text:
Transitioning from childhood to adolescence isn't always easy. The mounting pressure from high school and friends can often take a toll on teenagers and have an effect on their attitude at home and around family. But there is a blurred line between a sullen and rebellious teen and one on the brink of suicide. Sometimes, distinguishing between a phase and a serious threat can be difficult. Teens are often moody, but it's important to recognize symptoms of depression and possible suicide and offer support before they turn into something more.
Common Warning Signs
The majority of teens take their own life because of mental problems such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse, issues related to friends, bullying or personal struggles with sexual identity. Other reasons include low self-esteem and feelings of loneliness or helplessness. Because teenagers rely on adults for support, it's crucial that you offer understanding during troubling times. For most, teenage angst is passing. Unfortunately for some, this isn't always the case. Look for these common suicidal warning signs in your teen:
- Dramatic personality change
- Giving away belongings
- Withdrawal from friends and family
- Preoccupation with death
- Aggressive or hostile behavior
- Risk-taking behavior
- Lack of personal hygiene
- Talk of suicide (even in a joking way)
- Changes in eating habits
- Apathy toward school
- Sleep disturbances
Suicide among teens is surprisingly common. In fact, suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-olds. While no two teenagers are alike, they may experience similar situations and take their lives for the same reasons. Helping your teen through issues at school or with friends may help prevent suicidal thoughts, however, a teen suffering from mood disorders or depression might be more challenging to help. The good news is, mood disorders such as bipolar disorder can be treated.
How to help
If you notice changes in your teen, a health care provider will be able to determine if he or she is at risk for suicide and can recommend treatment. Knowing exactly when the symptoms started will help your doctor determine why they started and how to proceed with tests and diagnosis. Depending on the outcome of your teen's assessments, treatment options might include: seeking a mental health professional's counsel, participation in a substance abuse program and medications.
If you suspect your teen might be at risk for suicide, it's best to make an appointment with a health care provider. In the meantime, if your teen is experiencing a change in behavior or expressing suicidal thoughts, there are several things you can do at home to minimize a possible threat:
- Stay calm and listen carefully
- Speak in a reassuring, positive tone
- Acknowledge what s/he is feeling
- Offer encouragement
- Don't judge, threaten or yell
- Tell your child that you want to help him/her feel better
- Remove any knives, medications or things that may cause harm
There are several resources available if you need extra help distinguishing between a phase and a suicide threat.
- Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
- Text the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
- Call the Trevor Lifeline (LGBTQ youth) at 1-866-488-7386.
- Visit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention for more information on how to help your teen.
Lastly, make an appointment with your local medical health professional to find out how to proceed with any necessary screenings or tests for your loved one.
About the Author
More Content by Providence Health Team


text:
Algorithmic randomness
Rodney G. Downey and Jan Reimann (2007), Scholarpedia, 2(10):2574. | doi:10.4249/scholarpedia.2574 | revision #90955 [link to/cite this article] |
Algorithmic randomness is the study of random individual elements in sample spaces, mostly the set of all infinite binary sequences. An algorithmically random element passes all effectively devised tests for randomness.
The theory of algorithmic randomness tries to clarify what it means for an individual element of a sample space, e.g. a sequence of coin tosses, represented as a binary string, to be random. While Kolmogorov's formalization of classical probability theory assigns probabilities to sets of outcomes and determines how to calculate with such probabilities, it does not distinguish between individual random and non-random elements. For example, under a uniform distribution, the outcome "000000000000000....0" (n zeros) has the same probability as any other outcome of n coin tosses, namely 2-n. However, there is an intuitive feeling that a sequence of all zeros is not very random. This is even more so when looking at infinite sequences. It seems desirable to clarify what we mean when we speak of a random object. The modern view of algorithmic randomness proposes three paradigms to distinguish random from non-random elements.
- Unpredictability: It should be impossible to win against a random sequence in a fair betting game when using a feasible betting strategy.
- Incompressibility: It should be impossible to feasibly compress a random sequence.
- Measure theoretical typicalness: Random sequences pass every feasible statistical test.
It is the characteristic feature of algorithmic randomness that it interprets feasible as algorithmically feasible.
Computability theoretic background
The theory of algorithmic randomness rests on the understanding of effectiveness as given by computability theory. The basic notion is that of a (partial) computable function \(f: \mathbb{N} \to \mathbb{N}\ .\) \(f\) is defined to be computable (or recursive) if it can be computed by a Turing machine. The widely accepted Church-Turing Thesis asserts that "every function which would naturally be regarded as computable can be computed by a Turing machine."
Computability can be defined on domains other than the natural numbers, too, via effective codings. For instance, we can identify natural numbers with their binary expansion and define computable functions on the set 2<ω={0,1}* of all finite binary sequences. Using a pairing function (an effective injection of \(\mathbb{N}\times\mathbb{N}\) into \(\mathbb{N}\)), one can define computability on the rational numbers \(\mathbb{Q}\ .\) The following are the most common notions of computability used in algorithmic randomness.
- A subset \(X \subseteq \mathbb{N}\) of the natural numbers is computable if its characteristic function \(\chi_X: \mathbb{N} \to \{0,1\}\) is.
- A computable real number is a real number with a computable binary expansion.
- A function \(g: \mathbb{N} \to \mathbb{R}\) is computable if there exists a computable function \(\gamma: \mathbb{N}\times \mathbb{N} \to \mathbb{Q}\) such that for all n and k,
\[ |\gamma(k,n) - g(k)| \leq 2^{-n}. \] Hence, for a real function being computable means being effectively approximable to an arbitrary degree of precision.
- A set \(X \subseteq \mathbb{N}\) is computably enumerable (c.e.) if it is the domain of a partial computable function.
- A real number α is left-c.e. if there is a uniformly computable, increasing sequence \((\gamma)_n\) of rational numbers such that \(\lim_n \gamma_n = \alpha\ .\) This is equivalent to its left-cut \(\{\gamma\in\mathbb{Q}: \gamma<\alpha\}\) being a c.e. set of rationals.
- A function \(g: \mathbb{N} \to \mathbb{R}\) is left-c.e. or enumerable from below if
\[ \{(\gamma,k) \in \mathbb{Q}\times \mathbb{N}: \gamma < g(k) \} \] is computably enumerable.
The development of algorithmic randomness in the 20th century
The systematic study of algorithmic randomness started in the early 20th century with the work of von Mises (1919). He proposed an approach that later became known as stochasticity. Aiming for a frequency interpretation of probability, he defined random sequences as members of so called Kollektivs. It was von Mises' idea that members of Kollektivs should pass all relevant statistical tests. A binary sequence is an element of a Kolletiv if
- it has a limit frequency, and
- the limit frequency is preserved for any subsequence that is selected via an admissible selection rule.
Von Mises did not clarify what should be understood as admissible rule. Only years later, with the development of computability theory, Church (1940) and others argued to interpret "admissible" as "computationally feasible". This led to the notion of Von-Mises-Wald-Church-stochasticity. A fundamental objection to von Mises concept was issued by Ville (1939). He showed that for any countable collection of selection rules there exist elements of the resulting Kollektiv that do not satisfy the law of the iterated logarithm.
Eventually, Martin-Löf (1966) overcame these difficulties by noting that every effective statistical test could be coded as an effective nullset.
Martin-Löf randomness
The set of all infinite binary sequences is called the Cantor space, denoted by 2ω. 2ω can be interpreted as the complete infinite binary tree. It bears a canonical topology generated by the cylinder sets [w], which consist of all infinite sequences extending the finite string w. By identifying real numbers with their infinite binary expansion, we can interpret elements of Cantor space as reals, too.
Lebesgue measure on Cantor space is induced by the function \[ \lambda[w] = 2^{-|w|}, \] where \(|w|\) denotes the length of \(w\ .\)
The basic paradigm of probability theory is that the typical outcome of a random experiment with distribution λ (e.g. infinite sequences of fair coin tosses) forms a set of Lebesgue measure one. However, in the classical framework it is impossible to define an individual random sequence, since every single sequence α, seen as a singleton subset of Cantor space, is a set of measure zero. It was Martin-Löf's idea to pick a countable family of nullsets, the effective tests for randomness, and define a sequence to be random if it is not contained in any of these nullsets.
Measure theoretical typicalness - Martin-Löf tests
A Martin-Löf test is a computably enumerable set \(W \subseteq \mathbb{N}\times 2^{<\omega}\) such that, with \(W_n := \{w \in 2^{<\omega}: (n,w) \in W \}\ ,\) it holds that for all n, \[ \lambda(W_n) = \sum_{w\in W_n} 2^{-|w|} \leq 2^{-n}. \] The sets \(W_n\) describe a shrinking sequence of open sets. Their intersection is a set of measure zero. \(W\) can hence be seen as a an effective nullset.
A sequence \(\alpha \in 2^{\omega}\) passes the test \(W\) if \[ \alpha \not\in \bigcap_n \bigcup_{w\in W_n} [w]. \] In other words, α is not contained in the nullset given by \(W\ .\) α is Martin-Löf random if it passes all Martin-Löf tests.
There are only countably many Martin-Löf tests, hence the union of all nullsets given by tests is a set of measure zero. Therefore, the set of all Martin-Löf random sequences has Lebesgue measure one. In particular, Martin-Löf random sequences exist.
Incompressibility - Kolmogorov complexity
An alternative approach to randomness is via incompressibility. A random sequence should have algorithmically incompressible initial segments. Unfortunately, with respect to plain Kolmogorov complexity C, such sequences do not exist (Martin-Löf, 1966). Informally speaking, the reason for this is that a string \(w\) gives \(w + |w|\) much information. Independently, Levin and Chaitin proposed a variant of plain complexity, prefix-free Kolmogorov complexity K, which circumvents this problem.
A sequence α is algorithmically random if there exists a constant c such that for all n, \[ K(\alpha\upharpoonright n) \geq n - c, \] where \(\alpha\upharpoonright n\) denotes the first n bits of α.
Schnorr showed that a sequence is Martin-Löf random if and only if it is algorithmically random. He and Levin had also characterized Martin-Löf randomness in terms of a related complexity notion called monotone complexity. Characterizations in terms of plain complexity were given by Gács (1980) and Miller and Yu (2006).
Unpredictability - effective martingales
The third approach to algorithmic randomness is based on the paradigm of an excluded feasible betting system.
A martingale in Cantor space is a function \(M: 2^{<\omega} \to \mathbb{R}^{\geq 0}\) such that for all strings \(w\ ,\) \[ 2 M(w) = M(w0) + M(w1). \] M can be thought of as a fair betting game, where M models the capital function. \(M(w)\) represents the capital after bits \(w(0)\dots w(|w|-1)\)have been revealed. The fairness of the game is reflected by the fact that the expected value of the gambler's capital after the next round, \([M(w0) + M(w1)]/2\) equals his current capital. A martingale is computably enumerable (c.e.) if it is left-c.e. as a function.
A martingale M succeeds on a sequence α, if \[ \limsup_n M(\alpha\upharpoonright n) = \infty. \]
Schnorr (1971) showed that a sequence α is Martin-Löf random if and only if there does not exist a c.e. martingale M that succeeds on α.
Chaitin's Ω and c.e. random reals
It is an intrinsic feature of algorithmic randomness that it is difficult to exhibit an individual random sequence. For instance, it easily follows from the definition of randomness that no computable sequence can be Martin-Löf random.
Chaitin (1976) defined the real number \(\Omega\ .\) It is the halting probability of a universal prefix-free Turing machine. Let \(U\) be such a machine. Let \(dom(U) = \{w : U(w)\downarrow \}\) be the set of all inputs on which \(U\) halts. Define \[ \Omega = \sum_{w \in dom(U)} 2^{-|w|}. \] Chaitin was able to show that \(\Omega\) is Martin-Löf random. (Recall that we identify real numbers with their infinite binary expansions.)
\(\Omega\) is a computably enumerable real. It is Turing complete in the sense that it is Turing equivalent to the halting problem \(\emptyset'\ .\) Hence, from a computational point of view, the bits of Ω are as difficult to decide as the question whether a universal Turing machine stops on a given input.
\(\Omega\) is not the only random real with this property, but it holds for any c.e. random real. In fact, there is a very strong homogeneity between such reals. For any c.e. real α, the following are equivalent (Kucera and Slaman, 2001, and others).
- α is Martin-Löf random.
- For all c.e. reals β there exists a c such that for all n, \(K(\beta\upharpoonright n) \leq K(\alpha\upharpoonright n) + c,\ .\)
- α is the halting probability of some universal prefix-free machine.
Relativization, lowness, and the computational power of randomness
Relative randomness
Relativization is a central notion of computability theory. If one endows a Turing machine with an oracle tape, that holds an infinite binary sequence whose bits can be read during a computation, one can define the notion of computable relative to a sequence α. Accordingly, one can relativize other concepts, like "computably enumerable".
As regards the theory of algorithmic randomness, this allows for a relativization of Martin-Löf randomness, by relativizing the effectiveness conditions on a test. Hence one can speak of Martin-Löf randomness relative to a sequence β.
Given two sequences α, β, their join α ⊕ β denotes the sequence obtained by inserting α at every even, β at every odd position.
- Van Lambalgen's Theorem: α ⊕ β is Martin-Löf random if and only if α is Martin-Löf random and β is Martin-Löf random relative to α.
Van Lambalgen's Theorem implies that if one effectively splits a random sequence into two halves, the two halves will be algorithmically independent. In particular, neither can compute the other.
While with respect to many oracles (such as the halting problem) the set of relatively random sequences is smaller than the set of (unrelativized) Martin-Löf random sequences, there are oracles for which this is not true. Such oracles can be seen as reals of low information content - they do not help in testing for randomness. Consequently, such sequences are called low for (Martin-Löf) random. Obviously, every computable sequence is low for random. Kucera and Terwijn (1999) showed that there exist non-computable c.e. ones.
As the notion of a test, the notion of Kolmogorov complexity can be relativized, too. An alternative approach to define low information content, due to Muchnik, is to say such reals are useless in compressing. A sequence α is low for K if there exists a constant c such that for all strings \(w\ ,\) \( K^{\alpha}(w) \geq K(w) - c. \)
A third possibility to define low information content is to say such sequences have initial segment complexity as low as possible. A sequence α is K-trivial if there exists a constant c such that for all n, \( K(\alpha\upharpoonright n) \leq K(0^n) +c. \) (Solovay, 1975, Zambella, 1990, and others)
Work by Nies (2005) and others showed that all three notions coincide.
- A sequence is low for random if and only if it is low for K if and only if it is K-trivial.
The computational power of randomness
The Kucera-Terwijn construction of a c.e. low for random (and hence K-trivial) sequence yields a solution to Post's problem by providing an example of a Turing incomplete c.e. set. Downey, Hirschfeldt, Nies, and Stephan (2002) gave an easy, injury-free construction of a (non-computable) K-trivial c.e. set.
Martin-Löf random sequences, on the other hand, can be computationally very powerful. Not only are left-c.e. random sequences Turing complete, Kucera (1985) and Gacs (1986) independently showed that every sequence is Turing reducible to a Martin-Löf random sequence.
However, this situation is somewhat atypical. Given a left-c.e. random sequence, almost every other Martin-Löf random sequence is random relative to it. Furthermore, the Kucera-Gacs Theorem does no longer hold if one replaces Martin-Löf randomness by n-randomness (see definition below) for n ≥ 2. In fact, work by Miller and Nies et al. has shown that n-randomness for n ≥ 2 has weak computational power.
Other randomness concepts
A number of alternatives to Martin-Löf randomness have been studied.
Arithmetical randomness
One can make Martin-Löf tests more powerful by requiring only that the test set W is c.e. relative to some oracle. A sequence is n-random if it passes every test that is c.e. in the (n-1)th-jump, \(n \in \mathbb{N}\ ,\) of the halting problem. Hence, Martin-Löf randomness coincides with 1-randomness. There is a strict hierarchy among these randomness notions, in the sense that the set of (n+1)-random sequences is strictly contained in the set of n-random sequences.
Computable and Schnorr randomness
Schnorr (1971) criticized Martin-Löf randomness as algorithmically too loose. He proposed two alternatives, both being based on computable rather than computably enumerable test notions, as in the case of Martin-Löf randomness
- A sequence is computably random if no computable martingale succeeds on it.
- A Schnorr test is a Martin-Löf test in which the measure of every set Wn in the test is a uniformly computable real number. A sequence is Schnorr random if it passes every Schnorr test.
Kurtz randomness
Kurtz (1981) proposed to define randomness by avoiding all effectively closed sets of measure 0. A Kurtz test is an effectively closed set F (represented by the infinite paths through a computable tree) such that μ(F)=0. A sequence is Kurtz random if it is not contained in any Kurtz test.
The following strict implications hold between the different randomness concepts:
- n-randomness (n ≥ 2) \(\Rightarrow\) Martin-Löf randomness \(\Rightarrow\) computable randomness \(\Rightarrow\) Schnorr randomness \(\Rightarrow\) Kurtz randomness.
Resource-bounded randomness
Besides computability, numerous other efficiency bounds can be applied to the principle of an excluded betting game. This way one can obtain notions like DTIME(nc)-randomness or randomness for exponential time. This was introduced by Lutz and has applications in complexity theory.
Kolmogorov-Loveland randomness
As an attempt to overcome Ville's criticism of stochasticity, Kolmogorov and Loveland independently proposed to admit selection rules that select positions along a sequence non-monotonically. The same concept can be applied to martingales, if one interprets them as a betting along an infinite sequence. In an non-monotonic betting game the player can choose the next position to bet on in an arbitrary order.
- A sequence is Kolmogorov-Loveland random if no computable non-monotonic betting game succeeds on it.
Kolmogorov-Loveland randomness is stronger than computable randomness and at most as strong as Martin-Löf randomness.
Effective fractal dimensions
It is straightforward to define Martin-Löf tests, and subsequently randomness, for computable measures other than Lebesgue measure. An important family of measures are the Hausdorff measures Hs. Roughly speaking, in determining the (outer) Hs-measure of a set, the diameter of each set used in a covering is weighed by the exponent s. (Hence the measure H1 corresponds to Lebesgue measure.) The Hausdorff dimension of a set is defined as the infimum over all nonnegative s such that the set is Hs-null. By looking only at effective Hs-nullsets (for rational s), one can define an effective counterpart of Hausdorff dimension for individual sequences: \[ dim_H^1 \alpha = \inf \{ s \in \mathbb{Q}^+: \alpha \;\; is \;\; not \;\; H^s-random \}. \]
\(dim_H^1\) is also known as constructive Hausdorff dimension, cdim.
An accordant notion, effective or constructive packing dimension, \(dim_P^1\) or cDim, respectively, can be defined for packing measures and packing dimension.
The effective dimension concepts can be characterized via Kolmogorov complexity: \[ dim_H^1 \alpha = \liminf_{n \to \infty} \frac{K(\alpha\upharpoonright n)}{n} \quad \mbox{ and } \quad dim_P^1 \alpha = \limsup_{n \to \infty} \frac{K(\alpha\upharpoonright n)}{n} \] The effective Hausdorff and packing dimension of a sequence hence correspond to its lower and upper algorithmic density, respectively.
Using modified martingales called termgales, Lutz (2003) has defined the notion of dimension for individual finite strings.
R. Downey and D. R. Hirschfeldt. Algorithmic Randomness and Complexity. Springer, Berlin, 2010.
M. Li and P. M. B. Vitanyi An Introduction to Kolmogorov Complexity and its Applications. Springer, New York, 2nd edition, 1997, and 3rd edition 2008.
P. Martin-Löf. The definition of random sequences. Information and Control, 9:602–619, 1966.
A. Nies. Computability and randomness. Oxford University Press, 2009.
C.-P. Schnorr. Zufälligkeit und Wahrscheinlichkeit. Eine algorithmische Begründung der Wahrscheinlichkeitstheorie. Springer, Berlin, 1971.
Internal references
- Marcus Hutter (2007) Algorithmic information theory. Scholarpedia, 2(3):2519.
- Paul M.B. Vitanyi (2007) Andrey Nikolaevich Kolmogorov. Scholarpedia, 2(2):2798.
- Olaf Sporns (2007) Complexity. Scholarpedia, 2(10):1623.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Acupuncture exerts post-operative anti-inflammatory responses thereby preventing abdominal adhesions. Published in the Journal of Surgical Research, investigators have discovered a major biological mechanism that may be responsible for these beneficial effects. The research team concludes, "EA (electroacupuncture) ST36 might reduce the postoperative local inflammatory response, attenuate the angiogenesis and alleviate the adhesion formation partly via activating the cholinergic anti-inflammatory mechanism."
The team's findings build on earlier research proving that electroacupuncture prevents post-operative abdominal adhesions. In looking for clues as to how acupuncture exerts its anti-inflammatory effects, they discovered that electroacupuncture at acupoint ST36 "reduced TNF-α and VEGF levels in adhesive tissue homogenates 7 days after surgery…." Even more interesting, only true acupuncture points used in the study exhibited these effects. Electroacupuncture at "non-channel acupoints...had no suppressive effects on TNF-α and VEGF levels. TNF (Tumor Necrosis Factor) is a cytokine that is involved in various biological functions including septic shock and wasting syndrome. VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) is a signal protein produced by cells that engage vasculogenesis and angiogenesis.
Histopathological and macroscopic evaluations confirm that electroacupuncture at ST36 reduces post-operative adhesion formation. In addition, the researchers note that electroacupuncture at ST36 "significantly decreased angiogenesis evidenced by reduced CD31 positive microvessel density (MVD) in adhesive tissue." CD31 (Cluster of Differentiation) is a protein that regulates neutrophil removal and expresses in vascular tumors, sarcomas and carcinomas.
Related research confirms the anti-inflammatory effects of acupuncture. Another recent study reveals that acupuncture at acupoints GV20 and GB7 regulates the cascade of endogenous inflammatory chemicals released after a stroke. These acupuncture points prevent inflammation by inhibiting IL-1beta in the brain tissue region of a hematoma. IL-1beta is a pro-inflammatory cytokine, a cell-signaling protein molecule used in intercellular communication.
Scalp acupuncture causes a rapid decrease of IL-6 (Interleukin-6), another cytokine involved in the inflammatory response. Left unchecked, IL-6's pro-inflammatory effects are pathological. IL-6 mediates fevers, crosses the blood-brain barrier and is found in high levels in patients with metastatic cancer.
The researchers note that acupuncture at GV20 and Taiyang has an "inhibitory effect on the immune-inflammatory reaction mediated by TNF-(alpha) expression…." Additionally, acupuncture at GV20 and GB7 "promoted heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) mRNA expression in brain tissue…." HSP70 helps cells fold proteins and have the ability to protect cells from stress. Other scalp acupuncture research shows "improved mitochondrial energy metabolism in (the) brain…."
Neuro-electrophysiology scalp acupuncture studies show that acupuncture at GV20 and Taiyang improves "coordination and compensation functions among cortical functional areas" in ICH patients. Scalp acupuncture has also been shown to beneficially affect the electrical activity of pain reaction neurons. Also noted, GV20 and GB7 promote the expression of glial cell neurotrophic factor GDNF, a protein that promotes the survival of neurons.
Du, Ming-Hua, Hong-Min Luo, Yi-Jun Tian, Li-Jian Zhang, Zeng-Kai Zhao, Yi Lv, Rui-Jiang Xu, and Sen Hu. "EA ST36 prevents postoperative intra-abdominal adhesions formation." Journal of Surgical Research (2014).
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative MedicineVolume 2012 (2012), Article ID 895032, 9 pages. doi:10.1155/2012/895032.
History and Mechanism for Treatment of Intracerebral Hemorrhage with Scalp Acupuncture. Zhe Liu, Ling Guan, Yan Wang, Cheng-Long Xie, Xian-Ming Lin and Guo-Qing Zheng. The Third Clinical College of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou. Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, General Hospital, Beijing. Center of Neurology and Rehabilitation, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical College, Wenzhou.


text:
Where will search go in the future?When I was at Amazon working on personalization, we used to joke that the ideal online bookstore would be very simple. It would display a giant picture of just one book, the next book you want to buy.
Many of the major companies are now investing in "personalized search," [Dr. Valdes-Perez] said, using a record of which sites a user has visited to help tailor their future searches .. [and offer] direct answers to people's questions ...
A big challenge there, he said, is to design a system that will understand what kind of information a person wants about a particular subject.
In general, an ongoing goal of search is to make it "smarter" so we can be "dumber" -- to develop software that will do the hard thinking for us.
"There's a quote I used to have on my home page at CMU that says 'Society advances by reducing the number of tasks that require thought.'
"You can accomplish much more by applying your thinking time to higher level stuff."
Yes, that is a bit too much. But, I think the point Raul makes is clear. People do not want to spend time thinking about searching. They want to get what they need and go.
The prize in search will go to those that help people get what they need quickly, effectively, and effortlessly.


text:
Credo: Meditations on the Apostles' Creed
- On most items U.S. shipping is a flat rate of $6 and free for orders over $75
- Usually ships in 3-5 business days
In the twelve months before his sudden death, Hans Urs von Balthasar had been writing a series of reflections on the twelve articles of the Apostles' Creed. These texts, which are undoubtedly among the last things he wrote, take on the character of a legacy, a spiritual testament. For they amount in their extraordinary compactness and depth to a little "summa" of his theology. What he had set out in detail in numerous books over five decades, he summarizes here in contemplative plainness and simplicity.
All the characteristics that make von Balthasar's work so distinctive and valuable are to be found here: breadth of vision, loveliness of style, and an intuitive-contemporary passion that allows him to "pray intellectually and think 'cordially'."
In his warm and extensive introduction to the book, Medard Kehl speaks of von Balthasar's "unclouded, almost childlike joy in the richness and beauty of the Mystery" of the threefold God, which "is evidenced in his interpretation of the creed."


text:
Saturday, August 15, 2015
The Assumption Of Our Blessed Lady
Most Holy, Immaculate Virgin and my Mother Mary! To thee who art the Mother of my Lord, the Queen of the world, the Advocate, the Hope, and the Refuge of sinners, I have recourse today, I who am the most miserable of all.
I render thee my most humble homage, O great Queen, and I thank thee for all the graces thou hast conferred on me until now, especially for having delivered me from Hell, which I have so often deserved.
I love thee, O most amiable Lady; and for the love which I bear thee, I promise to serve thee always and to do all in my power to make others love thee also. I place in thee all my hopes; I confide my salvation to thy care.
Accept me for thy servant and receive me under thy mantle, O Mother of Mercy. And since thou art so powerful with God, deliver me from all temptations; or rather, obtain for me the strength to triumph over them until death. Of thee I ask a perfect love for Jesus Christ.
Through thee I hope to die a good death. O my Mother, by the love which thou bearest to God, I beseech thee to help me at all times, but especially at the last moment of my life. Leave me not, I beseech thee, until thou seest me safe in Heaven, blessing thee and singing thy mercies for all eternity.
Thus, I hope. Thus, may it be.
O Queen of heaven and earth! O Mother of the Lord of the world! O Mary, of all creatures the greatest, the most exalted and the most amiable! It is true that there are many in this world who neither know thee nor love thee; but in heaven there are many millions of angels and blessed spirits, who love and praise thee continually.
Even in this world, how many happy souls are there not who burn with thy love, and live enamoured of thy goodness! O, that I also could love thee, O Lady worthy of all love! O that I could always remember to serve thee, to praise thee, to honor thee, and engage all to love thee! Thou hast attracted the love of God, whom, by thy beauty, thou hast, so to say, torn from the bosom of His Eternal Father, and engaged to become man, and be thy Son.
And shall I, a poor worm of the earth, not be enamoured of thee? No, my most sweet Mother, I also will love thee much, and will do all that I can to make others love thee also.
Accept, then, O Mary, the desire that I have to love thee, and help me to execute it. I know how favorably thy lovers are looked upon by God. He, after his own glory, desires nothing more than thine, and to see thee honored and loved by all.
From thee, O Lady, do I expect all; through thee the remission of my sins, through thee perseverance. Thou must assist me at death, and deliver me from purgatory; and finally, thou must lead me to heavn. All this thy lovers hope from thee, and are not deceived. I, who love thee with so much affection, and above all other things, after God, hope for the same favors.
Queen of Heaven, most Holy Mary, I was once a slave of sin, but now I consecrate myself to thee as thy client forever. I give myself to thine honor and service for the rest of my life. Do not reject me as I deserve, but accept me as thy servant.
I have placed all my hope in thee as my Mother. I bless and thank Almighty God, because in His mercy He has given me this confidence in thee. It is true that in the past I have shamefully fallen into sin; but I trust that, through thy prayers and the merits of Jesus Christ, I have been forgiven. But yet, my Mother, this is not enough. One fear I have which troubles me: that I may fall into sin again and lose the grace of God.
The dangers are constant; my enemies never sleep; and new temptations will assail me. O my Lady, protect me. Help me in the assaults of Hell, so I may never again offend thy Divine Son Jesus.
Let not the same thing happen again, that I lose my soul, Heaven, and God. This is the grace I beg of thee, O Mary; this is what I long for; obtain this grace for me through thy prayers.
Thus, I hope. Thus, may it be.
O Queen and Mother of mercy, who dispensest graces to all who have recourse to thee with so much liberality, because thou art a Queen, and with so much love, because thou art our most loving Mother; to thee do I, who am so devoid of merit and virtue, and so loaded with debts to the divine justice, recommend myself this day.
O Mary, thou holdest the keys of all the divine mercies; forget not my miseries, and leave me not in my poverty. Thou art so liberal with all, and givest more than thou art asked for, O, be thus liberal with me.
O Lady, protect me; this is all that I ask of thee. If thou protectest me, I fear nothing. I fear not the evil spirits; for thou art more powerful than all of them. I fear not my sins; for thou by one word canst obtain their full pardon from God. And if I have thy favor, I do not even fear an angry God; for a single prayer of thine will appease him. In fine, if thou protectest me, I hope all; for thou art all-powerful.
O Mother of mercy, I know that thou takest pleasure and dost glory in helping the most miserable, and, provided they are not obstinate, that thou canst help them. I am a sinner, but am not obstinate; I desire to change my life. Thou canst, then, help me; O, help me and save me. I now place myself entirely in thy hands. Tell me what I msut do in order to please God, and I am ready for all, and hope to do all with thy help, O Mary—Mary my Mother, my light, my consolations, my refuge, my hope.
Amen. Amen. Amen.
O my sovereign Queen and worthy Mother of my God, most holy Mary; I seeing myself, as I do, so despicable and loaded with so many sins, ought not to presume to call thee Mother, or even to approach thee; yet I will not allow my miseries to deprive me of the consolation and confidence that I feel in calling thee mother; I know well that I deserve that thou shouldst reject me; but I beseech thee to remember all that thy Son Jesus has endured for me, and then reject me if thou canst.
I am a wretched sinner, who, more than all others, have despised the infinite majesty of God: but the evil is done. To thee have I recourse; thou canst help me; my Mother, help me. Say not that thou canst not do so; for I know that thou art all-powerful, and that thou obtainest whatever thou desirest of God; and if thou sayest that thou wilt not help me, tell me at least to whom I can apply in this my so great misfortune. "Either pity me," will I say with the devout St. Anselm, "O my Jesus, and forgive me, and do thou pity me, my Mother Mary, by interceding for me, or at least tell me to whom I can have recourse, who is more compassionate, or in whom I can have greater confidence than in thee" ("Aut miseremini miseri, tu parcendo, tu interveniendo; aut ostendite, ad quos tutius fugiam misericordiores; et monstrate, in quibus certius confidam potentiores"—Orat. 50).
O Mother of God, Queen of angels and hope of men, give ear to one who calls upon thee and has recourse to thy protection. Behold me this day prostrate at thy feet; I, a miserable slave of hell, devote myself entirely to thee. I desire to be forever thy servant. I offer myself to serve and honor thee to the utmost of my power during the whole of my life.
I know that the service of one so vile and miserable can be no honor to thee, since I have so grievously offended Jesus, thy Son and my Redeemer. But if thou wilt accept one so unworthy for thy servant, and by thy intercession change me, and thus making me worthy, this very mercy will give thee that honor which so miserable a wretch as I can never give thee.
Receive me, then, and reject me not, O my Mother. The Eternal Word came from heaven on earth to seek for lost sheep, and to save them he became thy Son. And when one of them goes to thee to find Jesus, wilt thou despise it?
The price of my salvation is already paid; my Savior has already shed his blood, which suffices to save an infinity of worlds. This blood has only to be applied even to such a one as I am. And that is thy office, O Blessed Virgin; to thee does it belong, as I am told by St. Bernard, to dispense the merits of this blood to whom thou pleasest. To thee does it belong, says St. Bonaventure, to save whomsoever thou willest, "whomsoever thou willest will be saved" ("Quem vis, ipse salvus erit").
Oh, then, help me, my Queen; my Queen, save me. To thee do I this day consecrate my whole soul; do thou save it. O salvation of those who invoke thee, I conclude in the words of the same saint, "O salvation of those who call upon thee, do thou save me" ("O Salus te invocantium!").
Behold at thy feet, O Mary my hope, a poor sinner, who has so many times been by his own fault the slave of hell. I know that by neglecting to have recourse to thee, my refuge, I allowed myself to be overcome by the devil. Had I always had recourse to thee, had I always invoked thee, I certainly should not have fallen.
I trust, O Lady most worthy of all our love, that through thee I have already escaped from the hands of the devil, and that God has pardoned me. But I tremble lest at some future period I may again fall into the same bonds. I know that my enemies have not lost the hope of again overcoming me, and already they prepare new assaults and temptations for me.
O, my Queen and refuge, do thou assist me. Place me under thy mantle; permit me not again to become their slave. I know that thou wilt help me and give me the victory, provided I invoke thee; but I dread lest in my temptations I may forget thee, and neglect to do so.
The favor, then, that I seek of thee, and which thou must grant me, O most holy Virgin, is that I may never forget thee, and especially in time of temptation; grant that I may then repeatedly invoke thee, saying, "O Mary, help me; O Mary, help me."
And when my last struggle with hell comes, at the moment of death, then, my Queen, help me more than ever, and thou thyself remind me to call on thee more frequently either with my lips or in my heart; that, being thus filled with confidence, I may expire with thy sweet name and that of thy Son Jesus on my lips; that so I may be able to bless thee and praise thee, and not depart from thy feet in Paradise for all eternity.
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Saint Clare, Virgin
Saint Clare's feast in the traditional ordo is August 12th. This spiritual daughter of Saint Francis shares a birthday with me, July 16th (just about 800 years apart). She founded and led the Poor Clares for 40 years.
She is frequently depicted carrying a monstrance.
Saint Clare, please pray for us!
She is frequently depicted carrying a monstrance.
O wondrous blessed clarity of Clare!
In life she shone to a few;
after death she shines on the whole world!
On earth she was a clear light;
Now in heaven she is a brilliant sun.
O how great the vehemence of the
brilliance of this clarity!
On earth this light was indeed kept
within cloistered walls,
yet shed abroad its shining rays;
It was confined within a convent cell,
yet spread itself through the wide world.
Pope Innocent IV
Saint Clare, please pray for us!


text:
The size of the backlog in Stack Overflow's close review queue has been an issue for a long time now:
I find that having such a huge backlog, makes it very hard to properly deal with closures.
What steps or system changes can we make to get the huge close backlog on Stack Overflow, under control?
The additional visibility granted to this backlog by the review system has sparked a lot of discussion here recently. The problem with most of these discussions is that they don't agree on what the problem to be solved is... Other than that it must somehow involve the existence of a backlog.
In order to understand the problem, we first have to agree on a goal. Here's what I think the goal should be:
When you vote to close a question, if you've correctly identified a serious problem with the question and the problem isn't corrected, the question should be closed. And if you haven't, your vote should go away.
If you don't agree with that, you should probably stop reading here... But I'm hoping this is something we can agree on; that even if /review didn't exist, this would still be a good baseline expectation for close-voting. We've built up an awful lot of behavior that depends on this assumed goal.
We can further refine that goal a bit; ideally,
Problematic questions should be closed quickly - if it's a real problem, letting it hang around stinking up the place isn't doing anyone any favors, and even conscientious users are less likely to put time into correcting them long after they've been posted.
Questions that aren't causing problems shouldn't have close votes hanging off of them, like some terrible blade threatening to drop at any time.
If we're in agreement on the goal, then I think we can all agree on the real problem:
People are voting to close questions, and their votes are hanging around for months - even years - but the questions aren't getting closed.
As with the goal statement, we can refine this by observing that:
Some lousy questions are hanging around for long periods of time, clogging up search results and with little or no feedback given to the asker.
Some questions are being closed years after being asked, and often after attracting perfectly good answers whose very existence casts doubt on the need for closure.
Again, if you agree with the goal you should agree with this statement of the problem; if you don't, then you should've stopped reading already. Stop wasting time you could be using to tell me how wrong I am!
And again, this isn't specific to /review - it's been a problem ever since we instituted the 100-view requirement for close-vote aging, at which point it largely supplanted the previous problem: close votes expiring before anyone else who could close had seen them.
So now...
About review... A deficit and a long, long tail
Here's a picture:
You see the problem, right? No, it's not the 57K backlog we started with; there are only 11K or so of those left. It's that we've only been "in the black" for 5 months out of the last 16. When most days - most months - end with a deficit, you never pay down the debt you started with... And eventually, folks get discouraged.
There are a bunch of ideas for addressing this problem out there, some of them good, some of them awful. I'm not going to discuss most of them tonight, though I'll try to do a better job of at least commenting on them in the next few weeks. The goal of this post is to try and focus everyone on the same problem, so I'm trying to keep it relatively brief... so to save on words, here's one more picture:
Don't worry, you're not supposed to be able to read the text on that; just look at the shape. The single largest block of questions in the queue right now is attached to the php tag, amounting to about 10% of the entire queue. Fast on its heels is javascript, at which point it starts to flatten out really fast. By the time we hit wordpress, we're at 1% of the queue.
This is an opportunity...
See, the problem with a lot of the suggestions floating around here right now is that they make a couple of shaky assumptions:
- Most of the questions in the queue actually need to be closed.
- A handful of people working REALLY HARD could close them all in no time, if we just gave them more privileges / required fewer close votes / skipped the whole "review" thing and just closed them all automatically / etc.
#1 I'm just not seeing. Oh, for sure there's a lot of crap in there... But there's also a lot of stuff that's just in the queue because someone didn't know what the hell they were looking at and decided to flag it, or thought "minimal understanding" meant "already solved the problem and is just posting here for typing practice". Especially once you get outside the PHP tag.
#2 is true in theory, but... We've kinda been trying to move away from that - the big hope for review was that it would empower folks enough that we wouldn't need 15 moderators closing stuff all day long to keep up. And the truth is, it's a lot harder to review stuff when you don't know jack about the topic. I'm pretty comfortable in winapi, but pretty much everything in heroku makes me suspect the author was drinking heavily when he wrote it; trying to distinguish bad from just weird is taxing... And, I'm fairly certain, less accurate.
I'm going to try and use this thread as sort of a scratch-pad for tracking changes as we propose, discuss and implement them, as a way of staying focused. If you disagree with the goal (or the problem) statements above, please discuss them in answers here, but save discussion on the proposed solutions for their own threads.
Progress so far
A couple of important changes have been made:
Allow direct linking to a filtered /review queue has enabled folks to jump directly into their tag of choice when reviewing.
https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/199879/fuzzy-the-number-of-questions-in-the-close-review-queue-a-dopamine-for-the-shut/209774#209774 has reduced the visible backlog, helping to focus efforts on questions most likely to be closed or left open.
Coupled with these, we has a bit of a shindig to try and get more folks involved in the process: https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/223497/lets-burn-down-the-close-queue
The results so far have been promising. Here's a graph of the number of active reviewers by week:
And here's a variation on the "deficit" graph above, this time comparing questions collecting their first close vote or flag to those where the last vote or flag was dismissed (by either closing or aging):
It's not all roses though; the average time between the first vote and completion of review for reviewed questions flagged in is 28 days - up from 12 days a month ago. We have to assume the bulk of this is due to the work being done tearing down the backlog, but we'll want to keep an eye on this to make sure we're not dramatically delaying closures (and thus depriving askers of timely guidance) long-term.
Action items
We need to continue this two-pronged attack here: increase the number of active reviewers, and focus their efforts on areas most likely to benefit. I believe the next steps in these directions are:
Make it more obvious that the queue can be broken down by interest, highlighting areas mostly likely to benefit from the reviewer's attention.
We've seen the effect that bite-sized pieces can have: when the progress you're making is visible, it's much more gratifying to keep making progress. Let's give folks the ability to observe their progress through a specific area of the queue.
Keep up the good work!


text:
January 26, 2023
Hello, there! And thank you for visiting our new blog!
Here at El'Gant Alterations, we believe in providing our customers with only the best Alterations and Tailoring services. In order to help even more people, we thought we'd share some of our know-how in this blog so that more people can benefit from the insights and breakthroughs that took us years to learn!
The truth is that the extent of our business goes far beyond simply catering to our customer's direct Alterations and Tailoring needs the moment they hire our services. As invested and passionate professionals, we actually make it our mission to help maintain a high standard of practice within our field of work. And what better way to do so than by helping customers be able to discern from the multiple levels of excellence different businesses provide?
We believe that good and trustworthy information is key to you getting the best experience every time!
As a business concentrating on solutions such as jackets, pants, shirts, dresses, skirts, and gowns, here in our blog, you will have exclusive access to all sorts of tips and updates to get the most out of every related service you hire.
You'll also find some privileged insights into how and why things are done the way we do, as well as a comprehensive perspective on all the benefits that you get when you choose the right professionals. And believe us when we say… these benefits can extend much past what you might already be seeing!
We're very excited to have you here and couldn't wait any longer to start sharing our perspective of the industry with you! We're already working on our next post, and while it is still in the making, we invite you to get to know more about El'Gant Alterations and read through how we work and our business philosophy.
And if you are looking for top-quality Alterations and Tailoring services, don't forget to check all the solutions we currently offer by visiting the Tailoring Services section of our website.
We hope to have you back soon for more posts and until then, thank you for your visit!
Get in touch to discuss with us how we can best assist you!
Give us a call
(770) 497-0141Send us an email
[email protected]


text:
You're nearing the finish line! We know how intense the last few weeks can be, so please hang in there. When you see your team proudly present their creative solution at the tournament, you will know that it was well worth the effort!
There are quite a few things that you'll need to know about before your tournament. That's why NH-DI has assembled this Tournament Survival Guide with all of the information that you'll need to be ready for the tournament. Please read it carefully!
Part 1: Preparing for the Tournament
Part 2: Just before the Tournament
Part 3: At the Tournament
Part 4: After the Tournament
Most of the pages on our web site are now mobile-friendly and printer-friendly. If you would like to have a printed copy of our Tournament Survival Guide, simply load the section of interest and print it. You can also bookmark this page on your smartphone or tablet, and read it whenever you'd like.
Important: You should also read Destination Imagination's Travel Guide for Teams.


text:
7th CPC Extra Work Allowance – MoD Orders dt.16.11.2017
Instruction regarding Grant of Extra Work Allowance, Dress Allowance and Tough location Allowance
No.PC-1(16)/2017/D (pay/Services)
Government of India
Ministry of Defence
New Delhi, the 16th Nov, 2017
The Chief of the Army Staff
The Chief of the Naval Staff
The Chief of the Air Staff
Subject: Grant of Extra Work Allowance (abolition of existing Flight Charge Certificate Allowance) – decision of the Government on the recommendation of the Seventh Central Pay Commission.
I am directed to refer to MoD letter No.1(54)/2008/D(Pay/Services) dated 04.11.2008 and Department of Expenditure OM No.12-3/2016-E.III(A) dated 20.07.2017 and to say that consequent upon the decision taken by the Government on the recommendations of the Seventh Central Pay Commission vide Ministry of Finance Resolution No.11-1/2016-1C, Flight Charge Certificate Allowance has been abolished as a separate allowance and the President is pleased to decide that the eligible personnel shall now to be covered under a New Extra Work Allowance which shall be governed as under:-
(a) Extra Work Allowance will be paid at a uniform rate of 2% (two percent) of the basic pay per month.
(b) An employee shall receive this allowance for a maximum period of one year, and there should be minimum gap of one year before the same employee is deployed for similar duty again.
(c) This allowance should not be combined, i.e., if same employee is performing two or more such duties and is ellqible for 2 percent allowance for each add-on, then the total Extra Work Allowance payable will remain capped at 2 percent of basic pay.
(d) The other terms and conditions would continue to be applicable along with their admissibility (unless otherwise stated) as mentioned in MoD letter dated 04.11.2008 and otherwise.
3. These orders shall take effect from 1st July, 20174.
4. This issues with the concurrence of the Ministry of Defence (Finance) vide their Diary No.446/AG/PD dated 05.10.2017.
Yours faithfully,
(Jayant Sinha)
Joint Secretary to the Govt of India
Authority: https://mod.gov.in/


text:
"Go tell that long tongue liar, go and tell that midnight rider, tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter. Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down. Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down." ~ Johnny Cash in God's Gonna Cut You Down
This is one of my favorite Johnny Cash songs, one that speaks to a punishment coming no matter where the bad guys go.
Most social media users aren't bad guys, but disagreement on behavior and expectations can make the Internet feel like the wild wild west, with inadvertent "ramblers" who tweet the wrong tweet or "gamblers" who ignore the legal consequences of a promotion.
Moreover traditional legal perspectives are struggling to keep up with nascent social media behavior and technological advances. I can say for analytics the concerns of Do Not Track has forced many advertisers to consider actions to address current legislation that can easily misconstrue analysis intent.
A legal expert has now captured the best of legal interpretations of social media. Navigating Social Media Legal Risks: Safeguarding Your Business, by Robert McHale, ESQ (@rmchalelaw) with Eric Garulay, will keep you from becoming the social media "gambler." The book examines how social media behavior is shaping the legal world, and what your business should do to protect itself.
McHale, a founding partner of an IT and intellectual property law firm, brings expertise to full bear in clear language. I requested a review copy from the publisher Pearson when I saw a flier at a Barnes and Noble. The 12 chapters are worth the read for anyone seeking a grounded real-world perspective on social media.
Putting Legal Language on Everyone's Social Tongue
McHale's approach in Navigating works because he operated outside of the advertising world, an environment that has been hyper-stimulated with new tools and applications at every turn. The book offers 12 chapters on varied business uses of social media (all with U.S. interpretation of the law). Each chapter can stand alone for a quick reference and contains easy language that avoids getting too specific while never talking down the reader
The result is an actionable book. A good fit for the cautious small business owner willing to jump into social media waters but desiring to know what Internet seas contain potentially rough waves from a legal perspective. You'll learn the cases and interpretations surrounding policies such as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the Children's Online Privacy Protect Act, with useful notes and insights abound in each chapter.
The key chapters which small business owners will find particularly useful revolve around advertising and employee conduct:
- Social Media Promotion Law: Contests and Sweepstakes
According to McHale, people use the words sweepstakes and contest interchangeably, but there is a difference. McHale explains that difference, and potential result from implying an ongoing promotion:
"Internet sweepstakes must also avoid being classified as illegal online gambling; otherwise, the sponsors risk severe criminal and civil penalties under the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA)."
- Online Endorsements and Testimonials
"Disclosure" is the definitive word in this chapter, as FTC guidelines seek to establish a connection between those paid to endorse and the sponsor of the program.
- The Misuse of Social Media in Pre-Employment Screening
Companies need to ensure that background information is not collected in violation of the FCRA. McHale provides an example of a case of 6 mobile background screening apps that received a warning from the FTC.
Most notable for those with Facebook concerns is how friending can be questionable:
"An employer who circumvents an applicant's privacy settings on social media sites – by having a colleague "friend" the applicant for purposes of obtaining information they otherwise would not have access to, for example – might be exposing itself to a claim for invasion of privacy."
- Legal Risk of User Generated Content
"Because social media sites are not exempt from traditional copyright laws, copyright infringement is unquestionably the greatest intellectual property legal issue facing UCG (User Generated Content)…care should be taken to ensure that all necessary rights for publication on social networking have been properly assigned and that any uploaded content is noninfringing of another's copyright."
There's not a deep examination of Do Not Track – the debates center on technical uses of browsers – but Chapter 7's coverage of Social Advertising reminds one of the range of the FTC. CAN-SPAM and the specter of personal identifiable information is explained. You'll have a better discussion with an analytics specialist when examining the impact of tags and analytic solutions.
McHale does an excellent job to enlighten overlooked details without scaring you away from social media. The thoroughness is superb, including notes from cases and a thoughtful do/don't chart in the chapters.
We learn so much from one another online, but sometimes forget to ask about real world safeguards when it comes to creating online activity such as sweepstakes and establishing internet communities.
After reading Navigating Social Media Legal Risks, you'll come away with a more pragmatic view of how to work with people on the Web. It'll be a terrific view, because you'll be well equipped to form solid questions that need answers – answers that make a good idea a great one.


text:
Maldives Hosts Inaugural PATA Human Capacity Building Programme
Male (Maldives) – July 14, 2017 (travelindex.com) – Travel industry professionals in the Maldives are now better placed to promote effectively this idyllic destination, thanks to the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA). The inaugural PATA Human Capacity Building Programme in the Maldives was staged this week in conjunction with the Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO). There were 45 participants in attendance. Representing PATA were CEO Dr. Mario Hardy and Director-Human Capital Development Mrs. Parita Niemwongse.
The event, with theme "Exploring the Art of Storytelling", was staged at the Bandos Island Resort. It provided participants with an intensive and interactive training programme that incorporated a series of classroom sessions conducted by leading travel industry experts coupled with practical activities, group assignments and networking opportunities. The programme content was based upon the successful PATAcademy-HCD at the Association's Engagement Hub in Bangkok.
"Human capital development is a fundamental component in PATA's mission for the responsible development of the travel and tourism industry in the region. We remain committed to providing opportunities for local communities to share in the benefits of tourism and broadening the horizons of tourism industry professionals beyond their day-to-day tasks," said PATA CEO Dr. Mario Hardy. "We are delighted to have the opportunity to partner with MATATO to stage the first PATA Human Capacity in the Maldives. The theme, 'Exploring the Art of Storytelling', fits perfectly with the Maldives where there are so many fantastic stories to be told to a global audience."
Abdulla Ghiyaz, President – MATATO said, "I hope this opens the door for further cooperation between PATA and MATATO and this becomes an annual event in the Maldives."
Speakers at the two day programme included Kyle Sandilands, Director and Cinematographer; Trevor Weltman, Head of Growth – Triip.me; Dung 'Mos' Dang, Founder and Head of Product – Scott Experience Design, and Matt Gibson, President of the Professional Travel Bloggers Association and CEO of UpThink.
Kyle Sandilands said, "It's been a real pleasure to be here in the Maldives as part of this event. My goal was to share some insights about the tools filmmakers use to tell visual stories and provide examples of 'out of the box' approaches used to create tourism films. We looked at various examples ranging from surrealist escapism campaigns to more documentary-type approaches in promoting a destination. We had a great audience and it was overall a very positive experience. Thanks to MATATO for hosting such a great event."
Trevor Weltman and Dung 'Mos' Dang delivered an immersive training session on how to apply best practices from software and hardware development to create successful business stories. "Every story has a hero," said Trevor Weltman. "In business stories, this hero is the user or customer. We created a system for our consulting that helps travel brands focus intensely on solving traveller needs at each stage of their travel journey. We taught participants how to apply this system to both advertising campaigns and digital products."
Matt Gibson said, "Since the Maldives faces institutional barriers to bring outside storytellers to the country, my session focused upon providing delegates with the tools they need to tell the story of this beautiful destination online. It's important for all storytellers to know how to identify the story ideas that are the most interesting, to craft inspiring content and to leverage social media to maximise the reach and impact of that content."
The PATA Human Capacity Building Programme is the Association's in-house/outreach initiative for Human Capital Development (HCD) across the broad spectrum of travel and tourism. Leveraging PATA's network of talented industry leaders worldwide, the Programme designs and implements customised training workshops for government agencies, non-governmental organisations, academic institutions and private sector businesses.
The training is delivered through innovative adult education learning techniques including case studies, group exercises, group discussions, instructor presentations and site visits.
The facilitators bring knowledge, experience and expertise from a wide range of business sectors and drawn from PATA's extensive and established network in the tourism industry and beyond.
PATA designs and coordinates the workshop, providing experts who lead and moderate exchanges among participants and offer their own perspectives and experiences. The workshop content and agenda, including the ideal profile and number of participants, are developed by PATA in close collaboration with the lead institution or organisation.
The workshop duration may vary in length from two hours to two days, depending upon the learning objectives, and may be staged at any location worldwide.
For further information on the PATA Human Capacity Building Programme, please visit www.PATA.org/human-capacity-building-programme or contact Mrs. Parita Niemwongse, Director, Human Capital Development – PATA at email@example.com.
About PATA
Founded in 1951, PATA is a not-for-profit membership association that acts a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. The Association provides aligned advocacy, insightful research and innovative events to its member organisations, comprising 95 government, state and city tourism bodies, 25 international airlines and airports, 108 hospitality organisations, 72 educational institutions, and hundreds of travel industry companies in Asia Pacific and beyond. Thousands of travel professionals belong to the 36 local PATA chapters worldwide. The chapters organize travel industry training and business development events. Their grassroots activism underpins PATA's membership of the Global Travel Association Coalition (GTAC), which includes ACI, CLIA, IATA, ICAO, WEF, UNWTO and the WTTC. The PATAmPOWER platform delivers unrivalled data, forecasts and insights from the PATA Strategic Intelligence Centre to members' desktops and mobile devices anywhere in the world. PATA's Head Office has been in Bangkok since 1998. The Association also has official offices or representation in Beijing, Sydney and London.
Paul Pruangkarn
Director – Communications & Marketing
+66 (02) 658-2000
Bangkok, Thailand


text:
AT&T and IBM have announced a new global alliance agreement to develop solutions that help support the "Internet of Things."
The companies will combine their analytic platforms, cloud, and security technologies with privacy in mind to gain more insights on data collected from machines in a variety of industries.
The new AT&T and IBM alliance will initially focus on creating new solutions targeted for city governments and midsize utilities.
These organizations intend to integrate and analyse vast quantities of data from assets such as mass transit vehicles, utility meters, and video cameras.
As a result, cities may be able to better evaluate patterns and trends to improve urban planning and utilities can better manage their equipment to reduce costs.
"This collaboration of two world-class companies will help deliver a more connected planet," said Chris Hill, Senior Vice President, AT&T Advanced Solutions. "We share a vision that the 'Internet of Things' will help companies in a variety of industries rely on their remote assets and connected devices to take their business to the next level."
Key capabilities for city planners in connected cities include:
- Better allocate and distribute resources based on information reported from incidents and service disruptions.
- Analyse the movement of people to improve traffic management, parking capacity, location and number of first unit responders. City officials can better prepare and react to potential bottlenecks and other issues in case of an emergency.
- Identify inefficient traffic patterns so that traffic can be re-routed; better allocate public safety resources in places where majority of people congregate.
- Monitor social media updates from citizens reporting bad weather or major traffic so the city can take best course of action.
"Smarter cities, cars, homes, machines and consumer devices will drive the growth of the Internet of Things along with the infrastructure that goes with them, unleashing a wave of new possibilities for data gathering, predictive analytics, and automation," said Rick Qualman, Vice President, Strategy & Business Development, Telecom Industry, IBM.
"The new collaboration with AT&T will offer insights from crowdsourcing, mobile applications, sensors and analytics on the cloud, enabling all organizations to better listen, respond and predict."
AT&T brings its M2M globally accessible network, devices, and Global Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) to help connect assets worldwide to a single global network.
These technologies are managed through AT&T's M2M platforms to securely collect, organize, store and send the data to applications.
IBM brings the Intelligent Operations Center, Maximo Asset Management, its advanced analytics capabilities, and IBM MessageSight MQTT Appliance, which complements the IBM MobileFirst family of solutions.
IBM MobileFirst provides the management, security and analytics capabilities needed for organizations to capitalise on the increasing role of mobile devices in the Internet of Things. The two companies will work together to build solutions at the AT&T M2M Foundry in Plano, Texas and IBM Global Solution Centers around the world.
According to industry analyst firm IDC, the installed base for the Internet of Things will grow to approximately 212 billion devices by 2020, a number that includes 30 billion connected devices.
IDC sees this growth driven largely by intelligent systems that will be installed and collecting data — across both consumer and enterprise applications.
In the latest iteration of Current Analysis' Global M2M Service provider rankings, principal analyst Kitty Weldon wrote that "AT&T is positioned as a global leader in providing M2M services and has demonstrated excellent traction for its initiatives with customers."
[Image courtesy AT&T]


text:
Boys Rule is print is printed on high quality Novatech silk card.
Each print will be individually packed and comes gift wrapped so can be sent as a present.
The prints come unframed but we suggest a black or grey frame to bring the image to life.
Print comes in A4


text:
TechRadar Verdict
One of the best phones around at the moment, and a definitive rival to the Apple iPhone
- +
HSDPA connectivity
5-megapixel camera
Plenty of built-in image-editing functions
120fps video shooting
Responsive touchscreen
- -
Touchscreen prone to fingerprints, scratching
No lens cover for camera
Sliding disc for zooming etc, a bit fiddly
Why you can trust TechRadar
The Apple iPhone hype has been so overwhelming that it's easy to forget that there are other damn good phones out there at the moment.
The LG KU990, dubbed Viewty, is a recent favourite of ours. In the same way as the Apple iPhone is instantly appealing, the LG Viewty is beautiful to look at and one of the best-looking phones we've seen. It features an impressive 5-megapixel camera complete with auto-focus and xenon flash.
The real star of the show is the 3-inch LCD touchscreen which lets you type text and email messages, view images, browse the web, shoot video and much more. The touchscreen is amazingly responsive and is also set to vibrate when you enter a command. This gives you a more tactile sense of touching the screen than with standard displays.
The vibrating feature is also useful when typing in a SMS text message or a phone number. The numeric or alphabetic keypad on the touchscreen works in the same way as a standard mobile phone keypad, but without the traditional mechanical buttons.
There's also a handwriting recognition option which you can use for typing emails and text messages. We found this function slow and fiddly though - it was a lot quicker just tapping the touchscreen keypad.
Camera mode
The back of the device looks like any compact digital camera. The main feature, the 5-megapixel lens, sits at one end. We would have preferred if the lens was actually covered when not in use, as it's now unprotected from dust. The xenon flash and auto-focus light is beside the lens.
As for taking pictures, the LG Viewty offers the same camera modes and functionalities as compact digital cameras. You can adjust the size of images, picture quality, ISO and white balance, as well as use the digital stabilisation function to reduce blur.
When you're done shooting you can view your photos in the photo viewer which displays pictures as if you'd laid them out on a table. You can flick through them with your finger - a bit like you use the Cover Flow option in iTunes - or view in the standard mode, all lined up next to each other. You can zoom in on, or open up, a photo by resting your finger on the picture for a couple of seconds.
The real draw is the LG Viewty's photo-editing functionalities, which is one of the best we've seen on a phone. You can quickly add text, music, and morphing effects to your photos. Our photos turned out well when viewing on a computer screen, and looked great when printed out.
Sliding disc
The camera lens is surrounded by a sliding disc that lets you scroll through menus, zoom in and out on web pages, adjust the call volume, plus zoom in and out in camera mode. It is a useful function but feels a bit fiddly and sometimes didn't work as well as we would have liked.
The LG Viewty also shoots video at 120 frames per second, which allows you to slow it down and watch it in slow-motion when you play it back. Videos can be uploaded straight to YouTube with just one button. Switching between photo and video mode is easily done via the dedicated buttons along the side of the handset.
The huge screen also makes web browsing ideal; the LG Viewty is one of the best web-enabled handsets we've seen. You can view full-size web pages and zoom in on particular sections in the same way you can with the Apple iPhone. The LG Viewty offers HSDPA connectivity so web browsing and downloading was quick and easy. A five-minute music track downloaded in about 20 seconds, for example.
The LG Viewty is well-designed; it is light to carry but its stylish looks would appeal to any fashionista. The touchscreen does get messy from fingerprints, and could potentially get scratched if kept in a bag with your keys and other essentials.
Audio quality
There's nothing to complain about when it comes to audio quality - it was loud and clear during calls. We also liked the video calling functionality, which really comes to life thanks to the large screen. The speaker functionality is also good when playing tunes from the built-in MP3 player.
Battery life is good - an average user could easily make the battery last well over two days but if you tend to take lots of photos and surf the web a lot, then a daily charge is probably recommended.
We think this is one of the best phones around at the moment, and a definitive challenger to the Apple iPhone. The impressive camera, responsive and easy-to-use touchscreen and high-speed internet connectivity, all crammed in to a very stylish body, makes this one of LG's best ever phones, along with the LG Prada phone.
If you're not convinced, why not check out rival 5-megapixel cameraphones like the GPS/Wi-Fi-enabled Nokia N95, the slimline Samsung G600, or the Sony Ericsson K850i?
The LG KU990 Viewty is available now on all major networks, from free on some monthly contracts.


text:
Community Design Solutions was formed in 2005 to provide creative solutions to the issues communities face. We have over 25 years experience in architecture, planning and historic preservation and over 10 years serving as the architect for the Main Street Programs in South Carolina and Mississippi.
In a general sense, we bring people together to build common vision. Specifically, we provide creative design and visualization services for communities in four strategic areas: Photo-Rendering, Charrette Facilitation, Main Street Services, and Design, Planning and Historic Preservation.
We work collaboratively with other professionals to provide holistic approaches to the communities we serve. We build upon the unique assets of each community to ensure sustainable solutions. We engage the citizens of the community to develop compelling and community-wide visions.


text: Bodhran, 13" Plywood, Blue Painted with black leather band and gold colored tacks around the drum. New upgraded tuning mechanism requires no tuning wrench. This is a 5.5 inch deep tunable Bodhran with a natural goat skin head. The plywood allows the drum shell to be over 5 inches deep and still only have a weight of approximately 3 pounds. The plywood makes it light weight for hours of enjoyable play. One tipper included.


text: Good morning, I'm Steve Inskeep. Some of the media made mistakes during coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing. A sign of integrity is whether you correct them. A TV captioning service apologized for its mistake. Viewers in Dallas saw the bombing suspect misidentified. The screen read: "Marathon Bomber: He is 19-year-old Zooey Deschanel." For the record, the suspect is 19-year-old Chechen immigrant Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and not the star of the TV series "New Girl." It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


text:
JuanitaCortez video.
Free chat with JuanitaCortezSensual hot and pretty latin, soo sweet, friendly and funny. Im playfull, ilove a gentleman who like play and naughty. I like shy boys too becasue maybe sometimes im too. If you want have a great conversation o get crazy with me, make reality your fantasies Join me!


text:
New tech can be fun and fascinating, but most importantly it solves a need in a person's life. If you're trying to choose a Christmas gift for the techie in your life, consider the little problems they've been commenting about. Solve that problem with a new piece of technology and you'll find an innovative holiday gift that won't be quickly forgotten.
New Tech for Getting Fit
Fitness buffs are fascinated with recording results and improving their game. The new Fitbit Charge 3 will help them to do just that. This advanced fitness tracker includes a 24/7 heart rate monitor, a smart touchscreen, goal-based exercise modes, and smartphone notifications. Getting fit isn't just about working out; eating right is also an important component. The Greater Goods Digital Food Scale will not only weigh food servings, but it also tells nutritional information for 2,000 built-in foods, tracks daily macro totals like fats, carbs, and calories, and adapts to your personal diet. For the most personal gift of all, give her the Muhdo genetic profiling kit. Once the profile has been done, Muhdo will do DNA testing and devise an artisan fitness and nutrition plan based on her personal genetic markers.
Tech for Increasing Productivity
Time seems increasingly short for both executives and independent business owners, so anything that increases productivity will improve both their bottom line and their attitude. With the Equil Smartpen 2, he can doodle, sketch, or take notes on any piece of paper that's handy, then transfer it into digital form via the pen. If keeping track of keys or other objects is slowing down mornings, he'll appreciate TrackR Stickers. They affix to any flat surface and will beep when activated by a smartphone app. Is lack of attention slowing her down in boring meetings? The Fidgi Pen has enough stealth fidget points to keep anyone alert during the latest budget overview. For anyone who spends massive amounts of time working elaborate programs, the Packed Pixels Multi Laptop Windows is a multi-window attachment for his laptop that turns it into a computer with three monitors.
Gadgets for Better Visuals
Photography is a growing hobby, and manufacturers have come up with a wide variety of great devices for both amateurs and professionals, alike. For the most casual user, the Amir Clip-On Smartphone Lens will turn any basic iPhone into a high-quality camera. He'll shoot close-ups, wide angle shots, and super-clear portraits with this easily-attached lens collection. The FujiFilm Instax Minicamera is the hottest instant around in a generation. She can toss it in the office for impromptu group photos, or use it on road trips for ice-breaking sessions. For executives who unwind by going to the extremes, the Polaroid Cube+ is the ideal lifestyle action camera. He can attach it to a helmet, handlebars, a surfboard, or any other piece of sports equipment. For the more casual adventure photographer who never seems to remember a tripod, the Poying Bottle Mount will save the day. He can attach the mount to the bottom of any small camera, then screw the mount onto any commercial bottle of water. Instant tripod!
Tech That Upgrades the Home
Being at home should be as relaxing as possible, and these tech gifts make sure that happens. The iRobot Roomba automatically vacuums the floor by rolling around the house picking up dirt, then moves back to it's home to charge up for the next trip. The NEST Hello doorbell's ultra-clear camera shows everything that happens on your front porch. It's 24/7 streaming HD video that's always on, streaming both to your smartphone and straight to the cloud for safety. The Echo Plus smart home hub connects all your Internet of Things to form one intelligent, connected unit she can run from voice commands or a smartphone. And the VicTsing Bluetooth waterproof shower speaker adds incredible stereo sound for both invigorating morning showers and relaxing evening baths.
Tech For Relaxation
Everyone needs to have a little fun in their life, no matter how driven they are to succeed. New tech products make it easy to find new hobbies and enjoy small bits of free time throughout the day. Apple Airpods give excellent stereo sound in a wireless design. Airpods are always attached to Siri, to make your life even easier. The Retroduck Retro iPhone Dock turns your iPhone into a 60's-style television that sits on your desk. It includes a stand and a trio of rabbit-ear antennas to complete the look. The Urban Outfitters Folding Massage Chair reminds you of aluminum lawn chairs on your grandparents' lawn, but with a considerable upgrade. Your gift recipient will love the deep-tissue massage with three pressure settings and four massage modes.


text:
A top Republican transportation staffer gave some clues yesterday about the GOP's plan to drastically restructure national transportation policy and reverse many reforms of the past 20 years.
In an off-the-record luncheon with the Road Gang, a sort of "fraternity" of Washington highway executives, Jim Tymon gave the view from his seat as Republican staff director of the House Highways and Transit Subcommittee. Streetsblog spoke to sources who attended the gathering.
According to Tymon, incoming Transportation Committee Chair John Mica (R-FL) has three goals for the reauthorization of the surface transportation bill:
- stabilize the highway trust fund
- leverage existing revenue sources
- streamline project delivery
What does that mean for reforming our broken transportation system? Well, everyone wants to stabilize the highway trust fund – it's not sustainable to continue spending more than the fund brings in from gas tax revenues. (According to Tymon, the trust fund currently spends roughly $50 billion a year, while taking in revenues of just $35 billion.)
But if the option of raising taxes is off the table (Mica believes in VMT fees but says it'll take years to get there, and has flatly opposed raising the gas tax), the only solution is to cut spending – and that's just what Mica and his Republican colleagues seem poised to do, to the tune of $7 billion to $8 billion per year. Tymon called it "cutting the fat."
Apparently, for Republicans, the big target for cuts appears to be transit spending. Tymon suggested to the Road Gang that the current $8 billion allocated for transit annually could shrink to $5 billion. The Road Gang was, apparently, relieved to see that transit would bear the brunt of the burden of spending cuts.
Meanwhile, Tymon said the Republicans want to bring transportation spending back to it roots in the 1950s – interstate commerce and travel, with a strong focus on the National Highway System. It all adds up to a possible revision of the longstanding 80/20 ratio governing highway and transit spending, with transit losing ground. Tymon confirmed that a new calculus could be coming.
According to Streetsblog's sources, Tymon discussed reducing the Surface Transportation Program and eliminating federal mandates to states about how they should spend their money – for example, the "inappropriate" mandate for bike-ped projects, which he said should be up to state discretion.
Mica has also indicated his willingness to discontinue discretionary grant programs like TIGER, saying the process hasn't been sufficiently transparent.
As for the second point on the bullet list - leveraging existing revenue sources – no big surprises there. To help make up for the dwindling power of the gas tax, the GOP wants to rely more on Public Private Partnerships, tolls (but only for new roads, not existing roads), and bonds, including private activity bonds and tax-preferred bonds like Build America Bonds (which will expire next month if not renewed). Tymon also praised state infrastructure banks, which the GOP would like to encourage. South Carolina, which has the biggest state bank, is their model.
And third, Mica would like to cut in half the average time it takes to get a transportation project built by streamlining project delivery. This might be done by shifting responsibility for project reviews to the states, limiting environmental reviews, and mandating deadlines for resource agencies to review and approve projects.
Mica says he will push for a six month extension of the transportation authorization in the next several months, so Congress can consider a new bill for consideration in summer of 2011. Expect listening sessions and hearings in the meantime.
In the end, however, agreement on a new six-year reauthorization seems increasingly unlikely anytime soon, according to observers who note the difficulty of winning consensus on such a bill without either a major increase in revenues or earmarks. Advocates are bracing for a fresh round of extensions that could last two years or more. That could mean spending cuts, as outlined by Jim Tymon, without a new vision for moving infrastructure into the 21st century.
The last reauthorization – passed by a Republican House, Senate and President – was significantly more reform-minded than the proposal coming from the GOP now. Mica's close relationship with outgoing chair, reformer Jim Oberstar (D-MN) and public support for transit have been a reason for hope for reformers – but it's becoming clear that advocates will have to fight hard to preserve the gains made in the last two decades for transit, bicycling, and walkability.


text: Langkasuka The most detailed description of the early Malay kingdom of Langkasuka is found in the Liang-shu, a Chinese history written in the early seventh century. Referred to as Lang-ya-hsiu, Langkasuka's frontiers were described as thirty days' journey from east to west, and twenty from north to south. Its capital was said to be surrounded by walls to form a city with double gates, towers and pavilions. "When the king goes forth he rides upon an elephant. He is accompanied by banners, fly-whisks, flags and drums and he is shaded with a white parasol. The soldiers of his guard are well-appointed. The inhabitants of the country say that their state was founded more than four hundred years ago. Subsequently the descendants became weaker, but in the king's household there was a man of virtue to whom the populace turned. When the king heard of this he imprisoned this man, but his chains snapped unaccountably. The king took him for a supernatural being and, not daring to injure him, exiled him from the country, where upon he fled to India. The king of India gave him his eldest daughter in marriage. Not long afterwards, when the king of died, the chief ministers welcomed back the exile and made him king." This account, and that of other Chinese histories, describe a kingdom that began in the second century A.D., located somewhere along the east coast of the Malay Peninsula. The most important piece of evidence as to its location is provided by the Wu-pei-chih, which firmly places a Lang-hsi-chia to the south of Songkla (Singora), up to the Patani River. Early Malay literature, however, is quite explicit in indicating a location on the west coast. From the Hikayat Marong Mahawangsa (a king who is said to have sailed from India) we can extract the following relevant passages: Then King Marong Maha-Wangsa asked an old wise man in his ship, who answered, 'That large island, almost touching the mainland, is Pulau Seri, the small one is Pulau Jambul, and further landwards from there is Pulau Lada, my lord'. Then King Marong Mahawangsa said, 'Let us land at the cape of that island'. King Marong Mahawangsa came upon good land, very beautifully situated. He did not return to his ships, so eager was he to build a fort and a hall, very large and beautiful. When the palace hall was completed, he called it Langkasuka. The city, grew more and more populous from month to month and from year to year . . . One day King Marong Mahawangsa was granting audience to great numbers of ministers, courtiers, commanders, chamberlains, pages and officials, who were all crowded into his palace hall Langkasuka. . . Then King Marong Mahawangsa said to the Roman envoys, 'I have installed my son as King. Now we should give our country a name' . . . 'We shall name this our country Kedah Zamin Duran' . . . King Marong Mahawangsa saw how Pulau Lada had joined the mainland, finally being called Bukit Lada, just as Pulau Jambul was finally called Bukit Jambul. Pulau Seri was almost joined to the mainland and was eventually called Gunong Jerai on account of its height.' Thereupon King Marong Mahapodisat [son of Mahawangsa] made his son mount the elephant Gemala Johari . . . The elephant raised its head and set off towards the rising sun, accompanied by the ministers, commanders and soldiers. They entered a vast forest; later a plain came into sight. The King, on the elephant Gemala Johari, crossed several hills and mountains. After some time, when they had almost reached the sea, they came upon a great river flowing into the sea. On that plain the elephant Gemala Johari stopped. The princess-consort said, 'Go back to Kedah, to my royal father, and tell him that this is the country called Patani' . . . Now King Sari Mahawangsa did not wish to stay at Langkasuka as it was very far from the sea. So he ordered his four ministers to gather lime and mussel-shells with which to build a fortress downstream, for the river was big and wide, broadening out and with a very swift current. The ministers carried out the royal command. King Sari Mahawangsa unceasingly visited the downstream area where the moated fortress was to be built. Upstream in that area he built a small palace called Sirukum." It is clear from these passages that Langkasuka has passed into Malay folklore as a west-coast kingdom, the predecessor of modern Kedah, with its capital at the foot of Gunong Jerai. The evident association of its rulers with Patani "beyond the forests and hills" may suggest a kingdom that spanned the peninsular to the east coast, where most of the Chinese accounts place Langkasuka. It is evident that the fortunes of Langkasuka ebbed and flowed with that of its larger neighbours. It seems to have entered a decline when it was conquered by the Funan Empire of Cambodia between the third and sixth century. It then experienced a resurgence after the fall of Funan, only to succumb to the Sri Vijaya Empire some time in ninth century. Indian and Javanese texts also suggest a western kingdom. Ilangasoka is named as one of Rajendra Chola's conquests in his expedition against the Srivijaya Empire, described as a kingdom that that was "undaunted in fierce battles". The Majapahit epic of 1365, the Nagarakartagama, described Lengkasuka as a west coast state subject to the overlordship of Majaphit (though it is more likely that, at the time, Langkasuka was part of the territory of Majaphit's arch-enemy Sri Vijaya). Langkasuka then mysteriously disappears from written history - leaving only a legendary name to peasant mythology. The spirit land of Lakawn Suka still features in the mythology of Patani Malays, while Kedah peasant folklore interpret the realm of Alang-kah-suka as the domain of the fairy princess Puteri Sadong, 'who rules over the Little People and wild goats of the limestone hills, and persistently refuses all suitors, be they never so highborn or otherwise eligible". Finally, when it had been erased from the map of the peninsula after some many centuries, the name 'Langkasuka' again appeared in our history when it was mooted by our founding fathers as a possible name for independent Malaya. About the AuthorWrite to the author: email@example.com


text:
Dear Colleagues,
Even though over 300 of our NTT colleagues have already been sent non-reappointment notices, we, the remaining faculty, can support our non-reappointed colleagues by pledging to resist larger class sizes and refusing to enroll students over course caps for the upcoming fall semester (see the contract language in Article 15.4 of the contract).
Please consider signing this pledge to hold the line on class size: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdgqyGidpnGDTkzWWQlqyTIlfjiiiyMLr9nJ5jUn6sZGphdgA/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1.
The FSU Executive Committee
For information on the FSU, links to our contract and bargaining updates, and a calendar of events, see the FSU webpage
Check out the FSU Blog
Please "like" the FSU Facebook Page
Follow us on Twitter at @FSU_UMB


text:
by Ugh
Hi All -
Ugh here (just in case you missed the byline), as LJ notes below, he and the other ObWi bloggerati invited me to post here and I accepted (thanks all!). Although, now I'm having the same kind of nervousness I get when I do public speaking. Strange.
Anyway, simple introduction: I'm a tax lawyer in Washington DC (to which you might say, in your best Jack Nicholson A Few Good Men impersonation, "Is there any other kind?"), so expect relatively informed posts on that subject and totally uninformed posts on others. Otherwise, I've been commenting here since at least before the 2004 Presidential election.
I'll try to manage to post something more substantive soon and will try to keep my more snarky stuff over at TiO (unless it's this awesome).
Finally, apologies in advance for effing things up as I learn about the Wonderful World of Typepad.


text:
Terms of Use
Before you sign up and download or use Best Decoders's downloadable product for your own purposes or business purpose, please make sure you have read and agreed to all the terms. By using Best Decoders's products, we assume you've accepted the terms of use given below.
We reserve the right to change and modify terms and conditions at any time without any notice.
Everyone who buys our product will be a member of this site automatically. Membership information will be emailed to the email address provided within 24 hours but usually happens within minutes. Please ensure first you have checked your spam folder. If you do not receive an email after this time period, please contact us through the website contact page.
However, those who have not bought our product yet may take a membership of this site and it's free.
Product delivery
All products are downloadable from dashboard. After successful registration you will be able to log in/access user dashboard.
Paid products will be accessible for download after payment is received and verified. To process our payments we use Paypal, Master Card, Visa, American Express and all major credit cards. You must agree with their terms and conditions before paying for any of our membership plan.
Plugin Updates
Each time a new version of WordPress is released, we check our themes for compatibility with the new version, and we update them if this is required. Also we update our themes any time we discover a bug or when a new feature has been added to the theme.
All updates and new versions are free of charge for existing customers while their membership is active.
You are allowed to modify any of our products according to your requirements. However, please note that before you modify, check documentation and ask us on the forum if there is an easier and better way to achieve what you want to do.
Unauthorized/Illegal Usage
You may not use the Best Decoders products for any illegal or unauthorized purpose nor may you, in the use of the Service, violate any laws in your jurisdiction (including but not limited to copyright laws) as well as the laws of European Union and International law. In particular, it is prohibited to use our templates for pages that promote: violence, terrorism, hard pornography, racism, vulgarity content or warez software links.
You agree not to reproduce, duplicate, copy, sell, resell or exploit any portion of the Service, use of the Service, or access to the Service without the express written permission by Best Decoders. You may not redistribute or release any of our products under a General Public License (GPL).
We reserve the possibility of blocking your membership account immediately if we will know about such a not permitted behavior.
If you create an account on the Best Decoders website, you are responsible for maintaining the security of your account, and you are fully responsible for all activities that occur under the account and any other actions taken in connection with the account. You must immediately notify Best Decoders of any unauthorized uses of your account or any other breaches of security.
Fraud Detection
Instant downloads are available. However, some customer purchases can be pending for manual anti-fraud check up to review of Paypal or to Checkout. You will receive a detailed email about your payment. Anti-fraud check occurs due to the growing number of fraudulent transactions from persons who are not actual the cardholders of the credit cards used during purchase.
Our products are guaranteed to function on a clean installation of WordPress or when activated without any changes. Once you modify any of the theme files or include third party applications, then we cannot guarantee that the products will work.
We cannot guarantee that themes will function with all 3rd party components, plug-ins or web browsers. Browser compatibility should be tested against the demonstration pages on the demo server. Please ensure that the browsers you use will work with the themes as we can not guarantee that Best Decoders themes will work with all browsers combinations.