jump quickly and evade the strike."
To collect data, the team radio-tracked rattlesnakes by implanting transmitters. Once the rattlesnake was in striking position, the team carried the filming equipment to the location of the rattlesnake (in the middle of the night) and set up the cameras around the snake. The team then waited (sometimes all night) for a kangaroo rat to come by for the snake to strike.
"We would watch the live view through a laptop quite far away and trigger the cameras when a strike occurred," Higham said.
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0.999994 |
our web site index.html is static, and I was wondering how can I enable working with different optimizely projects, each loaded in a different environment (dev/staging/prod).
Other analytics tools that I've used with provide a different token per environment, but here it seems that for the static HTML page (which I have), I need some other manipulation.
I'm not positive that I understand your question. Each Optimizely project will have a unique snippet, and typically people will create a separate project for each environment. The experiments associated with a given project will only run on pages that include that project's snippet, so all you need to do to use different projects with different environments is to place the appropriate snippet in the head of the matching environment's code.
Unless you're saying there is some reason you can't do this?
Yes, the reason I cannot do that, is that I strive to keep the same static code regardless of the environment.
meaning, index.html should be the same static file in dev/QA/Prod. it may execute differnt logic, but the hard coded <script src=""> that optimizely enforces, cannot be manipulated.
Putting the snippet directly in the head is usually best practice for performance reasons, but any way you can get one snippet in one environment and the other snippet in the other environment should work (appending with JS, injecting with tag manager, etc).
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0.987985 |
Estimating reflectance and natural illumination from a single image of an object of known shape is a challenging task due to the ambiguities between reflectance and illumination. Although there is an inherent limitation in what can be recovered as the reflectance band-limits the illumination, explicitly estimating both is desirable for many computer vision applications. Achieving this estimation requires that we derive and impose strong constraints on both variables. We introduce a probabilistic formulation that seamlessly incorporates such constraints as priors to arrive at the maximum a posteriori estimates of reflectance and natural illumination. We begin by showing that reflectance modulates the natural illumination in a way that increases its entropy. Based on this observation, we impose a prior on the illumination that favors lower entropy while conforming to natural image statistics. We also impose a prior on the reflectance based on the directional statistics BRDF model that constrains the estimate to lie within the bounds and variability of real-world materials. Experimental results on a number of synthetic and real images show that the method is able to achieve accurate joint estimation for different combinations of materials and lighting.
in IEEE Trans. on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, vol. 38, no. 1, pp129-141, Jan., 2016.
in Proc. of European Conference on Computer Vision ECCV’12, Part VI, pp582-595, Oct., 2012.
We develop a framework for reflectance and illumination inference from a single image. Our approach incorporates an expressive yet low-dimensional reflectance model. The reflectance model is based on the Directional Statistics BRDF (DSBRDF) model originally introduced by Nishino and later extended by Nishino and Lombardi. The DSBRDF represents reflectance as a sum of lobes that are each written as a directional statistics distribution in the half vector BRDF parameterization. This figure illustrates how we arrive at a compact analytical reflectance model while retaining expressiveness. Column (a) is a ground-truth rendering of the MERL BRDF in three different illumination environments. Column (b) shows renderings of the DSBRDF model with (κ,γ)-curves represented as B-splines with color integrated into each lobe representation. This model has three colors, three lobes, and six parameters per B-spline for a total of 108 free variables. Column (c) shows renderings of the DSBRDF model with (\kappa, \gamma)-curves represented with the learned bases bi truncated at 16 parameters with color integrated into each lobe representation. This model has 16 free variables. Column (d) shows renderings of the DSBRDF model with color represented explicitly for each lobe (see journal paper). This model uses 10 basis coefficients and 2 variables per lobe for chromaticity for a total of 16 free variables. From the figure we can see qualitatively that the DSBRDF model with color represented separately has expressiveness comparable to the full DSBRDF model (Column (b)) but with only 16 parameters.
Comparison of the DSBRDF model to the non-parametric bivariate model and Cook-Torrance. This figure shows the log-space RMSE of fitting Lambertian and 1 lobe of Cook-Torrance (10 free parameters), Lambertian and 3 lobes of Cook-Torrance (24 free parameters), the DSBRDF with color separation modeled with a small number of learned bases (13 free parameters), the full DSBRDF model with color separation (42 free parameters), and the non-parametric bivariate BRDF (24,300 parameters). The vertical grey bars highlight the BRDFs used in the previous figure. The figure demonstrates that the DSBRDF model accurately captures real-world reflectance functions with a low-order parameterization.
This figure shows a visualization of the prior overlaid onto the DSBRDF space. The DSBRDF space is visualized by plotting the projections of each BRDF onto the first two basis functions. We overlay the ellipses of the Gaussian mixture to observe how it models the space of BRDFs. We can see that the mixture of Gaussians is able to naturally identify different types of reflectance functions. For example, it captures primarily diffuse reflectance functions in one cluster, many shiny metals and plastics in another cluster, and those in-between in the third cluster. This observation supports the use of a mixture model as a distribution on likely reflectance parameters.
We empirically show that, due to the band-limited transmittance of incident irradiance, the entropy of the distribution of reflected radiance becomes higher than when there was no bandpass filtering (i.e., the reflectance has all frequencies–perfect mirror reflection). This figure demonstrates the effect of the reflectance on the entropy of the reflected radiance for a variety of materials. As our intuition suggests, the action of the BRDF as a bandpass filter causes a blurring of the illumination and thus a spreading of the histogram. This, in turn, increases the entropy of the reflected radiance. We’d like to recover the true illumination environment and to do this we assume that the entropy increase in the observed image is due entirely to the BRDF. To this end, we constrain the illumination to have minimum entropy, so that the BRDF will be responsible for causing the increase in entropy of the outgoing radiance.
Results of the alum-bronze material under three lighting environments. The top right shows the ground truth cascaded rendering (a sphere rendered with different point source directions) of the alum-bronze material. Column (a) shows the ground truth alum-bronze material rendered with one of the three lighting environments, column (b) shows a rendering of the estimated BRDF with the next ground truth lighting environment, column (c) shows the estimated illumination map, column (d) shows the ground truth illumination map, and column (e) shows a cascaded rendering of the recovered reflectance. The lighting environments used were Kitchen (1), Eucalyptus Grove (2), and the Uffizi Gallery (3). We achieve good estimates of reflectance and illumination, although the recovered illumination is missing high frequency details lost during image formation.
Quality of reflectance estimates. Each subfigure demonstrates the reflectance estimates for the blue-acrylic (1), nickel (2), and gold-metallic-paint (3) materials. The top row of each subfigure shows the ground truth and the bottom row shows our estimates. Columns (a), (b), and (c) show renderings using the Uffizi Gallery, St. Peter’s Basilica, and Grace Cathedral lighting environments, respectively. Column (d) is a cascaded rendering of the material with a series of point lights. The top left image of each subfigure was used as the input image. These results demonstrate the accuracy of our reflectance estimation.
Predicting the appearance of materials with recovered illumination. We use the recovered illumination map to predict the appearance of materials with lower frequency reflectance. The top row shows the ground truth and the bottom row shows the predicted appearances. The input image for each subfigure is the top-left image. These results demonstrate the ability to accurately predict object appearance with the recovered illumination map.
Results on our new data set which includes four different objects under four different illumination environments (1–4). Columns (a), (b), and (c) show results for the apple and horse object in the four lighting environments. Column (a) shows the input image, column (b) shows the recovered illumination map, and column (c) shows a cascaded rendering of the recovered BRDF. Columns (d), (e), and (f) show the results for the milk bottle and bear object in the four lighting environments. Column (d) shows the input image, column (e) shows the recovered BRDF relit with the next ground truth illumination map, and column (f) shows the recovered illumination map. Our method recovers a good estimate of the band-limited lighting environment and BRDF despite some errors in the white balance of the camera which cause some small inaccuracies in the color of the recovered BRDF.
Results on lobby and spiralStairs illumination environments. Each row shows the recovered reflectance and illumination of a different object with the ground-truth illumination for comparison. Note how features of the reflectance function are accurately captured: the apple, bear, horse, and milk objects are shiny and the recovered reflectance function has sharp specular highlights; the tree object has a softer glossy reflection that is captured in the reflectance estimate.
Results on garden, main, and picnic illumination environments. Each row shows the recovered illumination of a different object with the ground-truth illumination for comparison. This illustrates that our algorithm is able to capture important features of the illumination environment. For example, in the picnic scene, the method captures the sun behind a building from the apple object.
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This article is about the events following the 2011 Egyptian revolution culminating in the resignation of Hosni Mubarak. For the full sequence of events following 2011 revolution, see Timeline of the 2011–present Egyptian civil unrest.
The following is a chronological summary of the major events that occurred during the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, after Hosni Mubarak's resignation as the fourth President of Egypt, on 11 February 2011. This article documents the second wave of the revolution. The second wave began on 12 February 2011 when the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces assumed control of the country and it ended on 30 June 2012, when Mohamed Morsi was sworn in as the fifth President of Egypt.
The inauguration of Morsi led to the third wave of the revolution.
Volunteers use shovels to dispose rubble, debris, and trash.
A group of activists issued the "People's Communiqué No 1", which imitated the titles of communiqués from the Army. It demanded the dissolution of the cabinet Mubarak appointed on 29 January, the suspension of the parliament elected in late 2010 in a poll that was widely suspected of being rigged, the creation of a transitional presidential council made up of four civilians and one member of the military, the formation of a transitional government to prepare for an election to take place within nine months and a body to draft a new democratic constitution, freedom for the media and syndicates and for the formation of political parties, and the scrapping of military and emergency courts. They also announced the formation of a council to organize mass protests. Curfew was reduced to between midnight and 6:00 Eastern European Time. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces issued "Communiqué no. 4" in which they "promised to hand power to an elected, civilian government ... [and] also pledged that Egypt would remain committed to all international treaties." Minister of Information, Anas El-Fekky, had been placed under house arrest, and later resigned from his position.
Egypt's stock market regulator said the trading, which was due to start on 13 February, was delayed until 16 February.
Thousands of people also began to clean up Cairo's Tahrir Square, which had been disfigured by 18 days of rallies and sporadic street battles.
The army stated that the constitution was suspended and parliament was dissolved and that it would stay in power until the presidential and parliamentary elections could be held. The High Council of Egyptian Armed Forces had selected its chief to represent the council. The caretaker cabinet appointed by Mubarak would remain until a new cabinet was formed after the elections.
Police in the city of Bani Suef were protesting for better pay and more rights by lying down on a bridge. Hundreds of police also marched in Tahrir Square to show solidarity with the protesters. Waving Egyptian flags, the police demonstrators shouted, "We and the people are one", and said they wanted to "honor the martyrs of the revolution".
Jean-Claude Juncker, the chairman of the Eurogroup, said he would support a freeze on the assets of Hosni Mubarak.
After an inventory was completed, it was determined that a total of 18 artifacts from the Egyptian Museum were missing. About 70 objects were damaged.
It was reported that the secretary-general of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, was to stand down and run in the upcoming elections.
Eight representatives from the demonstrators, including Wael Ghonim and Amr Salama, met with spokespersons of the military and reported that there would be a referendum on changes to the constitution within two months.
Military rulers called for an end to the strikes and protests. Thousands of state employees, including police, transit workers, and ambulance drivers, protested for better pay. In a statement, the ruling military council issued a final warning to the labor unions stating that the armed forces could intervene. They also imposed an outright ban on gatherings and strikes. In addition, the army cleared out most of the remaining demonstrators from Tahrir Square.
Tarek El-Bishry, a retired judge known for his pro-opposition views and his support for a strong independent judiciary, was tasked with setting up the committee to reform the constitution. The changes would be formally announced within ten days. Adly Fayed, the director of public security at the interior ministry, and Ismail El Shaer, Cairo's security chief, have been fired over their decision to open fire on the demonstrators.
Hillary Clinton has told Al Jazeera that the US is hopeful that Egypt will become a model for democracy in the region.
Amr Moussa announced on 15 February that he would run in the presidential election. The Muslim Brotherhood announced on the same day that it would form the Freedom and Justice Party to run in the parliamentary elections.
On 17 February, the army stated that it would not field a candidate in the upcoming presidential elections. Four important figures of the former regime were detained on that day: former interior minister Habib el-Adly, former minister of housing Ahmed Maghrabi, former tourism minister Zuheir Garana, and steel tycoon Ahmed Ezz.
On 18 February, Muslim cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi arrived in Egypt after his exile in Qatar and led the "Victory Day" Friday sermon in Tahrir Square, which was attended by hundreds of thousands of people. Men, who appeared to be Qaradawi's guards, barred Wael Ghonim from joining him on stage. On that same day, Wael Ghonim wrote the following on his Twitter: "I loved Sheikh Qaradawi Khutbah today. Was truly inspired when he said: 'Today I'm going to address both Muslims and Christians. Respect!'"
On 20 February, the constitutional reform committee stated that its work was almost done, and also announced that the caretaker government would soon be reshuffled. On 21 February, David Cameron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, became the first world leader to visit Egypt since Mubarak was ousted as the president. A news blackout was lifted as the prime minister landed in Cairo for a brief five-hour stopover, which had been hastily added to the start of a planned tour of the Middle East.
A government reshuffle took place on 22 February, but the defense, interior, foreign, finance, and justice ministries remained unchanged. New ministers included Yehia el-Gamal as deputy prime minister, the New Wafd Party's Monir Fakhri Abdel Nour as tourism minister, the Tagammu Party's Gowdat Abdel-Khaleq as minister of social solidarity and social justice, and Ismail Ibrahim Fahmy as the new labor minister. The changes were not well-received by the public, because most of Mubarak's former supporters remained in the cabinet, and there were renewed calls for a demonstration to demand the resignation of the interim government. Protesters were also set to return to Tahrir Square to keep up the pressure on the interim government.
Left: An underground cell in State Security Investigations Service. Right: Shredded documents found inside State Security Investigations Service.
Before any large protests against him were planned, Ahmed Shafik stepped down as Prime Minister and was replaced by Essam Sharaf. Sharaf returned to Tahrir Square, which he had also visited during the revolution, to address the Friday mass rally.
The foreign, justice, interior, and oil ministers resigned and three new ministers were named: General and former governor of Minya, Mansour El Essawi, became interior minister; Mohamed Abdel Aziz Al-Guindy became justice minister; and former judge Nabil Elaraby was appointed foreign minister. Secretary General of the New Wafd Party, Monir Fakhri Abdel Nour, remained tourism minister. State television aired footage of the ceremony showing the prime minister and his Cabinet taking the oath before Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi, who heads the ruling military council.
On 5 March, three weeks after Hosni Mubarak was ousted as President, Egyptians turned their anger toward his internal security apparatus by storming the agency's main headquarters and other offices in order to seize documents that would provide evidence of human rights abuses as well as preventing said documents from being destroyed. Following rumors that officials were destroying evidence, 200 protesters stormed the secret police headquarters in Cairo. The closing of the agency has been a key demand of the protesters but one which had not been heeded. Human rights abuses, including torture, were alleged to have been carried out inside it. The protesters stated that they stormed the building to secure evidence as they feared that it might be destroyed. The SSIS was announced dissolved on 15 March 2011, with a new National Security Force replacing it.
A group of youths who participated in the protests announced the formation of the Party of Youths for Change on 6 March 2011.
Mohamed ElBaradei stated on 9 March 2011 that he would run in the presidential elections.
On 19 March, the constitutional referendum was held, with millions of Egyptians turning up to vote on nine proposed amendments to the constitution. Eager for their first free vote, Egyptians formed long lines outside polling centers to cast their ballots on constitutional amendments that were sponsored by the ruling military. In the lead up to the referendum, there was still dispute amongst the political movements and parties in Egypt about whether they should approve or reject the proposed constitutional amendments. 16 of those political parties and movements, including The Alliance of Women's Organizations, announced that they would reject the proposed amendments and call for the creation of a new constitution. The movements also renewed their calls for protests against the amendments to be held. Supporters of the amendments include the Muslim Brotherhood, the Wasat Party, and the Labor Party. The proposed amendments were limited to nine articles, which many deemed to be insufficient as they failed to limit the power of the president, whilst others argued that the amendments were only a temporary measure and as such did not need to include all the changes that were requested, as the Constitution was to be completely redrafted after the parliamentary and presidential elections. This point has proven to be the most contentious with those who oppose the amendments. They claim that a redrafted Constitution will not be representative with the Egyptian presidential candidate Mohamed ElBaradei calling on all Egyptians to reject the proposed constitutional amendments, saying that a "Yes" vote will "provide a parliament not representative of the people, composed mainly of members of the National Democratic Party and benefiting businessmen, the opportunity to uphold a Constitution which is also not representative of the people, and this will take us backwards to a great extent." ElBaradei was assaulted when he showed up at a school in Moqattam to vote.
The final results of the referendum were announced the next day: 77.2% of Egyptians voted "YES" to constitutional amendments, while 22.8% voted "NO". In total, 18,537,954 Egyptians voted out of around 45 million eligible voters, making the turnout 41%.
Two army vehicles burning in Tahrir Square after the army attack that happened on 9 April 2011 in the Square from 3:00 to 5:30 am; at least two protesters were killed and dozens were wounded.
On 1 April, protesters called for a "Save the Revolution" day in which thousands of demonstrators filled Tahrir Square after Friday prayers demanded that the ruling military council move faster to dismantle lingering aspects of the old regime; it was the largest protest since Mubarak's resignation.
On 5 April, Egyptian authorities arrested Omneya Soliman, the former housing minister.
On 7 April, the National Association for Change seemed to accept the Brotherhood's proposal, calling for the "Friday of Prosecution and Purging", a million-man march on Tahrir Square, on 8 April. The NAC also proposed holding a mock "people's trial" of the regime figures for whom they demand the prosecution and/or removal of. While Friday protests in Tahrir Square had been a weekly event, million-man protests had not been seen for some time. The following day, protesters called for a "Friday of Cleansing" in which hundreds of thousands of demonstrators filled Tahrir Square again. They criticised the ruling SCAF for not following through on the protesters' previous demands. They called for the resignation of the remaining Mybarak-era figures and the removal of Egypt's public prosecutor due to the slow pace of investigations of corrupt former officials.
On 9 April, the military used force to break up a camp that protesters had set up in Tahrir Square, as tensions also continued to build between the protesters and the military leadership that were running the country in the interim.
On 12 April, Hosni Mubarak was questioned in hospital by prosecutors. The following day the country's Prosecutor General ordered the detention of Mubarak and his two children, Alaa Mubarak and Gamal Mubarak, for 15 days. A statement from the Attorney General Egyptian published on its Facebook page said that the arrest warrant was issued after the prosecution presented the charges against them and in accordance with the development of the criminal investigations around the rioting that led to the fall of the regime.
On 15 April, thousands of protesters again marched from Shoubra to Tahrir in support of minority rights for Coptic christians.
On 16 April, the National Democratic Party was dissolved and its assets transferred to the state. Mubarak's name was also removed from all public places on 21 April 2011.
On 23 April, Egypt ordered the former energy minister to stand trial for the natural gas deal with Israel. Three days later, the pipeline to Israel and Jordan was again attacked.
On 18 April, Iran appointed its first ambassador to Egypt since the Islamic Revolution.
On 29 April, demonstrators in Tahrir Square expressed solidarity with other Arab uprisings.
On 24 May, it was announced that Mubarak and his two sons, Gamal and Alaa, would be tried over the deaths of anti-government protesters. On 28 May, Mubarak was fined $34m (£20m) for cutting off communications services during the uprising.
Egypt also eased the blockade at the Rafah border crossing with Gaza. Women, children, and men over 40 were allowed to pass freely while men aged between 18 and 40 would still require a permit. Though trade across the border remained prohibited, the crossing was opened between 9:00 – 21:00 every day except on Fridays and public holidays. The move was strongly opposed by Israel.
A protester braving tear gas near the AUC during 28 June.
Treating an injured man in Tahrir due to inhalation of CS gas during 28 June.
Injured protester near Tahrir Square during 28 June.
On 6 June, crowds of Egyptians dressed in black held demonstrations to honour Khaled Said, a young man from Alexandria who was beaten to death in 2010 in a savage attack which was blamed on police. This attack helped inspire the uprising that brought down Egypt's president. Pictures of his body, taken by his family in a morgue, caused public outrage that caused the January 2011 uprising. Hundreds of protesters stood side by side on Stanley Bridge in Alexandria in a silent protest commemorating the death of Said. The protesters neither held pictures or banners of Said; they only carried the Egyptian flag. They then marched to Said's family's home in Cleopatra. By the time they arrived there, more people joined, and the number of protesters reached about 1,500. They set a big monitor on the street screening a documentary on Said's case and its development.
On 12 June, Ilan Grapel, accused for being an Israeli spy, was arrested by Egyptian authorities, who claimed that Grapel was sent to Egypt to build a team that had been "trying to gather information and data and to monitor the events of 25 January revolution." The authorities also claimed that Grapel tried to incite violence amongst Egyptian protestors, hoping to spark a face-off with the military "and spread chaos in the Egyptian public and harm the state's political, economic, and social interests." Grapel appears to be the same man who told Haaretz that he moved to Israel three years before its 2006 war with Lebanon and ended up enlisting in the Israeli Defense Force. Israel, however, has denied the reports, stating that "There is no such thing, no Israeli agent has been arrested in Egypt. These reports are false." Friends and relatives of Grapel said that he is a law student in Atlanta with an avid interest in the Middle East, and not a Mossad agent out to sabotage Egypt's revolution, as Egyptian authorities have charged. His mother said he arrived in Cairo in May, countering implications that he was involved in protests as early as February. The arrest of 27-year-old Ilan Grapel has sparked fears in Israel that relations with Egypt will sour now that Hosni Mubarak has been deposed. Later that year, Egyptian officials admitted Ilan Grapel was not a spy, and he was scheduled for release in exchange for 25 Egyptian prisoners held in Israel.
On 19 June, the military prosecution released the editor-in-chief of Al-Fagr, Adel Hammouda, and journalist Rasha Azab without bail pending further investigation. They were both interrogated on charges of publishing false news that disturbed the peace and negligence in the editorial process. Hammouda was released at around 13 pm, while Azab was released at around 16:30 pm after which she immediately led chants of "down with military rule." Azab had written an article about a meeting between SCAF and prominent members of an advocacy group against military trials for civilians called "No to Military Trials" in which group members provided SCAF with proof and evidence of military violations against civilians. Azab said that Major General Hassan El-Roweiny was astonished when he saw the pictures and testimonies. She added that El-Roweiny apologized to one of the female witnesses for being violated in military prison, adding that individual actions don't represent the morals or principles of the army.
On 20 June, Mubarak's lawyer, Farid el-Deeb, said that in 2010 the former president underwent "critical surgery" in Heidelberg, Germany to remove his gallbladder and part of his pancreas which were cancerous. el-Deeb told The Associated Press that "there is evidence suggesting that there is a recurrence of cancer and that it has reached the stomach,". He called Mubarak's condition "horrible" and said the former leader "doesn't eat and he loses consciousness quite often." Mubarak is hospitalized in Sharm el-Sheikh, the Red Sea resort where he has been living since he was removed from power.
On 21 June, Egypt's military rulers launched an online poll to test the popularity of potential presidential candidates, a move that could be aimed at judging public opinion for former officials who were trying to run for positions of parliament again. The list includes at least four ex-military officers as well as Islamists, judges, diplomats and others. Most have declared that they will run, including two former officers.
On 22 June, Egypt's cabinet approved a budget for the 2011–2012 fiscal year, boosting spending in social programs to meet the growing demands from the people after the uprising. The budget totals £490.6 billion ($83 billion), reflecting a spending increase of 14.7% over the current fiscal year, while revenues are forecast at $59 billion. On the same day, leaders of the youth wing of the Muslim Brotherhood have split with their elders to form an independent political party. This has deepened the fractures within the group as some of its prominent members have moved towards a more centrist and liberal version of Islamist politics. The new group, the Egyptian Current Party, is expected to advocate the separation of religion from politics, the protection of individual freedoms and the embrace of Islamic morals and culture without the enforcement of Islamic religious law. Its founders, including Islam Lotfy, Mohamed el-Kasaas and Mohamed Abbas, were amongst the young leaders of the Egyptian revolution and broke with the Brotherhood to help lead the first day of protests that brought down Hosni Mubarak.
On 26 June, John McCain and John Kerry visited Egypt at the head of a U.S. business delegation. Both politicians said that it was in America's national security interests to see that the uprising succeeded. They said that Washington was not interested in dictating policy to Egypt. Instead, the focus was on finding ways to help the Arab world's most populous nation boost its economy and address the needs of its people.
A Facebook page entitled "The Second Egyptian Revolution of Rage" read: "Seeing that the situation, under the leadership of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, is only going from bad to worse, and since the council has proven from day one that public pressure is the most effective policy for achieving the demands of the legitimate revolution, we have decided to take to the streets and squares [once again] and demonstrate throughout Egypt until our demands are met ..." On 1 July, tens of thousands of protesters gathered for what they termed the "Friday of Retribution" in Suez, Alexandria and Tahrir Square in Cairo to voice frustrations with the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces for what they perceived to be the slow pace of change five months after Mubarak's ousting.
On 4 July, an explosion at the pipeline near Nagah in the Sinai Peninsula halted natural gas supplies to Israel and Jordan. This was the third attack on Egyptian gas pipelines since Mubarak was removed from power. There was also a failed attempt to attack the pipeline in March.
On 8 July, hundreds of thousands of protesters gathered for what they called the "Friday of Determination" or the "March of the Million" in Suez, Alexandria, Cairo and other cities. They demanded immediate reforms and swifter prosecution of former officials from the ousted government. Revolutionaries in Tahrir square also began another sit-in which is still[when?] ongoing.
Most of Egypt's political parties and coalitions supported widespread calls for the protest to be staged across Egypt. The protesters hoped to start a "second revolution". The main demand of these groups is to combine efforts toward achieving the goals of the revolution, including: banning the trial of civilians by military courts; setting a minimum wage; bringing Mubarak, his sons and the senior officials to justice quickly; banning former National Democratic Party (NDP) members from political activity for five years; releasing all political prisoners; purging the police, the legal system, the media, the universities and the banks of members of the former regime; electing new municipal councils; stopping the export of natural gas to Israel; the arrest and trial of those responsible for killing protesters; and restructuring the ministry of interior. An employee of the Suez Canal University said that in Ismailiya, there were also protests for higher wages and stable employment contracts. Protesters also called for the removal of Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, who was said to be emblematic of the old regime.
Several stages have been set up by the Revolution Youth Coalition (a coalition of liberal parties and movements), the Muslim Brotherhood, the Wafd party and leftist parties in order to organise the protests. As the Muslim Brotherhood's stage was the highest and largest, many protesters complained that they were attempting to gain an unfair advantage over the other political parties. These accusations were also compounded by the Muslim Brotherhood's opposition to a sit-in called by other political groups to pressure the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) into meeting their demands. Though the Muslim Brotherhood decided to join the protests only two days before the event, it said that it would avoid the sit-in and leave by 17:00. The event was used to rally support for the various groups by organizing their own tents and passing out paraphernalia.
On 11 July, Prime Minister Essam Sharaf made a televised statement reassuring protesters that the government would respond to public demands and also included a timeline in which these demands would be met. The changes included a new cabinet to be formed within one week and a change in provincial governors before the end of the month. The protesters responded with calls for a million-man march the following day and continuation of their sit-in in Tahrir Square. The Muslim Brotherhood responded that they will not participate in the sit-in. The next morning the SCAF issued a statement, which was perceived as aggressive.
On 13 July, state television reported that Egypt's government had met a key demand of protesters by firing nearly 700 top police officers in order to cleanse the discredited and widely unpopular force. It was also reported that 37 of the dismissed officers face charges of killing protesters. Among those dismissed were 505 major-generals, including 10 of the interior minister's top assistants, 82 colonels and 82 brigadiers.
On 14 July, Mubarak told prosecutors that he did not order security forces to open fire on protesters during the initial uprising in February. Transcripts of prosecutors questioning Mubarak were published in two Egyptian newspapers,[which?] and judicial officials confirmed the authenticity of the documents. Mubarak said he issued clear instructions for police not to use force against the protesters. He also denied charges that he ordered or had knowledge of security forces firing on the demonstrators.
On 16 July, Maj. Gen. Tarek el-Mahdi briefly visited a protest camp in Tahrir Square but left after protesters, some holding shoes in anger, booed him off a stage. He had come to persuade a dozen demonstrators to end a hunger strike which had begun several days ago. El-Mahdi later told state television that he was disappointed that a small crowd of protesters managed to drive him out of the square before he could reach the tent housing the hunger strikers. Prime Minister Essam Sharaf also accepted the resignation of Foreign Minister Mohammed el-Orabi. He then appointed two new deputies, one of which was prominent economist and former head of the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, Hazem el-Biblawi.
On 17 July, Sharaf named 12 new Cabinet members. State television dubbed the new government lineup the "Revolution Cabinet". Most of the ministers were newcomers as the government sought to placate further criticism by the protesters. Despite the cabinet reshuffle, many of the protesters said that they had no intention of calling off their week-old sit-in. One of the members of the "Revolution Cabinet" was the Chief of Antiquities Zahi Hawass. Hawass is a prominent member of Egypt's archaeological community but has been the target of protests himself. These protests were begun by archaeology students who accused him of falsely claiming publicity for himself and corruption. Sharaf also accepted the resignation of Finance Minister Samir Radwan (the reason for his resignation was because his new budget was deemed by many protesters to be too conservative in dealing with the poverty which had been one of the main catalysts of the uprising) and the foreign minister, who was replaced by the former ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Kamel Omar. Radwan's position was taken by economist Hazem el-Biblawi, who had also been appointed deputy prime minister. There were also changes in the ministries of transport, military production, higher education, communication, agriculture, health, religious endowments, local development, trade and industry and civil aviation, with ministers being replaced.
On 21 July, the SCAF announced that it would bar foreign monitors in the upcoming parliamentary election because of what it claimed was the preservation of Egyptian sovereignty.
On 23 July, thousands of protesters tried to march to the Defense Ministry of Egypt in Cairo when they were attacked by groups of men wielding knives, sticks, stones and Molotov cocktails. It was the second time in two days that crowds had tried to march to the headquarters located in Heliopolis. The march started moving from Tahrir Square at 4:00 pm, picking up more and more protesters as the march went on to Ramsis and then to the eastern Abbasiya neighbourhood, where it was stopped by army barricades. The march was a reaction to the SCAF accused 6 April Youth Movement and Kefaya of treason and that their movements are harming "national interests" a day earlier. The violence broke out following a televised speech commemorating the 1952 coup by Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi, head of the ruling military council, who attempted to defuse tensions by praising young people who led the uprising that toppled Mubarak. The clashes broke out after civilians threw rocks from rooftops in adjacent buildings. Many in the crowd were thought by protesters to be thugs but some residents of the Abbassiya district were fearful protests in their neighborhood were obstructing business and normalcy. State media said the civilians fighting with the demonstrators were from "people's committees" protecting the neighborhood and the army had maintained all self-restraint, blaming the violence on protesters. Some Abbasiya residents appeared to believe protesters were seeking to create rifts between the army and the people. Military police, armed with Tasers and batons, fired in the air to stop the demonstrators from approaching the Defense Ministry. A Reuters witness said tear gas fumes were wafting outside the area as military helicopters circled overhead. The Health Ministry stated a total of 231 people were wounded in the violence.
On 1 August, the first day of Ramadan, Egyptian soldiers clashed with protesters in Tahrir Square, tearing down tents the activists had used for the sit-in and where hundreds of protesters had been sleeping in the square since 8 July. Egyptian forces swinging electrified batons and shouting the battle cry "God is great" swiftly chased off dozens of activists who had refused to end four weeks of renewed protests at Tahrir Square to pressure the country's transitional military rulers. Hundreds of riot police backed by armored vehicles and soldiers moved in to tear down the camp of dozens of tents after a group of holdout activists — some of them relatives of people killed in the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak in February — refused pleas over loudspeakers to go home. Some in the crowd hurled stones at the police. Protesters' rights groups said that the military police detained 66 people in the process. The removal of the Tahrir sit-in was a calculated political move. Average citizens had been growing weary of the lack of mobility in the central square, so when the military showed up on early Monday afternoon they were met with cheers. Most Egyptians supported the military's actions.
The trial of Hosni Mubarak and his two sons Ala'a and Gamal, along with former interior minister Habib el-Adly and six former top police officials began on 3 August 2011 at a temporary criminal court at the Police Academy in north Cairo. The charges were corruption and the premediated killing of peaceful protestors during the mass movement to oust him, the latter of which carries the death penalty. The trial was broadcast on Egyptian television, with Mubarak making a surprise first appearance since his resignation, brought in on a hospital bed and held in a cage for the session. Upon reading out the charges to him, Mubarak pleaded not guilty, denying responsibility for the charges against him. Judge Ahmed Refaat adjourned the court, ruling that Mubarak be transferred under continued arrest to the military hospital on the outskirts of Cairo, with the second session scheduled for 15 August.
The trials of Mubarak and el-Adly were separated after the first session, and a second hearing was held for el-Adly's case on 4 August to release evidence regarding the killings of protesters. After hearing the complaints and requests of the defense lawyers, Judge Refaat proceeded to open numerous boxes of evidence for screening before the lawyers and audience. The evidence included documents of the Central Security Forces, their unit formations and organization, operational police logs and details of orders received and carried out during the protests, a jacket and pants of one of the victims of the protests riddled with bullet holes, guns, spent ammunition casings and grenades used during the protests. At the end of the hearing, Judge Refaat adjourned the trial to 14 August.
The conduct of individual defense lawyers in both sessions was widely criticized, being somewhat unruly and disorderly, and Judge Refaat demanded at least once during the second hearing that they assume order. That day, Interior Minister Mansour el-Esawy issued several warnings for police officers not to salute or greet el-Adly and the other accused men, and threatened that he would place the officers under investigation if they did so again.
On Friday, 6 August, protesters reassembled in Tahrir, this time to hold a funeral prayer for one who died during the Abasseya clashes. Around 200 attended, and were prevented from moving to Tahrir Square. Later during the day, a festive iftar was held in the square by protesters. After finishing, they were attacked by military police and central security forces, who dispersed them using force.
On 14 August, Asmaa Mahfouz was arrested on charges of defaming the Egyptian military junta for calling them a "council of dogs". She was referred to a military court, prompting activists, as well as presidential hopefuls such as Mohamed ElBaradei and Ayman Nour, to protest her being charged in a military court. Mahfouz was released on bail in the amount of 20,000 Egyptian Pounds, equivalent to approximately 3,350 US dollars.
On 9 September, tens of thousands of protesters gathered for what they called the "Friday of Correcting the Path" (or the "Correct the Path") in Suez, Alexandria, Cairo, and other cities, in the absence of supporters of Islamic political movements.
The major demands of the Friday were relieving the Mansour el-Essawy (The current Minister of the Interior), maintaining independence of the judiciary, closing the Israeli embassy in Cairo, amending the laws of the People's Assembly and Shura Council, and stopping military trials for civilians that began under the SCAF.
After gathering in Tahrir Square, the protest moved to the MOI, then to the Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt, and finally towards the Israeli embassy. The 2011 Israeli embassy attack occurred later in Cairo, when Egyptian protesters entered the Israeli embassy after tearing down the wall surrounding the building that housed it. Police fired tear gas into the crowds. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said that about 3,000 protesters had torn apart the wall, forcing the Israeli ambassador to Egypt to flee. The military restored a state of emergency; Egyptian activists denounced the political manipulation of doing so.
Victims of the 9 October riots.
Late into the evening of 9 October, during a protest that was held in Maspiro, peaceful Egyptian protesters, calling for the dissolution the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, the resignation of its chairman, Field Marshal Mohamed Tantawi, and the dismissal of the governor of Aswan province, were attacked by military police. At least 25 people were killed and more than 200 wounded. The protest began due to an attack on a Coptic Christian church in Merinab village in Aswan on 30 September. Aswan governor Mustafa al-Seyyed said that Copts had built the church without having the proper permits. The 9 October attack was committed by both the Egyptian police force and military police using live ammunition, vehicles to run over protesters and extensive rounds of tear gas were fired.
The Army also stormed Al-Hurra TV station and 25 January TV stations, and took them off air. The State Media, which has become biased to military junta, asked on "honorable" Egyptians to protect the army against attacks by "Coptic protesters" even though the protesters were not only Copts.
In November 2011, dissatisfied with the progress of the reforms, almost all civilian political parties called for an accelerated end to the military rule before drafting a constitution — either an immediate handover to a civilian-led government, or a turnover to the lower house of Parliament when it is seated in April, or after a presidential election, which would be scheduled as soon as possible. A major difference between Egyptian revolutionaries is that secular groups want the election to be postponed since they believe that the election would favor religious parties and well established groups like the Muslim Brotherhood while those parties want the parliamentary elections to be held on time. On the other hand they are united in their demand that the military should get out of politics and stop imposing restrictions on the future constitution and allow democratically elected representatives of Egyptians to freely write the new constitution.
The protesters are demanding the SCAF to step down from governing and politics, and hand over the authority to civilians. Other demands include banning former members of Hosni Mubarak's regime from running in the next election, and rejection of the military's super-constitution (which restricts the power of the future elected representative in writing the new constitution, gives the military the power to select up to 80 percent of the membership committee that writes the new constitution, and removes the possibility of civilian control of the military and Egypt's foreign policy which will allow the military to act as a state within a state in Egypt, a system similar to Turkey's Deep State before democratic reforms). The protesters state that the situation has not improved during the last 10 months under military government. Media and freedom of expression has become even more restricted, civilian political activists are being tried in military courts for insulting military, human rights situation has not improved, the emergency law (which gives government extra-ordinary powers and the right to ignore laws) continues, and the military junta continues to use the same methods that Mubarak was using. They are also angry at Field Marshal Tantavi's statement announced on TV which implies that military wants to remain involved in politics and will not return to barracks even after presidential elections.
On 19 November, two people were killed and 600 wounded in violent clashes after mass protests in Tahrir Square against the military junta regime. The protests started in reaction to the military unilaterally announcing a super-constitution that representatives elected for writing the constitution will not be able to change.
Egyptian medics say a police and army assault on anti-government protesters in Cairo has killed at least three people, raising the death toll in Egypt to at least five killed in two days of unrest. Police in Cairo lobbed teargas into crowds of protesters angry at the military government's continued role in political life. Demonstrators kept control of Tahrir Square Sunday morning, and vowed to keep their revolution alive.
Protesters demanding faster reforms and establishment of civilian government took to the Tahrir square in Cairo, and also in other cities, and clashed with the security forces. On 21 November 2011, after several days of violent demonstrations in which more than 33 protesters lost their lives and over 1,500 were wounded, the provisional government offered its resignation to the supreme military council in reaction to the use of force against the protesters.
At a crisis meeting on 22 November 2011 between the political and the military leaders, the parties agreed for a new interim government to be formed, and to proceed with the scheduled parliamentary election on 28 November, with a goal of holding a presidential election before the end of June 2012. Also on the same day, the US State Department condemned the excessive use of force against the demonstrators by the Egyptian security forces.
Since Kamal Ganzouri was appointed prime minister, there has been a three-week protest sit-in, outside a government building near Tahrir square. In the morning of 16 December 2011, the army attempted to forcefully disperse the protesters. In the following days, 7 people were killed and violence has escalated.
On 19 December, Hillary Clinton US Secretary of State in a speech at Georgetown University in Washington, denounced the stripping and beating of a female protester and said that 'recent events in Egypt have been particularly shocking' and "women are being beaten and humiliated in the same streets where they risked their lives for the revolution only a few short months ago."
On 20 December, thousands of Egyptian women demonstrated against abuses by military police.
On 5 January 2012, a prosecutor in the trial of Hosni Mubarak demanded that Mubarak be hanged, for the killing of protesters, during the 2011 uprising, that toppled his regime. On 11 January, the parliamentary elections were officially over. On 24 January, the leader of Egypt, Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, announced that the decades-old State of Emergency would be partially lifted, the following day.
On 1 February, 73 people were killed at a football game, in a stadium in Port Said. The riots began when fans of the team El Masry invaded the stadium, some of them carrying knives, and attacked fans of the rival team, Al Ahly. Initial media reports stated that more than 70 people were killed, with the death toll rising.
Numerous protests then took place, following this event. On Thursday, 2 February, protesters took to the streets of Cairo, enraged by the fact that the lax security had failed in preventing this tragedy from happening. Some of the protesters were heard chanting that Tantawi should be executed. The police then deployed tear gas, on the protesters.
On 17 March, Pope Shenouda III died, at the age of 88. His passing greatly affected the entire nation of Egypt, and especially the Coptic Christian community.
On 24 March, numerous protesters took to the streets, angry that the football team El-Masry was banned for two more seasons, following the riots last month. The army then attacked the protesters. At least one person was killed, and at least 18 others were injured.
On 20 April, hundreds, possibly thousands, of protesters re-assembled in Cairo's Tahrir Square, demanding that the country's military rulers transfer power to a civilian government, sooner. They also wanted the Field Marshal, and leader of Egypt's military, Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, to step down.
On 14 April, several candidates in the upcoming presidential election were disqualified, for various reasons.
On 23–24 May, the first round of voting in the presidential elections took place. Many people went to the polls, to vote. The two candidates with the highest amount of votes were the Muslim Brotherhood's replacement candidate, Mohamed Morsi, and Hosni Mubarak's last Prime Minister, Ahmed Shafik.
On 31 May, the decades-old State of Emergency was finally completely lifted, in Egypt.
On 2 June, former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison, for complicity in the killings of protesters by police, during the revolution that eventually toppled him, in 2011. However, the judge also found him not guilty, on corruption charges. This, and the fact that he had not received the death penalty, led numerous protesters to immediately take to the streets, directly after the verdict was announced. On 14 June, Egypt's Constitutional Court ruled that a law preventing members of Hosni Mubarak's former government from running for President was unconstitutional, therefore letting Ahmed Shafik remain in the presidential race. The court also ruled that the mainly Islamist-led Parliament, should be dissolved. Both of these verdicts also led to protests, as well.
On 16–17 June, the second round of voting in the presidential elections took place. Both candidates claimed that they had won the election, and each accused the other of cheating. The results of the presidential election were initially going to be officially announced, on Thursday, 21 June. However, this date was later postponed.
On 18 June, the Muslim Brotherhood announced that its candidate, Morsi, had won the election. On the same day, the ruling military junta, (which is scheduled to transfer power to the newly elected President on 30 June), made a statement, in which they severely restricted the powers, of the Presidency. This led to huge protests in Tahrir Square, the biggest since those that eventually ousted Mubarak, more than a year earlier. Many of the protesters were members of the Muslim Brotherhood. On 19 June, the protests continued. Protesters rallied in Tahrir Square in Cairo, accusing the SCAF of planning a coup, and demanding that it back down.
The results of the presidential election were officially announced on 24 June 2012. It was announced that Morsi had narrowly beat Shafik, gaining 52% of the votes, while Shafik got 48% of them. Right after the announcement, Morsi supporters in Tahrir Square celebrated their victory. It has also been noted that this is the first time since Hosni Mubarak's resignation, on 11 February 2011, that celebrations of this magnitude have occurred, in Egypt. However, even after the results of the presidential election were announced, numerous protesters still remained, in Tahrir Square. They were protesting the apparent power grab by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.
On 30 June 2012, Morsi was sworn in as the fifth President of Egypt. This marked the first time in Egypt's history that a civilian president has been elected by the people. In the past, all of the other presidents were either from the military or had a military background.
↑ Egypt: Protesters Communique No 1 Demands to The Army. Andy Roberts DARnet. 12 February 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
↑ Egyptian Revolution Enters New Phase 22 November 2011 Democracy Now!
This page was last modified on 26 May 2016, at 20:56.
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I'm sure we have all had moments when we thought our situation just couldn't get any worse. You feel like you should be happy, but you just can't help but go deeper into the feeling of misery. I've seen way too many inspirational quotes and posts that tell you to be "happy", when sometimes it just won't happen. Whenever I am feeling down or uneasy, I remind myself that it is okay to feel. Being a human is just way too complex to be happy all the time. We have feelings for a reason, and it's good to acknowledge them, and move forward. After all, if we didn't go through difficult times, we wouldn't be able to appreciate good days and moments that bring us joy. Platforms like social media tend to put out the polished version of people's lives, and it's important to remember that no one leads a perfect life.
Something that I've been making an effort to do more often is expressing gratitude, especially when I am beginning to think negatively. Trust me, I have those moments where I don't want to even think about the positives, because it seems like the negatives outweigh them, but that is not the case. Problems will come and go, but life is ever flowing and they will eventually be solved, so why not spend a just a little more time focusing on what you are grateful for. Optimism is not forcing happiness upon yourself, but being able to accept the hardships and understand that better times are coming. I know it's easier said than done, but it is definitely worth the effort.
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Electronic digital commerce has underwent accelerated progress since coming of the internet. E-commerce has allowed online marketers to go through the regular ways of working on organizations to functioning exclusive sites . The advancements made in knowledge and communications know-how have led to the progress in electronic business enterprise sales. This essay discusses e-commerce, emphasizing its production and near future viewpoints.
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As time passed on and technological advances advanced, the world-wide-web also refined and have become far more effective. The creation of website 3. has necessitated heightened internet position and organization purchases. The actual technology has helped investors to start web stores, which might be thoroughly working web based-centered supply sequence. Business owners can now delegate the manufacture of their goods, showcase these items for an on-line screen, participate with people to make purchasing options, charge their clientele by using on the net charge products and deliver the merchandise with their finalized areas . Internet marketing has also climbed to new levels, potent plenty of to take on customary advertising marketing such as Television programs, magazines and catalogs, magazines and broadcast. More recent advancements in the IT industry and present-day patterns think about the considerable strength held by the on line. Electric powered commerce is poised to boost its scope and height in time in the future. Right now, online has allowed firms to delegate some of their processes and for that reason lessen prices to do internet business. Enterprises can delegate non-crucial business that include records digesting to exterior specialists at achievable fees by way of Enterprise System Outsourcing . Corporations can as a result employ the power of the online market place to maximize their profits. Nevertheless, cyberspace is having evolution, and each and every time presents a discovery on the way the online world should be considered more effectively.
It happens to be forecasted that the way forward for computerized business is richer as long as the online world increases. Having said that, more is usually to be realized for you to wipe out defects in electric business. A perfect e-commerce really should be as refined as its forerunner; the common business. Issues similar to internet protection and cybercrime is required to be dealt with if ecommerce business transactions must be relied on by people . Nevertheless, methods with amazing security features will be developed to assure business online working experience may be as safe and sound as typical organization orders. To summarize, electronic trade made a great progress way. In spite of this, the technique of e-trade must be adjusted further more, in terms of safety, as a way to be competitive considerably very well with old fashioned business financial transactions. The breakthroughs manufactured in information technology are drivers of e-trade. While the latest status of e-commerce is regarded as acceptable for on line sales, the future of on the web trades is glowing, even though stability struggles.
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Poland (Polish: Polska [ˈpɔlska] ( listen)), officially the Republic of Poland (Polish: Rzeczpospolita Polska[lower-alpha 3] [ʐɛt͡ʂpɔˈspɔlita ˈpɔlska] ( listen)), is a country located in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative subdivisions, covering an area of 312,696 square kilometres (120,733 sq mi), and has a largely temperate seasonal climate. With a population of approximately 38.5 million people, Poland is the sixth most populous member state of the European Union. Poland's capital and largest metropolis is Warsaw. Other major cities include Kraków, Łódź, Wrocław, Poznań, Gdańsk and Szczecin.
The establishment of the Polish state can be traced back to A.D. 966, when Mieszko I, ruler of the realm coextensive with the territory of present-day Poland, converted to Christianity. The Kingdom of Poland was founded in 1025, and in 1569 it cemented its longstanding political association with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania by signing the Union of Lublin. This union formed the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, one of the largest (about 1 million km2) and most populous countries of 16th and 17th century Europe, with a uniquely liberal political system which adopted Europe's first written national constitution, the Constitution of 3 May 1791.
More than a century after the Partitions of Poland at the end of the 18th century, Poland regained its independence in 1918 with the Treaty of Versailles. In September 1939, World War II started with the invasion of Poland by Germany, followed by the Soviet Union invading Poland in accordance with the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. More than six million Polish citizens perished in the war. In 1947, the Polish People's Republic was established as a satellite state under Soviet influence. In the aftermath of the Revolutions of 1989, most notably through the emergence of the Solidarity movement, Poland reestablished itself as a democratic republic.
Poland is a developed market and regional power. It has the eighth largest and one of the most dynamic economies in the European Union, simultaneously achieving a very high rank on the Human Development Index. Additionally, the Polish Stock Exchange in Warsaw is the largest and most important in Central Europe. Poland is a developed and democratic country, which maintains a high-income economy along with very high standards of living, life quality, safety, education and economic freedom. Poland has a developed school educational system. The country provides free university education, state-funded social security and a universal health care system for all citizens. Poland has 15 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 14 of which are cultural. Poland is a member state of the European Union, the Schengen Area, the United Nations, NATO, the OECD, the Three Seas Initiative, and the Visegrád Group.
The Jagiellon dynasty spanned the late Middle Ages and early Modern Era of Polish history. Beginning with the Lithuanian Grand Duke Jogaila (Władysław II Jagiełło), the Jagiellon dynasty (1386–1572) formed the Polish–Lithuanian union. The partnership brought vast Lithuania-controlled Rus' areas into Poland's sphere of influence and proved beneficial for the Poles and Lithuanians, who coexisted and cooperated in one of the largest political entities in Europe for the next four centuries. In the Baltic Sea region the struggle of Poland and Lithuania with the Teutonic Knights continued and culminated in the Battle of Grunwald (1410), where a combined Polish-Lithuanian army inflicted a decisive victory against the Teutonic Knights, allowing for territorial expansion of both nations into the far north region of Livonia. In 1466, after the Thirteen Years' War, King Casimir IV Jagiellon gave royal consent to the Peace of Thorn, which created the future Duchy of Prussia, a Polish vassal. The Jagiellon dynasty at one point also established dynastic control over the kingdoms of Bohemia (1471 onwards) and Hungary. In the south, Poland confronted the Ottoman Empire and the Crimean Tatars (by whom they were attacked on 75 separate occasions between 1474 and 1569), and in the east helped Lithuania fight the Grand Duchy of Moscow. Some historians estimate that Crimean Tatar slave-raiding cost Poland-Lithuania one million of its population between the years of 1494 and 1694.
The 1569 Union of Lublin established the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, a more closely unified federal state with an elective monarchy, but which was governed largely by the nobility, through a system of local assemblies with a central parliament. The Warsaw Confederation (1573) guaranteed religious freedom for the Polish nobility (Szlachta) and burgesses (Mieszczanie). However, the peasants (Chłopi) were still subject to severe limitations imposed on them by the nobility. The establishment of the Commonwealth coincided with a period of stability and prosperity in Poland, with the union thereafter becoming a European power and a major cultural entity, occupying approximately one million square kilometers of Central and Eastern Europe, as well as an agent for the dissemination of Western culture through Polonization into areas of modern-day Lithuania, Ukraine, Belarus and Western Russia.
In 1926, a May coup, led by the hero of the Polish independence campaign Marshal Józef Piłsudski, turned rule of the Second Polish Republic over to the nonpartisan Sanacja (Healing) movement in an effort to prevent radical political organizations on both the left and the right from destabilizing the country.[lower-alpha 4] The movement functioned integrally until Piłsudski's death in 1935. Following Marshall Piłsudski's death, Sanation split into several competing factions. By the late 1930s, Poland's government had become increasingly rigid; with a number of radical political parties that threatened the stability of the country such as the Communist Party of Poland banned.
The formal beginning of World War II was marked by the Nazi German invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939, followed by the Soviet invasion of Poland on 17 September. On 28 September 1939 Warsaw capitulated. As agreed earlier in the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, Poland was split into two zones, one occupied by Nazi Germany, the other, including all of Kresy, fell under the control of the Soviet Union. In 1939–41, the Soviets deported hundreds of thousands of Poles to distant parts of the Soviet Union. The Soviet NKVD secretly executed thousands of Polish prisoners of war (inter alia Katyn massacre) ahead of the Operation Barbarossa. German planners had in November 1939 called for "the complete destruction" of all Poles and their fate, as well as many other Slavs, was outlined in genocidal Generalplan Ost.
Poland made the fourth-largest troop contribution in Europe[lower-alpha 5] and its troops served both the Polish Government in Exile in the west and Soviet leadership in the east. In the west, the Polish expeditionary corps played an important role in the Italian and North African Campaigns and are particularly remembered for the Battle of Monte Cassino. In the east, the Soviet-backed Polish 1st Army distinguished itself in the battles for Warsaw and Berlin.
Polish servicemen were also active in the theatres of naval and air warfare; during the Battle of Britain Polish squadrons such as the No. 303 "Kościuszko" fighter squadron achieved considerable success, and by the end of the war the exiled Polish Air Forces could claim 769 confirmed kills. Meanwhile, the Polish Navy was active in the protection of convoys in the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean.
The domestic underground resistance movement, the Armia Krajowa (Home Army), fought against German occupation. The wartime resistance movement in Poland was one of the three largest resistance movements of the entire war,[lower-alpha 6] and encompassed an unusually broad range of clandestine activities, which functioned as an underground state complete with degree-awarding universities and a court system. The resistance was loyal to the exiled government and generally resented the idea of a communist Poland; for this reason, in the summer of 1944 they initiated Operation Tempest, of which the Warsaw Uprising that begun on 1 August 1944 was the best known operation. The objective of the uprising was to drive the German occupiers from the city and help with the larger fight against Germany and the Axis powers. Secondary motives were to see Warsaw liberated before the Soviets could reach the capital, so as to underscore Polish sovereignty by empowering the Polish Underground State before the Soviet-backed Polish Committee of National Liberation could assume control. A lack of Allied support and Stalin's reluctance to allow the 1st Army to help their fellow countrymen take the city led to the uprising's failure and subsequent planned destruction of the city.
German forces under direct order from Adolf Hitler set up six extermination camps, all of which operated in the heart of Poland. They included Treblinka, Majdanek and Auschwitz. The Germans transported the condemned Jews from the Third Reich and across occupied Europe to murder them in the death camps set up in the Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany.
Germany killed 2.9 million Polish Jews, and 2.8 million ethnic Poles, including Polish academics, doctors, lawyers, nobility, priests and numerous others. It is estimated that, of pre-war Poland's Jewry, approximately 90% were killed. Throughout the occupation, many members of the Armia Krajowa, supported by the Polish government in exile, and millions of ordinary Poles – at great risk to themselves and their families – engaged in rescuing Jews from the Nazi Germans. Grouped by nationality, Poles represent the largest number of people who rescued Jews during the Holocaust. To date, 6,620 Poles have been awarded the title of Righteous Among the Nations by the State of Israel–more than any other nation. Some estimates put the number of Poles involved in rescue efforts at up to 3 million, and credit Poles with sheltering up to 450,000 Jews.
Around 150,000 Polish civilians were killed by Soviet Communists between 1939 and 1941 during the Soviet Union's occupation of eastern Poland (Kresy), and another estimated 100,000 Poles were killed by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) in the regions of Wołyń and Eastern Galicia between 1943 and 1944 in what became known as the Wołyń Massacres. The massacres were part of a vicious ethnic clensing campaign waged by Ukrainian nationalists against the local Polish population in the German-occupied territories of eastern Poland.
At the war's conclusion, in 1945 Poland's borders were shifted westwards, resulting in considerable territorial losses. Over 2 million Polish inhabitants of Kresy were expelled along the Curzon Line in accordance with Stalin's agreements. The western border was moved to the Oder-Neisse line. As a result, Poland's territory was reduced by 20%, or 77,500 square kilometres (29,900 sq mi). The shift forced the migration of millions of other people, most of whom were Poles, Germans, Ukrainians, and Jews. Of all the countries involved in the war, Poland lost the highest percentage of its citizens: over 6 million perished – nearly one-fifth of Poland's population – half of them Polish Jews. Over 90% of deaths were non-military in nature. Population numbers did not recover until the 1970s.
At the insistence of Joseph Stalin, the Yalta Conference sanctioned the formation of a new provisional pro-Communist coalition government in Moscow, which ignored the Polish government-in-exile based in London; a move which angered many Poles who considered it a betrayal by the Allies. In 1944, Stalin had made guarantees to Churchill and Roosevelt that he would maintain Poland's sovereignty and allow democratic elections to take place. However, upon achieving victory in 1945, the elections organized by the occupying Soviet authorities were falsified and were used to provide a veneer of 'legitimacy' for Soviet hegemony over Polish affairs. The Soviet Union instituted a new communist government in Poland, analogous to much of the rest of the Eastern Bloc. As elsewhere in Communist Europe the Soviet occupation of Poland met with armed resistance from the outset which continued into the fifties.
Despite widespread objections, the new Polish government accepted the Soviet annexation of the pre-war eastern regions of Poland (in particular the cities of Wilno and Lwów) and agreed to the permanent garrisoning of Red Army units on Poland's territory. Military alignment within the Warsaw Pact throughout the Cold War came about as a direct result of this change in Poland's political culture and in the European scene came to characterise the full-fledged integration of Poland into the brotherhood of communist nations.
A shock therapy programme, initiated by Leszek Balcerowicz in the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its socialist-style planned economy into a market economy. As with other post-communist countries, Poland suffered slumps in social and economic standards, but it became the first post-communist country to reach its pre-1989 GDP levels, which it achieved by 1995 largely thanks to its booming economy.
Most visibly, there were numerous improvements in human rights, such as freedom of speech, internet freedom (no censorship), civil liberties (1st class) and political rights (1st class), as ranked by Freedom House non-governmental organization. In 1991, Poland became a member of the Visegrád Group and joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance in 1999 along with the Czech Republic and Hungary. Poles then voted to join the European Union in a referendum in June 2003, with Poland becoming a full member on 1 May 2004. Poland joined the Schengen Area in 2007, as a result of which, the country's borders with other member states of the European Union have been dismantled, allowing for full freedom of movement within most of the EU. In contrast to this, a section of Poland's eastern border now constitutes the external EU border with Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. That border has become increasingly well protected, and has led in part to the coining of the phrase 'Fortress Europe', in reference to the seeming 'impossibility' of gaining entry to the EU for citizens of the former Soviet Union.
In 2011, the Presidency of the Council of the European Union responsible for the functioning of the Council was awarded to Poland. The same year parliamentary elections took place in both the Senate and the Sejm. They were won by the ruling Civic Platform. Poland joined European Space Agency in 2012, as well as organised the UEFA Euro 2012 (along with Ukraine). In 2013, Poland also became a member of the Development Assistance Committee. In 2014, the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, was chosen to be President of the European Council, and resigned as prime minister. The 2015 elections were won by the opposion Law and Justice Party (PiS).
Poland is the fourth most forested country in Europe. Forests cover about 30.5% of Poland's land area based on international standards. Its overall percentage is still increasing. Forests of Poland are managed by the national program of reforestation (KPZL), aiming at an increase of forest-cover to 33% in 2050. The richness of Polish forest (per SoEF 2011 statistics) is more than twice as high as European average (with Germany and France at the top), containing 2.304 billion cubic metres of trees. The largest forest complex in Poland is Lower Silesian Wilderness.
The Constitution of Poland is the supreme law in contemporary Poland, and the Polish legal system is based on the principle of civil rights, governed by the code of Civil Law. Historically, the most famous Polish legal act is the Constitution of 3 May 1791. Historian Norman Davies describes it as the first of its kind in Europe. The Constitution was instituted as a Government Act (Polish: Ustawa rządowa) and then adopted on 3 May 1791 by the Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Primarily, it was designed to redress long-standing political defects of the federative Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and its Golden Liberty. Previously only the Henrican articles signed by each of Poland's elected kings could perform the function of a set of basic laws.
Currently, Poland's military is going through a significant modernization phase, which will be completed in 2022. The government plans to spend up to 130 billion złoty (US $34 billion), however the final total may reach 235 billion złoty (US $62 billion) to replace dated equipment and purchase new weapons systems. Under the program, the military plans to purchase new tracked armoured personnel carriers, self-propelled howitzers, utility and attack helicopters, a mid-range surface-to-air missile system, attack submarines, minehunters, and coastal anti-ship missiles. Also, the army plans to modernize its existing inventory of main battle tanks, and update its stock of small arms. Poland is currently spending 2% of its GDP on defense, and is expected to grow to 2.5% of GDP by 2030. In May 2017 the Ministry of National Defence has assured that the Polish army will be increased to 250,000 active personnel.
Poland's economy is considered to be one of the more resilient of the post-Communist countries and is one of the fastest growing within the EU. Having a strong domestic market, low private debt, flexible currency, and not being dependent on a single export sector, Poland is the only European economy to have avoided the late-2000s recession. Since the fall of the communist government, Poland has pursued a policy of liberalising the economy. It is an example of the transition from a centrally planned to a primarily market-based economy. The country's most successful exports include machinery, furniture, food products, clothing, shoes and cosmetics. Poland's largest trading partner is Germany.
The privatization of small and medium state-owned companies and a liberal law on establishing new firms have allowed the development of the private sector. Also, several consumer rights organizations have become active in the country. Restructuring and privatisation of "sensitive sectors" such as coal, steel, rail transport and energy has been continuing since 1990. The biggest privatisations have been the sale of the national telecoms firm Telekomunikacja Polska to France Télécom in 2000, and an issue of 30% of the shares in Poland's largest bank, PKO Bank Polski, on the Polish stockmarket in 2004.
According to Eurostat data, Polish PPS GDP per capita stood at 70% of the EU average in 2017, up from 50 percent in the year prior to the accession to the EU in 2004.
Since the opening of the labor market in the European Union, Poland experienced a mass emigration of over 2.3 million, mainly due to the higher wages offered abroad, and due to the rise in levels of unemployment following the global Great Recession of 2008. The emigration has increased the average wages for the workers who remained in Poland, in particular for those with intermediate level skills.
Products and goods manufactured in Poland include: electronics, buses and trams (Solaris, Solbus), helicopters and planes (PZL Świdnik, PZL Mielec), trains (Pesa SA), ships (Gdańsk Shipyard, Szczecin Shipyard, Gdynia Polish Navy Shipyard), military equipment (FB "Łucznik" Radom, Bumar-Łabędy SA), medicines (Polpharma, Polfa), food (Tymbark, Hortex, E. Wedel), clothes (LLP), glass, pottery (Bolesławiec), chemical products and others.
Poland is also one of the world's biggest producers of copper, silver and coal, as well as potatoes, rye, rapeseed, cabbage, apples, strawberries and ribes.
Renewable forms of energy account for a smaller proportion of Poland's full energy generation capacity. However, the national government has set targets for the development of renewable energy sources in Poland which should see the portion of power produced by renewable resources climb to 7.5% by 2010 and 15% by 2020. This is to be achieved mainly through the construction of wind farms and a number of hydroelectric stations.
Poland has around 164,800,000,000 m3 of proven natural gas reserves and around 96,380,000 barrels of proven oil reserves. These reserves are exploited by energy supply companies such as PKN Orlen ("the only Polish company listed in the Fortune Global 500"). However, the small amounts of fossil fuels naturally occurring in Poland is insufficient to satisfy the full energy consumption needs of the population. Therefore, the country is a net importer of oil and natural gas.
The 5 largest companies supplying Poland with electricity are PGE, Tauron, Enea, Energa and Innogy Poland.
According to the Act of 6 January 2005 on national and ethnic minorities and on the regional languages, 16 other languages have officially recognized status of minority languages: 1 regional language (Kashubian - spoken by around 366,000 people, but only 108,000 declared its everyday use in the census of 2011), 10 languages of 9 national minorities (minority groups that have their own independent state elsewhere) and 5 languages of 4 ethnic minorities (spoken by the members of minorities not having a separate state elsewhere). Jewish and Romani minorities each have 2 minority languages recognized.
Following the formation of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1569, the country over the next two centuries contained many languages, cultures and religions. The Commonwealth was primarily composed of three nations: Poles, Lithuanians, and Ruthenians (Ukrainians and Belarusians) — there were also sizable minorities of groups such as Germans, Jews, Armenians and Tatars. After the partitions of Poland at the end of the 18th century, the bulk of the ethnic Polish population was primarily located in Congress Poland, and in the Galicia and Poznań provinces. When Poland regained its independence in 1918, Poles constituted the majority of the population in the country, during the interwar period, with sizable Ukrainian, Belarusian, Jewish and German minorities.
In the year 966, Duke Mieszko I accepted Christianity, and the authority of the Roman Catholic Church. Since then, Poland has been a predominantly Catholic nation, however throughout its history, religious tolerance was an important part of the political culture. In 1264, the Statute of Kalisz, also known as a Charter of Jewish Liberties, granted Jews living in the Polish lands unprecedented legal rights not found anywhere in Europe. In 1424, the Polish king was pressed by the Bishops to issue the Edict of Wieluń, outlawing early Protestant Hussitism. Then in 1573, the Warsaw Confederation marked the formal beginning of extensive religious freedoms granted to all faiths in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The act was not imposed by a king or consequence of war, but rather resulted from the actions of members of the Polish-Lithuanian society. It was also influenced by the events of the 1572 French St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, which prompted the Polish-Lithuanian nobility to see that no monarch would ever be able to carry out such reprehensible atrocities in Poland. The act is also credited with keeping the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth out of the Thirty Years' War, fought between German Protestants and Catholics.
The Commission of National Education (Komisja Edukacji Narodowej) established in 1773, was the world's first state ministry of education. The education of Polish society was a goal of the nation's rulers as early as the 12th century. The library catalogue of the Cathedral Chapter of Kraków dating back to 1110 shows that in the early 12th-century Polish academia had access to European and Classical literature. The Jagiellonian University was founded in 1364 by King Casimir III in Kraków—the school is the world's 19th oldest university.
Artists from Poland, including famous musicians like Chopin, Rubinstein, Paderewski or Penderecki and traditional, regionalized folk composers, create a lively and diverse music scene, which even recognizes its own music genres, such as sung poetry and disco polo. As of 2006, Poland is one of the few countries in Europe where rock and hip hop dominate over pop music, while all kinds of alternative music genres are encouraged.
Since the inter-war years, Polish art and documentary photography has enjoyed worldwide fame and in the 1960s the Polish School of Posters was formed. Throughout the entire country, many national museum and art institutions hold valuable works by famous masters like Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, Peter Paul Rubens, Claude Monet and El Greco. The most distinguished painting of Poland is Lady with an Ermine by Leonardo da Vinci, held at the Czartoryski Museum in Kraków. Although not Polish, the work had a strong influence on Polish culture and has been often associated with Polish identity. Other prominent 20th-century artists originating from Poland include Magdalena Abakanowicz, Tadeusz Kantor, Roman Opałka, Igor Mitoraj, Zdzisław Beksiński, Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz and Jean Lambert-Rucki.
The architecture of Gdańsk is mostly of the Hanseatic variety, a Gothic style common among the former trading cities along the Baltic sea and in the northern part of Central Europe. The architectural style of Wrocław is mainly representative of German architecture, since it was for centuries located within the Holy Roman Empire. The centre of Kazimierz Dolny on the Vistula is a good example of a well-preserved medieval town. Poland's ancient capital, Kraków, ranks among the best-preserved Gothic and Renaissance urban complexes in Europe.
Polish cinema developed rapidly in the interwar period. The most renowned star of the silent film era was Polish actress Pola Negri. During this time, the Yiddish cinema also evolved in Poland. Films in the Yiddish language with Jewish themes, such as The Dybbuk (1937), played an important part in pre-war Polish cinematography. In 1945 the government established 'Film Polski', a state-run film production and distribution organization, with director Aleksander Ford as the head of the company. Ford's Knights of the Teutonic Order (1960) was viewed by millions of people in the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and France.
In 2015, Ida by Paweł Pawlikowski won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Other well-known Polish Oscar-winning productions include The Pianist (2002) by Roman Polański.
Poland also has emerged as a major hub for video game developers in Europe, with the country now being home to hundreds of studios. One of the most popular video game series developed in Poland includes The Witcher. Katowice hosts Intel Extreme Masters, one of the biggest eSports events in the world.
The Polish men's national volleyball team is ranked as 3rd in the world. Volleyball team won a gold medal in Olympic 1976 Montreal and two gold medals in FIVB World Championship 1974, 2014 and hosted. Mariusz Pudzianowski is a highly successful strongman competitor and has won more World's Strongest Man titles than any other competitor in the world, winning the event in 2008 for the fifth time. The first Polish Formula One driver, Robert Kubica, has brought awareness of Formula One racing to Poland. He won the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix and now does rallying following a crash in 2011 that left him unable to drive F1 cars.
Established in 1999, the retail store Reserved is Poland's best clothing store chain, operating over 1,700 retail shops in 19 countries. In 2016 it was announced that Reserved is moving into a former BHS store at Oxford Street in London, one of the most prestigious and busiest shopping promenades in Europe.
↑ Many declared more than one ethnic or national identity. The percentages of ethnic Poles and of minorities depend on how we count. 94.83% declared exclusively Polish identity, 96.88% declared Polish as their first identity and 97.10% as either first or second identity. Around 98% declared some sort of Polish as their first identity.
↑ The adoption of Christianity in Poland is seen by many Poles, regardless of their religious affiliation or lack thereof, as one of the most significant events in their country's history, as it was used to unify the Polish tribes.
↑ The area of Poland, as given by the Central Statistical Office, is 312,679 km2 (120,726 sq mi), of which 311,888 km2 (120,421 sq mi) is land and 791 km2 (305 sq mi) is internal water surface area.
↑ Numerous sources state that Polish Army was the Allies' fourth biggest fighting contingent. Steven J. Zaloga and Richard Hook write that "by the war's end the Polish Army was the fourth largest contingent of the Allied coalition after the armed forces of the Soviet Union, the United States and the United Kingdom". Jerzy Jan Lerski writes "All in all, the Polish units, although divided and controlled by different political orientation, constituted the fourth largest Allied force, after the America, British and Soviet Armies." M. K. Dziewanowski has noted that "if Polish forces fighting in the east and west were added to the resistance fighters, Poland had the fourth largest Allied army in the war (after the USSR, the U.S. and Britain)".
↑ Sources vary with regards to what was the largest resistance movement during World War II. The confusion often stems from the fact that as war progressed, some resistance movements grew larger – and other diminished. Polish territories were mostly freed from Nazi German control in the years 1944–45, eliminating the need for their respective (anti-Nazi) partisan forces in Poland (although the cursed soldiers continued to fight against the Soviets). Several sources note that Polish Armia Krajowa was the largest resistance movement in Nazi-occupied Europe. Norman Davies wrote: "Armia Krajowa (Home Army), the AK, which could fairly claim to be the largest of European resistance"; Gregor Dallas wrote "Home Army (Armia Krajowa or AK) in late 1943 numbered around 400000, making it the largest resistance organization in Europe"; Mark Wyman wrote "Armia Krajowa was considered the largest underground resistance unit in wartime Europe". Certainly, Polish resistance was the largest resistance till German invasion of Yugoslavia and invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. After that point, the numbers of Soviet partisans and Yugoslav partisans begun growing rapidly. The numbers of Soviet partisans quickly caught up and were very similar to that of the Polish resistance. The numbers of Tito's Yugoslav partisans were roughly similar to those of the Polish and Soviet partisans in the first years of the war (1941–42), but grew rapidly in the latter years, outnumbering the Polish and Soviet partisans by 2:1 or more (estimates give Yugoslavian forces about 800,000 in 1945, to Polish and Soviet forces of 400,000 in 1944).
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↑ Maciej Kosiński; Magdalena Wieczorek-Szmal (2007). Z mroku dziejów. Kultura Łużycka (PDF) (in Polish). Muzeum Częstochowskie. Rezerwat archeologiczny (Museum of Częstochowa). pp. 3–4. ISBN 978-83-60128-11-4. Retrieved 9 January 2013. Możemy jedynie stwierdzić, że kultura łużycka nie tworzyła jednej zwartej całości. Jak się wydaje, jej skład etniczny był niejednorodny.
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↑ Norman Davies (1996). Europe: a history. Oxford University Press. p. 428. ISBN 0-19-820171-0. By 1490 the Jagiellons controlled Poland-Lithuania, Bohemia, and Hungary, but not the Empire.
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↑ M. Arcta słownik wyrazów obcych [Michał Arct's Dictionary of Foreign Expressions], Warsaw, Wydawnictwo S. Arcta, 1947, p. 313.
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↑ Steven J. Zaloga; Richard Hook (21 January 1982). The Polish Army 1939–45. Osprey Publishing. pp. 3–. ISBN 978-0-85045-417-8. Retrieved 6 March 2011 – via Google Books.
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↑ Lynne Olson & Stanley Cloud. 2003. A Question of Honor. The Kosciuszko Squadron: Forgotten Heroes of World War II. New York: Knopf.
↑ See for example: Leonid D. Grenkevich in The Soviet Partisan Movement, 1941–44: A Critical Historiographical Analysis, p. 229 or Walter Laqueur in The Guerilla Reader: A Historical Anthology, New York, Charles Scribiner, 1990, p. 233.
↑ Materski & Szarota (2009) Quote: Liczba Żydów i Polaków żydowskiego pochodzenia, obywateli II Rzeczypospolitej, zamordowanych przez Niemców sięga 2,7- 2,9 mln osób. Translation: The number of Jewish victims is estimated at 2,9 million. This was about 90% of the 3.3 million Jews living in prewar Poland. Source: IPN.
↑ Materski & Szarota (2009) Quote: Łączne straty śmiertelne ludności polskiej pod okupacją niemiecką oblicza się obecnie na ok. 2 770 000. Translation: Current estimate is roughly 2,770,000 victims of German occupation. This was 11.3% of the 24.4 million ethnic Poles in prewar Poland.
↑ Grzegorz Motyka, Od rzezi wołyńskiej do akcji "Wisła". Konflikt polsko-ukraiński 1943–1947. Kraków 2011, p. 447. See also: Book review by Tomasz Stańczyk: "Grzegorz Motyka oblicza, że w latach 1943–1947 z polskich rąk zginęło 11–15 tys. Ukraińców. Polskie straty to 76–106 tys. zamordowanych, w znakomitej większości podczas rzezi wołyńskiej i galicyjskiej."
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1 2 Timothy Snyder (2003). The Reconstruction of Nations: Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, 1569–1999. Yale University Press. p. 111. ISBN 0-300-12841-X. Commonwealth became the breadbasket of Western Europe, wrote Timothy Snyder, thanks to the presence of fertile southeastern regions of Podolia and east Galicia.
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↑ World Bank, Financial Inclusion Data. Country Dashboard: Poland. The World Bank Group. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
↑ Patrycja Maciejewicz, Leszek Baj, Polska żywność jedzie w świat. Pełno niespodzianek 2012-04-07, Wyborcza.biz (Internet Archive).
↑ PAP, Więcej niż 80 proc. eksportu żywności z Polski to przetworzone produkty spożywcze 10 October 2014 Portal Spozywczy.pl (Internet Archive).
↑ Wiesław Łopaciuk, Padł rekord wartości eksportu produktów rolno-spożywczych z Polski. Powód: słaby złoty Rzeczpospolita, 27 January 2012 (Internet Archive). "Z analizy "Rzeczpospolitej" wynika, że łączna wartość eksportu produktów rolno-spożywczych Polski mogła w 2011 r. sięgnąć 62 mld zł. W porównaniu z 2010 r. była o niemal 17 proc. wyższa."
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"Poland". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.
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0.999668 |
I remember when we moved to our farm hearing about a family who resided there a hundred years ago who lost all the children in their large family, one by one, to a diarrheal illness. I told myself that health, hygiene and general wellness had improved exponentially in the past hundred years and that this had no real bearing on myself or my family.
As time passed and I spoke to local veterinarians, I learned that an organism called shigella is often present in local surface water, and that it often is an issue for local dogs, and also for local campers. It is possible that the children who resided on our farm 100 years ago died from dehydration secondary to shigella infection, particularly since at the time, most everyone used a shallow dug well. The fact is that even today, any diarrheal illness can cause severe illness and death in a few hours to a day in an infant or a young child, in part because the younger the child the larger the percentage of body water they have. Dehydration can occur in either adults and children through fever, diarrhea, vomiting, or diminished thirst due to illness, or a combination of these. It can be challenging to replace the amount of fluids lost in a home setting. Dehydration is not just the loss of fluids and blood volume, but also the loss of electrolytes, which are the essential salts and minerals which are essential in balance to continued life. Unless you are medically trained, have access to a laboratory for determining the electrolyte level in a patient, and have access to unexpired and physician ordered intravenous fluid and electrolyte solutions, you are then restricted to using oral rehydration solutions.
Ideally, your pediatrician should see any child under one or two who has vomiting or diarrhea of greater than a couple of hours duration or if accompanied by a fever. If you have an infant who has a dry tongue, a sunken fontanel (soft spot on his head) or who cries without tears, during the course of an illness, and you cannot see your pediatrician quickly, you should take your child to the Emergency Room.
In many cases, you may wish to try to replace fluids and electrolytes in balance orally while heading to the pediatrician or the emergency room. Many times also, following a trip to the pediatrician, you will need to continue to replace fluids at home orally. Most physicians would rather than children under about two receive a commercially prepared rehydration solution during an illness with diarrhea or vomiting. Pedialyte, is frequently recommended in the US for this purpose, and comes in a variety of flavors and an unflavored.
Children over six can certainly use Pedialyte, but can often progress quickly to a regular Gatorade solution. (Not the G2 low calorie version) if tolerated. It is important not to push highly sugared fluids too quickly because sugar alone can cause and worsen diarrhea.
Most healthy adults can begin treating a gastrointestinal (diarrheal or vomiting) illness using whatever flavor of Gatorade they prefer. If it is not tolerated, one can buy Pedialyte and start with that, and ultimately advance to the Gatorade. This can be expensive, and large families should probably head to Sam’s Club in advance of an illness, for about $13.00 worth of Gatorade, which is a case, which comes in a variety of types and flavors.
Interestingly, in the Third World where intravenous treatment is rarer and may be more hazardous, oral rehydration is common. Many places in the world do not have Gatorade, and these locations use either a Unicef rehydration solution or another powdered preparation added to water exactly as directed on the package.
Sometimes in an emergency, a family is unable to continue to obtain Gatorade or to continue to locate some in a sufficient quantity to care for their entire family. This may well be the case because rotavirus, salmonella, and other gastrointestinal illnesses often occur in clusters and a number of families would be depleting a local supply at the same time. For this reason, many physicians recommend the assembly of an oral rehydration kit on would keep in ones home, and mix up EXACTLY AS DIRECTED in such an emergency.
Please print these directions now, and place them in a first aid notebook under Rehydration. Print out an extra copy to place in your rehydration kit. Add a package of straws to your hydration kit as many children drink more in total using a straw.
Please also realize that every family should go out and buy a package of Morton Lite Salt, which is potassium. When the rehydration solutions call for a potassium source, this will suffice. Please be very careful to use the amounts exactly as specified in their directions.
You may wish to keep a packet of Orange Kool Aid without sugar, to add a small amount to make the rehydration solution more palatable to you and to children.
Wait about 8-10 minutes after vomiting before offering the solution. The patient may drink as much as they wish as often as they wish. Make fresh solution about every 24 hours. You may serve the solution at room temperature as cold solution can produce stomach cramping in persons with gastroenteritis. Your goal would be that your child or the ill adult would urinate every few hours and would have a yellow urine of moderate amount, not an amber one. A person who is well hydrated will often have a pale yellow urine.
Popsicles may be palatable to children, but studies indicate that they do not actually obtain much fluid from them, in fact, people on fluid restrictions, are often given popsicles.
Families should keep Pedialyte in their homes for gastroenteritis emergencies. They should keep Gatorade available for adults and for older children. They should also keep in a package together, a large freezer bag with all the components of the Basic Rehydration Solution as written above. This way, even an ill person could prepare their own in an emergency.
Although infants and children are at greatest risk for death from dehydration and fluid and electrolyte imbalance, adults and elderly patients can also succumb. In addition, anyone with a chronic medical condition can be less tolerant to fluid and electrolyte problems as well. Death can occur not only from insufficient fluid and blood circulating (hypovolemia) resulting in an inability to oxygenate body organs, but also from cardiac arrythmia from disruptions in potassium and other electrolytes.
If you have a diabetic child or diabetic family member, have your endocrinologist prepare a Sick Day Plan, and his desired rehydration solution directions, well in advance of an actual emergency. Advance preparation can be the difference between survival and not, especially for those with a chronic illness, even a well managed one.
In addition, if you camp, travel or do missionary work, you may wish to research a water filtration system such as the British Berkefeld or “Big Berkey”. Commissioned originally by Queen Victoria who became tired of experiencing diarrhea on visiting some of the farther reaching portions of the empire, they have been filtering the water of missionaries, campers, and those in emergencies for many years.
Once your ailing family member is well hydrated and hungry, you may wish to proceed slowly. Bananas, (a great source of potassium), rice, a little apple juice (move slowly here), toast, weak tea, are all wise ideas before moving on to the stomach challenging foods like chili that children seem to love so much. Advance the diet of a sick person slowly.
It is well worth the advance reading, planning and the assemblage of a home rehydration kit. It may help you and your family when you are least able yourself to leave home and seek the items you would need in it. For those of us who have an interest in preparedness issues, beyond the standard first aid kit, a well stocked rehydration kit may well be the most important aspect of a medical kit you ever assemble.
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0.930516 |
How will the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's roles change after their move to London?
The family are relocating to the capital from Norfolk.
He just wanted to say hi.
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0.992284 |
I did enjoy using them for some particularly dirty jobs, and was glad that I purchased them. Suggested uses include bathroom and laundry room chores, hair care, hobbies, painting and staining, pet care, and janitorial services. They can be stored under the sink, near your workbench, in your garage or laundry room, and also in your car.
Since they are disposable, they are very convenient and easy to use. Even though they weren't as durable as I had hoped, I would probably buy them again. Look for them near the cleaning products.
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0.972157 |
What are the health benefits of spaying my pet?
I heard that spaying my pet can make him a better companion. Is this true?
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0.999581 |
A cavernous underwater relic in Buffalo Bayou can hold one-and-a-half football fields. What does it really hold?
A cavernous relic sits underneath Buffalo Bayou. Called the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern, it was built in the 1920s to served as the main source of the city's drinking water, which it did for decades. Then it sprung an irreparable leak.
The cistern is about 87,500 square feet, or one-and-a-half football fields.
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0.916558 |
"X-Men: The Last Stand (also known as X-Men 3) is a 2006 American superhero film, based on the X-Men superhero team introduced in Marvel Comics. The film, distributed by 20th Century Fox, is the sequel to 2003's X2 and the third installment in the X-Men film series. It was directed by Brett Ratner, written by Simon Kinberg and Zak Penn, and features an ensemble cast, including Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Anna Paquin, Kelsey Grammer, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn, Shawn Ashmore, Aaron Stanford, Vinnie Jones, and Patrick Stewart. The film's script is loosely based on two X-Men comic book story arcs: ""The Dark Phoenix Saga"" by writer Chris Claremont and artist John Byrne, and ""Gifted"" by writer Joss Whedon and artist John Cassaday, with a plot that revolves around a ""mutant cure"" that causes serious repercussions among mutants and humans, and on the resurrection of Jean Grey.
Bryan Singer, who had directed the two previous films, X-Men (2000) and X2, decided to leave to work on Superman Returns, as he had not even defined the storyline for a third film. Matthew Vaughn, who was initially hired as the new director, left due to personal and professional issues, and was replaced with Ratner. Filming began in August 2005 with a budget of $210 million, and was consequently the most expensive film at the time of its release. It had extensive visual effects created by 11 different companies.
X-Men: The Last Stand was released on May 26, 2006, to commercial success. It grossed approximately $459 million worldwide, becoming the seventh-highest grossing film of 2006; it was at the time the highest-grossing film in the series and currently the fourth-highest-grossing film of the franchise. Critical reception was mixed, with the acting and the action scenes receiving positive notice, and criticism directed at the screenplay, and overuse of characters and style."
"Twenty years ago, Professor Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr meet young Jean Grey at her parents' house to invite her to join their school, the X-Mansion. Ten years later, the industrialist father of Warren Worthington III discovers his son is a mutant as Warren tries to cut off his wings.
In the present, Worthington Labs announces it has developed an inoculation to suppress the X-gene that gives mutants their abilities, and offer the ""cure"" to any mutant who wants it. The cure is created from the genome of a young mutant named Jimmy, who lives at the Worthington facility on Alcatraz Island. While some mutants are interested in the cure, including the X-Men's Rogue, many others are horrified by the announcement. Lehnsherr re-establishes his Brotherhood of Mutants with those who oppose the cure, warning his followers that the cure will be forcefully used to exterminate the mutant race.
With help from Pyro, Lehnsherr recruits Callisto, and several other mutants. They attack the mobile prison holding Mystique to free her, also freeing Juggernaut and Multiple Man. Mystique saves Lehnsherr by taking a shot of the mutant cure aimed at him, rendering her human. Hateful of humans, Lehnsherr abandons Mystique, much to her shock. Meanwhile, Scott Summers, still distraught over the loss of his fiancée, Jean Grey, drives to her resting location at Alkali Lake. Jean appears to Summers but, as the two kiss, Jean disintegrates him. Sensing trouble, Xavier sends Logan and Storm to investigate. When they arrive, they find only telekinetically floating rocks, Summers' glasses, and an unconscious Jean.
When they return to the X-Mansion, Xavier explains to Logan that when Jean sacrificed herself, she also freed the ""Phoenix"", a powerful alternate personality which Xavier had telepathically repressed, fearing the Phoenix's destructive potential. Logan is disgusted to learn of this psychic tampering with Jean's mind but, once she awakens, he discovers that she killed Summers and is not the Jean Grey he once knew. The Phoenix emerges, knocks out Logan, and escapes to her childhood home.
Lehnsherr learns of Jean's resurrection through Callisto, and the X-Men arrive at the Grey home at the same time as the Brotherhood. Lehnsherr and Xavier go in alone, and both vie for Jean's loyalty until the Phoenix resurfaces. She destroys the house and disintegrates Xavier before leaving with Lehnsherr. The Brotherhood decides to strike Worthington Labs, and the government sends multiple teams to attack the Brotherhood's base in the forest, with information gained from Mystique, furious over Lehnsherr's betrayal. However, the life forms in the camp are all copies of Multiple Man, and Lehnsherr uses his powers to move the Golden Gate Bridge so he and his army can get to Alcatraz and facilitate the attack on Worthington Labs. The remaining X-Men confront the Brotherhood, despite being significantly outnumbered, and arrive just as the military troops who thus far have been neutralizing the attacking mutants are overwhelmed by the Brotherhood.
During the fight, Kitty Pryde saves Jimmy from Juggernaut, who had been sent to kill him. Logan has Colossus throw him at Lehnsherr and distracting him long enough for Hank McCoy to inject Lehnsherr with the ""cure"" and thus nullifying his powers. Army reinforcements arrive and shoots at Jean just as Logan had calmed her down. Phoenix is awakened by the attack and disintegrates the troops in retaliation. Phoenix begins to destroy Alcatraz and anyone within range of her powers. Logan realizes that only he can stop Phoenix due to his healing factor. Logan approaches her and Jean momentarily gains control and begs him to kill her. Logan fatally stabs Jean (and thus Phoenix) but mourns for her death.
Sometime later, mutant rights are finally obtained and Xavier's school is still operating with Storm as headmistress. The President of the United States appoints McCoy as ambassador to the United Nations. Rogue reveals to Bobby Drake that she has taken the cure, much to his disappointment. Meanwhile, Lehnsherr sits alone at a chessboard in a San Francisco park. As he gestures toward a metal chess piece, it wobbles slightly, suggesting that the effects of the cure might only be temporary.
In a post-credits scene, Dr. Moira MacTaggert checks on a comatose patient who greets her with Xavier's voice, leaving her startled."
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0.96954 |
Machine learning is a branch of artificial intelligence that enables machines to learn directly from data, experience, and examples. By permitting computers to execute specific tasks smartly, machine learning allows computers to carry complex processes by learning from examples or data, rather than following pre-programmed rules. Increasing volume of data being generated across industry verticals creates an exhaustive repository for machines to learn from, something that is further backed by rapid strides made in processing power of computers, in turn enhancing the analytical capabilities of machine learning systems.
People interact with various systems, which are based on machine learning such as recommender systems, voice recognition systems, and image recognition systems. Rapid advancement in technology in image recognition system has increased the accuracy of the system, which has fueled the demand for machine learning in various systems. For instance, in image labeling challenge, the accuracy of machine learning was 72% in 2010 and it reached to 96% in 2015. The ability of machines to process large volumes of data and to use the data for prediction have made the machine learning a key tool in various applications such as BFSI, healthcare etc.
Rampant advancements in robotic industry has created various innovations in robots with the integration of sensor technologies and materials. The advancements in machine learning have increased the capabilities of robots to contribute in applications such as drones and autonomous vehicles. Moreover, the increasing demand for advance robotic system in various verticals such as automotive, electronics, food and beverages, healthcare etc has fueled the market growth. According to International Federation of Robots, in 2016, around 294,000 units of industrial robots were deployed across the globe. For example: In 2016, Fanuc, a Japan-based company, announced development of a robot with deep reinforcement learning technique, which enables the robot to train itself over a very short time duration.
Machine learning market is expected to witness rampant growth due to growing healthcare sector in the near future.
Accuracy is one of the major concerns in the healthcare sector. Machine learning have the capabilities to provide more accurate diagnosis and healthcare services, which in turn has augmented demand for machine learning in healthcare sector. For instance, diagnosis of diabetic eye disease requires frequent examination of pictures at the back of an eye by the specialist. The features in the image helps to identify sensitivity of disease, which in turn, indicates fluid leakage and bleeding. Moreover, in 2016, Google has developed a deep learning algorithm, which analyze images and provides training to the system by using a data set of 128,000 images. Thus, the system diagnose the disease with a level of accuracy similar to human ophthalmologists. On similar lines, Google researchers are developing a deep learning algorithm for early diagnosis of skin cancer and breast cancer.
Microsoft Corporation, SAP SE, Sas Institute Inc., Amazon Web Services, Inc., Bigml, Inc., Google Inc., Fair Isaac Corporation, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development Lp, and Intel Corporation are some of the major companies operating in the global machine learning market.
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0.988337 |
Can a cop look through your cell phone without a warrant after they have arrested you? That was the question answered recently by the United States Supreme Court in the case Riley v. California. The Supreme Court gave a great victory to the privacy interests of individual answered this question with a resounding "no." This case dealt with two sets of facts which both involved police arresting individuals and then subsequently looking through the arrested person's phone. Evidence obtained off of these phones was then used against these defendants in their criminal case. The defendant's attempted to suppress this evidence claiming that the warrantless search of their phone violated the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution.
Prior Supreme Court decisions provided a backdrop of case law which guided the Court's decision in this case. The general rule is that a warrant is required in order for police to perform a constitutional search of one's possessions. However, an exception to this rule has been created, titled the "search incident to arrest" exception. This exception applies in the following two contexts: First, after arresting an individual, police can search the person and the area surrounding the person for reasons of officer safety. Second, police can search the person and the area surrounding the person for evidence which could be destroyed or concealed by the person.
With this case law in mind, the Supreme Court applied both prongs in the Riley case. With respect to the officer safety prong, the Court held that a search of the phone would not serve the purpose of helping officer safety. Specifically, digital data stored on a phone can never be used as a weapon against officers. Any hypotheticals put forth by the State were deemed to be based in fantasy and thus did not prove to be persuasive with regards to officer safety concerns. With respect to the destruction of evidence prong, the Court held that while a seizure of the phone was necessary, a search of its contents was not in order to prevent destruction of evidence.
The State of California put forth two scenarios were data could be cleared from a phone once the officer has seized it.
The first scenario is "remote wiping" which clears the data of a phone after a signal is sent to the phone.
The second scenario is encryption of the phone's data which could occur once the officer attempted to log in to the phone. The Supreme Court decided that these two scenarios were not prevalent.
Further, the ability to search a phone would not necessarily prevent either of these two scenarios from taking place. Thus, with neither prong of the search incident to arrest exception met, the Supreme Court held that police would need a warrant prior to searching the phone of an arrested person.
The law regarding the search of cell phones is now well established.This case both prevents police from unconstitutionally intruding into one's personal life and eroding the Fourth Amendment of the constitution. If you are arrested, the police need a warrant prior to searching the contents of your phone unless your phone presents a very unique case to the officer (I.E. they have reason to believe that phone could also be used as a weapon). It is important to be aware of this new ruling as it will continue to govern the ability of police to search people's cell phones for the foreseeable future. This is a great ruling in favor individual privacy by the Supreme Court.
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0.999969 |
The semi-colon is used to join two complete sentences; it is often misused. My advice is to just ditch it altogether. Replace it with a period and make it two different sentences. If it doesn't read well, just re-write it until it does.
The colon has some limited uses: preceding a list, joining two complete sentences with a related first point, adding emphasis at the end of a complete sentence, or before a long quote after a complete sentence. As with the semi-colon. Don't use it! Just re-write it.
Using a preposition to end a sentence with. Of, in, at, before, for, and on are all prepositions. When I was growing up I was always told to never end a sentence in a preposition. Well, if I had Google back then I would surely told my mother, "That is the sort of pedantry up with which I will not put!". It is not necessarily wrong to end your sentence in a preposition. Guess what my advice is? Re-write your sentence so you don't need to end the sentence in the preposition, and you don't have to have it sound "with which-ey".
Apostrophes can be your friends, if you use them correctly. Believe it or not, the apostrophe is the culprit behind most (likely accidental) grammatical or spelling errors I read in cover letters and resumes. Print your resume, highlight every word that has an apostrophe and make sure you are using it correctly - as in a contraction (can't, shouldn't) or to show possession.
You may want to go against my advice and use a semi-colon or colon, as an example, because you are sure you are correct. Just remember, the person reading it may think you're wrong. Keep your writing simple and avoid anything fancy.
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0.970306 |
Both sisters played one character Julian 'Frankenstien' Mc Grath in Big Daddy (1999) The twins received SAG scale for the first few seasons but then hired Robert Thorne at the suggestion of other parents who pointed out the popularity of the twins.
Shortly after the end of Full House, they returned to the entertainment industry, riding the momentum of their role on Full House by heavily merchandising their image.
Products bearing their names, including computer games, dolls, and an enormously popular clothing line for Wal-Mart, are estimated to generate about They made their acting debut in 1987 at 9 months old, sharing the role of the youngest daughter, Michelle Tanner, on the ABC family sitcom In addition to acting, the Olsens have become a huge force in girl marketing.
Both sisters played one character Julian 'Frankenstien' Mc Grath in Big Daddy (1999) The twins received SAG scale for the first few seasons but then hired Robert Thorne at the suggestion of other parents who pointed out the popularity of the twins.Shortly after the end of Full House, they returned to the entertainment industry, riding the momentum of their role on Full House by heavily merchandising their image.Products bearing their names, including computer games, dolls, and an enormously popular clothing line for Wal-Mart, are estimated to generate about They made their acting debut in 1987 at 9 months old, sharing the role of the youngest daughter, Michelle Tanner, on the ABC family sitcom In addition to acting, the Olsens have become a huge force in girl marketing.Products bearing their names, including computer games, dolls, and an enormously popular clothing line for Wal-Mart, are estimated to generate about $1 billion in retail sales alone per year.Mary-Kate Olsen and Olivier Sarkozy—an Olsen twin and a French person, respectively—are not unaware of this fact, even as they remain unaware of how strange they look as a couple, the 46-year-old banker towering over the 29-year-old fashion designer like a withering oak might tower over a rapidly cooling Starbucks cup someone accidentally left under the withering oak.“Everyone smoked the whole night” is also something of a disturbing sentence, especially considering the wedding was held indoors and likely went on for many hours.When the couple finally tied the knot, they didn't make it an ostentatious affair. "Mary-Kate has a fabulous life with Olivier and they spend a lot of time in Paris where they are both very happy," the insider said.
Products bearing their names, including computer games, dolls, and an enormously popular clothing line for Wal-Mart, are estimated to generate about $1 billion in retail sales alone per year.
Mary-Kate Olsen and Olivier Sarkozy—an Olsen twin and a French person, respectively—are not unaware of this fact, even as they remain unaware of how strange they look as a couple, the 46-year-old banker towering over the 29-year-old fashion designer like a withering oak might tower over a rapidly cooling Starbucks cup someone accidentally left under the withering oak.
“Everyone smoked the whole night” is also something of a disturbing sentence, especially considering the wedding was held indoors and likely went on for many hours.
billion in retail sales alone per year.
I'm sure we'll laugh about it this week.” Thanks to jj for the tip!
Olivier, who is managing director of global asset management firm the Carlyle Group, previous dated poet and actress Stella Schnabel – the daughter of artist Julian Schnabel.
They made their acting debut in 1987 at 9 months old, sharing the role of the youngest daughter, Michelle Tanner, on the ABC family sitcom In addition to acting, the Olsens have become a huge force in girl marketing.
Do Mary-Kate Olsen and Olivier Sarkozy insist that everyone they socialize with—including Sarkozy’s half-brother, former French president Nicolas Sarkozy—passionately chain-smoke?
On Friday night, the two were wed in an “intimate Manhattan ceremony,” where, according to Page Six, party decor consisted of “bowls and bowls filled with cigarettes, and everyone smoked the whole night.”Page Six quickly moves on to other details about the wedding, as if anything else matters after “bowls and bowls filled with cigarettes.” Here they are, as sparse and generic as one might expect from the notoriously private Olsen: The reception was held at a “private residence on 49th Street, between Second and Third avenues”; 50 guests drank cocktails in “a rear garden” before eating dinner inside; and everyone was asked to turn in their cell phones, likely for fear that someone might catch an unflatteringly lit photo of the bowls of cigarettes.
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0.999998 |
Let’s begin by taking a step back and answer the question, what exactly is outreach marketing? The aim of outreach marketing is to clear away the marketing confusion and put the focus back on person to person interaction. Meaning that it’s all about building strong relationships with advocates and your claimants through strategies that help them learn and find exactly what they went looking for through third party websites or bloggers they already interact with on a regular basis.
First of all as with most things start building you outreach strategy by deciding on your goals. Are they to simply build links back to your content from trusted sources or is it to generate interest and gain engagement in your content, both of which go hand in hand and will drive the other, but it’s important to start with one clear aim for your outreach strategies.
The next step in building your outreach strategy is to focus on building relationships with partners, journalists and bloggers, for this you’ll probably want to build personas to target as you would for your targeted claimants. Make sure you understand what each of these different third party advocates will be looking for, from the ability to utilise expert sources within your firm to actual experiences with your legal services. It’s important to build these strong relationships as claimants are often more likely to listen to third party opinions of your firm rather than directly from you. So when building these relationships remember to keep in constant contact with your advocates as you wouldn’t ignore your friends until you needed their help and this is the same for influencers.
Taking that relationship further within your outreach strategy, is that once you have identified those strong advocates for your legal practice make them feel valued and an extension of your team, by inviting them to write a guest blog and give your claimants their opinion, or to be a guest on your podcast. This not only strengthens your relationship and makes them feel appreciated but it also means you’ll get further outreach from them as they share the content they are involved in.
Another relationship which you need to nurture as part of your outreach marketing strategy is the relationship between you and your content team. This will help when building your outreach strategy for a number of reasons, from allowing you to make sure your goals for both content and outreach are aligned, as well as being able to bounce content ideas off each other and to research and refine possible outreach targets together. For example, outreach for an infographic could be well targeted at a strong social advocate due to their high social share-ability, whereas a news piece on the success of the firm would be better targeted towards a legal specific journalists.
We hope by now you’ve got an idea of how to build your outreach marketing strategy. If you want to read some great content marketing tips for the legal sector so you can make sure your content is going to perform well with all your newly learned outreach skills, then check out our eBook here: 9 Content Marketing Tips for the Legal Sector.
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0.978115 |
This article originally appeared in the April 2001 issue of GammOnLine.
"Everything is very simple in war, but the simplest thing is difficult."
Karl Von Clausewitz 'On War'.
"The game's apparent simplicity is its initial attraction. But its simplicity is of infinite variety, and is an amalgam of science and art"
Although backgammon is generally placed within the family of board-games known as 'race games', in theory and practice, backgammon shares many similarities with members of the 'war games' family, such as chess. The definitive characteristic of race games, is the reliance on random number generators employed to govern the movement of the gaming pieces. The engines of backgammon are the dice, which introduce a significant element of chance throughout the conflict and ultimately bear great influence on the final outcome of the duel. Dice are also a common feature of many war games (for example Risk). In these games their role is not to govern movement, but to introduce elements of chance into local conflicts within the overall structure of the game. The classical game of chess, is arguably the flagship of war-gaming. The player acts as the general, instructing his legions to advance, fall back, assault, retreat, thrust and parry. Despite the absence of dice, the final outcome of the game does not lie beyond the omnipresent influence of the goddess Fortuna, or Lady Luck, as she is known today. Chance factors such as who plays White (the advantage of first move), or the psychological and physical wellbeing of a player on the day, provide ample avenues for chance to stamp her authority on the outcome of the battle. In games and war, chance remains a nebulous element of reality, a force majeur to usurp the best-laid plans of mice and men.
"I govern innumerable men but must acknowledge that I am governed by birds and thunder claps."
"All action in war is directed on probable not on certain events."
In 17th and 18th century Britain, players of backgammon often had to resort to clandestine measures to hide their affinity for the game. Periodically laws would be passed outlawing games of chance and society often regarded the backgammon player with disdain. Local artisans crafted boards of wood and leather designed to appear as scholarly texts: their true contents discernible to the cognosenti by their apposite titles. "Like a shallow pedant - has a learned air, but no lore within; it is entitled the History of England Volume 1 and 2. Open it and what are the contents? Men of two parties and the means of combat. What better epitome of history can there be?" (Waller Lewis, 1844).
Numerous authors have employed the analogy of battle to instruct their readers in the art and science of backgammon. During the 18th century, avid gamesters such as Waller Lewis recognized the close similarities between the battlefield and the board. "The men of each party are arrayed in the same order of battle, occupying precisely the same points of vantage or danger."
The military theme continued during game's renaissance in the early 20th century - quaintly illustrated by Leila Hattersley's advice on playing opening doubles: "1-1, two musketeers to your five-point and two guardsmen to your bar-point." Contemporary authors such as Cooke and Bradshaw perpetuated the concept during the 1970's heyday of the game - " If he is swifter, craftier, and more ably understands the art of war, this general will, barring untoward accidents, tend to defeat his enemy".
Perusing the works of Barclay Cooke, the reader cannot fail to note the author's proclivity for the analogy of the battlefield. Cooke's checker play mirrors the lines of communication and supply between two opposing armies on the march. Points in the outfield represent outposts, which the commander abandons at the peril of marooning his stragglers behind enemy lines. Anchors become vital bastions of defense against marauding troops. Game plans flux in tune to the beat of the march, and checker skirmishes flair as territorial campaigns within the structure of the war.
In 'Backgammon: The Cruelest Game', Cooke and Bradshaw make judicious use of the military tactical advice of Karl Von Clausewitz to illustrate backgammon concepts and strategy; ranging from the opening moves to more complex cube theory. Perhaps, like generations of backgammon players before them, the modern student of the game may discover in gems of military metaphor, refreshing inspiration to augment hours of study with Snowie.
The classical Taoist text of Sun-tzu - 'The Art of War', may provide much inspiration for your next game. I have compiled and edited the following exerts from various editions of 'The Art of War'. In my opinion they are of significant relevance to many aspects of our favorite game.
Sun-tzu said: The art of war is a matter of life and death. A road either to safety or ruin. Hence, it is a subject of inquiry, which can on no account be neglected. Know your enemy, know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster. Prohibit the taking of omens, and do away with superstitious doubts. Then, until death itself comes, no calamity need be feared.
Before doing battle, in the temple one calculates and will win, because many calculations were made. Before doing battle, in the temple one calculates and will not win, because few calculations were made. Many calculations, victory; few calculations, no victory; then how much less so when no calculations?
Without constant practice, the officers will be nervous and undecided when mustering for battle, the general will be wavering and irresolute when the crisis is at hand. To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.
One who knows the enemy and knows himself will not be in danger in a hundred battles. One who does not know the enemy but knows himself will sometimes win, sometimes lose. One who does not know the enemy and does not know himself will be in danger in every battle. Knowing the enemy enables you to take the offensive, knowing yourself enables you to stand on the defensive. Attack is the secret of defense; defense is the planning of an attack.
Those skilled in warfare establish positions that make them invincible and do not miss opportunities to attack what the enemy values most, when they become vulnerable. Being invincible depends on oneself, but the enemy becoming vulnerable depends on himself. Therefore, those skilled in warfare can make themselves invincible, but cannot necessarily cause the enemy to be vulnerable. Therefore it is said one may know how to win but cannot necessarily do it. A victorious army first obtains conditions for victory, then seeks to do battle. A defeated army first seeks to do battle, then obtains conditions for victory.
In war, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns If equally matched, we can offer battle, if inferior in every way, we can flee. He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight. If he can fight, he advances and takes the offensive; if he cannot fight, he retreats and remains on the defensive. He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces.
The clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy's will to be imposed on him. If they have advantage, entice them; if they are confused, take them; if they are substantial, prepare for them; if they are strong, avoid them; if they are united, separate them. Attack where they are not prepared, go out to where they do not expect. Appear at points which the enemy must defend; march swiftly to places where you are not expected. An army may march great distances without distress if it marches through country where the enemy is not.
Those skilled in warfare are like the shuaijan, a serpent on Mount Chang. If you strike its head, its tail attacks; if you strike its tail, its head attacks; if you strike its middle, both the head and tail attack. Ask: Can forces be made like the shuaijan? I say: They can. If the enemy is the attacker, we can cut his line of communications and occupy the roads by which he will travel. The highest generalship is to compel the enemy to disperse his army, and then to concentrate superior force against each fraction in turn. We can form a single united body, while the enemy must split up into factions. Hence there will be whole pitted against separate parts of a whole, which means we shall be many to the enemy's few. If we do not wish to fight, we can prevent the enemy from attacking us, all we need to do is to throw something odd and unaccountable in his way.
What enables an army to withstand the enemy's attack and not be defeated are uncommon and common maneuvers. Generally, in battle, use the common to engage the enemy and the uncommon to gain victory. In battle, there are no more than two types of attacks: Uncommon and common, yet the variations of the uncommon and common cannot all be comprehended. The uncommon and the common produce each other, like an endless circle.
He who only sees the obvious, wins his battles with difficulty; he who looks below the surface of things, wins with ease. A clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease. He plans no superfluous marches; he devises no futile attacks. He wins battles by making no mistakes. Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty of victory, for it means conquering an enemy that is already defeated. He who can look into the future and discern conditions that are not yet manifest, will never make a blunder and therefore will invariably win. He who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory.
If we wish to wrest an advantage from the enemy, we must not fix our minds on that alone, but allow for the possibility of the enemy also doing some harm to us, and let this enter as a factor into our calculations. In the wise leader's plans, considerations of advantage and of disadvantage will be blended together. If on the other hand, in the midst of difficulties we are always ready to seize advantage, we may extricate ourselves from misfortune.
Force is the control of the balance of power, in accordance with advantages. The force of those skilled in warfare is overwhelming, and their timing precise. Their force is like a drawn crossbow and their timing is like the release of the trigger. Even in the midst of the turbulence of battle, the fighting seemingly chaotic, they are not confused. Even in the midst of the turmoil of battle, the troops seemingly going around in circles, they cannot be defeated. Disorder came from order; Disorder coming from order is a matter of organization.
The victorious army is like pent up waters released, bursting through a deep gorge - this is formation. Those skilled in moving the enemy use formation to which the enemy must respond. They offer bait that which the enemy must take, manipulating the enemy to move while they wait in ambush. Those skilled in warfare seek victory through force and do not require too much from individuals. Therefore, they are able to select the right men and exploit force. One who exploits force commands men into battle like rolling stones. Stones are still when on flat ground, but roll when on steep ground. Square shapes are still, but round shapes roll. Therefore, those skilled in warfare use force where the troops in battle are like stones rolling down a steep mountain.
To be certain to take what you attack, attack where the enemy cannot defend. To be certain of safety when defending, defend where the enemy cannot attack. Therefore, against those skilled in attack, the enemy does not know where to defend; against those skilled in defense, the enemy does not know where to attack. Therefore, they are the masters of the enemy's fate. If he prepares to defend many places, then his forces will be few. Therefore, if he prepares to defend the front, the back will be weak. If he prepares to defend the back, the front will be weak. If he prepares to defend everywhere, everywhere will be weak.
In armed struggle, the difficulty is turning the circuitous into the direct and turning adversity into advantage. Therefore, if you make the enemy's route circuitous and bait him with advantages, though you start out behind him, you will arrive before him. Therefore, armed struggle has advantages, and armed struggle has risks. The intelligent general contemplates both the advantages and disadvantages. Contemplating the advantages, he fulfills his calculations; contemplating the disadvantages, he removes his difficulties.
Just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions. Do not repeat the tactics, which have gained you one victory, but let your methods be regulated by the infinite variety of circumstances. So the student of war who is unversed in the art of varying his plans, will fail to make the best use of his men. As circumstances are favorable, one should modify one's plans. Those who are able to adapt and change in accord with the enemy and achieve victory are called divine. On the day of victory the wise man is not blind to danger.
Such is the Tao of Backgammon.
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