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Incorporating Arson Watch into Neighborhood Watch
The breaking point for a community may be one fire or it may be one hundred.
A neighborhood's arson problem can range from youngsters setting nuisance to a full blown crisis with a serial arsonist. The scope of the problem may differ but the solution – an arson prevention program is identical.
There is no cookie cutter approach for a community to use when setting up a Community Arson Watch Program or any local coalition. Following the successful Neighborhood Watch five-step program model provides an effective groundwork.
The first step is to analyze the specific local problem and collect related data. Strategies that address the problems in a given area must be mapped out. From the outset, it is essential that neighbors work together. This effort provides an opportunity for neighbors to meet and get to know each other, something that has become less common lately. It is crucial to include neighborhood involvement for the process to be successful.
In addition to not being familiar with your neighbors, the dilemma is compounded by the fact that many adults in these neighborhoods work multiple jobs frequently with odd hours, making it extraordinarily difficult to schedule meetings and organize events. This environment also makes it challenging for neighbors to get to know and care about one in a way that would encourage them to watch out for each another.
Once the neighbors have a connection, the second step involves building a partnership between fire and emergency services, the police and other law enforcement agencies and the residents. This is often the most difficult step to hurdle because there is usually angst between the residents and the law enforcement for the existing crime problem that exists in their community. Both fire service and law enforcement officials must understand the importance of it is essential that officers understand the needs of a neighborhood of working as role models for the neighborhood watch program to be successful.
The third step is to assess the needs of a given neighborhood and in the case of arson, how the fire and police departments can work with the residents. Neighbor Watch states, "In many cases, law enforcement and community members do not have the same focus. For instance, law enforcement may be focusing their attention on a problem that the neighborhood is not concerned about, such as attempting to address major crimes throughout the city. On the other hand, community members may be more concerned about crimes such as bicycle thefts or graffiti, which are considered minor from a police standpoint." An effective Neighborhood Arson Watch program will combine the needs of the fire and police departments with those of the neighborhood on which problems to focus on and the methods used to address them.
The penultimate step in setting up a Neighborhood Watch program is choosing and training a dynamic group of volunteers that are led by organized and motivated leaders is critical. If the group leaders are devoid of motivation and organization, the volunteers may be uninspired to participate and quickly quit out of disappointment and frustration.
The fifth and final step is to develop meaningful projects specific to the identified problem. Often, after a Neighborhood Watch has addressed its original issue, members lose interest. It is important for leaders to remain passionate. One way to accomplish this is to design new projects so that there is always a goal towards which the team of volunteers is aspiring.
Arson prevention projects should focus on identifying and removing what could burn or materials that an arsonist could use to start a fire:
- Cleaning up the neighborhood by removing all garbage, materials and excess vegetation that are capable of being ignited.
- Remove all possible sources of ignition such as flammable liquids and unused gas containers.
Remove abandoned vehicles. According to the USFA National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) data and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), there is an annual estimated average of 25,328 intentional fires involving vehicles. Most car fires are started to cover up other criminal activity or simply as an act of vandalism. An abandoned car is a target for arson.
Secure abandoned and vacant homes which are potential arson targets. Communicate with the owner that authorities are concerned about the vacant home and explain why. Encourage the fire department to conduct frequent fire code inspections. Secure the vacant buildings to prohibit access. Contact public works to disconnect all utilities at the street. This includes natural gas, water and electricity. If there are LPG tanks, they should be disconnected and removed. Secure the building to prevent entry. This may be comprised of additional locks or the boarding up of broken windows or other openings with plywood.
Encourage Neighborhood Watch members to patrol these areas and write down descriptions, license plates of suspicious vehicles and potential suspect descriptions.
Coatesville Example:
Nearly 70 arsons plagued Coatesville, Pennsylvania from February 2008 through March 2009 with more than half remaining unsolved. Coatesville is a small city of 11,600 residents located on the historic Lincoln Highway, US Route 30 about 45 miles west of Philadelphia.
The fires have caused more than $3 million in damage, leaving more than a hundred people homeless and resulted in the death of an 83-year-old woman. Coatesville arson also injured seven firefighters and a member of the fire police who was directing traffic near a fire scene.
As a result of these fires the Chester County Arson Task Force was formed. The Task Force is comprised up of representatives from the Coatesville City Police Department, the Chester County Detectives, the Pennsylvania State Police, The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A reward of up to $20,000 was offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction of a suspect, or suspects.
Coatesville officials rallied local volunteers to develop a new Neighborhood Watch program. They jump started the program by distributing 800 motion-activated lights, and smoke alarms and batteries to residents.
The Neighborhood Watch program and the Task Force instructed citizens to remove trash and debris from the front and back of homes and businesses. Additional recommendations were not to leave out combustible material like wood crates and pallets stating that arsonists use the trash and debris as kindling.
They also pleaded with city businesses and homeowners to insure that their properties should be well lit at night. Lights and cameras that cover your property will discourage arsonists and other criminals. They were also told that if you have chemicals and flammable material in your place of business, be sure to properly store them. These materials should also be in a secure place.
Other commonsense fire safety advice was issued including installing smoke alarms and having a fire extinguisher on hand. You should have a fire safety plan for your home and business, and you should hold drills at least four times a year.
For more information contact:
Timothy Patrick O'Dowd
US Fire Administration
US Department of Homeland Security


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Fiat Chrysler CEO responds to U.S. emissions software claims
by Michael Biesecker and Tom Krisher, The Associated Press
An agitated Sergio Marchionne denied any wrongdoing, saying the EPA was blowing the issue out of proportion and that he was confident that the EPA will find no evidence of an illegal "defeat device"
The Environmental Protection Agency issued a "notice of violation" to the company that covers about 104,000 vehicles including the 2014 through 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram pickups, all with 3-litre diesel engines. The California Air Resources Board took similar action.
"Failing to disclose software that affects emissions in a vehicle's engine is a serious violation of the law, which can result in harmful pollution in the air we breathe," said Cynthia Giles, EPA assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance.
Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne denied any wrongdoing, saying the EPA was blowing the issue out of proportion. "We have done in our view nothing that is illegal," he said Thursday on a conference call. "We will defend our behaviour in the right environment."
Marchionne said he was told by company lawyers that the Justice Department is investigating the company in concert with the EPA, raising the likelihood of an ongoing criminal probe. He said the company halted production of Grand Cherokees and Rams with diesel engines in September, but will continue to sell models manufactured before then that are still on dealers' lots.
The company said it intends to present its case to the incoming Trump administration. "We will work with the new leadership to get this issue through," Marchionne said.
A spokesman for President-elect Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The White House said Thursday that EPA makes enforcement decisions independently and that outgoing President Barack Obama wasn't involved in the decision to cite the company.
If found liable, Fiat Chrysler could face more than $4.5 billion in potential fines for violations of the Clean Air Act.
EPA said it will continue to investigate the "nature and impact" of the eight software functions identified through an intensive testing program launched after Volkswagen was caught in a 2015 cheating scandal involving its "Clean Diesel" line of vehicles. Regulators were not yet defining the software found in the Fiat Chrysler vehicles as so-called "defeat devices" intended to cheat on government emissions tests.
However, the agency said that numerous discussions with Fiat Chrysler over the past year had not produced any suitable explanation for why the company had failed to disclose the software, which regulators said caused the vehicles to emit less pollution during testing than during regular driving.
"This is a clear and serious violation of the Clean Air Act," Giles said. "When companies break the law, Americans depend on EPA to step in and enforce."
On Thursday California regulators also announced they were citing Fiat Chrysler for 11 violations under that state's strict air quality standards.
Fiat Chrysler said in a statement that its emissions control systems "meet the applicable requirements" and that it spent months giving information to the EPA to explain its emissions technology and proposed a number of actions including software changes to address the agency's concerns.
Regulators said owners of the affected models do not yet need to take any action and that they should continue driving their vehicles.
Fiat Chrysler shares tumbled 20 per cent $9.12 Thursday morning as the EPA action was reported, wiping out about $3 billion of the company's market value. The shares recovered a bit to $9.91 by early afternoon but still were down nearly 11 per cent.
Shares of Cummins Inc. also fell just over 2 per cent to $137.59. Though the company manufactures some diesel engines for Fiat Chrysler, the company said Thursday it did not make the engines in the Jeep and Ram models cited by the EPA.
The announcement comes one day after Fiat rival Volkswagen pleaded guilty in federal court to criminal charges related to widespread cheating involving emissions tests, agreeing to pay a record $4.3 billion penalty. Six high-ranking VW executives have been charged in the scandal, which prompted a nationwide recall of more than a half-million affected cars and SUVs.
In the Volkswagen case, prosecutors alleged that top officials at the company approved of the cheating scheme, repeatedly lied to U.S. regulators and then orchestrated a mass attempted coverup that included deleting computer files and emails.
EPA regulators made no such allegations against Fiat Chrysler on Thursday, though they said their investigation is in the early stages and is ongoing.
This isn't the first time the company has run afoul of a federal agency. In 2015, Fiat Chrysler was slapped with $175 million in penalties by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for mishandling recalls and failing to report safety data.
Marchionne, who clearly was agitated on a conference call with reporters, expressed confidence that the EPA will find no evidence of an illegal "defeat device" in the Jeeps and Rams. He said some of the computer software on the engines was not disclosed because it's standard among automakers and disclosure wasn't previously required. But he said the EPA changed the rules after the Volkswagen case.
Marchionne said there is no comparison between his company and VW because there was no intent by Fiat Chrysler to deceive the EPA or cheat on emissions tests.
"There's not a guy in this house that would even remotely attempt to try something as stupid as that," he said. "And if I found a guy like that I would have hung him on a door."
Associated Press writers Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit and Josh Lederman in Washington contributed to this report.

subset: commoncrawl


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Large Agriculture
Frontier Implements
Compact Utility Tractors
Gator Utility Vehicles
Small Property Owner
Commercial Mowing
The GreenStar™ Rate Controller Dry is a component that allows the GreenStar 3 2630 Display to integrate with non-John Deere self-propelled and pull-type dry box spinner spreaders and single tank air carts.
Monthly Loan Payment:
Interest Paid:
Total of principal plus Interest:
**The accuracy of this calculator and its applicability to your circumstances is not guaranteed. You should obtain personal advice from qualified professionals. This information is provided for illustrative purposes only and does not constitute an application. This notice does not guarantee loan approval, nor is it an offer or commitment to make a loan to you on the above terms.
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A recent approach to creating a decentralized online currency, called Bitcoin, has been generating some interest. The goal is to have a way to transfer currency without a central authority and without double spending or counterfeiting. Their approach is to have all the nodes in the network try to verify a transaction by doing a proof-of-work computation and then the transactions with the most verification are considered official. If an attacker wants to forge the official record (to reverse their first spending and use the coin again), then they must have the majority of the computing power in the network. The biggest downside is that in this scheme, the record of all transactions must be public, which the author of the Bitcoin paper assumes is a must:
The only way to confirm the absence of a transaction is to be aware of all transactions. In the mint based model, the mint was aware of all transactions and decided which arrived first. To accomplish this without a trusted party, transactions must be publicly announced.
Is it obvious that all transactions must be publicly known in any such scheme?
It is known that schemes without a public-transcript can be implemented when you have a central authority/mint, but I am only interested if it is possible for a decentralized approach.
I originally asked this question on cstheory. Also, I am not familiar with the tagging on crypto.SE, so any help is appreciated!


text: Hey I'm back this week and I'm ready to report all that is going on in the land of college football. I even have some beer ready to share with y'all. I'll help you swallow down some news for things like Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, FBS, FCS, Sun Belt, Conference USA, Jerry Sundusky, Alabama, Harvey Updyke Jr, ESPN, Disney, Mountain West, Big East, DeLoss Dodds, Texas, Texas A&M, and the Big 12. Continue reading Purple Yeti Roar 61: Conferences Cash In


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November 15: Flourishing in the music industry takes flair, skill, endurance, and sheer luck, and to bloom in the global music industry takes effort beyond mere imagination. While making a mark on music remains the lion's share of people's dreams, there is a duo from Punjab who absolutely spends their lives following their musical dreams and is now witnessing their efforts turning fruition in the global music charts.
Grewal and Pathaniaa, who go by the stage name Zehr Vibe are the talking point here. The story of these two small-town guys hailing from Punjab, India, to top global music charts is nothing short of inspiring.
Originally from Punjab, India, and presently staying in Canada, Grewal and Pathaniaa are childhood friends. They started off their career in Punjabi music alongside the most celebrated singer Sabi Bhinder. Their common love for music soon became a shared passion and is now being celebrated worldwide. Their debutant song 'Jatt N Jail' under the Jatt Life Studios Label made a considerable number of heads turn that year.
Within a short span of one year, the duo rose to fame. Numerous hits like 'Distance Love', 'Malwa Anthem', 'Cause of You', and 'Gall Khass' followed the instant success of the 'Jatt N Jail' music video.
Although they adopted different stage names for each of them at the beginning of their career, the fans celebrated them by the name Zehr Vibe. The popularity gained by the name and the fans lining up for it made the duo adopt Zehr Vibe as their official stage name, and the album 'Distance Love' was the first to feature the name Zehr Vibe officially.
Their songs have topped and spent more than ten weeks in various trending music charts. The recent album 'Distance Love' was a roaring hit and featured the duo on the best Indian musicians chart. 'Distance Love' witnessed sensational popularity on various social media platforms. Popular platforms like Instagram reels, YouTube, etc., have recently taken over by the song.
Their official social media profiles stand witness to the immense success that their songs are enjoying. The official Instagram handle of Zehr Vibe has more than half a million followers. And their official YouTube channel, Zehr Vibe, features popular songs 'Cause of You' with 3.1 Million+ views, Gall Khaas with 7.1 Million+ views, and many more.
The popular audio streaming platform Spotify has featured a whopping 33 Million+ streams of 'Distance Love' already, which is a significant accomplishment on its own. The track also got the duo to spend one week on the prestigious billboard charts in New York and Toronto.
Despite the glory and grandeur of the global music industry, the duo stays true to their Indian roots. They resonate well with everyone who dares to dream of music, regardless of ethnicity, gender, culture, or language. The zest and spice of Punjabi music remain as the soul of all their creations, and in every aspect of the phrase, they are literally melting the global music barriers.
If you have any objection to this press release content, kindly contact pr.error.rectification[at]gmail.com to notify us. We will respond and rectify the situation in the next 24 hours.


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Find new horizons and discover new trails when you hitch your bike to a Coho XC cargo trailer using the Coho Nutted Axle Adapter. Available in multiple thread pitches, simply replace the nuts on your bike's current nutted axle with the Coho Nutted Axle Adapter and you're ready to hit the trail.
Note: The Coho Nutted Axle Adapter is required for any bike with nutted axles to connect to the Coho XC.
Part Numbers
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M10 x 1.0 | 840840013576 | 960274 |


text:
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CyberCX Azure DevSecOps, 6 Wk Implementation
CyberCX's six week DevSecOps Implementation allows business to accelerate their application modernisation and security journey.
CyberCX's six week DevSecOps Implementation allows business to accelerate their application modernisation and security journey.
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With this engagement customers will get a foundational Infrastructure-as-Code project, built in HashiCorp Terraform deployed into Azure DevOps, with the security blueprint front and centre to continue to grow & scale on these capabilities.
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Phase 5: Deployment of proposed Application Solution - Deployment of application using CI/CD pipeline, Demonstrate Terraform / IaC administration & best practices and Review benefits of using Terraform Enterprise offering.
Phase 6: Ready to launch - Next


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An idea floated by President Donald Trump to send immigrants from the border to "sanctuary cities" to exact revenge on Democratic foes could end up doing the migrants a favor by placing them in locations that make it easier to put down roots and stay in the country.
The plan would put thousands of immigrants in cities that are not only welcoming to them, but also more likely to rebuff federal officials carrying out deportation orders. Many of these locations have more resources to help immigrants make their legal cases to stay in the United States than smaller cities, with some of the nation's biggest immigration advocacy groups based in places like San Francisco, New York City and Chicago. The downside for the immigrants would be a high cost of living in the cities.
The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University announced this week that an analysis found that immigrants in sanctuary cities such as New York and Los Angeles are 20 percent less likely to be arrested out in the community than in cities without such policies.
"With immigrants being less likely to commit crimes than the U.S.-born population, and with sanctuary jurisdictions being safer and more productive than non-sanctuary jurisdictions, the data damns this proposal as a politically motivated stunt that seeks to play politics with peoples' lives," said George Gascon, district attorney for San Francisco.
Trump has grown increasingly frustrated over the situation at the border, where tens of thousands of immigrant families are crossing each month, many to claim asylum. His administration has attempted several efforts to stop the flow, and he recently shook up the top ranks of the Department of Homeland Security.
The idea to ship immigrants to Democratic strongholds was considered twice in recent months, but the White House and Department of Homeland Security said the plan had been rejected. But Trump said Friday he was still considering the idea.
"Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only," Trump tweeted. He added that, "The Radical Left always seems to have an Open Borders, Open Arms policy - so this should make them very happy!"
Wilson Romero is an immigrant from Honduras who chose to settle in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Romero, 27, was separated from his daughter, now 7, by federal authorities at the U.S. border at El Paso, Texas, last year and jailed for three months before being released and making his way to live with his mother in San Jose, California. There he was reunited with his daughter, who attends public kindergarten.
Romero says he goes about daily errands in public without worry of discrimination. His daughter has made friends and has playdates with the children of Mexican American families. It's a far cry from his hometown in the violence-plagued outskirts of San Pedro Sula, Honduras, that he fled after his brother-in-law was killed.
To him, the biggest problem with being in the Bay Area is the high cost of living. The former textile factory worker relies on his mother's income from waitressing for food and clothing, and he's started thinking about asking legal permission to move to North Carolina, where an uncle resides and says it's cheaper to live and work.
"To tell the truth, it's a little tight now, financially speaking," said Romero, a former textile factory worker, who said he doesn't know of any charities that may be willing to help.
The plan discussed by Trump would also have financial, logistical and legal issues.
The transportation of immigrants who are arrested at the border to large and faraway cities would be burdensome and costly at a time when Immigration and Customs Enforcement is already stretched thin, having released over 125,000 immigrants into the country pending their immigration court since Dec. 21. They are currently being released mainly in border states.
Flights chartered by ICE cost about $7,785 per flight hour, according to the agency, and require multiple staffers, including an in-flight medical professional. The agency also uses commercial flights. Doing longer transports would increase liability for the agency, especially considering that many of the immigrants in its care are families with young children.
And despite the consideration given to releasing the immigrants on the streets to sanctuary cities, the Trump administration actually has plenty of jail space to detain families. As of April 11, the nation's three facilities to detain immigrant families were nowhere near capacity, including a Pennsylvania facility housing only nine immigrants.
It's also unclear how long the immigrants would stay in these cities because they are required to provide an address to federal authorities -- typically of a family member -- as a condition of their release.
"It's illogical," said Angela Chan, policy director and senior attorney with the San Francisco-based Asian Law Caucus. "It's just alarming that they are spending so much effort and so much time to engage in political theater."
The Trump administration has long pushed back against cities with sanctuary policies, which generally prohibit local authorities to cooperate with federal immigration police, often by refusing to hold people arrested on local charges past their release date at the request of immigration officers. Over 100 local governments around the country have adopted a variety of these polices
"New York City will always be the ultimate city of immigrants - the President's empty threats won't change that," New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio said in a statement.
But Trump seemed ready to step up his fight with the cities, vowing to "give them an unlimited supply" of immigrants from the border.


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FLASHTEC is proud to present Map3D Cloud, the ultimate editor for chiptuning.
Thanks to the automatic map search and all the useful tools included in this software it's very easy to create a tuned file and obtain good power increments.
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You can load a REF File ( Original+Mod file ) and the software will detect the modified maps and automatically
copy the modifications on the new file - Damaged flash files are automatically detected
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A Map database for most common ECU Type is included in the software
Software can detect map shapes and create a Driver with map names and breakpoint info
Map data can contain the tuned data, so automatic file patching/tuning is possible
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on every file it's possible to save additional info like phone number, license plate, note and so on,
so it's very easy to keep track of customer's files.
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Download Map3D instruction manualThis software is designed to run on Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 32bit/64bit, Windows 8 32/64bit.


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text:
Both of these landmark 20th-century operas are based on actual events. In 1634, a Catholic priest named Urbain Grandier was tortured and burned at the stake in the French town of Loudun for a supposed allegiance with the devil, although the motivation for his murder seems to have been primarily political. In 1821, a barber named Johann Christian Woyzeck, later supposed to be mad, murdered his lover in Leipzig. Both of these incidents were adapted into literary works (by Aldous Huxley and Georg Büchner, respectively) whose artistic value transcends the lurid tone of the source material. Both, of course, became operas. Berg's Wozzeck (1921) remains more or less in the repertoire, although it is difficult to do well, and is not pleasing to the proverbial tired businessman. Penderecki's Die Teufel von Loudun (1969) is a rarer vintage. It has had relatively few productions and only one commercial recording since its première, and the appearance of a filmed-for-television version of the complete opera is as surprising to me as it is welcome. In many ways, this is a difficult work too, not least because of its cynicism, as well as its eerie music, in which the glissando and the sustained tone cluster reign supreme.
Both productions are from the Hamburg State Opera, which around this time participated in several productions for television, thanks to the vision of artistic director Rolf Liebermann. Instead of simply broadcasting or filming an actual stage performance, Liebermann, working with director Joachim Hess, rethought the works – "opened them up," if you will – to make them more viable for viewing at home. Although the results show their age, these films remain convincing not just as films, per se, but as musically and theatrically faithful representations of the two operas.
The Devils of Loudun was filmed a month after the opera's première, with much the same cast. Although the atmosphere is suffocating, claustrophobic, and almost completely lacking in daylight, not once does one feel that the action is taking place on an operatic stage. (It seems that we are in hell already.) Stage director Konrad Swinarski attempted to give the opera a period feel, and to make it as realistic as possible, and those attributes have been retained by Hess, down to the brutal scenes in which Father Grandier is tortured. The viewer is spared little. Hess, however, imaginatively uses visual effects to make a dramatic point – for example, the superimposition of the hunchbacked Prioress Jeanne's lascivious fantasies about Grandier over a full-screen image of her face.
Both musically and dramatically, this is a fearless performance, one that is unlikely to be surpassed. At the center of it are Andrzej Hiolski's Grandier and Tatiana Troyanos's Jeanne. Penderecki eschews melodies in favor of pitched declamation, and so for this opera to work, the singers need to act not only with their bodies and faces, but also with their voices. Hiolski and Troyanos immerse themselves in their tasks with uncompromising intensity. Hiolski's striking baritone voice projects Grandier's human weaknesses as well as the underlying strength and integrity of his character. As for Troyanos, seeing and hearing her performance is like being in the presence of someone who is wound so tightly that all her parts might fly apart at any moment.
This opera has a large cast, and it is difficult to praise one or two of its members without praising all. Still, it would be unfortunate not to mention Kurt Marschner and Heinz Blankenburg, Loudun's scheming chemist and surgeon, respectively, whose pettiness gets the action moving. Marschner, in particular, seems to have been quite the comedian, and he and Blankenburg provide welcome comic relief, even if it is comedy of the very blackest type. Near the end of the opera, when the pair is ordered to shave Grandier's head and pull out his fingernails, Marschner's and Blankenburg's frozen panic is a memorable moment. Helmut Melchert depicts politics at its most oily and sinister in the role of the Baron de Laubardement, the King's commissioner. Another memorable portrayal comes from Ernst Wiemann as Father Ambrose, the only man who shows compassion to Grandier during his final hours.
The production of Wozzeck comes from the following year, in 1970. In contrast to The Devils of Loudun, much of it was filmed outdoors, in and around the grounds of an old German castle. Said castle is somewhat worse for wear, and it turns out to have been a surprisingly appropriate and atmospheric setting. Hess's eye for composition is superb, at times seemingly influenced by the German Expressionist directors. The cameras pull one into the drama in a way more difficult to achieve in the opera house, and the direction itself thankfully lacks the ironic distancing all too common in productions from the last two decades. There are orchestral interludes between the scenes, some of them quite lengthy, and here, a decision was made to keep the cameras rolling, and to show us the characters in action. (Also, as in The Devils of Loudun, there are no breaks between the acts.)
Conductor Bruno Maderna was one of the gods of 20th-century music, and his Wozzeck is deeply emotional, so much so that even listeners who usually find themselves resisting Berg's music might be compelled to go along for the ride anyway. In my experience, the only other conductor to lead this music so feelingly was Karl Böhm.
Toni Blankenheim falls a little short of greatness in the title role. Both visually and vocally, his Wozzeck is more stolid than stressed, and several singers come to mind who express a greater range of emotions, painted with a broader palette of colors, than Blankenheim does. The camera is cruelly perceptive, though, and it is possible that Blankenheim thought (or was told) that he needed to scale things back for television. His voice is a little frayed too, although I suppose that fits the character.
Sotin is chilling as the Doctor, almost a character out of a Fassbinder film. His eyes are all aglitter as he torments both Wozzeck and the Captain. In the latter role, Unger seems to be modeling himself after Gerhard Stolze, with ample use of a grotesque falsetto. Cassilly's strutting Drum Major is so well sung one wonders what he would have been like in the larger role of the Captain. Haage is a likeable Andres, and it is luxury casting to find Moll and Grundheber as the drunken workmen, who appear briefly in one scene and then disappear. The real surprise here is Sena Jurinac as Marie. Here is a singer who was most famous for her Mozart roles. Berg is a very different challenge, of course, and yet she brings her familiar virtues to Marie as well: warmth, vibrancy, and dedication to the score's musical values. She is a fine actress too.
Arthaus Musik's boxes might cause one to believe that these productions are in black in white. Fortunately, they are in color, and the visuals (full screen) still look quite good, even though there are enough artifacts to remind us that we are watching films that are almost 40 years old. (At the start of Wozzeck there is a brief statement that there were film elements that could not be completely restored, but the apology was hardly necessary.)
There are several staged productions of Wozzeck on DVD, and viewers might want to explore one of those first. Although it is not for everyone, The Devils of Loudun is one-of-a-kind, and therefore the second DVD should not be ignored.
Copyright © 2007, Raymond Tuttle


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text: Statement from Warner Bros. regarding "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1": Warner Bros. Pictures has made the decision to release "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1" in 2D, in both conventional and IMAX theaters, as we will not have a completed 3D version of the film within our release date window. Despite everyone's best efforts, we were unable to convert the film in its entirety and meet the highest standards of quality. We do not want to disappoint fans who have long anticipated the conclusion of this extraordinary journey, and to that end, we are releasing our film day-and-date on November 19, 2010, as planned. We, in alignment with our filmmakers, believe this is the best course to take in order to ensure that our audiences enjoy the consummate "Harry Potter" experience. Producer David Heyman said, "For 10 years, we have worked alongside Alan Horn and the studio, whose priority has always been to preserve the integrity of Jo Rowling's books as we have adapted them to the screen, and this decision reflects that commitment." Director David Yates added, "This decision, which we completely support, underscores the fact that Warner Bros. has always put quality first." As scheduled, on July 15, 2011, we will deliver to conventional and IMAX theaters our final installment of the film franchise, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2," in both 2D and 3D formats.


text: SafePoint rotary paddle level sensor has a self-validating design and detects material presence in bins and silos and continuously monitors sensor health and system power failure. This makes the SafePoint truly "fail-safe." Also available for the SafePoint is a new two-vane, stainless-steel, collapsible paddle that can be inserted from the outside of a bin or silo through a 11/4-in. coupling.


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In-Season for December
December is a month full of delicious seasonal produce, and plenty of opportunities to use it! Take advantage of fresh fruits and vegetables in your baked goods and holiday dishes. Fresh citrus also makes a lovely holiday gift. Fill an attractive bowl or basket with fresh oranges, grapefruit, mandarins or a combination of a few varieties.
Featured Recipes
Try a new twist on traditional dishes by adding fresh fruits and vegetables. This year, instead of regular potato latkes, add winter squash or sweet potatoes.
There are plenty of fun Christmas traditions to be found in the produce aisle. Bring home some fresh chestnuts for roasting, or gather the ingredients for fresh mulled cider. Pomanders make lovely and fragrant holiday decorations. Make your own by studding a fresh orange with whole cloves.
Christmas Recipes
New Year's Day
After a late night of celebrating, you'll want something that is substantial, yet refreshing. Treat yourself to something rich, complemented with something light. If you have a sweet tooth, have a fresh baked pastry with fresh fruit. If you prefer savory foods, have an omelet filled with sauted fresh vegetables. Of course, some good quality coffee or tea is in order to celebrate the first morning of the New Year!
New Year's Eve
When planning your New Year's party foods, make the produce aisle your first stop. There is nothing so delicious as homemade bruschetta topped with fresh tomatoes and basil, or the perfect pairing of fresh fruits and cheeses. Create your own New Year's cocktails using fresh squeezed fruit juice as a mixer, and fresh fruit as a garnish.


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Displaying items by tag: He Got Game
Friday, 21 March 2014 17:22
Spike Jonze's Her official, Spike Lee Joint Collection & more
All right, just a quick one today as there's not a ton of news...
First, Tim's turned in two more Scream Factory Blu-ray reviews for you to check out: The Incredible Melting Man and Witchboard. Enjoy!
Definitely the big release announcement today is that Warner Home Video has set Spike Jonze's Her for Blu-ray Combo, DVD and digital release on 5/13 (SRP $35.99 for the Blu-ray). Extras on the Blu-ray will include 3 featurettes (The Untitled Rick Howard Project, How Do You Share Your Life with Somebody, and Her: Love in the Modern Age). [Read on here...]
Published in
My Two Cents
Tagged under


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4 medium-sized unpeeled potatoes, cleaned
1 raw egg, beaten
6 tablespoons olive oil
Dry Mixture:
3 tablespoons cornstarch/cornflour
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or paprika
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and ground pepper to taste
Part 1
1. In a bowl, combine dry mixture then mix until well combined. Set aside.
2.Prepare beaten egg into a separate bowl.
3. Dip potato wedges in beaten eggs then dredge into dry mixture to coat.
4. Repeat for the remaining pieces.
Part 2
1. In a baking pan, arrange potato wedges then drizzle with olive oil.
2. Bake in a preheated oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes or until golden brown and crispy on the outside.
3. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.


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Health Issue: Hepatitis C
Treatment and Care
There is no cure for hepatitis C, but medications in some cases can suppress the virus for a long period of time.
Some patients with hepatitis C benefit from treatment with interferon alpha or a combination of interferon alpha and ribavirin. Interferon alpha is given by injection just under the skin and has a number of side effects, including:
- Depression
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Flu-like symptoms
- Headache
- Irritability
- Loss of appetite
- Low white blood cell counts
- Nausea
- Thinning of hair
- Vomiting
Treatment with interferon alpha may also affect the production of white blood cells and platelets. Most patients receive weekly injections with a form called pegylated interferon alpha. Interferon is given along with antiviral medication, most commonly ribavirin.
Ribavirin is a capsule taken twice daily. The major side effect is low red blood cells (anemia). Ribavirin also causes birth defects. Women should avoid getting pregnant during, and for 6 months following, treatment.
A "sustained response" means that the patient remains free of hepatitis C virus 6 months after stopping treatment. This does not mean that the patient is cured, but that the levels of active hepatitis C virus in the body are very low and are probably not causing more or as much damage.
Rest may be recommended during the acute phase of the disease when the symptoms are most severe. All patients with hepatitis C should get vaccinated against hepatitis A and B.
People with hepatitis C should also be careful not to take vitamins, nutritional supplements, or new over-the-counter medications without first discussing it with their health care provider.
People with hepatitis C should avoid any substances that are toxic to the liver (hepatotoxic), including alcohol. Even moderate amounts of alcohol speed up the progression of hepatitis C, and alcohol reduces the effectiveness of treatment.


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This is a demonstration store. You can purchase products like this from Pure Fix Cycles
With it's smooth cream frame and mint green wheels, the X-Ray is a ride that looks as sweet as it would taste (it actually tastes a lot like metal) and rumor has it that the X-Ray was the inspiration behind the first bottles of creme de menthe. Whatever you believe, this is one smooth bike that will leave you looking and feeling fresh.
*43cm will come with a rear brake, 650c wheels, and 650x23c tires.


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New Works from Mandy Tsung and Russell Alton
July 9-25, 2015
In "Creatures of Habit," Mandy Tsung and Russell Alton play with the combination of their established themes, threading two worlds, finding contrast & complement amid works that highlight an individuality while relating a common identity. See photos from the show on Flickr >
Mandy Tsung's paintings are meant to be emotive; to communicate the depths of human experience through gestures and expressions. She was born in Banff, AB, but spent her formative years in Calgary. After completing a BFA in Sculpture at The Alberta College of Art and Design in 2007, she then moved to Vancouver where she now paints full-time. She has exhibited in numerous galleries in North America, Germany, and Australia.
Russell Alton builds an imaginative universe filled with friendship, joy & magic and has it leak into & hopefully influence our own. Hailing from Smithers, BC he now scribbles, paints & prints butts in Vancouver. He has exhibited in BC & the US and his work is collected worldwide.


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More than half the experts polled by Bankrate.com this week (53%) predict mortgage rates will go down over the short term, and 47% foresee no change. None expect rates to go higher.
WASHINGTON (AP) – June 27, 2014 – Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages declined this week, hovering near historically low levels.
Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate for a 30-year loan eased to 4.14 percent from 4.17 percent last week. The average for the 15-year mortgage fell to 3.22 percent from 3.30 percent.
Rising prices and higher interest rates beginning in mid-2013 have made homes less affordable for would-be buyers. At the same time, a limited supply of homes is available to buy. Sales of new homes are running about half the rate of a healthy housing market.
Home prices rose in April from a year ago at the slowest pace in 13 months, reflecting the recent drop-off in sales, according to the latest Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index released Tuesday.
Mortgage rates are about a quarter of a percentage point higher than they were at the same time last year. The increase in rates over the past year or so was driven in part by speculation that the Federal Reserve would reduce its bond purchases, which have helped keep long-term interest rates low. Indeed, the Fed has announced five declines in its monthly bond purchases since December because the economy appears to be steadily healing. But the Fed has no plans to raise its benchmark short-term rate from record lows.
After the central bank ended a two-day policy meeting last week, Fed Chair Janet Yellen sent the message that the economy still isn't healthy enough to grow at a consistently strong pace without the Fed's help. Yellen said that despite a steadily improving job market and signs of creeping inflation, the Fed sees no need to raise short-term interest rates from record lows anytime soon.
To calculate average mortgage rates, Freddie Mac surveys lenders across the country between Monday and Wednesday each week. The average doesn't include extra fees, known as points, which most borrowers must pay to get the lowest rates. One point equals 1 percent of the loan amount.
The average fee for a 30-year mortgage fell to 0.5 point from 0.6 point a week earlier. The fee for a 15-year loan was unchanged at 0.5 point.
The average rate on a one-year adjustable-rate loan slipped to 2.40 percent from 2.41 percent. The average fee remained at 0.4 point.
The average rate on a five-year adjustable mortgage fell to 2.98 percent from 3.00 percent. The fee declined to 0.3 point from 0.4 point.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.


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TAC asks Supreme Court of Appeal to consider public health in patent dispute over cancer medicine
The TAC National Council has resolved to seek admission in a legal dispute between the brand name drug company Aventis Pharma and the generic company Cipla, over a claim of patent infringement on a drug that treats cancer called Docetaxel. SECTION27 will act as attorneys for TAC. This briefing note sets out the background to the legal dispute and explains why TAC is arguing that the Supreme Court of Appeal must consider the right of access to health care services when it judges this dispute.
The TAC National Council has resolved to seek admission in a legal dispute between the brand name drug company Aventis Pharma and the generic company Cipla, over a claim of patent infringement on a drug that treats cancer called Docetaxel. SECTION27 will act as attorneys for TAC. This briefing note sets out the background to the legal dispute and explains why TAC is arguing that the Supreme Court of Appeal must consider the right of access to health care services when it judges this dispute.
Is cancer a problem in South Africa?
Cancer is common in South Africa, particularly amongst poor people. This is because poor people are vulnerable to exposure to other illnesses that can lead to cancer, as well as exposure to environmental factors such as pollutants in the air, water and soil.
According to the Medical Research Council, in 2000, 41 691 people died from various forms of cancer. In women the most common cause of death was cervical cancer, but this has now been overtaken by breast cancer. In men the most common cause of death is lung cancer.
However, what is especially concerning is that experts say that cancer is greatly underreported, especially amongst poor and black people. They say that in fact the mortality rate could be twice as high as that reported and that there could be as many as 120 000 new cancer cases per year. Poor people present for and receive treatment for cancer late, if at all. One of the reasons for this is the prohibitive cost of medicines that treat cancer.
Is cancer a risk for people with HIV?
People with HIV have a higher incidence of cancer than people without HIV. This is because of suppressed immune systems. The most common forms of cancer in people living with HIV are Kaposi's Sarcoma, cervical and breast cancer. People with HIV need greater access to cancer medicines and specialists, as well as better understanding and awareness of cancer – treatment literacy.
What is the name of the drug in the dispute and what does it do?
Docetaxel is the active ingredient in a second line drug for cancer. Docetaxel is registered in South Africa and other countries for the treatment of non-AIDS-defining malignancies such as breast, prostate and lung cancers. Docetaxel has also been proven to be – and is indeed recognised as being – safe and effective as a treatment for advanced-stage AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma.
The patent on Docetaxel is held by Aventis and was registered in South African in 1993, which means that the patent has only one year to run. It expires in November 2013.
In countries such as India, Docetaxel is not patented and is available in various generic forms for cancer sufferers.
What is the case before the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) about?
Despite Aventis' patent, Cipla, an Indian generic medicine company, has registered and begun to manufacture and market a generic version of Docetaxel in South Africa. It argues that the patent is ambiguous and therefore invalid and that it has a right to make and distribute the drug.
In response, Aventis sought an interdict from the Commissioner of Patents to stop Cipla from selling the drug in South Africa. However, the Commissioner refused to grant the interdict, ruling that their "prospects of success at a trial are so slender that interim relief must be refused" (Judgment, para 26).
This finding supports Cipla's arguments about the alleged ambiguity of the patent.
After the ruling, Cipla continued to infringe the patent and began to make the medicine available in South Africa. Over 70 people with cancer in South Africa are already using Docetaxel.
Aventis is now appealing against the Patent Commissioner's decision to the Supreme Court, meaning it is trying once again to stop the use of this medicine in South Africa.
A major problem up to now is that the court has not considered the constitutional right of "everyone to have access to health care services" as a factor in the decision about whether to grant an interdict or not. It has heard only technical arguments, such as whether the patent is valid or not, that are to do with the interests of the drug companies – not patients.
Why is the case important for access to medicines in South Africa?
Generally medicines in South Africa cost too much, particularly patented medicines. Most medicines for cancer are extremely expensive.
• One of the problems we face is that patents are granted without an examination of the substantive validity of the patent.
• Neither do we have a system such as exists in India where individuals and organisations are allowed to register opposition to patents, known as 'pre-grant opposition'.
Generics are cheaper than the patented originals. This drug is 50% of the price of the original drug. In addition once generics enter the market there is more competition which further helps to bring prices down.
What does TAC want to argue before the SCA?
TAC is applying to be a 'Friend of the Court' (amicus curiae) in this case. TAC's Founding Affidavit is being signed by Nokhwezi Hoboyi, a TAC leader living with HIV who has herself had cancer.
TAC is arguing that when the SCA hears this case it should take into consideration arguments about the public interest and the constitutional right to health.
TAC is not leading evidence or making any arguments about how effective the drug is, or about the numbers of people who will benefit from the drug, or the types of cancers it may be useful for. Our intervention aims to establish as a principle something the Court has not considered before, and that is that Constitutional rights must be factored into the adjudication process when deciding patent infringements.
In this case TAC is arguing that it is in the interests of cancer patients that the generic drugs be available, and that the harm to patients will be greater than the harm to Aventis if they are granted the interdict. This is especially so given the fact that the patent only has one year left to run and the fact that there are questions about the patent's validity.
If TAC's argument is accepted by the SCA it will be an important advance for the rights of access to affordable medicines. It will mean that in future in any dispute over patents on life saving drugs, the courts will have to consider the public interest and the constitutional right of access to health care services.
It will be a small but significant step forward for people who need affordable medicines.
For further information contact:
Umunyana Rugege, SECTION27 Attorney – 011 356 4100
Mark Heywood, SECTION27 Executive Director – 011 356 4100


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A jury convicted a Phoenix youth care worker Friday for sexually abusing unaccompanied minors in a Southwest Key Facility.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Levian Pacheco, 25, was convicted of seven counts of abusive sexual contact and three counts of sexual abuse.
Pacheco sexually abused multiple minors at the Casa Kokopelli Southwest Key Facility in Mesa, Ariz.
Ensuring the safety of all individuals held in federal custody is of utmost importance to this office, stated First Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth A. Strange. This verdict demonstrates our commitment to securing justice for the teenage boys the defendant abused and sends a message to others in positions of trust that these crimes will not be tolerated.
The jury convicted him of abusing seven teenage boys.
His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 3, 2018.


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We offer free lighting audit. Please contact us via the Inquiry Form for more information.


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This entry collects material on the June 2009 workshop on strings, fields, and topology at Oberwolfach.
Writeups of most of the talks have appeared as
Thomas Schick, Smooth cohomology theories.
Ullrich Bunke, Smooth K-theory.
Christoph Schweigert and Ingo Runkel , CFT and algebra in braided tensor categories I and II.
Kevin Costello, Factorization algebras in perturbative QFT.
Alex Kahle, Superconnections and index theory.
Chris Schommer-Pries, Topological defects, -branes, and the classifications of TFTs in low dimensions.
Dan Freed, Geometry and topology of orientifolds.
Dan Freed, Evening informal session on RR fields and all that.
Scott Wilson, Some algebra related to mapping spaces and applications.
Urs Schreiber, Background fields in twisted differential nonabelian cohomology.
André Henriques, Invertible conformal nets.
André Henriques, Evening informal session more details about conformal nets.
Konrad Waldorf, String connections and Chern-Simons 2-gerbes.
Kevin Walker, Blob homology
Ralph Cohen, String topology, field theories and Fukaya categories.
Corbett Redden, String structures, 3-forms, and tmf classes.
Mike Hopkins, The Kervaire invariant.
Mike Hopkins, Evening informal session on technical details of the solution of the Kervaire invariant problem.
David Chataur, Evening informal session explaining recent results in opeards
Kishore Marathe, Evening informal session on the gauge theory to string theory correspondence
The basic idea of differential cohomology (also called smooth cohomology ) is to combine generalized cohomology (e.g. ordinary integral cohomology, or K-theory, or tmf, or …) and differential forms. Hopkins and Singer showed that a smooth refinement exists for any generalized cohomology theory, but didn't provide an (easy for mere mortals to understand) explicit construction. In this talk, Thomas Schick advertised geometric models for multiplicative smooth cohomology with -integration for -theory (joint with Ulrich Bunke) and MU-bordism (joint with Ulrich Bunke, Schröder? and Wethamp?). They have proved a uniqueness theorem, stating that under certain assumptions any two smooth refinements of a generalized cohomology theory are naturally isomorphic.
In this talk, which led on from the previous one by Thomas Schick, Ulrich Bunke gave an explicit description of their smooth -theory model in terms of geometric cocycles. Basically a cocycle consists of a pair where is a 'geometric family', namely a smooth proper submersion with a fiberwise metric, a Clifford bundle and some connection of some sort. The object is an element of . He also described smooth -orientatiosn and the push-forward map, with an application to the -invariant of Adams. There is also a Riemann-Roch theorem.
This talk explains how correlators for a rational two-dimensional conformal field theory can be constructed in the functorial TFT formalism. Based on a modular tensor category , decoration data have been introduced in terms of special symmetric Frobenius algebras in and the correlator, as an element of with a double cover of the surface , has been expressed in terms ofthe invariant of a decorated 3-manifold with . The correlators are invariant under the mapping class groups and obey the sewing constraint.
Morita equivalent special symemtric Frobenius algebras lead to an equivalent description of the correlators. A Morita invariant formulation is provided by the notion of a module category over the module tensor category . The world sheet is now decorated by categories, functors between module categories and natural transformations.
A factorization algebra on a manifold is an object which associates to every ball a vector space (or cochain complex) ; and to every collection of disjoint balls in a larger ball, a map . These structures are the analogues of chiral algebras, as introduced by Beilinson and Drinfeld; they are closely related to algebras for the little n-disk operad .
In this series of lectures, Kevin Costello set up a framework to construct factorization algebras from perturbative quantum field theory. The set up is analagous to the deformation quantization picture of quantum mechanics. Just as the observables of quantum mechanics are encoded in an associative algebra, Costello argues that the observables of a QFT on are encoded in a factorization algebra on , similar to but slightly different from the waqy it works in (euclidean) AQFT. This factorization algebra arises by quantizing a commutative factorization algebra associated to classical field theory.
This series of lectures finished with the statement of a theorem allowing one to quantize the commutative factorization algebra associated to a classical field theory in a range of situations, including situations of physical interest. This is joint work with Owen Gwilliam.
Gabriel Drummond-Cole applies the machinery of the model category of operads to extend and explain the Barannikov-Kontsevich passage from differential BV algebras satisfying the lemma to hypercommutative algebras (Frobenius manifolds). This is joint work with Bruno Valette. The following theorem was proved:
Let be a differential BV-algebra over a field of characteristic zero. Let be its homology. Then: 1. If satisfies the noncommutative Hodge to de Rham degeneration condition, then there exists a hypercommutative -structure on . 2. If satisfies Park's semiclassical condition then this structure is unique up to quasi-isomorphism.
In this talk, Alex Kahle described results from his thesis work (his supervisor was Dan Freed) about superconnections and index theory. The idea is to prove a local index theorem using superconnections via direct geometric-analytical methods (i.e. not stochastic) for use with family index problems, determinant line bundles, etc. Just like ordinary connections on spinor buundles, a superconnection gives rise to a Dirac operator on a spinor bundle. The usual local index theorem (that the trace of the heat kernel converges as to a certain differential form) needs to be modified though, because forms of different degrees have different scaling behaviour (recall that a superconnection involves forms of different degrees). Alex worked out how to scale everything correctly so that one indeed gets a local index theorem for superconnections, leading to many potential applications.
Chris explained his classification result mentioned at (infinity,n)-category of cobordisms from his thesis of extended (he suggested calling them local) 2d TQFT's via the explicit generators and relations he obtained on . He also showed how the higher-categorical viewpoint unites the following two ideas: the 'open-closed' theories and the 'field theories with defects' from Ingo Runkel and Christoph Schweigert's talk. He showed how both these concepts are particular examples of a single notion, namely that of a collection of natural transformations between a restriction of FTQFT? -functors (called "unnatural" or "supernatural" transformations to indicate that it is a transformation not of the entire functor, but just of its restriction to the 2-category of 2-manifolds with only inverttible 2-morphisms).
This is precisely the kind of viewpoint that Urs Schreiber and Jens Fjelstad suggested at the n-category cafe under the slogal D-branes from tin-cans (a D-brane is a boundary condition ordefect, a "tin-can diagram" is the naturality diagram for a higher natural transformation).
By the way, there's much more to come from Chris, he is working on the 3d theory and much besides!
Freed described recent work with Jacques Distler and Greg Moore on a certain background structure in superstring theory called an orientifold], which is a [[bundle gerbe? on a orbifold with a peculiar "twisted" equivariance condition. There is apparantly a beautiful string theory formula to calculate the 'RR charge?', namely something like
involving a certain normal bundle and the 'Bott element in K-theory', which looks similar to the Hirzebruch formula for the L-genus. This uses some kind of twisted differential cohomology version of KR theory. The whole thing can be viewed as a new sort of anomaly, having to do with an exotic orientation of some kind.
Summary appearing soon…
Wilson defined a partial algebra as a lax monoidal functor from the category of finite sets to chain complexes, such that the map is a quasi-isomorphism. He showed how these pop up in homotopy theory all the time.
(Remark: this formula is the basis for Jacob Lurie's discussion of commutative algebra in an (infinity,1)-category in general and of symmetric monoidal (infinity,1)-category in particular).
For instance, if is any space and a partial algebra, the resulting total complex can be seen as a generalization of Hochschild cohomology. One really interesting example (for Bruce) was where is the interval, and is the partial algebra of forms on a Riemannian manifold . It turns out that a certain canonical equation which pops out is precisely the Navier-Stokes equation. Gulp!
What can I (Bruce) say about Urs's talk? Many mere mortals might think it impressive to pass from ordinary cohomology to twisted cohomology, or to differential cohomology, or to nonabelian cohomology. Urs does this all in one step! Yes, we're talking about twisted differential nonabelian cohomology. As we all know and love, Urs has developed some -machinery based on all sorts of work which enables him to 'turn the crank' and output all the cohomology theories which mathematicians and physicists currently are bumping into. A great application of his machinery is an understanding of the 'Green-Schwarz anomaly cancellation' mechanism in terms of twisted nonabelian String-gerbes with connection and the Chern-Simons 2-gerbe. Unfortunately Urs didn't have time to quite get to that point, but he did at least mention other examples like how his machinery naturally produces the 'twisted Bianchi identities' in twisted flat differential cohomology, as well as nonabelian gerbes. Urs ended his talk by explaining how nonabelian cohomology on is related to twisted abelian cohomology on . This ties in with Konrad's talk, where the abelian viewpoint is taken, but the nonabelian viewpoint is essential for some applications.
Urs's personal nLab write-up on Background fields in twisted differential nonabelian cohomology
In this talk, Henriques described joint work with Chris Douglas and Arthur Bartels on the program of establishing an equivalence between full conformal field theories and 'conformal nets'. Preliminary write-ups of this work is available on his webpage. A conformal net is something like a factorization algebra (in the sense of Costello's talk) on 1-dimensional manifolds taking values in the bicategory of Von Neumann algebras with bimodules as 1-morphisms. The index of a conformal net is defined to be the statistical dimension of the vacuum sector , viewed as some kind of bimodule involving things which assigns to arcs on the unit circle. He stated the following result.
A conformal net is invertible if and only if , and it is fully dualizable (in the sense of Lurie) if and only if .
André responded to questions from the audience about further details regarding the 'conformal nets' programme.
Write-up about conformal nets on André Henriques' webpage.
Konrad described the Chern-Simons 2-gerbe which is a geometric object living on any manifold which is equipped with a Spin-bundle . Its definition involves some kind of pullback of the basic bundle gerbe over the Spin group. He demonstrates that a string structure on is a trivialization of this 2-gerbe, in the sense of a morphism from the trivial 2-gerbe living over to . Such a trivialization only exists precisely if the first fractional Pontryagin class of the bundle vanishes, , otherwise the Chern-Simons 2-gerbe is globally nontrivial and a string structure doesn't exist. He defined a string connection on a string structure (a connection on is needed here) on as a connection on this trivialization which is compatible with various things.
Basically, the data of a string structure together with a string connection on is a class in the -twisted differential cohomology of in Urs's sense, for vanishing twist (the twist is the nontriviality of the String structure). Konrad described various results about string connections, such as the fact that they form a contractible space, confirming a conjecture by Stolz and Teichner. See his recent arXiv article.
Kevin Walker described a new way to think about extended TQFTs. Namely to an n-manifold and an n-category he defined a 'blob complex' . The construction produces a kind of 'derived version' of an extended TQFT. The idea is that the usual quantum invariants to manifolds of dimension are produced out of this chain complex, with the Atiyah-Segal axioms following as corollaries of the setup. He listed a number of examples of the TQFT's he has in mind in the beginning, such as the finite group model, one based on a -algebra, one based on a pivotal category, one based on a braided ribbon category, and even one based on contact structures.
This talk was about relating the subject of string topology, which is now 10 years old, with other field theories, especially in the light of recent work by Costello, Hopkins and Lurie. String theory was described as a 'homological conformal field theory'. The slogan was that string topology simplifies when one applies Poincaré duality. A relation was sketched between string topology and Gromov-Witten symplectic field theory. Ultimately it was conjectured that the symplectic field theory of is equivalent to string topology of .
Corbett began my defining a string structure on a manifold as a certain lift of a classifying map; string structures up to homotopy are canonically isomorphic with things called 'string classes' on - namely, elements in the third integral cohomology of the total space of the bundle which behave on the fibers as the generator of the third cohomology of the Spin group. The point about string structures is that they transgress to give a spin structure on the loop space of the manifold, which is what one wants to study things like the Witten genus. He showed a beautiful way to obtain string structures from a metric on , using Hodge representatives for the forms, and then passing to the 'adiabatic limit', to obtain a certain 3-form . A theorem of Mazzeo-Melrose, Dai and Forman then says that the kernel of the Hodge laplacian extends smoothly in the adiabatic limit, and comes from a filtration in the Serre spectral sequence (something like that). He gave a hypothesis that if a manifold admits a spin and a string structure and a Riemannian metric such that the Ricci curvature of is positive and that , then a certain invariant inside . He showed that all these conditions are necessary!
Mike Hopkins gave a nice story of the history and origins of the Kervaire invariant in the classification of manifolds. He spoke about Pontryagin's work about the cobordism groups of stably framed manifolds in the 1930's, and the mistake he made in dimension ! Basically he thought a certain function was linear, when in fact it was quadratic. This led to the Kervaire invariant being introduced. The problem about when the Kervaire invariant vanishes has been solved in dramatic fashion by Hopkins, Hill and Ravenel very recently… if a manifold has Kervaire invariant , then its dimension must be either 2, 6, 14, 30, 62 or 126, with the final of these remaining open! See the notes for the great story. Hopkins ended with a nice geometric description of the Kervaire invariant on spheres in dimension 2 and 6, relating it to complex structures and exceptional Lie groups. He wondered if these things feature in dimension 126?
Notes needed… help…
Notes needed… help…
See also talk summaries.
Last revised on October 2, 2014 at 12:42:44. See the history of this page for a list of all contributions to it.


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O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Text: Mark 9:2-9


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How to write about your life
Agents contact me on a regular basis to ask me if I want to do a book about my life.
I say no.
I say no because I have no idea how to do a book about my life. I'm sure I have no idea because I already have had a six-figure book deal to write about my life that I'm not delivering on, and the editor has dumped me. (Read: Phone calls to collect on the large advance I've already spent.) So my qualifications to tell you advice about how to write about one's life are questionable. But whatever; I have never stood on ceremony over qualifications.
Maybe the problem is that my life story needs a redemptive moment. This is what my agent-who-is-no-longer-my-agent tells me. And this is a warning to any agent who thinks they might want to be my agent: My past agent dumped me because (even though I did deliver on my first book deal) I am terrible at writing book proposals and I am terrible at following publishing industry rules. And her number one rule is that if you write about your life there must be a redemptive moment because people like that. "That's what sells," is my not-my-agent's way of saying "That's what people like to read."
So, okay. I try to see that. I mean, I've read plenty of memoirs – Girl, Interrupted, Smashed, Darkness Visible—all good books. All very redemptive at the end, for sure. But I've also read Anna Karenina. Well, I haven't, but I'm able to spoil the ending for you right now anyway (skip to the next paragraph if you don't want the spoiler). She gets hit by a train. I think she kills herself.
That seems redemptive to me. I mean, at least she doesn't have to wake up to her same problems every day.
I have told this to my not-agent. She said that people do not want to read about my fascination with suicide. It's true. I am fascinated by suicide: Why don't more people kill themselves? Life is very hard. And there is no sane reason to believe it will, at some point, get easier. So why do we keep going? I don't know. This fascinates me.
(Here is a great book of suicide letters. And here's a tidbit for all you productivity gurus: People in their 20's who kill themselves write suicide notes about how much they love the people who will be most hurt by the suicide: their parents, a boyfriend maybe. People in their 30's and 40's write suicide notes that are informational to-do lists: Where the cat food is, when the kid's homework is due, how to find the keys to the safety deposit box.
Both types of letters are great examples of how people have totally lost perspective when they kill themselves. This baffles me, since I also feel that we have totally lost our perspective by choosing to not kill ourselves.)
Okay. So I told my not-my-agent that my proposal for a memoir is redemptive because the reader will see that I did not kill myself before I got to the date of the national book tour.
That did not work for her.
So I said my book is redemptive because I had an insane childhood and look, now I'm not living on the street.
My agent told me that my life is too precarious for my surviving childhood to be redemptive. She told me I could write about keeping my marriage together even though we both have Aspergers Syndrome, but before I could write the proposal (and convince my ex that this would be okay to write) we divorced.
What about writing about the divorce?
She said divorce is not redemptive. I'm pretty sure that's when she told me to get a new agent.
Okay. So back to me telling you how to write about yourself. I say, forget about redemption. It's false. I read The Glass Castle, and I think it's nice Jeanette Wallis got out of her hell-hole family, but really, I want to know what her fights with her husband are like on her zillion-dollar Hamptons estate.
I think you should write the truth. Be real. If you obsess about redemption instead of the truth, you'll be like me, writing nothing, because life is not redemptive. Life isn't like that. Just write your own messy life, and let it spill out.
But, wait. Here's the problem with that. Your life is boring. I'm sorry to tell you this. But actually all our lives are boring. Which is another strike against obsessing over redemption: it doesn't make your life interesting, but good writing always makes life interesting.
So you need to tell something true to make people want to read, but you need to be interesting doing it.
Do you want to know what interesting is? How many articles and stories and blog posts have you read about getting fired? Six million, right? Everyone wants to tell their story. Most suck. But here's a great one: The CEO of Sun wrote a tweet to announce his resignation. It's interesting because of the media he chose, it's interesting because of the timing, and it's interesting because it's a haiku:
Financial crisis/Stalled too many customers/CEO no more
The bar is high if you want to be interesting. What can you do? Here's what I do:
1. Assume you are not all that interesting. The reader does not want a peek into your life. Not enough people care. Do you know how I know? Because porn is boring. Sure, if you're using it for masturbation, it's interesting, because then it's giving you something. But if not, what are you doing watching? Who cares about someone else's sex life? And you can be sure that the peek into your life is never going to be as interesting as a porn movie. So forget writing a blog post merely to give someone a peek.
2. Cut fifteen percent of everything you write. Because no one is so interesting that they can't cut words.
3. Write to give the reader something they want. I try to focus on this with every post I write. But in fact, this is advice about how to do anything in your life: Help people as much as you can. Give people what they need, and if you focus on that, the rest will fall into place. This is true of how to network, how to parent, how to manage people and also how to write about your life.
So really, the world is full of ways to give to each other, and we're all just looking for the best way. And this, in the end, is probably why we don't kill ourselves.


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You've got mail–not. Employees of tech company Atos will be banned from sending emails under the company's new "zero email" policy.
CEO Thierry Breton of the French information technology company said only 10 percent of the 200 messages employees receive per day are useful and 18 percent is spam. That's why he hopes the company can eradicate internal emails in 18 months, forcing the company's 74,000 employees to communicate with each other via instant messaging and a Facebook-style interface.
Caroline Crouch, a spokeswoman for the company, told ABC News the goal is focused on internal emails rather than external emails with clients and partners. Atos has already reduced the number of internal emails by 20 percent in six months.
When asked how employees have responded to the policy, Crouch told ABC News the overall response "has been positive with strong take up of alternative tools."
Breton, the French finance minister from 2005 to 2007, told the Wall Street Journal he has not sent an email in the three years since he became chairman and CEO of Atos in November 2008.
"We are producing data on a massive scale that is fast polluting our working environments and also encroaching into our personal lives," he said in a statement when first announcing the policy in Feburary. "At [Atos] we are taking action now to reverse this trend, just as organizations took measures to reduce environmental pollution after the industrial revolution."
Atos had revenue last year of of EUR 8.6 billion, or $11.5 billion, and has offices in 42 countries, according to the company website.
The company says by 2013, more than half of all new digital content will be the result of updates to, and editing of existing information. Middle managers spend more than 25 percent of their time searching for information, according to the company.
Crouch said Atos is evaluating a number of new tools to replace internal email including collaborative and social media tools. Those include the Atos Wiki, which allows all employees to communicate by contributing or modifying online content, and Office Communicator, the company's online chat system which allows video conferencing, and file and application sharing.


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Last month I was introduced to Sonsi.com and their cool outfitting tool. While I liked it and enjoyed playing around with all of the different components to make a ton of outfits (many which may never be in my budget with the accessories I chose…) I didn't actually purchase anything. This month, in conjunction with the new "Math meets Fashion, Fit meets Style" technology that goes live September 12, not only was I able to use the technology, but I also made a purchase! This technology made the shopping experience so much easier, especially for shoes- ever since having my kids my feet have been a wide and not regular anymore and finding shoes- dress shoes- that don't look ridiculous or cut off circulation has been a challenge to say the least.
I've left stores in tears on many occasions and when I was in LA I literally contemplated walking back through the streets of LA from the Cars2 premiere after party BAREFOOT because my shoes were that horrible to my feet. I actually left them in the hotel trash can. I couldn't bear the thought of ever wearing them again. I was so happy to find cute, fun and stylish shoes in casual, and dressy options within the style tools on Sonsi.com!!
Above you can see one of the outfits I created with Sonsi.com style tool. I also created this one (below) , which interestingly….I ordered (the dress at least) and cannot WAIT for it to arrive. I am so not a dress girl but this looks comfortable, stylish and easy to wear so maybe I'll turn a new leaf this fall! I would LOVE the bag too but that's not in the budget (although, perhaps the folks at Sonsi will agree that it would be sad to not have it to wear with this dress?!?! Hint, hint??).
This fall, Lane Bryant and sister brands Sonsi, Catherines and Fashion Bug, are launching a breakthrough technology that will make shopping for clothes online a cakewalk for plus size women, because it solves their biggest dilemma: the dreaded FIT issue. The new online technology is truly revolutionary. In just 3 minutes, with no measurements required, plus size women will have access to a world of plus size fashions that cater to their unique body shapes and style preferences. This has never been done before.
It's taken the biggest names in the plus size fashion industry, a team of mathematicians and computer scientists to finally solve the fit issue for millions of plus size women.
So, now that this awesome style tool is live, will you use it? Try it? I want to know what you think! Check out Sonsi's Fashion Genius tool and see what you think!!
Disclosure: This post was made possible by Mom Spark Media. I was compensated for my time investment and work on this campaign.


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Report Cards for 2nd Quarter of 2020-21 School Year
January 8, 2021
CMCSS students' report cards for the second nine weeks of the 2020-21 school year will be available on Monday, January 11. Since traditional students are learning remotely at this time, report cards will not be printed by the school. Report cards can be accessed online using the CMCSS Parent Self-Service webpage – parents.cmcss.net.
If you have any issues accessing your child's report card using CMCSS Parent Self-Service, please contact your child's enrolled school.


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A newly published study from scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory provides the first direct look at the organic chemistry that takes place on icy particles in the frigid reaches of our solar system.
Would you like icy organics with that? Maybe not in your coffee, but researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, are creating concoctions of organics, or carbon-bearing molecules, on ice in the lab, then zapping them with lasers. Their goal: to better understand how life arose on Earth.
In a new study published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, the research team provides the first direct look at the organic chemistry that takes place on icy particles in the frigid reaches of our solar system, and in the even chillier places between stars. Scientists think that the basic ingredients of life, including water and organics, began their journey to Earth on these lonesome ice particles. The ice and organics would have found their way into comets and asteroids, which then fell to Earth, delivering "prebiotic" ingredients that could have jump-started life.
The various steps needed to go from icy organics to slime molds are not clear, but the new findings help explain how the process works. The lab experiments show that organic material can begin the processing it needs to become prebiotic — while still frozen in ice.
"The very basic steps needed for the evolution of life may have started in the coldest regions of our universe," said Murthy Gudipati, lead author of the new study at JPL. "We were surprised to see organic chemistry brewing up on ice, at these very cold temperatures in our lab."
The organics looked at in the study are called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs for short. These carbon-rich molecules can be found on Earth as combustion products: for example, in barbecue pits, candle soot and even streaming out of the tail pipe of your car. They have also been spotted throughout space in comets, asteroids and more distant objects. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has detected PAHs in the swirling planet-forming disks around stars, in the spaces between stars and in remote galaxies.
Murthy and his colleague Rui Yang of JPL used their lab setup to mimic the environment of icy PAH molecules in the quiet cold of space, at temperatures as low as 5 Kelvin (minus 450 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 268 degrees Celsius). First, they bombarded the particles with ultraviolet radiation similar to that from stars. Then, to determine the products of the chemical reaction, they used a type of laser system known as MALDI (for Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption and Ionization), which involves zapping the ice with both infrared and ultraviolet lasers.
The results revealed that the PAHs had transformed: they had incorporated hydrogen atoms into their structure and lost their circular, aromatic bonds, becoming more complex organics. According to Gudipati, this is the type of change that would need to occur if the material were to eventually become amino acids and nucleotides — bits and pieces of protein and DNA, respectively.
"PAHs are strong, stubborn molecules, so we were surprised to see them undergoing these chemical changes at such freezing-cold temperatures," said Gudipati.
Another bonus for the research is that it might explain the mystery of why PAHs have not yet been identified on ice grains in space. While the hardy organics are pervasive in the cosmos as gases and hot dust, researchers have remained puzzled that their signatures do not show up on ice. The new findings show that PAHs, once they stick to the ice surface, are chemically transformed into other complex organics, explaining why they might not be seen.
While the new results teach us that life's journey could have already begun in the very cold regions of the universe, another question remains: Did it arise elsewhere beyond our sun, too? Researchers don't know, but studies like this one help the ongoing search for life beyond Earth.
Reference: "In-Situ Probing of Radiation-Induced Processing of Organics in Astrophysical Ice Analogs—Novel Laser Desorption Laser Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectroscopic Studies" by Murthy S. Gudipati and Rui Yang, 17 August 2012, Astrophysical Journal Letters.


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However, for some reason jEdit developers strenuously refuse to fix their OSX package to support Retina screens. Three years since these screens started getting popular, you still have to repeat the following procedure after each jEdit installation or update, in order to avoid getting blurry fonts everywhere:
- quit jEdit if open
- in Finder, right-click on jEdit in Applications, select Show Package Contents
- go to the Contents folder, then edit Info.plist by adding these two lines at the end of the file, just before </dict>:
<true/> - force OSX to re-cache the plist by executing the following command in a terminal:
defaults read /Applications/jEdit.app/Contents/Info.plist - Restart jEdit. Icons will still look crappy (the "classic" theme slightly better than "tango"), but the rest will be ok.


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The true value of financial advice
Does investing in a financial planner really pay off? According to the latest research from Sunsuper you could be thousands of dollars better off when you make choices based on professional financial advice. Plus you'll take more family holidays, have greater peace of mind and more confidence in your financial decisions.
Teaming up with research experts, Core Data, Sunsuper have released The Value of Advice Report. Insights include financial forecasts for three couples at different life stages and the lift in living standards and retirement expectations they're enjoying as a result of seeking advice. In all three cases it's very clear that financial advice has a real and immediate impact on their lifestyle, and creates opportunities to achieve important personal goals.
1. Building a bright future for a young family
Adam and Mara's goals for their family of four aren't out of the ordinary. Paying for private education and taking regular holidays are things that many families might prioritise but struggle to achieve when they're paying off a home loan and juggling work and family commitments.
Thanks to advice from a financial planner, Adam and Mara have settled personal debt, made appropriate investments to provide extra income for holidays and school fees, and arranged suitable insurances to make sure they're secure in the event of injury or illness.
Expected financial benefits from implementing their plan include:
- Cover private school fees starting from primary school (instead of high school only)
- 32 family holidays before retirement
- An additional $54,720 in assets held at retirement
2. More time to travel in their prime
Heading down the home straight towards retirement, Amanda and John love to travel. They're currently focused on their careers, but keen to be living a good life, now and in the future. Having enough to provide for their children in their will is also an important goal.
Following financial advice has allowed Amanda and John to manage their debt more effectively and ensure they're covered by insurance in case of illness or injury. Their new strategy would also see them put more income into a holiday fund and their super savings.
Expected financial benefits from implementing their plan include:
- Savings of $5k pa into a holiday fund for an extra 17 trips in their lifetime
- Increased life and TPD insurance cover to match debt and income needs
- An additional $78,720 in assets held at life expectancy that will benefit their children
3. Staying comfortable and independent in retirement
Having recently reached retirement, Jocelyn and Lou want to ensure they can continue to meet living and medical expenses and enjoy their senior years without financial stress. Not becoming a burden to their children is important to them and they'd like to retain assets to pass on to the next generation instead of having to sell them to generate more income.
With a new financial plan to guide them, Jocelyn and Lou can eliminate debts and reduce the burden of interest and loan repayments on their cash flow. They've also found ways to reduce their annual budget and still save money towards holidays.
Expected financial benefits from implementing their plan include:
- Savings of $5k pa into a holiday fund for an extra 11 trips post-retirement
- $47,250 of savings in interest on current debts
- An additional $7,237 in assets held at life expectancy that will benefit their children
Face your fears and feel better about finances
As well as looking at modelling for these three couples, Core Data also surveyed 1000 Australians as part of the research project. Of those who received advice, 80% said they felt more confident making financial decisions as a result and the same proportion believe advice has brought them more peace of mind. And 75% take a view that financial advice is worth more than it costs.
In spite of these clear benefits to wealth and wellbeing, nearly nine million Australians have unmet financial advice needs, according to Anne Fuchs, Head of Advice and Retail Distribution for Sunsuper. So what's holding them back from seeing a financial planner? "Many people end up too scared to reach out to a financial adviser for fear they don't know enough, don't have enough or will be told their dreams just aren't achievable," says Anne. "This can leave many people to suffer in silence, not knowing what to do or who to turn to for help."
Reaping the benefits of advice at every life stage
For others it can be a case of leaving it until retirement, because they're too busy and managing their money well enough while they're earning a regular income. But the benefits of financial planning can be enjoyed now, and later, according to CoreData Principal Economic Researcher, Andrew Inwood. "Good advice does of course make you wealthier at retirement, but it also adds value all the way through your life in the choices you can afford to make about schooling, insurance, holidays, housing and personal interests," says Andrew.
"The important thing to measure is how it adds value to every life stage and enables individuals' life aspirations – that's what we have modelled."
Article by the Money & Life team for moneyandlife.com.au


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Honors Program
Honors Program
The honors program in Hispanic Studies is a two-semester sequence of six hours of independent study, in consultation with a faculty advisor, culminating in either an honors thesis or a special project, e.g., a translation, creative writing, or video project. Admission is determined based on faculty recommendations and a minimum of 3.2 grade-point average in Hispanic Studies.
Follow this link for more information: Honors Thesis for Hispanic Studies